When Igor de Almeida moved to Japan from Brazil nine years ago, the transition should have been relatively easy. Both Japan and Brazil are collectivist nations, where people tend to…
Category: Humans
Ancient ‘smellscapes’ are wafting out of artifacts and old texts
Ramses VI faced a smelly challenge when he became Egypt’s king in 1145 B.C. The new pharaoh’s first job was to rid the land of the stench of fish and…
A very specific kind of brain cell dies off in people with Parkinson’s
Deep in the human brain, a very specific kind of cell dies during Parkinson’s disease. For the first time, researchers have sorted large numbers of human brain cells in the…
Ancient ‘smellscapes’ are wafting out of artifacts and old texts
Ramses VI faced a smelly challenge when he became Egypt’s king in 1145 B.C. The new pharaoh’s first job was to rid the land of the stench of fish and…
Some hamsters are extremely susceptible to COVID-19
Golden Syrian hamsters are highly susceptible to the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a new study shows. While the species is popular among pet owners, the results, posted April 20 at…
The body’s response to allergic asthma also helps protect against COVID-19
Scientists are discovering a surprising bright side for some people with asthma: They are less susceptible to COVID-19. The very same immune system proteins that trigger excess mucus production and…
How I decided on a second COVID-19 booster shot
Booster shots against COVID-19 are once again on my mind. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says that older people and immunocompromised people are eligible for a second booster shot…
Joggers naturally pace themselves to conserve energy even on short runs
For many recreational runners, taking a jog is a fun way to stay fit and burn calories. But it turns out an individual has a tendency to settle into the…
50 years ago, scientists were seeking the cause of psoriasis
Cyclic AMP and psoriasis — Science News, April 29, 1972 [A team of dermatologists] discovered that cyclic AMP levels in psoriasis lesions are significantly lower than in healthy skin.… [The…
Antibiotics diminish babies’ immune response to key vaccines
Taking antibiotics in the first two years of life can prevent babies from developing a robust immune response to certain vaccines. The new finding provides another cautionary tale against overusing…
