What is the coronavirus? A coronavirus is a type of virus which can cause illness in animals and people. Viruses break into cells inside their host and use them to reproduce itself and disrupt the body’s normal functions. Coronaviruses are named after the Latin word ‘corona’, which means crown, because they are encased by a … Read more
Scientists have dismissed a dangerous list of coronavirus tips floating on social media as being ‘totally bogus’. The list, being shared on WhatsApp and other social networks, claims to be information from an expert from Stanford Medicine – a claim the US university has denied. Its fake prevention tips include drinking water to wash the … Read more
Hope for PTSD patients as scientists discover how the brain forms ‘fear memory’ to link traumatic events to particular situations and trigger defensive behaviour ‘Fear memory’ formation involves neural connections between two brain regions Activity between the two regions increased in mice faced with ‘aversive stimuli’ Weakening these could erase fear memory for people who are living with … Read more
Drinking too much alcohol may be caused by a gene which makes a pint of beer or glass more pleasurable than it should be, scientists claim. Tens of thousands of people had their genome analysed to investigate whether their DNA affects how much alcohol they consume. Researchers found those who drink a lot – at … Read more
Could a cure for insomnia be in our genes? Difficulty sleeping could be hereditary as scientists discover 47 sections of DNA that determine how easily we nod off Of these 47 genetic sites, 36 had never been identified in previous studies Sleep quality may be related to the release of the feel-good chemical serotonin Those … Read more
Stem cells used to grow tiny but functional human organs that can fit together on a computer chip and could be used to finally end animal testing in medical research Medical researchers grew human organs one millionth the size of normal The organs functioned normally, including a heart that beat 60 times a minute The … Read more
One day, Abbie Mifsud was acting lethargic for the normally bright and bubbly six-year-old. A week later, she couldn’t walk in a straight line – and five months later, Abbie was gone, killed by the aggressive brain cancer, diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG). When Abbie was diagnosed in 2011, her mother, Amanda, was horrified and … Read more
Babies as young as eight months understand the basics of grammar – before they can talk, scientists say Experts tested 175 eight-month-old babies from French-speaking households Infants listened to a tape of an artificial language while looking at related shapes The babies appeared to distinguish between content and function words Kids typically start stringing words … Read more
Quantum computers and higher resolution sensors are a step closer after scientists develop a way to control a single atom with an electric field for the first time. Described by the engineering team from UNSW as a ‘happy accident’, the discovery could replace the tried and tested magnetic resonance imaging used in medicine. It also … Read more
Mosquitoes can be genetically engineered to stop them spreading dengue fever to humans, a study has revealed. Working in a lab, scientists created mosquitoes which were immune to the tropical disease and therefore unable to pass it on through bites. They injected the insects with human immune system proteins which were able to fight off … Read more