Researchers have found that precisely targeted electrical stimulation of the brain can recreate a sense of touch in people with spinal cord injuries. Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh and the University of Chicago followed five people with spinal cord injuries who received implanted brain-computer interface devices. Over a combined 27 years of implant use, […]
New Study Reveals Herpesvirus Infection May Accelerate Alzheimer’s Disease
A virus that can remain hidden in the body for years may leave a lasting mark on the brain. In a new study, researchers found that herpesvirus infection intensified memory problems and other Alzheimer’s-related changes in mice already vulnerable to the disease. The damage appeared to be driven not simply by the virus itself, but […]
Microplastics Found in 84% of Serious Heart Attack Patients
Plastic pollution may be reaching the heart through the bloodstream, and people suffering the most severe form of heart attack appear to carry the greatest burden. In a study published in the European Heart Journal, researchers detected microplastics and nanoplastics in the coronary blood of 84% of patients who had experienced a serious heart attack. […]
The Oldest Known Right-Handed Animal May Have Lived 550 Million Years Ago
New research suggests that the ancient animal Spriggina floundersi tended to bend to the right, making it the oldest known example of lateralized behavior. More than 550 million years ago, a small, flattened animal moved across the seafloor and repeatedly favored one direction. Fossils of Spriggina floundersi suggest that when it bent its body, it […]
The Oldest Known Right-Handed Animal May Have Lived 550 Million Years Ago
New research suggests that the ancient animal Spriggina floundersi tended to bend to the right, making it the oldest known example of lateralized behavior. More than 550 million years ago, a small, flattened animal moved across the seafloor and repeatedly favored one direction. Fossils of Spriggina floundersi suggest that when it bent its body, it […]
MIT’s Tiny Flying Robot Just Learned To Move Like a Real Insect
Moving with the speed and agility of an insect, the tiny robot could someday assist in search-and-rescue missions. After an earthquake, survivors can become trapped beneath piles of unstable debris where conventional rescue robots are too large to enter. Tiny flying machines modeled on insects could one day move through these narrow gaps while avoiding […]
Antarctic Meltwater Is Making Glaciers Slide Faster Toward the Ocean
A new study uses boreholes drilled deep beneath Antarctic ice to investigate why the continent’s glaciers are accelerating. More than half a kilometer beneath an East Antarctic glacier, sensors detected water pressure high enough to support almost all the ice above. The measurements provide the first direct confirmation that meltwater from the surface can reach […]
Antarctic Meltwater Is Making Glaciers Slide Faster Toward the Ocean
A new study uses boreholes drilled deep beneath Antarctic ice to investigate why the continent’s glaciers are accelerating. More than half a kilometer beneath an East Antarctic glacier, sensors detected water pressure high enough to support almost all the ice above. The measurements provide the first direct confirmation that meltwater from the surface can reach […]
Antarctic Meltwater Is Making Glaciers Slide Faster Toward the Ocean
A new study uses boreholes drilled deep beneath Antarctic ice to investigate why the continent’s glaciers are accelerating. More than half a kilometer beneath an East Antarctic glacier, sensors detected water pressure high enough to support almost all the ice above. The measurements provide the first direct confirmation that meltwater from the surface can reach […]
Antarctic Meltwater Is Making Glaciers Slide Faster Toward the Ocean
A new study uses boreholes drilled deep beneath Antarctic ice to investigate why the continent’s glaciers are accelerating. More than half a kilometer beneath an East Antarctic glacier, sensors detected water pressure high enough to support almost all the ice above. The measurements provide the first direct confirmation that meltwater from the surface can reach […]