While research has shown that poor cardiovascular health can damage blood flow to the brain increasing the risk for dementia, a new study led by UC San Francisco indicates that poor mental health may also take its toll on cognition. The research adds to a body of evidence that links depression with dementia, but while […]

As early as 18,000 years ago, humans in New Guinea may have collected cassowary eggs near maturity and then raised the birds to adulthood, according to an international team of scientists, who used eggshells to determine the developmental stage of the ancient embryos/chicks when the eggs cracked. “This behavior that we are seeing is coming […]

Rising consumer concern over data privacy has led to a rush of “right to be forgotten” laws around the world that allow individuals to request their personal data be expunged from massive databases that catalog our increasingly online lives. Researchers in artificial intelligence have observed that user data does not only exist in its raw […]

Biomedical engineers and surgeons at Duke University and UCLA have demonstrated an antibiotic coating that can be applied to orthopedic implants minutes before surgery that eliminates the chances of an infection around the implant. In early trials in mice, the coating prevented all subsequent infections, even without infusions of antibiotics into the bloodstream, which is […]

Although female giraffes have closer “friends” than male giraffes, male giraffes have more “acquaintances” than females, according to a new study by an international team that includes a Penn State biologist. The study demonstrates that giraffes form a complex multilevel society that is driven by differences in the social connections among individuals, which could have […]

[embedded content] Hyenas are frequently vilified and often feared. Hemingway once described the hyena as a stinking, foul devourer of the dead, with jaws that crack the bones the lion leaves. But a new study concludes that spotted hyena scavenging provides significant public health and economic benefits to the African cities they roam. In a […]

Low-carbohydrate diets are popular for weight loss and diabetes control. However, for most of the past 50 years, medical and public health experts have instead embraced low-fat diets, concerned about the health effects of saturated fats on cardiovascular risk factors like LDL cholesterol. As a result, low-fat and fat-free foods have proliferated — many of […]

The share of federal spending on infrastructure has reached an all-time low, falling from 30 percent in 1960 to just 12 percent in 2018. While the nation’s ailing infrastructure will require more funding to reach its full potential, recent MIT research finds that more sustainable and higher performing roads are still possible even with today’s […]

Do the world’s nearly 1 billion urban poor, who subsist without legal housing, reliable water and sewer infrastructure, and predictable employment, lack political engagement as well? Ying Gao does not buy the claim by many social scientists that social and economic marginalization necessarily means political marginalization. “My results contradict the prevailing wisdom about slums and […]

Survival rates for cancer are improving, but it is still the leading cause of death by disease for those over one year of age in the European Union (EU). Could exercise hold one of the keys to combatting cancer?  And if so, how much physical activity is needed to show real benefits in both children […]