muscle

Muscle Strengthening Linked to Lower Risk of Dying – Even in Short Amounts

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Spending just 30-60 minutes a week on muscle strengthening exercises could be enough to significantly reduce your risk of dying, according to a new study – even with no extra cardio exercise like running or cycling added in.   Based on an analysis of 16 previous studies, covering up to 25 years of research and … Read more

Just Two Simple Muscle Exercises Can Help Reduce Dizziness When Standing Up

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Feeling dizzy or light-headed when standing is a common experience caused by a drop in blood pressure. When this blood pressure dip is very brief and rapid, and not tied to any other health problems, it’s referred to as initial orthostatic hypotension or IOH.   New research suggests some simple muscle exercises before or after standing … Read more

Scientists Made a ‘Fish’ From Human Cardiac Cells, And It Swims Like a Beating Heart

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With its tail flipping rhythmically from side to side, this strange synthetic fish scoots around in its salt and glucose solution, using the same power as our beating hearts. This nifty miniaturized circulatory system, developed by scientists at Harvard and Emory universities, can keep swimming to the beat for more than 100 days.   The … Read more

The Science Behind Why Some of Us Can’t Grow Big Muscles After Turning 50

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There is perhaps no better way to see the absolute pinnacle of human athletic abilities than by watching the Olympics. But at the Winter Games this year – and at almost all professional sporting events – you rarely see a competitor over 40 years old and almost never see a single athlete over 50.   … Read more

How Gut Microbe Symbiosis Helps Squirrels Keep Their Muscles During Hibernation

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Ground squirrels spend the end of summer gorging on food, preparing for hibernation. They need to store a lot of energy as fat, which becomes their primary fuel source underground in their hibernation burrows all winter long.   While hibernating, ground squirrels enter a state called torpor. Their metabolism drops to as low as just … Read more

Lots of People Die Every Year During or After Having Sex. A Pathologist Explains Why

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Sex has many beneficial physical and psychological effects, including reducing high blood pressure, improving the immune system and aiding better sleep. The physical act of sex and orgasm releases the hormone oxytocin, the so-called love hormone, which is important in building trust and bonding between people.   But there’s a dark side: people sometimes die … Read more

Bacterial Builders Churn Out Lengthy Muscle Proteins

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Bacteria may soon be muscling in on new kinds of manufacturing. Researchers have developed a technique that uses the common bacterium Escherichia coli to synthetically produce a muscle protein called titin, which could someday build tough and pliable fibers. Uses could range from medical sutures to impact-resistant or biodegradable fabrics. The titin is dozens of … Read more

Scientists Just Identified a Brand New Muscle Layer in The Human Jaw

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It turns out there are still exciting new discoveries to be made in a field as well-studied as human anatomy: researchers have confirmed the existence of a layer of muscle in the human jaw that has until now eluded anatomists.   This new muscle is a deeper, third section of the masseter muscle. It’s the most prominent … Read more