Tools May Have Been First Money
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 474 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Hand axes, small handheld stone tools used by ancient humans, could have served as the first commodity in the human world thanks to their durability and utility.
The axes may have been traded between human groups and would have served as a social cue to others, Mimi Lam, a researcher from the University of British Columbia, suggested in her talk at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting here on Feb.
[Read More]Wasp Bite Gives Man a Heart Attack
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 573 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A sting from a yellow jacket is typically a minor annoyance, but a wasp bite turned into a major medical problem for a 45-year-old British man: He had a severe allergic reaction to the bite and, as a result, suffered a heart attack, according to a recent report of the man's case.
The man was diagnosed with Kounis syndrome, or "allergic myocardial infarction," in which a severe allergic reaction is accompanied by symptoms of chest pain (known as angina) that may progress to a heart attack.
[Read More]What Causes Rashes?
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 559 words
| Arica Deslauriers
"The Healthy Geezer" answers questions about health and aging in his weekly column.
Question: What causes rashes?
Answer: The most common cause of a rash is contact dermatitis, an inflammation of the skin that comes from direct contact with irritants or allergens. A red, itchy rash from contact dermatitis isn't contagious, and usually goes away in two to four weeks.
The cause of contact dermatitis is direct contact with irritants or allergens.
[Read More]What If Humans Were Twice as Intelligent?
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 6 minutes
| 1243 words
| Trudie Dory
You might someday be much, much smarter than you are now. That's the hope of neuroscientists focused on understanding the basis of intelligence. They have discovered that the brains of people with high IQs tend to be highly integrated, with neural paths connecting distant brain regions, while less intelligent people's brains build simpler, shorter routes. But no one knows why some brains construct much longer-range connections than others.
"When the brain mechanisms that underlie intelligence are understood, it is theoretically possible that those mechanisms can be tweaked to increase IQ,"
[Read More]Why Do Hurricanes Curve Out to Sea?
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 607 words
| Patria Henriques
The forecast path of Hurricane Katia, which is expected to run nearly parallel to the U.S. East Coast before heading out to sea, is a typical one for Atlantic storms to follow.
The reason: They are steered away from land by prevailing wind patterns and surrounding environmental flow.
On Sept. 6, Hurricane Katia was a category 3 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson scale with sustained winds of 120 miles per hour (195 km per hour).
[Read More]Why Pregnant Women Are More Prone to Yeast Infections
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 292 words
| Fernande Dalal
The Food and Drug Administration is investigating whether a medication used for treating yeast infections may pose risks if women take it during pregnancy.
Today, the agency announced that it is reviewing the results of a recent study from Denmark that found a link between the medication, called oral fluconazole (brand name Diflucan) and an increased risk of miscarriages. The study, published Jan. 5 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, found that pregnant women who took oral fluconazole were 48 percent more likely to have a miscarriage than women who didn't take the drug.
[Read More]Why Shaquille O'Neal's Flat-Earth Ideas Are Out of Bounds
Posted on January 14, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 766 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Former NBA player Shaquille O'Neal can likely see that a basketball is round, but the newly proclaimed "flat-Earther" can’t seem to say the same for the planet.
In a podcast that aired Feb. 27, the basketball legend announced that the Earth is flat, saying that when he drives from Florida to California, "it's flat to me."
But there are countless ways that show the Earth isn't flat, but round. (To be specific, it's an "
[Read More]'Dead' telescope discovers Jupiter's twin from beyond the grave
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 725 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
NASA's Kepler space telescope has spotted a Jupiter look-alike in a new discovery, even though the instrument stopped operations four years ago.
An international team of astrophysicists using NASA's Kepler space telescope, which ceased operations in 2018, have discovered an exoplanet similar to Jupiter located 17,000 light-years from Earth, making it the farthest exoplanet ever found by Kepler. The exoplanet, officially designated K2-2016-BLG-0005Lb, was spotted in data captured by Kepler in 2016.
[Read More]8-armed Jurassic 'vampire' used supersuckers to trap prey, amazing 3D images reveal
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 775 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A Jurassic vampire squid-like creature used supersuckers to snatch prey out of the water column and lock it in place with a watertight seal, 3D imaging of several fossils reveals.
For the first time, scientists used advanced 3D imaging techniques to examine in great detail the prey-snatching suckers of Vampyronassa rhodanica, an extinct relative of the modern vampire squid (Vampyroteuthis infernalis). The analysis revealed never-before-seen features of the animal's internal anatomy, scientists reported Thursday (June 23) in the journal Scientific Reports(opens in new tab).
[Read More]Batman on the Couch: Psychologist Analyzes Comic Book Character
Posted on January 13, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 821 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
He wears a caped bat costume in public and funds an alter ego out of his personal fortune. As a child he witnessed his parents' murders; as an adult, he puts his own life on the line, practicing a personal brand of vigilante justice.
He may be a comic book character, but Batman provides fertile ground for a psychologist, and California clinical psychologist Robin Rosenberg has taken up the challenge.
[Read More]