Category: 4. Health

Congenital deafness (hearing loss from birth) is common, impacting around one in 1,000 babies born in the UK. The condition affects communication, social and cognitive development of children and general quality of life. It is largely caused by mutations in genes, but many of these genes remain to be discovered. Understanding the exact mutations that cause deafness could hold the key to devising…

Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed an AI tool that creates synthetic yet medically accurate models of fibrotic heart tissue (heart scarring), aiding treatment planning for atrial fibrillation (AF) patients. The study, published in Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine, could lead to more personalised care for patients…

To address this question, a new study from Northwestern Medicine used modern technology, called CRISPR interference, to systematically examine every gene in the human genome. The scientists…

In this week’s edition of The Prototype, we look at a biodegradable plastic made from trees, a $3 million prize for scientists working with the Large Hadron Collider, why we’re one step closer to a holodeck and more. You can sign up to get The Prototype in your inbox here.

Only 9.5% of plastics manufactured in 2022 were made from recycled materials, according to a new study published this week. Meanwhile, plastic continues to pile up in landfills–and ecosystems–around the…

Snakes don’t often get to be the protagonists. From the biblical tempter in the Garden of Eden to the eponymous snakes on a plane, your stereotypical serpent often gets cast as a villain — cunning, treacherous, cruel, deadly. But human views of snakes are full of contradictions. In mythology, snakes whispered secrets about the healing arts to the Greeks and established the concept of linear time in Mesoamerica. In the…

AML patients are often treated using allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (allo-HCT), where they receive stem cells…

School-based asthma therapy, or SBAT, is a way to help students breathe easier. SBAT is a program that relies on teamwork between schools, school nurses, health care providers, insurance companies, pharmacies and…

In the study, published Apr. 11…

When Dr. David Reese, Amgen’s first chief technology officer, set about hiring a head of artificial intelligence last year, he looked at people who’d worked in consumer products, finance and other areas. He ended up finding one in shoes. Last August, he brought on Sean Bruich,…

When an expansive curlicue of tissue sitting below the ovaries was discovered more than a century ago, it was dismissed as useless and erased from biology textbooks. Biologists now are taking a new look at the structure and its potential role.

The rete ovarii seems to communicate with the ovary by directing a flow of protein-packed fluids through its long, tubular structure into the organ, researchers report March 19 in eLife. The results come amid recent reports suggesting that…