Boston University

Earth’s seasons change as we orbit the Sun – but can the climate also be affected by the solar system’s changing position in the Milky Way? A new study suggests an ice age about two million years ago may have been triggered by an interstellar winter.

Researchers have identified an accurate ‘signature’ that may signal a person’s risk of dementia five to 10 years before symptoms appear. The biomarker could provide an early diagnosis, allowing therapeutic interventions to slow the disease’s progress.

As a less invasive alternative to open-heart surgery, cardiac surgeons are increasingly accessing the heart from within using central venous catheters. An experimental new catheter could soon make such procedures quicker and easier than ever before.

Not only are colonoscopies invasive and uncomfortable, they may also miss gut-problem-related biomarkers that are only present in the body for a short time. A new "smart pill" is designed to address such shortcomings, using live light-up bacteria.

Parkinson’s disease is growing rapidly, which makes its early detection so important. Researchers have developed a new machine-learning algorithm than analyzes metabolites and shows promise as a way of detecting the disease early.

When conducting cardiac research, it would be ideal if experiments could be performed on actual living human hearts. Scientists have developed what may be the next-best thing, in the form of a tiny mechanical heart powered by real cardiac cells.

While it's good that there are plastics which biodegrade, the glue used to join pieces of those or other materials together isn't as eco-friendly. Scientists have set about addressing that problem, however, by developing a biodegradable adhesive.

A new study conducted by scientists at Boston University has outlined a non-invasive brain stimulation technique that was able to restore working memory in 70-year-old subjects, so much so they functioned like a healthy 20-year-old.

A new study of satellite data has shown that the Earth has gotten “greener” in the last 20 years or so, with the biggest contributors being China and India. Before we celebrate though, there are a few caveats to consider.

A new study may have uncovered a previously unknown way to fight melanoma, one of the most deadly forms of skin cancer. A team led by researchers at the Boston University School of Medicine has identified a gene that, when disrupted with a drug compound, can prevent melanoma from developing.

Brown fat has been studied as a potential treatment for obesity and related health issues. Now a team at Boston University has sequenced the genes of different fat types and found that white fat may be turned brown through several different mechanisms, including by way of an experimental chemo drug.

Crime scene investigators already have plenty to worry about. But now they've got one more foe; squirrels. We’re not joking. The rodents with razor-sharp incisors chew up crime scenes to maintain their dentition, says new research led by James Pokines at the Boston University School of Medicine.