Cancel

gear Push settings

bars

homehome Home chatchat Notifications


Roundworm infections found to increase fertility in women

A study of 986 Bolivian women found that on average, a lifetime infection with a type of roundworm named Ascarius lumbricoides led to an extra two children in the family. Their paper, published in the journal Science, suggests that the worm is altering the host's immune system, making it easier to become pregnant -- in effect, the parasite increases female fertility. The researchers hope this discovery will lead to "novel fertility enhancing drugs."

How pets make you hotter to the opposite sex

A University of Nevada team, led by anthropologist Peter Gray, tested several hypotheses about pets and contemporary courtship or dating rituals. Their study will appear in a forthcoming issue of the journal Anthrozoös.

Men ate almost twice as much when they dined with women

We all know that men like to impress the fairer members of our species, and this permeates into almost everything we do: we want to drive the shiniest car on the block, crack the funniest jokes 24/7 and write for ZMEScience so we can impress the ladies at parties. In essence, no matter how unlikely it is to actually impress, if a man has a choice between doing something and doing that something over the top so he can show off to women, you can bet your right arm he's gonna do the latter.

Lending a voice: a working vocal cord tissue grown in the lab

About 20 million people in the United States suffer from temporary or permanent voice impairment. Life can sound like a nightmare, even though we don't hear our own voice - but we do feel the attention. Then, those are those rare cases which basically render people mute. While there are various medical interventions that can improve one's voice, it's still far from the real deal. What these people need is not a patch here and there, but a whole new set of vocal cords, and a group of researchers has set out to grow it in the lab. Starting from a couple of human cells, they've grown a critical tissue involved in vocalizing. It's basically indistinguishable from the real deal (it's still biological tissue after all) and biocompatible.

Human brain plasticity doesn't seem to be shared by chimps - is this a unique gift?

It seems like evolution has fostered us humans all along for us to become the dominant species on planet Earth. We owe so many gifts to the tender processes that began millions of years ago and shaped us the way we are today. Gripping dexterous hands, remarkable social behavior and lets not forget about those big brains. It's not enough to have a big brain, though. What makes us humans particularly successful is our ability to adapt constantly to our environment. Humans fair well in luxurious plains, but they seem to survive in the desert as well. Then look at the times we're living in. Technology, networking, all our cultural heritage. It takes a lot to adapt to such changing times, and no other species seems to be this good at it. While we owe a great deal to genetics, it's brain plasticity - an inherent ability to mold our cerebral connections to fit our environment - that took us the extra mile.

Why you shouldn't believe cosmetic product claims

Behind all the glitz and glamour, there's little substance to cosmetic products.

Humans are not unique in understanding the basics of language

A paper published recently in Nature Communications details how a team lead by Dr. Ben Wilson and Professor Chris Petkov used a brain imaging technique to identify the neuronal evolutionary origins of language. Their findings help us understand how we learn to speak, and could allow new treatments for those who lose this ability from aphasia after a stroke or dementia.

Good quality breakfast linked to better performance in school

Cardiff University public health experts have discovered a powerful link between a pupil's breakfast quality and their performance at school. The study – the largest to date looking at how nutrition influences school performance -- recorded the breakfast habits of 5000 pupils aged 9 through 11, and their results in the Key Stage 2 Teacher Assessments 6-18 months later.

Federal gov. cracking down on $40 billion (snake oil) dietary supplement industry

The FDA, Department of Justice and other government agencies, today presented the results of a yearlong sweep of dietary supplements which are thought to contain unsafe compounds. Following a slew of illnesses and law suits as a results of dietary supplement intake, the combined government effort vowed to crack down on the industry - at least the part that mislabels its products and poses a significant hazard to the population. You'd think drugs - what a lot of supplements contain - would be regulated by the FDA, but dietary supplements are entirely unregulated. This has allowed a $40 billion industry of "snake oil" products to flourish. Not anymore, everyone hopes.

Alcoholism medication could be "game changer" against HIV

Researchers may have found a much needed weapon against HIV in an unexpected place: alcoholism medication.

Bio-engineered algae kills cancer cells and leaves healthy ones unharmed

Scientists have genetically engineered algae to kill up to 90% of cancer cells in the lab, while leaving the healthy ones unharmed.

Orphan gene boosts the protein levels of crops

A recent study from Iowa State University shows how a gene, found in a single plant species so far, can increase protein content when grafted into the DNA of staple crops. Their findings could help improve a huge variety of crops and improve nutrition in developing parts of the world, where available sources of protein are sometimes limited.

Prematurity is the leading cause of death in infants. What you need to know

Today is World Prematurity Day - a global effort to raise awareness about the deaths and disabilities due to premature births. Each year around the world, 15 million babies are delivered ahead of term and 1 million children die before their fifth birthday from related complications. Some who make it past this dangerous threshold might get to live with serious disabilities.

It's music to my ... eyes?!

When you're listening to music, it's not just your ears that are reacting to it, your eyes feel it too.

Pharma corp. hikes infant epilepsy drug price by 2,000%, from $33.05 per vial to $680 per vial

The free market once again showed its limitations, or rather its power of abuse, after a Canadian pharmaceutical company priced gauged a drug critical for a rare form of epilepsy that affects infants. Questcor Pharmaceuticals hiked the price from $35.66 to $801.19 per vial. "Luckily", Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children and the Ontario Drug Benefit (ODB) program negotiated the price down to $680 per vial, bringing the total cost of treatment to $14,280.

Eating sweets with every meal may help your memory

Scientists at the Georgia State University, Georgia Regents University and Charlie Norwood VA Medical Center found that the brain uses sweet foods to form the memory of a meal. The paper shows how the neurons in the dorsal hippocampus -- a part of the brain that is critical for episodic memory -- are activated by consuming sweets.

Pregnancy related deaths down by half in the last 25 years

Between reports of melting icecaps, starving polar bears and reports of food shortages, it's easy to become pessimistic about life. But it's not all bad, as a recently released report by the UN, published in The Lancet, shows how pregnancy-related deaths have fallen almost by half in the past 25 years.

Strange "illness" swept through a crowd of students in the UK

It's still not clear why this happened, but one of the most likely explanations is a rare phenomenon, a "contagious" panic spread.

How maternal testosterone levels can cause anxiety in offspring

Women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) show elevated levels of testosterone and testosterone derivatives in their systems, as well as an increased risk of anxiety and depression. As the offspring of these women (both sons and daughters) show similar symptoms, it's been believed that PCOS can be transmitted through genetic code. However, a new idea comes to question this -- specifically, the fact that the fetuses of mothers with PCOS are gestating in high levels of testosterone is what causes these symptoms.

Wireless implants can block or induce the sensation of pain

Researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed implantable devices that can activate -- and in theory, block too -- pain signals traveling from the body through the spinal cord before they reach the brain.

Astronaut food: what astronauts eat in space

Many of you reading this hope to one day be able to explore outer space; the thrill of discovery, entwined with the peace and solitude that only the silent void can provide. It's awesome stuff, I'm completely on board. But as it usually goes, great adventures come with great sacrifices.

Canadian Doctors Treats Brain Tumor in World First

The blood-brain barrier has been broken for the first time in history, and this can revolutionize some areas of cancer treatment.

Laughing at bad jokes might be a sign of dementia

We all have a friend that enjoys inappropriate jokes or slapstick humour more than any sensible person ought to. University College London researchers now claim that a twisted sense of humour might be an indicator of dementia setting in, particularly if the person in question used to have a different sense of humour.

Just one energy drink can pose significant health risks

A single energy drink can alter your health significantly, and consuming energy drinks regularly can be absolutely devastating.

Scientists gain an entirely different view on how blood is formed

Scientists have gathered a completely new understanding of how blood is formed in the body, potentially revolutionizing the dogma standing since the 60s.

Holocaust survivors encode trauma in their genes and pass it on to offspring

In a testament to epigenetics, researchers show that it's possible that the marks of trauma can be transmitted down to subsequent generations.

A futuristic garden that lets you grow food at home just raised $230,000 on Kickstarter in 4 days

Let's try again: Imagine you could grow your food at home, year-round, using a futuristic aquarium/garden system!

Can't find motivation to exercise? Do some drugs, expert says

Exercise is good for you, we all know that. Even better with drugs.

Drug resistant Strep and the return of the scarlet fever

In a study published Monday in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers from the University of Queensland caution that the surge in scarlet fever cases may pose an unexpected threat.

Study finds most women are gay or bisexual -- a personal take

The study recorded the biological responses (a fancy wording for arousal) of a sample of 345 women who watched videos of nude males and females. And the data is quite surprising: 82% of participants responded sexually to both men and women.

Eye drops with new chemical could clear up cataracts

Scientists have discovered a new chemical that could reverse cataracts, one of the leading causes of blindness.

"Designer Cells" Reverse Cancer in one-year-old

When one-year-old Layla Richards, from London, was diagnosed with an aggressive strain of leukaemia, the word 'incurable' struck like a hammer.

Halloween's Over. Time to Think Diabetes.

The household goblins have just about finished their bags of Halloween candy, so let’s talk about diabetes. Some countries (Canada, New Zealand) start November with Diabetes Awareness week while the entire world is asked to remember the disease on November 14. Diabetes is a brute of a disease – causing heart disease, kidney failure, blindness, […]

Alien cancer: man develops lung tumors from a tapeworm

In what can only be called a medical oddity, doctors in Columbia found that a man's lung tumor wasn't actually caused by human cancer cells, but those of a parasite. Apparently, due to the patient's weakened immune system, cells from the parasite leached into the rest of the body and eventually developed into cancer. This is the very first reported case of a patient sick with cancer sourced from outside the body. It's literally alien cancer.

Low fat diets have a very low impact, decade-long study finds

A meta-analysis of 53 weight-loss studies spanning over several decades and focusing on 68,000 people found that weight loss have a very low impact - if any.

