The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) took place in Mongolia, a country plagued by desertification, droughts, and dzud winters—severe periods of heavy snow and harsh, cold weather, followed by summer drought. Millions of farm animals die of cold and starvation, leaving a scarring impact on Mongolian herders, who constitute

The fun in video games used to be in mastering and finishing them. However, the definition of fun in the gaming world has changed from skills to ‘skins’—custom designs and wearables inside a game that can be purchased with money. Many of the modern games are also “free-to-play”, but there

When Edward O. Wilson, a champion of conservation and a renowned entomologist, calls for eradicating mosquitoes and is willing to take on the role of an executioner, there must be very little doubt about how dangerous these tiny insects can be. Nearly a million die from diseases carried through mosquito

The post-COVID lifestyle has been vastly different from that of previous generations. Buying groceries and consumer products is a click away, and a lot of work can be done while perched on the couch. A study published in the peer-reviewed Journal of the American Planning Association reports that people spend

The mummy’s curse is more likely to be biological than supernatural. A growing trend of buying and selling mummified human remains exposes collectors and postal services to dormant microorganisms and toxic materials. Research into the covert trade of centuries-old embalmed human parts like hands, feet, and heads reports the issue

It takes a few minutes for anaphylaxis to set in, and a quarter to half an hour to kill you if left untreated. Anaphylaxis is an allergic reaction that rapidly leads to a severe drop in blood pressure and constricts the airway. Insect stings, any medication, and even peanuts can

While cancer itself is not contagious, the risk of contracting infections that lead to cancer later is fairly common. Some cancers begin in the tissues lining the mouth and throat, such as head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). These are often associated with Human Papillomavirus (HPV) or some bacterial

The world is gravely concerned because of the economic uncertainty looming ahead due to the Iran War. However, as more than 1,500 ships continue to idle in the Strait of Hormuz, an ecological “superspreader” hazard can be on our platter when the route opens. A threat that can destroy ecosystems

A rare Bourbon virus case has been confirmed on Long Island, New York, for the first time, raising concerns because the symptoms overlap with Lyme disease. Bourbon virus infections tend to be more fatal and are carried by lone star ticks (Amblyomma americanum). With no widely available diagnostic test or

If you’re just tracking macros, you’re missing out big time on your body’s biochemistry. Engineers at the University of California San Diego have created a smart wearable ring that tracks glucose, ketones, vitamin C, uric acid, lactate, and alcohol. It can simultaneously monitor up to four different such biomarkers, non-stop,

The love for a loved one never flatlines, even if the loved one is lost. If you had a chance to speak with an AI-generated “ghost” of a deceased loved one, would you take the chance? The idea might be cathartic, but to 16 volunteers, these conversations were often comforting,

Silicon chips have been the mother of the computing revolution for more than 50 years now. However, silicon means business in biology, too, with its uses ranging from monitoring large groups of neurons to DNA sequencing. Now, Harvard scientists have added a new streak of amazing to silicon chips by

The barbecue season has just gone past its peak on the 4th of July. Joyous vibes ooze into a backyard filled with the aroma of a juicy ribeye cooking over charcoal. While barbecue and cookouts have been a custom ingrained in American culture for over 200 years, the hunt for

Prof Hagai Levine’s 2017 paper reporting a drastic decline in male sperm counts has been referred to as the ‘spermageddon’ paper. Recent work by Prof. Levine has also reported that average male testosterone levels have halved over the last fifty years. Moreover, male infertility cases are particularly difficult to treat

Gender roles in humans evolve with societal shifts, not as a checklist of traits that promote ‘manliness’ in mating systems, as in other mammals such as chimpanzees and lions. While a primal layer exists in how we interpret gender, it is far less likely to depend on that alone. Perhaps

Around 30,000 to 60,000 Americans bleed to death every year due to the lack of first responders and emergency care, even before the injured person can be taken to a hospital. The situations are even worse in war zones, where neither time nor environment supports those in need. This is

