homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Cannabis use in pregnancy linked to low birthweight and intensive care

Just don't do it.

Our best bet at stopping food waste is to be more responsible, not more efficient

Humans are throwing away an insane quantity of food, both in the developed and in developing countries. While in the latter case this can be attributed to economic and technological constrains, the former is primarily consumer-driven. And the sum of individual choices adds up to major impacts on a global scale, a new study finds.

Can't get any rest when sleeping in a new place? It's just your brain keeping you safe

A new study offers insight into why you might have a hard time sleeping on the first night in a new place: half of your brain stays awake to watch out for potential dangers.

High-fat diets make you feel sleepy during daytime, ruin sleep at night

Men who consume high-fat diets are far likelier to feel sleepy during the day and sleep poorly at night, researchers at University of Adelaide, Australia report.

Genetics determines when you'll lose your virginity

In a novel study, researchers have identified for the first time the heritable components that influence how early or how late people lose their virginity.

Ravens score on par with chimps on key cognitive test

Is size all there is to it? As far as the brain is concerned, a recent study that assessed corvid intelligence suggests the answer seems no. The researchers found crows, ravens and other corvids score the same on an important cognitive test as the big-brained chimps.

Human limbs might have evolved from shark gills

Flap your hands like a shark.

Each city might have its own, unique microbes

Each city has its own distinct germ cloud comprised of a unique microbial population and distribution, according to scientists at Northern Arizona University.

Georgetown University team found you can literally zap creativity into your brain

Electrically stimulating the frontopolar cortex can enhance creativity, a new study from Georgetown University found.

Why you feel like crap when you're sick

Nothing seems to work when you're sick. When I'm down with the flu, for instance, my muscles ache, my eyes are bloodshot and I don't feel like doing anything. It's pretty bad, and if you ever wondered who you have to thank, a team of scientists has singled out a prime suspect: a signaling protein called interferon-β.

WHO endorses first Dengue Fever vaccine

The World Health Organization (WHO) has officially endorsed the world's first Dengue fever vaccine, a disease that infects 390 million people each year.

Wrongfully accused: replacing butter with vegetable oils doesn't cut health risk

No matter who you ask, they’ll tell you the same thing: butter isn’t good for you, just use vegetable oil. But while butter may not be the healthiest of foods, new research has found that replacing it with vegetable oils does not decrease risk of heart disease. The main culprit is linoleic acid – a polyunsaturated […]

For the first time in history, researchers restore voluntary finger movement for a paralyzed man

Using two sets of electrodes, scientists have successfully restored finger movement in a paralyzed patient for the first time in history. The results could be the starting point to developing methods that would allow people around the planet to regain limb mobility.

Humans gave Neanderthals herpes, tapeworms and a slew of tropical diseases

Westerners are horror-struck by the prospect of an Ebola or Zika pandemic in their very own neighbourhood. Media panic aside, that's extremely unlikely thanks to modern medical science. Our close cousins, the Neanderthals, weren't so lucky tens of thousands of years ago when they first met us, humans. British researchers analyzed ancient bone DNA and sequenced pathogens and found some infectious diseases are far older than we thought. They argue that it's very likely that humans passed many diseases to Neandertals, the two species having interbred, like tapeworm, tuberculosis, stomach ulcers and types of herpes.

Consciousness comes in "slices" roughly 400 milliseconds long

This is the first time a two-stage model has been proposed for how consciousness arises, and it offers a more complete picture than the purely continuous or discrete models. It also provides useful insight into the the way our brain processes time and relates it to our perception of the world.

Billionaire Sean Parker donates $250 million to accelerate breakthrough cancer immunotherapies

A Silicon Valley billionaire who made a fortunate investing in Facebook wants to beat cancer once and for all.

Study finds six components needed for a genuine apology

There are six components that make or break an apology, a new study finds. Depending on many of these you include, your feelings of regret will either be accepted or get a cold shoulder.

