Educational Science

Rare 'Balloon Syndrome' Causes Hedgehog to Puff Up Like a Beach Ball

That's what happened to a wild hedgehog in Scotland — named Zepplin by his rescuers at the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Scottish SPCA) — who was suffering from a rare condition called balloon syndrome. Zepplin was spotted by the roadside on July 23 and the...

How Brain's 'Helper Cells' Could Contribute to Schizophrenia

Problems with the brain's helper cells may contribute to schizophrenia, a new study in mice suggests. The study focused on glial cells, which provide support for the neurons that do the signaling within the brain. For instance, glial cells help organize the connections among neurons and produce myelin, which acts...

A woman in Japan died last year from a tick-borne disease — but she was never bitten by a tick. Instead, investigators believe the woman became infected with a disease called severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome through a bite from a stray cat, according to The Japan Times. (Essentially, the...

Images: Brains with CTE

What CTE Looks Like in the Brain (Image credit: Dr. Ann McKee, Copyright: BU Photography)The vast majority of brains donated to science by former football players show signs of the debilitating brain condition chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, a new report says. [Read our full story on the report.] CTE...

Boy Dies Days After Swimming: What Is 'Dry Drowning'?

A 4-year-old boy in Texas died recently, nearly a week after he went swimming, from what his parents were told was dry drowning. But what exactly does this mean? The boy, Frankie Delgado, was playing in the waters of the Galveston Bay when he was knocked down by a wave,...

Why a New York Bay Is Crucial to Baby Sand Tiger Sharks

Dr. Merry Camhi is director of the WCS New York Aquarium's New York Seascape Program, an initiative of the Wildlife Conservation Society. She has a doctorate in ecology from Rutgers University. Camhi contributed this article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. Yes, it's that special time again —...

Final New Moon Sunday Starts the Countdown to the Great American Eclipse

It seems that everyone is eagerly awaiting the shady drama that will be enacted in the skies over North America on Aug. 21. It is a play whose script was written eons ago: On that third Monday in August, the celestial wanderings of the sun, Earth and moon will cause...

Why You May Not Have to Finish All Your Antibiotics

If you have ever taken an antibiotic, you likely know the drill: Finish the entire course of treatment, even if you are feeling better, or else you risk a relapse. Worse, by not finishing, you might contribute to the dangerous rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The advice to always finish your...

Scientists Edit Human Embryo: This Is Why Designer Babies Are a Ways Off

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. The announcement by researchers in Portland, Oregon that they've successfully modified the genetic material of a human embryo took some people by surprise. With headlines referring to groundbreaking research...

FDA Asks Drug Company to Pull Painkiller in First

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced today (June 8) that it has requested that Endo Pharmaceuticals, a drug company, remove the opioid painkiller Opana ER from the drug market. This is the first time that the federal agency has requested that a drug company voluntarily stop selling a...