There's no question that many parents today still, to some extent, hesitate to vaccinate their babies due to fears that it's linked to autism. Of course, this idea all started after a 1998 study published in The Lancet showed a link between sudden behavioral changes in 12 children shortly after a vaccine was administered (article linked below). Although the study has been retracted due to technical flaws, such as the small sample size used by the researchers to make their conclusions, parents to this day still reference the article to justify why they shouldn't vaccinate their children.
Most misinformation on vaccines comes from the lack of education on how they're developed, what they contain, and how they work. Personally I don't blame par [ ... ]
Teenagers are known for making impulsive choices and decisions. Studies of the adult brain show that risk-taking among teenagers can be narrowed down to the "feel-good" hormone dopamine. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps control the brain's reward and pleasure centers, as well as helping to regulate movement and emotional responses, see rewards and take action to move toward them.
When it comes to adolescents, neurons sensitive to dopamine are activated less when looking at the prospect of a reward compared to adults. Tests conducted on rats show that adult rats appear to obtain a small dopamine rush from simply anticipating a reward, while adolescent rats do not exhibit the same level of dopamine-based satisfaction. In terms of hum [ ... ]
To produce cellular energy, nearly all multicellular organisms use a series of highly specialized proteins embedded in the inner member of the mitochondria to transport and pump electrons, collectively known as the electron transport chain. A new study has revealed that this is not the case in European mistletoes, the traditional Christmas ornament hung to give someone a kiss underneath it.
After sequencing the organism's genome, researchers couldn't find any mitochondrial genes for coding the protein subunits that make up the electron transport chain’s first station, called complex I. To find out which parts of the assembly line machinery had disappeared, researchers extracted proteins from mitochondria in the mistletoe's leaves and compar [ ... ]
In a recent study, scientists delivered a molecule called FKBP1b into the central memory station found in the brain of aging rats. Upon administrating the molecule, hundreds of formally active genes were reactivated, in a pattern that closely resembles those of younger, more mentally agile rats than aged ones. As a result, the rats showed enhanced learning and appeared to reverse memory shortfalls when tackling a maze. These findings suggest that the mental rustiness which accompanies aging happens because the amount of this one molecule goes down; a follow up study is currently in the works to see why that is.
A cognitive neuroscientist explains that the biological reason the image 'moves' is because the V5 (middle temporal visual area) part of your brain – devoted to motion processing – activates or fires due to the V4 part of your brain – devoted to colour and shape – becomes overstimulated.
In fact, V4 neurons are saturated so much that the resting firing frequency of middle temporal neurons is interpreted as an actual sensory signal. The effect of this illusion strictly depends on several factors, namely on the receptive field sizes (the illusion changes as a function of viewing distance), V4 preference for spirals and spheres, and the middle temporal involvement in 3D and stereopsis. It is a very complex interaction, that rarely lead to suc [ ... ]
The short clip above shows what happens to an injured plant when a nibbling insect attacks the leaves of a plant: the entire plant is alerted to begin anticipatory defense responses.
Working in the model plant Arabidopsis, researchers recently showed that a systemic signal begins with the release of glutamate, which is perceived by glutamate receptor–like ion channels upon injury to a leaf. The ion channels then set off a cascade of changes in calcium ion concentration that propagate through the phloem vasculature and through intercellular channels called plasmodesmata. This glutamate-based long-distance signaling is rapid; within minutes, an undamaged leaf can respond to the fate of a distant leaf.
If plants react to injury more similarly to [ ... ]
According to a recent study published in the medical journal, Radiology, it was found that among amateur players who headed a similar number of balls, women had more signs of microscopic damage in their brains’ white matter than men.
From 2013 to 2016, 49 men and 49 women from amateur teams were subjects to a study that compared male and female players who headed the ball a similar number of times over the past year. For men, that median estimate was 487 headers. Women had an estimated median of 469 headers.
Using a special MRI technique known as diffusion tensor imaging, researchers identified brain regions with changes in white matter in both sexes, but that more women that men had spots that showed signs of microscopic damage.
Brood parasites are organisms that rely on others to raise their young. It's the equivalent of having a baby, placing him/her in a basket, and then leaving it on a random person's front porch. While this may seem strange to us, it's not uncommon to some species of birds. One of nature's shrewdest examples of this behavior comes from cowbirds. Not only do they lay their eggs inside the nests of other birds and expect them to rear the foster chicks as their own, scientists have found another way these birds may be harming their hosts -- their extra-thick eggshells can crack the hosts’ own eggs when they falls into the nest.
