Science and Health News

A highly sensitive, 3D-printed fingertip could help robots become more dexterous and improve the performance of prosthetic hands by giving them an in-built sense of touch.

Findings from a new Cleveland Clinic-led phase 1 trial show that an experimental “gene silencing” therapy reduced blood levels of lipoprotein(a), a key driver of heart disease risk, by up to 98%.

Researchers at Lund University have discovered increased levels of a microRNA in type 2 diabetes, which has a negative effect on insulin secretion. Their experiments on human insulin producing cells in the pancreas also demonstrate that it is possible to increase the insulin secretion by reducing the levels of this microRNA. An important goal of the research is to develop new treatments for people with the disease.

Longstanding fears that using mobile phones may increase the risk of developing a brain tumour have been reignited recently by the launch of 5G (fifth generation) mobile wireless technologies. Mobile phones emit radiofrequency waves which, if absorbed by tissues, can cause heating and damage.

Scientists have published the first complete, gapless sequence of a human genome, two decades after the Human Genome Project produced the first draft human genome sequence. According to researchers, having a complete, gap-free sequence of the roughly 3 billion bases (or “letters”) in our DNA is critical for understanding the full spectrum of human genomic variation and for understanding the genetic contributions to certain diseases.

Bigger brains have led some species of parrot to live surprisingly long lives, new research shows

MIT spinout Frequency Therapeutics’ drug candidate stimulates the growth of hair cells in the inner ear.

Researchers from North Carolina State University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have developed an implantable biotechnology that produces and releases CAR-T cells for attacking cancerous tumors. In a proof-of-concept study involving lymphoma in mice, the researchers found that treatment with the implants was faster and more effective than conventional CAR-T cell cancer treatment.