Tobacco

The ravages of smoking cigarettes on human health have long been established. Now a new study says that contact with cigarette smoke, even if it's on your clothes after coming from a smoky environment, can damage your dog's health as well.

In a world first, the New Zealand government has passed laws that will permanently outlaw the sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products to anyone born after 2008, creating a "smokefree generation" that will never legally be able to buy tobacco.

Johns Hopkins Medicine has been awarded a grant by the National Institutes of Health for research investigating psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy to treat tobacco addiction. The grant is the first federal funding in 50 years for psychedelic therapy.

Archeologists excavating a remote site in northwestern Utah have discovered the oldest evidence of tobacco use, dating back more than 12,000 years. The find is almost 9,000 years older than prior evidence of ancient tobacco use.

A novel analytical technique has revealed undiscovered compounds in an ancient Maya drug container previously thought to only be used for tobacco. The findings offer the first clear evidence that the Maya mixed tobacco with other plant materials.

Two observational studies have found a link between e-cigarette use and cognitive complaints such as memory impairments and brain fog. The research doesn't present evidence of a causal link but calls for further long-term study into the relationship.

Researchers have found the first evidence Native Americans smoked a plant other than tobacco. Smooth sumac was likely consumed for medicinal qualities, but it's the method used to make the discovery that is really getting archaeologists excited.

The FDA has finally approved two new low-nicotine cigarettes for the US market. The announcement comes less than a month after the FDA faced criticism for seemingly backing down on a 2017 initiative to regulate nicotine levels in cigarettes.

​Made by our kidneys, interleukin 37 is a protein that has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. It's produced in small quantities in the body, but if made externally in larger amounts, it could be used to treat many conditions. Scientists have now developed a way of producing it in tobacco plants.

New research has revealed a promising new candidate to help smokers kick their damaging addiction. An enzyme has been engineered that can gobble up nicotine in the bloodstream before it reaches the brain, with the compound proving to be incredibly successful in early animal tests.

​Although it's associated with nasty cigarettes, the tobacco plant is also a potential source of vaccines, biofuel and antibiotics. Now, a chemical from the plant is also being used as a bug repellent for crops, which could replace eco-unfriendly insecticides.

The world is in desperate need of new antibiotics, as bacteria continue to evolve and develop resistance to the ones we have. Now, researchers at La Trobe University have found a peptide in the flower of a tobacco plant that could be the first of a new kind of antibiotic.