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Blood test might diagnose all forms of cancer

A promising diagnosis test can accurately detect cancer in 7 out of 10 patients just by reading telltale genetic mutations found in the blood. While it will not replace invasive biopsies when the test runs negative, the procedure could help identify tumours earlier. When cancer is involved, the faster you find it, the better the chance of surviving it.

Wild oats might be the first cereal consumed by humans, as early as the Stone Ages

While analysing starch grains on ancient stone grinding tools from southern Italy, Marta Mariotti Lippi at the University of Florence in Italy and her colleagues were able to date the earliest known human consumption of oats as far back as 32,000 years ago – way before farming took root.

Only 8.2% of our DNA is actually useful, the rest is 'junk' apparently

It's been only a decade since the Human Genome Project finished its task of mapping all the code that makes up our DNA. The hard part came later, though - identifying what each piece of code does or, oddly enough, does not. According to the most recent estimate for instance, only 8.2% of the code embedded in the human genome is actually useful, in the sense that it performs a function whether activating a gene, regulating it, and so on. The rest is what scientists class as "junk DNA".

Drug reverses Alzheimer's effects in rats

There's no cure for Alzheimer's - the devastating neurodegenerative disease which causes progressive dementia in 5.3 million Americans - only treatments that help slow down a certain outcome. A milestone research may have finally broken the dry spell in Alzheimer's research looking for the much sought after cure. While current drugs help mask symptoms, a intravenous drug developed by US researchers actually treats the disease itself with patients showing marked improvements in memory and cognition. At the brain level, new blood vessel formation and an increase in neuronal cell counts was registered. The bad news is that the Alzheimer's patients are rats and experience has taught us that Alzheimer's research seldom translates to humans. Seldom, not never though.

Kids everywhere, rejoyce - science says you should get those "5 more minutes, mom!"

A recent study performed by researchers working at the University of Oxford, Harvard Medical School and the University of Nevada suggests that the current school and university start times have a damaging effect on the learning and health of students.

Music sounds better on LSD, study finds

The right music can evoke powerful emotions seemingly out of the blue, but under the influence of LSD the musical experience is enhanced even further. This according to the Beckley/Imperial Psychedelic Research Programme which tested this long held assumption under a modern placebo-controlled study for the very first time.

Massive die-off threaten endangered antelope species' future

One of the planet's most endangered antelope, the saiga, suffered from a die-off of unprecedented scope. The massive loss of life from just a few weeks ago has conservationist groups worried about what future may hold for the species. But clues as to exactly what wiped out half of Kazakhstan's saiga are starting to emerge, and scientists are looking at bacteria that normally co-exist with the antelope host, harmlessly living in their bodies as the main culprit.

Powder caffeine overdose risks prompts FDA to issue letter of warning to producers

Americans' love affair with coffee has turned into an obsession. More than half report drinking coffee at least 3.1 cups each day, totaling a $40 billion market. For some, regular coffee isn't enough so they go for the extract: powdered caffeine. The drug is unregulated and can be sold over the counter in any pharmacy. You can even buy a one kilo bag (2.2 pounds) off Amazon and have it delivered to your doorstep. So, what's the problem? It's caffeine right? Well, to problem is that even a few teaspoons of the powdered caffeine mixed with a drink can potentially kill you. It's really, really easy to overdose and, case in point, two teenagers passed away last year in separate incidents. They had no idea what they were doing, and the confusing labeling might have had something do with it. Now, the FDA has officially sent warning letters to the biggest US producers of powdered caffeine that they should change their labeling in 15 days from the issued order.

The 'egg conspiracy': government-back lobby wanted to ruin a startup that makes eggless Mayo

A startling report by The Guardian reveals how the American Egg Board (AEB) - a government-backed board which gets a levy of 20 cents per case of eggs sold by its constituent members - lobbied against a food startup that's been gathering steam lately. Feeling threatened, AEB used its influence to put pressure on the FDA, USDA and Unilever to basically ruin Hampton Creek's business. Hampton Creek is a Silicon Valley startup which has so far gathered $120 million in funding. Its flagship products include eggs made out of plants and egg-less mayo, called Just Mayo which Joanne Ivy, president of the American Egg Board, refers to as “a crisis and major threat to the future of the egg product business.”

