45,180 articles mezi dny 1.12.2022 a 31.12.2023

Huge variety of eye colors in today’s cats may trace back to distant ancestor’s unusual peepers

If you get lost in the luminous orange peepers of housecats or the baby blues of white tigers, thank the granddaddy of all felines—an ocelotlike creature that lived more than 30 million years ago. A new study finds that this distant ancestor of lions, tigers, and housecats sported brown and gray eyes, the latter of which allowed its descendants to evolve a veritable rainbow of iris...

Cycle of fasting and feeding is crucial for healthy aging

Fasting interventions, which involve alternating periods of fasting and refeeding, are generally thought to improve health. But these interventions don't work as well in old animals. The question is: Why? By studying the short-lived killifish, researchers have shown that older fish deviate from a youthful fasting and refeeding cycle, and instead enter a state of perpetual fasting, even when...

Early-life stress changes more genes in brain than a head injury

A surprising thing happened when researchers began exploring whether early-life stress compounds the effects of a childhood head injury on health and behavior later in life: In an animal study, stress changed the activation level of many more genes in the brain than were changed by a bump to the head.

Semaglutide reduced cardiovascular events by 20% in certain adults

Semaglutide reduced cardiovascular events by 20% in adults with overweight or obesity and established cardiovascular disease who do not have diabetes, according to new research.   Semaglutide is primarily prescribed for adults with type 2 diabetes but is also approved for chronic weight management in adults with obesity or overweight and have at least one other health issue. In the trial,...

Cut salt, cut blood pressure

Nearly everyone can lower their blood pressure, even people currently on blood pressure-reducing drugs, by lowering their sodium intake, reports a new study. It found 70-75% of all people, regardless of whether they are already on blood pressure medications or not, are likely to see a reduction in their blood pressure if they lower the sodium in their diet.  Losing one teaspoon of salt a day...

Study finds poor ventilation use during CPR for out-of-hospital cardiac arrest

The ventilation technique, also known as rescue breathing, commonly used during cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) for people with cardiac arrest is often performed poorly by professional emergency responders, and this ineffective strategy is linked to significantly worse patient survival rates, according to a new study. Ventilation involves administering breaths to a patient to provide...

Capture or reuse CO2 as a chemical source for the production of sustainable plastics

Chemists have developed a new polyurethane production technique using CO2 to create new types of easily recyclable plastics that uses more sustainable materials to produce plastics with properties similar to conventional petro-sourced plastics. This new technology is emerging as a potential solution for the development of sustainable plastics with a wide range of properties that can easily meet...

An intravenous needle that irreversibly softens via body temperature on insertion?

A research team has developed an intravenous (IV) needle that softens upon insertion, minimizing risk of damage to blood vessels and tissues. Once used, it remains soft even at room temperature, preventing accidental needle stick injuries and unethical multiple use of needle. A thin-film temperature sensor can be embedded with this needle, enabling real-time monitoring of the patient's core body...

Recycling of water-based adhesive achieved by changing pH

A research team has developed a reversible, water-based glue that has good adhesion in the neutral pH range, but can be detached again in strongly acidic or alkaline environments. The novel adhesive system, which is based on electrostatic interactions, has bond strengths somewhere between those of structural adhesives and pressure-sensitive adhesives. The new adhesive also bonds 'difficult'...

Tracking down quantum flickering of the vacuum

Absolutely empty -- that is how most of us envision the vacuum. Yet, in reality, it is filled with an energetic flickering: the quantum fluctuations. Experts are currently preparing a laser experiment intended to verify these vacuum fluctuations in a novel way, which could potentially provide clues to new laws in physics. A research team has developed a series of proposals designed to help conduct...

Mysterious new moth species discovered in Europe

European Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), with a currently known inventory of approximately 11,000 species, are generally considered well-researched. However, a new genus and species from the Geometrid moth family tell a different story. The moth, named Mirlatia arcuata, is one of the most remarkable discoveries in Lepidoptera of recent decades.

Template for success: Shaping hard carbon electrodes for next-generation batteries

Sodium- and potassium-ion batteries are promising next-generation alternatives to the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, their energy density still lags behind that of LIBs. To tackle this issue, researchers explored an innovative strategy to turn hard carbon into an excellent negative electrode material. Using inorganic zinc-based compounds as a template during synthesis, they...