New Genital Herpes Treatment Shows Promise
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 502 words
| Fernande Dalal
A new drug appears to combat the virus that causes genital herpes, suggesting it could one day be used as a treatment for people with the condition, according to a new study.
In the study, the drug pritelivir reduced the replication of herpes simplex virus type 2 (which causes genital herpes) in patients with the condition, as well as the number of days patients experienced genital lesions.
Those who took 75 milligrams of the drug each day for about a month experienced viral shedding (which indicates the virus is active and replicating in the body) on just 2.
[Read More]People Use Just 8.2% of Their DNA, Study Finds
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 687 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
More than a decade has passed since the completion of the Human Genome Project, the international collaboration to map all of the "letters" in our DNA. The huge effort led to revolutionary genomic discoveries, but more than 10 years later, it's still unclear what percentage of the human genome is actually doing something important.
A new study suggests that only 8.2 percent of human DNA, or about 250 million of these so-called DNA letters, are functional, and more than 2 billion are not.
[Read More]Pilot's Heart Attack: How Often Do Flight Emergencies Happen?
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 450 words
| Trudie Dory
A pilot's heart attack turned a United Airlines flight to Seattle into a dramatic scene where passengers attempted to save the pilot's life, and one helped the co-pilot make an emergency landing in Boise, Idaho. The pilot died at the hospital, according to news reports.
A midair heart attack is a scary scenario for sure, but the incident last night (Sept. 26) was unusual -- heart attacks on flights are rare, and deaths are even rarer.
[Read More]Prehistoric Paintings in Indonesia May Be Oldest Cave Art Ever
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 915 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Paintings of miniature buffalos, warty pigs and human hands covering the walls and ceilings of caves in Indonesia could be among the oldest examples of cave art in the world, a new study finds.
The paintings — some of which might be more than 40,000 years old — challenge Europe's standing as the birthplace of prehistoric art.
"It was previously thought that Western Europe was the centerpiece of a 'symbolic explosion' in early human artistic activity, such as cave painting and other forms of image making, including figurative art, around 40,000 years ago,"
[Read More]Scott Kelly's Year in Space Changed His Gene Expression
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 659 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
(Editor's Note: This story was updated on March 15 at 1:15 pm E.T. Here is an updated article about Live Science's errors in reporting this study.)
Scott and Mark Kelly are identical twin brothers — at least, they were until Scott spent a year living in space.
When Scott Kelly returned to Earth after a 340-day voyage aboard the International Space Station (ISS) two years ago, he was 2 inches taller than he'd been when he left.
[Read More]Trilobites Were Stone-Cold Killers
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 569 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Trilobites were savvy killers who hunted down their prey and used their many legs to wrestle them into submission, newly discovered fossils suggest.
The fossils come from a site in southeastern Missouri, not far from the city of Desloge. They are trace fossils, which means they preserve not the organisms themselves, but their burrows. The burrows were made by various species of trilobite as well as by unknown, wormlike creatures.
[Read More]Vicious Cycle of Weight Gain, Inactivity Causes Obesity
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 833 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Weight gain could be the result of snowball effect, new research shows, with a stint of inactivity leading to a few extra pounds, which then makes it harder to engage in physically activity. This produces a vicious cycle, two studies on inactivity published in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings show.
The first study, published in December, found that obese people engage in less than one minute of vigorous activity per day, on average, and that the typical American sleeps and sits through nearly the entire day.
[Read More]Why Ghosts Get 'Spooked' by HD Cameras
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 628 words
| Arica Deslauriers
"Paranormal Activity 3," the latest in a series of successful low-budget horror films about amateur ghost hunters, opens on Friday (Oct. 21). The first film, released in 2007, was a surprise indie hit around the world.
The films are shot in a "found footage" style, in which the audience is treated to footage supposedly taken in real life from home videos and security cameras. This technique, often involving handheld cameras and actors talking to the camera operator, has been around for years but was widely popularized in the 1999 film "
[Read More]Yuck! Photos of 'Rock Snot' Algae Infestations
Posted on December 11, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 242 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Yuck!Didymo, also known as "rock snot," is a type of freshwater algae that clumps on rocks and invades river bottoms.
Tendrils of Rock SnotDidymo, also known as "rock snot," is a type of freshwater algae.
Lots of ClumpsClumps of didymo, or rock snot, can be seen attached to this rock.
Rock Snot BloomsRock snot is so-called because of the way its tendrils attach to rocks in rivers.
Covering the River FloorA didymo mat several centimeters thick covers the rocky substrate of the crystal clear Duval River.
[Read More]Archaeologists Closer to Finding Lost Viking Settlement
Posted on December 10, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 760 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
A lost Viking settlement known as "Hóp," which has been mentioned in sagas passed down over hundreds of years, is said to have supported wild grapes, abundant salmon and inhabitants who made canoes out of animal hides. Now, a prominent archaeologist says the settlement likely resides in northeastern New Brunswick.
If Hóp is found it would be the second Viking settlement to be discovered in North America. The other is at L'Anse aux Meadows on the northern tip of Newfoundland.
[Read More]