Kidney Stones: Causes, Symptoms & Treatment

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  956 words  |  Patria Henriques

A kidney stone is a hard mass that forms in one or both kidneys from minerals in the urine, and if large enough, can cause severe pain. In the United States, kidney stones send more than 500,000 people to the emergency room each year, according to the National Kidney Foundation. CausesKidney stones form when there is not enough liquid in the urine to dilute out waste chemicals, such as calcium, oxalate and phosphorous. [Read More]

Killer Spiders Prefer Malaria Mosquitoes

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  612 words  |  Trudie Dory

A jumping spider in East Africa is known to crave mosquitoes engorged with blood. Now scientists find the spider prefers a particular type of them—mosquitoes infested with the deadly malaria parasite. These predatory spiders could help control the lethal disease, scientists say. Malaria leads to more than one million deaths per year worldwide, mostly children. "My dream would be that people could be educated to recognize this little animal and not kill it when found inside houses, as it often is, apparently in search of food," [Read More]

Left vs. Right: Battle in Brain Discovered

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  831 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

Most animals, including humans, have functionally lopsided brains. Some things are processed in the left hemisphere, others on the right side. While some of the differences are learned and others inherited, the spectrum of possibilities indicates something more random may be at work, too. A new study of zebrafish embryos suggests a tug-of-war in the developing brain is responsible for at least part of this asymmetry. Researchers have known that brain cells called neurons migrate long distances in a developing brain. [Read More]

Male Penguins' Calls Say 'I'm a Good Dad'

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  617 words  |  Patria Henriques

Female penguins have a particularly good reason to pay close attention to courters' mating calls — a male penguin's voice reveals how good a dad he will be. The male penguin's call discloses how fat he is, a new study finds. Pudgy males are desirable because the extra fat means they can babysit the couple's eggs without needing to wander off in search of food. "A fat male is a good choice for a female, because males do so much of the offspring care," [Read More]

People with ADHD May Have a Higher Suicide Risk

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  492 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

People with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have an increased risk of suicide, according to a new study. Researchers also found an increased risk of suicide in the parents and siblings of people with ADHD. The findings suggest that genetics may link ADHD and suicidal behavior, the researchers said. "Our study is the first, to our knowledge, to show that ADHD and suicidal behavior share genetic risk factors," the researchers wrote in their article, published today (June 25) in the journal JAMA Psychiatry. [Read More]

Puppy Licks to a Woman's Feet May Have Caused Serious Skin Infection

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  484 words  |  Patria Henriques

Dogs can bring a person happiness, love, laughter ... and sometimes strange infections. Case in point: A woman in Israel was diagnosed with a bacterial infection that she likely contracted from innocent puppy licks, according to a new report. Last year, the 86-year-old woman went to the hospital with a fever, nausea, vomiting and pain in her right leg. She was wheelchair-bound and being treated for diabetes and rheumatoid arthritis, according to the report, published Dec. [Read More]

Suunto Ambit3 Sport Review: Multisport GPS Watch

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  9 minutes  |  1802 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The Ambit3 Sport from Suunto is a GPS watch that tracks multiple sports, including running, cycling and swimming. The watch can be paired with a heart rate sensor that records data during workouts on land and in the water. I tested the white Ambit3 Sport and heart rate sensor, which retails for about $370 on Amazon. The watch is also available in other colors — including blue and black — for a bit more money (between $380 and $420). [Read More]

The Bizarre Reason for a Man's Worsening Anxiety

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  694 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A British man's symptoms of anxiety were eventually traced to an unusual cause: his repeated exposure to a toxic substance while in the navy, a recent report of the man's case suggests. The man worked as a naval engineer for five years. During this time, he was exposed almost daily to trichloroethylene (TCE), or "trike," a solvent used for cleaning and degreasing ships and aircraft, according to the case report, which was published Dec. [Read More]

Voyager 1: How Big Is the Solar System?

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  603 words  |  Trudie Dory

Voyager 1 has left the solar system. The big news that the spacecraft reached interstellar space on Aug. 25, 2012, after its decades-long sojourn begs the question: Just how far did it have to travel to knock on cold, dark space's door? In other words, just how big is the solar system that earthlings call home? That's a question whose answer is steeped in hot gas traveling faster than the speed of sound. [Read More]

What Is Novichok, the Poison That Nearly Killed a Russian Ex-Spy?

 Posted on January 24, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  498 words  |  Patria Henriques

A Soviet-era poison called Novichok was used to poison a Russian ex-spy and his daughter last week in England, U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May told Parliament today (March 12). This announcement shows that U.K. authorities were right to suspect that a type of nerve agent had poisoned the former spy, Sergei Skripal, 66, and his daughter Yulia Skripal, 33, who were found stiff and unconscious on a park bench in Salisbury, England, on March 4. [Read More]