Other Sciences News

Patients with functional dyspepsia treated with curcumin, curcumin plus omeprazole and omeprazole had similar significant symptomatic improvement. Image credit: Andrea Ajale.

Study: Curcumin May Be as Effective as Omeprazole for Treating Functional Dyspepsia

Sep 13, 2023 by Natali Anderson

Curcumin is an active ingredient in the culinary spice turmeric (Curcuma longa). This compound exhibits a broad range of biological properties, such as...

Schematic diagram of the mechanism of action of irisin. Image credit: Kim et al., doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2023.08.012.

Irisin-Based Therapies May Help Combat Alzheimer’s Disease

Sep 11, 2023 by News Staff

Irisin is a hormone released mainly from muscles after exercise which increases adipose tissue energy expenditure. Schematic diagram of the mechanism of...

Sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys). Image credit: Luke Fannin, Dartmouth College.

‘Downclimbing’ from Trees Played Role in Early-Human Evolution

Sep 7, 2023 by News Staff

Early humans and apes likely evolved free-moving shoulders and flexible elbows to slow their descent from trees as gravity pulled on their heavier bodies,...

Kahleova et al. found that a low-fat vegan diet was associated with an approximately 16% decrease in total food costs. Image credit: Silvia.

Study: In Addition to Health Benefits, Vegan Diet Has Economic Advantages

Sep 6, 2023 by News Staff

Eating a vegan diet could reduce grocery bill 16%, a savings of more than $500 a year, according to new research. Kahleova et al. found that a low-fat...

White matter degenerating microglia are a novel therapeutic target to potentially reduce the impact of white matter injury and myelin loss on the progression of cognitive impairment. Image credit: Miroslaw Miras.

New Cause of Alzheimer’s Disease and Vascular Dementia Discovered

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

Ferroptosis, which is caused by a buildup of iron in cells, appears to be a major mechanism of white matter injury in Alzheimer’s disease and vascular...

Detection of brain spirals based on moment-by-moment fMRI signals. Image credit: Xu et al., doi: 10.1038/s41562-023-01626-5.

Neuroscientists Detect Spiral-Shaped Signals that Organize Brain Activity

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

New research led by University of Sydney and Fudan University neuroscientists shows that spiral-like, rotational wave patterns (brain spirals) are widespread...

Datta et al. developed a ‘living material’ that could offer a sustainable and eco-friendly solution to clean pollutants from water. Image credit: David Baillot / UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering.

‘Engineered Living Material’ Offers New Way to Clean Contaminated Water

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

The novel photosynthetic biocomposite material is a 3D-printed structure made of a seaweed-based polymer combined with genetically engineered cyanobacteria...

Orexigenic appetitive processing relies on the integration of sensory, interoceptive and hormonal signals to govern consummatory behaviors. Dysregulation of this process leads to maladaptive eating behavior such as binge eating and is associated with obesity. This circuit, however, was elusive in humans --- until now. Image credit: Barbosa et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06459-w.

Neuroscientists Find Link between Appetite and Memory in Human Brain

Sep 5, 2023 by News Staff

Obese individuals possess impaired connections between the dorsolateral hippocampus and the lateral hypothalamus, which may impact their ability to control...

Educational attainment is protective and moderates the effect of apolipoprotein E (APOE) genotype on cognition. Image credit: WOKANDAPIX.

Higher Educational Attainment May Have Protective Effect Against Alzheimer’s Disease

Sep 4, 2023 by News Staff

New research illustrates that when it comes to risk of Alzheimer’s disease, even genetically determined forms of this disease, genetics is only one piece...

Hu et al. detected a reduction in the population size of our ancestors from about 100,000 to about 1,000 individuals, which persisted for about 100,000 years. Image credit: Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Early Human Ancestors Went Through Severe Population Bottleneck 850,000 Years Ago: Study

Sep 1, 2023 by News Staff

Today, there are more than 8 billion human beings on the planet. Our species dominate Earth’s landscapes, and our activities are driving large numbers...

University of Bath Ph.D. student Alexz Farrall with a PAWS ‘breathing’ ball. Image credit: University of Bath.

Shape-Changing Biofeedback-Based Ball May Help Improve Mental Health

Aug 31, 2023 by News Staff

University of Bath Ph.D. student Alexz Farrall has invented a soft ball that ‘personifies’ breath, expanding and contracting as a person breathes in...

