There isn’t any solid research about whether fasting helps the human body fight an infection. But there was a study published Cell in 2016 that found mice fared better against bacteria while fasted, and against viruses while fed — specifically with glucose. | learn […]
The NYT reports on this study: “Dr. Evershed and his colleagues found that Europeans were consuming milk without lactase for thousands of years, despite the misery from gas and cramping it might have caused.” | learn more (no paywall on this link)
“Australian scientists have demonstrated a new way to restore insulin production in pancreatic cells, using a drug that’s already approved for use in humans.” | learn more
A bit creepy, for sure. “Spiders are basically hydraulic (or pneumatic) grippers. Living spiders control their limbs by adjusting blood pressure on a limb-by-limb basis through an internal valve system.” | learn more
“We replicated the findings of the original study, with 35% of participants reporting a false memory for getting lost in a mall as a child (compared to 25% in the original study). However, using a novel self-report measure, just 14% […]
Remember the white/gold/black/blue dress? “Thanks to years of research into photoreceptors in the retina and the neurons to which they connect, [neuroscientist Pascal Wallisch] thought he understood the roughly thirty steps in the chain of visual processing, but “all of […]
A fascinating experiment demonstrates how. “Overall, low sounds seem to blunt neurological signals between the auditory cortex and thalamus, tamping down on pain processing in the thalamus, the team concluded. The analgesic effects lasted up to 2 days after the […]
“Early life strongly influences DNA methylation variation across the lifespan, and the effects are stronger for heritable sites and sites biologically relevant to the regulation of gene expression. Early life could affect late-life health through influencing DNA methylation.” | learn more
Higher altitude, higher suicide rates. | learn more
“Worker honeybees of the South African variety can clone themselves, one of whom did so, many millions of times, for 30 years, according to a recent study published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B.” | learn more