22, Jun 2024
Cooling ‘blood oranges’ could make them even healthier — a bonus for consumers

An orange teeming with antioxidants and other health benefits may be a shot in the arm for consumers and citrus growers, if the fruit is stored at cool temperatures, a new University of Florida study shows. But it’s too soon to know if the so-called “blood oranges” are a viable…

22, Jun 2024
Resiliency shaped by activity in the gut microbiome and brain

A new UCLA Health study has found that resilient people exhibit neural activity in the brain regions associated with improved cognition and regulating of emotions, and were more mindful and better at describing their feelings. The same group also exhibited gut microbiome activity linked to a healthy gut, with reduced…

21, Jun 2024
Scientists devise algorithm to engineer improved enzymes

Scientists have prototyped a new method for “rationally engineering” enzymes to deliver improved performance. They have devised an algorithm, which takes into account an enzyme’s evolutionary history, to flag where mutations could be introduced with a high likelihood of delivering functional improvements. Their work — published today in leading journal…

21, Jun 2024
Walking brings huge benefits for low back pain

Adults with a history of low back pain went nearly twice as long without a recurrence of their back pain if they walked regularly, a world-first study has found. About 800 million people worldwide have low back pain, and it is a leading cause of disability and reduced quality of…

20, Jun 2024
Rigorous new study debunks misconceptions about anemia, education

In low- and middle-income countries, anemia reduction efforts are often touted as a way to improve educational outcomes and reduce poverty. A new study, co-authored by a global health economics expert from the University of Notre Dame, evaluates the relationship between anemia and school attendance in India, debunking earlier research…

20, Jun 2024
At least one in four US residential yards exceed new EPA lead soil level guideline

Roughly one in four U.S. households have soil exceeding the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), halved from the previous level of 400 ppm, a new study found. For households with exposure from multiple sources, the EPA lowered the guidance to 100…

19, Jun 2024
The ‘Queen of the Night’ does not whistle

Opera singers have to use the extreme limits of their voice range. Many pedagogical and scientific sources suggest that the highest pitches reached in classical singing can only be produced with a so-called “whistle” voice register, in analogy to ultrasonic vocalizations of mice and rats. An international research team, led…

19, Jun 2024
Cancer survivors are at increased risk of disease throughout life

Swedish researchers have surveyed all people under the age of 25 who have had cancer since 1958. The study, led by researchers at Linköping University and Region Östergötland, shows that cancer survivors are at greater risk for cardiovascular diseases, other cancers and other diagnoses later in life. In addition, the…

18, Jun 2024
Bedtime battles: 1 in 4 parents say their child can’t go to sleep because they’re worried or anxious

Many bedtime battles stem from children’s after dark worries, suggests a new national poll. And while most families have bedtime rituals to help their little ones ease into nighttime, many rely on strategies that may increase sleep challenges long term, according to the University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s…

17, Jun 2024
A new weapon in the battle against antibiotic resistance: Temperature

Scientists from the University of Groningen (the Netherlands), together with colleagues from the University of Montpellier (France) and the University of Oldenburg (Germany), have tested how a fever could affect the development of antimicrobial resistance. In laboratory experiments, they found that a small increase in temperature from 37 to 40…