Imagine waking up with sharp pain in your abdomen that just won’t go away. For many, this is how diverticulitis makes its presence known. It’s a condition that can strike suddenly, turning seemingly harmless pockets in your colon into the source of serious discomfort. While diverticulitis may sound like an obscure illness, it’s actually quite common, especially as we age. But what exactly causes diverticulitis, and how can you manage or prevent it from disrupting your life? Let’s dive in ...read more

Billions of years of evolution have made modern cells incredibly complex. Inside cells are small compartments called organelles that perform specific functions essential for the cell’s survival and operation. For instance, the nucleus stores genetic material, and mitochondria produce energy.Another essential part of a cell is the membrane that encloses it. Proteins embedded on the surface of the membrane control the movement of substances in and out of the cell. This sophisticated membrane str ...read more

For thousands of years, people have been using fungi to bake bread and brew beer (yeasts), as nutritious foods (mushrooms and truffles), and, more recently, as a source of life-saving antibiotics (penicillin, neomycin and many more). And yet, an estimated 95% of all fungus species remain undiscovered. Fortunately, thousands of energetic citizen scientists like you can help explore this diverse and fascinating kingdom of organisms, thanks to projects like FUNDIS, Mushroom Observer and others feat ...read more

In my research focused on early farmers of Europe, I have often wondered about a curious pattern through time: Farmers lived in large, dense villages, then dispersed for centuries, then later formed cities again, only to abandon those as well. Why?Archaeologists often explain what we call urban collapse in terms of climate change, overpopulation, social pressures, or some combination of these. Each likely has been true at different points in time.But scientists have added a new hypothesis to the ...read more

A pair of recently uncovered brown dwarf twins, named Gliese 229ba and Gliese 229bb. Gliese 229b, discovered in 1995, was the first-ever confirmed brown dwarf, but until now astronomers thought they were observing a single body not two. New observations from the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope in Chile revealed that the orb is two brown dwarfs tightly orbiting around each other every 12 days (as indicated by the orange and blue orbital lines), with a separation only 16 times ...read more

We’re told that we should eat the rainbow, choosing a diet filled with a colorful variety of fruits and vegetables. These nutrient-dense foods contain a range of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals. But while we understand that phytochemicals keep us healthy, we might not understand why. Phytochemicals, also called phytonutrients, are substances found in fruits, vegetables, and grains that are part of a plant’s immune system, meant to keep it healthy and free of disease. And by keeping t ...read more

Earth is a pretty unique place. Thanks to its location in the habitable zone, life as we know it was able to grow and thrive on the planet. However, in our brief time exploring the surrounding cosmos for signs that we are not alone, we have consistently come up empty-handed. Astrobiologists are concerned with the origin and dispersion of life throughout the universe, and since Earth is the only place we know where life has emerged, the Blue Planet and its features have thus far guided our attem ...read more

Globally, it is estimated that around 10 percent of the world’s population has chronic kidney disease, or over 800 million people. Unfortunately, it is one of the leading causes of death. Many people may have the disease without realizing it so it is important to understand the disease, its progression, and risk factors. What Is Chronic Kidney Disease?(Credit: superbeststock/Shutterstock)Put simply, chronic kidney disease is when the kidneys have suffered damage over a sustained period of time ...read more

For us, galaxies are where most of the interesting stuff happens in the cosmos. Stars, planets, and black holes are all usually found inside these bustling cosmic neighborhoods. But space isn't just galaxies. In between galaxies are vast expanses of interstellar space — galactic deserts where you might be lucky to stumble across a few hydrogen atoms or, at best, a wandering rogue planet ejected from its home galaxy. So, where does a galaxy end and interstellar space begin? There seem to be a ...read more

The 21st century has opened in a very different way than science fiction writers of the 1960s might have imaged. Instead of a world that went all in on science as progress -- "better living through chemistry" and all -- we seem to be entering a century where even the facts, let alone the science, are in question. How did we get here? And what can we do?Facts and BeliefDistrust in science and facts has always been around. Whether it was the debate about evolution or the age of the Earth, when sci ...read more