Many studies (along with casual observation in any home with a teenager) have associated nighttime media use — video gaming, Internet surfing and TV time — with sleep deficits in teens. But the latest research fine tunes …
Medicine
Could a Spoonful of Sugar Help the Medicine Work?
When it comes to having a sweet tooth, bacteria take the cake. Which is why, in a new study in mice and lab-dish cells, researchers were able to use the sweet stuff to lure bacteria out of hiding and kill them with antibiotics.
Early Treatment With Anti-HIV Drugs Stops Transmission Between Partners
Researchers report yet more tantalizing data that the antiretroviral drugs doctors currently use to treat HIV infection could also be effective in preventing transmission of the virus.
Thought Bedbugs Were Bad? Try Bedbugs With MRSA
(Updated) The one bright side to having bedbugs — if you wanted to be optimistic about it — has always been that at least the tormenting critters didn’t transmit disease. But now researchers in Vancouver report that they’ve …
Twinning Is Winning: Why Moms of Twins Live Longer
Researchers at the University of Utah report in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B that women who have twins are more likely to live longer, have more children over their lifetime and have offspring closer together, …
First Case of Bubonic Plague in 2011 Appears in New Mexico
Turns out, the plague isn’t just ancient history. New Mexico health officials recently confirmed the first human case of bubonic plague — previously known as the “Black Death” — to surface in the U.S. in 2011.
House Watch: The Spanish Fly Edition
House is generally a self-destructive guy — the whole conceit of House M.D. is that he’s the sick but brilliant doctor who can heal everyone but himself. But last night we saw him injecting junk into his arm, so the stakes …
Study: Gay Men Are Twice as Likely to Have Cancer
It makes for a grabby headline, but are gay men really more likely to develop cancer? A new study published in the journal Cancer found that gay men were nearly twice as likely to report a diagnosis of cancer than straight men. But why?
Vampire Bat Saliva Could Lead to Stroke Treatment
Vampire bats have a well-known trick for getting the most blood out of their victims: an enzyme called desmoteplase, or DSPA, in their saliva that thins victims’ blood and helps it flow more freely. The good news for the rest of …
Do I Have MRSA? FDA Approves Superbug Diagnostic Test
A newly approved diagnostic test can rapidly identify whether a patient’s Staphylococcus aureus infection is resistant to commonly prescribed antibiotics.
South Korean Study Suggests Rate of Autism May Be Underestimated
In the first large-scale study of its kind, U.S. and South Korean researchers report that the rate of autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be significantly higher than previously thought, affecting as many as 1 in 38 children. The …
Does Your Brain Take Naps While You’re Awake?
Have you ever been so exhausted that you feel basically half-asleep? Turns out, that may be what’s literally going on in your brain, according to a new study published in Nature.
For Weight Loss, Eating Less After 8 P.M. Might Help
Increasingly, studies show, getting the right amount of sleep is critical to maintaining a healthy weight. But does it matter when we sleep? A new study suggests that, yes, timing may be key: people who stay up late and sleep in …