Nobel in Physics: A long time in the making Nearly 50 years of experiments and billions of dollars in equipment followed the prediction of the Higgs mechanism by theoretical physicists in 1964. Ulrich Heintz and Meenakshi Narain, two of the particle physicists at Brown University who worked on experiments at Fermilab and at CERN, note […]

Naps Can Help Preschool Children Learn Classroom naps can enhance memory and support learning in preschool children, a new study showed. The results might help educators make informed decisions about allotting time for naps in preschools. Studies in adults show that sleep can enhance certain mental functions, including memory, reasoning, and problem-solving. Naps, which can […]

Smartphone Microscope Detects Nanoparticles and Viruses Researchers developed a lightweight microscope that attaches to a cell phone. The compact fluorescent imaging device can detect single nanoparticles and viruses. It might one day be used to conduct biomedical tests in remote and resource-limited areas. A human hair has a diameter of around 100 microns. You can […]

Method Quickly Assesses Antibiotics Researchers developed a method to quickly identify antibiotics that can treat multidrug-resistant bacteria. The approach can also reveal how these bacteria-killing medications work. Decades of widespread antibiotic use have encouraged the spread of bacteria with resistance to multiple antibiotics. Many diseases—including tuberculosis, gonorrhea, and Staphlycoccus aureus infections (“staph”)—can be nearly impossible to treat […]

Patient Outcomes Improved by Pay-For-Performance Pay incentives for clinician performance can improve cardiovascular care in small primary care clinics that use electronic health records, a new study reports. Management of chronic diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, is important in improving patient health and reducing health care costs. One new health care model is […]

Vaccine Clears Away Monkey AIDS Virus An experimental vaccine given to monkeys triggered a lasting immune attack that eliminated all traces of an AIDS-causing virus after a year or more. The finding points to a possible new strategy in the search for an effective AIDS vaccine. HIV, which causes AIDS in people, and the similar […]

Understanding How Testosterone Affects Men The complex effects of testosterone, investigators found, depend partly on its conversion in the body to a type of estrogen. The insights will help guide the development of better ways to diagnose and treat men who don’t produce enough natural testosterone. Testosterone is a sex hormone that plays important roles […]

Video Game Training Improves Cognitive Control in Older Adults Researchers found that seniors who play a 3-D video game improve their ability to sustain focus and multitask successfully. The results highlight the potential of the aging brain to improve certain skills. As we age, changes in our brain can affect our cognitive abilities and memory. […]

Gut Microbes and Diet Interact to Affect Obesity Gut microbes from lean people helped prevent mice from becoming obese—but only if the animals ate a healthy diet. This research could point the way to new treatments for obesity. The human gut harbors a complex community of microbes that affect many aspects of our health. Evidence, […]

Technique Visualizes Brain Tumors During Surgery A new method can distinguish tumors from normal brain tissue in living mice. With further refinement, the approach could help doctors remove brain tumors with great precision. Recognizing the difference between tumors and normal brain tissue during surgery is a major challenge. Removing healthy tissue can cause neurologic problems, […]