Engineering Evil

Recent Posts - page 15

• Mammals cannot evolve fast enough to escape current extinction crisis

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 16, 2018

  Public Release: 15-Oct-2018 Humans are exterminating animal species so fast that evolution can’t keep up; Unless conservation efforts are improved, so many mammal species will die out during the next 50 years that nature will need 3-5 million years to… Read More ›

• Men in leadership gain from psychopathic behavior, women punished

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 16, 2018

  Public Release: 15-Oct-2018   University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — People with psychopathic tendencies are slightly more likely to be a company boss, but a new study finds men are allowed a pass for those inclinations while women… Read More ›

• Researchers engineer dual vaccine against anthrax and plague

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 16, 2018

  Public Release: 16-Oct-2018 American Society for Microbiology Washington, DC – October 16, 2018 – A team of researchers has now engineered a virus nanoparticle vaccine against Bacillus anthracis and Yersinia pestis, tier 1 agents that pose serious threats to national… Read More ›

• Scientists accidentally reprogram mature mouse GABA neurons into dopaminergic-like neurons

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 14, 2018

  Public Release: 11-Oct-2018 Cell Press IMAGE: This image shows Dr. Chun-Li Zhang and Lei-Lei Wang. Credit: David Gresham / UT Southwestern Attempting to make dopamine-producing neurons out of glial cells in mouse brains, a group of researchers instead converted mature… Read More ›

• Nice people finish last when it comes to money

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 14, 2018

  Public Release: 11-Oct-2018 Agreeable people who place less value on money at a financial disadvantage, study says American Psychological Association WASHINGTON — Nice people may be at greater risk of bankruptcy and other financial hardships compared with their less agreeable… Read More ›

• Link between gut flora and multiple sclerosis discovered

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 14, 2018

  Public Release: 11-Oct-2018 University of Zurich Caption Diminishing myelin sheaths: The damaged areas (at the bottom of the image) of the brains of MS patients lack myelin (at the top, in blue). (Image: Dr. med. Imke Metz, University of Göttingen,… Read More ›

• World’s fastest camera freezes time at 10 trillion frames per second

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 14, 2018

  Public Release: 11-Oct-2018 T-CUP makes it possible to see phenomena — and even light! — in extremely slow motion Institut national de la recherche scientifique – INRS IMAGE: The trillion-frame-per-second compressed ultrafast photography system. Credit: INRS What happens when a… Read More ›

• Why don’t we understand statistics? Fixed mindsets may be to blame

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 14, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Oct-2018 The first study of why people struggle to solve statistical problems reveals a preference for complicated rather than simpler, more intuitive solutions Frontiers Unfavorable methods of teaching statistics in schools and universities may be to blame for… Read More ›

• NIH study finds probiotic Bacillus eliminates Staphylococcus bacteria

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 10, 2018

  NIH study finds probiotic Bacillus eliminates Staphylococcus bacteria NIH study finds probiotic Bacillus eliminates Staphylococcus bacteria A new study from National Institutes of Health scientists and their Thai colleagues shows that a “good” bacterium commonly found in probiotic digestive supplements… Read More ›

• Fluoride levels in pregnant women in Canada show drinking water is primary source of exposure

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 10, 2018

  Public Release: 10-Oct-2018 Fluoride levels in pregnant women in Canada show drinking water is primary source of exposure York University TORONTO, October 10, 2018 – A new study led by York University researchers has found that fluoride levels in urine… Read More ›

• Higher levels of urinary fluoride associated with ADHD in children

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 10, 2018

  Public Release: 10-Oct-2018 University of Toronto Higher levels of urinary fluoride associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in children Higher levels of urinary fluoride during pregnancy are associated with more ADHD-like symptoms in school-age children, according to University of… Read More ›

• Creating custom brains from the ground up

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 10, 2018

  Public Release: 10-Oct-2018   Boston Children’s Hospital Scientists studying how genetics impact brain disease have long sought a better experimental model. Cultures of genetically-modified cell lines can reveal some clues to how certain genes influence the development of psychiatric disorders… Read More ›

