Science! (9 Viewers)

[Optimus Prime]

Houseflies may pose a larger risk to human health than commonly believed, according to scientists.

Research from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, US, published in theInsects journal, suggests that these insects could be carriers of disease-producing pathogens, which they transmit to humans through what is known as “fly vomit”.

Daily, flies will typically feed on a variety of foods including roadkill, animal faeces, food waste and other rubbish……

Scientists say fly vomit may pose greater risk to humans than insect bites

Female flies pose a greater risk than male flies

www.independent.co.uk

 

[Sailorsaint]

People who experience frequent bad dreams in middle age may experience a faster rate of cognitive decline and be at higher risk of dementia as they get older, data suggests.

If confirmed, the research could eventually lead to new ways of screening for dementia and intervention to slow the rate of decline.

Most people experience bad dreams from time to time, but approximately 5% of adults experience nightmares – dreams distressing enough to wake them up – at least once a week.

Stress, anxiety, and sleep deprivation are all potential triggers, but previous research in people with Parkinson’s disease has also linked frequent distressing dreams to faster rates of cognitive decline, and an increased risk of developing dementia in the future.

To investigate whether the same might be true of healthy adults, Dr Abidemi Otaiku at the University of Birmingham turned to data from three previous studies that have examined people’s sleep quality and then followed them over many years, assessing their brain health as well as other outcomes.

This included more than 600 middle-aged adults (aged 35 to 64), and 2,600 people aged 79 and older.

Their data was analysed using statistical software to find out whether those who experienced a higher frequency of distressing dreams were more likely to go on to experience cognitive decline and be diagnosed with dementia.

The research, published in eClinicalMedicine, found that middle-aged people who experienced bad dreams at least once a week were four times more likely to experience cognitive decline over the following decade than those who rarely had nightmares.

Among elderly participants, those who frequently reported distressing dreams were twice as likely to be diagnosed with dementia in subsequent years.

One possibility is that people who have frequent bad dreams have poor quality sleep, which could gradually lead to a buildup of proteins associated with dementia.

Another is the existence of some genetic factor that underpins both phenomena……

Bad dreams in middle age could be sign of dementia risk, study suggests

Research finds people who had them at least once a week were four times more likely to experience cognitive decline

www.theguardian.com

I divorced my nightmare years ago.

 

[Tapxe]

 

[Dago]

Scientists apparently create matter from nothing

Scientists create matter from nothing in groundbreaking experiment

Scientists have managed to create matter out of nothing, a quantum physics feat previously thought impossible.

bgr.com

 

[Hedon James]

Scientists apparently create matter from nothing

Scientists create matter from nothing in groundbreaking experiment

Scientists have managed to create matter out of nothing, a quantum physics feat previously thought impossible.

bgr.com

we've been doing more and more, with less and less, for so long that we can literally create something from nothing?! given the historical trend, i guess it was inevitable. wait until upper management finds out about this, and starts thumping their chest(s) in vindication.

 

[Eeyore]

Any married man has been witness to somebody creating something from nothing.

 

[Crzycjunx76]

Did Chubbs teammate just tackle him on that run?

Wrong thread im afraid

 

[Merl]

Did Chubbs teammate just tackle him on that run?

oops!

 

[Sailorsaint]

Wrong thread im afraid

The answer was yes, btw.

 

[bonnjer]

‘Miracle’ herpes treatment eradicates tumours in terminally-ill cancer patients

Terminally-ill cancer patients have seen their tumours completely eradicated or shrunk after being treated with a genetically-engineered version of the herpes virus.

www.yahoo.com

 

[Tapxe]

 

[Tapxe]

 

[Optimus Prime]

Is your diet ultra-processed?
In many households, ultra-processed foods are mainstays at the kitchen table.

They include products that you may not even think of as junk food such as breakfast cereals, muffins, snack bars and sweetened yogurts. Soft drinks and energy drinks count, too.


These foods represent an increasingly large share of the world’s diet. Almost 60 percent of the calories that adults in America eat are from ultra-processed foods. They account for 25 to 50 percent of the calories consumed in many other countries, including England, Canada, France, Lebanon, Japan and Brazil.


Every year, food companies introduce thousands of new ultra-processed foods with an endless variety of flavors and ingredients.

These products deliver potent combinations of fat, sugar, sodium and artificial flavors.

They are what scientists call hyper-palatable: Irresistible, easy to overeat, and capable of hijacking the brain’s reward system and provoking powerful cravings.


Yet in dozens of large studies, scientists have found that ultra-processed foods are linked to higher rates of obesity, heart disease, hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and colon cancer.

A recent study of more than 22,000 people found that people who ate a lot of ultra-processed foods had a 19 percent higher likelihood of early death and a 32 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease compared with people who ate few ultra-processed foods.


So how do we break our dependence on ultra-processed foods? You can start by learning which foods in your diet count as ultra-processed. You don’t necessarily have to give them up. But once you know how to spot an ultra-processed food, it’s easy to find a less-processed substitute…….


If you need the convenience of ultra-processed foods, you can check labels and comparison shop. Try to pick the products with the fewest ingredients. For help while shopping, you can pull up a website on your phone called truefood.tech.

On the site you can type in a food that you want to buy — such as chicken nuggets or breakfast cereal — and in response the site will show you dozens of brands and recommend the least processed versions.

The site uses machine learning to rank foods on a scale of 1 to 100 based on factors such as how many additives they contain and their degree of processing. The lower the score the better……

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2022/09/27/ultraprocessed-foods/

 

[Optimus Prime]

Regularly exercising with weights is linked to a lower risk of premature death, according to the largest study of its kind.

And ensuring your weekly exercise routine includes both weights and aerobic activities appears to have an even greater beneficial effect, researchers say. Their findings were published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Adults are urged to take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity……

The study found that adults who reported doing weightlifting had a 9% lower “all-cause mortality risk”. A similar observation was made for heart disease deaths but no link was found between weight training and cancer deaths.

Those who took part in “regular” weightlifting were found to have a 14% lower risk of death. Those who met the aerobic activity levels had a 32% lower risk of premature death.

Adults who reported meeting the aerobic activity guidelines and weightlifting at least one or two times every week were found to have a 41% to 47% lower risk of premature death.

The study focused only on weights, but there were other types of muscle strengthening exercise, said the researchers, such as push-ups (press-ups), squats, pilates, tuck jumps and burpees……

Exercise with weights linked to lower risk of early death, study says

Older adults could benefit from routine including aerobics and strengthening activities, according to researchers

www.theguardian.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

Whether it’s a tricky maths problem or an unexpected bill, daily life is full of stressful experiences. Now researchers have found that humans produce a different odour when under pressure – and dogs can sniff it out.

While previous studies have suggested canines might pick up on human emotions, possibly through smell, questions remained over whether they could detect stress and if this could be done through scent.

“This study has definitively proven that people, when they have a stress response, their odour profile changes,” said Clara Wilson, a PhD student at Queen’s University Belfast, and first author of the research.

Wilson added the findings could prove useful when training service dogs, such as those that support people with post-raumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

“They’re often trained to look at someone either crouching down on the floor, or starting to do self-injurious behaviours,” said Wilson..

The latest study, she said, offers another potential cue.

“There is definitely a smell component, and that might be valuable in the training of these dogs in addition to all of the visual stuff,” said Wilson……

Ruff day? Dogs can detect if people are stressed, research finds

Study finds stress response changes people’s ‘odour profile’ – which dogs can sniff out

www.theguardian.com