Author Archives
In short, I review clinical research on an almost daily basis. What I post tends to be articles that are relevant to the readers in addition to some curiosities that have intriguing potential.
As a hobby, I truly enjoy the puzzle-solving play that statistics and programming as in the python language bring to the table. I just do not enjoy problem-solving, I love problem-solving and the childlike inspiration and exploration of that innocent exhilaration of discovering something new.
Enjoy ;-)
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A tree stump that should be dead is still alive; here’s why
Within a shrouded New Zealand forest, a tree stump keeps itself alive by holding onto the roots of its neighboring trees, exchanging water and resources through the grafted root system. New research, publishing July 25 in iScience, details how surrounding… Read More ›
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Current guides for starting infants on solid food may lead to overfeeding
Starting 6-month-old infants on solid food in the amounts recommended by standard feeding guides may lead to overfeeding, according to a study by scientists at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Source: Current guides for starting infants on… Read More ›
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Aussie businesses not ready to tackle modern slavery
New research from the University of South Australia finds that Australian businesses are ill-prepared for mandatory modern slavery reporting, with more than two-thirds of ASX 100 companies unable to produce a disclosure statement about potentially exploitative labour practices. Source: Aussie… Read More ›
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Mysterious release of radioactive material uncovered
In September 2017, a slightly radioactive cloud moved across Europe. The reason was not a reactor accident, but an accident in a nuclear reprocessing plant. The exact origin of the radioactivity is difficult to determine, but the data suggests a… Read More ›
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Organically and Conventionally grown Apples are very different
Organically and Conventionally grown Apples are very different Organically and Conventionally grown Apples are very different “Escherichia-Shigella — a group of bacteria that includes known pathogens — was found in most of the conventional apple samples, but none from organic… Read More ›
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Waist size is a forgotten factor in defining obesity
A new study from the University of Iowa published in the Journal of the American Medical Association finds that some people considered to be a normal weight could unknowingly be at high risk for obesity-related health issues. Source: Waist size… Read More ›
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Low doses of radiation promote cancer-capable cells
Low doses of radiation equivalent to three CT scans, which are considered safe, give cancer-capable cells a competitive advantage over normal cells. Researchers studied the effects of low doses of radiation in mice and found it increases the number of… Read More ›
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Cognitive decline reversed 30 years in 6 weeks
Cognitive decline reversed 30 years in 6 weeks Cognitive decline reversed 30 years in 6 weeks After just 1 ½ months, participants increased their cognitive abilities to levels similar to those of middle-aged adults, 30 years younger. Control group members,… Read More ›
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Ohioans have lost more than 1 million years of life due to drug overdose since 2009
A new study from Ohio University shows that more than 1 million years of life were lost in Ohio from overdose deaths between Jan. 1, 2009 and Dec. 31, 2018. Source: Ohioans have lost more than 1 million years of… Read More ›
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For non-Hispanic whites in the US, life expectancy outlook worsens
For nearly a century, life expectancy in the United States has been increasing. By contrast, research from Irma Elo and Samuel Preston of the University of Pennsylvania shows that mortality numbers for non-Hispanic whites in the US are now rising,… Read More ›
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Strain of common cold virus could revolutionize treatment of bladder cancer
Strain of common cold virus could revolutionize treatment of bladder cancer A strain of the common cold virus has been found to potentially target, infect and destroy cancer cells in patients with bladder cancer, a new study reports. No trace… Read More ›
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Pet tags link widely used flame retardant to hyperthyroidism in cats
Feline hyperthyroidism is the most common endocrine-related disease of older cats, and its prevalence has skyrocketed since the first case was diagnosed in 1979. At the same time, new household flame retardants were introduced, and recently, scientists have suspected a… Read More ›
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How a popular antidepressant drug could rewire the brain
Prozac®, the trade name for the drug fluoxetine, was introduced to the US market for the treatment of depression in 1988. Thirty years later, scientists still don’t know exactly how the medication exerts its mood-lifting effects. Now, researchers report that,… Read More ›
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Low VIT K may result in knee pain, disability or immobility
Low VIT K may result in knee pain, disability or immobility Low VIT K may result in knee pain, disability or immobility “older adults with low circulating vitamin K levels were nearly 1.5 times more likely to develop mobility limitation… Read More ›
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Researchers teleport information within a diamond
Researchers from the Yokohama National University have teleported quantum information securely within the confines of a diamond. The study has big implications for quantum information technology — the future of how sensitive information is shared and stored. The researchers published… Read More ›
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Up to 30% of children carry a gene variant that may increase susceptibility to methylmercury
A study with 2,147 children explored the association between prenatal exposure to methylmercury, intellectual coefficient at 8 years of age, and genotype Source: Up to 30% of children carry a gene variant that may increase susceptibility to methylmercury
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‘Mystical’ psychedelic compound found in normal brains
A study in rats has revealed the presence of naturally occurring DMT, an increasingly popular hallucinogen. Source: ‘Mystical’ psychedelic compound found in normal brains
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Children living in countryside outperform children living in metropolitan area in motor skills
Residential density is related to children’s motor skills, engagement in outdoor play and organised sports. that Finnish children living in the countryside spent more time outdoors and had better motor skills than their age peers in the metropolitan area. On… Read More ›
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Space station mold survives high doses of ionizing radiation
The International Space Station, like all human habitats in space, has a nagging mold problem. Astronauts on the ISS spend hours every week cleaning the inside of the station’s walls to prevent mold from becoming a health problem. New research… Read More ›
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Moments of clarity in dementia patients at end of life: Glimmers of hope?
