Author: healthadmin

Bumblebees may be small, only about an inch long, but they play a huge role in global agriculture. Approximately one-third of the world’s food production relies on pollinators such as bees. At the same time, these important insects face increasing pressure from pesticides and other environmental threats. Modern pesticides are helping farmers protect crops and increase yields, but some can harm the pollinators that make big crops possible. One such chemical, sulfoxaflor, is a next-generation pesticide introduced in 2013 to control sap-sucking insects such as aphids on crops such as soybeans and corn. Although sulfoxaflor is effective against pests, it…

Get the latest news in health technology, digital health and health AI with this weekly overview. News for the week from July 6th to 10th. Samsung, Neuroscape partner in cognitive research Samsung is partnering with Neuroscape to study changes in cognitive function across adulthood, the organizations announced Thursday. The Neuroscape Technology for Aging Health – Digital Approaches (TAH-DA) study aims to identify biometric predictors of cognitive decline over a one-year period using Samsung wearable devices, namely the Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Tab A9. Recruitment began earlier this year, with a goal of 200 participants between the ages of 40 and…

Michelle Dugan Delgado has suffered from asthma for as long as she can remember. That’s why she always carries an inhaler and a face mask with her when she leaves the house – in case the wind picks up and there’s a sandstorm. “I know it’s not safe to go outside,” she told DW. “It’s like living in a bubble. You have to protect yourself.” If dust enters your lungs, it can trigger an asthma attack. Invisible bacteria, fungal spores, and viruses carried by dust can also cause life-threatening infections. “If you go out and get caught in a sandstorm,…

New research published in evolutionary psychology Students who score higher on the K factor tend to report higher college GPAs, even after accounting for SAT scores, personality traits, and parental education. Although we already know that standardized test scores, personality traits, motivation, study habits, and self-regulation predict college performance, researchers are still interested in identifying additional psychological factors that help explain why some students do better than others. This study focuses on one such factor, the K-factor, a psychometric measure rooted in life history theory. In general, life history theory asks how we allocate our limited time and energy to…

Smartphones, electric cars, and countless portable electronic devices all rely on batteries. As the demand for better energy storage increases, improving battery capacity, longevity and safety will play a major role in future electrification. One of the most promising technologies is solid-state batteries, which allow smartphones to run for days on a single charge and give electric vehicles up to three times more range than many current models. Unlike traditional lithium-ion batteries, which use a liquid electrolyte between two solid electrodes, solid-state batteries replace the liquid with a solid electrolyte. This design has several potential benefits, including increased energy density,…

For more than a decade, scientists have been documenting the presence of microplastics in our oceans, soil, air, drinking water, and food. Recently, peer-reviewed research has revealed the presence of microplastics in the human body. But how much plastic do we consume, where does it come from and what is it doing to us?Cassandra Rauert, an environmental chemist at the University of Queensland in Australia, is conducting research to better understand the effects of such exposure. Her research shows that current techniques used to detect plastic in the human body are vulnerable to contamination from laboratory equipment. And last year,…

A popular nutritional supplement often used by athletes to build muscle may offer a new way to support brain health in Alzheimer’s patients. A small study found that patients who took creatine daily for two months experienced improvements in both brain energy levels and cognitive test scores. The study was published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: Translational Research & Clinical Interventions. Alzheimer’s disease is often associated with a sharp decline in the brain’s energy expenditure. Despite its relatively small physical size, the human brain requires large amounts of fuel to function properly and accounts for a large portion of the body’s…

New research published in International Journal of Sexual Health Differences in sensory processing in adults with autism are associated with higher levels of sexual distress, suggesting that this may in turn reduce overall relationship and sexual satisfaction. This study provides evidence that addressing these specific sensory needs may help people with autism reduce anxiety and improve their intimate lives. Differences in sensory processing define life for many people with autism. These differences affect how people experience their physical environments and social interactions. People with these differences may experience sensitivities. This means that they are highly responsive to things like light…

Get the health information and medications you need every weekday with STAT’s free newsletter Morning Rounds. Sign up here. If you missed the launch of Bob Herman’s amazing series on the rising costs of employer-based health insurance, “Out of Pocket, Out of Reach,” we’ll be talking about it during Office Hours later this month. Sign up here. Custom Gene Edited Drugs 4 All In recent years, my esteemed colleague Jason Mast wrote: a lot The story is about a boy named KJ Muldoon who is given a gene-editing drug created by a large team of scientists to repair a unique…

Mount Etna has fascinated geologists for decades. This towering volcano on the Italian island of Sicily is Europe’s most active, erupting several times a year, but scientists don’t fully understand how it formed. Now, researchers at the University of Lausanne (UNIL) have proposed a new explanation that could change that. Their research suggests that Mount Etna may have formed through an unusual volcanic process that is different from those behind other large volcanoes on Earth, making it potentially unique. More than 500,000 years old and rising more than 3,000 meters (9,800 feet) above sea level, Mount Etna has long resisted…