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Allergies were pretty much completely unknown until the beginning of the twentieth century, and allergic diseases have skyrocketed in the last twenty years, and well over half of all Americans are allergic to an airborne substance. What's going on here? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5875793&view=rss&microfeed=true How do you stop the spread of a disease most effectively? By vaccinating all children, or only half? A new Dutch study suggests that the counterintuitive solution for halting HPV is to vaccinate only girls. How can protecting fewer children actually protect more? More »
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Shigella is an incredibly nasty bacteria related to E coli and Salmonella, and it's only found in apes — including us humans. When we get infected, it can cause lethal dysentery, so we've evolved a cunning way of fighting off the bug, a technique which has only just been observed. The human cells attack the invading Shigella using septin — a protein that's part of the cell's skeleton. The septin envelopes the bacteria; prevents it from spreading by limiting its access to actin, which it requires to move around; and marks it for destruction by autophagy, the cell's garbage disposal system. More »
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The 2011 Nobel Prizes have been announced, honoring preeminent achievements in the fields of physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, the promotion of peace, and economics. Here's what you need to know about the three science-related Nobel Prizes. More »
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The peanut allergy is one of the eight most common types of food allergies, and the common use of peanuts in a wide range of foods makes it particularly dangerous. But now scientists have a solution: trick your immune system. More »
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Last week, scientist Ralph Steinman became the first person in history be be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine posthumously; just three days prior to the award announcement, Steinman passed away following an extended bout with pancreatic cancer. More »
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Earlier today, the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to Bruce A. Beutler and Jules A. Hoffmann (pictured left and center, respectively) "for their discoveries concerning the activation of innate immunity;" and to Ralph M. Steinman "for his discovery of the dendritic cell and its role in adaptive immunity." More »
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There's a longstanding belief that, on average, women are healthier than men, and with good reason. Women live longer, and studies reveal women fight off disease better than their male counterparts. But where does this advantage come from? Turns out it's all thanks to some microRNA on the X-chromosome. More »
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In 2009, swine flu created a minor pandemic, only killing about 15,000 people but infecting millions more. The avian flu H9N2 is ravaging bird populations throughout Asia. They're bad enough on their own...but what if they joined forces? More »
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The greatest problem for transplant procedures is that the body's immune system will reject the life-saving replacement organ. But mice have special cells that can selectively suppress the immune response - and they could revolutionize organ transplants for humans. More »
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Imagine a single vaccine that could protect you from all flu strains for decades. It looks like we might actually make it a reality in the near future, thanks to a major breakthrough in combating the rapidly mutating disease. More »
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Flu season is just around the corner, and this year immunologists will be on the alert making sure that H1N1 swine flu doesn't get out of control. What will you do to protect yourself? More »
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With a little genetic tweaking, homo sapiens could become naturally resistant to HIV. A gene that can disassemble the HIV virus inside its cell before it spreads to another cell lurks dormant in the body of every person infected with HIV. The problem is getting that gene to turn on and start stopping HIV in its tracks. Right now, a team of researchers at University of Alberta in Canada have been destroying HIV viruses by inserting the gene, called TRIM22, into cells. Once they figure out how to control TRIM22, the question is whether everyone should get the gene activated in their bodies at birth as a preventative measure. More »
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