It happens unexpectedly: a person long thought lost to the ravages of dementia, unable to recall the events of their lives or even recognize those closest to them, will suddenly wake up and exhibit surprisingly normal behavior, only to pass… Read More ›
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Scientists track the source of the ‘Uncanny Valley’ in the brain
Scientists have identified mechanisms in the human brain that could help explain the phenomenon of the ‘Uncanny Valley’ — the unsettling feeling we get from robots and virtual agents that are too human-like. They have also shown that some people… Read More ›
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How you and your friends can play a video game together using only your minds
UW researchers created a method for two people help a third person solve a task using only their minds. Source: How you and your friends can play a video game together using only your minds
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Performance-enhancing bacteria may increase performance by 13%
Performance-enhancing bacteria may increase performance by 13% They pinpointed one specific group of bacteria, called Veillonella, that they found was enriched in the gut microbiome of Boston Marathon runners after after completing the 26.2 race and in an independent group… Read More ›
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The first AI universe sim is fast and accurate — and its creators don’t know how it works
For the first time, astrophysicists have used artificial intelligence techniques to generate complex 3D simulations of the universe. The results are so fast, accurate and robust that even the creators aren’t sure how it all works. The Deep Density Displacement… Read More ›
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What made humans ‘the fat primate’?
How did humans get to be so much fatter than our closest primate relatives, despite sharing 99% of the same DNA? A new study suggests that part of the answer may have to do with an ancient molecular shift in… Read More ›
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Women exposed to common antibacterial chemical more likely to break a bone
Women exposed to triclosan are more likely to develop osteoporosis, according to a study published in the Endocrine Society’s Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Source: Women exposed to common antibacterial chemical more likely to break a bone
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High school seniors losing trust in law enforcement, justice system
High school seniors’ confidence in law enforcement and the justice system significantly declined from 2006 to 2017 while their faith in religious organizations and schools was comparatively higher and more stable, according to research published by the American Psychological Association…. Read More ›
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Processed foods may hold key to rise in autism
University of Central Florida researchers are now a step closer to showing the link between the food pregnant women consume and the effects on a fetus’ developing brain. Source: Processed foods may hold key to rise in autism
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‘Sneezing’ plants contribute to disease proliferation
”’The jumping droplets, at the rate of 100 or more an hour, are a violent expulsion of dew from the surface. It’s good for the plant because it is removing spores from itself, but it’s bad because, like a human… Read More ›
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45% of American adults doubt vaccine safety, according to survey
The survey also asked Americans to choose a statement that best represented their feelings about vaccine safety and efficacy. While the vast majority (82%) chose in favor of vaccines, 8% selected responses expressing serious doubt. An additional 9% said they… Read More ›
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Eating more vitamin K found to help, not harm, patients on warfarin
Eating more vitamin K found to help, not harm, patients on warfarin Eating more vitamin K found to help, not harm, patients on warfarin When prescribed the anticoagulant drug warfarin, many patients are told to limit foods rich in vitamin… Read More ›
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US beekeepers lost over 40% of colonies last year, highest winter losses ever recorded
Beekeepers across the United States lost 40.7% of their honey bee colonies from April 2018 to April 2019, according to preliminary results of the latest annual nationwide survey conducted by the University of Maryland-led nonprofit Bee Informed Partnership. The survey… Read More ›
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First-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm without brain implants
A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University has made a breakthrough in the field of noninvasive robotic device control. Using a noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI), researchers have developed the first-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm exhibiting the ability to continuously… Read More ›
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Antidepressants can reduce the empathic empathy
Depression is a disorder that often comes along with strong impairments of social functioning. Until recently, researchers assumed that acute episodes of depression also impair empathy, an essential skill for successful social interactions and understanding others. Novel insights of an… Read More ›
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New time-banking system utilizes blockchain tech to measure one’s value to society
