A new test could help researchers understand how patients might respond to an unpredictable type of drug called a biologic. The test uses stem cells to give a more accurate prediction for how the drugs will affect a person's entire body, not just specific cells, and could make drug trials much safer in the near future.
In 2013, a team of researchers showed they could reverse some of the symptoms of cocaine addiction by engineering rats' brain cells to respond to light and then aiming lasers at the rats' prefrontal cortexes. It was more of a research tool than something you would want to test in humans.
The legal landscape for marijuana in the US has never looked this relaxed. Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, D.C. voted during the recent election season to legalize the recreational use of marijuana. Other states reduced the punishments for possessing small amounts of the drug, a move the American Academy of Pediatrics just endorsed. According to polls, more Americans than ever support legalizing Cannabis.
Today, the American Academy of Pediatrics is publishing a report on recreational marijuana use among kids under the age of 18. Like a good pediatrician, the report summarizes the latest research to answer kids' and parents' most pressing questions. Is pot bad for young brains? Will the newest wave of changes in American law about marijuana make things better or worse? The report ends with a recommendation for lawmakers and voters: Laws need to change so that young people aren't punished severely for recreational marijuana use.
![CES 2015: Can A Bluetooth-Connected Lighter Help You Quit Smoking? [Video]](../../Utils/ImageResizer-ashx_n_/News/quitbit_2015_1_6_on_vimeo_w_525_c_0_s_1.jpg)
It might sound counterintuitive to have a lighter—you know, that thing that helps you smoke—help you quit smoking. But that's exactly what Quitbit aims to do. A heated coil lights the cigarette and each time it does, Quitbit takes note. The Bluetooth-connected lighter will ship in March and will cost $99.
Bacteria that live in the soil near coca plants make an enzyme called cocaine esterase, which rapidly breaks down the drug. The enzyme could theoretically be useful to destroy cocaine ingested by people before it takes effect, but the half-life of the enzyme--which was isolated years ago--is only about 12 minutes at human body temperature, according to Chemical & Engineering News. "It would be hard to use this enzyme for therapeutic purposes," University of Kentucky researcher Chang-Guo Zhan says.
