Hit your head, lose your sense of smell

It's long been known that people who suffer a major concussion can lose their sense of smell temporarily and also develop affective problems, such as anxiety and depression. Now scientists have found that's true even for people who get a minor concussion.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hit-your-head-lose-your-sense-of-smell

Researchers unlock access to pain relief potential of cannabis

University of Guelph researchers are the first to uncover how the cannabis plant creates important pain-relieving molecules that are 30 times more powerful at reducing inflammation than Aspirin.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-unlock-access-to-pain-relief-potential-of-cannabis

Zhang group identifies gene that may make TNBC cells vulnerable to existing

Certain therapies that have proven effective in treating some types of breast cancers are ineffective for women diagnosed with triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In fact, there is limited targeted drug therapy for this type of breast cancer—the most aggressive type, diagnosed in about 20 percent of breast cancer patients.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/zhang-group-identifies-gene-that-may-make-tnbc-cells-vulnerable-to-existing

Active pharmaceutical ingredients can persist in the environment

Homeowners who rely on private wells as their drinking water source can be vulnerable to bacteria, nitrates, and other contaminants that have known human health risks. Because they are not connected to a public drinking water supply, the homeowners are responsible for ensuring that their own drinking water is safe.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/active-pharmaceutical-ingredients-can-persist-in-the-environment

PrEP use high but wanes after three months among young African women

In a study of open-label Truvada as daily pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) to prevent HIV among 427 young African women and adolescent girls, 95% initiated the HIV prevention strategy, and most used PrEP for the first three months. However, PrEP use fell among participants in this critical population during a year of follow-up clinic visits, although HIV incidence at 12 months was low. The preliminary results suggest that tailored, evidence-based adherence support strategies may be needed to durably engage young African women in consistent PrEP use. The study, known as HPTN 082, was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), both parts of the National Institutes of Health. The data were presented at the 10th International AIDS Society Conference on HIV Science.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/prep-use-high-but-wanes-after-three-months-among-young-african-women

E. coli superbug strains can persist in healthy women's guts

A recent study of over 1,000 healthy women with no symptoms of urinary tract infections showed nearly 9 percent carried multi-drug resistant Escherichia coli strains in their guts.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/e-coli-superbug-strains-can-persist-in-healthy-womens-guts

Study identifies cells required for the development of a healthy uterus

Knowledge of the biological processes involved in the development of the uterus is important for understanding uterine health and fertility. A research team led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) has uncovered important insights on a type of cell that is critical for the formation of a functioning uterus.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-identifies-cells-required-for-the-development-of-a-healthy-uterus

Researchers map protein-gene interactions involved in Alzheimer's disease

Among the confounding challenges of diagnosing and treating Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the fact that patients with asymptomatic and symptomatic versions of the degenerative condition may share similar neuropathological burdens but experience significantly different rates of cognitive decline.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-map-protein-gene-interactions-involved-in-alzheimers-disease

Most women use vaginal ring for HIV prevention in open-label study

In an open-label study of women in southern and eastern Africa, a vaginal ring that is inserted once a month and slowly releases an antiviral drug was estimated to reduce the risk of HIV by 39%, according to statistical modeling. In addition, the study found that participants appeared to use the ring more in the open-label study than in a previous clinical trial. These and other results of the HIV Open Label Extension (HOPE) study were presented today at the 10th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2019) in Mexico City.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/most-women-use-vaginal-ring-for-hiv-prevention-in-open-label-study

Cane toad testes smaller at the invasion front

Understanding the dynamics of cane toad dispersal is vital information for scientists helping native animals survive the spread of the poisonous invasive species.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/cane-toad-testes-smaller-at-the-invasion-front

Left eye? Right eye? American robins have preference when looking at decoy eggs

Just as humans are usually left- or right-handed, other species sometimes prefer one appendage, or eye, over the other. A new study reveals that American robins that preferentially use one eye significantly more than the other when looking at their own clutch of eggs are also more likely to detect, and reject, a foreign egg placed in their nest by another bird species—or by a devious scientist.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/left-eye-right-eye-american-robins-have-preference-when-looking-at-decoy-eggs

Psychological support 'not available' to one in three cancer patients who need it

People with cancer have trouble accessing appropriate psychological support, a new global report published today by the All.Can international cancer initiative reveals.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/psychological-support-not-available-to-one-in-three-cancer-patients-who-need-it

Eyes on VENUS: ORNL to deliver unique US neutron imaging capability for science discovery

The ability to directly see the atomic fabric of materials provides pivotal information in accelerating the design and improving the performance of future technologies. Visualizing in real space the behaviors and dynamics of materials requires powerful probes and advanced instrumentation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/eyes-on-venus-ornl-to-deliver-unique-us-neutron-imaging-capability-for-science-discovery

'Browning' white fat cells opens new avenue to obesity prevention

Scientists are getting closer to understanding how to turn the body's energy-storing white fat cells into energy-burning beige fat cells, opening up hopes that fat deposits could one day be deliberately manipulated to prevent obesity and related health conditions.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/browning-white-fat-cells-opens-new-avenue-to-obesity-prevention

Finding one's way in the rainforest

Knowing which direction to go in order to reach food or home is important for many animal species, including humans. For human foragers who travel long distances every day for hunting and gathering, orientation skills are essential. Haneul Jang and her colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology set out to study how the Mbendjele BaYaka people in Republic of the Congo orient themselves in the dense rainforest. The researchers conducted more than 600 pointing tests with 54 Mbendjele BaYaka men, women and children aged between six and 76 years, in which the participants were asked to point to an out-of-sight target in more than 60 different rainforest locations (including the camp).

