Can scientists save one of the world's favourite bananas?

Minority families often miss out on treatment or get left out of research — an ethical failure. New projects are illuminating autism’s diverse shades and aim to provide care to all members of society.

A few years ago, a genetic sequencing test was so difficult and expensive that it was generally only available to participants in research projects like those sponsored by the National Institutes of Health. But the price has plunged in just a few years from tens of thousands of dollars to around $7,000 to $9,000 for a family.

Losing weight is a struggle for many people and research has shown that one diet does not fit all, some people lose weight on a diet while others gain. For obese individuals, the way to lose weight may be highly personalized and involve a specific diet type, counting calories, or one of many different medications.

Climate change is destroying coral reefs at a startling rate - threatening the livelihoods of millions of people, increasing the damage caused by storm surges, and affecting the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere. Scientists are now exploring revolutionary - and sometimes controversial - methods to learn more about and preserve coral reefs, including selective breeding of those species proven to survive conditions such as high toxicity and heat, and cultivating the regrowth of colonies one centimeter at a time.

Even though millions of people around the world rely on drugs like insulin to live, the big pharmaceutical companies often seem to value profit over people, and the costs of critical medications can be prohibitive. A small group of dedicated experts is working to change that, combining their expertise in science, law, and business to manufacture small-scale, generic versions of drugs like insulin that are accessible and affordable to all that need them.

Food security due to land degradation is a growing concern in Uganda, especially in light of the massive influx of South Sudanese refugees streaming into the country and the instability of food donations to support them. A new, high-yield "super bean," specially bred by 'gene banks' in Africa for its rapid maturation rate, is helping Ugandan farmers to grow more of their own food with fewer resources and break the dependency on aid to feed their families.

As climate change, human encroachment, and habitat loss increasingly threaten the existence of numerous species around the world, some scientists are turning to a controversial and complex method to try and bring populations back from the brink. Genetic rescue is the method of reintroducing biodiversity into the reproductive pool of an endangered species - either by relocating individuals from one area to another or even directly editing their genetic material - and has been successful in preventing the extension of animals like the Florida panther and prairie chicken.

The medical community had essentially given up hope for a cure for aids and thus little to no money was devoted to the research. A man with aids was cured in Berlin, by an optimistic doctor and a stem-cell transplant, and the medical community has begun researching again to see if the solution is replicable on a larger scale.

University research in Kansas and California is providing technical solutions for small farmers to help them compete against large scale farms.

The demand for food crops is increasing globally while the crop resilience is decreasing due to a warming climate and elevated CO2 levels. Scientists in Washington, DC are testing how to cross food crops with weeds, which have resilience against heat and many other environmental challenges.