Health on ZME Science

When supercomputers start to cook: meet Chef Watson

There are probably a million cooking apps out there, but none of them are backed by a supercomputer. Meet Chef Watson: a “cognitive computing app” that promises to revolutionize the way you cook and expand your gastronomic comfort zone.

Tricking your body to think it's fasting might help you live longer and healthier

Fasting has been practiced since ancient times as a cleansing process, often accompanied by prayer and periods of seclusion. Famous enlightened historical figures like Jesus or Buddha are prime examples of such ascetic practice. The latter raised fasting to an artform. But fasting needs not be merely associated with spiritualism or religion - it could very well be a great tool to improve your health. Several studies have documented the benefits of fasting, but on the other hand how many of us could go through such excruciating torments, living on water alone for days at a time (some Buddhist monks do it for weeks). After all, low calorie diets are hard enough, let alone not eating altogether. A new study, however, suggests that there might be a way to trick your body it's in fasting mode, and thus reap the benefits, without actually going overboard.

Medical Marijuana benefits are largely unproven and poorly documented, study finds

An extensive meta-analysis of 79 trials which studied the medical benefits of marijuana found that the various cannabinoid compounds did not improve nausea, vomiting, or appetite, but slightly improved chronic pain and plasticity. Moreover, most of the studies were poorly made, lacking control or placebo groups and also showing increased risk of bias. In short, this rigorous analysis found no conclusive evidence that supports the much heralded added benefits of medical marijuana. Side effects were common and included dizziness, dry mouth and sleepiness. The authors note that this doesn't mean that marijuana compounds aren't working as advertised, it's just that the science so far is inconclusive - mainly because of bad reporting and investigative techniques. They suggest more research is necessary, along with more support from the authorities and other able bodies given that we're talking about an extremely widespread drug ingested by millions of Americans each day, legally or not.

An ancient human who lived in Romania had almost 9% Neanderthal DNA

DNA analysis of the jawbone of a human who lived in modern day Romania some 40,000 years ago has the most Neanderthal ancestry ever seen. Up to 9% of the ancient man's DNA was Neanderthal, suggesting interbreeding occurred much earlier than previously thought. In fact, this European human had a Neanderthal ancestor four to six generations back in his family tree. How would it be to have a Neanderthal for a great-great-great-grandfather?

Rising oceans and sinking bread: how climate change might ruin loaves

A research group working at the Australian Grains Free Air CO₂ Enrichment facility (AgFace) in Victoria is studying the effect elevated carbon dioxide will have on crops such as wheat, lentils, canola and field pea. They grow experimental crops in the open, surrounded by thin tubes that eject carbon dioxide into the air around the plants. Findings show that crops have higher yield (up to 25% more), but less proteins. Elevated CO2 also seems to ruin bread made from the grown wheat.

These seeds purify water by killing bacteria. Just add them along with sand in water

Since the time of the ancient Egyptians, people have using the grounded seeds of the Moringa oleifera tree to clean water. Scientists found that some of the proteins contained in the seeds interact with the bacteria in the water, killing and clustering them. Eventually, the bacteria lump falls down to the bottom of the watery solution, and makes the water safe to drink. Now, a team at Penn State reports it's uncovered the mechanism that allows the "miracle tree" seeds, as they've been called before, to purify water. In those places of the world where there isn't any access to clean water (850 million people), the moringa might hold true to its name and provide a cheap, sustainable solution to the problem. Just grow your own water filter and decontamination "device".

The most unhealthy, calorie ridden, sodium rich restaurant meals in America

The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington, DC, just released its Xtreme Eating Awards. Hint: it's not that kind of award you want to win or even get mentioned. CSPI officials ranked the highest calorie, fat-rich meals served in restaurants across the country. This year, they say, they've been completely blown away by what they found on the table served to Americans.

Scientists light the brain of mice to recall their lost memories

A team at MIT in collaboration with the Riken Brain Science Institute in Japan activated the lost memories of mice, suggesting memory deficiencies like amnesia have more to do with accessing data, than storage itself. Though far from applicable to humans, the research does show that it's possible, in theory at least, to help patients with retrograde amnesia (who'd lost their memories following a trauma or brain injury) live a normal life once more.

