ScienceHealth

US Health Officials’ New Plan to Fight the Opioid Crisis: Stop Chronic Pain Before It Starts

On Tuesday, the National Institutes of Health revealed its new plan to tackle the opioid crisis, which it dubbed the Helping to End Addiction Long-term, or HEAL, initiative. Among the ideas presented are research programs devoted to better understanding chronic pain, developing new non-opioid painkillers and addiction treatments, and speeding up the clinical trial process … Continued

ScienceSpace

Detection of Diamond Dust Around Distant Stars Solves Decades-Long Mystery

For years, astronomers have struggled to understand the source of anomalous microwave emissions coming from various locations across the Milky Way galaxy. A recently concluded survey of the planet-forming disks around young stars suggests these strange transmissions are being produced by something rather extraordinary: dense clouds of microscopic diamonds. The appropriately named “anomalous microwave emissions” … Continued

ScienceHealth

People Are Getting Sick From Pre-Cut Melons Tainted With Salmonella

With summer just around the corner, it’s getting to be the perfect weather to enjoy some delish fruits of the melon variety. Unfortunately, there’s a nasty outbreak of Salmonella that’s contaminated certain brands of pre-cut melons, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. On Friday, the CDC reported that at least 60 people … Continued

ScienceAnimals

Meet Jason, the Tiny Beetle Stuck in Amber for 99 Million Years

Featherwing beetles are some of the smallest insects out there—and one researcher managed to spot an ancient specimen in a 99-million-year-old chunk of amber. Just half a millimeter long, this Cretaceous period beetle had its signature fringed wings unfurled when it met its sticky demise. “These beetles lived in the Cretaceous, so they lived with … Continued

ScienceHealth

An Experimental Spit Test Could Identify Men Most at Risk of Prostate Cancer

A test developed by scientists in the UK and US might someday be able to pinpoint the men most likely to get prostate cancer. A new study published Monday in Nature Genetics suggests the test can detect the one percent of men who are genetically most vulnerable to developing prostate cancer, a leading cause of … Continued

ScienceSpace

Martian Dust Storm Sends NASA’s Opportunity Rover into Hibernation Mode

A massive dust storm on Mars has forced NASA to temporarily suspend operations of its Opportunity rover. NASA first caught wind of the dust storm when its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter detected traces of the emerging weather system on June 1. Within a few days, the storm exploded in size, and it now covers an area … Continued

ScienceHealth

New Acne-Fighting Compound Blocks Inflammation and Kills Bacteria Without Irritating Side Effects

If you survived adolescence without a harrowing bout of acne, consider yourself lucky: It’s estimated that 85 percent of people aged 12 to 24 have had at least mild acne. But if you’re among those of us who would have been thrilled to deal with merely “mild” acne, you’ve probably tried a number of different … Continued

ScienceHealth

America’s Suicide Rate Has Increased by Nearly 30 Percent Since 1999

The annual rate of death by suicide has steadily risen in the US since the turn of the millennium, according to a new report released this week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In many cases, those who died had not been diagnosed with any mental health condition—though the data does not specify … Continued

ScienceSpace

What Are These Mystery Puffs Near the Galactic Center?

The center of our galaxy is an extreme place that holds all sorts of mysteries. Among those enigmas are what appear to be gas clouds that somehow refuse to be pulled apart by the immense gravity of the galactic center. Scientists usnig the Keck Observatory have discovered several more of these infrared-emitting objects, they reported … Continued

ScienceHealth

Trump Regime Says Obamacare Shouldn’t Protect People With Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

The U.S. Justice Department made an unusual argument to a federal court last night, claiming that Obamacare’s protections for people with pre-existing medical conditions are unconstitutional. Roughly 1 in 4 Americans have pre-existing conditions that would make it difficult to buy insurance without those protections. If the DOJ is successful, millions of American could be … Continued

ScienceHealth

FDA Sues Company That Claimed Its Hand Sanitizers Could Protect Against Ebola and MRSA

A company that claimed its miracle hand sanitizers and antiseptic lotions would protect people from all sort of nasty diseases, including Ebola, is now being taken to court by the federal government. On Wednesday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it was filing a complaint in federal court against Innovative BioDefense, Inc, the makers and … Continued

ScienceSpace

NASA’s New Horizons Is Awake and Ready to Explore Space Beyond Pluto

Pluto’s most famous visitor, the New Horizons spacecraft, has woken up after 165 days of hibernation. The probe is traveling onward to its next target, another mysterious Kuiper Belt object hiding in the far depths of the Solar System. Its nickname is Ultima Thule, though I prefer the much nicer MU69. “IT’S HAPPENING! IT’S HAPPENING!” … Continued

ScienceHealth

There’s a Cure for Hepatitis C, but Insurance Companies Don’t Want to Pay for It

True cures in medicine are surprisingly rare. But for nearly five years, doctors have had one available for hepatitis C, an often chronic, life-shortening viral disease that wreaks havoc on the liver. The only problem, as a depressing study published Thursday in Open Forum Infectious Diseases highlights, is that private insurance companies and even public … Continued

ScienceHealth

Scientists Create Blood Test That Might Someday Predict a Woman’s Due Date

Getting an early ultrasound to figure out when your child will be born has become part and parcel of becoming a new mom in countries like the U.S. For many women living in countries with poor-quality healthcare, however, ultrasounds are rarely available or too costly to afford. But a new study published by Science on … Continued

ScienceAnimals

Fascinating Experiment Suggests Bees Understand the Concept of Zero

Humans have relegated insects to the lower levels of the cognitive totem pole, but scientists are increasingly showing it’s a mistake to underestimate invertebrate intelligence. As a case in point, new research by French and Australian researchers suggests honey bees understand the concept of zero—a rare and complex capacity shared by an exclusive group of … Continued

ScienceSpace

Curiosity Rover Finds 3.5-Billion-Year-Old Organic Compounds and Strange Methane on Mars

No, NASA hasn’t discovered life on Mars yet—but a new result makes it seem like maybe, at some point in the planet’s history, the conditions were ripe for some extraterrestrial beings. Maybe. The scientists behind experiments conducted by the Curiosity rover are today reporting two results that make the Red Planet’s story even more interesting. … Continued

ScienceAnimals

In the World of Male Dolphin Alliances, Individual Names Identify Friends and Foes

The life of a bottlenose dolphin can be surprisingly rough, with individuals chasing, biting, and smashing themselves against each other in the struggle for social dominance. Sometimes, males form long-lasting alliances with each other to gain an edge, but as new research shows, not at the expense of losing an indelible aspect of a dolphin’s … Continued

ScienceSpace

What Is Dark Matter and Why Hasn’t Anyone Found It Yet?

Five-sixths of the universe’s stuff seems to be missing, and we just can’t find it. It’s called “dark matter,” and scientists have gone looking for it with some of the world’s largest, most expensive experiments. Time and time again, these experiments come up empty handed. Most recently, the scientists at the XENON1T experiment, a literal … Continued

ScienceHealth

The More Educated We Get, the More Nearsighted We Become

It’s taken as a given that the more schooling we get, the better off our lives will be across the board. But a new study published Wednesday in The BMJ reaffirms a hidden health risk of higher education. The more years of school someone gets, it turns out, the greater the chances of them becoming … Continued

ScienceHealth

Dr. Oz’s Latest Health Advice: Check Your Horoscope

Dr. Mehmet Oz is at it again. The infamous snake oil salesman tweeted today, asking his followers to learn more about the link between a person’s astrological sign and their health. After a brief paroxysm of screaming, I clicked through the slideshow to learn that, as a Capricorn, I am so ambitious and take on … Continued