The ‘Powerhouse of The Cell’ Could Be Secretly Helping Mammal Eyes Process Light

For you to read this article, the eyes have to perform quite the task – light enters the cornea and travels through the pupil and lens to the retina at the back, where light-sensitive cells such as cones and rods then pass things on to the brain via electrical signals in the optic nerve.   … Read more

Nostalgia Evokes Many Things. Even Pain Relief, Scientists Show

The longing and wistfulness of nostalgia can make a person feel many different things. Amidst the memories, both happy and sad, you might even find a unique form of pain relief.   The observation is not new. Beyond boosting wellbeing and improving physical comfort, nostalgia has previously been shown to lessen perceptions of pain. Yet … Read more

Mysterious Effects of Smoking May Surface Even 3 Generations Later, Study Finds

The great-granddaughters of men who smoked cigarettes when they were pre-pubescent boys are more likely to carry excess fat on their bodies as young women several decades later, a rather startling study has found.   The discovery – which scientists claim is one of the “first human demonstrations of transgenerational effects of an environmental exposure … Read more

Covid-19 news: Most short-term vaccine symptoms down to nocebo effect

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A man receives a vaccine jab at a mass vaccination centre at Wembley Stadium in London, England. Xinhua/Shutterstock Latest coronavirus news as of 2pm on 19 January Most symptoms reported following covid-19 vaccines … Read more

Over 60% of Adverse Reactions to COVID-19 Vaccines May Just Be The Nocebo Effect

The human mind, it seems, is a very powerful thing. According to a new study involving over 45,000 patients, most of the adverse reactions people experienced after having a COVID-19 vaccination could be due to the nocebo effect.   The nocebo effect is a bit like the ‘evil twin’ of the placebo effect, occurring when … Read more

What Is The ‘Lunar Effect,’ And What Does It Have to Do With Shark Attacks?

When the full Moon rises, strange things can happen here on Earth. Oysters snap close. Corals spawn. Zooplankton dive deeper. Seabirds stick to the shore. And lions hunt less.   Several of these behaviors are tied to moonlight; others, to tides. But some have no clear explanation at all. More than 50 years’ worth of shark … Read more

Why Discovering ‘Nothing’ in Science Can Be So Incredibly Important

In science, as in life, we all like to celebrate the big news. We confirmed the existence of black holes by the ripples they create in space time. We photographed the shadow of a black hole. We figured out how to edit DNA. We found the Higgs boson!   What we don’t usually hear about is … Read more

Here’s What You Really Should Know About ‘Negative-Calorie’ Foods, According to Experts

The internet is full of quick-fix weight-loss hacks. One popular suggestion is to eat ‘negative-calorie’ foods such as celery, because you burn more energy eating and digesting the celery than you absorb.   Is it true that eating some foods makes us lose calories rather than gain them? And does eating these foods help weight loss? We … Read more

Fish farms: Escaped salmon have damaging effect on wild gene pool

The evolutionary fitness of Atlantic salmon is being damaged by genetic contamination as wild fish breed with escapees from fish farms Life 22 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan A salmon farm in Norway Marius Dobilas/Shutterstock When wild Atlantic salmon breed with escaped farmed salmon, their descendants grow faster and mature at a younger age, undermining … Read more