I hummed the Star Wars theme on a loop when I came out of anesthesia. Many of them, who have been under anesthesia, end up doing some comic acts that lighten the mood for their kin around them. While they might think it’s you being far from awareness as the

Coca-Cola might be past its days of adding tiny amounts of cocaine to its sodas, but it can still induce addiction, and so are many other sodas. While caffeine, the active ingredient in coffee that stimulates our nerves, is added to Coca-Cola, it isn’t the sole addictive component in the

Nearly half of American adults aged 30 and older suffer from some form of gum disease.[1] These start painlessly, and even before you get a whiff of discomfort, the damage is done. Usually, poor oral hygiene, such as not brushing and flossing daily, and habits like smoking, are to blame.

Beneath the bustling and vibrant Southern California, two of the most important fault systems of the region, the San Andreas Fault and the San Jacinto Fault, come together at Cajon Pass. These faults, or fractures, are the venting point of stress that has accumulated in the Earth’s crust, and earthquakes

Inspiration doesn’t always come from the big leagues; sometimes it’s the intentions that inspire. The Republic of Palau is a scenic archipelago in the Pacific Ocean with spectacular reefs, home to a population akin to that of a mid-sized American suburb. The country has asked the United Nations to review

In late January, the FDA approved a clinical trial that could change the fate of humankind, beginning right at the cellular level. Scientists hope that the promising gene-therapy trial will reverse aging by restoring cells to behave like their younger selves. Now, the first person has received therapy for glaucoma

As a blogger, I often need to think outside the box. Unfortunately, there are times when I run into dead ends. This is usually when I head over to the kitchen and grab a Snickers. I nibble on it for as long as I don’t hit my Eureka moment. Now

Last April, Stanford Medicine scientists reported that roughly 1 in 10 people has genetic variants that make GLP-1 drugs, like Ozempic, less effective at regulating blood sugar. The phenomenon is called GLP-1 resistance, and is a major problem in treating diabetes. However, people who use the drug also have a

Hand chimps and bonobos a smartphone, and they will immediately get hooked on a group chat. Humans are known to keep some close friends and form a “friend circle,” and to maintain weaker social connections scattered at work, schools, etc. However, maintaining a hierarchy from close confidants to the casuals

Almost 2.2 billion people suffer from some form of vision impairment— that’s almost 1 in every 4 person worldwide. Nearly half of these cases could have been prevented or are unaddressed. While LASIK remains the gold standard, helping patients achieve 20/20 vision in over 90% of the cases, it has

“Brain.exe has stopped working” became a famous meme on Reddit post-2010s, mimicking the classic Windows crash alert pop-up. It was a way to describe brain fog, when the brain literally “crashes” and has a hard time processing information and drawing inferences. Now, neural imaging and psychological testing show that under

The last time Colossal Biosciences claimed to resurrect an extinct species, it backfired so much that chief scientist Dr. Beth Shapiro had to address the criticism, saying it’s impossible to bring back an animal identical to one lost so long ago. Their creation was technically a “grey wolf with 20

If Einstein’s theory of relativity makes time stretch and compress, Schrödinger’s clock crumples time itself. Just like Schrödinger’s cat, which can be alive and dead simultaneously until observed, his clock can tick faster and slower at the same time. State-of-the-art quantum technology can possibly allow scientists to test this bizarre

Do you have sore, itchy eyes? It’s affecting millions due to their increased exposure to blue light from all the screen time. Steer clear of rubbing your eyes, or your eyelids will turn a shade of slight pinkish hue. The disease is called bixonimania, and researcher Lazljiv Izgubljenovic has studied

When I slowly spiraled into a life that seemed static, lacking emotions and the urge to make friends, I thought I might be a psychopath. Although I was later diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder, the immediate thought of being a “psychopath” resonated with the whole socially aloof ordeal, which wasn’t

