To everyday consumers, the Fitbit has become more than just a fitness tracker: It doubles as both an activity log and a fashion accessory. However, through the efforts of researchers who created a scientific version of the Fitbit, the watch is now being used to track sleep patterns outside of our own species.
Neurologists at the Technion — Israel Institute of Technology, recently developed a wearable, wireless arm patch that may help to relieve episodic migraine pain.
Researchers at Stanford University have recently used computerized synapses to recreate brain networks.
Growing up, children have been told a countless number of times to eat their fruits and vegetables. For years, five portions of fruits and vegetables a day has been recommended for people, with one portion weighing in at about 80 grams — the equivalent of one small apple, banana, pear, large mandarin or three heaping teaspoons of cooked spinach, cauliflower, peas or broccoli.
Options for treatment of chronic pain remain limited to drugs that may be marginally effective or potentially addictive. Sufferers also deal with side effects of their medications along with the prospect of increased drug tolerance.
Scientists at the Imperial College London recently discovered that, by repurposing a drug typically used for weight loss, they could reduce the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 80 percent.
Air pollution has been a critical global issue for decades. Harmful emissions contribute to environmentally damaging natural phenomena like acid rain, changes in the pH level of oceans, rises in sea levels and more.
The common stereotype for dolphins is that they are a species of highly intelligent creatures. Dolphins are often portrayed in a heroic fashion in popular culture, saving humans in situations that require strength and stamina to overcome.
Using a revolutionary genome editing tool titled CRISPR-Cas9 in mice, scientists at the Institute for Basic Science’s Center for Genome Engineering have developed a less invasive treatment for preventing blindness.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the artificial pancreas late last year. This device, also known as the MiniMed 670G hybrid closed looped system, will hopefully replace the finger-stick method and other insulin-delivery methods. The artificial pancreas automatically monitors the body’s glucose levels and adjusts the dose of insulin delivered with little input from the patient.
Feeling stressed in the midst of midterm season, you may find it particularly hard to resist the mouth-watering bag of chips or chocolate bar lying quietly next to your desk. Just one bite, the brain thinks as the hand reaches out. After the first bite, all the cells in your mouth light up in joy. Without realizing, the snack disappears in a blink of an eye.
In a recent study conducted by the Media Effects Research Laboratory at Pennsylvania State University, people who were subject to back-and-forth interaction with an online health risk assessment website were more inclined to participate in healthier activities the website suggested.
There are up to five pounds of bacteria living inside of every person right now, and according to scientists at the University of Alabama, that’s actually a good thing. In fact, microbes outnumber our human cells ten to one. Until recently, this system was largely overlooked. Now we know that the gut microbiome widely affects us, causing health issues like inflammatory bowel disease, obesity, food allergies, diabetes or asthma.
Principal investigator Professor Brenda Rapp of the Cognitive Neuroscience Lab on Homewood Campus discussed, her lab’s research, which focuses on word production and comprehension. She described her personal background and her visions for the future of her work.
A group of researchers at the Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) showed through a meta-analysis that Vitamin D protects against acute respiratory tract infections (ARIs). Those who are lacking Vitamin D and those not receiving bolus doses, a quantity of fluid or medication given intravenously at a controlled, rapid rate, benefit the most.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has long been hailed as a noninvasive medical technique that produces intricately detailed images of one’s brain and brainstem areas. In fact, the MRI is more effective at detecting abnormalities in the brainstem than many other scans, such as CT scans or X-rays. A study published in Nature reveals that MRIs can even be used to predict whether or not infants are likely to contract autism at an early age.
A recent study published in the journal Nature reported that there are at least seven Earth-sized planets orbiting a star about 40 light years away. NASA and European astronomers found that these planets are all similar to Earth in that they are similarly sized and their climate is relatively temperate.
A team of researchers at the University of Oxford recently discovered the Loxosceles genus, commonly known as the recluse spider. The species has unusually tough silk produced by a unique spinning mechanism. In the journal Materials Horizons, the research team, also consisting of members from the Applied Math Department from the College of William & Mary in Virginia, published their observations of the recluse spider and its silk’s properties.
