Category Archives: Medicine

How to: boost resistance to tuberculosis

Posted on 5 October 2013 by

Most kiddies receive the very effective Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG) vaccine against tuberculosis during childhood, but as they grow up, the protection afforded by this vaccine wanes. Since cases of adult TB are on the rise, receiving an immune upgrade would … Continue reading →

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Posted in Bacteria, Disease, Immunology, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science, Vaccines | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

A Marvellous Month of Science

Posted on 1 August 2013 by

Taking vitamin supplements might not be as healthy as you think Antioxidant vitamins, like vitamin C and E, are thought to boost health by reducing the creation of DNA-damaging free radicals that can contribute to the ageing process. In lab … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Medicine, Neuroscience, Science | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Clouds of decoy viruses help cure genetic disease

Posted on 19 July 2013 by

The presence of foreign objects, like viruses, in our bloodstream is usually a bad thing. Evolution has created some extremely efficient immune cells that patrol the blood, seeking out material that should not be there, and shutting it down. Sometimes, … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Genetics, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science, Viruses | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Gene therapy using stem cells prevents inherited diseases

Posted on 17 July 2013 by

Originally written for The Conversation. Genetic traits like a bulbous nose or balding give some people reasons to moan about what they inherited from their parents. But more serious genetic flaws can cause debilitating disease. Now, Italian researchers have come … Continue reading →

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A huge variety of fungi call your feet home

Posted on 29 June 2013 by

Human skin is a hardy, water-resistant covering that keeps important biological stuff from falling out of the body. It’s also a camping ground for millions of bacteria (picked out in magenta, above), fungi (seen in blue-green, above) and yeast that … Continue reading →

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Posted in Disease, Fungi, Genetics, Medicine, Microorganisms, Science | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment