New research on the origins of the COVID-19 outbreak puts another nail in the lab leak theory’s coffin. That theory claims the virus was either created in or studied at a laboratory in Wuhan, China, and then it either escaped accidentally or was released intentionally.The new study shows that the virus’s path across China to Wuhan resembles that of the earlier SARS epidemic that started in 2002, in terms of time, distance, and route, they report in the journal Cell. Demonstrating its origins ...read more

Controlling your emotions could also relieve your pain. An experiment where chronic pain patients learned to turn down negative emotions through a combination of sessions with an online therapist with homework showed significant success easing physical suffering, according to an article in the journal JAMA Network Open. "Beyond its sensory experience, chronic pain is an intrinsically emotional experience associated with heightened negative emotions, including anger, worry, and low mood, alongsid ...read more

It might not sound glamorous, but cow manure could soon be the unlikely hero of sustainable manufacturing. Scientists have discovered a way to transform cow dung into cellulose, one of the world’s most widely used materials. “Our initial question was whether it could be possible to extract the tiny fragments of cellulose present in cow manure, which is left over from the plants the animals have eaten, and fashion it into manufacturing-grade cellulose material,” said Mohan Edirisinghe, sen ...read more

Any chemical that’s called a flavonoid has to taste good. That’s what you’d think, anyway. But some flavonoids are actually famous for their bitter taste, and can cause astringency — the dry, sometimes numbing sensation that’s created in the mouth when we consume certain foods and beverages. But flavonoids aren’t all bad. They’re anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-carcinogenic. And a new study shows that that’s not the extent of their health benefits, either. Appearing in ...read more

When it comes to navigating areas, young children are a lot smarter than we give them credit for. Although past studies have proposed that our navigational abilities don’t truly kick in until the age of 12, a new study puts these claims to rest, revealing that children as young as 5 can find their way around large spaces. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, demonstrated the surprising cognitive capacity of five-year-olds as they navigated a tiny virtua ...read more

Researchers from Oregon State University (OSU) have unveiled a novel "electricity-conducting organism” that could spark medical and environmental innovations.According to the new study, published in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, the OSU team has named the organism — a new species of cable bacteria — Ca. Electrothrix yaqonensis, in honor of the Yaqona people, whose ancestral land the new bacteria were found in. The research team hopes that the new discovery could help develop imp ...read more

From the snow leopard to the pangolin, there are many animals that evade human contact. These elusive animals move secretly and silently through hard-to-reach habitats and are often at risk of endangerment. One of these animals, known as the Asian unicorn, is now one step closer to being found by humans – and in this case, that’s a good thing.The saola is commonly referred to as the Asian unicorn because of its mythic existence. Scientists first became aware of it as late as 1992, making it ...read more

Climate change could fuel the spread of a fungus that can sicken and even kill people, as well as threaten crops, according to a study posted on the preprint server Research Square.Fungal infections already kill about 1.5 million a year. There are now few effective antifungal agents available, with many fungi developing resistance to them. One particular mold-like fungus called Aspergillus is responsible for most such deaths in the Northern Hemisphere.What Is Aspergillus?Aspergillus is sometimes ...read more

Social drinking can sit on the slippery slope to alcoholism. People — and culture — can sometimes intertwine solitary drinkers with addiction. However, alcoholism often starts out when drinking among others, according to a review article in the journal Current Directions in Psychological Science.“Evidence for the centrality of social motives in problem drinking surround us,” according to the article. “While solitary drinking might serve as a useful early indicator of alcohol use disord ...read more

Global research into the gut microbiome has exploded over the past decade, with most of the spotlight shining on the complex, health-shaping roles of bacteria in our intestines. But the gut isn’t home to bacteria alone — it also harbors a bustling community of fungi and other microorganisms that are only beginning to get the scientific attention they deserve.The latest study from immunologists at Peking University, published in Science, reveals that a common gut fungus may do more than just ...read more