As temperatures continue to rise, the geographical range of mosquitoes is expanding, increasing the risk of mosquito-borne viral diseases. Lethal among these are a group of mosquitoes called Aedes, that threaten public health by transmitting diseases like chikungunya, dengue, yellow fever, and Zika. When a female mosquito, called a vector, bites a virus-infected human, she ingests the virus. Source ..read more

Have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? Melatonin is a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep. Our brains synthesize melatonin in response to darkness, which helps regulate our body clock or circadian rhythm. But melatonin has many diverse functions that are useful in maintaining our health. It goes beyond getting a good night’s sleep! For example, researchers in the past have… Source ..read more

Animals have many ways of sensing their chemical environments that vary across species. While mammals rely on their tongues for tasting, aquatic creatures like fish use their skin to taste. Conversely, insects have taste buds outside their bodies, not just in their mouths. Researchers have shown that fruit flies, scientifically known as Drosophila melanogaster, have developed unique ways to find… Source ..read more

Breast cancer affects thousands of people every year. Scientists have shown many factors can influence breast cancer, like age, lack of physical activity, and obesity. But they don’t know exactly how obesity and breast cancer are linked. Researchers in the past hypothesized that tissue inflammation in obese patients was linked to cancer. Other researchers showed that obese patients have a… Source ..read more

Researchers led by Liangxue Lai at the Guangzhou Institutes of Biomedicine and Health in China recently increased the time human stem cells can survive in animal embryos. The team is undertaking a 5-year project to grow human organs that can be transplanted into patients without waiting for a donor. So far, no scientists have successfully grown an organ with 100% human cells inside an animal… Source ..read more

Mars has long captured the attention and imagination of scientists, writers, and stargazers alike. Scientists have observed Mars with telescopes and rovers to study major questions like how planets in our solar system formed and what is necessary for the development of life. However, scientists are limited in what they can observe without landing humans on the red planet itself. Source ..read more

Cancer cells grow abnormally and are difficult to control. When this growth happens in the inner lining of the stomach, scientists call it gastric cancer. Gastric cancer is a global health concern in the United States, Eastern Asia, and Eastern Europe. It usually has no symptoms at the onset and often affects people who have been infected by a bacterial species called Helicobacter pylori. Source ..read more

Astronauts often experience symptoms affecting their sensory systems after space flight, like unsteadiness when walking or standing, blurred vision, and fatigue. These symptoms are called bilateral vestibulopathy, or BVP. Patients on Earth can also experience BVP, but they have different symptoms than astronauts with BVP do. Scientists think these differences arise in parts of the sensory system… Source ..read more

Scientists who study speech in humans think this ability must have arisen in our brains as we evolved from primates, but they don’t know exactly how. These researchers can compare the human brain with other primate brains to see how it changed during evolution to confer human speech. Previous researchers have suggested structures in the front part of primate brains, like groove patterns… Source ..read more

Have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? Melatonin is a natural hormone that plays a role in sleep. Our brains synthesize melatonin in response to darkness, which helps regulate our body clock or circadian rhythm. But melatonin has many diverse functions that are useful in maintaining our health. It goes beyond getting a good night’s sleep! For example, researchers in the past have… Source ..read more