• Fingerprint drug screen test works on the living and deceased

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 9, 2018

  Public Release: 8-Oct-2018   University of East Anglia IMAGE: A revolutionary drug test can detect four classes of drugs in traces of sweat found in a fingerprint. And the technology works on both the living and deceased. Credit: Intelligent Fingerprinting… Read More ›

• The threat of Centaurs for the Earth

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 9, 2018

  Public Release: 8-Oct-2018 Astrophysicists calculate the impact probability and crater size of impacts due to minor bodies University of Vienna The astrophysicists Mattia Galiazzo and Rudolf Dvorak from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with Elizabeth A. Silber (Brown University,… Read More ›

• Recovering from a heart attack? Hold the antibiotics

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 9, 2018

    University of Wisconsin-Madison MADISON – The community of microorganisms that live in the human gut has been shown to confer all kinds of health benefits. Now, an international team of researchers has shown in mice that a healthy gut… Read More ›

• Freeloaders beware: Incentives to foster cooperation are just around the corner

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 9, 2018

  Public Release: 9-Oct-2018   Numerical simulations show that it is possible to coerce people to collaborate for the common good Springer In our society, there are always a certain percentage of people who adopt a freeloader attitude. They let other… Read More ›

• Scientists go ‘back to the future,’ create flies with ancient genes to study evolution

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 9, 2018

  Public Release: 9-Oct-2018   New York University   IMAGE: Early fly embryo stained for three Bcd target genes, Otd (light blue), Hb (dark blue), and Kr (red). Credit: Image courtesy of Rhea Datta. Scientists at New York University and the… Read More ›

• Lifespan and Health Extended Dramatically with Fisetin

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 3, 2018

  Lifespan and Health Extended Dramatically with Fisetin Lifespan and Health Extended Dramatically with Fisetin University of Minnesota Medical School faculty Paul D. Robbins and Laura J. Niedernhofer and Mayo Clinic investigators James L. Kirkland and Tamara Tchkonia, showed it was… Read More ›

• While seeking Planet X, astronomers find a distant solar system object

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 3, 2018

  Public Release: 2-Oct-2018   The newly found object was announced by the International Astronomical Union’s Minor Planet Center on October 1 University of Hawaii at Manoa Astronomers have discovered a new object at the edge of our solar system. The… Read More ›

• Hugs may help protect against conflict-related distress

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 3, 2018

  Public Release: 3-Oct-2018   Hug receipt on day of interpersonal conflict correlated with smaller decrease in positive affect PLOS Receiving hugs may buffer against deleterious changes in mood associated with interpersonal conflict, according to a study published October 3rd in… Read More ›

• Genetic variants for a meaning in life have been found and indicates that everyone is different

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 3, 2018

  Public Release: 3-Oct-2018 Discovery of first genetic variants associated with meaning in life Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam For the first time, locations on the human genome have been identified that can explain differences in meaning in life between individuals. This is… Read More ›

• Alternatives to pesticides — Researchers suggest popular weeds

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 3, 2018

  Public Release: 3-Oct-2018   Exeley Inc. Nematodes, also known as roundworms, are one of the most numerous animal species on earth. As simple as they seem, many of them live as parasites in plants, insects and animals; habitats also include,… Read More ›

• In Health Affairs: Cardiac devices up to six times more expensive in the US than Germany

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 2, 2018

    Health Affairs While much has been written about drug prices, less attention has been paid to medical devices, which account for 6 percent of US health care spending and 7 percent in European Union (EU) countries. In a new… Read More ›

• Dutch study estimates 1 in 2 women and 1 in 3 men set to develop dementia/parkinsonism/stroke

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 2, 2018

  Public Release: 1-Oct-2018   Preventive strategies could, in theory, more than halve lifetime risk for those aged 85+, say researchers BMJ One in two women and one in three men will likely be diagnosed with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, or stroke… Read More ›

• More bad news for artificial sweetener users according to Ben-Gurion University researchers

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 2, 2018

  Public Release: 1-Oct-2018 New study demonstrates artificial sweeteners have toxic effects on gut microbes American Associates, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev NEW YORK…October 1, 2018 — FDA-approved artificial sweeteners and sport supplements were found to be toxic to digestive gut… Read More ›

