Tag Archives: ScienceAlert

A rare genetic mutation appears to make people basically invulnerable to viruses – and it could potentially be harnessed as a therapy. Researchers have now shown this surprising viral protection can be replicated in mice and hamsters. “We have yet to find a virus that can break through the therapy’s defenses [in cell culture tests],” explains Columbia University immunologist Dusan …

People who play certain wind instruments, like the didgeridoo, may find it easier to breathe while sleeping, according to emerging research. A new randomized controlled trial suggests that blowing through a conch shell is another option for keeping our airways clear when we sleep, reducing the risk of a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Affecting close to a …

Ann Hodges never intended to be famous, but in 1954 she found herself thrust into the national spotlight when her afternoon nap was interrupted by a falling meteorite. The Alabama woman has the distinction of being the first documented case of a person being struck by a meteorite. She survived with a bruised hip. In June, a man nearly joined …

A patient with type 1 diabetes has begun producing his own insulin after receiving a transplant of pancreatic cells. For the first time in humans, these islet cells have been genetically edited so they wouldn’t be rejected by the patient, removing the need for immunosuppressant drugs. Type 1 diabetes usually begins when the immune system mistakenly attacks the islet cells …

Billions of sea stars have wasted away in recent years, their crustose, spiny bodies melted to goop by a mysterious illness known as sea star wasting disease. The culprit behind this epidemic has evaded detection, until now. Four years of gene sequencing and lab experiments have finally revealed the exact pathogen behind this devastating starfish plague – a bacterium called …

Molecules capable of forming the precursors to sugars and amino acids have been detected, for the first time, in the disk of dust and gas whirling around a newborn star. The detection is tentative, but it offers a window into how complex life gets its start from the chemistry in space, not just before planets are born, but even before …

A strange signal in the background hum created by a merger between two black holes could be the first ever detection of a system of three stellar-mass black holes locked in a gravitational waltz. According to a new analysis of data from the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA collaboration, data from a 2019 binary black hole collision showed signs of an anomalous acceleration that …

Take note of the name: ReHMGB1. A new study pinpoints this protein as being able to spread the wear and tear that comes with time as it quietly travels through the bloodstream. This adds significantly to our understanding of aging. Short for reduced high mobility group box 1, ReHMGB1 triggers senescence in cells, permanently disabling them. It doesn’t just do …

Rare malformations can cause animals to grow two heads – and it seems that kind of thing has been happening for millions of years. In 2006, paleontologists in China described a two-headed fossil from the age of dinosaurs. Hyphalosaurus is a small, aquatic reptile that lived more than 120 million years ago, and is known from thousands of fossils. But …

Rare malformations can cause animals to grow two heads – and it seems that kind of thing has been happening for millions of years. In 2006, paleontologists in China described a two-headed fossil from the age of dinosaurs. Hyphalosaurus is a small, aquatic reptile that lived more than 120 million years ago, and is known from thousands of fossils. But …