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Mucus has a secret ingredient that stops bacteria in its tracks
“What we have in mucus is a therapeutic gold mine.” By Alexandra Pattillo – Flu season is here and in turn, we’ve returned to the familiar sights and sounds of runny snot and thick phlegm. However, most of the time, mucus isn’t just …
Oculus co-founder steps into anti-drone tech with The Interceptor
By Nick Lavars – The Interceptor drone is designed to neutralize threats from other drones by smashing them out of the air. Anduril. – We’ve seen a few inventive solutions to stopping malicious drones in their tracks, including aircraft designed to capture them in …
How algae could help save us from the impending freshwater crisis
The microscopic organism grows easily in salt water without any trouble. By Rachel Nuwer – Eneko Ganuza grew up in Spain’s Basque country, not far from the sea. As a student studying oceanography, he fell in love with a seemingly unlikely specimen: microalgae. …
Your gut-brain axis can tell if you’re at risk for depression
This debilitating condition afflicts over 300 million people and carries the largest burden of disease worldwide. By Natalie Parletta – People don’t generally connect diet with mental health, and it’s certainly not on the radar of most health professionals when treating depression. But …
Animal study reveals an alarming new stat about wildlife poaching
One in five invertebrate animal species are affected by the wildlife trade. By Nina Pullano – Even while global efforts like the recent World Animal Day raise awareness to protect endangered species, wildlife researchers just delivered some shocking news: The wildlife trade is …
Lunaz to give classic luxury cars an all-electric make-over
By James Holloway – The Jaguar XK120’s new twin motors are good for 375 bhp. Lunaz. Brand new startup Lunaz seeks to make a bold entry into the high-end car market, as it announces its plan to restore history’s “most beautiful and celebrated …
Owning a dog tied to lowering your risk of dying early by 24%, says science
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN – Need an excellent reason to add a dog to your life? How about living longer? “Our analysis found having a dog is actually protective against dying of any cause,” said Mount Sinai endocrinologist Dr. Caroline Kramer, lead …
There’s a good chance you hallucinated this week without ever knowing it
The brain chemical associated with reward also seems to distort our perceptions. By Jack Barton – Did you know you’ve probably hallucinated in the past week? Multiple times, most likely. You don’t need to be concerned; these episodes are a relatively common experience …
Without sleep, your brain lacks a key ingredient for memory consolidation
You can think of the brain like it’s like Amazon’s anticipatory shipping process. By Emma Betuel – Each night, the brain expects you to finally go to sleep, although not everyone actually caves to the brain’s request. Fighting that signal to slumber has all …
We have a “salamander-like” ability that may alter the future of amputees
Scientists identify our own “regenerative capacity.” By Sarah Sloat – The animal kingdom is full of creatures capable of an ability that humans associate more with X-Men’s Wolverine than our fellow man. Sea stars, salamanders, zebrafish, and more can regenerate their limbs, but …
Unique Maya farming shows why human adaptability is key to our survival
“We know that a lot of innovation is coming out during that time period.” By Nina Pullano – Over a thousand years ago, the Maya civilization was dealing with an unpredictable climate. In response to natural obstacles including overpopulation and drought, the Maya …
“Managed retreat” from climate change isn’t turning out the way we thought
New study raises as many questions as it answers, but researchers say that’s the point. By Nina Pullano – As climate change increases flooding worldwide, the idea of relocating structures in vulnerable areas may become less of a last resort and more of …
Newly discovered “mold pigs” don’t fit into any known animal group
By Michael Irving – A mold pig, trapped in amber. Oregon State University. – Researchers at Oregon State University have discovered a brand new creature preserved in 30-million-year-old amber. The tiny invertebrate, casually dubbed the “mold pig,” is not only a new species but …
Clean Energy: Why Australia Is About to Beat Its Renewable Energy Target
The country has been laying the groundwork for a big shift. By Mike Brown – Australia is about to meet its renewable energy goals at lightning speed. The Clean Energy Regulator, the government body responsible for overseeing the targets, announced recently that it …
Fault lines reveal answer to ancient Machu Picchu mystery
It gave them access to water, drainage, and ready building materials. By Sarah Wells – Machu Picchu, the 600-year-old Incan citadel in modern-day Perú, is notoriously hard to get to. Built on a narrow ridge in the Andes Mountains, this UNESCO world heritage …
32 Highest Vegan Protein Sources & Complete Guide To Avoiding A Deficiency
Author: Eliot Cunningham – Fear not my fellow vegans and aspiring plant based people. Protein is traditionally associated with meat, but getting enough protein on a primarily plant based or vegan diet is easy. High protein plant based foods are abundant and a …
5 benefits of dogs in the office