Man excretes polio virus for nearly three decades despite being vaccinated

Doctors found that a British man has been excreting live polio virus for nearly 28 years, despite being vaccinated. These sort of cases aren't unique, but this is by far the longest cases seen thus far. Moreover, the immune deficiency has allowed the virus to mutate and replicate inside the man's body. Doctors say, however, that there are no health hazards involved since the man lives in a immunized community.

The best cure against hangovers is drinking less

Is this our most obvious, useless headline yet? Might be, but don't hate the messenger. I'm just reiterating the findings of Canadian and Dutch researchers who performed two distinct studies to see what's the best relief against hangovers. Their conclusions are stark: there is no proven remedy against hangovers. If you want to avoid feeling like train wreck in the morning you should simply drink less.

This simple device helps teenage girls living in poverty cope with having a period

For girls about to have their first period in rural India, menstruation can change their lives for the worst. Unable to afford disposable pads and tampons, girls often use rags which they reuse risking all sorts of health complications due to lack of sanitation. Many also decide to drop out of school out of fear that their rags might show or leak blood. “A fear of staining their clothes and being teased or humiliated about it by their male classmates seems to be a major reason of girls themselves choosing to miss their classes,” Maria Fernandez Ruiz de Larrinaga, communications specialist at UNICEF India says.

Scientists reprogram cancer cells back to normal

For the first time, aggressive breast, lung and bladder cancer have been neutralized and turned back to normal cells, prevented from excessive multiplication. Scientists at the Mayo Clinic in Florida, US, likened it to applying brakes to a speeding car.

Eating food rich in protein can boost cardiovascular health as much as exercise or quitting smoking

The results of a new UEA study reveal that people who eat high levels of certain amino acids found in meat and plant-based protein have lower blood pressure and show less arterial stiffness, directly translating to higher levels of cardiovascular health. The magnitude of the association is similar to those previously reported for lifestyle risk factors including salt intake, physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking.

Good news: we're living longer. Bad news: longer in sickness

Life expectancy has gone up by six years on average throughout the world since 1990, according to a survey led by scientists at the Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington. The extensive survey analyzed records from 188 countries. Japan tops the list with an average life expectancy of 83 years. While there's reason to rejoice in the news, it's worth mentioning that living with disabilities and illness has also been prolonged. The same advances that helped us live longer have also prolonged our suffering and this is where scientists are trying to invest their energy: focus less on extending life expectancy and more on the quality of our last years on this planet.

Simple blood test predicts which breast cancer patient will have a relapse months in advance

The trend is clear: medicine is becoming more and more personalized. Ultimately, when you'll enter a hospital for a diagnosis or treatment, a (likely digital) doctor will use tailored solutions to address your health needs, all based on your past medical and genetic records. Considering diagnosis, just a few drops of blood will be enough to diagnose a plethora of afflictions. Take the latest news coming from the The Institute of Cancer Research in London, for instace. There, British doctors were able accurately predict which breast cancer patient will relapse next by tracking key mutations of residual cancer cells found in the blood. It's a very powerful tool - one that will probably become standard practice soon.

Can Hearing Aids Also Save Your Memory?

If you’ve ever lived with someone hard of hearing, or have struggled with hearing difficulties yourself, you know it can be a hard condition to live with. Thankfully, modern technology has given us a wide variety of hearing implements that can let us salvage this precious physical sense. But hearing loss can come with several […]

University of California 3D printed fish are the most advanced microbots we built to date

Nanoengineers from the San Diego University of California used innovative, self-developed 3D printing methods to create multipurpose, fish-shaped microbots - that they call microfish - which can swim around efficiently through liquids, powered by hydrogen peroxide and are magnetically controlled.

