Author: healthadmin
The moon has been exposed to the solar wind for billions of years. But new evidence shows that neither hemisphere experiences bombardment in the same way. Particles impacting the near and far sides arrive at different velocities and carry different amounts of energy. Analysis of material collected by China’s Chang’e 6 mission suggests that Earth’s magnetosphere is responsible for much of this contrast. The survey results are natural earth science. Moon dust preserves records of the solar wind The solar wind is a constant stream of fast-moving charged particles emitted by the Sun. Because the Moon does not have a…
Around 65% of British adults struggled to sleep during the June heatwave, which brought record temperatures to Western Europe, according to a recent poll. Almost half of people lost three or more hours of sleep. Sleep disorders are an inevitable consequence of longer and hotter summers due to anthropogenic climate change. Europe is a hotspot for sleep deprivation, as the continent is warming more than twice as fast as the global average. In the German state of Saxony, the weather observatory reported a tropical nighttime minimum temperature of 29.4 degrees Celsius (85 degrees Fahrenheit) in June. World Weather Attribution, a…
WASHINGTON — Community-based organizations that provide HIV testing and prevention tools are pressing federal health officials to renew a critical funding program that recently expired. Without renewed funding, expanding access to HIV prevention care could be in jeopardy and some organizations could be forced to close, Jeremiah Johnson, executive director of the advocacy group PrEP4All, told STAT. “We’re hearing from some CBOs (community-based organizations) that they can’t survive with cuts,” he said. STAT+ exclusive story Already have an account? Log in This article is exclusive to STAT+ subscribers Unlock this article and get in-depth analysis, newsletters, premium events, and news…
“Turn off the TV, your brain will rot!” has been repeated in families for generations. Although the word “corrupt” is clearly an exaggeration, new research suggests that binge-watching TV may still have a significant impact on brain health. Recent research published in Alzheimer’s Disease and Dementia: Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association Researchers found that adults who said they watched TV “very frequently” in midlife later had smaller volumes in brain regions associated with memory. They also had decreased volume in the frontal and occipital lobes and increased damage to the brain’s white matter, changes associated with aging, stroke risk, cognitive…
When one partner in a marriage hides money issues and the other is honest, this discrepancy predicts lower relationship satisfaction and less financial success for the couple. New research published in International Research Journal in Marketing We show evidence that this imbalance impairs couples’ ability to form common goals. This research suggests that mutual transparency is deeply tied to a couple’s overall flourishing and happiness. Romantic relationships rely heavily on trust. Still, individuals may hide important financial details from their spouses. This behavior is known as financial infidelity. This includes engaging in financial activities that your partner would not approve…
SCN2A-associated developmental epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) is a rare and severe form of childhood epilepsy and one of the most common causes of monogenic autism. This condition is caused by a single mutation in the sodium voltage-gated channel alpha subunit (SCN2A) gene, which controls the flow of sodium ions into neurons. These mutations promote abnormal brain excitability, leading to uncontrollable seizures with developmental delays, autism, movement disorders, and gastrointestinal problems. Most of these mutations are de novo (rather than inherited from a parent) and occur naturally. Conventional anti-seizure drugs are often ineffective and do not address the underlying genetic causes of…
Chronic, low-grade inflammation in the body (a phenomenon known as “inflammation” because it increases with age) is associated with many of today’s leading causes of disease and death, including cancer, heart disease, metabolic disease, and neurodegenerative diseases. But scientists have struggled to understand what causes inflammation or how to reverse its effects. Researchers at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California have identified the thymus gland, a small organ behind the breastbone that plays a central role in the development of the immune system, as a key player in inflammation. They discovered that thymulin, a hormone…
The Broad Institute, Boston Children’s Hospital, and Maine’s Jackson Laboratory announced a partnership Tuesday to develop gene therapies for people with rare diseases and make life-saving treatments cheaper and more accessible to patients. With relatively few gene therapies on the market, families of children with rare genetic diseases have little choice but to partner individually with researchers and raise millions of dollars to develop treatments for their conditions. The newly formed nonprofit Center for Therapeutic Genetics will develop precision medicines and share their methods, data and training with other clinicians so they can do the same. The goal is to…
Scientists have discovered that the condition of “sudden” cardiac death, which has been linked to high-profile deaths and critical medical episodes in sports stars such as Fabrice Muamba, Christian Ericsson and Marc Vivian Fau, is associated with a number of genetic mutations, or “mispellings,” highlighting potentially treatable vulnerabilities. In a study published today in Nature Communications, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including scientists from the University of Birmingham, revealed new insights into how ‘mispellings’ in DNA contribute to hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), the leading cause of sudden cardiac death worldwide. It was previously identified that misspellings of a protein called alpha-actinin-2,…
A few lines in a dating profile can reveal more than the creator intended. New research shows when and why sharing too much or too little about yourself can backfire. “It’s all cute.” It was the entire “About Me” section of one dating profile. As you scroll through dating profiles, you may be wondering, “What does this mean?” Is this person mysterious or just not willing to put in the effort? Are they looking for a serious relationship, something casual, or are they just filling out a box because the app demands it? A dating profile doesn’t just reveal whether…