New microneedle technique speeds plant disease detection
Reading Time: 3 minutesRESEARCHERS have developed a new technique that uses microneedle patches to collect DNA from plant tissues in one minute, rather than the hours needed for conventional techniques. DNA extraction is the first step in identifying plant diseases, and the new method holds promise for the development of on-site plant disease detection tools. “When farmers detect […]
Stress in early life, depression later
Reading Time: 2 minutesNEW research by the University of Bristol has found that early life adversity could make an individual more at risk of developing negative thinking, which could lead to major depressive disorder (MDD). The findings provide biological and psychological evidence to support work first proposed in the 1960s. The study, published in Neuropsychopharmacology, using a rodent […]
Robot therapists need rules
Reading Time: < 1 minuteTHE use of Artificial Intelligence in psychotherapy is not new as such. Back in the 1960s, the first chatbots created the illusion of a psychotherapy session. In reality, however, this was little more than a gimmick. With today’s advanced algorithms and higher computing power, much more is possible. “The algorithms behind these new applications have […]
WHAT EFFECTS DOES CLIMATE CHANGE HAVE ON THE GENETIC DIVERSITY…?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteUniversitätsmedizin Berlin, an international team of researchers studied the genome of the alpine marmot, an ice-age remnant that now lives in large numbers in the high altitude Alpine meadow. Results were unexpected: the species was found to be the least genetically diverse of any wild mammal studied to date. An explanation was found in the […]
Did Leonardo da Vinci have ADHD?
Reading Time: 2 minutesLEONARDO da Vinci produced some of the world’s most iconic art, but historical accounts show that he struggled to complete his works. 500 years after his death, King’s College London researcher Professor Marco Catani suggests the best explanation for Leonardo’s inability to finish projects is that the great artist may have had Attention Deficit and […]
Alzheimer’s stickier culprits
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIN a new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers from the University of Colorado Denver and Binghamton University are the first to map the molecular structure and dynamics of an aggressive protein modification that spurs on Alzheimer’s disease. “Roughly ten percent of Alzheimer’s disease cases are the result of identified […]
Study suggests overdiagnosis of schizophrenia
Reading Time: < 1 minuteIN a small study of patients referred to the Johns Hopkins Early Psychosis Intervention Clinic (EPIC), Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report that about half the people referred to the clinic with a schizophrenia diagnosis didn’t actually have schizophrenia. Schizophrenia is a chronic, severe and disabling disorder marked by disordered thinking, feelings and behavior. People who […]
Want to quit smoking?
Reading Time: < 1 minuteKICKING the habit works best in pairs. That’s the main message of a study presented at EuroPrevent 2019. Quitting smoking can be a lonely endeavour,” said author Magda Lampridou, of Imperial College London. “People feel left out when they skip the smoke break at work or avoid social occasions. On top of that, there are […]
Treating addiction with shrub
Reading Time: < 1 minuteSCIENTISTS used a compound found in a shrub native to Africa to reveal the three major shapes of the serotonin transporter, a protein in the brain linked to anxiety and depression. The discovery opens new avenues for developing medications to treat addiction.
Would you eat GM food if you understood the science behind it?
Reading Time: 2 minutesJONATHAN MCPHETRES, a newly minted PhD in psychology from the University of Rochester, admits he’s “personally amazed” what we can do with genes, specifically genetically modified food — such as saving papayas from extinction. “We can makes crops better, more resilient, and more profitable and easier for farmers to grow, so that we can provide […]