Are you a hoarder? Complete this checklist [infographic]

We're all guilty of bringing home useless items like flyers or old computer electronics from time to time, hoping that one day we'll use them. Don't kid yourself. It rarely happens. For some people though, hoarding seems to be a way of life, bordering obsessive compulsive disorder. In fact, psychologists class hoarding behavior as a distinct disorder which affects 2 to 5 percent of Americans.

Research moves closer to a universal flu vaccine

Scientists from the Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Janssen Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson (Janssen) have discovered a way to give antibodies the ability to fight a wide range of influenza subtypes. Their work has great potential to one day eliminate the need for repeated seasonal flu shots.

Modafinil is the first confirmed drug that makes you smarter

Though initially made for narcoleptics (people having trouble sleeping), many soon caught on that modafinil can enhance cognitive abilities. Right now, it's a favorite among students who use it when preparing for exams with visible results, they claim. But modafinil isn't the first such "smart drug" we've come across. It's likely that you've seen some TV or internet ads marketing 'smart pills' that supposedly enhance cognitive abilities, but with mere anecdotal evidence backing it up. In contrast, modafinil really seems to be a legit smart drug, according to a systematic review of reports documenting the effects of the drug. The meta-analysis was made by a team at University of Oxford and Harvard Medical School.

Raise'em right! Only we're not - modern parenting may hinder brain development

Several cultural beliefs and modern social practices may hinder children's mental, moral and emotional development, finds a study by an interdisciplinary body of research presented recently at a symposium at the University of Notre Dame.

Yawning is contagious, unless you're a psychopath

When someone yawns near us, we naturally feel an irresistible urge to yawn in response. Even dogs seem to yawn when humans do it. This contagious behavior has fascinated psychologists and behaviorists for many years, and while there are many reasons scientists have proposed for why people yawn (it's a bit complicated, what we know for sure is that's important and actually has a purpose), social cohesion might play an important role. The more emphatic you are, the likelier it is you'll yawn in response. On the contrary, psychopaths barely register yawns and seem impenetrable.

Scientists create vomiting machine to study viral infections

Inventions are at the very core of human development, and quite often, the scope of the invention is not easy to grasp. Such is the case with a new "vomiting machine" which will be used to study noroviruses - fast spreading viruses that cause acute gastroenteritis.

It just got a lot more annoying: mutated lice stop responding to common treatment

Just in time for back-to-school season, a group of researchers report that lice in more than 25 states have become resistant to the common over-the-counter treatments. Every year, up to 12 million kids aged 3 to 11 get infested with head lice, which apart from being extremely unpleasant and annoying can create complications when a child overly scratches its scalp, forming wounds that can get infected. Now that lice populations have grown resistance to insecticides, it will be increasingly difficult to get rid of them.

Looking into someone's eyes for 10 minutes alters your state of mind and can cause hallucinations

Staring straight into someone's eyes can be pretty intense, and is usually avoided by most people. But a team of researchers has shown that it's even weirder than you'd think: it actually alters your consciousness, and often causes hallucinations.

A new molecular drug that mimics exercise might help Diabetes patients

Researchers at University of Southampton, England report finding an alternative pathway to activate a key enzyme involved in cellular glucose uptake, mimicking the effects of exercise (some of it). In type two diabetes the enzyme in question is "lazy" and drugs are usually used to activate it, allowing glucose to enter the cell and produce energy (adenosine triphosphate or ATP for short). It's not clear yet whether the new molecular compound, for now simply called 'compound 14', is better than current treatments.

Psychosis and violence are not really linked together, study finds

Television has perpetuated the already classic image of a violent, psychotic criminal, up to the point where we basically associate the two. We often tend to think of violent people as psychotic, and psychotic people as violent. But as a new study has found, that's not really the case: there's no strong correlation between violence and psychosis.

