A patient with encephalitis lethargica in 1925. (Public Domain Mark/Wellcome Collection) In the film Awakenings, Robert De Niro's character laments, "People have forgotten what life is all about" after he revives from a 30-year shutdown state. This film, based on Dr. Oliver Sacks' true story, explores the lives of individuals impacted by encephalitis lethargica, or "sleepy...
Green dye highlighting the DNA of microbes in a sample. (Suzuki et al., Microbial Ecology, 2024) Deep underground, a community of microbes has thrived in isolation for billions of years. These organisms, found in 2 billion-year-old rock, have been cut off far longer than any known subterranean microbes, surpassing the previous record of 100 million years. Geomicrobiologist...
A gynecologist points out that sitting for many hours with equipment that generates heat, such as a laptop, causes the temperature inside the scrotum to rise. Credit: compumake, The Covid-19 pandemic brought significant societal changes, including a rise in remote work. Many professionals, especially men, have continued to work from home in various countries. However,...
Credit: Depositphotos Feeling exhausted after a long video call? Your fatigue may be linked to your screen background, a study suggests a hack, recommending nature images. Zoom video calls have become a daily routine for many, especially since the COVID pandemic. The increased time spent on video calls has led to a new phenomenon called "videoconference...
Even though people knew they were taking placebo pills, they still had a significant effect on mental health. Credit: Pixabay A new study indicates that taking placebo pills, even when people know they have no active ingredients, can still greatly decrease stress, anxiety, and depression. These "non-deceptive placebos" could be an effective method for enhancing...
Credit: Depositphotos On Wednesday, the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak in Africa a global public health emergency, raising its highest level of alert over the escalating crisis. Concerned by the rising cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo and the virus's spread to neighboring countries, the WHO quickly convened a meeting of experts to...
Credit: Pixabay Bird flu seems to have transmitted from a dairy farm in Colorado to a neighboring poultry farm, resulting in the infection of five workers assigned to cull the affected birds. The highly contagious avian influenza H5N1 virus poses pandemic risks, prompting urgent efforts to develop a vaccine to mitigate its severe consequences. The US Centers...
The Red Bull RB17 Hypercar looks futuristic and fast while just sitting thereRed Bull Content Pool When the iconic energy drink giant dedicates its substantial resources to crafting its inaugural automobile, expect something extraordinary. Red Bull's RB17 emerges as a sleek, aerodynamic marvel that generates nearly twice its weight in downforce. At this year's Goodwood...
Advancements in wireless technology may soon lead to earbuds performing as effectively as smartphones but in a smaller, more efficient manner. This innovation stems from a new class of synthetic materials heralding a revolution in wireless devices. Dubbed phononics, similar to photonics, this field exploits mechanical vibrations, known as phonons, akin to light in...
The Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, pivotal in combating the COVID-19 pandemic, faced a significant development "on May 7, 2024," when the European Commission revoked its authorization for use, following AstraZeneca's application to withdraw EU marketing authorization on "March 27, 2024."
