Climate Change Gets Graphic in 2050 Weather Forecasts

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  637 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

To illustrate global warming's possible effects on local weather, 13 nations from around the world created future weather reports in the lead-up to the UN Climate Summit yesterday (Sept. 23) in New York City. In each weather report, meteorologists from countries including the United States, Brazil, Germany and Zambia put together short video forecasts for a day in 2050, predicting how a warming planet may lead to droughts, heavy storms and landslides the world over. [Read More]

Could Brazilian Waxing Increase STD Risk?

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  579 words  |  Patria Henriques

Brazilian waxing and other methods of removing pubic hair may increase the risk of catching certain skin infections through sex, preliminary research from France suggests. Specifically, the study looked at the risk of catching Molluscum contagiosum,a skin infection that causes raised, pearl-like spots. The infection can spread through any type of contact and is most commonly seen in children, but in recent years, cases of Molluscum contagiosum spread through sex have been on the rise in certain parts of the world. [Read More]

Does the Herbal Supplement Kratom Really Contain Opioids?

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  789 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

What is kratom? That depends on whom you ask. According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the herbal substance falls into the category of opioids. But what exactly makes something an "opioid"? On Tuesday (Feb. 6), FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb announced the results of new research suggesting that kratom compounds affect the body just like opioids do. Using a computer model, FDA researchers found that most of the compounds in kratom bind to opioid receptors in the body. [Read More]

Dogs Domesticated 33,000 Years Ago, Skull Suggests

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  397 words  |  Trudie Dory

A canine skull found in the Altai Mountains of Siberia is more closely related to modern domestic dogs than to wolves, a new DNA analysis reveals. The findings could indicate that dogs were domesticated around 33,000 years ago. The point at which wolves went from wild to man's best friend is hotly contested, though dogs were well-established in human societies by about 10,000 years ago. Dogs and humans were buried together in Germany about 14,000 years ago, a strong hint of domestication, but genetic studies have pinpointed the origin of dog domestication in both China and the Middle East. [Read More]

Face Recognition Varies by Culture

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  478 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The way people recognize faces might say a lot about what culture they come from, scientists now reveal. These new findings may reflect a Western focus on the individual and an Eastern leaning toward the group. The capability to routinely and effortlessly recognize faces is so universal across the globe that many scientists thought the underlying behavior involved was common in all people, regardless of culture — a matter of nature, not nurture. [Read More]

Feline Purr-fection: What Makes a Cat Best of Breed?

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  958 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Outstanding examples of pussycat pulchritude — with coats representing a range of hues in stripes, patches and solid patterns — were recently recognized on July 1 during a ceremony held by the Cat Fanciers' Association in Chicago to honor the year's "Top Cats." Some champions sported cloud-like coverings of fur, while others had no fur at all. Their eyes were saucer-like or almond-shaped, and their ears were tiny and perky, or swooping and bat-like, or folded close to their heads. [Read More]

Here's the Best Way to Protect Yourself from a Norovirus Outbreak

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  662 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

It's a vacation nightmare: You board a cruise ship for a weeklong getaway, only to have an outbreak of norovirus, or a "stomach bug," take the ship by storm. But aside from barricading yourself in your cabin, what's the best way to protect yourself in the midst of a norovirus outbreak? In a new study, researchers employed some fairly complicated math to find a pretty simple answer to that question: Wash your hands. [Read More]

Scientists Sucked a Memory Out of a Snail and Stuck It in Another Snail.

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  954 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A new study strongly suggests that at least some memories are stored in genetic code, and that genetic code can act like memory soup. Suck it out of one animal and stick the code in a second animal, and that second animal can remember things that only the first animal knew. That might sound like science fiction or remind some readers of debunked ideas from decades past. But it's serious science: In a new study, researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) extracted RNA, a genetic messenger molecule, from one snail and implanted it in another snail. [Read More]

Texas and Louisiana face a double whammy of tropical cyclones

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  598 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Tropical storm Marco will hit Louisiana and Texas later today (Aug. 24), and will likely cause significant flooding. Just a day and a half later, another cyclone, Laura, will likely ram itself against the same stretch of coastline — and will pack an even greater punch. Marco never developed into a hurricane, so last week's uncertain forecast of a record-setting two simultaneous hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico didn't materialize. But the one-two punch of tropical storm Marco Monday afternoon and Laura Wednesday (Aug. [Read More]

The 14 Wildest Science Stories from 2019

 Posted on February 22, 2023  |  9 minutes  |  1890 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Year after year, science marches on, delivering findings that fascinate, educate and awe us. And then there are those other results, the ones that make you sit up and think, "Did we really need to know that?" So, here's a tribute to the sillier side of science, with 14 of the strangest scientific stories from 2019.  Comb jelly sometimes has an anusSome of the greatest things in life are short-lived, but having an orifice from which to expel waste seems like something that should stick around. [Read More]