Medicine

Last year, former circus performer Silke Pan began doing something she never thought would be possible again: walk.

Only three in 1000 deaths are eligible for organ donation, though nearly 120,000 people are currently on transplant waiting lists.

Look out for animals in Missouri.

A London-based fetal imaging research project is developing ways to screen for abnormalities earlier.

“A superiority complex always covers up an inferiority complex.”

It performed as well as 21 human doctors in tests.

Xavax via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 4.0

A recent study from Penn State details how researchers coaxed ordinary skin cells to grow into heart cells.

The brains of study participants who used cognitive behavioral therapy showed strengthened connections in regions associated with social perception.

Experts agree: Stop sticking things in your ears.

A paper supports the theory that the much-maligned organ may serve as a “safe house” for beneficial bacteria.

Each whirligig “paperfuge” costs about 20 cents and can process blood samples in two minutes.

8. You might want to rethink an ankle tattoo.

Dysfunctional gene expression may make some people hypersensitive to sex hormones like estrogen and progesterone.

3. You can walk without a kneecap.

Yym1997 via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0

Prolonged exposure to dirty air can lead to an increased risk of hypertension.

John Tann via Wikimedia Commons // CC BY 2.0

Drosophila melanogaster may seem like nothing more than a nuisance when your fruit gets too ripe, but medical research owes a great deal to this tiny little menace.

9. Surgeons can make thumbs out of big toes.

A long-lasting chemical compound in the venom of platypuses and echidnas helps regulate blood sugar.

REBECCA O'CONNELL // WELLCOME IMAGES (HIPPOCRATES), ISTOCK (BACKGROUND)

Pick the right wine, or you might get farts.

Resveratrol, a humble antioxidant found in grapes, nuts, and berries, can significantly reduce the hormones that create hormone imbalances in women with PCOS, and improve insulin sensitivity.