If you want something done, ask a busy person — or so the saying goes. According to a new paper co-written by a University of Illinois scholar who studies attitudes and persuasion psychology, if you want to sell something quickly, it helps to try a busy consumer. People on a…
Migraines linked to higher risk of dementia
Dementia is the most common neurological disease in older adults, whereas headaches, including migraines, are the most common neurological disorder across all ages. In a recent study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry that included 679 community-dwelling adults aged 65 years and older, migraines were a significant risk factor…
‘Stressors’ in middle age linked to cognitive decline in older women
A new analysis of data on more than 900 Baltimore adults by Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers has linked stressful life experiences among middle-aged women — but not men — to greater memory decline in later life. The researchers say their findings add to evidence that stress hormones play an uneven…
Finnish people’s unique genetic makeup offers clues to disease: Study of Finns, with their similar DNA, gives new hints to cardiovascular, metabolic disease risk
A new study harnessed the unique genetic history of the people of Finland to identify variations in DNA that might predispose certain individuals to disease, whether or not they are Finnish themselves. The study was conducted by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, in collaboration with…
To increase bike commuters, look to neighborhoods: New research shows downtown and campus dwellers more likely to travel by bicycle
People agree that bike commuting improves health, reduces air pollution and eases traffic, a recent survey suggests. But that wasn’t enough to get most people to commute by bike. The new research indicates that a person’s neighborhood may play a large role in influencing the decision to commute by bike….
Scientists map toxic proteins linked to Alzheimer’s
A team of researchers from McMaster University has mapped at atomic resolution a toxic protein linked to Alzheimer’s disease, allowing them to better understand what is happening deep within the brain during the earliest stages of the disease. The findings, published on the front cover of the current edition of…
Sleep history predicts late-life Alzheimer’s pathology: Findings suggest novel, sleep-based diagnosis and treatment methods
Sleep patterns can predict the accumulation of Alzheimer’s pathology proteins later in life, according to a new study of older men and women published in JNeurosci. These findings could lead to new sleep-based early diagnosis and prevention measures in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s disease is associated with disrupted…
Geographers use big data to predict how slope affects human travel rates
Have you ever been running on a sidewalk making pretty good time, then hit a hill and slowed way down? If so, you’ve experienced how slope affects travel rates. For most of us, understanding how slope steepness impacts our speed is a matter of fitness. For others, such as wildland…
Understanding what makes Tennessee whiskey unique
The sugar maple tree yields autumn foliage, maple syrup and Tennessee whiskey. Wood from the tree is chopped into planks, stacked in piles and burned to form charcoal. Freshly distilled, un-aged whiskey is filtered over the charcoal in a mysterious, but necessary step known as the Lincoln County Process (LCP)….
Long-lived parents produce better quality offspring
Genetic manipulation that more than doubles lifespan also leads to better offspring — according to new collaborative research from the University of East Anglia and Uppsala University. Researchers studied a gene, known as DAF-2, which is associated with ageing in roundworms (Caenorhabditis elegans). They found that by reducing this gene’s…
What happens when sand fleas burrow in your skin?
Tungiasis, a tropical disease associated with poverty, is caused by the penetration of female sand fleas into a person’s skin, usually in their toes or feet. This week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers report five cases of severe tungiasis to illustrate how the disease may develop into a life-threatening…