Commonly, environmental factors such as peer pressure are blamed for teenage substance abuse. A new study suggests that to fully understand the problem, we have to look at genetic factors as well.

An unorthodox study challenged volunteers with consuming a high-fat milkshake meal. A subsequent genetic analysis illuminated how genes affect our risk of high cholesterol and cardiovascular disease.

Fat cells can be damaged in a short amount of time when they are exposed to the fatty acid palmitate or the hormone TNF-alpha through a fatty diet, a new study shows. The researchers hope this new knowledge may be used to develop new preventive strategies for diabetes.

Target-based screening has been the method of choice in drug discovery for the past two decades, but phenotypic screening is having something of a renaissance. We look at the advantages and applications of both.

Scientists study link between chronotype and death, and find night owls are at greater risk of health complications and earlier death.

New research sheds light on neuronal communication and adds more detail to the current picture of brain cell communication at the synapse, and the role of the messenger molecule nitric oxide.

Antibiotic resistance is a serious health problem, causing illnesses that were once easily treatable with antibiotics to morph into dangerous infections, leading to serious disability or even death. To help fight this growing threat, diagnostics companies are developing new tools and techniques that are playing a crucial role in quickly identifying infectious organisms and preventing the inappropriate use of antibiotics.

The Nobel Prize winning polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique revolutionized molecular biology on its invention in 1986 and it has done the same for medical diagnostics over the last 15 years. Being able to copy and multiply specific target DNA molecules has opened the door to diagnosing diseases across multiple areas quickly, accurately, and as time progresses at lower cost.

At the intersection of electronics and biology, the field of DNA data storage aims to develop tools that might enable us to store vast amounts of data in an incredibly safe way: on genetic code. We discussed the field with Twist Bioscience's CEO and co-founder, Emily Leproust.