Tag Archives: ScienceAlert

Ancient bones discovered in a cave in Vietnam could belong to one of the world’s earliest known victims of homicide. An analysis of the bones and circumstances of his death suggests that the man, aged around 35 years at the time of his death, some 12,000 years ago, died at the hands of another human. If so, it would be …

Deep-brain structures like the basal ganglia or the thalamus wield major influence on our behavior. If something goes awry, dysregulation in the deep brain may trigger neurological conditions like Parkinson’s disease or depression. Despite the clear importance of these structures, our knowledge about them remains limited by their location, making them difficult to study and treat. In a new study, …

An immunocompromised man endured ongoing acute COVID-19 for more than 750 days. During this time, he experienced persistent respiratory symptoms and was hospitalized five times. In spite of its duration, the man’s condition differs from long COVID as it wasn’t a case of symptoms lingering once the virus had cleared out, but the viral phase of SARS-CoV-2 that continued for …

When a massive asteroid is hurtling toward Earth, the solution seems straightforward; smash a spacecraft into it and knock it off course. That’s exactly what NASA successfully did with the DART mission in 2022, they proved this concept works and dramatically altered the orbit of the asteroid Dimorphos. But new research reveals the chilling possibility that an asteroid hit in …

Giant loops of DNA carried by bacteria in our mouth may have a beneficial impact on our oral health and our immune systems, potentially reducing the risk of certain cancers. Named ‘Inocles’, the recently discovered rings of nucleic acid appear to be a large type of plasmid; genetic elements found outside of the main DNA instruction manual in many microbes. …

Parkinson’s disease is associated with toxic clumps of the alpha-synuclein protein in the brain, which disrupt healthy cell communication. Now, a new study shows another way this protein may damage brain cells. Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark examined alpha-synuclein oligomers, smaller molecules that also accompany Parkinson’s. Using a lab-made cell model, they found these oligomers can open up tiny …

The recoil imparted as two black holes collide has now been measured using gravitational waves. It’s the first-ever measurement to capture not just the velocity at which the newly formed black hole was punted across space, but also the direction, offering a new tool for understanding black hole mergers. From the 2019 gravitational wave event GW190412, astronomers have determined that …

The link between diabetes and dementia is becoming increasingly clear. New research shows how blood sugar problems affect brain health and vice versa. Here are ten evidence-based insights into how the two conditions are related. 1. Diabetes raises the risk of dementia People with diabetes are about 60% more likely to develop dementia than those without, and frequent episodes of …

If the sound of a baby crying gets you red in the face, you’re not just imagining things. A new study has found that an infant’s cries – particularly those that signal pain – really do trigger a hot flush in adults’ faces, perhaps as a way of launching us into action. Babies’ wailing is, in a sense, unbearable on …

Parkinson’s disease is characterized by the death of dopamine-producing neurons in a part of the brain responsible for motor movement. Now there’s fresh evidence for how these crucial brain cells are being killed off. Building on previous studies in animal models showing that as these neurons die, the remaining ones work harder, researchers from the Gladstone Institute for Neurological Disease …