Science

ExplainerEurope’s First Alzheimer’s Treatment: Will Leqembi Live Up to Expectations?

Bélinda Ibrahim 02/10 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Alzheimer Treatment Leqembi Europe Science

After decades of research and broken promises, the arrival of Leqembi (lecanemab) marks a symbolic milestone in the fight against Alzheimer’s. Developed by Eisai and Biogen, this monoclonal antibody has just been approved in the European Union for the treatment of early-stage Alzheimer’s. For the first time, a drug aims to slow the progression ...

SpotlightMiracle Gel for Fractures: Medical Revolution or Media Hype?

Bélinda Ibrahim 01/10 16:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Fractures Gel Bones Science China

In recent weeks, international media and social networks have been buzzing about a “miracle gel” developed by Chinese researchers. Known as Bone 02, this biomaterial reportedly repairs fractures in as little as three minutes without traditional surgery or metal implants. The concept sounds like science fiction: apply the gel to a broken bone, ...

More Ingredients for Life Discovered in Ocean on Saturn Moon

This is Beirut 01/10 12:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Moon Saturne

The ocean hidden under the icy shell of Saturn's moon Enceladus harbors complex organic molecules, a study said Wednesday, offering further evidence that the small world could have all the right ingredients to host extraterrestrial life. Just 500 kilometers (310 miles) wide and invisible to the naked eye, the white, scar-covered Enceladus is one ...

Heart: Operating Better, Faster — DeBakey’s Legacy, the Lebanese Trajectory

Makram Haddad 29/09 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Heart Michael E. DeBakey AUB

In the focused light of the operating room, a mini-incision; around the table, the Heart Team. In a few hours, a valve is repaired, an aorta reinforced, a myocardium sheltered. If the gesture seems more fluid and less traumatic today, it is because it relies on a century of innovations and transmission. Among its architects, Michael E. DeBakey, ...

Ancient Chinese Skull Challenges Human Evolution Timeline

This is Beirut 26/09 11:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Evolution Yunxian 2

A digital reconstruction of a million-year-old skull suggests humans may have diverged from our ancient ancestors 400,000 years earlier than thought and in Asia, not Africa, a study said Friday. The findings are based on a reconstruction of a crushed skull discovered in China in 1990, and have the potential to resolve the longstanding "Muddle in ...

ExplainerColostrum: The Newborn’s Most Precious First Milk

Bélinda Ibrahim 25/09 11:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Colostrum Milk Baby Feeding Newborns

Colostrum, a word that carries a trace of mystery, evokes a long-forgotten legacy. It is the very first maternal milk, secreted in the days immediately following birth, before mature milk takes over. Produced in small quantities, this golden fluid is rich in antibodies, enzymes, growth factors, and essential nutrients. Despite its biological ...

SpotlightAMD and Retinitis Pigmentosa: A Forgotten Molecule Could Restore Sight

Bélinda Ibrahim 24/09 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Nawaf Salam AMD Vision Retinal Degeneration Researchers Science

Losing sight to a degenerative retinal disease, such as age-related macular degeneration (AMD) or retinitis pigmentosa (RP), has long been seen as irreversible. For patients, existing therapies can only slow the disease’s progress but never restore vision. Yet, a 2022 study published in Science Advances challenged this assumption: disulfiram ...

Pfizer to Acquire Obesity-Drug Maker Metsera for $4.9 Bn

This is Beirut 22/09 15:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

USA Pharmaceutical Obesity Pfizer Metsera

US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer will acquire Metsera, a maker of drugs for obesity and heart disease, for $4.9 billion, the companies said Monday. With the purchase Pfizer aims to expand its portfolio by entering the huge and growing market for medicines to treat obesity. "Obesity is a large and growing space with over 200 health conditions ...

UN Warns of Increasingly Erratic Global Water Cycle

This is Beirut 18/09 16:25 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

World Meteorological Organization Water Climate change Science

Climate change is spurring increasingly erratic and extreme swings between deluge and drought across the world, the United Nations warned on Thursday. The UN's World Meteorological Organization said in a report that the world's water cycle was becoming ever more unpredictable, with shrinking glaciers, droughts, unbalanced river basins, and severe ...

SpotlightDown Syndrome: Japanese Breakthrough Erases the Extra Chromosome

Bélinda Ibrahim 18/09 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Down Syndrome Japan Chromosome Research Science

It is a milestone in the history of Down syndrome research. A team from Mie University in Japan has shown that it is possible, through CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing, to erase the supernumerary chromosome that causes the condition, at least in cells grown in labs. The announcement, published in the scientific journal PNAS Nexus, made headlines, as it ...

Enteromix: Breakthrough or Mirage in Russia’s Anti-Cancer Vaccine?

Bélinda Ibrahim 17/09 14:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Russia Vaccine Cancer Enteromix Science

Moscow made headlines with a bold claim. According to Russian researchers, the Enteromix vaccine offers total effectiveness against certain cancers. Hailed as a major scientific breakthrough and promised free of charge to the public, this therapeutic treatment has sparked both excitement and skepticism. But what does this announcement really ...

SpotlightDoes Intelligence Really Come from the Mother? Science Explains

Bélinda Ibrahim 16/09 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Intelligence Mother Father Genes Science

The notion that a child's intelligence stems primarily from their mother is a persistent belief, amplified by popular media and casual conversation. It portrays mothers as the chief architects of cognitive potential, an idea that’s both appealing and seemingly rooted in biology. Science, however, paints a much more complex picture. It is true ...