This New Optical Illusion Is Strong Enough To Trick Our Reflexes
“Expanding hole” illusion deceives our pupils to expand in anticipation of expected decrease in light. An optical illusion, that is new to science, appears as…
Frontiers
Climate Crisis Is Driving Cousins of Zazu, From the Lion King, to Local Extinction
The yellow-billed hornbill, cousins of fan-favorite Zazu from The Lion King, faces local extinction due to the climate crisis. Between 2008 and 2019, researchers investigated…
Medicinal Cannabis Reduces Pain and Need for Opiate Painkillers Among Cancer Patients
Medicinal cannabis reduces cancer-related pain and the need for opiate-based painkillers, reveals a new comprehensive study of its use by oncology patients. A comprehensive assessment…
Steroids After COVID-19 Recovery May Cut “Long COVID” Risk of Death by Up to 51%
Prescription of steroids upon discharge from hospital for Covid-19 should become standard, argue authors. Evidence is growing that ‘long Covid’, that is, continued negative health…
A Combination of Three Simple Treatments May Reduce Risk of Invasive Cancer by 61%
A combination of three simple treatments may reduce invasive cancer risk by 61% among adults aged 70+. According to the National Cancer Institute, in 2020…
New Study Finds Pfizer and Moderna mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Safe for High-Risk Patients
First comprehensive trial in patients with impaired immunity shows that mRNA-based Covid-19 vaccines are well tolerated. Spare a thought for patients with impaired immunity during…
Endangered Shark Species Secretly Added to Pet Food – Identified by DNA Barcoding
Pet owners may unknowingly be feeding their pets with meat from endangered shark species, shows a new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science. The…
Eating Vegetables Does NOT Protect Against Heart Disease
Large-scale study finds that eating vegetables does not protect against cardiovascular disease. Previous positive studies may not have sufficiently corrected for confounding socioeconomic and lifestyle…
Brains of Cosmonauts “Rewired” During Space Missions
A new study published in Frontiers in Neural Circuits is the first to analyze the structural connectivity changes that happen in the brain after long-duration…
Extraordinary Microbes Living in Extremely Harsh Volcanic Lake Show How Life Might Have Existed on Mars
Lake is dominated by bacteria from a single ‘extremophile’ genus. A few specialist microbes survive conditions analogous to those of Mars’ early history, reports a…
Consuming Artificial Sweeteners During Pregnancy May Affect Baby’s Microbiome and Obesity Risk
Study in rats is the first to discover changes in microbial populations and metabolism in babies when mothers consumed sweeteners during pregnancy. A new study…
Mummy of Pharaoh Amenhotep I “Unwrapped” for the First Time in 3,000 Years – Here’s What Scientists Found
Study shows that 21st dynasty restorers ‘lovingly restored’ mummy, dispelling theory that they were bent on reusing old royal burial equipment. All the royal mummies…
New Clues to Why Human Brains Decreased in Size 3,000 Years Ago
The brain is the most complex organ in the human body. Now, a new study has brought us closer to understanding some of its evolution….
Bat Guts Become Less Healthy From Diet of “Fast Food” From Banana Plantations
Banana plantations are a reliable food source for nectar-feeding bats, but their effect on the bat’s gut microbiota is akin to that of a fast…
New Research Shows Regular Exercise May Lower Risk of Developing Anxiety by Almost 60%
The findings of a study published with Frontiers suggests that those who engage in regular exercise may lower their risk of developing anxiety by almost…
Expert Verdict: How Well Did the EU Respond to the First Wave of the COVID-19 Pandemic?
A new study in Frontiers in Public Health presents a review of expert opinions on the achievements and shortcomings of the European Union’s (EU) COVID-19…
Scientists Detect Tens of Thousands of Different Molecules in Beer – 80% Not Yet Described in Chemical Databases
Study used modern high resolution analytics to reveal enormous metabolic complexity of beer. The tradition of beer brewing dates back to at least 7000 BCE…
Jimi Hendrix, Eric Clapton and Dùndúns: “Talking Drums” Shown to Accurately Mimic Speech Patterns
Analysis demonstrates the value of studying non-western cultures to bring important new insights to mainstream musicology and linguistics. Musicians such as Jimi Hendrix and Eric…