Need we say more? By Holly Patrick – Bringing pet dogs into the workplace is becoming increasingly common. Large companies like Google, Ticketmaster, and challenger bank Monzo are just a few that have joined companies in the pet sector (like Pets at Home) …
Saudi Arabia to open up to foreign tourists with new visas
The Qasr al-Farid tomb in Madain Saleh is a Unesco World Heritage site. Image copyright Getty Images. Saudi Arabia will open its doors to international tourists for the first time as part of a broader push to cut its economic dependence on oil. …
“Impossible” giant planet found orbiting small star
By Michael Irving – An artist’s illustration of a gas giant planet like GJ 3512b orbiting a red dwarf star. CARMENES/RenderArea/J. Bollain/C. Gallego. An unexpected discovery is challenging our accepted understanding of how planets form. Astronomers have spotted a gigantic gas planet orbiting …
Astronomers get their first good look at the cosmic web that connects galaxies
The web extends over millions of light-years. By Passant Rabie – Galaxies that are spread out in the vastness of the universe are actually connected. A mysterious, dark web feeds their star formation and helps them grow, and until recently, scientists have only …
How the Smiths took over Europe
In more than a dozen countries as far apart as Portugal and Russia, ‘Smith’ is the most popular occupational surname. By Frank Jacobs – Image: Marcin Ciura. ‘Smith’ is not just the most common surname in many English-speaking countries In local translations, …
Origin of Life: Study Suggests Only 2 Ingredients, Plus Heat, Were Needed
They could have been the “Adam and Eve of chemical evolution.” By Yasmin Tayag – Hydrogen cyanide is best known as a poison, historically deployed as a murder weapon in gas chambers and by federal executioners. But much further back in Earth’s past, …
The world’s first psilocybin research center is opening in Jamaica
FieldTrip is advancing the realm of clinical psychedelic testing. By Derek Beres – “u201cFun guy” and u201d harvesting Mazatec psilocybin mushrooms from their growing tubs May 19, 2019 in Denver, Colorado. Photo by Joe Amon/MediaNews Group/The Denver Post via Getty Images. FieldTrip Ventures …
People Seriously Injured in eScooter Crashes Shared 3 Risky Behaviors
“While not surprising, it was concerning.” By Peter Hess – Electric scooters have hit the streets of major cities across the United States and around the world. And unsurprisingly, people are getting hurt. These dockless mobility devices, which are part of a multi-million-dollar …
GoPro goes modular for Hero8 Black actioncam
By Paul Ridden – Add-on accessories for the GoPro Hero8 Black include a Media Mod and Display Mod. GoPro. – After a short online teaser campaign, GoPro has pulled back the curtain on the successor to last year’s Hero7 Black. The Hero8 Black benefits …
A sliver of the atmosphere is about to cause big problems on Earth
That percentage of CO2 isn’t as small as you think. By Jason West – I heard that carbon dioxide makes up 0.04% of the world’s atmosphere. Not 0.4% or 4%, but 0.04%! How can it be so important in global warming if it’s …
Ancient scrolls charred by Vesuvius could be read once again
US scientists say it may be possible to decipher words using new x-ray technique Nicola Davis @NicolaKSDavis – One of the Herculaneum scrolls scientists are hoping to read with x-ray technology. Photograph: Diamond Light Source/Digital Restoration Initiative, University of Kentucky. When Mount Vesuvius …
Ancient reptilian limb muscles found in human fetuses reveal evolutionary remnants
By Rich Haridy – In a 10-week-old embryo some of the highlighted muscles, found in some reptiles, disappear before birth. Rui Diogo, Natalia Siomava and Yorick Gitton. – A compelling new imaging study has looked at the development on human limb muscles in …
Ocean Cleanup starts harvesting plastic from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch
By Paul Ridden – The Ocean Cleanup’s prototype System 001/B has now started capturing plastic waste from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Ocean Cleanup. – After years in development, the Ocean Cleanup arrived at the Great Pacific Garbage Patch in October last year with …
Millions of medical devices using old code are open to attack, FDA says
The recent discovery highlights an alarming cybersecurity vulnerability in the health care industry. By Stephen Johnson – In July, the security firm Armis Security discovered network protocol bugs in a software component that supports many medical devices operating today. Now, the FDA and …
Ancient DNA Uncovers Fierce Peruvian Tribe Who Almost Beat the Incas
A new study casts doubt on historical lore. By Sarah Sloat – The saying goes that history is written by the victors. But sometimes that history is written inaccurately by the disease-bearing colonizers who defeated the original (and supposed) victors. Case in point: …
NASA’s cute shapeshifting robots could explore far reaches of solar system
Rock and roll! By Mike Brown – Meet the Shapeshifter: a robot designed to roll, float, swim, fly, and ultimately reveal the secrets of the solar system on daring adventures. – The rollable machine, developed at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, …
Deadly, Flesh-Eating Bacteria Is Spreading to New Areas Because of Climate Change
“The more people learn of this, the less likely they will develop a V. vulnificus infection.” By Sarah Sloat – Before the summer of 2017, physicians at Cooper University Hospital in Camden, New Jersey had only seen one case of the severe, occasionally …