Citizens from the island of Aneityum in the Republic of Vanuatu are working with faculty from Binghamton University, State University of New York to test their true value as humans. Source: New time-banking system utilizes blockchain tech to measure one’s… Read More ›
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Growing life expectancy inequality in US cannot be blamed on opioids alone
A new University of Michigan study challenges a popularized view about what’s causing the growing gap between the lifespans of more- and less-educated Americans — finding shortcomings in the widespread narrative that the United States is facing an epidemic of… Read More ›
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How Sweden went from ‘least democratic’ to welfare state
In a new study, Lund University economic historian Erik Bengtsson debunks the myth that Sweden was destined to become a social democratic country. Instead, he argues that it was actually against all odds, as Sweden in the early 1900s was… Read More ›
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Hepatitis B viruses cured – Pilot Study
Hepatitis B viruses cured – Pilot Study Researchers have for the first time succeeded in conquering a chronic infection of the hepatitis B virus in a mouse model. The team showed in its publication, that T-cell therapy can provide a… Read More ›
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Rare ‘superflares’ could one day threaten Earth
New research shows that the sun could experience a massive burst of energy called a superflare sometime in the next several thousand years. Source: Rare ‘superflares’ could one day threaten Earth
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Mouse study finds BPA exposure has transgenerational effects on gene linked to autism
Transgenerational bisphenol A (BPA) exposure may contribute to autism, according to a mouse study published in the Endocrine Society’s journal Endocrinology. Source: Mouse study finds BPA exposure has transgenerational effects on gene linked to autism
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Danger avoidance can be genetically encoded for four generations, say Princeton biologists
Princeton University researchers have discovered that learned behaviors can be inherited for multiple generations in C. elegans, transmitted from parent to progeny via eggs and sperm cells. Rebecca Moore, Rachel Kaletsky and Coleen Murphy found that C. elegans are initially… Read More ›
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More mysterious jars of the dead unearthed in Laos
Archaeologists have discovered 15 new sites in Laos containing more than one hundred 1,000-year-old massive stone jars possibly used for the dead. Source: More mysterious jars of the dead unearthed in Laos
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Waning potency of pertussis vaccine a significant contributor to recent whooping cough outbreaks
New Kaiser Permanente study suggests under-vaccination is only one factor contributing to whooping cough outbreaks. Source: Waning potency of pertussis vaccine a significant contributor to recent whooping cough outbreaks
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Mass anomaly detected under the moon’s largest crater
A mysterious large mass of material has been discovered beneath the largest crater in our solar system — the Moon’s South Pole-Aitken basin — and may contain metal from the asteroid that crashed into the Moon and formed the crater,… Read More ›
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Study finds FDA dermatology advisors receive payments following drug approvals
A team of researchers examined post-advisory financial relationships between US physicians who advised FDA committees during dermatological drug approval processes. Critics of these industry-physician relationships claim these types of payments could incentivize advisors to alter their voting habits. Source: Study… Read More ›
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COPD and Asthma may be effectively treated with Fermentable Fiber
COPD and Asthma may be effectively treated with Fermentable Fiber “For several years now the Priority Research Centre for Healthy Lungs has been leading world research into the link between dietary fibre and healthy lungs. Our previous research has established… Read More ›
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Mathematicians work out how to predict success in show business
Mathematicians from Queen Mary University of London have found a way to predict whether an actor’s career has peaked or if their most successful days lie ahead. Source: Mathematicians work out how to predict success in show business
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Glyphosate in tampons? No indication of residues of any health significance
Just like other feminine hygiene products, tampons consist mainly of cotton. As cotton is treated with plant protection products, pesticide residues cannot be completely excluded. The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has no data on how high the… Read More ›
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Metal foam stops .50 caliber rounds as well as steel — at less than half the weight
Researchers have demonstrated that vehicle armor using composite metal foam (CMF) can stop ball and armor-piercing .50 caliber rounds as well as conventional steel armor, even though it weighs less than half as much. The finding means that vehicle designers… Read More ›
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Heartburn drugs linked to fatal heart and kidney disease, stomach cancer
A study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and Veterans Affairs St. Louis Health Care System has linked long-term use of such popular heartburn drugs — called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) — to fatal cases… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 