To test this idea, researchers of recent study gathered 157 freshly laid cowbird eggs and dropped them onto host eggs fro [ ... ]
An unexpected link in mice has been found between gray hair, the transcription factor MITF, and the innate immune in a recent study published in PLOS Biology.
First, a discussion on the innate immune system: The innate immune system is the immune system you're born with. This includes your skin and other barriers which prevent disease entering the body, in addition to specialized cells that activate inflammation in response to foreign invaders. Technically, every cell in your body except for red blood cells, are capable of generating an immune response, and this includes the production of a signaling protein known as interferon.
Microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF) is best known for its role in regulating the many functions [ ... ]
If you've ever been told to give a firm handshake at the start of an interview, this advice now holds scientific truth with a new study published by Frontiers in Psychology.
According to the study, hand grip strength correlates with numerous measures involved in social and sexual competition in men, and typically fails to correlate (or to a lesser extent) with these measures among women. Given that this trait scores highest in people between the ages of 24 and 39 years, and subsequently weakens as we age, the author insists that hand grip strength is a powerful indicator of health and vitality for both men and women, as it relates to overall physical functioning and morbidity.
Researchers of the study mention that the predominantly male-speci [ ... ]
Phytochemicals are compounds in foods found in plants that are thought to be beneficial to health. More than 5000 different types have been identified, and several studies have linked their intake to reduced risk for cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, cataracts, and age-related decline. While they may be beneficial, they are not considered nutrients (substances necessary to sustain life), thus no daily recommended intakes have been established.
A list of five popular phytochemical families are listed below, along with their health claims and food source.
Carotenoids:
Includes: Alpha-carotene, beta-carotene, lutein, lycopene, zeaxanthin, etc.
Health Claims: Diets with foods rich in these phytochemicals may reduce the risk of [ ... ]
A dog searching for a lost child is typically given an item of clothing to smell. But what does that scent “look” like?
To find out, scientists tested 48 dogs, half of which had special police or rescue training. In a laboratory room, the scientists slid each dog’s favorite toy across the floor to a hiding place, while the dog waited in another room. One researcher then brought the dog to the testing room and pointed at the starting point of the odor trail and told the dog, “Look for it! Bring it!” In one trial, the dog found either its favored toy or a different item.
Many of the surprised dogs continued searching for the toy used to lay the scent trail—an indication that they had a mental representation of what they expected to find. Bot [ ... ]
A promising new drug called baloxavir marboxil (Xofluza) developed in Japan has been shown to stop the flu virus from spreading 24 hours after intake.
The drug interferes with influenza A and influenza B's main replication process instead of inhibiting the neuraminidase enzyme, as accomplished by previous drugs such as oseltamivir (Tamiflu) and zanamivir (Relenza). As shown in the illustration, viral neuraminidase sits on the surface of influenza viruses and enables it to be released once reproduced within the infected host cell.
Xofluza accomplishes its mode of action by inhibiting the cap-dependentendonuclease activity of the viral polymerase. It achieves this by inhibiting the process known as cap snatching, which is a mechanism expl [ ... ]
We've all heard by now that dark chocolate is the healthier chocolate, while white chocolate lacks behind in essential nutrients. Let's break down what's myth and what's real so you know exactly what's good for you next time you treat yourself to one of these snacks.
First, a discussion on cocoa.
Cocoa – chocolate's main raw ingredient – naturally contains polyphenols, namely flavan-3-ols and flavonoids, which are antioxidants constantly being studied for their potential effects in the body. The following table shows the content of phenolics and flavonoids in the three different types of chocolate. Generally, the more antioxidants you consume, the more protection your body will have from the formation of free radicals, which are unstable mol [ ... ]
Any animal capable of seeing in 3D, such as humans, have the ability to visually perceive depth. No other insect but the Praying mantis is capable of this. Because of this, this predatory insect excels at detecting prey that comes within striking distance, but unlike us, their depth perception only works when the prey is moving.
In a new study, scientists glued the world’s tiniest 3D glasses (above, left) on 20 praying mantises (Sphodromantis lineola) and showed them a series of movies depicting patches of moving dots that were camouflaged against a matching background, and which are perceived as potential prey items to the insect.
The insects tried to catch these dots that appeared to be within 2.5 centimeters of their perch. And they coul [ ... ]