Tattoos can cause severe adverse reactions in the skin 1 out of 10 times

One in four people in the US has a tattoo, and if you're part of this statistic you know how painful getting one can be. The problem is that, like the tattoo itself, that pain lasts and in some cases the adverse reactions caused by the foreign body, i.e. the dye, can endure for months and months at a time. This isn't something new per se, but what's surprising is how frequent this happens. Researchers at New York University asked 300 or so people in Central Park if they had a tattoo and whether they experienced anything out of the ordinary following the procedure, like redness and scarring. Almost 10% confirmed they had developed abnormal reactions. Of these 6% had itching, scaly skin and swelling , and 4% claimed they went through pain, itching and infection and these didn't stop for at least four months.

New research challenges aging consensus by reversing mitochondrial anomalies in 97-year-old cells

A team led by Professor Jun-Ichi Hayashi from the University of Tsukuba in Japan, known as the white lion to his students given his white hair and powerful voice, challenges the current consensus surrounding the mitochondrial theory of aging, proposing epigenetic regulation, and not genetic mutation, may be responsible for the age-related effects seen in mitochondria. When Hayashi and colleagues tested their theory, they reversed the age defects in cell lines collected from 97-year-old Japanese participants. They then singled out two genes involved in glycine production which they believed are responsible for the mitochondria reversal. The findings thus suggest that a glycine supplementation could help curb aging or age-related diseases.

Key protein that prevents Ebola outbreak found. Preventive vaccine now in works

A breakthrough study confirmed what scientists have long suspected: Ebola attaches itself to a singular, "gateway" protein to infect hosts. When mice were genetically engineered to lack the protein, these failed to become infected. Though extremely early, these promising results suggest Ebola outbreaks could be contained using vaccines that inhibit the protein either to stop the spread or prevent infection altogether. Nine out of ten infected Ebola patients die, and last year was the worst outbreak in history killing more than 11,000 people in Africa in official numbers, and likely twice as much in reality.

Ecstasy might be used to relieve Anxiety in Autistic adults in new clinical trial

Some researchers are considering a pilot treatment that involves MDMA, the active psychoactive ingredient in ecstasy pills, to help adults diagnosed with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) ooze out anxiety. ASD adults typically report difficulties in bonding with other people and often feel nervous in a social setting. Though illegal in the United States, MDMA has been recently explored for psychotherapeutic purposes with promising results reported in battling addiction or post traumatic stress disorder. If it receives approval - and there's a great deal of paperwork that needs to be filled before they get the green light - this would make it the first MDMA-assisted therapy for the treatment of social anxiety in autistic adults.

Obese teens are much more susceptible to junk food commercials, brain scans reveal

It's no secret that TV food commercials stimulate pleasure and reward centers in the brain, after all advertisers wouldn't pay big money for them to air if they didn't entice people to order more. In fact, food advertising has increased dramatically over the past 30 years. Teenagers are exposed on average to 13 food commercials on any given day. At the same time, childhood and adolescent obesity in the US has been on the rise fast and worrisome, so we can't help but notice the connection. Now, researchers at Dartmouth found overweight teens are disproportionately affected by TV food commercials, as key brain regions that control pleasure, taste and - most surprisingly - the mouth are all much more stimulated than those teens with less body fat. The findings are important since they suggest overweight teens exposed to this kind of environment will experience further difficulties when they try to lose weight. A further insight is that dietary plans should also target subsequent thinking concerning eating food, not just the temptation.

You can't get lower than this: four charities scammed $187m in donations meant for children with cancer

Four cancer charities operated by the same family under a scamming scheme were sued by the Federal Trade Commission and attorneys general in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The group allegedly scammed consumers out of more than $187 million, who in good faith wanted to contribute to a good cause. In some cases, the charities asked people for money that would eventually help children with cancer, one the most vulnerable groups. Instead, only 3% of the money the group raised actually went to charitable causes. The rest was pocketed.

Some foods taste better (or less atrocious) while flying

The loud noise that usually airline passengers have to deal with in mid-flight can significantly alter how food tastes. According to researchers at Cornell University sweet flavors are inhibited, while savory flavors are enhanced. This might serve to explain why, for instance, tomato juice is such a popular beverage served on flights. German airline, Lufthansa, reports its passengers consumed 1.8 million liters of tomato juice in a single year or just as much as beer. Quite a lot, considering few people actually buy tomato juice back on land.

