evidence

A Common Virus Can Trigger Multiple Sclerosis, According to Huge New Study

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Multiple sclerosis – an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and spinal cord – may emerge after infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). An estimated 90 to 95 percent of people catch EBV, also called human herpesvirus 4, by the time they reach adulthood, according to the clinical resource UpToDate.   In children, the virus typically causes an asymptomatic or … Read more

Multiple sclerosis: Best evidence yet that condition is caused by Epstein-Barr virus

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A huge study of US military personnel suggests almost all cases of multiple sclerosis are triggered by the common Epstein-Barr virus, meaning a vaccine could largely eradicate the condition Health 13 January 2022 By Michael Le Page The Epstein-Barr virus viewed under a microscope Mediscan/Alamy It has long been suspected that the common Epstein-Barr virus … Read more

New Evidence Challenges The Idea That Mutations Are Entirely Random

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It’s a common misconception that evolution has a sense of direction – a notion that biology nerds around the world are constantly trying to correct. But new research reveals there may be a semblance of truth to this misconception, at least more than we ever realized.   While it’s not as straightforward as mutation with … Read more

Scientists Have Detected a Faint Hint of The Background Hum of The Universe

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Ever since scientists made the first detection of gravitational waves from a pair of colliding black holes in 2015, evidence has been growing that the Universe ought to be full of them.   Every massive event – every black hole or neutron star merger, every supernova – should have sent gravitational waves ringing out across … Read more

The Earliest Unequivocal Evidence of Our Species May Be Even Older Than We Realized

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The course of human evolution never did run smooth. The emergence of hominins on the continent of Africa is full of twists, turns, gaps, and dead ends, which makes it all the more difficult to retrace the rise of our own species.   Today, we still don’t really know when or where the first Homo … Read more

Hangover Cures Aren’t Supported by Scientific Evidence, Scientists Say

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If a hangover is an experience you’re familiar with, then you might have your own go-to hangover cure to try and get yourself back from that painful, zombie-fied state. However, we have bad news: new research suggests that most of these cures don’t have any solid science behind them.   Through a review of 21 … Read more

We May Be Prescribing Antidepressants Wrong, Claims Concerning New Review

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Millions of people take antidepressants each day, but a major new review of the data brings up some concerns with how the drugs are currently prescribed.  In fact, when taken over long periods for mild and moderate depression, antidepressants may be doing patients more harm than good, the review explains.   That’s not to say … Read more

Remote North Atlantic Islands Were Inhabited Centuries Earlier Than Previously Thought

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The picturesque and remote Faroe Islands sit in the North Atlantic, between Norway and Iceland, around 200 miles (322 kilometers) northwest of Scotland. Today, almost 54,000 people live on the archipelago, but it seems the first inhabitants arrived a lot earlier than previously thought.   From the earliest archaeological structures on the Faroes, we know … Read more

Ancient humans: First evidence that Neanderthals cleared a forest

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When Neanderthals lived at a site called Neumark-Nord in Germany, the region had far fewer trees than surrounding areas, suggesting they may have cleared the forest on purpose Humans 15 December 2021 A lakeside archaeological site at Neumark-Nord in Germany Wil Roebroeks, Leiden University Neanderthals may have reshaped part of the European landscape 125,000 years … Read more

Is our solar system a cosmic oddity? Evidence from exoplanets says yes

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When we started finding planetary systems around other stars we thought many of them would be like ours. We’ve now found hundreds – and it’s so far, so wrong Space 1 December 2021 By Stuart Clark Duc LOng Once upon a time, there was a solar system. In it lived four small rocky planets called … Read more