A tiny phase II clinical trial published on June 9 in the journal Science Translational Medicine indicated that nitrous oxide (often known as “laughing gas” in the dentist’s office) may help some people with treatment-resistant depression reduce their symptoms. Researchers have been interested in approaches that act faster than traditional depression medications, such as SSRIs,…
Techniques for inducing mutations in viruses that give microorganisms new abilities are included in the microbiology toolbox. Scientists do these experiments for a variety of purposes, including to learn how bacteria avoid detection by our immune systems. However, enhancing a pathogen’s capabilities comes with apparent hazards, especially if this “gain of function” implies increased virulence…
Natasha Mikles is a philosophy lecturer at Texas State University. This essay was first published in The Conversation. Space for burying the deceased is becoming increasingly scarce as the world’s population grows. Many cities in the United States, as well as many other countries across the world, are already short on burial land. Simultaneously, many…
Mysterious whales hold their breath in the murky waters of the benthic zone, the ocean’s deepest layer, which famous mainly for invertebrates like sea urchins, worms, and crabs. The activities of beaked whales have long been a mystery to humans. Still, a recent study sheds light on their habits, thanks to discovering two new subpopulations…
Here’s a game for you. In 1948, Claude Shannon, the father of information theory, devised. He was attempting to model English as a random process. Pick out a random book from your shelf, open it, point to a random area on the page, and write down the first two letters you see. Let’s pretend they’re…
Even though physicists’ best models predict antimatter should have arisen in equal proportion to the regular matter at the big bang, antimatter appears to be the stuff of science fiction. Researchers do, however, consistently make antimatter particles in their tests, and they have a theory for why it isn’t seen in nature: when antimatter and…
A journey that began over a century ago with the invention of the first electron microscope has progressed once again.A group of physicists has gotten even closer to the ultimate limit of how many objects can be amplified, according to experts. The world record for the greatest resolution attained using a microscope was previously held…
When a male African savanna elephant curls his ears and waves them at the same time, he’s ready to battle. When a woman folds her ears and complements the move with an ear flap, she’s sending a strong message. Elephants, on the other hand, are showing a loving, affiliative welcome that is part of their…
Unfathomable amounts of plastic garbage have been created by humans, posing a hazard to ecosystems and even human health. The goal of recent research published in the journal Environmental Advances was to find out how microplastics accumulated in the salt marshes of southern New England, which are vegetation-filled wetlands that mark the land-sea transition. “…
Six bystanders observe a woman experience a panic attack in a poorly lit Brooklyn classroom. She knelt over a metal folding chair, gasping for oxygen as her eyes dart around the circle of onlookers, imploring urgently for one of them to assist her. Then one does; she sits the agitated woman down and instructs her…