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a hand reaches towards a pack of cigarettes
Newly Identified Neural Signature of Drug Craving Could Predict Drug Use
The signature could one day be used to improve treatment planning for people with substance abuse disorders.
Newly Identified Neural Signature of Drug Craving Could Predict Drug Use
Newly Identified Neural Signature of Drug Craving Could Predict Drug Use

The signature could one day be used to improve treatment planning for people with substance abuse disorders.

The signature could one day be used to improve treatment planning for people with substance abuse disorders.

cigarette smoking

a person pours whiskey into a glass held by another person, with a smoking cigar in a tray in front
Study of Millions Finds Genetic Links to Smoking and Drinking 
Katherine Irving | Dec 9, 2022 | 3 min read
In the largest study of its kind, scientists find nearly 4,000 genetic variants that may predispose people to alcohol and tobacco use behaviors. 
Vaping Damages Immune Cells, Researchers Find
Catherine Offord | Aug 14, 2018 | 2 min read
A small, in vitro study concludes that e-cigarette vapor harms macrophages taken from human lung tissue.
Study: Vaping Causes DNA Damage in Human Cells and Mice
Ashley Yeager | Jan 30, 2018 | 2 min read
New findings suggest that nicotine inhaled from e-cigarettes could contribute to cancer and heart disease, but critics warn that the data are too preliminary to draw such conclusions.
Swapping Cigarettes for Vaping
Aggie Mika | Oct 19, 2017 | 7 min read
New evidence suggests e-cigarettes are not without risks to human health, but can be useful in getting people to kick their smoking habit.
Fingerprints of Ongoing Human Evolution Found
Shawna Williams | Sep 5, 2017 | 4 min read
Genetic variants in Alzheimer’s- and smoking-related genes appear to be under selection pressure, according to a study comparing the genomes of old and young participants.
Smoking on a Chip
The Scientist Staff | Aug 31, 2017 | 1 min read
A new device from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University simulates the effects of cigarette smoke on human lungs.
Smoking-Linked Cancer Mutations Mapped
Anna Azvolinsky | Nov 3, 2016 | 3 min read
Scientists produce a detailed genomic map of mutations and epigenetic changes associated with smoking tobacco across 17 tumor types. 
Study: Genetic Tests Don’t Change Behavior
Jef Akst | Mar 17, 2016 | 1 min read
Knowing one’s genetic risk for particular diseases doesn’t encourage behavior modifications, according to a study.
Bacterial Enzyme an Antismoking Aid?
Jef Akst | Aug 10, 2015 | 1 min read
A compound that degrades nicotine before it reaches the brain could serve as a successful smoking cessation therapy, according to an in vitro study.
Speaking of Science
The Scientist Staff | Apr 1, 2015 | 2 min read
April 2015's selection of notable quotes
Focus on Sex
Molly Sharlach | Dec 28, 2014 | 3 min read
In 2014, new research findings and guidelines brought increased attention to biological differences between males and females.
Vanishing Y Chromosomes
Molly Sharlach | Dec 4, 2014 | 3 min read
A new study reveals an association between smoking and rates of Y chromosome loss in blood cells, which may explain elevated cancer risk among male smokers.
Sniff While You Sleep
Molly Sharlach | Nov 14, 2014 | 1 min read
Smokers light up less after smelling cigarette smoke together with foul odors during sleep, a study shows.
AACR Releases Tobacco Report
Jef Akst | Apr 7, 2014 | 2 min read
Researchers and regulators reflect on the progress that has been made in preventing tobacco-related disease in the 50 years since the publication of the first U.S. Surgeon General’s report. 
Brain’s Nicotine Center Found
Bob Grant | Nov 15, 2013 | 1 min read
Researchers pinpoint the interpeduncular nucleus as the home of nicotine withdrawal, suggesting that treatments targeted to region may aid smoking cessation.
Smoking, Taxes, and Genes
Bob Grant | Dec 14, 2012 | 1 min read
New research suggests that some smokers may carry a gene variant that makes them less likely to quit simply because cigarette taxes are raised.
Marlboro Chicks
Beth Marie Mole | Dec 5, 2012 | 3 min read
Two species of songbirds pack their nests with scavenged cigarette butts that repel irksome parasites.
Dangers of Second-Generation Smoke
Beth Marie Mole | Nov 4, 2012 | 1 min read
Nicotine leaves epigenetic marks on the rat genome that make offspring and grand-offspring more prone to asthma.  
Roundup from Microbiology Meeting
Edyta Zielinska | Jun 21, 2012 | 3 min read
Some of the interesting stories researchers were discussing at this year’s American Society of Microbiology meeting in San Francisco.
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