Obesity and type 2 diabetes have increased significantly worldwide within the past 30 years. Lifestyle factors such as indulging in high-calorie foods play a large role in the development of these two serious health conditions. Understanding how overeating causes changes in blood …Continue reading
Researchers devise birth control strategy to fight mosquito-borne disease
Researchers at the University of Arizona have discovered a protein in mosquitos that is critical to the process of producing viable eggs and can be exploited to control mosquito populations. Named Eggshell Organizing Factor 1 (EOF-1), the selective blocking of this protein …Continue reading
Severe air pollution makes workers less productive, study finds
Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) have completed an extensive study which has revealed that exposure to air pollution over several weeks can reduce employee productivity. Associate Professor Alberto Salvo from the Department of Economics at the NUS Faculty of …Continue reading
Researchers find statins could reduce production of ‘good fat’
An international team of researchers has found that the statin class of pharmaceuticals — which are prescribed to reduce the risk of heart attack — also reduce the formation of brown adipose fatty tissue. Unlike white adipose tissue, brown adipose tissue helps …Continue reading
Implantable device offsets food cravings, aids weight loss
A new battery-free, implantable weight-loss device developed by engineers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison could be humanity’s newest weapon in the battle against obesity. Measuring less than a centimeter across, the tiny device — which scientists claim is safe for use in …Continue reading
Astronomers discover most distant object in Solar System
Astronomers have discovered an object in our Solar System which is 120 times farther from the Sun than the Earth. This makes it the most distant body ever observed within this Solar System. The object has been provisionally designated 2018 VG18, and …Continue reading
Excess body weight accounted for 3.9 percent of worldwide cancer cases in 2012
A new study has found that excess body weight accounted for 544,300 cases of cancer worldwide in 2012. This was approximately 3.9 percent of all cancer cases that year. The study has been published in CA: Cancer Journal for Clinicians, a peer-reviewed …Continue reading
Chinese spacecraft begins journey to far side of the moon
A rocket carrying the Chang’e-4 lunar lander blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Southern China over the weekend. The lander is aiming for a site no human or machine has gone before: the far side of the moon. Chinese …Continue reading
MIT engineers repurpose wasp venom into antibiotic medication
A systematic study of antimicrobial properties of a toxin found in the South American wasp has allowed researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to create variants of a peptide that can kill bacteria but doesn’t harm humans. Insect venoms are …Continue reading
Nanoscale tweezers make single-molecule biopsies possible
Researchers at Imperial College London (ICL) have developed nanoscale tweezers, a new technology that allows them to extract single molecules from living cells without destroying them. It is expected that their research could allow them to build up a ‘human cell atlas’, …Continue reading