SpotlightAMD and Retinitis Pigmentosa: A Forgotten Molecule Could Restore Sight

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

AMD Vision Retinal Degeneration Researchers US 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 ...

ExplainerBrain Freeze: Why Can Ice Cream Knock Us Out?

Bélinda Ibrahim 11/09 13:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Brain Freeze Science Cold Ice Reflex

It’s an experience many of us have had, often while sitting at a café terrace in summer or sharing a bowl of ice cream with friends. You take a bite, swallow too quickly, and suddenly a sharp pain shoots across your forehead, a jolt so sudden it makes you stop in your tracks. The term “brain freeze” captures this almost absurd sensation, as ...

Informing Parents not Enough to Fight Childhood Obesity

This is Beirut 11/09 09:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United Kingdom United States Obesity Children

Government-led programs attempting to curb childhood obesity by educating parents do not work, an international study published Thursday concluded, and researchers are calling for policies that prioritize society-wide solutions. Obesity is a major health crisis with more than one in eight people globally now obese, according to the World Health ...

VideosMotherhood in the 21st Century

Bélinda Ibrahim 10/09 11:00 - Reading : less than a minute

Eight chapters explore what motherhood reveals about our times – from the invisible experience of pregnancy denial to the choice of late motherhood, navigating medicine, the unconscious, social taboos and the intimate voices of clear-eyed mothers. Discover the full series starting today on our website.

WHO Backs Weight-Loss Drugs, Urges Cheap Generics

This is Beirut 09/09 12:00 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

WHO Diabetes Obesity GLP-1

The World Health Organization recommended a range of blockbuster weight-loss drugs to treat diabetes and obesity globally for the first time on Friday, calling for cheap generic versions to be made available for people in developing countries. The new generation of appetite-suppressing drugs called GLP-1 agonists -- which include the brands ...

From Montpellier to Beirut: Sharing Medical Innovation

Makram Haddad 06/09 09:15 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

lebanon France

The conference hall of the Hôpital Français du Levant buzzed on Friday with unusual excitement. Impeccable white coats, understated suits, attentive gazes: doctors, researchers, diplomats and institutional representatives gathered for a rare moment in the recent history of Lebanese medicine. Beneath the large bay windows flooding the room with ...

SpotlightWildfires Producing 'Witches' Brew' of Air Pollution: UN

This is Beirut 05/09 09:30 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Europe United States Pollution Wildfire

Wildfires are releasing a "witches' brew" of pollutants that can end up wrecking air quality a continent away from the blaze, the UN's weather and climate agency said Friday. The World Meteorological Organization said the quality of the air people breathe was interlinked with climate change, and the two issues needed to be tackled ...