Viruses, Infections & Disease, features and articles | Educational Science

Sep 30, 2004

How to Live Long and Prosper: Get Dirty?

Germs go both ways, helping our health at times and killing us at others. A new study suggests they might give the gift of a long life, at least to fruit flies. Early exposure to bacteria makes these banana-peel denizens live to the ripe age of about three months, according...

May 31, 2005

West Nile Virus Spreads More Easily, Study Finds

Mosquitoes appear to get infected with West Nile virus more quickly than previously thought, according to a new study that also discovered mammals can transmit the deadly agent. West Nile, which killed 88 people in the United States last year and more in previous years, is typically thought to be...

Apr 30, 2005

Rise of Deadly Superbugs should 'Raise Red Flags' Everywhere

A pair of new studies confirms recent fears that bacteria are growing increasingly resistant to drugs and that you can be infected anywhere. The number of cases of superbugs, as researchers call them, has been increasingly steadily in recent years, the reports conclude. The best medicine? Wash your hands a...

Oct 31, 2006

Women Unaware Cervical Cancer Caused by Virus

Americans are in the dark about a virus linked to cervical cancer that can kill them, two new studies suggest. A vaccine exists to protect against types of the virus, called human papillomaviruses (HPV). But when presented under the umbrella of sexually-transmitted-disease protection, women are less likely to get vaccinated....

Sep 30, 2006

Researchers Find Protein Behind Lou Gehrig's Disease and Dementia

Scientists have found a malformed protein whose unhealthy buildup inside cells can lead to fatal paralysis and dementia in sufferers, a new study finds. High concentrations of a protein called TDP-43 was found in the brains and spinal cords of people who suffered from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known...

Jul 31, 2006

Study: Cat Parasite Affects Human Culture

A parasitic microbe commonly found in cats might have helped shape entire human cultures by manipulating the personalities of infected individuals, according to a new study. Infection by a Toxoplasma gondii could make some individuals more prone to some forms of neuroticism and could lead to differences among cultures if...

Jul 31, 2006

New Research Points to Cancer Drugs in Lower Doses

Amino acids, those not employed in creating protein and life, can improve a cancer therapy protein's activity by more than 30-fold. Scientists say this opens the door to experimenting with these novel compounds throughout proteins and, in the future, in organisms, possibly creating drugs that work better but have fewer...

Jun 30, 2006

Body's Own Molecules Being Customized to Fight Cancer

Scientists are tweaking naturally occurring body proteins to create customized molecules that can seek out and deliver drugs to cancer cells. The research, which is still in the very early stages and has not advanced to human clinical trials yet, could one day lead to new types of cancer drugs...

May 31, 2006

Risk of Lung Disease Etched in Some Smokers' Faces

Heavy wrinkles on smokers' faces can indicate a higher risk of contracting lung disease, a new study finds. Smoking is known to cause premature aging. The new research finds that middle-aged smokers whose faces are heavily lined with wrinkles are five times as likely to have emphysema, bronchitis, or another...

Apr 30, 2006

Mystery Disease Makes Peoples' Skin Crawl

Reports of a mysterious medical condition are cropping up across the country but doctors are divided on whether it is a real disease or all in their patients' heads. Called Morgellons Disease, patients who report having it describe sensations of creepy-crawlers beneath the skin and fibrous filaments oozing out of...

Mar 31, 2006

Easy Way to Cut Cancer Deaths in Half

Cancer deaths could be cut in half if people simply followed advice that's known to work, according to a new study by the American Cancer Society. None of the advice will surprise you: Don't smoke, don't be obese, improve your diet, exercise, and make use of cancer screening tests. This...

Mar 31, 2006

Cell Division Reversed in Possible Path to Cancer Treatment

One key to advanced life is cell division. Cells divide millions of times every day to sustain the life and growth of a single human. But out-of-control cell division can fuel cancer. Now scientists have for the first time reversed the process of cell division, a breakthrough that could eventually...

Feb 28, 2006

New Tool to Provide Insight on Alzheimerâ€™s, Parkinsonâ€™s

A new simple model of a portion of a brain cell will provide researchers with fresh insight to the destructive processes behind neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, scientists announced today. One of the beauties of a simplified model is that it allows you to ask very simple questions,...

Sep 30, 2007

Study Reveals Why Flu Thrives in Winter

For the first time, scientists have solid evidence of why the flu is so common in winter. A new animal study suggests that the influenza virus' success hinges on low relative humidity and cold temperatures. Such conditions keep the virus more stable and in the air longer than warm, humid...

May 31, 2007

AlzheimerÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s Cases to Quadruple by 2050

More than 106 million people worldwide will develop Alzheimer’s disease by 2050—four times as many people as have the condition now, a new study says. Currently, at least 26 million people suffer from the disease, characterized by progressive memory loss, language difficulties and eventually difficulty moving. The disease primarily affects...