The Tsimane people—a forager-horticulturalist population of the Bolivian Amazon—have the lowest reported levels of vascular aging for any population, with coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) being five times less common than in the U.S., according to a study published today in The Lancet and presented at the American College of Cardiology.
Senior author of the study is Gregory S. Thomas, M.D., MPH, Medical Director, MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute, Long Beach (CA)...
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AI in gaming
Columbia University’s research suggest taking vitamin B may play a critical role in reducing the impact of air pollution on the epigenome
New study by researchers at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health showed that B vitamins may play a critical role in reducing the impact of air pollution on the epigenome, further demonstrating the epigenetic effects of air pollution on health. This is the first study to detail a course of research for developing interventions that prevent or minimize the adverse effects of air pollution on potential automatic markers. The results are published online in the journal PNAS.
An e...
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University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, in Scotland research study found that sedentary behaviors begin to set in shortly after the ripe old age of 7.
There is a widely held and influential view that physical activity begins to decline at adolescence. This study aimed to identify the timing of changes in physical activity during childhood and adolescence.
John Reilly from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, in Scotland research study found that sedentary behaviors begin to set in shortly after the ripe old age of 7.
Longitudinal cohort study (Gateshead Millennium Study) with eight years of follow-up, from Northeast England. Cohort me...
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Stanford University has developed novel method to Label-Free Detection of Chemical Toxins in Tap Water by leveraging Fluorescent Carrier Ampholytes Assay.
New novel method for fluorescence-based indirect detection of analytes and demonstrate its use for label-free detection of chemical toxins in a hand-held device.
Environmental monitoring efforts, and water quality assessment in particular, would benefit from widely available and inexpensive chemical assays and sensor technologies.1 Gas and liquid chromatography methods, and their coupling to mass spectrometry, currently are standard methods suggested by the United States Environmental Protect...
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Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is instituting new Lifelong Learning Machines (L2M) program that seeks to develop the foundations for systems that might someday “learn” in much the way biological organisms do
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Defense responsible for the development of emerging technologies for use by the military.
DARPA was created in February 1958 as the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Its purpose was to formulate and execute research and development projects to expand the frontiers of technology and science, with the aim to reach beyond immediate military requirements.
DARPA...
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‘NanoCar’ is a molecule design with the idea that it can transport themselves through the bloodstream in order to deliver drugs to previously unreachable locations in the human body with a high degree of accuracy
The nanocar is a molecule designed in 2005 at Rice University by a group headed by Professor James Tour. The molecule consists of an H-shaped 'chassis' with fullerene groups attached at the four corners to act as wheels.
According to Professor Tour - Rice University, this development is a watershed in so far as constructing successfully a nanocar represents the first step toward molecular manufacturing. Professor Tour avers: “It’s the beginning of learning how to manipulate things at the nano...
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Researchers at Harvard and MIT have developed a drug cocktail that unlocks potential to regrow inner-ear ‘hair’ cells and improve hearing
One of the most amazing functional groups in the body is the auditory system. We often take for granted the gift of hearing, and can’t imagine what life would be like without the ability to communicate with others or to enjoy music and all the other sounds in our environment. However, in order to enable us to hear and interpret those sounds, there are an enormous number of tasks that the auditory system must perform, as we will see. It far surpasses any existing sound reproduction system around....
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University of Basel Sweden research has found that spiders eat 400-800 million tons of prey every year
It has long been suspected that spiders are one of the most important groups of predators of insects. Zoologists at the University of Basel and Lund University in Sweden have now shown just how true this is – spiders kill astronomical numbers of insects on a global scale. The scientific journal The Science of Nature has published the results.
With more than 45,000 species and a population density of up to 1,000 individuals per square meter, spiders are one of the world’s most species-rich a...
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Insufficient sleep in early childhood may lead to cognitive, behavioral problems in later years
A study led by a Massachusetts General Hospital pediatrician finds that children ages 3 to 7 who don’t get enough sleep are more likely to have problems with attention, emotional control and peer relationships in mid-childhood. Reported online in the journal Academic Pediatrics, the study found significant differences in the responses of parents and teachers to surveys regarding executive function – which includes attention, working memory, reasoning and problem solving – and behavioral problem...
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Researchers at North Carolina State University have created a “nano-accordion” material that conducts electricity and is transparent, flexible, and stretchable
Researchers from North Carolina State University have created stretchable, transparent conductors that work because of the structures’ “nano-accordion” design. The conductors could be used in a wide variety of applications, such as flexible electronics, stretchable displays or wearable sensors.
Multifunctional nano-accordion structures exhibiting a unique combination of conductivity, stretchability, and transparency are fabricated through a combination of nanolithography and atomic layer depo...
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NASA high-temp materials for spacecraft may help save firefighters
NASA research into flexible, high-temperature space materials may some day improve personal fire shelter systems and help wildland firefighters better survive dangerous wildfires.
NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is working with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service to see if flexible thermal protection system technology being developed for space entry vehicles could also work to protect firefighters caught in a raging forest fire.
The material the NASA re...
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MIT study examines role of acoustic-gravity waves as ocean transport, early warning of tsunamis.
New study examines role of acoustic-gravity waves as ocean transport, early warning of tsunamis.
Acoustic–gravity waves
In fluid dynamics, gravity waves are waves generated in a fluid medium or at the interface between two media when the force of gravity or buoyancy tries to restore equilibrium. An example of such an interface is that between the atmosphere and the ocean, which gives rise to wind waves.
A theory of guided propagation of sound in layered, movinMITg fluids is extended to ...
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Unviersity of Tokyo has developed a hydrogel that may be an excellent replacement for vitreous. (clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina)
Vitreous body is the clear gel that fills the space between the lens and the retina of the eyeball of humans and other vertebrates. It is often referred to as the vitreous humour or simply "the vitreous".
Unviersity of Tokyo, have developed a hydrogel that may be an excellent replacement for vitreous. A hydrogel made of crosslinked clusters of highly branched polymers that forms in 10 minutes can function as an artificial vitreous body.
Fast-forming hydrogel with ultralow polymeric content a...
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Netherlands Delft University of Technology researchers have developed on-chip microwave laser based on a fundamental property of superconductivity
Lasers are everywhere nowadays: doctors use them to correct eyesight, cashiers to scan your groceries, and quantum scientist to control qubits in the future quantum computer. For most applications, the current bulky, energy inefficient lasers are fine, but quantum scientist work at extremely low temperatures and on very small scales. For over 40 years, they have been searching for efficient and precise microwave lasers that will not disturb the very cold environment in which quantum technolo...
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Northwestern University research suggest sound waves may improve deep sleep and memory in older adults
Amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) is a disorder of impaired memory and is often a precursor to Alzheimer's disease. There is increasing evidence linking sleep and cognition, such that decreased sleep, particularly slow-wave (deep) sleep, is associated with impaired cognitive performance. This study conducted tested a system of auditory stimulation to see if it improves sleep and cognition in people with aMCI.
Participants were randomly assigned to receive either the test stimulation o...
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Arizona State University & Other research have found Babies are born at considerable risk due to the toxic load
Two different studies from the Environmental Working Group examined newborn’s blood, and found over 200+ toxins in newborn’s blood! Some of these toxins were pesticides, Bisphenol A, mercury, some are known to cause cancer, and some are known to be neurotoxic. The babies were exposed in utero to these chemicals directly from the mother’s exposure. Some of these toxins can have an immediate affect, such as low birth weight. But some cause problems later in the child's life. There is a phenomenon ...
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University of Texas professor John Goodenough who invented Lithium-Ion Battery has now developed new solid state battery technology for fast-charging, noncombustible batteries
A team of engineers led by 94-year-old John Goodenough, professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin and co-inventor of the lithium-ion battery, has developed the first all-solid-state battery cells that could lead to safer, faster-charging, longer-lasting rechargeable batteries for handheld mobile devices, electric cars and stationary energy storage.
Goodenough’s latest breakthrough, completed with Cockrell School senior research fellow Maria H...
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UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH London research found small genetic contributions to self-reported tiredness and low energy
Already feeling drained so early in the year? Genes might contribute in a small but significant way to whether people report being tired and low in energy. This is according to UK researchers led by Vincent Deary of Northumbria University, Newcastle, and Saskia Hagenaars of the University of Edinburgh, in a paper in Springer Nature’s journal Molecular Psychiatry.
They found that genetics accounts for about eight percent of people’s differences in self-reported tiredness/low energy; this impli...
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A study led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) finds that vitamin D supplements protect against acute respiratory infections including colds and flu
If you've repeatedly fallen for this annual propaganda campaign, you may be surprised to find the medical literature suggests vitamin D may actually be a FAR more effective strategy, and the evidence for this goes back at least a decade.
Dr. John Cannell, founder of the Vitamin D Council, was one of the first to introduce the idea that vitamin D deficiency may actually be an underlying CAUSE of influenza.
Vitamin D protects against colds and flu, finds major global study
Overall, ...
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Harvard and other University research suggest mothers’ education is one of the most important factors influencing children’s reading levels and other school achievements
Why children succeed or fail in school is one of the most enduring questions for educational researchers. A salient finding from traditional research on both adult education and early childhood intervention programs is that the mother' s level of education is one of the most important factors influencing children's reading levels and other school achievements.
Generally, traditional research has revealed that more highly educated mothers have greater success in providing their children with t...
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MIT researchers have developed low-cost wireless chemical sensors that can be worn by soldiers to detect hazardous chemical agents
MIT researchers have developed low-cost chemical sensors, made from chemically altered carbon nanotubes, that enable smartphones or other wireless devices to detect trace amounts of toxic gases.
