Really, really intriguing piece at Nature News by Heidi Ledford. It's all about a class of patients called "exceptional responders" — aka, the people who got a benefit (sometimes a big one) from a medication or treatment that otherwise failed the clinical trial process. When we do clinical trials, we're looking at group averages. We want to know whether a drug performed better than placebo when administered to lots of people. Sometimes, though, drugs that can't do that do seem to have a positive effect for a few lucky individuals. Now, scientists are trying to figure out why that is. What makes those people special? And how should this change the way we do research?
What happens when a drug works — but only for one person?
- COMMENTS
- human experimentation
- medicine
- research
- Science
Watch a ravenous sea cucumber open its alien-like mouth and shovel food into it's mouth using 9 appendages
This sea cucumber sits quietly, curled up into a shy little ball, until it suddenly gets hungry and enters goblin mode. In a matter of seconds, the sea cucumber extends… READ THE REST
Awesome image of a butterfly tongue magnified 50x
This awesome image from @publicdomainrev on Instagram shows a butterfly's tongue (scientifically known as a proboscis) magnified 50x. The image was created in 1909 by Arthour E Smith. I love… READ THE REST
Professor attempting to live underwater for 100 days and emerge "super-human"
University of South Florida biomedical engineer Joseph Dituri, 55, is attempting to spend 100 days underwater in a tiny room called Jules' Undersea Lodge in Key Largo, Florida. The Lodge… READ THE REST
Get this refurbished 5th Generation MacBook Air for only $247.99
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. Sometimes we need a device refresh,… READ THE REST
Fill your space with vivid colors from this galaxy lamp, now only $40
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. With spring just around the corner,… READ THE REST
Get organized with Microsoft Office for Mac or Windows for a one-time payment of $40
We thank our sponsor for making this content possible; it is not written by the editorial staff nor does it necessarily reflect its views. It's no mystery why Microsoft is… READ THE REST