Representative confocal images of whole mounts organ of Corti from the medial region of the cochlea stained for filipin to label cholesterol (green) and phalloidin for visualizing actin in stereocilia (blue) from young (top) and old (bottom) C57BL/J mice. Scale bar - 30 μm. Rectangles indicate the region of the zoomed-in areas shown on the right using a 63x objective. Scale bar - 8 μm. Pink dotted lines represent the diameter of individual inner hair cells and outer hair cells. Image credit: Sodero et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002257.

Phytosterols May Help Reduce Age-Related Hearing Loss, Animal Study Suggests

Aug 30, 2023 by News Staff

Dietary supplementation with phytosterols — plant sterols with structure and function similar to cholesterol — prevented sensory dysfunction...

Petersen et al. suggest that using herbs/spices to create flavor-enhanced recipes lower in overconsumed dietary components has the potential to reduce intake and is acceptable to consumers. Image credit: Congerdesign.

Researchers Figure Out How to Remove Salt and Saturated Fat from Popular Foods

Aug 30, 2023 by News Staff

New proof-of-concept research involving 10 recipes demonstrates that using herbs/spices to create flavor enhanced, healthier versions of commonly consumed...

Graecopithecus freybergi lived 7.2 million years ago in the dust-laden savannah of the Athens Basin. This view from Graecopithecus freybergi’ place of discovery, Pyrgos Vassilissis, to the southeast over the plain of Athens and under a reddish cloud of Sahara dust; in the background: Mount Hymettos and Mount Lykabettos. Image credit: Velizar Simeonovski.

8.7-Million-Year-Old Fossil Suggests Ancestors of Humans and African Apes Evolved in Europe

Aug 24, 2023 by News Staff

The fossilized remains of the Miocene-period ape species Anadoluvius turkae have been unearthed at the paleotological site of Çorakyerler in central Anatolia,...

The Swift Ray 1 imaging device is a pocket-sized hyperspectral camera that is designed to sit over a smartphone’s camera lens and wirelessly connect to Swift Medical’s Skin and Wound app. Image credit: Ramirez-GarciaLuna et al., doi: 10.3389/fmed.2023.1165281.

Real-Life ‘Tricorder’ Can Spot Infected Wounds

Aug 24, 2023 by News Staff

Named the Swift Ray 1, the real-life Star Trek ‘tricorder’ is a novel point-of-care hyperspectral imaging device that allows the acquisition of medical-grade...

The battery charging system developed by University of West Florida students. Image credit: University of West Florida.

Researchers Create Battery Charging System for Soldiers Operating in Jungle Environments

Aug 23, 2023 by News Staff

An innovative battery charging system developed by electrical engineering students at the University of West Florida uses soldiers’ motion as they walk...

Roychand et al. show that the leaching of organic compounds from waste coffee grounds hinders the hydration reaction of cement particles, thereby significantly hampering the compressive strength of waste coffee ground-blended concrete; however, pyrolyzing waste coffee grounds at 350 degrees Celsius led to a significant improvement in its material properties, which resulted in a 29.3% enhancement in the compressive strength of the composite concrete blended with coffee biochar. Image credit: Roychand et al., doi: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2023.138205.

Researchers Turn Waste Coffee Grounds into Valuable Resource for Enhancement of Concrete Strength

Aug 22, 2023 by News Staff

A new study published in the Journal of Cleaner Production is the first to prove that waste coffee grounds can be used to improve concrete. Roychand et...

Archaic human peptides display in vitro and in vivo antimicrobial activities with low host toxicity. Image credit: Ella Marushchenko.

Scientists ‘Resurrect’ Extinct Antimicrobial Peptides of Neanderthals and Denisovans

Aug 16, 2023 by Enrico de Lazaro

Molecular de-extinction could offer avenues for drug discovery by reintroducing bioactive molecules that are no longer encoded by living organisms. Archaic...

Complex sugar molecules control the formation of perineuronal nets (shown here in green) that surround neurons to help stabilize connections in the brain. Image credit: Hsieh-Wilson et al.

Sulfate Groups on Complex Sugar Molecules Affect Brain Plasticity, Animal Study Suggests

Aug 16, 2023 by News Staff

Sulfate groups on complex sugar molecules called glycosaminoglycans affect ‘plasticity’ in the brains of mice, according to a team of researchers led...