Science

Wash U To Engineer Bacteria To Kill Intestinal Parasites

Véronique LaCapra — Tue, 21 May 2013 22:40:06 +0000

A Washington University researcher has received a $100,000 global health grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to support research focused on preventing the transmission of parasitic diseases in developing countries.

Although there are drugs to help kill parasitic worms and their eggs in the human body, stopping their transmission in the environment is challenging.

Genetics Counseling For Cancer And The Decision To Have Preventive Surgery

Alex Heuer, Mary Edwards and Don Marsh — Tue, 21 May 2013 18:57:14 +0000

Cancer is cruel and it impacts the lives of far too many people and their families. According to the World Health Organization, breast cancer kills 458,000 people each year.

Recently, actress and director Angelina Jolie, in a New York Times op-ed entitled My Medical Choice, announced she received a double mastectomy in order to minimize her risk of getting breast cancer.

Jolie has a genetic predisposition to breast cancer. Her mom died from the disease at the age of 56.

Odors Expected To Worsen During Bridgeton Landfill Construction

Véronique LaCapra — Mon, 20 May 2013 09:30:00 +0000

Updated Tuesday, May 21, 11:10 a.m.: Work at the Bridgeton Landfill has been postponed again due to the weather.

Major Boston-Area Startup Incubator To Join Wash U In New Cortex Facility

Véronique LaCapra — Thu, 16 May 2013 22:40:00 +0000

One of the country’s largest startup incubators will soon be moving into the Cortex bioscience district in St. Louis.

The move marks Cambridge Innovation Center’s first expansion out of the Boston area, where it houses more than 500 small to mid-sized companies.

CIC’s president and CEO, Ranch Kimball, says he expects the new St. Louis facility to attract mostly technology startups, but says CIC will be open to a variety of businesses.

Water Trapped For 1.5 Billion Years Could Hold Ancient Life

Thu, 16 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

Scientists have discovered water that has been trapped in rock for more than a billion years. The water might contain microbes that evolved independently from the surface world, and it's a finding that gives new hope to the search for life on other planets.

The water samples came from holes drilled by gold miners near the small town of Timmins, Ontario, about 350 miles north of Toronto. Deep in the Canadian bedrock, miners drill holes and collect samples.