Hidden viruses in our DNA could be medicine’s next big breakthrough
You are mostly but not entirely human. If we crunch the numbers, 8 percent of your genome actually comes from viruses that got stranded there. This viral detritus is a …
Can we finally recycle all of the metal in scrap cars?
Scrap vehicles contain many different metal alloys, which can be hard to recycle Marc Hill/Alamy A new way to recycle the metal from scrap cars could eliminate millions of tonnes …
House Republicans add to support for maintaining NIH budget in 2026
Both chambers of Congress have now rejected Trump’s proposed 40% cut
A cold today helps keep the COVID away
A recent bout of the common cold may be a defense against a COVID-19 infection. A study that included the nasal swabs of more than 1,000 participants assessed whether infections …
Overworked neurons burn out and fuel Parkinson’s disease
Certain brain cells are responsible for coordinating smooth, controlled movements of the body. But when those cells are constantly overactivated for weeks on end, they degenerate and ultimately die. This …
The deadliest mushroom, the death cap, is still concocting new poisons
The death cap mushroom has been implicated in many people’s deaths, from Roman emperors to modern foragers Shutterstock/Tisha Razumovsky Death cap mushrooms are back in the news. Amanita phalloides has …
Vote by Dutch lawmakers threatens major primate research center
In victory for animal rights activists, research on monkeys would end in 2030
A Mars rock analysis tool proved its mettle on a chance find from Arizona
McKenzie Prillaman is a science and health journalist based in Washington, DC. She holds a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience from the University of Virginia and a master’s degree in science …
Why Alzheimer’s attacks the brain’s memory hub first
One of the first parts of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease is the entorhinal cortex — a region that plays a big role in memory, spatial navigation, and the …
Rapamycin may extend lifespans by protecting against DNA damage
Illustration of the drug rapamycin (red) blocking a protein called mTOR (blue) Science Photo Library/Alamy The drug rapamycin’s anti-ageing effects could at least partly be due to it preventing DNA …