OFFENSIVE MEASURES A combination of powerful antibodies might be able to stop HIV (yellow) before it infects, as is happening to a T cell (blue) in this colorized micrograph.
NIAID/Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
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Magazine
In the Sept. 30 SN: Smog's health woes, secrets of the bat brain, slug slime inspires surgical glue, wild beer, Neandertal tar recipes, the sun's recent flare-ups and more.
Body & Brain
Topic Image Rail
BAT BRAINS A big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) participates in experiments at Johns Hopkins University’s high-tech bat laboratory.
Ben Falk and Brock Fenton
BAD AIR U.S. pollution levels have come way down since the 1970s, but there’s still enough smog to raise the risk for cardiovascular deaths. Researchers are also drawing new connections between dirty air and metabolic and brain disorders.
plherrera/iStockphoto
Body & Brain
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Clinical Trials
Science TickerEbola vaccine proves effective, final trial results show
The Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV proved effective at stopping the spread of the virus in a clinical trial in West Africa.News in Brief
Ebola vaccine proves effective
The Ebola vaccine rVSV-ZEBOV proved effective at stopping the spread of the virus in a clinical trial in West Africa. -
Biomedicine
News
By ganging up, HIV antibodies may defeat the virus
A duo or trio of powerful antibodies was effective at stopping an HIV-like infection in lab monkeys, two studies find.News
A new tool could one day improve Lyme disease diagnosis
There soon could be a way to differentiate between Lyme disease and a similar tick-associated illness. -
Neuroscience
Feature
Learning takes brain acrobatics
Brains that learn best seem able to reconfigure themselves on the fly, a new line of research suggests.News
How an itch hitches a ride to the brain
Scientists have figured out how your brain registers the sensation of itch. -
Nutrition
News in Brief
Choosing white or whole-grain bread may depend on what lives in your gut
Gut microbes determine how people’s blood sugar levels respond to breads.News in Brief
No one-fits-all healthy diet exists
Mice’s response to diet varies with their genes. -
Mental Health
News
Most football players who donated their brains to science had traumatic injury
A self-selected sample of 202 deceased football players, the largest to date, finds that the majority suffered from chronic traumatic encephalopathy.News
Autism, ADHD risk not linked to prenatal exposure to antidepressants
Taking antidepressants during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, two new large studies suggest. -
Cancer
News in Brief
Microbes hobble a widely used chemo drug
Bacteria associated with cancer cells can inactivate a chemotherapy drug.News
Zika could one day help combat deadly brain cancer
The Zika virus targets cells that cause glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer, studies in human cells and mice show. -
Human Development
News
For humans, the appeal of looking at faces starts before birth
New research suggests that 8-month-old fetuses, like newborns, are particularly interested in looking at faces.News
Scientists seek early signs of autism
The search for autism biomarkers, in the blood and the brain, is heating up. -
Health
News
How gut bacteria may affect anxiety
Microbes may tamper with the production of tiny molecules in brain regions that help control anxiety.Feature
Birth control research is moving beyond the pill
After decades of research, reproductive biologists are on the verge of developing new birth control options that stop sperm from maturing or save a woman's eggs for later. -
Brain
News
Brain chemical lost in Parkinson’s may contribute to its own demise
A dangerous form of the chemical messenger dopamine causes cellular mayhem in the very nerve cells that make it.
