Author: healthadmin

Accumulation of tau protein in the brain is a defining feature of Alzheimer’s disease. According to a study published March 5 in the journal Cell Press. Cell Press Blueresearchers describe a newly identified biological process that may help explain how tau accumulates. The study combined animal experiments, cell studies, and patient tissue analysis. The findings point to the important role of tannycytes, specialized brain cells that help regulate communication between the brain and the rest of the body. “Our findings reveal a previously underestimated, disease-relevant role for tanycytes in neurodegeneration,” said corresponding author Vincent Prevot from INSERM in France. “Focusing…

Environmental groups argued in court that by rolling back a bedrock climate change legal ruling, the Trump administration weakened its attack on the landmark state climate change liability law.The Trump administration’s Justice Department asked a judge to strike down Vermont’s first 2024 “Climate Superfund” policy that would require major polluters to pay damages for past global warming pollution, in part because federal law, not state law, governs greenhouse gas emissions. But last month, the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) withdrew its findings on the endangerment, saying the science gave federal authorities the power to control the very pollutants.”They’re trying…

Scientists are using satellites to reveal which bridges around the world are at risk of collapse and how to spot problems before disaster occurs. Adding satellite monitoring to bridge inspections reduces the number of structures labeled as high-risk by about a third. About half of the bridges that are still ranked as high risk could benefit from continued observations from space. The greatest impact may be achieved in regions such as Africa and Oceania, where bridge monitoring is currently limited or almost non-existent.University of Houston researchers are helping identify weak bridges around the planet and offering new ways to address…

College students often question their faith because of the intolerance or hypocritical behavior of religious groups. These questions can increase emotional distress, but they also often foster intellectual humility and a broader search for meaning. These subtle effects of questioning your faith are detailed in a new study published in the journal Science. Psychology of religion and spirituality. Interest in religion has steadily declined in the United States over the past few decades. A growing number of young people identify as non-religious and are increasingly leaving the traditions in which they were raised. Sociologists and psychologists sometimes refer to this…

Nuclear physicists have long believed that “inversion islands” are primarily found in isotopes packed with extra neutrons. These unusual regions of the nuclear diagram are places where the normal structure of an atomic nucleus suddenly no longer follows the expected rules. In such cases, the well-known magic number disappears, the round nucleus shape collapses, and the nucleus can transform into a highly distorted shape. All known examples so far have occurred in highly unstable, neutron-rich atomic nuclei. Examples include beryllium-12 (N = 8), magnesium-32 (N = 20), chromium 64 (N = 40). All of these are far from the stable…

A new study suggests that a single dose of the psychedelic compound DMT can reverse symptoms of depression, such as anhedonia and decline in cognitive function, in mice exposed to chronic stress. The findings provide evidence that the drug helps repair brain circuits by promoting the healthy growth and integration of new neurons. The study was published in the journal translational psychiatry. Major depressive disorder is a leading cause of disability worldwide. Traditional antidepressants, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, often take several weeks to become effective and fail to help a significant proportion of patients. This delay and lack…

About 15% of asteroids that pass close to Earth have a smaller companion star orbiting them. These paired objects are known as binary asteroid systems and are surprisingly common in our region of the solar system. A research team led by the University of Maryland has discovered that these systems are much more active than scientists once thought. Rather than simply orbiting each other, the two bodies exchange rocks and dust through gentle, slow impacts that gradually reshape their surfaces over millions of years. The discovery comes from a close analysis of images taken just before NASA’s Double Asteroid Redirect…

Stepping outside or putting mint in your mouth on a cold winter morning will instantly give you a cooling sensation. The sensation begins with tiny sensors in your body that signal your brain when something is cold. Scientists have created the first detailed images of how this sensor works, revealing how it responds to both actual temperature drops and menthol, a cooling compound found in mint plants. The findings were presented at the 70th Annual Meeting of the Biophysical Society in San Francisco. The study focused on a protein channel known as TRPM8. “Imagine TRPM8 as a microscopic thermometer inside…

Around 643,000 tonnes of sewage sludge is being sprayed on fields in Scotland amid mounting evidence that it contains a mixture of toxic chemicals, The Ferret has revealed.Data obtained from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (CEPA) through Freedom of Information details the extent to which the substance was applied in rural areas across the country between 2020 and 2024.Sewage sludge is a by-product of domestic and industrial sewage and wastewater and is treated by Scottish Water and Waste and Water Management companies, during which some pollutants are removed.The slurry residue is then fed or sold to farmers as a low-cost,…

A new study from Northwestern University warns that organized scientific fraud is becoming increasingly common. Researchers say organized groups manipulate the academic publishing system, from fabricated data to author purchases and paid citations. To investigate this issue, scientists combined extensive analysis of scientific publications with detailed case studies. Although fraud is often portrayed as the result of omissions on the part of individual researchers, a team of researchers at Northwestern University discovered something much more complex. Their findings revealed a global network of people and organizations working together to systematically exploit weaknesses in the publishing process. The scale of the…