Be sarcastic! It's good for you, scientists find

Using and understanding the intricacies of sarcasm is a fine art; one does not simply “become” sarcastic – you must dive into it, let it embrace you. You must become sarcasm. But jokes aside, sarcasm is a strange thing – we don’t know exactly how it appeared and why. The best theory seems to be […]

New nanotechnology will be able to target and destroy blood clots

A research group has come up with an innovative way of dealing with blood clots through nanotechnology. This technology has the potential to save many lives every year, as blood clots are often associated with life-threatening events.

A language that sounds like birdsong, whistled Turkish, uses both brain hemispheres

One of the most peculiar languages in the world, whistled Turkish, is challenging the long-standing idea that the left brain hemisphere is solely responsible for processing language and extracting meaning. Any language, be it spoken, written or signed is processed in the left hemisphere, but whistled languages are processed equally by both sides of the brain. It's a striking discovery that suggests people devoid of left hemisphere processing abilities, following a stroke for instance, can still communicate using their right hemisphere. Just whistle.

'Pink Viagra' pill for low libido women seeks FDA approval, but is it safe?

A drug called Flibanserin, also known under the name of Addyi, is marketed as the first designed to boost a woman's sexual desire. This week the FDA will decide whether to approve the drug or not, however looming safety concerns could count against Sprout Pharmaceuticals, the parent company marketing the Flibanserin.

Coca Cola give millions of dollars to scientists who say soft drinks don't cause obesity

Taking a page from the oil industry “sponsorship” philosophy, Coca Cola spent millions funding scientists to say that soft drinks don’t make people fat. While there’s nothing inherently wrong with a company funding scientists to study its products, when the result is already known before the study actually starts, that’s not exactly science – that’s […]

Octopus genome finally unraveled, and this is a big deal

The mystery of the octopus genome has finally been solved, and this will allow researchers to answer some intriguing questions: how does it regenerate so well? How does it control its 8 flexible arms and over 1000 suckers? How do they camouflage and mimic the environment, and most importantly - how did a relative of the snail become so incredibly smart?

This book can clean murky waters and save lives

Books and education save lives - but the Drinkable Book took things to the next level. Using the bacteria-killing properties of silver and copper, a US researcher has developed a low cost, light and cool way of purifying drinking water: through a book.

Fighting with addiction? Play tetris, new study finds

The results of a new study show the benefits of playing tetris when fighting with an addiction or craving - a minimum of three minutes at a time can reduce cravings for drugs, food and other activities like sex and sleeping by almost 20%.

The Komodo Dragon Chilli is 400 times hotter than a jalapeno - and it's available in supermarkets

The Komodo Dragon Chilli doesn’t look like much; it’s pretty small, reddish (but not very bright) and a bit shriveled; but this pepper measures 1.4 million Scoville units – the official measure of chilli potency. Yes, that’s a lot. “Do not consume whole,” reads the mildly unnerving warning label on the packet. “Do not touch without gloves.” The […]

A drug used for decades for liver diseases could effectively slow down Parkinson's

It seems like re-purposing drugs can be a gold mine for future drug development. Now, scientists have discovered that a drug used for decades in liver treatments might effectively slow down Parkinson's disease.

New diseases threatens world's tadpole population

A new highly infectious diseases has been observed in tadpoles from three continents, threatening global populations. The disease, which was identified and described by British scientists, is a distant relative of an oyster disease. “Phylogenetic analyses revealed that this infectious agent was affiliated with the Perkinsea: a parasitic group within the alveolates exemplified by Perkinsus […]

Drinking guidelines are irrelevant for casual drinkers, scientists claim

A study conducted by researchers from the University of Sheffield found that people ignore drinking guidelines, especially as most of them rarely drink during the week but might party heavily during the weekend or on holiday.

