In the largest study of its kind, scientists find nearly 4,000 genetic variants that may predispose people to alcohol and tobacco use behaviors. 

A small, in vitro study concludes that e-cigarette vapor harms macrophages taken from human lung tissue.

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.

New evidence suggests e-cigarettes are not without risks to human health, but can be useful in getting people to kick their smoking habit.

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.

A new device from the Wyss Institute at Harvard University simulates the effects of cigarette smoke on human lungs.

Scientists produce a detailed genomic map of mutations and epigenetic changes associated with smoking tobacco across 17 tumor types. 

A compound that degrades nicotine before it reaches the brain could serve as a successful smoking cessation therapy, according to an in vitro study.

April 2015's selection of notable quotes

In 2014, new research findings and guidelines brought increased attention to biological differences between males and females.

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.

Smokers light up less after smelling cigarette smoke together with foul odors during sleep, a study shows.

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. 

Researchers pinpoint the interpeduncular nucleus as the home of nicotine withdrawal, suggesting that treatments targeted to region may aid smoking cessation.

New research suggests that some smokers may carry a gene variant that makes them less likely to quit simply because cigarette taxes are raised.

Two species of songbirds pack their nests with scavenged cigarette butts that repel irksome parasites.

Nicotine leaves epigenetic marks on the rat genome that make offspring and grand-offspring more prone to asthma.  

Some of the interesting stories researchers were discussing at this year’s American Society of Microbiology meeting in San Francisco.