A study led by Carnegie Mellon University researchers provides the first biological evidence to explain how marriage impacts health. According to Brian Chin et al, married people have lower cortisol levels and steeper slopes than the unmarried ones. Image credit: Olessya. Carnegie Mellon University Professor Sheldon Cohen and co-authors found …

Seven new species of the genus Nyctibatrachus (Night frogs) have been discovered in the Western Ghats global biodiversity hotspot in India. Seven new species of night frogs from the Western Ghats, India. Image credit: SD Biju. The genus Nyctibatrachus (family Nyctibatrachidae) is endemic to the Western Ghats and represents an …

A new study published in the journal PLoS ONE has revealed that wild African elephants (Loxodonta africana) sleep an average of two hours a day and regularly go nearly two days without sleep. African elephants. Image credit: Ro Dobby. African elephants are iconic mammals of the continent and the largest …

A team of theoretical physicists at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has found that in the very early Universe, so-called oscillons — strong localized fluctuations of the inflaton field — can act as ‘gravitational wave factories.’ According to Antusch et al, oscillons produced a characteristic peak in the otherwise broad …

Two teams of physicists have independently created a mysterious new state of matter. The state is known as a supersolid and it combines the properties of both solid and superfluid states. Illustration of a supersolid state, in which the properties of a frictionless fluid and a crystalline state coincide. Image …

The green-tea polyphenol Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) may be of particular benefit to patients struggling with amyloidosis and multiple myeloma, according to an international team of researchers led by Washington University in St. Louis. The research is published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. According to Kathrin Andrich et al, the …

A team of researchers at Northwestern University has discovered a type of retinal ganglion cell that may cause myopia when it dysfunctions. The study is published in the journal Current Biology. This image shows an ON Delayed retinal ganglion cell. Image credit: Adam Mani Gregory W. Schwartz, Northwestern University. This …

Vitamin D supplementation can help protect against acute respiratory infections including colds and flu, particularly among very deficient individuals, according to a new study published in the journal BMJ. The study by Martineau et al provides the most robust evidence yet that vitamin D has benefits beyond bone and muscle …

Vitamin B3, also known as niacin and nicotinic acid, prevents eye degeneration in glaucoma-prone mice, according to a study published in the Feb. 17 issue of the journal Science. Williams et al show that dietary supplementation with a single molecule (vitamin B3 or NAM) or Nmnat1 gene therapy significantly reduces …

Women tend to react with stronger responses to immune challenges while pregnant with girls than with boys, a new study published in the journal Brain, Behavior and Immunity has found. The study by Mitchell et al shows baby’s sex is associated with pregnant women’s immune responses. A team of scientists …