A study on 94,644 meals revealed a hopeful result about vegetarian eating
Education or money will only go so far. By Alexandra Pattillo – Feeding the world with livestock and fisheries causes over half the food industry’s greenhouse gas emissions. More than taking shorter showers or carpooling, changing what you eat is one of the …
A single tea bag can leak billions of pieces of microplastic into your brew
By Rob Picheta – (CNN) They’re in our oceans, soil, air, snow — and even in your cup of tea. Plastic tea bags are shedding billions of shards of microplastics into their water, according to a new study. Researchers at McGill University in …
The amazing animal portraits by Joel Sartore reveal something truly special
“I have to care as much about cockroaches as I do elephants.” By Nina Pullano – If you’re one of the 1.4 million people who follow Joel Sartore on Instagram, you’ll notice the National Geographic photographer is a prolific poster of all kinds …
Cancer cases blamed on drinking water contaminants, even at EPA’s “safe” levels
Don’t freak out, though. By Peter Hess – When it comes to ways you can support your lifelong health, drinking plenty of water is kind of a no-brainer. But even that simple strategy may not be so simple. New research in the journal …
Even low levels of air pollution threaten children’s mental health
No level of air pollution is safe, experts say. By Alexandra Pattillo – Chronic exposure to air pollution can be deadly. But pollutants in the air don’t just make people physically sick. Air pollution poses mental health threats as well, and they may …
If you own a cat, there’s a chance a parasite is living inside you
Coooool. By Justyna Anna Nalepa-Grajcar – What if I told you that there is a good chance you are carrying a parasite that is transmitted through cat poo? Two billion people around the world carry Toxoplasma gondii, so there may be more than …
The Health Benefits of Organic Food May Finally Be Revealed
But that could soon change. By Cynthia Curl – “Organic” is more than just a passing fad. Organic food sales totaled a record $45.2 billion in 2017, making it one of the fastest-growing segments of American agriculture. While a small number of studies …
Mucus has a secret ingredient that stops bacteria in its tracks
“What we have in mucus is a therapeutic gold mine.” By Alexandra Pattillo – Flu season is here and in turn, we’ve returned to the familiar sights and sounds of runny snot and thick phlegm. However, most of the time, mucus isn’t just …
Oculus co-founder steps into anti-drone tech with The Interceptor
By Nick Lavars – The Interceptor drone is designed to neutralize threats from other drones by smashing them out of the air. Anduril. – We’ve seen a few inventive solutions to stopping malicious drones in their tracks, including aircraft designed to capture them in …
How algae could help save us from the impending freshwater crisis
The microscopic organism grows easily in salt water without any trouble. By Rachel Nuwer – Eneko Ganuza grew up in Spain’s Basque country, not far from the sea. As a student studying oceanography, he fell in love with a seemingly unlikely specimen: microalgae. …
Your gut-brain axis can tell if you’re at risk for depression
This debilitating condition afflicts over 300 million people and carries the largest burden of disease worldwide. By Natalie Parletta – People don’t generally connect diet with mental health, and it’s certainly not on the radar of most health professionals when treating depression. But …
Animal study reveals an alarming new stat about wildlife poaching
One in five invertebrate animal species are affected by the wildlife trade. By Nina Pullano – Even while global efforts like the recent World Animal Day raise awareness to protect endangered species, wildlife researchers just delivered some shocking news: The wildlife trade is …
Lunaz to give classic luxury cars an all-electric make-over
By James Holloway – The Jaguar XK120’s new twin motors are good for 375 bhp. Lunaz. Brand new startup Lunaz seeks to make a bold entry into the high-end car market, as it announces its plan to restore history’s “most beautiful and celebrated …
Owning a dog tied to lowering your risk of dying early by 24%, says science
By Sandee LaMotte, CNN – Need an excellent reason to add a dog to your life? How about living longer? “Our analysis found having a dog is actually protective against dying of any cause,” said Mount Sinai endocrinologist Dr. Caroline Kramer, lead …
There’s a good chance you hallucinated this week without ever knowing it
The brain chemical associated with reward also seems to distort our perceptions. By Jack Barton – Did you know you’ve probably hallucinated in the past week? Multiple times, most likely. You don’t need to be concerned; these episodes are a relatively common experience …
Without sleep, your brain lacks a key ingredient for memory consolidation
You can think of the brain like it’s like Amazon’s anticipatory shipping process. By Emma Betuel – Each night, the brain expects you to finally go to sleep, although not everyone actually caves to the brain’s request. Fighting that signal to slumber has all …
We have a “salamander-like” ability that may alter the future of amputees
Scientists identify our own “regenerative capacity.” By Sarah Sloat – The animal kingdom is full of creatures capable of an ability that humans associate more with X-Men’s Wolverine than our fellow man. Sea stars, salamanders, zebrafish, and more can regenerate their limbs, but …