Author: Michelle Korhonen

New Target for Leukemia Therapy Identified – Leukemia, the most prevalent pediatric cancer, poses a significant challenge to children’s health. Current treatment options, primarily chemotherapy, are often accompanied by severe side effects due to their nonspecific targeting of both healthy and cancerous cells. Researchers at Goethe University Frankfurt have made a promising breakthrough in leukemia therapy by identifying a crucial gene, MYNRL15, that is essential for the survival of leukemia cells. This discovery opens up new avenues for developing targeted therapies that specifically eliminate leukemia cells while minimizing harm to healthy tissues.Leukemia encompasses a spectrum of blood cancers, including acute…

Healthy dogs romp in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in early October, after a storm caused severe flooding. Around the country a mysterious respiratory illness is making some dogs sick. Spencer Platt/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Spencer Platt/Getty Images Healthy dogs romp in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park in early October, after a storm caused severe flooding. Around the country a mysterious respiratory illness is making some dogs sick. Spencer Platt/Getty Images It was the summer of 2022 when veterinarian David Needle first started hearing rumblings of a canine respiratory illness spreading in New Hampshire. The dogs were sneezing, they’d develop a cough…

This is an edition of Time-Travel Thursdays, a journey through The Atlantic’s archives to contextualize the present, surface delightful treasures, and examine the American idea. Sign up here.You can tell a lot about a cultural moment by the words it invents. New phenomena, products, social movements, and moods require new language, and an idea without a name is unlikely to stick. The job of a dictionary is to be responsive—but not too reactive—to these trends, to catalog the new ways people are talking, which of course is the new ways they’re thinking. (Among others this year: generative AI, girlboss, meme…

 A new study confirms Pesticides Can Reduce Sperm Counts. It appears that exposure to common pesticides may contribute to declining sperm counts in men.Scientists have long been puzzled by the steady decline in sperm counts observed over the past half-century. While various factors, including cell phone usage, nutrition, and lifestyle choices, have been implicated, a new study sheds light on the potential role of pesticides in this worrying trend.Researchers from George Mason University and Northeastern University conducted a comprehensive analysis of 20 studies involving over 1,700 men. They found that higher exposure to organophosphates and N-methyl carbamates, two types of…

Two brain circuits help determine whether there’s too little salt, or too much. Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images Two brain circuits help determine whether there’s too little salt, or too much. Aleksandr Zubkov/Getty Images If this year’s turkey seems over brined, blame your brain. The question of when salty becomes too salty is decided by a special set of neurons in the front of the brain, researchers report in the journal Cell. A separate set of neurons in the back of the brain adjusts your appetite for salt, the researchers showed in a series of…

Early this morning, Hamas and Israel agreed to a hostage deal: 30 children and 20 women will return to Israel, in exchange for five days of cease-fire and 150 Palestinians who are in Israeli custody and have been accused or convicted of serious crimes. Each additional 10 Israeli hostages freed will buy another day of respite from fighting. In arguing for the deal, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the return of hostages “a sacred duty” and quoted the 12th-century sage Maimonides, to the effect that redeeming Jewish prisoners (pidyon shvuyim) is a great mitzvah. (Islam commands a similar duty to…

FDA warns consumers of the dangerous side effect of Neptune’s FixThe Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning consumers not to buy or use any Neptune’s Fix products because they may contain tianeptine, a potentially dangerous substance that can cause severe adverse effects, including death.What is Tianeptine?Tianeptine is a tricyclic antidepressant that is not FDA-approved in the United States for any medical conditions. However, it is sometimes prescribed in other countries to treat depression. Tianeptine has the potential for abuse, especially among people with opioid use disorder.Dangers of TianeptineTianeptine can cause a range of serious adverse effects, including:AgitationDrowsinessConfusionSweatingRapid heartbeatHigh blood…

Left: Jax Le, aka ‘Jax The Poet’, attended Philly FatCon in October. Jax is also the author of the book Love Handles & Muffin Tops: Poems For Body Positivity & Plus Size Bodies. Right: Maggie Clerkin also attended Philly FatCon and called the event felt “refreshing.” Jackie Molloy for NPR hide caption toggle caption Jackie Molloy for NPR Left: Jax Le, aka ‘Jax The Poet’, attended Philly FatCon in October. Jax is also the author of the book Love Handles & Muffin Tops: Poems For Body Positivity & Plus Size Bodies. Right: Maggie Clerkin also attended Philly FatCon and called…

In many ways, this story is just beginning.Illustration by The Atlantic. Source Jim Wilson / The New York Times / Redux.November 22, 2023, 2:01 PM ETThis is Atlantic Intelligence, an eight-week series in which The Atlantic’s leading thinkers on AI will help you understand the complexity and opportunities of this groundbreaking technology. Sign up here.It’s been an unbelievable few days for OpenAI, the influential company behind products such as ChatGPT, the image-generating DALL-E, and GPT-4. On Friday, its CEO, Sam Altman, was suddenly fired by the company’s board. Chaos immediately followed: A majority of the company’s workers revolted, negotiations were…

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is urging consumers to refrain from consuming cantaloupe due to the potential for salmonella contamination. As of November 17, 2023, at least 43 individuals across 15 states have contracted salmonella, with 17 of those cases requiring hospitalization. The outbreak has been linked to a limited number of fresh cantaloupe and pineapple products sold by three brands: Vineyard, Aldi, and Malchita.Recalled ProductsThe FDA has identified the following cantaloupe and pineapple products as part of the recall:Malichita whole fresh cantaloupes labeled “Product of Mexico/produit du Mexique” and sold between October 16 and 23.Aldi cantaloupe chunks…