• Democrat/Republican divide is worst it’s ever been

  By Ralph Turchiano on October 2, 2018

  Public Release: 1-Oct-2018   Michigan State University IMAGE: Republicans (red) and Democrats (blue) almost never collaborated in the 2015-2016 U.S. House of Representatives. Credit: Zachary Neal Party polarization is even worse than most people think, according to a new Michigan… Read More ›

• Reclassification recommendations for drug in ‘magic mushrooms’

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 29, 2018

  Public Release: 26-Sep-2018 If phase III clinical trials are successful, researchers suggest categorizing the drug as schedule IV Johns Hopkins Medicine In an evaluation of the safety and abuse research on the drug in hallucinogenic mushrooms, Johns Hopkins researchers suggest… Read More ›

• Bees’ medicine chest should include sunflower pollen, UMass Amherst study suggests

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 29, 2018

  Public Release: 26-Sep-2018   Ecologist Lynn Adler at UMass Amherst and others found that eating sunflower pollen dramatically and consistently reduced a protozoan infection in bumble bees University of Massachusetts at Amherst AMHERST, Mass. – A new study by Jonathan… Read More ›

• Smart devices could soon tap their owners as a battery source

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 29, 2018

  Public Release: 27-Sep-2018   University of Surrey The world is edging closer to a reality where smart devices are able to use their owners as an energy resource, say experts from the University of Surrey. In a study published by… Read More ›

• How swarms of nanomachines could improve the efficiency of any machine

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 29, 2018

  Public Release: 27-Sep-2018   University of Luxembourg Caption Density plot of the power output of an energy-converting network that consists of interacting nano-machines illustrated by the spheres. The power increases from red to blue color, thus in the synchronization phase… Read More ›

• Taste and Smell disorders in Chemotherapy alleviated by Lactoferrin Supplementation

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 26, 2018

  Taste and Smell disorders in Chemotherapy alleviated by Lactoferrin Supplementation Taste and Smell disorders in Chemotherapy alleviated by Lactoferrin Supplementation Research shows that daily lactoferrin supplementation elicits changes in the salivary protein profiles in cancer patients – changes that may… Read More ›

• Sunflower pollen has medicinal, protective effects on bees

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 26, 2018

  Public Release: 26-Sep-2018 North Carolina State University IMAGE: Honey bees fed a diet of sunflower pollen show dramatically lower rates of infection by a specific pathogen. Credit: Jonathan Giacomini, NC State University With bee populations in decline, a new study… Read More ›

• Impact of WWII bombing raids felt at edge of space

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 25, 2018 • ( 1 )

  Public Release: 25-Sep-2018   European Geosciences Union IMAGE: Bombing of a factory at Marienburg, Germany, on Oct. 9, 1943. Credit: US Air Force Bombing raids by Allied forces during the Second World War not only caused devastation on the ground… Read More ›

• Diversity in the brain — how millions of neurons become unique

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 25, 2018

  Public Release: 25-Sep-2018   How is it possible that so many different and highly specific neurons arise in the brain? A mathematic model developed by researchers from the University of Basel’s Biozentrum demonstrates that different variants of genes enable such… Read More ›

• Study: Antibiotics destroy immune cells and worsen oral infection

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 25, 2018

  Public Release: 25-Sep-2018 Case Western Reserve University New research shows that the body’s own microbes are effective in maintaining immune cells and killing certain oral infections. A team of Case Western Reserve University researchers found that antibiotics actually kill the… Read More ›

• High gluten diet in pregnancy linked to increased risk of diabetes in children

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 24, 2018

  Public Release: 19-Sep-2018   Further studies needed to confirm or rule out findings, and to explore possible underlying mechanism BMJ A high gluten intake by mothers during pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of their child developing type 1… Read More ›

• The BMJ questions transparency of information surrounding safety of Pandemrix vaccine

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 24, 2018

  Public Release: 20-Sep-2018 BMJ A series of internal GlaxoSmithKline reports suggest possibility that serious safety signal had emerged for Pandemrix during 2009 H1N1 vaccine campaigns Data indicated large discrepancies in rate of adverse event reporting for Pandemrix as compared to… Read More ›