Using the sensors, the researchers hope to design lightweight, inexpensive radio-frequency identification (RFID) badges to be used for personal safety and security. Such badges could be worn by soldiers on the battlefield to rapidly detect the presence of chemical weapons — such as nerve gas or chokin...
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Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology South Korea has created a metal-based substance that works to cut out amyloid-β, the protein vital for the development of Alzheimer’s disease
Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, or UNIST, in South Korea has created a metal-based substance that works to cut out amyloid-β, the protein vital for the development of Alzheimer's disease.
Researchers found that by hydrolyzing, a process of splitting a molecule apart using water, amyloid-beta proteins using a crystal structure called tetra-N methylated cyclam, or TMC, they could reduce the toxicity of Aβ.
The team used cobalt, nickel, copper and zinc placed at the center...
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Scientists From Columbia University have developed light bulb thinner than paper
Imagine a light bulb made from something thinner than paper, but stronger than any other material known to man. Seems impossible — except it isn't. A group of scientists from Columbia University, Seoul National University and the Korea Research Institute of Standards and Science announced that they successfully developed a light bulb made out of graphene — material that's only as thick as an atom, but strong as a diamond. Indeed, graphene is considered the world's strongest material.
While th...
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Harvard university researchers have developed a 3D picture-language for mathematics so as to provide insights and a way of thinking that you don’t see in the usual, algebraic way of approaching mathematics
The Harvard trio of Arthur Jaffe, the Landon T. Clay Professor of Mathematics and Theoretical Science, postdoctoral fellow Zhengwei Liu, and researcher Alex Wozniakowski has developed a 3-D picture-language for mathematics with potential as a tool across a range of topics, from pure math to physics.
We present a 3D, topological picture-language for quantum information. Our approach combines charged excitations carried by strings, with topological properties that arise from embedding the strin...
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Stanford and Oxford University researchers have created novel flexible solar cells from crystalline perovskite that could outperform existing silicon cells and allow it to be printed
A perovskite solar cell is a type of solar cell which includes a perovskite structured compound, most commonly a hybrid organic-inorganic lead or tin halide-based material, as the light-harvesting active layer. Perovskite materials such as methylammonium lead halides are cheap to produce and simple to manufacture.
Perovskite solar cells have shown potential both in the rapid efficiency improvement (from 2.2% in 2006 to the latest record 20.1% in 2014) and in cheap material and manufacturing c...
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MIT researchers discover astonishing behavior of water confined in carbon nanotubes making water freeze solid at boiling temperatures
It’s a well-known fact that water, at sea level, starts to boil at a temperature of 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or 100 degrees Celsius. And scientists have long observed that when water is confined in very small spaces, its boiling and freezing points can change a bit, usually dropping by around 10 C or so.
But now, a team at MIT has found a completely unexpected set of changes: Inside the tiniest of spaces — in carbon nanotubes whose inner dimensions are not much bigger than a few water molecule...
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Researchers at Nottingham Trent University (UK) have developed smart balaclava with electric-conductive yarns that can help athletes stay warm and avert chest infections in cold weather
Researchers have developed a smart balaclava which warms oxygen before it’s inhaled to reduce the risk of athletes contracting chest infections in winter.
Nottingham Trent University and German advanced knitting machine manufacturer Stoll GmBH created a prototype to help runners and skiers who can be exposed to increased risk of infections when exercising in the cold.
The technology centres on a knitted patch of electric-conductive yarn over the nose and mouth which emits heat when cha...
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University of Tokyo suggest calcium controls sleep duration. Change in calcium concentration in neurons determines sleep or waking state
University of Tokyo and RIKEN researchers have identified seven genes responsible for causing mice to stay awake or fall asleep based on a theoretical model of sleep and on experiments using 21 different genetically-modified mice, some of which showed different sleep durations. Researchers hope that their research will contribute to the understanding and treatment of sleep disorders and associated neurodegenerative diseases.
All animals appear to sleep for varying durations. In humans, sleep ...
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Carnegie Mellon University study provides the first biological evidence that suggest that married people are healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed.
Studies have suggested that married people are healthier than those who are single, divorced or widowed. A new Carnegie Mellon University study provides the first biological evidence to support that claim.
Published in Psychoneuroendocrinology, the researchers found that married individuals had lower levels of the stress hormone cortisol than those who never married or were previously married. These findings support the belief that unmarried people face more psychological stress than married in...
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Georgia Institute of Technology researchers have developed four-stroke engine that produces hydrogen from methane and captures co2
When is an internal combustion engine not an internal combustion engine? When it’s been transformed into a modular reforming reactor that could make hydrogen available to power fuel cells wherever there’s a natural gas supply available.
By adding a catalyst, a hydrogen separating membrane and carbon dioxide sorbent to the century-old four-stroke engine cycle, researchers have demonstrated a laboratory-scale hydrogen reforming system that produces the green fuel at relatively low temperature i...
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