A new method for detecting disease-causing bacteria in food could eventually help keep tainted products from landing on diners’ plates.  Read more at NOVA Next.

Here’s a challenge: Close your eyes and then try touching your nose with your finger.  Did you do it? Even without using any of the five famous senses—sight, hearing, taste, touch, and smell—you most likely found your nose without any trouble.  How does this happen?  Find out in Eben Bein’s story in the Atlantic.

While honey has been used as a natural remedy for millennia, its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties are increasingly embraced by conventional medicine, especially in light of recent studies suggesting honey can fight antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria. Kendra Pierre-Louis reports at Motherboard.

Conor Gearin reports on how doctors can tell when a mole begins to turn cancerous.  Read more at NOVA Next: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/next/body/doctors-finally-decide-when-a-mole-is-benign-and-when-its-cancer/

The microbes that live in your gut affect more than just your weight; according to a study from Germany, gut microbes can also change the architecture of bone marrow. Since bone marrow is where our bodies build immune cells, bacteria-induced changes in the bone marrow could be important for understanding how junk food diets affect human health. Read more at NOVA Next.

Cancer surgery does not end after removing a tumor. Within the area of flesh surrounding the tumor, malignant tissue may be hiding among healthy tissue. Surgeons then face a challenging decision: judging which parts of this flesh need to be taken out, and which parts are safe to leave alone. If they are unable to catch everything, the cancer could grow back. A promising new surgical probe, which instantly lets surgeons tell apart healthy from cancerous cells by how they each scatter light, may help keep patients from returning to the operating room. Read more at NOVA Next.

Arthritis plagued, achy joints may soon be a thing of the past thanks to ongoing research on cartilage replacement. Articular cartilage that coats the ends of bones in large joints like hips or knees absorbs impact and reduces friction, but it can wear out over time. Researchers are developing a technique to harvest stem cells from the bone marrow or liposuction waste of a patient, and convert them into cartilage cells that are then implanted back into that same patient. The goal is to resurface entire joints where deteriorated cartilage is causing pain. Large animal testing is currently occurring, and if all goes well, human trials could begin in four to five years. Read more at NOVA Next.

Most health agencies recommend that older adults take 1,000-1,200 milligrams of calcium per day to stave off bone loss, or “osteoporosis.” About 43 percent of U.S. adults follow that advice by taking supplements, but in some countries, including New Zealand, calcium-supplement use is falling. “The change wasn’t driven by guidelines; it was actually driven by the media coverage of our paper,” says physician Mark Bolland. Full Article »

Dig into the history of artificial donor insemination even a little, and it reveals itself to be fraught in that special, messed-up way unique to stories of medical progress.

Full Article »