SCIENCE IN THE NEWS WEEKLY
Biomedicine: Tracking Cancers Through Rapid Sequencing
The New York Times reported last week that researchers at Johns Hopkins University have developed a new technique to monitor the progress of cancer treatment by rapidly sequencing large amounts of a patient's DNA.
In other biomedical news, researchers have found that expensive cardiac catheterizations on people who do not have diagnosed heart disease often prove to be unnecessary.
Bedbug-sniffing dogs are in demand these days, due to spreading infestations. Entomology researchers at the University of Florida report that well-trained dogs can detect a single live bug or egg with 96 percent accuracy.
For the first time, researchers have found a specific protein that binds to thalidomide and may help explain why it causes birth defects. The find could aid development of less-toxic versions of the drug, which has helped combat multiple myeloma and complications of leprosy.
Donating a kidney for transplant does not lead to significant health risks for the donor later on, according to a new study. Kidney donors tend to live at least as long as others in the general population.
A new study has identified bone marrow as one of HIV's main hiding places in the body, raising new possibilities for treatment. The research team that made the discovery was led by virologist Kathleen Collins of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.
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