Science

A study published in the journal JAMA Neurology suggests that levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, sometimes referred to as ‘bad’ cholesterol, play a causal role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. Lipoprotein structure (chylomicron): ApoA, ApoB, ApoC and ApoE – apolipoproteins; T – triacylglycerol, CEo – cholesterol ester, green …

An international team of archaeologists has found 8,000-year-old eggs of the whipworm (Trichuris trichiura) in coprolites (fossilized feces) from Çatalhöyük, a prehistoric settlement inhabited from about 7100 to 5600 BCE — the earliest archaeological evidence for intestinal parasite infection in the mainland Near East. This is an artist’s impression of …

  The renowned physicist Stephen Hawking passed away last year, but his groundbreaking work lives on. A team of scientists from Israel believe they’ve confirmed one of the late scientist’s most famous predictions. Using quantum superfluid, the researchers may have found evidence that so-called “Hawking radiation” is a real phenomenon …

It feels like we’re on the cusp of great things in the development of cancer treatments. A wave of immunotherapy and gene therapy approvals could point the way forward in treating and curing certain forms of cancer. Pharma and technology companies have embarked on collaborations to harness machine learning to …

Planetary researchers using data from the Shallow Radar (SHARAD) instrument on NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter have discovered rich deposits of water ice and sand hundreds of million years old beneath the current ice cap in the north polar region of the Red Planet. Published journal Geophysical Research Letters, the findings …

According to new research, published in the journal Geology, processes not involved in controlling sand movement on Earth play major roles on the Red Planet, especially large-scale features on the landscape and differences in landform surface temperature. Two sizes of ripples are evident in this December 13, 2015, view of …

In a study involving 1,000 patients from 18 countries, an international team of researchers found evidence that a technique called active nerve cell cluster stimulation reduced the patients’ degree of disability three months after they suffered an acute cortical ischemic stroke. Active nerve cell cluster stimulation is safe for patients …

Licorice root extract is not without health risks, according to a case study published this week in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Demonstration of the main mechanism of action of licorice through inhibition of 11-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 2 (11-β-HSD2) in the distal tubules of the kidney. H – hydrogen ion, …

Researchers in the United Kingdom have extracted americium from a plutonium stockpile and used the heat generated from this radioactive element to generate enough electric current to light up a small lightbulb. The breakthrough means potential use of americium in radioisotope power systems for missions which would use the heat …

A unique bark shield from the Iron Age has been discovered by a team of archaeologists from the University of Leicester and elsewhere. Archaeologist Adam Clapton records the Enderby shield in the ground. Image credit: University of Leicester Archaeological Services. The bark shield was found in 2015 at the Iron …