All Stories by Patrick Barry
- Chemistry
Quantifying the “gene for” fallacy
Looking at one gene at a time misses about a third of the genes that contribute to the way a cell functions, scientists say.
- Life
Viruses rewritten
Scientists could create wimpy versions of real viruses to develop vaccines for emerging diseases.
- Health & Medicine
Stomaching diabetes
A new way to treat diabetes could recruit cells in the gut to make insulin when the pancreas can’t.
- Health & Medicine
No babies, no hormones
A radically different form of contraception would prevent pregnancies with small molecules of RNA.
- Health & Medicine
Virus versus virus
Customized RNA snippets delivered by a harmless virus could someday provide a new way to combat the hepatitis B virus.
- Health & Medicine
Thanks for the pounds, Mom
When inherited from mom, a gene linked to obesity and diabetes interferes with blood sugar metabolism.
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- Chemistry
Life before proteins
Spheres of fat suggest a way that life on Earth could have gotten started.
- Life
Replaying evolution
By watching bacteria evolve in the lab for 20 years, researchers show that evolution may be rather capricious.
- Health & Medicine
Monkey think, robotic monkey arm do
In a step toward someday making brain-controlled prosthetic arms for people, scientists have trained monkeys to control a robotic arm with their thoughts. Click on the image to read the story and see the video.
- Chemistry
Bug be gone
Using software that mimics neural networks, researchers have found new mosquito repellents that last longer than commercially available repellent.
- Health & Medicine
Vacillating stem cells
Unsuspected, ever-changing variation among stem cells in bone marrow helps determine the development path the cells will follow during differentiation.
