New computer program can help crack precision medicine

Researchers from ANU have helped develop a new computer program to find out a person's genetic make-up, bringing us a step closer to an era of precision medicine.

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Researchers find way to build potassium-oxygen batteries that last longer

Researchers have built a more efficient, more reliable potassium-oxygen battery, a step toward a potential solution for energy storage on the nation's power grid and longer-lasting batteries in cell phones and laptops.

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Thresholds found for unilateral optic nerve lesions in MS

(HealthDay)—A new anatomic threshold may be useful for identifying unilateral optic nerve lesions in patients with multiple sclerosis, according to a study published in the May issue of the Annals of Neurology.

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FDA approves venetoclax for chronic, small lymphocytic leukemia

(HealthDay)—Venetoclax (VENCLEXTA) has been approved to treat adult patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) or small lymphocytic lymphoma, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced yesterday.

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Scientists capture first-ever video of body's safety test for T-cells

For the first time, immunologists from The University of Texas at Austin have captured on video what happens when T-cells—the contract killers of the immune system, responsible for wiping out bacteria and viruses—undergo a type of assassin-training program before they get unleashed in the body. A new imaging technique that allowed for the videos, described today in the journal Nature Communications, holds promise for the fight against autoimmune disorders such as Type 1 diabetes.

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How the Trump prescription for drug prices transparency could make health care well again

When it comes to the prescription drugs America use, too often money is the last thing consumers think about. Formulaic prescription drug ads are part of the reason why.

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EU adopts powers to respond to cyberattacks

The European Union on Friday adopted powers to punish those outside the bloc who launch cyberattacks that cripple hospitals and banks, sway elections and steal company secrets or funds.

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Could hypnotherapy be alternative to opioids for pain?

(HealthDay)—Hypnosis might sound like a magic trick to some, but the therapy can be an effective pain reliever, a new review shows.

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Earthquake in 2009 intensified American Samoa's rising sea levels

The 2009, magnitude-8.1 Samoa earthquake dealt a great deal of damage to the Samoan Islands: Tsunami waves as high as 14 meters (46 feet) wiped out multiple villages, claiming nearly 200 lives and severely damaging water and electrical systems.

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Making the best of sparse information

New findings reported by LMU researchers challenge a generally accepted model of echolocation in bats. They demonstrate that bats require far less spatial information than previously thought to navigate effectively.

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Experimental brain-controlled hearing aid decodes, identifies who you want to hear

Our brains have a remarkable knack for picking out individual voices in a noisy environment, like a crowded coffee shop or a busy city street. This is something that even the most advanced hearing aids struggle to do. But now Columbia engineers are announcing an experimental technology that mimics the brain's natural aptitude for detecting and amplifying any one voice from many. Powered by artificial intelligence, this brain-controlled hearing aid acts as an automatic filter, monitoring wearers' brain waves and boosting the voice they want to focus on.

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Black women more likely to die of breast cancer, especially in the South

When Felicia Mahone was 27, she felt her breast and found a mass. Breast cancer had killed nearly all the women in her family—her mother, two aunts and two cousins. Her doctor, though, downplayed the lump, assuring her everything would be all right.

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Microsoft alerts hospitals to fix potential security risk

Computer experts inside hospitals were working diligently on Wednesday to address a serious new security vulnerability in older versions of the Windows operating system, which is still used in many health care devices even though Microsoft hasn't actively supported the older software in years.

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To win online debates, social networks worth a thousand words

Want to win an argument online? Bolstering your social network may be more helpful than rehearsing your rhetorical flourishes.

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The deadly odds of pigeon racing in the Philippines

It is a brutal 600-kilometre gauntlet during which competitors face searing heat, wild seas, vicious predators, and the threat of kidnapping.

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Baidu posts first quarterly loss since IPO, top exec quits

Chinese internet giant Baidu has posted its first quarterly loss since going public in 2005, and the head of its core search business resigned as the company struggles to grow sales.

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Ultrasound used to trigger insulin release in mice shows promise for diabetes therapy

The World Health Organization ranks Type 2 diabetes among the most common causes of death in the world. Current treatments can help the body use insulin at various stages of the disease, but they can also be expensive and subject patients to lifelong medication regimens and side effects. Thanks to new therapeutic ultrasound technology, one promising alternative looks to reshape how early Type 2 diabetes is managed.

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3-D-printed 'hyperelastic bone' may help generate new bone for skull reconstruction

Defects of the skull and facial bones can pose difficult challenges for plastic and reconstructive surgeons. A synthetic material called hyperelastic bone—readily produced by 3-D-printing—could offer a powerful new tool for use in reconstructing skull defects, reports a study in the May issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the official medical journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS).

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