🪲 New research suggests there could be 14 to 20 million insect species globally, a significant increase from the previously accepted estimate of 6 million.

🔬 The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on June 29, used genetic data from tropical insects and statistical methods to arrive at this new figure.

🌍 This vast number of undiscovered species highlights the immense biodiversity on Earth and underscores the importance of identifying and protecting these species, especially in light of reports of insect declines.

#InsectScience #Biodiversity #ScienceNews

Report: Trump mad RFK Jr. hasn’t cut more vaccines or proven autism link

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#Vaccines #RFKJr #ScienceNews

Fruit flies can hold false memories

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#ScienceNews #MemoryScience #FruitFlies

🔬 A new study suggests a blood-filtering technique, typically used to lower high cholesterol, may also remove toxic "forever chemicals" from the body.

🔎 Researchers examined discarded apheresis bags used in cholesterol treatment, finding that levels of specific forever chemicals dropped by up to 25% after two sessions in 34 patients.

🚫 The study did not find conclusive evidence that the method removes microplastics from the blood, and scientists cautioned it wasn't a controlled clinical trial for chemical removal.

#ForeverChemicals #HealthTech #ScienceNews

💩 A new study published in Trends in Ecology & Evolution suggests that an "explosion of feces" during the Cambrian period (around 540 million years ago) may have played a significant role in the diversification of early animal life.

💩 Researchers from Australia and Germany propose that increased waste production from burgeoning animal populations introduced more organic matter and nutrients into ancient oceans, accelerating ecosystem development alongside rising oxygen levels and other factors.

💩 Examination of ancient fossilized feces, known as coprolites, dating back to the early Cambrian (around 540 million years ago), shows a correlation between the evolution of larger animals, more complex digestive systems, and the distribution of nutrients.

#CambrianExplosion #Evolution #ScienceNews

🍏 Researchers found that fruit-eating primates have larger brains on average, suggesting food, not social interaction, drove early brain growth.

🍯 A new analysis published in Science on Thursday proposes sugar played a "central" role in early human evolution.

🌾 The study modeled hominin diets over four million years, suggesting early humans derived up to 66% of energy from sweet foods like fruit and honey.

#HumanEvolution #PaleoDiet #ScienceNews

Birdsong similar to human language, study finds

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#Birdsong #AnimalLanguage #ScienceNews

New discovery could 'disarm' one of the world's most dangerous fungal pathogens

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#FungalInfection #PathogenDiscovery #ScienceNews

🌍 Scientists believe Earth's mysterious low-frequency "hum," first detected in the 1960s, is caused by ocean swells generated in the Southern Ocean.

🌊 These swells create tiny vibrations that travel through the planet, amplified by interactions with the Earth's crust.

🎤 Melbourne scientist Rohan Byrne recorded the hum and coincidentally captured the rumble of a distant earthquake, highlighting ongoing discoveries about Earth's workings.

#EarthScience #Oceanography #ScienceNews

GPS Glitched Across The US by as Much as 33 Feet. Scientists Have Never Seen This Before.

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#GPS #ScienceNews #Geoscience

🔬 New research published in Nature Aging suggests aging isn't uniform, but rather a patchwork of varied timelines across different body tissues, influenced by hormonal cues.

⏳ Arteries show rapid structural changes starting in the 30s, while female reproductive organs like the uterus and vagina age later, around the 50s. Ovaries exhibit two distinct aging bursts.

🔄 Over half the tissues studied, including organs like the esophagus and stomach, followed the structural aging pattern of the ovaries, suggesting a potential "pacemaker" role for whole-body aging.

💡 Accelerated aging across tissues shares a signature of increased inflammation and reduced cellular functions. Understanding these distinct timelines could lead to targeted interventions to improve healthspan.

#AgingResearch #Healthspan #ScienceNews

🐘 Researchers led by Sydney Hope and Joshua Plotnik used a "detour paradigm" to test impulse control in 16 Asian elephants (ages 4-60) in Thailand.

🐘 Elephants successfully navigated a transparent box to get fruit, resisting the urge to reach directly for it, indicating strong inhibitory control.

🐘 While older elephants showed slight difficulty adapting to changes, the study suggests a link between brain size and impulse control in animals.

#ElephantResearch #AnimalBehavior #ScienceNews

Switzerland’s worst-case climate scenario now more likely, say scientists

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#ClimateChange #Switzerland #ScienceNews

Exercise rivals common pain meds. Researchers found that exercise can significantly reduce acute and chronic pain across a wide range of conditions including musculoskeletal, neurological, inflammatory, and cancer-related pain.

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#ExerciseMedicine #PainRelief #ScienceNews

A medieval remedy could offer ideas for beating antibiotic resistance

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#AntibioticResistance #MedievalRemedies #ScienceNews

🐱 New study in PLOS One links higher domestic cat density in 93 countries with higher reported happiness scores.

🦠 Conversely, countries with higher exposure to the parasite Toxoplasma gondii (carried by felines) tended to report lower happiness.

🤔 A surprising finding: more cats in a country correlated with lower T. gondii exposure, suggesting factors like pet management and socioeconomic conditions are key.

#PetHealth #GlobalHappiness #ScienceNews

🧠 Researchers discovered fragments of a human gene, BC200, found within the molluscum contagiosum virus that infects skin.

🔬 These BC200-derived sequences, originating from mobile DNA, have a history of self-copying and inserting into new locations, including this unusual jump across the human-virus boundary.

🌍 The study, published in Science, suggests this genetic movement has occurred throughout primate evolution and may contribute to differences in human genomes.

🧬 While BC200 is active in brain cells and helps regulate protein production, its exact function within the virus is still unknown, and the virus does not appear to have gained brain functions.

#Genetics #ScienceNews #DNA

🧠 A new study in PLOS ONE suggests a link between tongue bacteria and processing speed in 60 healthy adults (UK & Belgium). Certain bacteria, like Prevotella histicola, were associated with faster responses on cognitive tests.

🧪 Researchers investigated if mouth microbes influence memory and attention, noting bacteria help convert nitrates (found in foods like beetroot) into nitric oxide, which widens blood vessels.

📊 The study, led by Joanna E. L'Heureux, involved younger (20s) and older (60s/70s) adults. While age was the strongest predictor of cognitive performance, specific bacteria showed varied associations with memory, attention, and processing speed.

🔬 Findings are exploratory, with only 30 participants per country. Further research is needed to confirm these statistical links and explore potential causal relationships between oral bacteria and cognitive function.

#Microbiome #CognitiveHealth #ScienceNews

The scientific evidence for human-caused global warming is stronger than ever, according to a major new review – despite a United States government report questioning the science.

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#ClimateChange #GlobalWarming #ScienceNews

🔬 New research from the University of Rome Foro Italico suggests the drug tadalafil, currently used for erectile dysfunction and pulmonary arterial hypertension, may boost tissue regeneration and repair in muscles by increasing muscle precursor cells and reducing cell death.

🧪 Lab tests on mouse muscle precursor cells showed tadalafil treatment significantly increased cell proliferation and survival. When cells were "scratched," they closed up faster with the drug applied, indicating improved regenerative capacity.

🤔 Interestingly, tadalafil-treated cells showed delayed maturation into muscle fibers, which researchers interpret as creating a larger reserve of muscle stem cells for future use. Further studies are needed to understand the long-term effects on muscle building.

⚠️ Researchers also note tadalafil's potential for misuse as a performance-enhancing drug in sports, prompting concerns for anti-doping agencies.

#MuscleRegeneration #Tadalafil #ScienceNews