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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 […]

Study estimates Zika Virus risk across 50 biggest cities in US

With the Zika virus running rampant through South America, outbreaks could pop up in several US cities. A study from the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) estimated this hazard in the largest cities in the US, finding that the south and especially the southeast is quite vulnerable to the threat posed by Zika. Key […]

Light stimulation can help recover Alzheimer's memories

Recovering memories lost after Alzheimer’s can be as simple as flipping a switch – at least for mice. According to a new research, these memories aren’t lost, it’s just the retrieval of the retrieval mechanism that is impaired. Loss of long-term memory and some learned experiences is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s diseases. Despite the disease affecting millions of […]

Heavy marijuana users process stressful stimuli similarly to those with an anxiety disorder

Heavy marijuana users react to anxiety-inducing stimuli similarly to people diagnosed with anxiety disorders, a new study found. The results could help improve the accuracy of anxiety disorder diagnostics in the future.

The Crunch Effect -- how listening to your chewing can help you lose weight

The sounds you make while chewing have a significant effect on the amount of food you eat, a new study has found. The results suggest that people are likely to consume less if they can hear themselves eating.

Learning a complex skill bypasses the brain's division of labour and supercharges it

Scientists trained healthy volunteers with good eyesight to read Braille and found the visual cortex was connected to the tactile cortex. Somehow, they supercharged their brains proving its extraordinary plasticity.

Would you care enough to change behaviour after having your genome sequenced?

A lot of company nowadays offer genetic kits directly to consumers who can then have their genome sequenced on the cheap and get informed about any risk of contacting a genetic disease. If a person's genome suggests a risk of developing diabetes, would that person change his diet to reduce this risk? Oppositely, would that person think there's no use in changing behaviour since it's all 'written in stone'? University of Cambridge surveyed all the relevant studies they could find on the matter and found personal genetic information does little to nothing to alter behaviour.

Read Roald Dahl’s powerful letter to parents about vaccination from 1988

People love Roald Dahl's creations (such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Matilda) for their creativity and sense of humor, but Dahl had his own share of tragedy.

Meditation acts like a pain-killer, but doesn't release opioids

Evidence suggests mindfulness meditation reduces both emotional and physical pain. Concerning the latter, we still don't know the underlying mechanisms that cause meditation to have painkiller-like effects, but we're getting there.

New SARS-like virus can jump directly to humans from bats

A virus similar to SARS has been identified in Chinese horseshoe bats that may be able to infect humans without prior adaptation. Overcoming this genetic barrier could be the first step for an outbreak, according to a study at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

No web, no worries -- spiders also like to eat vegetarian

Spiders' diets aren't limited to juicy insect bits. They spice up their menus with vegetarian courses too, zoologists from the US and UK have found.

Research team grows "dinosaur legs" on a chicken for the first time

Researchers have manipulated the genome of chicken embryos so that they develop dinosaur-like bones in their lower legs.

Evolution selects the most effective genes -- even by a hundredth of a percent

A new study measuring the forces that shape bacterial genomes determined that a difference in efficiency of hundredth of a percent is sufficient to determine the winners and losers in the evolutionary race.

Eye tissue grown from scratch in the lab used to restore sight to blind rabbits

Japanese researchers found a novel way to grow corneas in a dish starting from skin cells. The corneas were implanted in the eyes of blind rabbits, which could then see.

Getting multiple tattoos can boost your immune system

If you've always wanted a tattoo but never quite got around to it, now you have the perfect excuse: a study conducted by researchers from the University of Alabama, getting multiple tattoos can actually strengthen your immune system.

Residents from this homeless shelter support themselves by working in an organic garden

At a homeless shelter in Atlanta residents can grow their own vegetables. The shelter has a large rooftop garden that can yield a great amount of healthy greens.

How the American diet leaves people both overfed and undernourished at the same time

More than half of American's calories come from ultra-processed foods, a new study finds. The data also indicates close to 90% of total added sugar intake can be traced back to these foodstuffs.

This protein might be the key to developing the fabled slim-pill -- that actually works

An international team has discovered that by inhibiting Gq protein production in adipose tissue, cells can be re-purposed from storing fat to burning it.

Green tea and iron don't go well together

Rightfully touted for its many health benefits as an antioxidant, green tea doesn't really play well with iron.