The brain on LSD is like that of a baby: brain area connections become one

It took a while, but scientists have finally imaged the brains of people on LSD -- a psychedelic used recreationally by millions, but whose therapeutic potential is only recently beginning to be recognized. Judging from the scans, it seems like Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) "completes the brain". Essentially, the brain functions less like a compartmentalized entity and more like a whole, very much akin to how the brain of an infant works.

Smokers find a job harder and earn less, study suggests

In Europe and the United States, an increasing number of employers have adopted a smoke-free policy and may not hire people who smoke. This is because of the negative perception of smoking. Stanford researchers wanted to quantify just how large the economic burden of tobacco use is on the labour market. Their analysis suggests that nonsmokers are twice as likely to get hired than smokers. Tobacco users also earn $5 less per hour on average than nonsmokers.

Acetaminophen affects the ability to detect errors

Acetaminophen, commonly sold as Tylenol or Paracetamol may affect our ability to solve errors, a new study has found. The impairment is minor, but noticeable.

Digital images stored/read in synthetic DNA

For archiving purposes, at least, DNA -- the blueprint or genetic recipe that codes all life -- might be worth considering. One team, for instance, coded digital images into synthetic DNA using a novel method, then decoded and read this data.

HIV took one of our best attempts at killing it, survived and became stronger in the process

They say what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, and unfortunately, that seems to be the case for HIV viruses.

Would you be willing to take an electric shock in the name of curiosity? Science says yes, several actually

Curiosity is probably the single most powerful force behind our species' scientific discoveries. It can drive us to explore and discover even if the outcome might be painful or harmful. But this need to discover and learn can also become a curse; a new study found that people are willing to face unpleasant outcomes with no apparent benefits just to sate their curiosity.

Sugar addiction could be treated with the same drugs we use for nicotine addiction

People frequently overindulge, sometimes to the point of developing sugar addictions. There has been a lot of interest in the pharmaceutical industry in finding treatments that can combat this effect, with little results up to now. But, a world-first study led by QUT might change that.

New electric fork simulates a salty flavor by shocking your tongue

Adding extra-salt may make food tastier, but it can also has a negative effect on your health. With that in mind, Japanese researchers have invented a fork that creates a salty taste in your mouth at the press of a button, by releasing an electrical current which stimulates the tongue. Salt has long been associated with blood […]

Scientists create artificial skin that sprouts new hairs and sweats

Creating artificial skin may sound weird, but it can be extremely useful (or even life saving) for people who suffered from burns or any type of similar accident; it is also useful for testing drugs or cosmetic products. Skin transplants are a growing need, and many teams from across the world hope to one day […]

Gum diseases could open the body to a swarm of infections

Mouth microbes may be connected to a variety of illnesses, more and more studies are showing. Dental care has been disconnected from general health care for many years now, but the more you start to think about it, the stranger it seems. After all, you don’t really separate any other branch of medicine so… why […]

Will Zika Become the Next Ebola?

The virus, which was once a serious risk for expectant mothers in Brazil, may be well an “explosive pandemic” deserving of international attention from the World Health Organization (WHO).

What the Zika virus looks like in 3-D

. A team at Purdue University in West Lafayette finally cracked the code, revealing a virus very much akin to the dengue and West Nile viruses.

Pig heart grafted to baboons still keep beating after two years

Five baboons were each hooked up with a pig heart alongside their own hearts. Essentially, these baboons lived with two hearts and the pig one still functioned two years on average after the grafting, marking a marvelous breakthrough in xenografting.

White Nose Bat Syndrome spreads deeper into the U.S. -- first case confirmed west of the Rockies

The first case of white nose syndrome, a disease that has wreaked havoc on bat populations in the eastern U.S. has been identified west of the Rockies. The disease's spread threatens to drastically impact bat populations there, altering ecosystems throughout the country.

Why depression makes you tired

Depression can be exhausting. Here's why.

