Simple Injection Shows Promise for Treating Paralysis
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 512 words
| Patria Henriques
Paralyzed lab rodents with spinal cord injuries apparently regained some ability to walk six weeks after a simple injection of biodegradable soap-like molecules that helped nerves regenerate.
The research could have implications for humans with similar injuries.
"It will take a long time, but we want to offer at least some improvement, to improve quality of life for people with these injuries," materials scientist Samuel Stupp at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill.
[Read More]Some Parts of Body Stay 'Alive' After Death, Evidence Suggests
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 989 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Even after someone is declared dead, life continues in the body, suggests a surprising new study with important implications.
Gene expression — when information stored in DNA is converted into instructions for making proteins or other molecules — actually increases in some cases after death, according to the new paper, which tracked postmortem activity and is published in the journal Open Biology.
"Not all cells are 'dead' when an organism dies,"
[Read More]The #PeepYourScience contest wants to see your sugary scientific dioramas
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 332 words
| Patria Henriques
Sugar, gelatin and science collide in the annual #PeepYourScience contest — a challenge to craft scientific dioramas out of sticky marshmallow Peeps.
This year's contest, hosted by the nonprofit organization The Open Notebook, will run from Feb. 15 to March 21.
The competition's organizers playfully call the event "the world's finest science-themed Peeps diorama contest" — of course, it's the only contest of its kind. Given the array of colorful entries from the past two years, one can expect the 2021 contest to garner just as many creative displays of sugary confection.
[Read More]The 10 Worst U.S. Natural Disasters
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 918 words
| Fernande Dalal
Hurricane Galveston - Sept. 8, 1900Galveston was known at the end of the 19th Century as the "Jewel of Texas" until the single deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history wiped away much of what had been a booming future. The bustling island community had been the hub of the cotton trade and Texas' largest city. Progress bred complacency though, which became apparent when city officials and residents decided against building a seawall to protect the city.
[Read More]The US formally announced its withdrawal from the World Health Organization
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 442 words
| Trudie Dory
The United States has formalized its intent to withdraw from the World Health Organization (WHO) on July 6, 2021.
WHO is a United Nations body devoted to coordinating international public health efforts, including the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. President Donald Trump first said he would withdraw the U.S. in May if certain conditions were not met within 30 days. The actual project of disentangling the U.S. from WHO began Monday (July 6) with a letter signed by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
[Read More]Ukraine invasion's impacts on the world of science: Live updates
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 48 minutes
| 10140 words
| Patria Henriques
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2022-03-08T14:37:16.975Z U.S. bans Russian oil; EU will reduce reliance on Russian fuelOn Tuesday (March 8), President Joe Biden announced that the U.S. is banning the importation of Russian oil, gas and coal and prohibiting any new U.S. investment in Russia's energy sector or in foreign companies that invest in the country's energy production. The U.S. receives less than 10% of its energy resources from Russia, but the ban is still expected to impact the price of gas and other petroleum products in the States, The New York Times reported(opens in new tab).
[Read More]Zap, You're Smart! Mild Brain Shock Stimulates Math Skills
Posted on September 26, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 572 words
| Patria Henriques
Stimulating the brain with a weak current of electricity can enhance a person's math skills for up to six months without influencing other mental functions, new research finds.
These results could one day help treat the estimated 15 to 20 percent of the population who have moderate to severe numerical disabilities as well as those who have lost their number skills as a result of stroke or degenerative disease.
"I am certainly not advising people to go around giving themselves electric shocks, but we are extremely excited by the potential of our findings,"
[Read More]'Miracle' Excavation of 'Little Foot' Skeleton Reveals Mysterious Human Relative
Posted on September 25, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1092 words
| Mittie Cheatwood
Following an epic 20-year-long excavation in South Africa, researchers have finally recovered and cleaned the nearly complete skeleton of an ancient human relative: an approximately 3.67-million-year-old hominin nicknamed Little Foot.
Little Foot is likely a previously unknown species, the researchers said. In four newly posted studies — all available on bioRxiv, meaning they are not yet published in a peer-reviewed journal — the researchers delved into Little Foot's anatomy. Their findings reveal that Little Foot likely walked upright on two feet and probably had a nearly lifelong injury on her left arm.
[Read More]16th-Century Shipwreck Off Florida Coast Is Worth Millions. But It Belongs to France, not US.
Posted on September 25, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 647 words
| Arica Deslauriers
A 16th-century shipwreck that may be all that's left of one of the first European voyages to America holds treasures worth millions of dollars. But now a judge has ruled that the company that discovered the wreck off the coast of Florida has no right to salvage the valuable artifacts.
That's because the artifacts may be from a small fleet of French ships, led by the explorer Jean Ribault, which sailed to establish a colony in Florida in 1562 and 1565.
[Read More]Atmospheric CO2 will pass an alarming milestone in 2021
Posted on September 25, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 478 words
| Trudie Dory
Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration will soar past a scary threshold this year, exceeding 417 parts per million (ppm) — a 50% increase since the start of widespread industrial activity in the 18th century.
The forecast comes from the Met Office, the national meteorological service for the U.K., which used data collected at Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii. Even though there was a slight decrease in global greenhouse gas emissions in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic and the current La Niña event (a weather pattern in the Pacific that usually lowers global carbon emissions), it wasn't enough to offset previous increases.
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