The mechanism by which a good night’s sleep improves learning and memory has been discovered by scientists. The team in China and the US used advanced microscopy to witness new connections between brain cells – synapses – forming during sleep. Their study, published in the journal Science, showed even intense training could not make up for lost sleep. Experts said it was an elegant and significant study, which uncovered the […]

A new line of genetically modified pigs will host transplanted cells without the risk of rejection, opening the door for future stem cell therapy research. One of the biggest challenges for medical researchers studying the effectiveness of stem cell therapies is that transplants or grafts of cells are often rejected by the hosts. One of the biggest challenges for medical researchers studying the effectiveness of stem cell therapies is that […]

Air pollution is linked to increased risk of developing an irregular heartbeat and blood clots in the lung, research suggests. The impact of air pollution on the risk of heart attack and stroke is less clear, say UK experts. Analysis of data from England and Wales shows air pollution is particularly harmful in the elderly. Further research is needed on pollution and cardiovascular health, says the British Heart Foundation. A […]

Scientists will be ready to create babies from three people in around two years, if it is made legal, a review says. The technique, using eggs from two women and one man’s sperm, would be used to prevent deadly mitochondrial diseases. The UK fertility regulator said there was no evidence that it would be unsafe, but called for extra checks. Changes to fertility regulations are being considered by government. The […]

A rocky planet weighing 17 times as much as Earth has been found, surprising astronomers who expected it to be a big ball of gas. Scientists dubbed the planet a “mega-Earth” because it’s much larger than previously discovered rocky celestial bodies. The planet, sighted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Kepler spacecraft, is located 560 light years from Earth and circles a Sun-like star every 45 days, The […]

Learning a second language can have a positive effect on the brain, even if it is taken up in adulthood, a University of Edinburgh study suggests. Researchers found that reading, verbal fluency and intelligence were improved in a study of 262 people tested either aged 11 or in their seventies. A previous study suggested that being bilingual could delay the onset of dementia by several years. The study is published […]

Here’s a radical idea for you, one that could land you in big trouble in some of the darker corners of the world. And by darker corners, I mean the U.S. or Europe. “No disease that can be treated by diet should be treated by any other means.” That sentence was uttered by Maimonides, the famous Spanish-born, Sephardic physician of medieval times. It could also have been uttered by Dr. […]

Dieters are usually told to avoid dried fruit because it contains a lot of sugarBut, those who eat prunes lose more weight than those who do notThis is because the fibre in the fruit makes dieters feel fuller for longer A handful of prunes twice a day could keep hunger at bay. Slimmers who snacked on them lost weight – despite dieters normally being told to eat sugar-laden dried fruit […]

•Volunteers were exposed to either a blue or a green light for almost seven hours a day•Those exposed to a blue light reported quicker reaction times and fewer lapses of attention•Researchers found that blue light exposure made people feel ‘less sleepy’ Feeling blue might take on a whole new meaning after scientists found that blue light actually perks you up. The light, which has a short wavelength, was found to […]

A large number of people, mostly located in Australia, are reporting they have come under an unexplained attack that holds their iPhones and iPads hostage and demands they pay a $100 ransom. The attack appears to work by compromising iCloud accounts associated with the disabled devices, according to an Apple support forum discussion that started Sunday morning and quickly accumulated several hundred posts. Commandeered devices typically emit a loud tone […]