Silent places like old mansions can be quite scary, but there’s a catch: silence isn’t actually what it seems to be. Hidden amidst the daily commotion in urban concrete, infrasound, an ultra-low frequency vibration below the range of human hearing, activates the stress hormone cortisol. The study, published in Frontiers

Leonardo da Vinci was the true definition of a Renaissance man, admired as a brilliant artist, inventor, and thinker. His ideas and art were ahead of their time, like a man from the future. The artist who painted Mona Lisa and The Last Supper popularized the use of the golden

“An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind” could have been quite true 600 million years ago (MYA), when a single-eyed ancestor of ours—a “cyclops” worm — crawled on the planet. Scientists from Lund University and the University of Sussex report that all vertebrates arose from this ancient

PSY’s “Gangnam Style”, released in 2012, marked the beginning of South Korea’s aesthetic and style becoming a brand. By the late 2010s, Korean pop (K-pop) bands like BTS and BLACKPINK, and K-dramas, took the world by storm, especially their fashion and skincare. K-beauty inspired many to use Korean skincare products,

Having worked as a writer, I have realized that there isn’t any average Tuesday. Some days, I will work like a man on a mission (or zoomies!); on other days, there is not enough Red Bull to give me wings. Funny thing is, a study from the University of Toronto

“Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food near me” Fasting + Ozempic/Wegovy + no tasty food near me — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 16, 2022 Elon Musk posted this simple formula on his X account that helped him lose 30 lbs. Novo Nordisk originally designed Ozempic to treat diabetes, but

All eyes were on Artemis II during this Easter, as the four astronauts aboard the spacecraft completed the historic lunar flyby. It is the latest step in NASA’s ambitious Artemis mission to return people to the Moon’s surface by 2028. While the United States rejoices in another success, the space

Scientists went full Frankenstein mode and resurrected ‘dead’ bacterial cells by replacing their defunct DNA with functional DNA from another species. This feat can advance gene engineering, as whole genomes can be transferred from one bacterium to another and customized to confer useful properties, such as the ability to produce

The first major update to strength-training (or resistance-training) recommendations in 17 years asks us to adopt a workout plan that we can maintain long term. Even small amounts of resistance training can improve strength, increase muscle size, and enhance power. A good routine is key to better overall physical function.

Pythons feast today, and fast for months. They don’t nibble; instead, they swallow their prey whole— prey like an antelope. After that, they can go for months without eating. Now, scientists have identified a molecule in their blood that is crucial to support this type of metabolism, which they also

After analyzing medical data from more than 100 million people, scientists have discovered that recreational drugs can more than double the risk of stroke, and younger people are dealt the heaviest damage. The risk of stroke was 122% higher for amphetamine users, closely followed by cocaine users, who are 96%

A French criminal trial had to deal with more science than law, as DNA trail left by a criminal came from an identical twin. Conventional DNA testing could not establish which of the brothers had their DNA on the gun found during the investigation. The men are monozygotic twins—the result

Einstein dreamed about cows being zapped by an electric fence and realized that time is relative to the observer—the theory of relativity. Mendeleev was out cold at his desk and woke up with the periodic table after a Tetris-like dream in which the elements fell into place. Many scientists credit

If you’re hungry, grab a Snickers! If your sweet tooth is calling, grab a jar of chocolate honey! Researchers at the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) in São Paulo, Brazil, have made a product that blends native bee honey with cocoa bean shells, considered a waste product in the chocolate-making

A mother’s chance of conceiving a baby boy or a girl is as random as a coin toss. In the case of one Utah family, however, ‘selfish genes’ might have tipped the balance. By looking through a genealogy database, scientists have discovered that this family has had twice as many

A 33-year-old man whose lungs were partially filled with pus when placed on a ventilator survived for 48 hours without his lungs, after a medical team swapped his distressed lungs with an external artificial-lung system. He has then gone on to receive a double lung transplant, and he is doing

Biomolecular condensates, once believed to be simple blobs, are now recognized as a core structure involved in cell division and growth. New research has offered insights into its structure: it is built from complex networks of protein filaments that form a scaffold, and has a defined architecture, unlike previously thought.