Using tools to process raw meat may have altered the course of human evolution

Imagine spending half of your day chewing food like our cousins, the chimpanzees. You'd never get anything done. Strikingly, human teeth have evolved to become smaller over the past million years or so. This begs the question: how did we become such efficient eaters? There are two answers. For one, human ancestors started eating higher quality food (meat) and, secondly, they employed food processing. By applying tool use to anything outside slicing and cutting meat, these early ancestors may have opened the flood gates of innovation.

Using origami, scientists are making the smallest surgical tools yet

Mechanical engineers at Brigham Young University are combining the versatility of origami with mechanical know-how to produce the smallest surgical tools.

Short men and overweight women earn less, all other things being equal

Looks matter a lot. One recent research suggests that short men and overweight women earn on average £1,500 ($2,100) less per year than taller men and slim women, respectively.

Trust your intuition, researchers say

A series of experiments surprisingly found that sudden insight may yield more correct solutions than gradual, methodical thinking.

Young children may benefit from playing video games

Researchers found a positive association between the amount of time spent playing video games and children's mental health as well as their mental and social aptitudes.

Confronting overconfidence with actual performance promotes learning

Mindset and learning go hand in hand. It's important to be confident in one's own abilities to learn new skills and meet goals. Overconfidence, however, can also hinder learning according to Washington State University researcher Joyce Ehrlinger.

Anxiety alters perception by attaching emotional experience to neutral cues

Anxious people may be more prone to associate neutral environmental cues with emotional experiences. Psychologists call this over-generalization, and research into the matter might explain why a seemingly minor event can sometimes unleash a full blown anxiety episode. We might also learn more about the wiring of the anxious brain which fires in different patterns than the 'normal' brain.

Employees without paid sick leave three times likelier to forgo medical care

A study made by researchers at Forida Atlantic University and Cleveland State University assessed the effects of paid sick leave, or lack thereof, had on employees' health. Those who didn't have this benefit were at a much greater risk of forgoing medical care, either to treat or prevent an illness or injury.

Depression is more than just a mental disorder - it affects the entire body

A meta-analysis of 29 previous studies has confirmed what many researchers were already suspecting: depression affects the entire body.

Scientists map 'bad intent' in the brain

The bad intentions that precede doing harm to someone are visible in the brain, researchers claim.

Countries most in need of HIV treatment are least able to afford it

One study estimates that over the next 35 years, nine African countries would have to spend $98 billion to $261 billion to buy drugs and prevent infections.

Peanut allergy risk reduced by up to 80% by consuming peanuts as an infant, study finds

A new study confirms previous findings: the best way to fight peanut allergy is by consuming peanuts as an infant.

3 New Treatments for Varicose Veins

While they are often causes of embarrassment, varicose veins are more than just a cosmetic problem. They are also potentially indicative of significant health problems as well. They are often a sign of circulatory disease. Thankfully, severe varicose veins and their related problems are not particularly common and there are methods that you can use to treat […]

This is Tomatan, and he will power you through a marathon -- with tomatoes

Awesome? Undoubtedly. Useful? Well, according to Kagome, which claims to be Japan's largest supplier of ketchup and tomato juice, people taking part in the Tokyo marathon really need this.

Fat mice may help solve obesity-colon cancer puzzle

Scientists have known for quite a while that obesity increases the chances of colon cancer, but hey were unable to figure out why.

This one amoeba could hold the secret to fixing immune deficiencies in humans

These predatory amoebas are usually very good at finding enough to eat by themselves, but when food is short they do something astonishing.

Fungus turns frogs into sex zombies, but then kills off whole species

A new study of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), a deadly fungus which affects amphibians worldwide, found that it spreads by making males' mating calls more attractive to females. The pathogen alters the reproductive habits of different species of amphibians, explaining why frogs and related species continue to disappear across the globe.

Popular blood pressure app not accurate, research finds

Researchers found that the app misses high blood pressure in 8 out of 10 cases, giving patients a false sense of security.

Bringing back forgotten vegetables: the skirret

Ignored for centuries, this vegetable might be slowly making a comeback in England.

Scientists find genes that influence hair color and shape

A new study has mapped the genetic variations responsible for differences in the distribution, shape and colour of facial and scalp hair.

How long different drugs stay in your body: what you need to know

How long marijuana, cocaine, LSD, and other drugs stay in your urine, hair or blood.

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