Ecstasy in Pregnancy Is Bad for Baby, Study Finds
Posted on September 23, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 732 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Taking the club drug Ecstasy while pregnant can interfere with the baby's motor development after birth, a new study finds. The drug also seems to raise the odds of having a baby boy.
The research is the first to recruit women during pregnancy and then follow their babies after birth to examine the drug's effects. Ecstasy, or MDMA (which stands for 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) is a synthetic drug that produces feelings of euphoria and emotional warmth in users.
[Read More]How a Mother's Love Changes a Child's Brain
Posted on September 23, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 594 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Nurturing a child early in life may help him or her develop a larger hippocampus, the brain region important for learning, memory and stress responses, a new study shows.
Previous animal research showed that early maternal support has a positive effect on a young rat's hippocampal growth, production of brain cells and ability to deal with stress. Studies in human children, on the other hand, found a connection between early social experiences and the volume of the amygdala, which helps regulate the processing and memory of emotional reactions.
[Read More]Monkeys Pay to See Female Monkey Bottoms
Posted on September 23, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 443 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Would you pay to see a monkey's backside? I hope not. Monkeys will, and I guess that's okay, though it sounds awfully close to the sort of thing that lands guys in jail here in the human realm.
A new study found that male monkeys will give up their juice rewards in order to ogle pictures of female monkey's bottoms. The way the experiment was set up, the act is akin to paying for the images, the researchers say.
[Read More]More than 'covid toes': Numerous reports of skin rashes tied to COVID-19
Posted on September 23, 2022
| 5 minutes
| 929 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Numerous reports of skin rashes in patients with COVID-19 are cropping up around the world.
The rashes can take many forms — some appear as tiny red spots, while others appear as larger flat or raised lesions. Some have a hive-like appearance, while others look like frostbitten toes.
However, it's too early to say whether these rashes are indeed caused by the new coronavirus, or whether they are related to other factors.
[Read More]Aerobic Exercise: Everything You Need to Know
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 506 words
| Fernande Dalal
Aerobic exercises are activities that work your cardiovascular system — they get your heart rate up and make you breathe harder. They are what people often think of when they hear the word "exercise."
Examples of aerobic exercise include:Brisk walkingRunning or joggingSwimmingPlaying a sport such as tennis, soccer or basketballDancingChores such as raking leaves or mowing the lawnHealth benefits of aerobic exercise include:Improved health of heart, lungs and circulatory system. Aerobic exercise strengthens the heart so it pumps blood more efficiently, and also lowers your overall resting heart rate, according to the Mayo Clinic.
[Read More]Bloodsucking Warrior Worms Destroy and Eat the Enemy
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 6 minutes
| 1066 words
| Patria Henriques
Parasitic worms may possess warrior castes just as social insects do — fearsome soldiers that rip and swallow enemies with their mouths to protect their colonies.
These bloodsucking worms could shed new light on how sociality evolved, researchers said.
Trematodes are parasitic flatworms commonly known as flukes. These flattened oval or worm-shaped creatures feed off their hosts' blood using muscular, pumping mouths — as they have no anuses, their bodily wastes blurt out from their mouths as well.
[Read More]Exploding Blue Termites Spew Toxic Goo in Battle
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 2 minutes
| 414 words
| Fernande Dalal
One species of termite sends its older workers on suicide missions armed with explosive blue "backpacks."
When grabbed by another termite, a predator or a person with tweezers, these backpack-sporting termites, which the researchers call blue workers, rupture and spew a toxic, sticky substance, scientists have found.
The unfortunate workers from this species of tropical termite, Neocapritermes taracua, have two bluish spots visible on the backs of their abdomens. These spots contain crystals made of a copper-containing protein stored in two external "
[Read More]Fossilized Skin Reveals Ancient Predator's Sharklike Moves
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 586 words
| Arica Deslauriers
More than 80 million years ago, a giant reptile called a mosasaur likely glided gracefully through the water with the help of tiny scales covering its tough skin, and a powerful tail to boot, suggests the soft-tissue remains of one such aquatic beast.
The fossilized pieces of mosasaur skin, discovered in Kansas in the 1950s but not analyzed thoroughly until now, give researchers a view of ancient lizard skin, inside and out.
[Read More]Lab-Grown Penises Could Help Men with Groin Injuries
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 3 minutes
| 620 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Lab-grown penises could one day grace the groins of men who have congenital problems, complications from cancer or traumatic injuries.
Research into growing the organs in a lab is still in the experimental stages at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, the Guardian reported. The researchers said they could test the organs in people by 2019 if they gain Food and Drug Administration approval to do so.
[Read More]Medieval Scottish Man Who Died 600 Years Ago Was Short and Balding, with Bad Teeth and Back Problems
Posted on September 22, 2022
| 4 minutes
| 642 words
| Patria Henriques
Archaeologists have reconstructed the weathered face of a balding, middle-age man suffering from back trouble and severe dental disease. He died more than 600 years ago and was buried in Aberdeen, Scotland.
Using facial reconstruction technology, researchers crafted a digital model that offered a glimpse of the man — known as "Skeleton 125," or "SK125" — showing what he may have looked like in life, Aberdeen City Council representatives said in a statement.
[Read More]