John Travis
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All Stories by John Travis
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Mutated gene doubles fruit fly’s life span
The product of the Indy gene resembles transport proteins in mammals that enable intestinal and kidney cells to take in metabolites to produce energy.
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Crippled fungus acts as vaccine
A genetically crippled strain of yeast can vaccinate mice against deadly normal strains.
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Health & Medicine
Does vitamin A aid learning?
A lack of Vitamin A may cause learning and memory problems, albeit potentially reversible ones.
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Health & Medicine
Old antibiotic takes on Alzheimer’s
An antibiotic that binds copper and zinc may prevent brain deposits that cause Alzheimer's disease.
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Health & Medicine
Pesticide tied to Parkinson’s disease
Rodents exposed to massive amounts of the pesticide rotenone develop a condition similar to Parkinson's disease.
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Health & Medicine
New sources and uses for stem cells
Human skin and scalp tissue may provide a source of neural stem cells.
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Blame the brain for lack of rhythm
Some people are born with dysmusia, a condition marked by difficulty learning to play music or recognizing melodies.
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Perfect pitch common among the blind
Blind musicians are more likely to have perfect pitch than are sighted people.
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Health & Medicine
A vaccine to help ex-smokers
By generating antibodies that neutralize nicotine, a vaccine could keep ex-smokers from getting the nicotine high that drives many of them back to their bad habit.
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Health & Medicine
Caffeine may ward off Parkinson’s
Scientists may have found an explanation for why coffee drinking prevents Parkinson's disease.
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Low-cal diet may reduce cancer in monkeys
Researchers monitoring monkeys have seen signs that slashing normal calorie consumption can benefit long-lived primates by extending natural life spans and reducing the odds of suffering diseases such as cancer.