Psychedelics reopen ‘critical periods’ for social learning

Psychedelics could help reopen the window of time when "the mammalian brain is far more susceptible and open to learning..."

Vanessa Wasta-Johns Hopkins • futurity
June 20, 2023 ~7 min

‘Smart’ drugs can decrease productivity in people who don’t have ADHD, study finds

Smart drugs do motivate people, but the added effort can lead to “erratic thinking”, adversely affecting above-average performers, according to researchers.

Cambridge University News • cambridge
June 9, 2023 ~4 min


'From Magic Mushrooms to Big Pharma' – a college course explores nature's medicine cabinet and different ways of healing

An anthropology course explores how peoples and cultures around the world use nature-based medicines to heal.

Heather McIlvaine-Newsad, Professor of Anthropology, Western Illinois University • conversation
June 9, 2023 ~6 min

New model offers a way to speed up drug discovery

By applying a language model to protein-drug interactions, researchers can quickly screen large libraries of potential drug compounds.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office • mit
June 8, 2023 ~9 min

Nanoparticle delivers chemo to deadly brain tumors

A newly-developed nanoparticle offers a more effective way to deliver a chemotherapy drug to fast growing, aggressive brain tumors.

Bridget Druery-U. Queensland • futurity
June 2, 2023 ~4 min

Your body naturally produces opioids without causing addiction or overdose – studying how this process works could help reduce the side effects of opioid drugs

Unlike opioid drugs like morphine and fentanyl that travel throughout the body, the opioids your body produces are released in small quantities to specific locations.

John Michael Streicher, Associate Professor of Pharmacology, University of Arizona • conversation
May 30, 2023 ~7 min

Drilling down on treatment-resistant fungi with molecular machines

Fungal infections can be among the hardest to treat, and since the pandemic began they’ve become only more common. To prevent future antifungal resistance, scientists have developed tiny molecular drills.

James Tour, Professor of Chemistry, Rice University • conversation
May 26, 2023 ~9 min

Using AI, scientists find a drug that could combat drug-resistant infections

The machine-learning algorithm identified a compound that kills Acinetobacter baumannii, a bacterium that lurks in many hospital settings.

Anne Trafton | MIT News Office • mit
May 25, 2023 ~8 min


Vaccines using mRNA can protect farm animals against diseases traditional ones may not – and there are safeguards to ensure they won't end up in your food

While mRNA vaccines are designed to last longer in the body than mRNA molecules typically would, they are also tested to ensure they are eliminated from livestock long before milking or slaughter.

David Verhoeven, Assistant Professor of Vet Microbiology and Preventive Medicine, Iowa State University • conversation
May 17, 2023 ~10 min

Gay men can now donate blood after FDA changes decades-old rule – a health policy researcher explains the benefits

In 1983, during the early days of the AIDS epidemic, the US Food and Drug Administration made the decision to ban gay men from donating blood. Now, 40 years later, it is dropping that rule.

Ayako Miyashita, Adjunct Professor of Public Policy and Social Welfare, University of California, Los Angeles • conversation
May 16, 2023 ~6 min

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