National Institutes of Health

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Obama Announces $100M Brain-Mapping Project

Set to devote $100M to initiative

(Newser) - President Obama today unveiled a major federal project to map out the human brain , discovering "how millions of brain cells interact," in the words of a White House scientist. Obama is directing $100 million toward the program, which has been compared to the Human Genome Project and could...

NIH May Soon Retire Almost All Its Research Chimps

New recommendations would keep just 50 on hand

(Newser) - The National Institutes of Health could soon be letting most of its 451 research chimpanzees retire in sanctuaries, if new recommendations are put into effect. The NIH Council of Councils approved a report yesterday that unanimously recommends almost all the chimps should no longer be used for research, with just...

Junior Seau Had Brain Disease CTE

Doctors find NFL great's brain had signs of 'repetitive head injury'

(Newser) - NFL great Junior Seau had a degenerative brain disease when he committed suicide last May, the National Institutes of Health told the AP today. Results of an NIH study of Seau's brain revealed abnormalities consistent with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). The NIH conducted a study of three unidentified brains,...

&#39;Superbug&#39; Killed 6 at NIH Hospital Last Year

 'Superbug' Killed 6 
 at NIH Hospital 
 Last Year 
in case you missed it

'Superbug' Killed 6 at NIH Hospital Last Year

Maryland breakout highlights dangers of antibiotic-resistant bacteria

(Newser) - A "superbug"—deadly, antibiotic-resistant bacterium—rampaged through a Maryland hospital last year, killing six patients. The revelation was not made public until today, notes the Washington Post . It all began in June 2011, when a patient harboring the superbug known as Klebsiella pneumoniae checked into the National Institutes...

Cancer Research Held Back by ... Wrong Labels?

Cell lines used in study are often misidentified: Wall Street Journal

(Newser) - As many as one-third of cancer cell lines used by scientists around the world could be wrongly labeled, undermining huge amounts of medical research, reports the Wall Street Journal . For basic biology research, the problem is probably not so serious. But for the study of specific cancers and treatment, wrongly...

Feds Halt Chimp Research

NIH's temporary measure follows critical report

(Newser) - A new report suggests that the use of chimpanzees in health research is rarely justified, and the National Institutes of Health has taken it to heart. The organization has placed a temporary ban on using chimps in new research, "effective immediately," the Washington Post reports. A committee will...

Judge Dismisses Suit Against Stem Cell Research

Decision means federal work can continue with embryonic stem cells

(Newser) - A lawsuit that had threatened to end the Obama administration's funding of embryonic stem cell research was thrown out today, allowing the US to continue supporting a search for cures to deadly diseases over protests that the work relies on destroyed human embryos. The lawsuit claimed that research funded...

Formaldehyde Joins List of Carcinogens

Common chemical styrene added to suspected category

(Newser) - The government has declared formaldehyde to be a carcinogen, and it says the common chemical styrene—used in everything from plastic cups to bathroom stalls and boats—is on the list of suspected cancer triggers, reports Bloomberg . Consumers should do what they can to steer clear, but the risks are...

Judge Blocks Stem Cell Research Funding

Ban on using federal funds for embryonic research reinstated

(Newser) - President Obama's executive order expanding embryonic stem cell research has been blocked by a district judge who says it violates a ban on federal money being used to destroy embryos. US District Judge Royce Lamberth granted an injunction to stop federal funding of the research, a move that deals a...

Obama OKs 11 New Human Stem Cell Lines

NIH authorizes 11 new lines, promises more to come

(Newser) - The Obama administration approved 11 new lines of human embryonic stem cells for federally funded research today, in the first expansion of stem cell support since Obama officially overturned George W. Bush’s policy against them. “This is a real change in the landscape,” said the director of...

Swine Flu Vaccine Trials to Hit 8 Cities in Aug.

(Newser) - The National Institutes of Health will supervise a nationwide test of a swine flu vaccine in eight cities starting in August, the Seattle Times reports. Test subjects will be drawn from Seattle, Baltimore, Iowa City, St. Louis, Atlanta, Cincinnati, Houston, and Nashville. Thousands will receive “a vaccine you can't...

Obama's Health Czar Brings God Into Lab
Obama's Health Czar Brings
God Into Lab
OPINION

Obama's Health Czar Brings God Into Lab

Choice of geneticist a breakthrough for evangelicals: Gerson

(Newser) - Francis Collins, President Obama's nominee to lead the National Institutes of Health, is a pioneering biologist who led the team that mapped the human genome. He's also an evangelical Christian—a rarity among scientists, only 7% of whom say they believe in God. For Michael Gerson of the Washington Post,...

Third Emanuel Brother Key to Health Reform
Third Emanuel Brother Key to Health Reform
ANALYSIS

Third Emanuel Brother Key to Health Reform

The eldest, Zeke, goes from bioethicist to administration guru

(Newser) - Zeke Emanuel may not get the press brothers Rahm and Ari do, but he’s a figure to watch as the health-care reform debate heats up, the New Republic reports. As head of the National Institute of Health’s bioethics division, Emanuel became one of the most influential bioethicists in...

1,000 Species of Bacteria Crawling on Our Skin

(Newser) - We're not alone. A new study by the National Institutes of Health estimates that 1,000 different species of bacteria inhabit our skin, reports the Los Angeles Times. Some specialize in the terrain of the armpit or the belly button, while others prefer drier (and less populated) locales such as...

Research on Embryonic Stem Cells to Get OK, With Caveat

(Newser) - The Obama administration will issue new guidelines significantly expanding the scope of stem cell research in July, though some caveats leave scientists dubious, the New York Times reports. The new rules will likely allow federal funds to flow to researchers using surplus embryos created in fertility clinics, a practice the...

Heart Attack Deaths Plummet 30%

Drop hailed as modern medical miracle, but disease still daunting

(Newser) - In what is being hailed as a medical miracle, deaths from heart attack and stroke have dropped nearly a third between 1999 and 2006, according to the latest statistics from the American Heart Association. Yet despite gains from better preventive medicine and more effective hospital treatment, one person still dies...

Less Sleep Linked to Cancer
  Less Sleep Linked to Cancer 

Less Sleep Linked to Cancer

Less than 7 hours a night tied to 47% hike in cancer risk

(Newser) - Sleep and exercise may play an important role in cancer risk, according to a new US study. Researchers confirmed earlier studies that exercise appears to protect against cancer—but discovered that physically active women who slept less than seven hours a night had a 47% higher risk of developing cancer....

Half of US Docs Prescribe Placebos

Many physicians believe in psychological impact of prescriptions

(Newser) - Half of US doctors admit prescribing drugs to patients just for the placebo effect—to make them think they are taking something beneficial, reports the Chicago Tribune. As many as 56% prescribed antibiotics, painkillers, vitamins, and sedatives in cases where they didn't expect them to have any benefit physically, but...

'Number Sense' Predicts Math Success: Study

Ability to guess group size linked to algebra, calculus skill

(Newser) - The skill of estimating group size at a glance is directly linked to success in higher forms of math like algebra and calculus, reports the Washington Post. A new study found that students with better “number sense”—the ability to quickly and accurately guess numbers in a group—...

FBI Tries to Dispel Anthrax Probe Doubts

But acknowledges 'spore on a grassy knoll' sentiment

(Newser) - The FBI revealed unprecedented details about its investigation of army scientist Bruce Ivins yesterday in a move to counter skepticism in the scientific community. The agency laid out how it brought together top scientists from the public and private sector to trace samples of the deadly anthrax of 2001 to...

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