Finding might someday lead to targeted treatment, researchers say Scientists have identified a gene variant present in some people of white European descent who have type 2 diabetes. Although it’s not yet clear how the gene works, it may prove a future target for treatments, among other benefits, say the authors of a study published [...]

A rare but hard-to-treat form of breast cancer is driven by a newly discovered gene, researchers have found. ZNF703 is the first oncogene to be discovered in five years, and it could lead to more effective treatments down the road, Cancer Research UK said. Oncogenes tell healthy cells to divide when needed. But in tumours, [...]

New research suggests that being bi-lingual offers more benefits than just being able to converse in two languages. In fact, the ability to speak two languages has shown an increased ability in multi-tasking, plus it may protect the brain against significant health risks like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Research has found the benefits to exist [...]

The six astronauts who will fly the space shuttle Discovery on its final mission to the International Space Station arrived at NASA’s Florida spaceport today (Feb. 20), four days ahead of their historic launch. The crewmembers all touched down here at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center by about 3:45 p.m. EST (2045 GMT). Shuttle commander Steve [...]

On Valentine’s Day, as the world was celebrating the message of love, a NASA spacecraft reached the point of closest contact with a comet calculated to be half the size of Manhattan. The periodic comet, Tempel 1, was discovered by German astronomer Ernst Wilhelm Leberecht Tempel in 1867. In every 5.5 years, the comet completes [...]

Hospital executives are planning for budget increases during the next five years and are prioritizing strategic initiatives that had previously been on hold due to economic constraints. Healthcare insurance reform is also causing hospital management to re-evaluate how they select and purchase medical devices and other services, according to a survey from L.E.K. Consulting. Nearly [...]

Fearing wholesale cuts in Medicaid by states with severe budget problems, the Obama administration told governors on Thursday how they could save money by selectively and judiciously reducing benefits, curbing overuse of costly prescription drugs and attacking fraud. However, the administration refused to say whether it would allow states to adopt stricter eligibility standards that [...]

A startling increase in the number of reported HIV infections among young black men in Milwaukee County who have sex with men may be linked to several risk factors, including internalized homophobia and living on the streets, according to a joint investigation by local, state and federal health officials released Thursday. The investigation began after [...]

First the Wife of Endeavour Commander Mark Kelly Is Shot, Then a Crew Member Has Bike Accident The events of the last two Saturdays have stunned NASA in a way the space agency could never anticipated. Mark Kelly, Endeavour’s commander for the space shuttle mission in April, found himself on the way to Arizona where [...]

Scientist Plans to Clone Woolly Mammoth (Just Not For Theme Park) Get your Jurassic Park and Lord of the Rings: Return of the King jokes ready. A professor at Japan’s Kyoto University is claiming that he’ll be able to resurrect a woolly mammoth within roughly four years’ time, bringing new life to a species that [...]