Researchers have found several hundred different chemical substances in tap water stored in reusable plastic bottles. Several of these substances are potentially harmful to human health. There is a need for better regulation and manufacturing standards for manufacturers, according to the chemists behind the study. Have you ever experienced the strange taste of water after…

Researchers have discovered a new brain circuit underlying curiosity and novelty seeking behavior. Using several innovative techniques, the scientists uncovered a whole path of multiple brain regions that converts curiosity into action in mice. Curiosity, hunger and appetitive aggression drive three different goal-directed behaviors: novelty seeking, food eating and hunting. In animals these behaviors are…

Young children who live close to a major roadway are twice as likely to score lower on tests of communications skills, compared to those who live farther away from a major roadway, according to a new analysis. «Our results suggest that it may be prudent to minimize exposure to air pollution during pregnancy, infancy, and…

Researchers have created and characterized a new mouse replica of Down syndrome, long considered one of the most challenging disorders to simulate in laboratory animals. A report of their research appeared June 29, 2020, in the journal eLife Sciences. The new model may help researchers better understand how people with Down syndrome learn and develop,…

Groundbreaking discovery could potentially reduce multiple pediatric heart valve replacement surgeries. If confirmed in humans, these new heart valves could prevent the need for repeated valve replacement surgeries in thousands of children born each year with congenital heart defects. The valves can also be stored for at least six months, which means they could provide…

Were you also under the impression that the immune system only kicks in when you get sick? In fact, new research shows the immune system is also busy when you’re perfectly healthy. For instance, it helps you convert fat into energy when you’re fasting. — Until recently, it was believed that the immune system was…

In a study using mice, a team of researchers has improved upon a method they developed in 2017 that was designed to kill HIV-infected cells. The advance could move scientists a step closer to being able to reduce the amount of virus, or even eliminate it, from infected people who are dependent on lifesaving medications…

New research could make it much simpler to repair disease-causing mutations in RNA without compromising precision or efficiency. The new RNA editing technology holds promise as a gene therapy for treating genetic diseases. In a proof of concept, researchers showed that the technology can treat a mouse model of Hurler syndrome, a rare genetic disease,…

Researchers have found that a soy-derived protein fragment that reaches the brain after being ingested reduces memory degradation in mice with an induced cognitive impairment, providing a new lead for the development of functional foods that help prevent mental decline. Derived by breaking apart the proteins in soybeans, the memory-effecting molecule is classified as a…

Among our closest living relatives — the great apes — we humans are unique: We have larger brains, reproduce more quickly and have longer life spans. These traits are obviously valuable, but the extra energy required to sustain them is quite significant. So how did we manage to afford them? A group of anthropologists from…