Author: healthadmin

People were more willing to censor or economically devalue an artist’s work when they were accused of sexual assault than when they were accused of some other crimes, even if they didn’t like the work that much. This research Psychology of aesthetics, creativity and art. Artists have a history of being associated with immoral and criminal behavior, but contemporary audiences have been able to collectively respond through boycotts, public criticism, denial of financial support, and pressure to exclude artists from cultural spaces. These reactions are important because ordinary consumers, beyond critics and institutions, influence what art is viewed, streamed, exhibited,…

For decades, many evolutionary biologists have observed that much of molecular evolution is surprisingly quiet. The idea was that many of the genetic changes that spread throughout a population were neither beneficial nor harmful. They just float around in nature without getting much attention from natural selection. A University of Michigan study casts doubt on this situation. The study, led by evolutionary biologist Jiangji Zhang, suggests that useful mutations may be far more common than long-standing theory predicted. But there’s a catch. Many of these useful mutations may not last long enough to become permanent. Major evolutionary theories face new…

In response to the current outbreak of Ebola caused by the Bundibugyo virus, which originated in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and cases have also been reported in Uganda, WHO has convened multiple expert and advisory groups. These groups evaluated potential vaccines and treatments for both the prevention and treatment of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD). The WHO Advisory Group recommended that all products identified and studied be used only within clinical trials to generate robust data and ensure safe, ethical and effective research. WHO held a series of meetings with the WHO Research and Development Blueprint Technical Advisory Group…

A pilot study found that elevated gut bacteria-derived metabolites can identify many children with autism, raising the possibility of a simple urine-based screening tool and a newly proposed ASD subtype associated with microbiome dysfunction. Study: Elevated microbial-derived metabolites in autism: Potential diagnostic screening test for distinct ASD phenotypes. Image credit: Prostock-studio/Shutterstock.com Recent research published in molecular psychiatry investigated whether urinary microbial metabolite (MDM) concentrations could objectively differentiate children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from neurotypical children. ASD: clinical complexity, microbiome associations, and unresolved mechanisms ASD is a complex neurodevelopmental condition characterized by early-onset challenges in social communication, restricted interests, and…

Artificial intelligence models trained to behave friendly and empathically are more likely to agree with users’ false beliefs, at the expense of factual accuracy, according to new research. These sociable chatbots exhibit high error rates when providing medical advice or correcting conspiracy theories, especially when users express vulnerabilities. This study was recently published in the journal nature. Tech companies are increasingly designing artificial intelligence programs to be warm and approachable. Services like Replika and Character.ai explicitly build programs for friendship and romantic intimacy. Leading developers are also training their systems to maintain empathetic relationships with users. Today, millions of people…

Liquid water is widely considered to be one of the essential components of life. But new research suggests that worlds floating in the darkness of interstellar space could still be habitable, even without the warmth of nearby stars. A team of scientists from the Excellence Cluster Origins at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) and the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE) has discovered that a satellite orbiting a free-floating planet could sustain an ocean of liquid water for up to 4.3 billion years. The combination of dense hydrogen atmospheres and tidal heating could allow these distant moons to remain…

Decades of analysis reveals that children who play games frequently by the age of six are more likely to report problematic gaming symptoms as adults, providing new clues about when gaming habits begin to shape long-term behavior. Study: Is childhood gameplay the main predictor of problematic gaming in adulthood? Image credit: adriaticfoto/Shuterstock.com# Playing video games frequently during childhood may increase the severity of symptoms in adulthood, as reported in a new study published in . pro swan. Can early games shape adult behavior? Internet gaming disorder is a condition characterized by obsession with video games to a degree that can…

Researchers have found evidence that superconductivity can be controlled by changing the environment around a material. This is a breakthrough that could ultimately lead to more efficient electronics and powerful quantum technologies. Superconductivity allows certain materials to carry electricity with zero energy loss when cooled below a critical temperature. Although scientists have been studying this phenomenon for decades, many of its underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Gaining deeper insight into how superconductivity forms could help researchers design better materials and improve future electronic and quantum devices. Twisted graphene reveals unusual behavior The research, led by Cheung Ning (Genie) Lau, a…

BERKELEY, Calif. — Jamie Justice is an anti-aging researcher with a superheroic name and a suitably grand mission. A few years ago, she left her tenure-track job at Wake Forest University and teamed up with entrepreneur Peter Diamandis at XPRIZE Healthspan. XPRIZE Healthspan is a $101 million global competition aimed at identifying treatments that can restore muscle, cognitive, and immune function in older adults.”The aging-slowing market is booming, but there’s no way to know if[the treatments]will work,” Justice said on stage at Vitalist Bay, a longevity conference held here this month. XPRIZE Healthspan, of which she is executive director, was…

An inexpensive tropical fruit could help solve one of the world’s most common nutritional deficiencies, with researchers finding that guava juice can significantly improve hemoglobin levels in women and girls. Study: Effect of guava juice intake on hemoglobin levels in Indonesian women: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Image credit: New Africa/Shutterstock.com Indonesian systematic reviews published in journals BMJ nutrition, prevention and healthhave shown that adding guava juice to the diet can increase hemoglobin levels in adolescent girls and pregnant women. Given the high prevalence of iron deficiency anemia in women, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), this may provide…