Rare autoimmune disorder caused a woman's nose to collapse

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  578 words  |  Fernande Dalal

A rare autoimmune disorder decimated the cartilage and bone in a woman's nose, causing her nose to collapse and sink into her face. When the 34-year-old woman checked into a facial plastic surgery clinic, her nasal bride had completely collapsed, causing the tip of her nose to retract, according to a report published April 5 in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The deformity had emerged over the course of seven years. [Read More]

Scientists Blasted Mirrors with Lasers to Listen to Light

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  656 words  |  Fernande Dalal

Mirror, mirror on the wall, how do light and matter mingle after all? Scientists have known for a while that light has momentum and exerts force on whatever it hits. But because this momentum is so small, experiments haven't been able to observe exactly how it affects matter.  In search of answers, an international group of researchers turned to mirrors in a new study. "The mirror always tells the truth," Tomaž Požar, the lead author of the study and assistant professor in the department of mechanical engineering at the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia wrote in the playful analogy referencing " [Read More]

Surprise Find: Dolphin Bones Unearthed in Medieval Island 'Grave'

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  749 words  |  Trudie Dory

Archaeologists excavating a medieval site on a tiny islet in the English Channel were baffled by the discovery of a dolphin skeleton in what appears to be a carefully prepared grave. The researchers first thought they had discovered a human grave, cut into the bedrock of the islet of Chapelle Dom Hue, about 900 feet (300 meters) off the west coast of Guernsey, one of the largest Channel Islands. Instead, the researchers were astonished to find that the grave held the skull and bones of a sea mammal, now thought to be a dolphin, but originally identified as a smaller porpoise, said archaeologist Philip de Jersey, who led the dig this month. [Read More]

Teens More Likely to Drive Drunk After Riding with Intoxicated Drivers

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  670 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

Teens who ride in a car with a driver who has been drinking are more likely to get behind the wheel themselves and drive while intoxicated, a new study suggests. Researchers found that 10th graders who reported they had been passengers in a car with a driver who was intoxicated were 21 times more likely to drive under the influence by their senior year. "Basically, it's about as risky for teenagers to drive while intoxicated as it is for them to ride with an intoxicated driver," [Read More]

There Might Be 1 Trillion Species on Earth

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  604 words  |  Trudie Dory

Calculating how many species exist on Earth is a tough challenge. Researchers aren't even sure how many land animals are out there, much less the numbers for plants, fungi or the most uncountable group of all: microbes. Now, researchers have attempted to use the laws of math to make an estimate that includes both micro and macro life. The researchers estimated that there may be as many as 1 trillion species out there. [Read More]

These 3 Superbugs Pose the Greatest Threat to Human Health

 Posted on January 4, 2023  |  5 minutes  |  945 words  |  Mittie Cheatwood

The World Health Organization is issuing a warning about a group of deadly bacteria: Recently, the WHO released its first-ever listof "priority pathogens," a list of antibiotic-resistant bacteria that the organization says pose the greatest threat to human health. The list is divided into three categories: critical-, high- and medium-priority. Three pathogens made it into the critical-priority group. These bacteria are resistant to multiple antibiotics and pose a high risk to people in hospitals and nursing homes, the WHO says. [Read More]

2 Years After Car Crash, Man in 'Minimally Conscious State' Suddenly Speaks

 Posted on January 3, 2023  |  4 minutes  |  759 words  |  Arica Deslauriers

A man in Italy who was in what doctors call a "minimally conscious state" for nearly two years unexpectedly regained full consciousness and the ability to talk, according to a new report of his case. The man woke up after he was given a drug normally used as a sedative before surgery and other medical procedures, the case report showed. The 43-year-old man was admitted to a hospital after a car accident, and was in a coma for 40 days. [Read More]

5,000-Year-Old Nativity Scene Found in Egypt

 Posted on January 3, 2023  |  2 minutes  |  372 words  |  Patria Henriques

Italian researchers have discovered what might be the oldest nativity scene ever found — 5,000-year-old rock art that depicts a star in the east, a newborn between parents and two animals. The scene, painted in reddish-brown ochre, was found on the ceiling of a small cavity in the Egyptian Sahara desert, during an expedition to sites between the Nile valley and the Gilf Kebir Plateau. "It's a very evocative scene which indeed resembles the Christmas nativity. [Read More]

A Woman Had a Dangerous Allergic Reaction After Sex. Here's Why.

 Posted on January 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  552 words  |  Patria Henriques

A woman in Spain developed a serious allergic reaction after a sexual encounter, which may have been triggered by her partner's semen, according to a new report of the woman's case. The 31-year-old woman broke out in hives and experienced vomiting and difficulty breathing after engaging in oral sex with her 32-year-old male partner, the report said. The woman was diagnosed with anaphylaxis — a severe, whole-body allergic reaction that can be life-threatening. [Read More]

Before Babel? Ancient Mother Tongue Reconstructed

 Posted on January 3, 2023  |  3 minutes  |  568 words  |  Fernande Dalal

The ancestors of people from across Europe and Asia may have spoken a common language about 15,000 years ago, new research suggests. Now, researchers have reconstructed words, such as "mother," "to pull" and "man," which would have been spoken by ancient hunter-gatherers, possibly in an area such as the Caucusus. The word list, detailed today (May 6) in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, could help researchers retrace the history of ancient migrations and contacts between prehistoric cultures. [Read More]