Knowtex

The productivity of the pharmaceutical industry has decreased drastically over the past few decades. This affects the number of new therapeutics and drugs available to treat patients.

When Lee Cronin learned about the concept of 3D printers, he had a brilliant idea of his own: why not turn such a device into a universal chemistry set that could make its own drugs?

In my article in the last issue, I focused mainly on the recent books by psychologist Irving Kirsch and journalist Robert Whitaker, and what they tell us about the epidemic of mental illness and the drugs used to treat it.

Added sweeteners pose dangers to health that justify controlling them like alcohol, argue Robert H. Lustig, Laura A. Schmidt and Claire D. Brindis.

Scientists have developed a way to evaluate new treatments for some forms of attention deficit disorder. Working in mice, researchers showed that they can use brain scans to quickly test whether drugs increase levels of a brain chemical known as dopamine.

Teens who use social networking sites daily are up to five times more likely to smoke tobacco or marijuana or drink alcohol, according to a new study released Wednesday by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University.

David Luke and collaborator Marios Kittenis recently published "A preliminary survey of paranormal experiences with psychoactive drugs" in the Journal of Parapsychology, which reports on the responses from a 2005 survey of psychedelic drug users conducted via MAPS and other outlets.

Some people do science for its own sake. Others may be lured by pecuniary rewards. That still leaves a whole lot of clever folk with no training, or interest, in science. If only there was a way to harness their creative powers for the greater good.

Bacteria | We are losing the war against infectious bacteria. They are becoming increasingly resistant to our antibiotics, and we have few new drugs in the pipeline.

Powered by social networking, file sharing, and e-mail, a new cottage industry is bringing niche drugs to market.