The ‘New Science’ Of Psychedelics
"Pollan's new book recounts his experiences with the drugs and also examines the history of psychedelics as well as their possible therapeutic uses."
A Family’s Race to Cure a Daughter’s Genetic Disease
"They’re leapfrogging pharmaceutical companies’ incentive structures, funding and organizing their own research in search of a cure. And they’re trying many of the same approaches that Silicon Valley entrepreneurs have used for decades."
A potentially powerful new antibiotic is discovered in dirt
"A new class of antibiotic extracted from unknown microorganisms living in the soil, which they call malacidins, kills several superbugs — including the dreaded methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) — without engendering resistance."
Human trials for cancer vaccine that uses immune system to eliminate tumours
"Scientists at Stanford University say that the treatment works ‘startlingly well’ in mice, with nine out of ten animals cured after one injection, and the rest after a second injection. The treatment involves injecting tiny amounts of two drugs directly into a tumour – which triggers an ‘amazing body-wide’ reaction where the immune system attacks cancer cells."
US Experimented on Hundreds of Poor Pregnant Women With Radiation
"Somewhere between 750 and 850 women were given trace amounts of radioactive iron in a 'cocktail' drink during their pregnancies by health officials they trusted. Dr. Paul Hahn, the lead researcher behind the experiments, claimed that the study was intended to record the absorption of iron during pregnancy. Vanderbilt spokesman Wayne Wood told the Washington Post that all of the files were destroyed by the research team in the 1970s."
How occupational licensing laws inhibit interstate mobility
"The new study adds to the already substantial evidence indicating that licensing laws are a major obstacle to geographic mobility, particularly for poor and lower-middle class people seeking to move to areas with greater opportunity. We have gotten to the point where some 30 percent of Americans have to have licenses to legally work in their respective fields, including even some states that license florists and tour guides. The evidence also suggests that most of these laws do far more to suppress competition than protect consumers."
Huntington’s gene therapy breakthrough may stop disease
"The defect that causes the neurodegenerative disease Huntington's has been corrected in patients for the first time, the BBC has learned. An experimental drug, injected into spinal fluid, safely lowered levels of toxic proteins in the brain. The research team, at University College London, say there is now hope the deadly disease can be stopped. Experts say it could be the biggest breakthrough in neurodegenerative diseases for 50 years."
A 27-year old is offering LSD microdosing tutorials over Skype
"Many people say it improves their concentration or creativity; others say they use it to help treat symptoms of mental illnesses like depression and anxiety. Yet not a single published scientific study on microdosing exists."
Dentists Find Tooth Root Pulp Can Become an Alternative Source of Stem Cells
"A team of dentists and scientists from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas has found a rich new source of stem cells. Tooth root pulps, they discovered, were home to both pluripotent and multipotent cells. The team also developed a way to extract them without damaging the cells."
Diabolically dishonest: Lewin Group’s MMR-Autism sibling study
"By looking at just one study in detail, it’s possible to see how easy it is to manipulate numbers to desired outcomes, as a consulting firm that works for vaccine makers was able to do." Continue reading →