http://cache.io9.com/assets/base/img/thumbs140x140/io9.com.png http://io9.com/tag/pain http://io9.com/tag/pain

Chronic pain is one of the hardest ailments to treat. You can keep medicating it forever, but over time people build up a tolerance for painkillers. Many people struggle with chronic pain for years. But today, researchers announced they may have found one way to get rid of at least some types of chronic pain forever. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5874978&view=rss&microfeed=true

The naked mole rat is quickly becoming one of my favorite mammals ever. The glabrous little buggers live decades longer than most other rodents, never develop cancer, and have mastered the enviable skill of being able to run backwards as quickly as they do forwards. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5868776&view=rss&microfeed=true

What is it about the bite of the famous Texas coral snake that makes it so excruciatingly painful for so long? New research has pinpointed the cause, and it literally makes your nerves feel like they're being dipped in acid. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5859707&view=rss&microfeed=true

Imagine that the pain you feel from a physical injury and a bad social interaction aren't just metaphorically linked...they're actually two aspects of the exact same thing. So does that mean you could take aspirin to soothe your interpersonal pain? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5852464&view=rss&microfeed=true

As the unhelpful platitude goes, laughter is the best medicine. Well, it might not be able to cure anything, but laughter does seem to stop the pain. New research published by the Proceedings of the Royal Society links social laughter to a boosted pain threshold. The researchers ran tests in both labs and the wild — at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival — and found that after being thoroughly amused, their subjects had significantly higher pain thresholds. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5840452&view=rss&microfeed=true

Many doctors rely on patients to indicate levels of pain and discomfort, and while these self-reports are certainly subjective, they can still provide physicians with valuable clinical information. But what happens when patients are unable to talk with their doctors, like in cases of severe cognitive or communicative impairment? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5839517&view=rss&microfeed=true

In the United States alone, 20 million people suffer from peripheral neuropathy, a condition that involves nerve degeneration and sometimes extreme pain, often without any explanation. Now we've found the culprit for this mysterious pain...and it's all one gene's fault. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5814581&view=rss&microfeed=true

You slam your hand in a door, and the experience becomes etched into your brain. You remember the swinging panel, the sound as it crushes your flesh, and the pain as your skin gives way. Your body remembers it too. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5800934&view=rss&microfeed=true

Sure, spider venom can kill humans. But, if you know what you're doing, it can offer revolutionary cures and treatments for some of humanity's worst ailments. It's already curing impotence...and now help with heart failure, high blood pressure, and epilepsy. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5780743&view=rss&microfeed=true

Mice make dramatic faces when they're in pain, and now their expressions have been cataloged scientifically on a "mouse grimace scale" (pictured below). A paper published in Nature Methods yesterday explains the ways researchers hurt mice, and why. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5535479&view=rss&microfeed=true

We knew it: 3-D films are trying to kill you with migraines and crappy vision. A new study proves the relationship between 3-D and headaches. But will this stop Hollywood's slate of 32 (and counting) upcoming 3-D films? More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5477698&view=rss&microfeed=true

Psychological torture was on the menu last night when Hiro struggled with brain scrambling, Sylar returned to his body, Claire frowned, and I was forced to watch two hours of Heroes with drunk bisexuals. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5440256&view=rss&microfeed=true

Social and romantic rejection can cause very real and unpleasant pain. But it's not because we've internalized centuries of poetry and sappy movies; a new study finds there is an actual neurological mechanism at work. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5342119&view=rss&microfeed=true

Reader Mike Felkins sent us an image of the actual Slow Train To Arcturus cover, including the alleged helmet-condom. On the right, the sanitized/misspelled online version. Meanwhile, another site boasts a wealth of bad covers. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=5194270&view=rss&microfeed=true

It turns out there is a neurological explanation for why people scratch and cut themselves, and spank each other for pleasure. Inflicting small amounts of physical pain, whether from scratching your skin vigorously or doing something more extreme, deactivates the parts of your brain associated with unpleasant or painful emotions. Though scientists have long speculated that there was some kind of neurological payoff from self-inflicted pain, a study published yesterday demonstrated precisely why your brain gets a reward when you hurt your body. More »
]]> http://io9.com/index.php?op=postcommentfeed&postId=351348&view=rss&microfeed=true