Worrying data has emerged, as scientists have discovered that the ozone loss over the arctic was so dramatic this year that it would be fair to now call it an actual “ozone hole”.
Measured 20km (13 miles) above ground, as much as 80 percent of the ozone layer was lost. An uncharacteristically long spell of cold weather at altitude triggered the depletion, as the chlorine chemicals that destroy ozone thrive in cold conditions.
China is upping its game in the realm of space technology, and to flex its aerospace muscles the country has unveiled its first ever space laboratory, Tiangong-1.
The cylindrical contraption, that measure 10.5m in length, will be ready to welcome local astronauts by next year. The project will highlight the necessary technologies that China needs in order to build the fully fledged space station it has promised to introduce by the end of the decade.
Angry individuals aren’t much fun to deal with, but a new study suggests that they’re not necessarily bad people – they might just be suffering from low levels of the neurotransmitter, serotonin.
To arrive at the conclusion, researchers at Italy’s Neuroimaging Research Unit in Catanzaro fed volunteers a diet that reduced their serotonin levels, and also carried out a number of psychological tests.
The subsequent brain scans revealed that communication between the brain’s “fear processor” and the restraining prefrontal cortex had broken down, a disorder that can trigger milder forms of unpleasant behaviour, or at worst, bursts of anger and violence.
The terror that spread among the public when the avian flu broke lose a few years back might have subsided, but a new study suggests it might be time to panic again.
While a strain of the H5N1 virus can kill humans, the disease has not gone pandemic since it doesn’t spread easily among humans. But change is potentially in the air, as researchers at the Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam have found that five mutations present in two mammal genes have enabled the lethal virus to spread easily between the animals, a tendency that can be just as to humans.
The history of human dispersal around the world has been rewritten, and
all with the help of one single clue- a lock of hair.
By studying the
DNA of the hair, scientists have determined that the indigenous
Aboriginal Australians were the first to separate from other modern
humans, a discovery that challenges previous theories that support a
single phase of dispersal from Africa.
Nature moves in peculiar ways. It’s been discovered that rare plants have sprung up in Kinglake National Park, the spot that was ravaged by bushfires in 2009, the most startling detail of the finding is that the leafy specimens in question, as many as 60 different species, have never been recorded in the area prior to the devastating fire, a fact that has provided a fresh take on ecosystems recovering from fire damage.
Bad news for city dwellers; as if having to constantly fight the crowds wasn’t enough of a punishments for choosing to live in a mega metropolis, a new study suggests that breathing in heavy traffic fumes can trigger a heart attack.
The risk of suffering a heart attack is heightened for about six hours after exposure to heavy fumes, and gradually subsides thereafter.
A new study suggests that people suffering from schizophrenia are six times more likely to develop epilepsy. The reason for the strong link between the two conditions could be related to genetic, neurobiological or environmental factors.
The study, that was led by researchers from the China Medical University Hospital in Taichung, has been deemed “interesting and convincing” by Epelepsi experts.
The fact that people with a negative outlook on life possess a certain gene variant, the short version of the 5-HTTLPR serotonin-transporter gene, has always been known. But a recent study conducted at the University of Essex has revealed that the very same gene could inspire positive thoughts.
Two groups of people- one representing the short, “positive” gene variant and the other the long, gloom associated type – were invited to perform a set of computer exercises to establish how quickly they could identify a target superimposed either on a positive or negative image displayed side by side.
Some of the pictures secretly highlighted the positive or the negative aspect of the images, and it appeared that people with the short variant responded to the negative bias, while the reactions of the long gene variant guinea pigs barely changed, meaning that folks perceived to be miserable fair better in seeing things from the bright side.
The benefits of laughing is widely known, but who would have thought that the joyful exercise could help to numb pain?
A recent study conducted by the University of Oxford has revealed that a proper laugh makes the body releases chemicals that act as a natural painkiller.
The findings emerged after groups of volunteers were divided into two groups, one of which was shown dull TV programme material such as golf, while the other got to enjoy a set of comedy videos. It emerged that the latter group was able to withstand up to 10 percent more pain after the screening.
Interestingly, the researchers discovered that the volunteers who endured the not so entertaining programmes were less able to bear pain than they had before watching them.
Good news for chocoholics- scientists have found that consuming small amounts of dark chocolate every day may improve health in a similar way to exercise. Trialled on mice, the study revealed that the chocolate plant compound epicatechin appeared to stimulate the same muscle response as vigorous activity.
Hopes are high that the research will eventually lead to treatments targeting age-related muscle wasting in humans.
