Genetics may be a key driver in the onset of chronic fatigue syndrome, or myalgic encephalomyelitis BlackJack3D/Getty Images Genetic factors that could contribute to people’s risk of developing chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), also known as myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), have been identified in a large study. Scientists have linked eight regions of the human genome to…
Mysterious Illness Decimating Sea Stars Finally Identified A devastating bacterium has decimated populations of sunflower sea stars, predators that play a crucial role in their environment By Andrea Tamayo edited by Andrea Gawrylewski A giant sunflower star (Pycnopodia helianthoides) walks across the reef underwater in Point Dume State Beach, California. Brent Durand/Getty Images A mysterious…
White cockatoos seem to have a natural proclivity for dancing Andrew Angelov / Alamy The headbang, the side-to-side and the body roll are some of at least 30 dance moves used by captive cockatoos. Cockatoos have been grabbing limelight online ever since Snowball, a sulphur-crested cockatoo (Cacatua galerita), became an internet dance sensation back in…
In late 2005, five months after a car accident, a 23-year-old woman lay unresponsive in a hospital bed. She had a severe brain injury and showed no sign of awareness. But when researchers scanning her brain asked her to imagine playing tennis, something striking happened: brain areas linked to movement lit up on her scan….
Robert F Kennedy Jr, the head the US health department ZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy The US health secretary claimed mRNA vaccines are ineffective against respiratory diseases, while announcing he was cutting half a billion dollars in funding for mRNA vaccine development. But this goes against the scientific evidence we have, which shows many mRNA vaccines work…
Why the EPA’s Latest Move Could Worsen the Climate Crisis If the EPA abdicates its responsibility to address climate change, it will harm health and the planet in exchange for pandering to fossil fuel interests By Rachel Cleetus & Carlos Martinez Bryan Tarnowski/Bloomberg Creative/Getty Images Last week, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced a sweeping…
NHS talking therapies give people access to science-based self-help interventions and psychotherapy Galina Zhigalova/Getty Images A type of psychotherapy available on the national health service (NHS) in England seems to benefit teens and young adults with anxiety and depression less than their working-age counterparts. Clinical trials looking into effects of psychotherapy for common conditions such…
MRI Accidents Explained: What Causes Deaths and Injuries in Scanners When serious accidents happen in magnetic resonance imaging scanners, it’s usually because people ignore one very important rule By Michaela Maya-Mrschtik Monty Rakusen/Digital Vision Last month a man on Long Island died after he was pulled into a magnetic resonance imaging scanner by a large…
Like all cells, human eggs are subject to mutations CC STUDIO/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Human eggs appear to be protected against a certain type of age-related mutation. In a small study, researchers found no signs that mutations accumulate in the mitochondrial DNA of human egg cells as women get older, which may give us clues as…
The Law That Saved the Whales Is Under Attack Proposed amendments to the Marine Mammal Protection Act would cut down protections to whales, dolphins, polar bears and other species By Ryan Green edited by Andrea Gawrylewski Aaron Doughty finishes securing a dead humpback whale that was hauled out of Portland Harbor on to his trailer…
