Science...

It permeates everyday life. Yet the understanding of advances in biomedical science is limited at best. Few people make the connection that biomedical science is medicine and that biomedical scientists are working today for the  medicine of tomorrow. Our weekly five-hundred word newspaper column and two-minute radio show provides insights into a broad range of biomedical science topics. Medical Discovery News is dedicated to explaining discoveries in biomedical research and their promise for the future of medicine.

Each release is designed to stimulate listeners to think, question and appreciate how science affects their health as well as that of the rest of the world. We also delve into significant biomedical discoveries and portray how science (or the lack of it) has impacted health throughout history.

Autistic Kids May Have More Brain Cells Than Others
A study on the differences between the brains of children with and without autism found that Autistic children had an average of 67 percent more brain cells, or neurons, in certain parts of the brain such as the prefrontal cortex. This region of the brain controls functions like problem solving, emotions and complex thought, many of which are impaired by autism. These findings might lead to earlier and improved diagnosis for the developmental disorder, which affects up to one in 110 children in the United States.

Graduated Driving Programs Lower Fatal Teen Car Accidents
Graduated driver's license programs, which give driving privileges to teens in phases, have decreased car crash deaths involving 16- and 17-year-olds by up to 14 percent. By 2011, all 50 states had implemented these programs, which normally grant licenses as part of a 3-step process involving first a learner's permit, where the new driver can drive only with someone 21 years old or older in the passenger seat, and then driving with certain conditions, such as not at night or without any other young adults in the car.

Malaria's Weakness May Lead to Vaccine
After 50,000 years of infecting people, malaria may have finally met its match. Scientists have discovered a weakness in the parasite, a way to block it from attacking blood cells, which they hope will lead to a vaccine. In 2009, malaria, which is spread by mosquitoes, infected 225 million people and killed 781,000, most of who were children - in Africa alone, a child dies from malaria every 45 seconds.

Computer Gives More Accurate Breast Cancer Survival Rates
Computer "pathologists" have outperformed their human counterparts in predicting breast cancer survival rates. This new computer model examines the same microscopic images of breast cancer cells as human pathologists traditionally do, but the computer gave more accurate information on a patient's survival in a study of 576 people diagnosed with breast cancer.

Texas Spends Less on Mental Health Than Any State
Despite raising the amount it spends on mental health care by 4.3 percent in the past three years, Texas still spends less on these services than any other state on a per-person basis. While some states like California have had to make large cuts to these services in light of budget issues and Texas has chosen not to, the Lone Star State has ranked last in this spending for the past few years. This same report recommended changes in state policy to preserve funding.

New Blood Sugar Test Uses Tears, Not Blood
Diabetics might find themselves shedding more tears with a new device for testing blood sugar, or glucose, despite the fact that it does not involve needles or blood. Many of the 25.8 million diabetics, especially those who have to check their glucose levels several times a day, may have resigned themselves to the sore fingertips that come with these pin-pricking tests. But researchers have invented a sensor that detects dilute glucose levels in the tears of rabbits.