• Common weed killer linked to bee deaths

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 24, 2018

  Public Release: 24-Sep-2018 University of Texas at Austin The world’s most widely used weed killer may also be indirectly killing bees. New research from The University of Texas at Austin shows that honey bees exposed to glyphosate, the active ingredient… Read More ›

• Unprecedented study finds US ranks 27th among nations investing in education, health care

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 24, 2018

  Public Release: 24-Sep-2018   Nation’s 2016 ranking plummets from 6th in 1990; China sees increase in ranking from 69th to 44th; Study of ‘human capital’ yields other unexpected results over 26-year period Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation SEATTLE –… Read More ›

• Probiotics in Children reduced antibiotic prescriptions up to 53%

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 19, 2018

  Probiotics in Children reduced antibiotic prescriptions up to 53% Probiotics in Children reduced antibiotic prescriptions up to 53% Researchers found that when the results from twelve studies were pooled together, infants and children were 29% percent less likely to have… Read More ›

• Famous theory of the living Earth upgraded to ‘Gaia 2.0’

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 18, 2018

  Public Release: 13-Sep-2018 University of Exeter A time-honoured theory into why conditions on Earth have remained stable enough for life to evolve over billions of years has been given a new, innovative twist. For around half a century, the ‘Gaia’… Read More ›

• One in three college freshmen worldwide reports mental health disorder

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 18, 2018

  Public Release: 13-Sep-2018 Students from 19 colleges in eight countries report symptoms consistent with psychological disorder, study says American Psychological Association As if college were not difficult enough, more than one-third of first-year university students in eight industrialized countries around… Read More ›

• Sugar pills relieve pain for chronic pain patients

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 17, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Sep-2018 Placebo benefits can be predicted by brain anatomy and psychological traits Northwestern University Doctors should consider treating chronic pain patients with sugar pills Placebo pills relieve pain as effectively as drugs for half of chronic pain patients… Read More ›

• Breast cancer screening does not reduce mortality

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 17, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Sep-2018 A Norwegian-Danish study shows that breast cancer mortality is indeed declining, but not due to screening for breast cancer. Associate Professor Henrik Støvring from Denmark thinks it is time to consider alternatives to mammography screening. Aarhus University… Read More ›

• Household cleaning products may contribute to kids’ overweight by altering their gut microbiota

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 17, 2018

  Public Release: 17-Sep-2018   Canadian Medical Association Journal Commonly used household cleaners could be making children overweight by altering their gut microbiota, suggests a Canadian study published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal). The study analyzed the gut flora of… Read More ›

• Aspirin found not to prolong healthy aging

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 17, 2018

  Public Release: 17-Sep-2018   Large, international study shows daily low-dose aspirin has no effect on healthy life span in older adults Rush University Medical Center Taking a low-dose aspirin daily does not prolong healthy living in older adults, according to… Read More ›

• Europe plans to burn our Global Forest as Carbon Neutral Renewable Energy, Scientists Protest in mass

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 12, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Sep-2018 Europe’s renewable energy directive poised to harm global forests Princeton University, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs PRINCETON, N.J.–Europe’s decision to promote the use of wood as a “renewable fuel” will likely greatly increase Europe’s… Read More ›

• NAC shown to help protect Osteoarthritis and Osteopenia

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 12, 2018

  NAC shown to help protect Osteoarthritis and Osteopenia NAC shown to help protect Osteoarthritis and Osteopenia A protein involved in multiple cellular processes called ANP32A protects cartilage in the joints against degradation by damaging oxidation, preventing the development and progression… Read More ›

• Sugar pills relieve pain for chronic pain patients

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 12, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Sep-2018   Placebo benefits can be predicted by brain anatomy and psychological traits Northwestern University Doctors should consider treating chronic pain patients with sugar pills Placebo pills relieve pain as effectively as drugs for half of chronic pain… Read More ›

• Corruption is hard to hide if you’re a politician whose face is wide

  By Ralph Turchiano on September 12, 2018

  Public Release: 12-Sep-2018   A new study shows that people can separate corrupt politicians from clean ones by simply looking at portraits of the politicians California Institute of Technology An old joke says if you want to know if a… Read More ›

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