Contraceptive pill linked to lower risk of ovarian cancer
Taking contraceptives that contain a low dose of oestrogen has been linked to a reduced rate of ovarian cancer, in a study of almost two million women...
Dr Maria Botcharova is a Volunteer Writer at BioNews, having originally joined the publication under the auspices of its writing scheme. Her PhD in Neuroscience at University College London's Institute of Neurology tried to make sense of the firing patterns of neurons and concluded in 2014. Since then, Maria was a business strategy consultant for pharmaceutical, healthcare and medical companies and currently leads a data analytics team at publishing company, Elsevier. She has written about wrinkly fingers and zorb balls and interviewed Sir Roger Bannister (about both running and neuroscience) for the Guardian. She takes a keen interest in science, having written and edited for a number of student and non-profit publications.
Taking contraceptives that contain a low dose of oestrogen has been linked to a reduced rate of ovarian cancer, in a study of almost two million women...
How are we different from animals? Comedian Marcus Brigstocke met evolutionary geneticist Professor Mark Thomas at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and asked him about what makes humans so human. Their marvellously informative discussion of human achievement covered art, religion, Adam and Eve, and how they all tie into our genes....
An enzyme associated with memory loss can be blocked to reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice, a study has shown...
Is medicine magic? No, of course not. The active ingredients in the medicines we take are simply chemical compounds which interact with our bodies to produce a net effect. And yet, when we take a pill and our headache promptly disappears, it can all feel a bit miraculous to someone who doesn't know the chemical mechanisms...
Three women have reported a significant improvement in sight following gene therapy in both their eyes. Initially, they received the therapy in just one eye, but this latest study demonstrates the treatment was also successful in the other...
A clinic in California has announced that its doctors are licensed and trained to carry out a stem cell treatment for chronic pain. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pursuing a lawsuit against Regenerative Sciences, the company that developed the technique...
Two breast cancer drugs, Avastin and Sutent, may inadvertently aid cancer growth, a study in mice suggests. The drugs, designed to reduce the blood supply to tumours, were found to encourage cancer stem cell growth, potentially fuelling the spread of the cancer...
An experimental genetic technique to prevent serious diseases from passing between mother and child is to receive £5.8 million funding. The Wellcome Trust is contributing £4.4 million to the new Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University...
Analysis of person's DNA when they are still young could provide important clues about how long they will live, if a study on zebra finches is anything to go by. Research shows that the best indicator of the birds' longevity is the length of a section of genetic code at the end of their chromosomes, called the telomere...
BioNews, published by the Progress Educational Trust (PET), provides news and comment on genetics, assisted conception, embryo/stem cell research and related areas.