It’s hard not to be clothes-minded when it comes to artificial intelligence. The sophisticated science is sneaking into every aspect of our everyday lives, from job hunting to finding a date — and now, the fitting room. No need to set foot outside your home to shop for new duds — and no need to wonder if everything … Read more
With over 7 million people over 65 dealing with the degenerative disease — and the number expected to almost double by 2050 — Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia. But two new groundbreaking drugs could pull the reins on the memory impairment and overall brain decline associated with the disease. While there’s no … Read more
Parents, rejoice! The Mayo Clinic has developed a smartwatch system that can alert parents to an incoming temper tantrum so they can stop these screamfests in their tracks. The implications are endless — calmer kids, stronger parent-child bonds and more pleasant experiences on planes and in restaurants, to name a few. A new study shows … Read more
Hope is on the horizon for patients with aggressive, inherited breast cancers. A recent clinical trial, led by researchers at Cambridge University, explored the effects of combining chemotherapy with the targeted cancer drug olaparib before surgery. Every patient who received this protocol survived the critical three-year post-treatment period. BRCA cancers are notoriously aggressive and difficult … Read more
All in good science. While sperm counts have significantly dropped in recent years and more men are having fertility issues these days — thanks to a new innovative trial, researchers might have a solution to this ongoing problem. Although it’s still in the early stages, a new sperm transplant procedure to reverse infertility was just … Read more
They’re getting to the heart of the issue. Doctors say a simple “three-pronged” blood test can accurately predict a patient’s risk of heart attack and stroke 30 years ahead of time. At present, medics usually perform an LDL cholesterol test to determine whether a person is vulnerable to various heart problems. But in a groundbreaking … Read more
WASHINGTON — New blood tests could help doctors diagnose Alzheimer’s disease faster and more accurately, researchers reported Sunday – but some appear to work far better than others. It’s tricky to tell if memory problems are caused by Alzheimer’s. That requires confirming one of the disease’s hallmark signs — buildup of a sticky protein called beta-amyloid — with a … Read more
An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but the Mediterranean diet may also do the exact same thing. A groundbreaking 13-year study has uncovered that the diet — heavy on fish, olive oil, and vegetables, — can help cancer survivors live longer. Survivors who started to follow the diet at the conclusion of their … Read more
Five children who were born completely deaf have had some reversal of hearing loss after receiving a “groundbreaking” gene therapy. The clinical trial, which was co-led by Mass Eye and Ear in Boston and the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, was the first in the world to apply gene therapy to … Read more
There’s no place like home — and now hospitals are starting to recognize that as well. For generations, we’ve been told that the best place to be when we are sick is in the hospital. But now, telemedicine, remote monitoring and frequent visits from nurses are allowing hospitals like NYU Langone to be at the … Read more
Effectively transplanting an organ from an animal to a human may sound like something that could happen when pigs fly. However, 62-year-old Rick Slayman was sent home from Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston on Wednesday, two weeks after having a successful organ transplant with a genetically modified pig kidney, according to a hospital press release. The … Read more
New data has finally put to bed the age-old debate: Does size really matter? The controversial topic has long caused a divide among men and women, but researchers have just released stats that prove the issue isn’t actually about what’s in a man’s pants, but instead lies in the taboo surrounding female sexual preferences. Academics … Read more
Most post-nomination Oscar chatter focuses on surprises and snubs connected to the fiction nominees. But I’m a nonfiction nerd, so for me the documentaries are where it’s at, and in recent years, the picks have grown delightfully unpredictable. This year, two seeming slam dunks were left off the list: “Still: A Michael J. Fox Movie” … Read more
People with obsessive-compulsive disorder face a much higher risk of death — from natural and unnatural causes, according to a shocking new study out of Sweden. OCD, which affects 2% to 3% of Americans, is characterized by recurring thoughts (obsessions) and repetitive behaviors such as excessive hand washing and arranging objects in a precise way … Read more
Someday there could be a way to prevent wrinkles — in time. It’s been long believed that wrinkles were simply caused by the aging process — and exacerbated by ultraviolet light from the sun — but bacteria may actually be to blame, according to a “groundbreaking” new research. The Center for Microbiome Innovation at the … Read more
A drug that could potentially extend the life of large-breed dogs is closer to being approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). That’s according to an announcement last week by the San Francisco biotech company Loyal, the company behind the drug. Currently, there are no FDA-approved or conditionally approved animal drugs for this purpose. “There are 25 … Read more
Researchers may have discovered a sixth taste. In addition to sweet, salty, bitter, sour and umami, scientists have named another category of taste that responds to ammonium chloride, a chemical commonly found in Scandinavian candy. Researchers from USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences found evidence of a sixth taste after investigating the taste buds … Read more
In Greta Gerwig’s much-anticipated “Barbie” movie — which opens in theaters on Friday — “Insecure” actress Issa Rae brings some black power to the iconic doll’s pink world as President Barbie. But it was another African-American woman, Louvenia “Kitty” Black Perkins, who designed the first black Barbie — released in 1980 in a box that … Read more
In the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, experts are excited about a new weapon. A drug called donanemab, developed by Eli Lilly, had a successful clinical trial and is expected to receive FDA approval in the fall. People who took donanemab had a 40% lower risk of progressing from mild cognitive impairment to mild dementia, or … Read more
After months of anticipation, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally granted traditional approval to lecemab, a drug that’s been shown to significantly slow the progression of Alzheimer’s. Sold under the the brand name Leqembi, the medicine received an accelerated approval in January but the designation was made official on Thursday, per an … Read more