Researchers home in on speech center in the brain

Researchers have long theorized that the superior temporal sulcus (STS) is involved in processing speech rhythms, but it's only recently that this has been confirmed by a team at Duke University. Their findings show that the STS is sensitive to the timing of speech, a crucial element of spoken language. This could help further our understanding of how some speech-impairing conditions arise in the brain, or aid tutors design next-generation, computer assisted foreign language courses.

Sea Turtle gets a new 3D-printed titanium jaw after being hit by a boat's propeller

A turtle named Akut-3 was fitted with a new, custom made 3-D printed jaw by doctors at the Research, Rescue and Rehabilitation centre at Pamukkale University in Denizli, Turkey. The reptile was found badly injured at sea and brought to the center for rehabilitation. At first, the doctors healed the turtle's wounds and hand fed her, but they knew they had to turn to something more drastic if the animal was to ever fend for herself in the wild again. They turned to a company in Turkey known for custom made prostheses, gave them a detailed CT scan of the turtle's skull, then received a new beak made out of medical-grade titanium. The prosthesis perfectly fit Akut-3, who is aptly named like a cyborg.

Making computers 'tick' like the human brain: a breakthrough moment

Researchers at UC Santa Barbara made a simple neural circuit comprised of 100 artificial synapses, which they used to classify three letters by their images, despite font changes and noise introduced into the image. The researchers claim the rudimentary, yet effective circuit processes the text much in the same way as the human brain does. In other words, like you're currently interpreting the text in this article. Even if you change the font, printscreen this article and splash it with an airbrush in MS Paint, you'll still be able to read at least portions of it, because the human brain is so great at scaling patterns and abstracting symbols. This kind of research will hopefully usher in a new age of more refined, energy efficient computing.

A lung cancer vaccine made in Cuba will begin clinical trials in the US

Cuba, famous for its rum and cigars, might be one of the unlikeliest places people think of when cutting-edge biotech research is concerned. Despite economic sanctions and embargoes set forth by the US and partners, the country's medical research institutes boasts some impressive results, particularly in immunization. One prime example is a lung cancer vaccine developed at Cuba’s Center for Molecular Immunology which increases life expectancy by up to six months. Now, the Roswell Park Cancer has signed an agreement with the Cuban medical center to finally bring the vaccine to the US for clinical trials.

Autism symptoms dramatically improved after treatment with Vitamin D

There's a growing body of evidence suggesting Vitamin D plays an important role in regulating serotonin. This means it could cause (deficiency) or treat Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) symptoms (supplement). For instance, one study prescribed Vitamin D3 to autistic children in an open trial and had a 80% success rate - that is, the children became less hyperactive, irritable, and engaged far less in stereotypical behavior. The children were also more responsive and compliant to their families.

A trip to Mars might incur permanent brain damage from cosmic rays

Researchers at University of California Irvine exposed mice to radiation similar to the cosmic rays that permeate space and found the animals experienced declines in cognition and changes in the structure and integrity of brain nerve cells and the synapses where nerve impulses are sent and received. The mice became easily confused and lost their tendency to explore new environments. Similar cognitive impairments are likely to be felt by astronauts traveling to Mars, according to the researchers. Even with shielding, the effects of cosmic rays exposure are sure to be noticed, considering the journey to Mars lasts six to eight months. This without counting the time spent on the red planet and the journey back home.

There may not be such a thing as autism epidemic - the explanation might lie in the diagnosis

Over the last couple of years, cases of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) increased by 30%, according to a reported issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Today, the CDC estimates that one in 150 8-year-olds in the U.S. has an autism spectrum disorder, or ASD. There's a whole debate surrounding this topic - where does this slew of new cases come from? Are we dealing with an epidemic-like event? It used to be vaccines that took the hit, but this was long debunked. There's another, maybe more plausible explanation: it's all a statistical mishap as far as diagnosis goes. In effect, if this is true, ASDs prevalence is stable, it's in the way we count the cases that the problem might lie.

