Results of a new study point to a feasible first step in creating universal health care in Canada: public funding of essential medication. Study authors identified a list of 117 essential medicines, including antibiotics, insulin, heart medication, antidepressants, oral contraceptives and more. They found that medication from the list made up 44 percent of all […]
Europeans brought new strains of ulcer-causing bacterium to pre-Columbian Americas
Bacterium Helicobacter pylori is a major health issue in Latin America, where it contributes to ulcers and stomach cancer. Previous studies have linked an increased risk of cancer and a mismatch between the ethnicity of the patient and the origin of the bacterial strain. In the present study, researchers analyzed 401 H. pylori genome sequences […]
Brain cells get to choose which parents’ genes to use
Researchers have long thought that most human cells express genes from both parents’ chromosomes equally throughout life. But as it turns out, when it comes to neurons, things aren’t so simple. A new study shows that it’s not unusual for individual neurons to choose to activate genes from one parent or the other. In particular, […]
A planetary system with seven Earth-sized planets found 39 light years from the sun
Seven Earth-sized exoplanets have been found orbiting a nearby star. An international team of scientistsdiscovered that the six inner planets are located in the temperate zone, where the temperature at the surfaces of these planets could be between 0 and 100 degrees Celsius. The first three planets were spotted back in May 2016. They orbit an […]
New rule to predict periods of warmth between glacials
A new rule which doesn’t presume the knowledge of climate or atmospheric data can accurately predict interglacial periods of the past million years. Over the past 1 million years, interglacials – or periods of warmth that occur between the glacial ones – have occurred approximately every 100,000 years. Researchers have developed a statistical model that […]
Consistent exercise routine helps female patients prevent breast cancer recurrence 
Women who have survived a bout of breast cancer can significantly reduce chances of recurrence by getting consistent exercise and keeping a steady weight. Researchers have reviewed 67 articles to study the effect of certain lifestyle changes on the survival rate and possibility of breast cancer relapse. Their findings indicate that weight gain of over […]
Problematic drug use in teens predicted by response to reward-motivated behavior
Previous research has demonstrated that the brain’s reward circuits play an important role in addictive tendencies. But researchers are still honing in on the exact link between neurophysiological mechanisms responsible for reward-motivated behavior and problematic behavior such as drug use. A new study found that a young teen’s brain activity in a reward-driven task performance […]
How whale mouth nerves stretch to nearly double their length during feeding
Rorqual whales – a family of baleen whales that includes the biggest of the species, the fin and the blue whale – take in an enormous amount of water and small prey during each feeding. In order to maximize each meal, they open their mouths wide and lunge towards the prey. In the process, the […]
Bacteria that break down toxic chemicals found in an abandoned gold mine
Little life is seen in environments with low oxygen content and high metalloid pollution. The microorganisms that do survive in such extreme conditions are incredibly helpful to scientists, who can use the bacteria’s natural reduction of toxic materials to clean up heavily polluted areas. Such bacteria were recently discovered in an old Manitoba gold mine, […]
Virus shells can help deliver helpful drugs to cancer cells
Virus cells are incredibly efficient at delivering their cargo to the host cells, usually to the host’s detriment. But new research is attempting to utilize this viral trait for the better, by packaging salubrious things into conducive virus shells. Researchers copied the core protein shell of the Bluetongue virus using plant matter, which is a […]
Early increase in brain growth may help determine autism risk in infants
Rapid increase in brain volume in the first year of a baby’s life, when compared to other infants, may help predict an early autism diagnosis. A small neuroimaging study was able to accurately predict the infants who were at a high risk of developing autism by 24 months. To arrive at these predictions, researchers measured […]
Brains at the crossroads: Motor neurons always map out several possibilities
Even if you’re already following a path after coming to a fork in the road, your brain may still be preparing for an alternative scenario. Results of a new study provide evidence that motor neurons are continuously working to translate information from the visual systems into action. Previous research has hinted that the brain’s motor […]
First evidence of a Middle Triassic dinosaur that gave birth to live offspring instead of laying eggs
A new discovery offers proof that an ancient relative to birds and crocodiles gave birth to live young. New research from an international team of paleontologists describes a fossil of a pregnant Dinocephalosaurus – a long-necked, aquatic reptile from the Middle Triassic. The 245- million-year-old archosauromorph carried an embryo inside its rib cage, facing forward. […]
Female flies’ flashy flirtation reveals important information to their mates
A flash of a wing in sunlight contains all that a male green bottle fly looking for love needs to know about its potential mate. Results of a new analysis of female green bottle flies shows that they can communicate their sex, age, and even their level of interest by adjusting their wing beat, or […]
Thanks to climate change, baby African penguins are looking for food in the wrong places
For hundreds of years, young African penguins came of age by travelling long distances to southern Angola and South Africa’s Western Cape in search of food. Certain signs, like lower sea surface temperatures and higher chlorophyll concentrations, have reliably led young penguins to areas abundant in anchovies and sardines. But recent changes in climate and […]
Bust a (scientifically superior) move
Believe it or not, there seems to be a formula for being a good dancer. According to a new study, it’s all about the degree of hip swing and moving thighs and arms in an asymmetrical manner. To distill this formula, researchers asked 39 women to dance to a simple drum beat and recorded their […]
