Carbon copied cornlines up to fill the shelves,a litany of yellowmangled intonauseating rainbowsof our globalised excess.Colours of artifice,carefully arrangedto catch the eye:hydrogenation,moulding,dyes,stabilising,flavours,lies.Nutrients torn from the cob,leaving open woundsfilled with greenbacksacross a landthat could have lastedforever. A selection of ultra-processed foods that now make up our globalised diet (Image Credit: Nico Smit/ Unsplash). This poem is […]

Stanford researchers have developed an algorithm that may help discern if someone has autism by looking at brain scans. The novel algorithm, driven by recent advances in artificial intelligence (AI), also successfully predicts the severity of autism symptoms in individual patients. With further honing, the algorithm could lead to earlier diagnoses, more targeted therapies, and […]

While potentially crucial to preventing the spread of COVID-19, lockdowns are associated with increased rates of depression and anxiety as well as food insecurity among women in India and other parts of the developing world, according to a new research. The study from the University of California San Diego’s School of Global Policy and Strategy finds that […]

Before menopause, women are typically protected from metabolic problems that may lead to weight gain, when compared to age-matched men. However, after menopause, this benefit seems to disappear. Researchers around the world agree that the female hormone estrogen is one important player in this benefit. At Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Yong Xu, professor of pediatrics – nutrition […]

Scientists have published the first complete, gapless sequence of a human genome, two decades after the Human Genome Project produced the first draft human genome sequence. According to researchers, having a complete, gap-free sequence of the roughly 3 billion bases (or “letters”) in our DNA is critical for understanding the full spectrum of human genomic variation […]

A Phase 2 clinical trial evaluating various additional COVID-19 booster shots has begun enrolling adult participants in the United States. The trial aims to understand if different vaccine regimens—prototype and variant vaccines alone and in combinations—can broaden immune responses in adults who already have received a primary vaccination series and a first booster shot. The […]

Professional organisations need to get better at capturing the true diversity of scientists, researchers say after scrutinising 73 US-based science, technology, engineering and maths (Stem) societies’ surveying practices. ‘To be able to serve your communities as a Stem organisation, you have to know who they are,’ says Nicholas Burnett from the University of California at […]

A day after Moscow promised to curb attacks on Ukrainian cities – a pledge that hasn’t been honoured yet – it seems that Russian forces are withdrawing from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant. This is only a few days after looters apparently raided one of the site’s radiation monitoring labs, making off with radioactive material. […]

Antioxidants proved a bust for life extension almost 25 years ago, but glutathione stands out as an exception. We lose glutathione as we age, and supplementing to increase glutathione levels has multiple benefits, possibly on lifespan. Glutathione is manufactured in the body via an ancient mechanism taking as input cysteine, glutamic acid, and glycine. Supplementing N-Acetyl […]

Scientific research is generally carried out with the best of intentions – whether it’s to improve health, provide cleaner energy, or increase understanding about the world around us. But what if your work could be intentionally misused to cause harm? This question was brought into sharp focus by researchers working at a drug discovery company […]