Susannah Mushatt Jones, who passed away at the age of 116 after a brief illness, lived though an extraordinary period in American medicine, one which we should all take a moment to appreciate. Up until May 12, Ms. Jones was the very last American alive who was born in the 19th century.

You've seen that look: the big sappy eyes, staring through your soul... yep, that's just your dog beggin' for human food next to the dinner table. And scientists have discovered the reason why some breeds do it more than others, ahem... Labs.

We've all heard the nonsense that artificial sweeteners are bad for you — they cause cancer and a variety of other diseases, according to some scare mongers. The latest scary story is a link between moms' drinking artificially sweetened beverages during pregnancy, and obesity in their offspring one year later.

A writhing mass of maggots in a wound might seem like a good reason to seek medical help. But, reports Carrie Arnold, sometimes it’s the doctors who have put them there, adopting an ancient treatment to help heal painful infected injuries.

Women who take dietary supplements and use multiple forms of complementary alternative medicine are less likely to initiate chemotherapy treatments for breast cancer when it's clinically indicated. And to put it mildly, that's not a good approach. Just ask the family of the late Steve Jobs.

Who's smarter, an 85-year-old billionaire in terrific health or a "sue and settle" activist group that undermines science?

Researchers have developed a coaster-size model of the human gut, which provides valuable insight into the molecular processes taking place between the intestinal microbiome and the host.

Many people are fascinated by those who have the desire and drive to become a triathlete. Namely, what motivates them to push their bodies to extreme levels, and not only in just one sport -- but in three sports consecutively: swimming, biking and running. But since there's a trend where middle-aged men are dropping dead during competition -- and more often during the aquatic portion -- that's a cause for concern.

Unlike draping yourself in velvet, which is not socially acceptable, silk remains perfectly fashionable. In fact, it is all the rage at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Tufts University, where a research group led by David Kaplan is literally wrapping silk around everything it can get its hands on.

A potential breakthrough in developing a vaccine against Clostridum difficile infections has been achieved by scientists at the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces. “C. diff” is the causative agent of a nasty diarrheal illness that has plagued healthcare facilities the world over.