Scientists think they've figured out why green tea helps you lose weight

Green tea is one of those things that’s really healthy for you, but its health benefits have been greatly exaggerated; one of the things which has been consistently reported about green tea is that it helps you lose weight, but scientists didn’t know how (or if) this happens. Now, a team from Poland believe they’ve […]

Simple device shows where your patient's veins are

No one likes to take a shot, and if there’s one thing we hate more than taking a shot is having to take more shots because someone missed your vein. But as any doctor will tell you, finding a vein is sometimes difficult – here’s where VeinViewer enters the stage. Designed by Memphis-based company Christie Medical Holdings, […]

How long does food stay fresh? Learn what expiration dates really mean

Experts did the math and they estimate that $165 billion worth of perfectly edible food gets tossed each year, due to it passing it's expiration date. But most of these dates are largely made up.

Why taking a bath in wine is idiotic and wasteful

I shouldn’t have to write this – taking a bath in wine should intuitively seem like a very bad idea; at the very least, it’s wasteful, and doesn’t really help you. So why would you do it? Well, apparently… because it’s “cool”. Drinking a glass of wine from time to time is quite healthy – […]

Why you're freezing in the office: AC thermostat is optimized for a 154 pounds, 40-year-old man

Women often complain the AC is turned way too high at work. Many are forced by necessity to come to work on a hot summer day with a spare sweater or a freaking Snuggie, while men coworkers seem to be all fine, comfortable wearing only shorts and a T-shirt. Clearly, some people feel colder or hotter than others when exposed to the same temperature. However, I think nowadays it's no secret that most women get terribly uncomfortable in the conditions set by most thermostats at work. Now, a new study suggests that the way climate control in office buildings has been designed in the past couple of decades is discriminatory and doesn't reflect reality. That's because although in most workplaces today you'll find men and women in equal proportion, the AC is geared to provide the optimal comfort conditions for a 154 pounds, 40 year-old man. This profile may have been representative 50 years ago, but today it's outdated. It's time to align thermostats with today's needs.

Semen regulates female's gene expression and behavior (curbs depression, for instance)

There's more to seminal fluid, which makes up to 70% of semen's composition, than procreation. Scientists are only recently beginning to understand how the seminal fluid is interacting with the female brain and body, and findings so far may be surprising for some. For instance, in animals - including humans - semen affects the female reproductive tract, to maximize the changes of conception. But it doesn't stop here. The influence of semen on females might go even beyond this. In experiments on fruit flies, scientists found the females had altered gene expression post semen exposure, while males produce more seminal proteins when there are more rivals. Suddenly, semen just got a heck of a lot more complicated.

Australian scientists reportedly found a cure for hangover

CSIRO, Australia's peak science body has reportedly discovered one of the more sought after cures in human history: the cure for a hangover. The secret? A simple fruit, the pear.

The age of the centenarians: elderly population over 100 years to increase ten fold by 2035

If you were born in 1900, you could call yourself lucky if you'd seen a day past your 50th birthday. The XXth century, however, marked an amazing leap in longevity thanks to the advent of vaccines, increased public health awareness and medical discoveries. In time, the leading causes of death and illness have shifted from infectious and parasitic diseases to noncommunicable diseases and chronic conditions. Sure, more people die today of cancer and heart disease than ever before, but it sure beats dying of typhoid. The extra decades in lifespan sure don't sound bad, either. Life expectancy at birth now exceeds 83 years in Japan—the current leader—and is at least 81 years in several other countries. The trend seems to be accelerating, especially for those at the extreme lifespan end. The population of adults 85 and older is projected to increase 351 percent by 2050, while those older than 100 will increase 10-fold between 2010 and 2050.

New vaccine against Ebola is 100% effective in Guinea trial

“Having seen the devastating effects of Ebola on communities and even whole countries with my own eyes, I am very encouraged by today’s news,” said Børge Brende, the foreign minister of Norway, which helped fund the trial.

Sugar with that? Sweetening coffee or tea really changes your drink

Coffee and tea taste bitter to most people because of the caffeine. Of course, some like their coffee dark, but most people, including yours truly, can't have a sip without at least a lump of sugar inside. Apparently, we're on to something. Adding sugar to coffee or tea not only cuts the bitterness, but changes the chemistry of the drink at a fundamental level, according to Dr. Seishi Shimizu at University of York.

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