Researchers at the University of Missouri have uncovered a promising way to help surviving nerve cells compensate for damage caused by ALS and other motor neuron diseases. The loss of tongue control in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) can affect far more than speech. It can make swallowing increasingly difficult and interfere with breathing during sleep. […]
Why Are Men Twice As Likely To Develop Parkinson’s? Scientists Discover a Hidden Clue in the Brain
Scientists have identified sex-specific differences in gene activity within brain cells that may help explain why Parkinson’s disease affects men more frequently than women. Men are 1.5 to 2 times more likely than women to develop Parkinson’s disease, yet the biological reasons remain poorly understood. New research suggests that differences in gene activity within the […]
Scientists Discover a New Type of Depression That Common Antidepressants May Miss
For some people with hard-to-treat depression, the body’s internal clock may help explain why standard antidepressants fall short. University of Sydney researchers have identified a proposed subtype called “circadian depression,” marked by disrupted sleep and daily rhythms. It accounted for nearly a quarter of participants in a study of more than 10,000 Australians with severe, […]
Human Bodies Are Producing Two Billion Tons of CO2 a Year
A new study reveals that the amount of carbon dioxide produced by human metabolism has increased dramatically over three decades. The carbon dioxide produced by human bodies as they convert food into energy increased by 74% over three decades, according to a University of Bath-led study. By 2015, the global total had reached an estimated […]
Scientists Discover That a Giant Bird Thought Extinct for Thousands of Years Never Actually Disappeared
Ancient DNA analysis has challenged a 150-year-old belief about a giant bird thought to have disappeared after the last Ice Age. For more than 150 years, scientists believed that enormous crane bones found in European caves belonged to a giant bird species that disappeared after the last Ice Age. Now, ancient DNA has overturned that […]
Scientists Finally Identify Mysterious Creature Nearly 90 Years After It Was First Found
A mysterious millipede first collected nearly 90 years ago has resurfaced in South Australia. A millipede first collected nearly 90 years ago in South Australia has finally been identified as a new species, challenging assumptions about where its moisture-loving relatives can survive. Named Colobothrix deckeri, the species belongs to the family Dalodesmidae, which typically inhabits […]
Scientists Create a Tiny Electronic Device That Can Learn Like the Human Brain
A breakthrough in brain-inspired electronics could lead to devices that process information and learn without relying on conventional computing architectures. A single nanoscale electronic component can perform three different jobs, switching electrical current, storing information through resistance, and remembering past electrical activity through changes in capacitance. Researchers in Germany have demonstrated this versatility using unusual […]
This Unusual Spider’s Genome Is Roughly 50% Larger Than a Human’s
Scientists have sequenced the unusually large genome of a trapdoor spider named after comedian Stephen Colbert, uncovering surprising features of its DNA. A spider no bigger than a quarter has a genome roughly 50% larger than the human genome. Known as Aptostichus stephencolberti, this elusive trapdoor spider lives beneath California’s coastal dunes and carries 4.6 […]
Einstein’s Equations Reveal an Unusual New Way Space-Time Can Transfer Energy
A new interpretation of Einstein’s equations reveals previously hidden rules governing how space-time evolves. Einstein’s equations suggest that gravity may be capable of a process resembling the one behind powerful solar explosions. In a new theoretical study, physicists show how gravitational field structures can change their connections and transfer energy into matter. They call this […]
Scientists Discover a Common Treatment for Chronic Tendon Pain May Not Actually Work
A major clinical trial is challenging the effectiveness of commonly used injections for chronic Achilles tendon pain. A widely used injection treatment for chronic Achilles tendon pain may offer little lasting relief, according to a clinical trial published in The BMJ. Researchers found that high-volume injections, including those containing corticosteroids, did not significantly improve pain […]