'Alien' Argentine Ants May Have Met Their Match
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 456 words
| Trudie Dory
Argentine ants (Linepithema humile) are among the most aggressive invasive insects in the United States. But after pushing out native ant species in local ecosystems across the country, the little conquerers may have finally met their match.
Researchers found evidence that another alien species, the Asian needle ant (Pachycondyla chinensis) is chipping away at the Argentine ants' stronghold.
Asian needle ants have already been found from Alabama to New York City to Oregon, and their venomous stings can cause allergic reactions in some humans.
[Read More]'Love Hormone' May Treat Daily Headaches
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 809 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The hormone oxytocin, which has been shown to increase trust and social bonding, could also work as a treatment to relieve pain in those who suffer from frequent headaches, according to a new study.
Of patients given a dose of oxytocin as a nasal spray, 50 percent reported their headache pain was reduced by half, and an additional 27 percent of these patients reported no pain after four hours. By comparison, 11 percent of patients who were given a placebo spray said their headache pain was cut by half after four hours, and none reported complete pain relief.
[Read More]Can a 'Poop Transplant' Change Your Weight?
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 640 words
| Trudie Dory
CHICAGO — Studies in mice have garnered attention for a remarkable result: When the feces of one mouse was transplanted to another mouse, the recipient mouse either gained or lost weight.
But can these transplants — which doctors call "fecal microbiota transplantations," or FMTs, and which everyone else calls "poop transplants" — have the same effects in humans?
Two studies that explored that question were presented here at Digestive Disease Week, a scientific meeting focused on digestive diseases.
[Read More]Earth's core is growing 'lopsided' and scientists don't know why
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 676 words
| Fernande Dalal
There's a mystery brewing at the center of the Earth.
Scientists can only see it when they study the seismic waves (subterranean tremors generated by earthquakes) passing through the planet's solid iron inner core. For some reason, waves move through the core significantly faster when they're traveling between the north and south poles than when they're traveling across the equator.
Researchers have known about this discrepancy — known as seismic anisotropy — for decades, but have been unable to come up with an explanation that's consistent with the available data.
[Read More]European Slaughter of Indigenous Americans May Have Cooled the Planet
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 902 words
| Fernande Dalal
The Europeans killed so many indigenous Americans during the 16th century — through warfare and by causing disease and famine — that it actually cooled the planet during the Little Ice Age, a new study suggests.
Essentially, once these tens of millions of people died in North, Central and South America, they could no longer farm. The forest then crept in, taking over farmland and doing what plants and trees do best: breathe in carbon dioxide (CO2).
[Read More]Farewell (for Now) to April's Giraffe Cam
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 401 words
| Trudie Dory
After two months of documenting April the giraffe's pregnancy — not to mention the baby's birth and its first days of life — the Animal Adventure Park (AAP) "giraffe cam" has finally come down.
How will her millions of fans cope? They will probably be relieved to hear that the park isn't pulling the plug on April's internet career just yet.
The continuous live feed officially ended April 21, with AAP owner Jordan Patch and April's caregivers filming a video farewell from the giraffe barn in Harpursville, New York, and sharing it on Facebook at 4:30 p.
[Read More]History's Worst Storm Surges
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 1 minutes
| 196 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The storm surge created by a hurricane can cause severe devstation and lead to many deaths. Some of the most major storm surge events in U.S. history include:
Hurricane Opal (1995) — Making landfall near Pensacola Beach Florida, the Category 4 Opal caused extensive storm surge damage from Pensacola Beach to Mexico Beach (a span of 120 miles), with a maximum storm tide of 24 feet recorded near Fort Walton Beach.
[Read More]How to Lick Bad Breath and Dry Mouth
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 504 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
This Week’s Question: I seem to have bad breath a lot. I’ve also noticed that my mouth is a bit dry most of the time. Could these two things be related?
Definitely. Bad breath is often a symptom of dry mouth, a lack of saliva. The medical term for this condition is “xerostomia.”
Other symptoms of this problem are: saliva that seems thick, sores or split skin at the corners of your mouth, difficulty speaking and swallowing, a change in your sense of taste, increased plaque, tooth decay and gum disease.
[Read More]MDMA for PTSD? How Ecstasy Ingredient Works in the Brain
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 1031 words
| Arica Deslauriers
The active ingredient in the drug ecstasy is set to be studied in large-scale clinical trials as a treatment for people with post-traumatic stress disorder, the New York Times reported on Nov. 29.
The ingredient, MDMA, has been shown to be effective in treating people with PTSD in smaller studies, which were sponsored by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), a nonprofit organization that advocates for medical research on psychedelic substances.
[Read More]Mona Lisa: A Few Feet Under Concrete?
Posted on November 1, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 664 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
The mysterious face of the Mona Lisa may be lying under a few feet of cement in a decrepit convent in Florence, Italy. Researchers are currently searching for the bones of what might turn out to be Lisa Gherardini Del Giocondo, the woman many art historians believe to be the inspiration of the iconic painting.
And while they haven't hit pay dirt, last week they took a leap in the right direction: The team members announced they had discovered what may be steps leading down to a crypt where the model is thought to be buried, according to historical documents.
[Read More]