Half of sunscreens might disrupt sperm function

Women who use certain sunscreens might be at risk of infertility, as scientists found 45 percent of the tested products contained chemicals that mess with the function of sperm.

Researchers on the hunt for students' junk-food-gene

Takeout, instant noodles and cheap beer -- the only known organisms able to survive solely on these three items are university students. A new study examined undergraduates' dietary habits to see what powers their resilience to low-quality food, and if this trait can be grafted into human beings.

Scientists discover gene variants that cut lifespan by up to 3 years

Having a single copy reduces lifespan by up to one year, while individuals having both copies stand at risk of living three years less than they'd normally would.

The science is finally in: dark chocolate does make you happier

Scientists have confirmed what deep down, we already knew: dark chocolate makes you feel better.

The cake isn't a lie -- but the nutritional value on the box definitely is

Food packaging does influence the amount of calories consumed, a new study found. By showing portion sizes much larger than recommended, the pictures on various product's packaging could make it difficult to eat healthy. Extras such as toppings or frosting on cakes are also usually not taken into account on nutritional labels, exacerbating the problem.

Political conservatives more prone to stigmatize the mentally ill

As if living with a mental illness wasn't tough enough, many are stigmatized and discriminated by the rest of the 'mentally well' population.

Autistic people have feelings and emotions, study finds

It pains me that studies like this have to be made.

There's now a blood test for concussions

A simple blood test can diagnose a concussion within a couple of hours from the injury, according to preliminary results. In the worlds of sports, these news might be a godsend as every day lost to recovery is precious.

India's Bakey edible spoon does two of my favorite things: limits dishes and plastic waste

India-based company Bakeys has started producing edible spoons to try and fight world-wide plastic waste from disposable cutlery. Not only eco-friendly, but also delicious!

New plasma printing technique can deposit nanomaterials on flexible, 3D substrates

A new nanomaterial printing method could make it both easier and cheaper to create devices such as wearable chemical and biological sensors, data storage and integrated circuits -- even on flexible surfaces such as paper or cloth. The secret? Plamsa.

A world map of Neanderthal and Denisovan ancestry in modern humans

Last week, a team published results showing that some areas in South-East Asia carry significant Denisovan DNA and now, another team has published a map of that DNA spread.

Older dads birth offspring that end up having fewer kids of their own

Evolution is not kind to older dads, a new research suggests. University of Göttingen in Germany researchers found that older fathers end up having fewer grandchildren. Apparently, mutations that appear in old age are transferred to the offspring.

Canadian Food Agency approves the sale of Simplot's Innate potato in Canada

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CIFA) and Health Canada have approved Simplot's genetically engineered Innate potato for sale throughout the country. The first generation of Innate potatoes have passed food safety assessments, and are considered as just as safe and healthy as unaltered spuds.

Europe might lose its ash trees forever

Europe is likely to lose all its ash trees, the largest-ever survey of the species warns. Plagued by both a fungal disease known as ash-dieback and an invasive species of beetle, the emerald ash borer, the tree might be wiped clean off of the continent.

Researchers zoom in on potential treatment for prostate cancer

Researchers at the University of Georgia may be zooming in on a treatment for prostate cancer. Their new therapy shows great efficacy for mouse models, and the treatment is expected to go in human trials. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of cancer, killing some 10,000 people in the UK every year (rates […]

Standing desks may not be that helpful, study finds

Sitting down is killing you, in more than one way.

Scientists create graphene patch to help manage diabetes

Scientists have developed a graphene patch that can monitor sugar levels in diabetic patients as well as deliver metformin - a drug used to treat diabetes - through the skin.

UK to introduce tax on sugary drinks

UK has announced the introduction of a tax on sugary drinks, based on the amount of sugar in the beverages. The main goal is to “help tackle childhood obesity, by incentivising companies to reduce the sugar in the drinks they sell [and] to fund a doubling of the primary schools sports premium to £320 million […]

1 86 87 88 89 90 123