Exercise offers protection against Alzheimer's

Higher levels of daily physical activity may protect against the cognitive decline and neurodegeneration (brain tissue loss) from Alzheimer's disease (AD) that alters the lives of many older people, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have found. In a paper in JAMA Neurology, the team also reported that lowering vascular risk factors may offer additional protection against Alzheimer's and delay progression of the devastating disease. The findings from this study will be presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) in Los Angeles by the first author of the study, Jennifer Rabin, Ph.D., now at the University of Toronto, Sunnybrook Research Institute.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/exercise-offers-protection-against-alzheimers

War's physical toll can last for generations, as it has for the children of the Vietnam War

History often focuses on the immediate death toll of war. But hostilities can have longer-term consequences on a population's health.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/wars-physical-toll-can-last-for-generations-as-it-has-for-the-children-of-the-vietnam-war

As flood risks increase across the US, it's time to recognize the limits of levees

New Orleans averted disaster this month when tropical storm Barry delivered less rain in the Crescent City than forecasters originally feared. But Barry's slog through Louisiana, Arkansas, Tennessee and Missouri is just the latest event in a year that has tested levees across the central U.S.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/as-flood-risks-increase-across-the-us-its-time-to-recognize-the-limits-of-levees

Study suggests vaping can reduce cigarette smoking, but also leads to higher relapse

A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in France has found evidence that suggests vaping can be used as a way to reduce cigarette smoking, but it can also lead to relapse. In their paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the group describes their study involving thousands of volunteers over a nearly two-year period.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-suggests-vaping-can-reduce-cigarette-smoking-but-also-leads-to-higher-relapse

Will sports help young offenders turn their lives around?

Young offenders locked in a secure unit are to be offered sports including orienteering and bushcraft as part of a research project to see if challenging, fun activity can help turn lives around.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/will-sports-help-young-offenders-turn-their-lives-around

Hit it where it hurts—scientists reveal how mirrors cure phantom pain

Easing phantom limb pain can be as simple as looking in the mirror.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hit-it-where-it-hurts-scientists-reveal-how-mirrors-cure-phantom-pain

Study finds transgender, non-binary autism link

New research indicates that transgender and non-binary individuals are significantly more likely to have autism or display autistic traits than the wider population—a finding that has important implications for gender confirmation treatments.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-finds-transgender-non-binary-autism-link

Study finds keys to music in exercise

If you want people to exercise, it has gotta be fun. And if you want people to turn fitness into a habit, you tap into something that keeps them coming back for more.

* This article was originally published here

Study unveils new superionic states of helium-water compounds

Helium and water are known to be abundant throughout the universe, particularly in giant planets such as Uranus and Neptune. Although helium is typically unreactive at common atmospheric conditions, past studies have found that it can sometimes react with other elements and compounds under high pressure.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-unveils-new-superionic-states-of-helium-water-compounds

Joshua trees facing extinction

They outlived mammoths and saber-toothed tigers. But without dramatic action to reduce climate change, new research shows Joshua trees won't survive much past this century.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/joshua-trees-facing-extinction

Organoids grown in microfluidic device may help cf patients with diabetes

Scientists created human pancreas on a chip that allowed them to identify the possible cause of a frequent and deadly complication of cystic fibrosis (CF) called CF-Related Diabetes, or CFRD.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/organoids-grown-in-microfluidic-device-may-help-cf-patients-with-diabetes

A genomic barcode tracker for immune cells

Researchers from the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have developed a new method to spot rare immune cells that are reactive against cancer cells, from within a patient's own immune system.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/a-genomic-barcode-tracker-for-immune-cells

Study identifies potential markers of lung cancer

By examining both blood samples and tumor tissues from patients with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have identified markers that can distinguish between major subtypes of lung cancer and can accurately identify lung cancer stage. Their proof-of-concept test accurately predicted whether the blood samples they examined came from patients with shorter or longer survival following lung cancer surgery, including patients with early-stage disease.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-identifies-potential-markers-of-lung-cancer

Fluorine speeds up two-dimensional materials growth

Back in 2004, the physics community was just beginning to recognize the existence of truly two-dimensional (2-D) material, graphene. Fast-forward to 2019, and scientists are exploring a breadth of 2-D materials to uncover more of their fundamental properties. The frenzy behind these new 2-D materials lies in their fascinating properties—materials thinned down to only a few atoms work very differently from 3-D materials. Electrons packed into the thinnest-ever layer show distinctive characteristics apart from being in a "loose net." Also being flexible, 2-D materials could feature distinctive electrical properties, opening up new applications for next-generation technologies such as bendable and wearable devices.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/fluorine-speeds-up-two-dimensional-materials-growth

Stripping down bacterial armor: A new way to fight anthrax

A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of Prof. Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease. This work will be published in the prestigious journal Nature Microbiology can lead the way to new, effective ways of fighting anthrax and various other diseases.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/stripping-down-bacterial-armor-a-new-way-to-fight-anthrax

New light on cichlid evolution in Africa

A collaborative research project carried out under the auspices of the GeoBio-Center at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich has developed an integrative approach to the classification of fossil cichlids, and identified the oldest known member of the tribe Oreochromini.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/new-light-on-cichlid-evolution-in-africa

Worsening world hunger affects 821 million, says UN

More than 821 million people suffered from hunger worldwide last year, the United Nations reported Monday—the third year in a row that the number has risen.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/worsening-world-hunger-affects-821-million-says-un

Some reef islands resilient to climate change: study

The Pacific's low-lying reef islands are likely to change shape in response to climate change, rather than simply sinking beneath rising seas and becoming uninhabitable as previously assumed, new research has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/some-reef-islands-resilient-to-climate-change-study

Fuel leak halted blastoff for Indian rocket: reports

A fuel leak in the rocket engine forced India to abort the launch of its landmark Moon mission less than one hour before liftoff, media reports said Tuesday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/fuel-leak-halted-blastoff-for-indian-rocket-reports

Study asked people with mental health disorders to recommend changes to international diagnostic guidelines

A Rutgers University researcher contributed to the first study to seek input from people with common mental health issues on how their disorders are described in diagnostic guidelines.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/study-asked-people-with-mental-health-disorders-to-recommend-changes-to-international-diagnostic-guidelines