Topic: Medicine & Health

May 17, 2013 Podcast for 17 May 2013 - VISION SCIENCE - A camera modeled after the compound eyes of insects. How the brain compensates for worsening color vision as we age. And, could electrical simulation to the brain improve math performance? Also: Young people are still flocking to tanning booths, despite the risk of developing life-threatening melanoma.
May 16, 2013 Indoor Tanning - Despite the serious risk of melanoma, indoor tanning remains alarmingly popular, especially among young women.
May 14, 2013 Ancient Lead Pollution - Humans were polluting the air with lead as far back as 3,900 years ago.
May 13, 2013 Insect-Inspired Camera - The compound eyes of insects have inspired the design of a new camera.
May 10, 2013 Podcast for 10 May 2013 - EYES, EARS & THE BRAIN - How short-term hearing loss protects the ears. The brain's number hotspot. And: could lasers wipe out cocaine addiction? Also: A nanosponge that soaks up toxins in the body.
May 9, 2013 Protective Hearing Loss - Temporary hearing loss protects the ear against long-term damage.
May 3, 2013 Cryo Roundup - Researchers are using extremely cold temperatures to treat pain and cancer.
May 2, 2013 Parasite-Inspired Adhesives - A marine parasite has inspired new surgical adhesives.
April 30, 2013 Nanosponges - “Nanosponges” in the bloodstream could mop up toxins from bacteria, bees, or snakes.
April 26, 2013 Fantastic Voyage Roundup - Researchers have developed medical implants that dissolve after they've done their job.
April 24, 2013 Zapping Cocaine Addiction - Lasers can eliminate cocaine addiction in rats, pointing to new therapies for humans.
April 22, 2013 Sound & Memory - Playing soundwaves synchronized with a person's own deep sleep rhythms may improve short-term memory.
April 19, 2013 Fruit Fly Roundup - Fruit flies are providing researchers with insights into wound healing and Parkinson’s disease.
April 18, 2013 Sticky Geckos - Researchers are learning what surfaces geckos stick to best.
April 15, 2013 Energy Drinks & Heart Disease - Energy drinks and red meat contain carnitine, a substance that promotes heart disease with the help of gut bacteria.
April 12, 2013 Podcast for 12 April 2013 - ATHLETES & ROBOTS - Elite athletes are far from dumb jocks. A common ingredient in energy drinks could promote heart disease. Also: Robots that learn by watching us, and robots that can walk on sand.
Cholesterol Roundup - Despite its reputation, cholesterol may be useful for treating several medical conditions.
April 6, 2013 Podcast for 5 April 2013 - LESSONS FROM THE DEAD - Scientists attempt to bring back an extinct frog. Mummies showing signs of heart disease make researchers rethink assumptions about lifestyle and diet. The mysterious death zone within African "fairy circles" explained. Also: a miniature laboratory under the skin monitors blood chemistry.
April 3, 2013 Remote Blood Testing - Researchers have developed an implantable blood testing sensor that can monitor blood glucose levels and chemotherapy drugs, among other things.
April 2, 2013 Down Syndrome Protein - Deficiency in a key protein may strongly contribute to cognitive impairments in Down Syndrome.
April 1, 2013 Mummy Heart Disease - Mummies from a variety of different cultures show signs of heart disease.
March 29, 2013 Podcast for 29 March 2013 - EARLY HEALTH - A molecule that could make it possible to jumpstart the newborn immune system. Why too many brain cells could be a bad thing. And, could humidity affect flu transmission? Also: The effects of sleep deprivation on your genes.
Microbe Roundup - Fighting disease involves maintaining the healthy populations of microbes that live inside us.
March 28, 2013 Fragile X Neurons - Fragile X Syndrome, a leading genetic cause of intellectual impairments, may actually result from too much brain activity.
March 27, 2013 Humidity vs. The Flu - Low humidity may increase the transmissibility of the influenza virus indoors.
March 26, 2013 Sleep & Gene Expression - Just one week of sleep deprivation alters the expression of at least 711 different genes.
March 18, 2013 Newborn Vaccines - Researchers have identified a molecule that could help turn on newborn babies’ immune systems.
March 15, 2013 New Genetics Roundup - Scientists discover shared genetic markers for five common psychiatric disorders.
March 12, 2013 Immune System Passports - Researchers have successfully copied a molecule that protects our bodies from our own immune systems.
March 11, 2013 Half-Asleep Seals - Fur seals sleep with one half of their brain at a time.
March 8, 2013 Podcast for 8 March 2013 - INSECTS & ALCOHOL - Insects that arm their offspring with alcohol. Drinking may have a 10 million year history. And the importance of wild insects to the worldwide food supply. Also: prosthetic ears from a 3-D printer and seals that sleep with one eye open.
Video Game Roundup - Some video games can improve surgeons’ skills and help children with learning disorders.
March 5, 2013 Alcohol Origins - Did our ability to digest alcohol first emerge at the dawn of civilization or millions of years earlier?
March 4, 2013 Printable Prosthetic Ears - Scientists have reproduced a human ear using a 3-D printer.
March 1, 2013 Podcast for 1 March 2013 - SWEET SCIENCE - What tomatoes can tell us about cutting back on sugar and a diabetes cure for dogs. Also, behind the mechanics of beatboxing, the evolution of whales, and writing your way to a better relationship.
February 28, 2013 Reversing Diabetes - One injection has eliminated the symptoms of Type I diabetes in dogs – for four years and counting.
February 21, 2013 Brain Sensor Tattoos - Sensors the size of temporary tattoos could transform how brain signals are monitored.
February 19, 2013 Zinc & Inflammation - Researchers have pinpointed zinc's role in moderating inflammation.
February 17, 2013 Brain Sensor Tattoos – 2013 AAAS Annual Meeting Coverage - Sensors the size of temporary tattoos could transform how brain signals are monitored.
February 16, 2013 Podcast for 16 February 2013 - 2013 AAAS ANNUAL MEETING, BOSTON, MA - Researchers are discussing how to treat psychological problems in chimpanzees, and why childbirth is such an ordeal in humans but not in apes. Also: scientific detectives have solved an art mystery. And researchers have unveiled ultrathin, wireless sensors that can monitor your brain activity.
February 13, 2013 Harmonica Colds - A listener asks if he can reinfect himself with the same cold.
February 11, 2013 Podcast for 8 February 2013 - MICROBIAL LIFE - How antibiotic-resistant bacteria spread, tracing HIV back millions of years, and how life thrives among the storm clouds. Also, a listener's question about the common cold.
February 8, 2013 Mood & Brainpower Roundup - Mood can affect older adults’ performance on cognitive tests.
February 6, 2013 HIV Ancestry - The type of virus that includes HIV may have been circulating in primates for 12 million years.
February 5, 2013 Lightning & Migraine - Migraine headaches are associated with lightning storms.
February 4, 2013 Staph Strategy - Researchers have figured out how Staph bacteria transfer antibiotic resistance to one another.
February 2, 2013 Podcast for 1 February 2013 - LIGHT - Lightning bugs inspire LED design. A new type of light makes others look dim by comparison. And, could lightning be related to migraine headaches?
February 1, 2013 Cancer Stress Roundup - Scientists are learning how stress can promote cancer.
January 31, 2013 Parkinson’s Test - A salivary gland biopsy may finally make it possible to definitively diagnose Parkinson's Disease in living patients.
January 28, 2013 Cancer Decline - Cancer deaths have declined significantly since 1991.