Implantable wireless devices trigger -- and may block -- pain signals

Implanted microLED devices light up, activating peripheral nerve cells in mice. The devices are being developed and studied by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign as a potential treatment for pain that does not respond...

An arms race among venomous animals?

This is an Anderson's Pitviper (Trimeresurus Andersoni), a highly venomous snake, photographed by Dr. Kartik Sunagar in the Andaman Islands of India. In a new study published in the journalPLOS Genetics, scientists at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have revealed new discoveries about how animal...

First-of-its-kind study of puberty timing in men

In the largest genomic analysis of puberty timing in men, new research conducted by scientists at the University of Cambridge and 23andMe* shows that the timing of puberty in males and females is influenced by many of the same-shared genetic factors. The study results are the first to quantify the...

Meat -- and how it's cooked -- may impact kidney cancer risk

A new study indicates that a meat-rich diet may increase the risk of developing kidney cancer through mechanisms related to particular cooking compounds. Also, these associations may be modified by genetic susceptibility to kidney cancer. Published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal...

Energy drink increases blood pressure, norepinephrine levels

Anna Svatikova, M.D., Ph.D., of the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn., and colleagues randomly assigned 25 healthy volunteers (age 18 years or older) to consume a can (480 mL; 16 fl. oz.) of a commercially available energy drink (Rockstar; Rockstar Inc) and placebo drink within 5 minutes, in random...

Research reveals main reasons why people go to work when ill

High job demands, stress and job insecurity are among the main reasons why people go to work when they are ill, according to new research by an academic at the University of East Anglia (UEA). The study aims to improve understanding of the key causes of employees going to work when sick, known...

The No. 1 killer is invisible to most women

Even though heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 killer of women in the U.S., most women say they don't have a personal connection to cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2015. A 2014 nationally representative survey...

France : gay men can donate their blood if they haven't sex since 12 months

France has decided to end a more than 30-year-old law that banned gay men from donating blood, a measure originally put in place to stop the spread of diseases such as HIV. Health Minister Marisol Touraine said on Wednesday discrimination against potential blood donors on the basis of sexual orientation...

Oil confirmed under Africa's oldest wildlife park Virunga: DRC govt

Seismic tests in Democratic Republic of Congo's Virunga National Park, Africa's oldest wildlife reserve which is famed for its mountain gorillas, have confirmed the presence of oil, the Congolese government said Friday. Tests carried out by British oil company Soco had returned "positive" on the...

Queen's University professor to unveil self-levitating displays called BitDrones

An interactive swarm of flying 3D pixels (voxels) developed at Queen's University's Human Media Lab is set to revolutionize the way people interact with virtual reality. The system, called BitDrones, allows users to explore virtual 3D information by interacting with physical self-levitating building...

What makes a leader? Clues from the animal kingdom

As the American media continues to buzz over who is more or less likely to secure the Republican and Democratic nominations for U.S. President, researchers in the journalTrends in Ecology & Evolution review some interesting perspectives on the nature of leadership. The experts from a wide...

The largest to have existed - giant rat fossils

Archaeologists with The Australian National University (ANU) have discovered fossils of seven giant rat species on East Timor, with the largest up to 10 times the size of modern rats. Dr Julien Louys of the ANU School of Culture, History and Language, who is helping lead the project said these...

A new dimension to high-temperature superconductivity discovered

A team led by scientists at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory combined powerful magnetic pulses with some of the brightest X-rays on the planet to discover a surprising 3-D arrangement of a material's electrons that appears closely linked to a mysterious phenomenon...

China state-owned firm to build $15 bn chip plant

A state-owned Chinese company said Friday it plans to pour nearly $15 billion into a giant memory chip factory, as Beijing seeks to create homegrown semiconductor champions to reduce reliance on foreign technology. Tongfang Guoxin Electronics Co. aims to invest 93.8 billion yuan ($14.8 billion)...

Martian desiccation

Mars has been all over the news, from the blockbuster finding of seasonal water on the Red Planet to the wildly successful film, The Martian. Now, researchers--including those at the University of Iowa--have learned more about what happened to the climate on Mars since it was a warm and watery...

Adults' happiness on the decline

Are you less happy than your parents were at the same age? It may not be all in your head. Researchers led by San Diego State University professor Jean M. Twenge found adults over age 30 are not as happy as they used to be, but teens and young adults are happier than ever. Researchers -- including...