Alzheimer's disease affects more than 26 million people worldwide. It is predicted to skyrocket as boomers age—nearly 106 million people are projected to have the disease by 2050.
http://www.salk.edu/news/pressrelease_details.php?press_id=638
Anti-Smoking Vaccine Blocking Nicotine to be Commercially Available in Less than 5 Years
Russian scientists are currently working on the first ever vaccine which could help quit smoking; it may be available in pharmacies in as early as five years. Dmitry Ovchinnikov, Deputy Director General of the company developing the drug, Selecta RUS confirmed: “We’re currently going through the second phase of clinical trials.”
Harvard Develops New Tool which Can See the Difference between Healthy Brain Tissue and Tumors
n the battle against brain cancer, doctors now have a new weapon: an imaging technology that will make brain surgery dramatically more accurate by allowing surgeons to distinguish between brain tissue and tumors at a microscopic level.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/09/lasering-in-on-tumors/
Phase 1 Clinical Trials of AIDS Vaccine Successful
Sumagen Canada Inc and Western University announced today that the Phase I Clinical Trial of the first and only preventative HIV vaccine based on a genetically modified killed whole virus has been successfully completed with no adverse effects in all patients.
Harvard Scientists Develop Gel-based Ionic Conductors that Play Music
In a materials science laboratory at Harvard, a transparent disk connected to a laptop fills the room with music — it’s the “Morning” prelude from “Peer Gynt” played on an ionic speaker.
http://news.harvard.edu/gazette/story/2013/08/transparent-artificial-muscle/
MIT Develops Machine for Harvesting Fresh Water from Thin Air
In some of this planet’s driest regions, where rainfall is rare or even nonexistent, a few specialized plants and insects have devised ingenious strategies to provide themselves with the water necessary for life: They pull it right out of the air, from fog that drifts in from warm oceans nearby.
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2013/how-to-get-fresh-water-out-of-thin-air-0830.html
Scientists Grow "Mini Brains" from Stem Cells
We've seen beating heart tissue, windpipes and bladders all grown from stem cells. Now researchers have taken another important step forward by growing mini brains from these programmable cells.
How Red Hair May Increase Melanoma Risk
A person’s skin pigment, which determines hair color and skin tone, is influenced by the melanocortin-1 (MC1R) gene receptor. For the population’s 1 to 2 percent of redheads, a mutation in MC1R accounts for their red hair color and typical light skin.
http://hms.harvard.edu/news/how-red-hair-may-increase-melanoma-risk-8-22-13
Kyrgyzstan Boy Dies of Bubonic Plague
Health officials confirm 15-year-old's death was caused by the rodent-borne disease, but say an epidemic is unlikely.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/asia/2013/08/201382744916818740.html
Washington Monthly Ranks UC San Diego Nation’s Best University for Fourth Consecutive Year
The University of California, San Diego has been ranked as the top university in the nation for the fourth consecutive year by Washington Monthly.