The joke may be on academics, philosophers, and other intellectuals. The smartest people may be comedians and clowns. Or they can be both scholar and jokester. Albert Einstein and Stephen Hawking are examples of geniuses who also had a quick-witted sense of humor. Studies are finding that this isn’t a coincidence, and they are linking...
Imagine a cancer so aggressive that even after intensive surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, nearly 90 percent of patients see it return within two years. This is the terrifying reality of Glioblastoma Multiforme (GBM), the deadliest form of brain cancer in adults. GBM is known for its destructive growth and ability to creep into surrounding brain...
When sperm meets egg, the start of life is not quiet. Under a special microscope, researchers have watched a tiny light show at fertilization. They see a microscopic flash at fertilization, a burst of fluorescence that marks a sudden release of zinc from the human egg. Scientists call this burst the “zinc spark,” and they...
Food waste is one of the world’s most pressing issues, affecting food security and costing billions in revenue every year. Every year, approximately 1.3 billion tonnes of food are wasted across the globe, whether spoiled or wasted. This staggering figure is statistically one-third of all food produced for human consumption that never reaches a plate....
When 21-year-old Lucas Martin started feeling unwell in early September 2023, nothing suggested that his life was in immediate danger. He had a headache and felt feverish, so his family assumed he had picked up the same mix of bugs many young people get during busy social seasons. For several days, they watched what looked...
Fun fact: Honey has an indefinite shelf life when stored properly. In fact, modern archeologists have found pots of thousand-year-old honey in ancient Egyptian tombs, all perfectly edible. (Yes, they tasted it to be sure.) So the honey jar that got pushed to the back of your cupboard should also be good to eat. Although,...
Alzheimer’s disease often begins many years before memory problems appear. During that silent phase, toxic changes slowly build inside the brain. For decades, scientists focused mostly on amyloid plaques, while tau tangles were treated as the later damage. However, new work from Tokyo Metropolitan University now suggests an even earlier stage that could reshape ideas...
Sixteen-year-old Harley Andrews was the kind of teenager adults hope their children become. He played football, loved rugby, and spent evenings with friends planning their futures. He had only just started college and seemed strong and healthy from the outside. When he began to complain about pain and feeling unwell, the first instinct of adults...
When a loved one is diagnosed with cancer, for that person and their family, their world shrinks – especially when that diagnosis is terminal. Regular life gets put on hold while a desperate search begins for anything that might offer a chance. A new drug, a promising trial, anything. Sometimes, however, the ‘miracle’ they’re looking...
A fun holiday visit to Istanbul, Turkey, turned to tragedy for a family of 4 from Germany when they met their tragic end from a suspected poisoning. Investigators initially suspected that food poisoning from one of the surrounding street food vendors led to illness that caused their deaths. However, evidence now points to possible chemical...
High blood pressure is often described as a silent threat inside the body. People typically connect it with heart attacks or strokes that strike without much warning. However, the same raised pressure that strains deep arteries also reaches vessels just beneath the skin. Over time, that constant force can change how blood flows through tiny...
Disulfiram is a drug commonly used to treat alcohol use disorder. It works by deterring people from consuming booze. Also known as the brand name Antabuse, disulfiram blocks an enzyme in the liver that breaks down alcohol. When the alcohol lingers in the body, the person begins to feel sick. For some recovering alcoholics, the...
