Nanotechnology

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  1 minutes  |  43 words  |  Trudie Dory

Got a Scratched Gadget? Self-Propelled Particles to the Rescue

By Edd Gent published 15 March 16

Electronics such as solar panels and flexible gadgets may someday be able to heal their "wounds," thanks to tiny, self-propelled nanoparticles that detect and repair damage.

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Painkillers May Ease Marijuana Side Effects

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  550 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Pain relievers found in many medicine cabinets may help prevent some of the learning and memory problems often experienced by people who regularly use medical marijuana, a new study suggests. In a series of experiments done on mice, researchers found they could prevent or lessen marijuana's cognitive side effects by giving the drug's active ingredient, a chemical called delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in combination with either Celebrex, a prescription pain reliever, or ibuprofen, an over-the-counter nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). [Read More]

Scientists figure out what happens to Earth's disappearing crust

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  719 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Like a giant broken-up cookie whose pieces float atop a sea of scalding milk, Earth's outer shell is made of (less-tasty) rocky rafts that constantly bump into and dive beneath each other in a process called plate tectonics.  So what happens to those hunks of disappearing crust as they dive into Earth's milky interior? It turns out that they get weak and bendy, like a slinky snake toy, but they don't disintegrate completely, new modeling shows. [Read More]

Surprising Find: Marijuana Linked with Benefits for Heart Failure Patients

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  652 words  |  Patria Henriques

Smoking marijuana has been linked with heart problems, but in a surprising new finding, researchers now say the drug may have benefits for people with heart failure. However, the researchers stress that they do not currently recommended that heart failure patients use marijuana. The researchers found that, among patients with heart failure — when the heart muscle can't pump enough blood to meet the body's normal demands — those who used marijuana were less likely to experience a complication called atrial fibrillation, or " [Read More]

The Wall of Death Around Black Holes Could Break Down

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  9 minutes  |  1755 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Physicists have insisted for a long time that black holes are impenetrable ciphers. Whatever goes in is lost, impossible to study or meaningfully understand. Some small amount of matter and energy might escape a black hole in the form of "Hawking radiation," but anything still inside the black hole is functionally disappeared from the physical universe. The idea is a basic premise of modern physics: If something falls into a black hole, it can't be contacted, it's future can't be predicted. [Read More]

Venice Suffers Worst Flooding in 50 Years, Mayor Blames Climate Change

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  534 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Venice is in a state of emergency as the Italian city deals with the aftermath of one of the worst floods in its history. Late on Tuesday (Nov. 12), high tides from the surrounding lagoon surged onto the more than 100 islands that make up Venice, flooding 85% of the city and damaging artwork and many historic sites, Mayor Luigi Brugnaro tweeted. Photos and videos posted on social media show the intense flood turning alleyways into rushing rivers, stranding large water taxis in public plazas, and drenching some of the city's most iconic historic sites — including St. [Read More]

Why Hurricane Isaac Is Moving So Slowly

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  394 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Hurricane Isaac is pummeling the Gulf Coast, lashing the area with punishing wind, rain and floods, and because the storm is moving slowly, beleaguered residents can't expect much relief anytime soon, forecasters say. The storm is creeping northwestward at about 6 mph (9 kph), and is likely to maintain a similar pace for the next 24 to 48 hours, said Tim Schott, a meteorologist at National Weather Service headquarters in Silver Spring, Md. [Read More]

Why Loneliness Can Be Deadly

 Posted on March 22, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  852 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Updated at 3:35 p.m. ET, Tuesday, March 6. Loneliness can send a person down a path toward bad health, and even more intense loneliness, studies have shown. But while some have assumed the culprit was a dearth of others to remind a person to take care of himself or herself, new research suggests there's a direct biological link between being lonely and ill health. Loneliness can set into a motion a barrage of negative impacts inside the human body — but with additional social contact, some of the ill effects can be stopped. [Read More]

'Dog Dust' May Combat Allergies and Asthma

 Posted on March 21, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  500 words  |  Patria Henriques

Exposure to "dog dust," or the dried flakes of skin that fall from Fido, may protect against developing allergies and asthma in later life by altering intestinal bacteria, a new study in mice suggests. The dust appears to contain bacteria that, when present in an animal's gut, affects the production of immune cells in the animal's airway. "Perhaps early life dog exposure introduces microbes into the home that somehow influence the gut microbiome, and change the immune response in the airways," [Read More]

9 Uncommon Conditions That Pregnancy May Bring

 Posted on March 21, 2023  |  8 minutes  |  1528 words  |  Trudie Dory

IntroductionPregnancy causes the body to go through some astounding changes — a woman's blood doubles in volume, her rib cage expands, ligaments throughout her body loosen and abdominal organs are shoved aside to make room for an expanding uterus and baby.   Given these dramatic physical transformations, it's not surprising that pregnancy increases women's risk for some unpleasant, and sometimes dangerous, conditions.  "It would be unusual for a woman to not have at least one of those symptoms, if not several," [Read More]