Science

How Much of a Risk Do Synthetic Food Dyes Pose to Your Health? A Research Weighs In

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Early-onset colorectal cancer incidence among the young, defined as those under age 50, has been rising globally since the early 1990s. Rates for colon and rectal cancers are expected to increase by 90 percent and 124 percent, respectively, by 2030.   One suspected reason behind this trend is increased global consumption of a Westernized diet … Read more

This Protein Could Boost Brain Function without Exercise

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The drumbeat of exercise’s brain benefits may sound familiar. Most of us know that getting our move on can mean a boost to mental and neurological health. But what if, through understanding these biochemical processes, we could get all of that brain gain without going through the exercise pain? Mouse experiments have already demonstrated the … Read more

Croydon cat killer: DNA analysis confirms foxes, not humans, were to blame

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By Jason Arunn Murugesu Foxes are notorious scavengers Jamie_Hall/Getty Images Between 2014 and 2018, more than 300 mutilated cat carcasses were found on London streets, leading to sensational media reports that a feline-targeting serial killer was on the loose. The fact that the cats often had their heads or tails cut off, as well as … Read more

NASA’s Next-Generation Asteroid Impact Monitoring System Just Got Switched On

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When it comes to avoiding asteroid-inflicted apocalypse, we’ll take all the help we can get, and NASA’s next-generation asteroid impact monitoring system, which has just been activated, has us sleeping a little bit easier in our beds.   Called Sentry-II, the new system can take data collected from telescopes and work out the path of … Read more

Abortion Doesn’t Have to Be an Either-Or Conversation

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Opinion Treating the decision with nuance and care is essential to reproductive justice Abortion rights and anti-abortion demonstrators hold signs outside the U.S. Supreme Court while the court holds a hearing on a Mississippi abortion ban, in Washington, DC, on Wednesday, December 1, 2021. Credit: Graeme Sloan/Sipa USA/Alamy Live NewsOpinion Treating the decision with nuance … Read more

‘Don’t Look Up’ delivers a punch in comet-themed climate change film satire (review)

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It’s only four minutes into the new Netflix comet impact film “Don’t Look Up” when astrophysicist Randall Mindy (Leonardo DiCaprio, “Inception”; “Before the Flood”) makes his first mistake. Mindy is leading a team trying to figure out the position and pathway of the newly discovered object, “and that will check the distance between the comet … Read more

Health in space: Sleeping bag could prevent vision loss in astronauts

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Long spells in microgravity can alter eyeball shape, but a sleeping bag that applies suction to the lower body could prevent such problems Space 9 December 2021 By Jason Arunn Murugesu Volunteers spent 72 hours in the high-tech sleeping bag UT Southwestern Medical Center A sleeping bag that mimics the pull of gravity could prevent … Read more

‘Twilight Zone’ Sleep Hack Really Can Spark Creative Thinking, Scientists Say

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A sleep technique described by surrealist artist Salvador Dalí and famous inventor Thomas Edison might actually work to inspire creativity, researchers have found. To get the creativity boost, you essentially need to wake up just as a certain sleep stage sets in, where reality seems to blend into fantasy.   To use the technique, visionaries … Read more

Rich Americans Have Higher Carbon Footprints Than Other Wealthy People

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The richest people are releasing vast amounts of carbon dioxide compared with lower-income people, according to a new report. This idea of “emissions inequality” underscores how nations that are contributing to climate change the most are disproportionately affecting regions that produce far less greenhouse gases. But the report by the World Inequality Lab also shows that the … Read more