Flesh-eating, hooked-mouth maggots have wriggled their way back into the United States. As of June 21, 15 cases of New World screwworm have been confirmed in Texas and New Mexico in cows, goats, sheep and even…
Category: Life
Sea cucumbers harbor ‘zombie’ tissues that won’t die
There’s no such thing as Thing, the disembodied hand that loyally skitters around the fictional Addams Family in the popular television series Wednesday. But at least one species of sea…
Losing Smell Triggers Severe Clinical Depression
Summary: Losing the senses of smell and taste inflicts an emotional, social, and psychological toll comparable to living with some of the world’s most serious chronic illnesses. The new review…
Trauma Therapy Reverses PTSD in Psychosis Patients
Summary: A new study reveals that individuals living with co-occurring psychosis and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can safely and effectively achieve recovery through an integrated, trauma-focused therapy. The STAR (Study…
Legalized Cannabis Does Not Increase Consumption
Summary: Decriminalizing cannabis or using tightly controlled legal frameworks does not increase use. However, the fully commercialized, for-profit legal markets seen in the US and Canada drive increased health risks,…
Andrés F. Ramírez-Mejía | The commonness of rarity: why there are so many rare species – Functional Ecologists
In this week’s blog post, we’re discovering how common it is to be rare! Through his paper: “Functional divergence drives the prevalence of low-abundance species in bat assemblages”, author Andrés…
A textbook assumption about early land vertebrates may be wrong
New fossil evidence is overturning a long-held assumption about how vertebrates first transitioned from water to land. The hatchlings of three different animals related to the earliest land-goers show that…
Brain Inflammation Linked to Chronic Depression and Anxiety
Summary: A global meta-analysis of over 4,700 survivors has revealed that psychiatric and behavioral complications, such as depression, anxiety, and emotional instability, are widespread following encephalitis (brain inflammation). Researchers found…
TBI and Common Neurological Conditions Accelerate One Another
Summary: A study of 55,204 older veterans demonstrates a dangerous bi-directional risk loop between traumatic brain injury (TBI) and neurological diseases.The research found that older adults who sustained a TBI…
