All Stories by Aimee Cunningham
- Science & Society
Teen vaping of marijuana raises concerns about addiction
A new study estimates that nearly 1 in 11 middle and high school students in the United States has vaped marijuana, raising concerns about addiction.
- Health & Medicine
Immune targeting of cancers wins two a 2018 Nobel Prize
Doctors used to target cancers with a scalpel, toxic chemicals and radiation. Two scientists just won a Nobel Prize for coming up with a fourth tactic: turning on the immune system.
- Animals
These caterpillars are scaring the city of London
The fluffy-haired larvae of the oak processionary moth have a curious behavior, moving in neat, little lines. But the caterpillars pose threats to trees and human health.
- Climate
Hurricane Maria’s Puerto Rican death toll skyrockets 72-fold
The death toll had been just 64 — and then scientists launched household surveys. Those showed the “official” toll was off by more than 4,500.
- Plants
Ouch! Lemons and other plants can cause a special sunburn
These are among a host of plants (many found in the refrigerator vegetable drawer) that produce chemicals that will kill skin cells when activated by sunlight. The result can be a serious, localized sunburn — sometimes with blistering.
- Health & Medicine
Scientists discover how norovirus hijacks the gut
Noroviruses make people vomit, but scientists didn’t actually know why. It now turns out that those viruses cause their misery by attacking special “tuft” cells in the gut.
- Health & Medicine
Obesity makes taste buds disappear — in mice, anyway
Mice that gained excessive weight on a high-fat diet also lost one in four taste buds.
- Health & Medicine
Woman’s eye hosts more than a dozen cattle eyeworms
Oregon woman is the first human known to become infected with a cattle eyeworm known as Thelazia gulosa.
- Health & Medicine
High-nicotine e-cigs up chance teen will become a smoker
New study links vaping high levels of nicotine to greater likelihood teens will vape — and smoke — six months later.
- Brain
Understanding body clocks brings three a Nobel Prize
Three American men will share this year’s Nobel prize for physiology or medicine. The award recognizes their contributions to understanding the workings of the body’s biological clock.
- Genetics
Genes may predict how well the flu vaccine will work in young people
The activity of nine genes predicted how well people 35 and under would respond to the flu vaccine.
- Brain
Many U.S. football players had brain disease, data show
The brains of more than 200 former football players were donated to science upon their deaths. Signs of severe brain trauma showed up in the vast majority.