Free choice and monkeys: researchers record the moment a mind is changed

Free will is considered the domain of philosophers, but this long lasting question might actually be put to rest by neuroscience. In a most intriguing research, a team at Stanford analyzed the key brain motor patterns in monkeys as they made specific decisions, and eventually recorded the moment-by-moment patterns that lead to change of mind. Apart from its philosophical implications, which really might never be settled, the findings prove extremely useful for brain-computer interfaces and the likes. Controlling robotic arms with your thoughts, or just about anything really, is no longer a provision of science fiction. Still, this basic neuroscience discovery could be used to improve brain-computer algorithms and thus refine control of thought controlled prostheses such that a robotic arm or leg might be moved only when the user is certain of its decisions, thereby avoiding premature or inopportune moments.

Scientists make muscles out of gold plated onions

When it comes to artificial muscles, researchers at from National Taiwan University really know their onions. The team applied an uncanny design in which they layered gold atop the treated skin of onions. Once an electrical current was discharged, the "onion muscle" contracted and bent, just like the real thing. There's a whole slew of possible applications for artificial muscles, from so-called "soft robotics" (flesh-like droids), to of course helping injured humans.

When supercomputers start to cook: meet Chef Watson

Tricking your body to think it's fasting might help you live longer and healthier

Medical Marijuana benefits are largely unproven and poorly documented, study finds

Viagra has its nasty side effects, but skin cancer isn't one of them

New "organ on a chip" design could eliminate the need for animal testing

An ancient human who lived in Romania had almost 9% Neanderthal DNA

Rising oceans and sinking bread: how climate change might ruin loaves

Blood donors in Sweden get a text message whenever they save a life

Five-decade study links pesticides to breast cancer

Antibiotics could render appendicitis operation useless

Scientists create neural lace that fuses with your brain

These seeds purify water by killing bacteria. Just add them along with sand in water

Study shakes answers out of the shaking disease: human prion immunity gene isolated

The most unhealthy, calorie ridden, sodium rich restaurant meals in America

Melanoma rates in the US are double what they were 30 years ago

Bonobo anatomy offers clues on how our body evolved

A new approach for cancer treatment: tailor for the patient, not for the cancer

Scientists light the brain of mice to recall their lost memories

Risky brain, safe brain: MIT charts neural pathways involved in decision-making

Tattoos can cause severe adverse reactions in the skin 1 out of 10 times

U.S. military accidentally shipped live anthrax to nine states and South Korea

New research challenges aging consensus by reversing mitochondrial anomalies in 97-year-old cells

Modified herpes virus used to treat skin cancer

Tinder usage caused STD spike, officials say

Key protein that prevents Ebola outbreak found. Preventive vaccine now in works

Ecstasy might be used to relieve Anxiety in Autistic adults in new clinical trial

Wearable FES-robot hybrid eases stroke recovery

Obese teens are much more susceptible to junk food commercials, brain scans reveal

You can't get lower than this: four charities scammed $187m in donations meant for children with cancer

Some foods taste better (or less atrocious) while flying

Watch this robotic surgical system stitch a grape

Scientists describe method to create morphine at home

Researchers home in on speech center in the brain

Sea Turtle gets a new 3D-printed titanium jaw after being hit by a boat's propeller

Your hand shake is an indicator of your heart's health

Making computers 'tick' like the human brain: a breakthrough moment

A lung cancer vaccine made in Cuba will begin clinical trials in the US

Autism symptoms dramatically improved after treatment with Vitamin D

A trip to Mars might incur permanent brain damage from cosmic rays

There may not be such a thing as autism epidemic - the explanation might lie in the diagnosis

Free choice and monkeys: researchers record the moment a mind is changed

Your smartphone will be able to tell if you have blood parasites

The white thing that sometime appears on chocolate? Scientists studied it with X-Rays

Fight fire with fire: toxic gut bacteria used against itself

Scientists make muscles out of gold plated onions

Is sleepwalking genetic? Study suggests it runs in the family

Of beards, feces and clickbait

Scans reveal what happens in your brain during an out-of-body experience

Swap a sweet drink for water and you get a 25% lower chance of diabetes

9 Foods to Make Sure You're Eating Enough Potassium