under the microscope

Studying brain activity on psychedelics.

Studying brain activity on psychedelics. “What makes psychedelics unusual is that the experience itself may be a substantial part of how the treatment produces lasting psychological change,” one of the researchers says. A big five-year brain-imaging study found psilocybin’s “chaos” […]

under the microscope

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential.

Metasurfaces: Tiny tech with big potential. “Imagine manipulating light with ultra-thin, flat sheets instead of bulky lenses and mirrors.” Metasurfaces are engineered nanostructures that can control “the amplitude, phase, and polarization of light waves” in a tiny footprint. ~ learn […]

under the microscope

Microscopic drug factories.

Microscopic drug factories. “This tumor-seeking behavior allows the bacteria to act like microscopic drug factories.” UChicago researchers engineered a common probiotic to release an immune-stimulating molecule only inside low-oxygen pancreatic tumors, boosting T cell activity in mice. ~ learn more

under the microscope

All living things emit a faint glow.

All living things emit a faint glow. Seeing the mouse images was “a defining moment”, says Daniel Oblak. Living mice gave off a ghostly glow in a dark chamber, and when the team re-imaged them after death, “the glow had […]

under the microscope

A natural peptide that makes erections 56% harder.

A natural peptide that makes erections 56% harder. “Kisspeptin administration resulted in a significant increase in penile tumescence over the course of an 8-minute sexual video compared with placebo.” In a small double-blind crossover RCT (32 men with HSDD), the […]

under the microscope

Sugar substitutes and brain aging.

Sugar substitutes and brain aging. “People who consumed the greatest amounts of sweeteners experienced a 62% faster decline in overall thinking and memory abilities than those who consumed the least.” The study tracked self-reported diet questionnaires from 12,772 adults for […]

under the microscope

Program ions like software.

Program ions like software. “Our method replaces that physical solution switching with rapid changes in the electrical circuit, allowing ions to move continuously in one direction through the system.” The researchers say electrochemical ion pumping can desalinate salty industrial wastewater […]

under the microscope

A selective PFAS binder from oats.

A selective PFAS binder from oats. “NeutraOat is a modified form of oat fiber (β-glucan) that binds PFAS in your gut before they get reabsorbed.” Grain Labs is recruiting 15 adults with elevated PFOS for a 12-week at-home pilot with […]

under the microscope

Sleep regularity beats sleep duration.

Sleep regularity beats sleep duration. “Sleep regularity was a stronger predictor of all-cause mortality than sleep duration.” They computed a Sleep Regularity Index from more than 10 million hours of wrist accelerometer data in 60,977 UK Biobank participants, and the […]