Cocaine is a highly addictive substance that, in the long term, can have adverse effects on health and wellbeing. There are around 18 million cocaine users globally, according to a U.N. report. Understanding how cocaine modifies brain networks could reveal potential targets for therapies to treat addiction and other neuropsychological…
Is this really the end of our Covid nightmare?
Is this really the end of our Covid nightmare? Some scientists fear a third wave next winter, while others believe things are even better than Boris admits Deeply polarised views recently have led to academic equivalent of a stand-off Some say we’ll learn to live with the virus and accept a…
What food cravings tell us about the quality of our diets
Do you dream of ice cream in a Zoom meeting or reach for potato chips as you check the latest COVID-19 stats? You may be experiencing something deeper than a whim, according to a team of scientists at the Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (HNRCA) at Tufts University. Far…
Flu in early life determines our susceptibility to future infections
Early infections of influenza A can help predict how the virus will affect people across different ages in the future and could impact the effectiveness of flu vaccines, says a new study published today in eLife. The findings may help improve estimates of both the age-specific risk of acquiring seasonal…
Scientists unravel secrets from the faults in our genes
Imagine the body’s instruction manual, the genome: here words are genes, letters are DNA, and the equivalent of typos can have disastrous consequences. In recent years, scientists have grown increasingly fluent in the language of genome, but much remains mysterious, including the function of many of our genes. Discovering what…
Why our ideas about diabetes are well overdue for an update
My reaction to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes several weeks ago was shame (as a health journalist, I thought I should know better) mixed with self-righteousness (why me? I don't eat junk?). But, as my diabetes educator informed me, stereotypes for who gets diabetes are unfair and dated: the people…
Study unravels how our immune system deals with fungal and viral infections
The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time. The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Birmingham, The Pirbright Institute and University College…
What Are LISS Workouts & What Do They Do for Our Bodies?
You might have heard the term “LISS” and thought it was yet another new fitness trend that you needed to try. I know I did. While fitness influencers like Kayla Itsines have recently popularized the term, the fact is LISS, or Low Intensity Steady State, exercises have been around since,…
Atopic dermatitis: How allergens get on our nerves
Dry skin, pain, and itching… Atopic dermatitis affects the everyday lives of nearly 20% of children, and up to 5% of adults. The condition can have a significant impact on the quality of life of these patients. Several studies have shown that genetic factors are involved in the development of…
The Life-Changing Impact Silence Has on Our Brains
When it comes to mental health, there are quite a number of times when silence is gold and speech silver. Indeed, contemporary life is now littered with too many noisy distractions that we seem to have accepted it as the norm in society. To truly appreciate silence, one needs to…
Our Skulls Might Grow 'Horns' Because Of Our Cell Phone Addiction
Cell phones get blamed for increasing cancer risk, ruining dinner conversations, and now abnormal skull growth, according to a study. Published in the Journal of Anatomy in 2016, the research has recently been resurfaced in several news outlets. X-rays revealed that 41 percent of people between 18 and 30-years-old had…