Bacteria are voracious eaters. They obtain nutrients by digesting dead organic matter and other materials, such as wood, and some can even degrade plastic and petroleum products. Now, researchers have turned their attention—and bacteria’s “hunger” —elsewhere. Soon, engineered bacteria will be a carefully guided bio-attack on tumors, offering a new

Schrödinger didn’t just put a cat in a sealed box (not really, but in his thought), but also dedicated a significant portion of his efforts to mathematically define how we perceive hue, saturation, and lightness. The theory, first proposed 100 years ago by Schrödinger, has been refined using geometric approaches,

It’s the season of the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Italy, and it has already been circled for its strict stand on PFAs or ‘forever chemicals’ used in ski wax. The first Winter Olympics to enforce this novel principle, three athletes were disqualified on this ground. The best part of

Chris Hemsworth might not remember being Thor in the MCU. As crazy as it sounds, on one episode of Limitless, a National Geographic show on ways to live better for longer and prevent age-related diseases, he was revealed to be prone to Alzheimer’s. He underwent a series of genetic tests

The rise of artificial intelligence has increased demand for data storage devices that can withstand long-term use. Researchers at Microsoft have a potential solution: a data-storage system no larger than a coaster that can remain readable for at least 10,000 years— perhaps, even longer. The team used a high-energy laser

You can touch grass, but AI can’t. Getting paid to step out and do a gig for an AI agent might be the next big trend in freelancing. If the “AI will take your job” theories strike the right notes for you, think again. Your next boss might be an

If you have seen a 7-year-old chanting “Avara Kedavra” with a stick fashioned into a wand, or making spaghetti from Play-Doh, you will realize that their imagination is the way they study the world, and make the most out of it. As adults, we learn to “fake it till we

Over 70% of the Earth’s surface is covered with water, most of it contained in oceans. If we gathered all the water into a sphere, it would have a diameter of around one-tenth of the Earth. Now, multiply that by nine, and that might be the minimum amount of hydrogen

Using simple gases and electricity in a lab setup that mimicked a stellar neighborhood, Linda Losurdo, a doctoral student in materials and plasma physics at the University of Sydney, created a tiny amount of cosmic dust. It is the same substance that clumps to form stars, and acts as a

A towering ancient life form that fits no category of organisms might be a new form of multicellular life altogether; fossils of which were first discovered 160 years ago. In the 19th century, these 30-foot (almost 9 meters) tall prehistoric organisms were thought to be rotten trunks of conifers. Others

If you have been consuming ultra-processed foods (UPFs) like instant ramen or protein bars without checking the ingredients, think again. They contain substances that don’t pop out of a regular pantry, like protein isolates and modified starches. What stands out as alarming is a recent study showing how UPFs are

We have all been searching for clues of life through rovers on the surface of different planets, and through chemical footprints on ours. But have we been looking in the right place, or are we missing out on the not-so-obvious-looking corners of space? Scientists’ pursuit of the cosmic origin of

If you hear the name The Vault Guy, you would probably think of someone who listens to ‘clicks’ while rotating the dial on a vault’s lock during a break-in. Outside of YouTube, he is Leonard Rome, cell biologist at the University of California, Los Angeles. His discovery is the cornerstone

Researchers at Google DeepMind unveil AlphaGenome, an AI-based software that can usher in a new era in identifying genetic drivers of diseases and eventually pave the way for new treatments. AlphaGenome came into public light in a blog post and a preprint last June. Since then, more than 3,000 scientists

Before the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) 2.4 billion years ago, the Earth’s atmosphere had almost no oxygen. During the GOE, photosynthetic bacteria known as cyanobacteria produced oxygen through photosynthesis, releasing it into the atmosphere. When oxygen was found at a depth of 4,000 meters below the surface of the Pacific