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/finding-ones-way-in-the-rainforest

Depression associated with risky sexual behavior among truck drivers in Kenya

Truck drivers in sub-Saharan Africa are particularly at risk for both mental health disorders, including depression, and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV, due to the stressful, transient lifestyle associated with their occupation.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/depression-associated-with-risky-sexual-behavior-among-truck-drivers-in-kenya

Researchers unveil first of four reports on racial disparities in prosecutor behavior

To promote fairness and transparency in the criminal justice system, researchers at FIU and Loyola University Chicago have partnered with prosecutors in Tampa, Chicago, Jacksonville and Milwaukee to take a fresh look at prosecutorial performance and decision-making.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-unveil-first-of-four-reports-on-racial-disparities-in-prosecutor-behavior

Vision scientist says evolution has trained humans to construct reality, rather than to see the world as it truly is

Perception is not objective reality. Case in point: The above image is stationary and flat …just try telling your brain that. In his new book, The Case Against Reality, UCI cognitive scientist Donald Hoffman applies this concept to the whole of human consciousness—how we see, think, feel and interact with the world around us. And he thinks we've been looking at it all wrong.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/vision-scientist-says-evolution-has-trained-humans-to-construct-reality-rather-than-to-see-the-world-as-it-truly-is

Breast cancer research could expand lung cancer therapies

New research into a genetic mutation's role in breast cancer could open new treatment options for lung cancer, according to a Michigan State University scientist.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/breast-cancer-research-could-expand-lung-cancer-therapies

To assess a cell's health, follow the glucose

A new spectroscopic technique reveals that glucose use in live cells provides valuable information about the functional status of cells, tissues, and organs. Shifts in a cell's use of glucose can signal changes in health and progress of disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/to-assess-a-cells-health-follow-the-glucose

It takes more than mass protests to drive change

Those large-scale protests on everything from climate change to wealth inequality make for engaging news segments. But do they result in real change?

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/it-takes-more-than-mass-protests-to-drive-change

Warped diffusive radio halo detected around the galaxy NGC 4565

Using the LOw-Frequency ARray (LOFAR), astronomers have discovered a diffuse radio halo around the spiral galaxy NGC 4565. The finding, reported in a paper published July 16 on the arXiv pre-print server, could shed more light on the nature of NGC 4565, disclosing important insights about star-forming activity and the distribution of cosmic-ray electrons in this galaxy.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/warped-diffusive-radio-halo-detected-around-the-galaxy-ngc-4565

Sri Lanka orders return of smuggled British garbage

Sri Lanka customs Tuesday ordered the return of container loads of hazardous mortuary and clinical waste illegally imported into the island from Britain under the cover of metal recycling.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sri-lanka-orders-return-of-smuggled-british-garbage

One year on, deadly Greek wildfire haunts survivors

Twelve months on, you can still see it in the faces of the survivors: the deadly wildfires that killed 102 people in the Greek coastal town of Mati has left its mark on local people.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/one-year-on-deadly-greek-wildfire-haunts-survivors

Portugal's firefighters gain upper hand in forest blazes

Hundreds of Portuguese firefighters aided by overnight rain gained the upper hand against massive wildfires raging in a central region for four days and said they hoped to bring them under control on Tuesday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/portugals-firefighters-gain-upper-hand-in-forest-blazes

Scientists discover new chemistry that may help explain the origins of cellular life

Before life began on Earth, the environment likely contained a massive number of chemicals that reacted with each other more or less randomly, and it is unclear how the complexity of cells could have emerged from such chemical chaos. Now, a team led by Tony Z. Jia at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and Kuhan Chandru of the National University of Malaysia has shown that simple α-hydroxy acids, like glycolic and lactic acid, spontaneously polymerize and self-assemble into polyester microdroplets when dried at moderate temperatures followed by rehydration. This could be what happened along primitive beaches and river banks, or in drying puddles. These form a new type of cell-like compartment that can trap and concentrate biomolecules like nucleic acids and proteins. These droplets, unlike most modern cells, are able to merge and reform easily, and thus could have hosted versatile early genetic and metabolic systems potentially critical for the origins of life.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/scientists-discover-new-chemistry-that-may-help-explain-the-origins-of-cellular-life

Garlic on broccoli: A smelly approach to repel a major pest

Agricultural insect pests seek out familiar scents to find their plant hosts. However, they can also be repelled by odors from other plant species.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/garlic-on-broccoli-a-smelly-approach-to-repel-a-major-pest