Why Amish Kids Get Less Asthma: It's the Cows
Posted on July 10, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 858 words
| Fernande Dalal
One way to reduce children's rates of asthma may come from dairy farms, a new study finds. And not just any dairy farms — Amish dairy farms, to be exact.
Kids who grow up in Amish communities have much lower rates of asthma than the general population, potentially thanks to their exposure to the communities' dairy farms at an early age, according to the study, published today (Aug. 3) in the New England Journal of Medicine.
[Read More]Black Strings: Black Holes With Extra Dimensions
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 561 words
| Patria Henriques
Meet the Bizarro universe version of a black hole: a black string.
These hypothetical objects might form if our universe has hidden extra dimensions beyond the three of space and one of time that we can see, scientists say. A new study of five-dimensional black strings offers a glimpse into how these strange objects might evolve over time – if indeed they exist at all.
Picture this
While it's difficult to visualize a five-dimensional object in our three-dimensional space, black strings would be cylindrical, researchers said.
[Read More]COVID-19 linked to sudden hearing loss
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 589 words
| Trudie Dory
A man in the U.K. developed sudden and permanent hearing loss in one ear after battling a severe case of COVID-19, according to a new report. His doctors are now warning others to be on the lookout for this rare but serious complication, which has been reported in a handful of COVID-19 patients around the world.
Early identification of sudden hearing loss is important because the condition can potentially be reversed with prompt treatment using steroids, the authors said.
[Read More]Endangered Species 'Red List' Update Showcases Biodiversity Threats
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 640 words
| Trudie Dory
The most widely recognized list of the world's endangered and threatened species got its latest update today (June 19), with nearly a third of all the species examined being classified as threatened with extinction.
The latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species showing that of the 63,837 species examined worldwide, 19,817 are threatened with extinction — nearly a third of the total. The group found that 41 percent of amphibian species are threatened, as well as 33 percent of reef building corals and 25 percent of mammals.
[Read More]Franken-Physics: Atoms Split in Two & Put Back Together
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 933 words
| Fernande Dalal
Physicists have just upped their ante: Not only have they split atoms but, even trickier, they've put them back together.
Their secret? Quantum physics. A team of scientists was able to "split" an atom into its two possible spin states, up and down, and measure the difference between them even after the atom resumed the properties of a single state.
The research wasn't just playtime for quantum physicists: It could be a steppingstone toward the development of a quantum computer, a way to simulate quantum systems (as plant photosynthesis and other natural processes appear to be) that would help solve complex problems far more efficiently than present-day computers can.
[Read More]Hodor! Deep-Sea Worms Get 'Game of Thrones' Names
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 430 words
| Arica Deslauriers
Marine worms that dwell in the numbing cold of the deep ocean don't care if winter is coming. Be that as it may, several newly described species of these worms now owe their names to "Game of Thrones," inspired by the remorseless Arya Stark (Abyssarya acus) and everyone's favorite man of few words, Hodor (Hodor hodor and Hodor anduril).
The deep-sea worms are part of a family called Polynoidae, which includes about 900 species.
[Read More]NASA's 2nd attempt to fuel giant Artemis 1 moon rocket hits snag
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 4 minutes
| 687 words
| Trudie Dory
NASA's second attempt to fuel its Artemis 1 moon mission megarocket hit another snag on Monday (April 4) due to a stuck valve on ground equipment.
A jammed vent valve high up on the mobile launcher structure supporting the Artemis 1's Space Launch System(opens in new tab) rocket at Launch Pad 39B of NASA's Kennedy Space Center forced NASA to scrub the Artemis 1(opens in new tab) test after fueling began on Monday, agency officials said.
[Read More]Nearly 1 in 5 Children and Teens Are Obese
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 3 minutes
| 536 words
| Patria Henriques
More than one-third of American adults are obese, and now, a new report shows that children and teens aren't far behind.
The report, released today (Aug. 25) by researchers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, shows that 17.5 percent of children and adolescents ages 3 to 19 are now obese. That's in stark contrast to the obesity rate in the late 1970s, which was 5.6 percent.
But the researchers also found that the prevalence of childhood obesity has leveled off in the past decade, with an increase of only 0.
[Read More]New Beauty Machine Makes Everyone Gorgeous
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 2 minutes
| 396 words
| Patria Henriques
Researchers have created a "beauty machine" they say can turn a woman's photo into the likeness of a cover model with the push of a button.
The goal is not just to toy with pictures. Sure, the new computer software could help editors distort magazine cover photos even more than they already do. But it could also guide plastic surgeons in efforts to achieve some perceived level of perfection in a patient.
[Read More]Polar Bear Knut's Death Tied to Brain Problems
Posted on July 9, 2023
| 5 minutes
| 914 words
| Trudie Dory
An animal autopsy of the 4-year-old polar bear named Knut that died suddenly at the Berlin Zoo on Saturday (March 19) showed distinct brain changes that may be the cause of death.
The necropsy, or animal autopsy, was undertaken Monday (March 21) at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research.
"The preliminary results show distinctive anomalies at the brain, which could be seen as the cause of the ice bear's sudden passing,"
[Read More]