90 percent of skin viruses are completely unknown

Just like an ecosystem inhabits an area, so to is your skin inhabited by a swarm of micro-organisms - including viruses.

Poor air quality in the office might halve productivity

It's no secret that people nowadays spend most of their time indoors. In high-income countries, as many as 66% of jobs are in the service sector. If you fall in this category, you most likely work in an office environment, which might seem benign enough and boring, of course. However, not all office buildings are built the same. The various materials and furnishings can not only affect your performance at work, but also our health. A new study published in the journal Environmental Health Reports quantified the effects of air quality and found employees working in environments with minimum pollutants in the air performed up to twice as better on cognitive tests.

How oxytocin and THC stimulate social interactions

A new study from the University of California looks at the link between the bonding hormone oxytocin and the effect of marijuana in social contexts that improve interpersonal bonding. Their findings offer insight into how the hormone could make social interactions more fulfilling and satisfying by enhancing our natural cannabinoid receptors.

How robots are transforming healthcare

The world of robotics is extremely exciting. Everyday we come closer to building R2-D2, Terminators, and the Iron Giant. The days of having a Betamax, our “personal healthcare assistant” are even closer still, thanks to robotics in healthcare.

Caught in the act: Scientists find new species of wasp evolving

The concepts of biodiversity and evolution are generally thought of as something that occurs in thousands, maybe millions of years - but every once in a while, scientists catch a species red handed: evolving, becoming a new species.

Brain fMRI study predicts efficiency of anti-smoking Ads

Using functional magnetic resonance imaging, scientists from the universities of Michigan and Pennsylvania scanned the brains of 50 smokers while they viewed anti-smoking ads. They recorded their neural activity spikes as they watched the sample of 40 images one at a time, looking for increase activity in the medial prefrontal cortex, the area that handles decision making processes.

Mindfulness techniques reduced the need for health care services by 43%

After using relaxation-response technique, such as yoga, meditation and even prayer, participants involved in a study coordinated by the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) solicited health care services 43% less frequently. The researchers involved in the study say simply learning how to relax to fend off anxiety and depression -second only to cancer and heart diseases in terms of health care costs - might significantly reduce the strain on the health care system. As such, more wide spread use of relaxation-response techniques could free up immense resources that can be diverted for chronic diseases.

Scientists connect brain to a basic tablet - paralyzed patient googles with ease

We're living in the future.

Asthma drug reverses aging in the brain of mice

Science and medicine advances have stretched the life span further than ever. That's good news, but the quality of life is also important. People live longer now than ever, but they also live longer in sickness and suffering of both body and mind. Concerning the latter, a clear, sharp mind can be a rare thing once you pass a venerable age, but a team at the Paracelsus Medical University in Austria may be on to something. Working with mice, the researchers gave some of the elderly rodents a common drug called Montelukast that's used to treat asthma in children. To everyone surprise, the old rats started growing new brain cells and performed almost as well as the young in cognitive tests. If only the drug worked on people, too - we might find out soon.

Scientists can tell whether you're naughty or nice - with a simple brain scan

With a simple brain scan, researchers can now see if you've been naughty or nice - on average.

What happens inside the brain when you think about money

Money. It makes the brain go nuts!

WHO starts pilot implementation of malaria vaccine

In what could become a monumental decision, the World Health Organization has decided to roll out pilot tests for a malaria vaccine.

Processed meats DO causes cancer, red meat probably does too

An eagerly awaited report from the World Health Organization (WHO) states that processed meats such as bacon and sausages cause cancer, and red meat likely does so too.

1 in 10 veggie hot dogs contain meat, sprinkled with some human DNA

Nobody wants to know how a hot dog is made, because you always know there's some crazy stuff inside. If you're one of those persons, stop reading now. Alright, time for a reality check. According to the "The Hot Dog Report" released by Clear Food, a company on a mission to demystify the black box that's the US food industry, many consumer brands add more ingredients in their sausages than you'd wished for, i.e. labeled. The company sequenced the genetic material from 345 samples of hot dogs across 75 brands and found around 15% were problematic. This means a deceiving label, whether exaggerating the protein content or finding pork in your chicken sausage. About 67% of the veggie samples had hygiene issues. Perhaps most disturbing is that 1 in 10 so-called veggie hot dogs had meat in them, and 2% of all samples had human DNA inside.

Using ultrasound to operate on the brain

A preliminary study from Switzerland, published this month in the Annals of Neurology, proved the effectiveness of a new method of non-invasive brain surgery: using a newly-developed operating device that relies on ultrasound, in conjunction with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), allowed neurosurgeons to precisely remove small pieces of brain tissue in nine patients suffering from chronic pain without removing skin or skull bone. Researchers now plan to test it on patients with other disorders, such as Parkinson's. Neal Kassell, neurosurgeon at the University of Virginia, not directly involved in the study.
1 … 85 86 87 88 89 … 117