Helen BriggsBBC environment correspondent Getty Images A seal pup entangled in plastic on a beach Scientists have analysed 10,000 marine animal autopsies to understand how plastic ingestion leads to death. The study found seabirds face extreme risk after swallowing just 23 pieces of plastic, giving them a 90% chance of dying. Marine mammals reach similar…
Across the globe, a wide range of animals, including household pets, livestock, and marine species, are developing serious health problems such as cancer, obesity, diabetes, and degenerative joint disease. These non-communicable diseases (NCDs) chronic diseases are becoming increasingly common, yet the scientific community still lacks broad, interdisciplinary research that explains why they are rising in…
More than half of the calories people consume in the United States come from ultra-processed foods (UPFs), which include items such as fast food and packaged snacks that tend to contain large amounts of sodium, added sugars and unhealthy fats. While studies in adults have firmly connected these foods to type 2 diabetes and other…
Detecting dishonesty requires people to interpret social cues, judge intent, and decide whether someone’s words are trustworthy. Scientists have long wondered how we sort through this kind of social information and how we decide if someone is being honest. A key question is whether people evaluate information in the same way when it comes from…
When a routine blood test shows high levels of a protein called SerpinB3, it often alerts doctors that something is seriously wrong. Elevated SerpinB3 can be associated with difficult-to-treat cancers or severe inflammatory diseases. SerpinB3 is known as a key protein that helps reveal when the body’s barrier tissues, such as the skin and lungs,…
Listening to music after the age of 70 appears to be associated with a meaningful reduction in dementia risk. A research team from Monash University analyzed data from more than 10,800 older adults and found that people in this age group who regularly listened to music experienced a 39 percent lower likelihood of developing dementia….
Researchers Kohki Horie, Keiichiro Toda, Takuma Nakamura, and Takuro Ideguchi at the University of Tokyo have created a microscope capable of detecting signals across an intensity range fourteen times broader than that of standard instruments. The system also works label-free, meaning it does not rely on added dyes. This gentle approach allows cells to remain…
The parasitic ant queen Lasius orientalis (left) infiltrates the nest of Lasius flavus and approaches their queen (right) Keizo Takasuka/Kyushu University A type of parasitic ant takes over the colonies of a related species by inciting the workers to kill their queen, then taking her place. Around 230 species of ants are considered parasites –…
A research effort led by Ōtākou Whakaihu Waka has generated an in-depth structural map of a bacteriophage, offering new insight into how these viruses could be used to counter drug-resistant bacteria. Lead author Dr. James Hodgkinson-Bean, who completed his PhD in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology, says bacteriophages are “extremely exciting” to scientists searching…
Georgina RannardClimate and science reporter, Belém, Brazil Getty Images Açaí is a popular health food sold around the world In a lab in a renovated warehouse on the banks of a churning, brown river in Belém, Brazil, machines are pulping candidates for the next global “superfood”. Cupuaçu… Taperebá… Bacaba… Like açaí berries – these fruits…
