When you think of formaldehyde, you probably picture building materials or embalming fluid, not your body lotion or hair conditioner. But this toxic chemical, long linked to cancer, also lurks in everyday personal care products. Since these products go directly on our skin, the health risks get personal, fast.A new study by the Silent Spring Institute — a research organization investigating environmental links to breast cancer — highlights where formaldehyde is found, who is most affected, a ...read more
Compost is known for helping the environment by putting waste to good use, but in an unexpected way, it may also give rise to more effective chemotherapy treatments. According to new research, it turns out that bacteria found in compost harbor a type of protein that can be used for improved drug delivery.A recent study published in the journal Angewandte Chemie International Edition details a promising method in which protein cages can be modified to transport drugs. Having shown success during ...read more
The need for Alzheimer’s prevention is growing. About 7 million people in the U.S. now live with the disease, with estimates climbing to 13 million by 2050. The estimated annual cost of care for Alzheimer’s and other dementias could rise from $360 billion to almost $1 trillion over that time period, according to the Alzheimer’s Association.One class of HIV drug shows promise in preventing Alzheimer’s disease, according to an article in Alzheimer's & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzhe ...read more
Dwelling beneath the soil in the American Southwest are coccidioides fungus spores (C. immitis, C. posadasii). Inhaling these spores can lead to valley fever, also known as coccidioidomycosis. While this fungal infection is nothing akin to the spores seen in the series and video game, The Last of Us, an infection from coccidioides can lead to serious medical issues. Because valley fever is isolated to areas with low rainfall and hot summers, like the American Southwest, and parts of Mexico and ...read more
There’s a new type of criminal on the loose. They’re big. They’re cold. And they’ve been committing acts of thievery in Antarctica for the past eighteen years.A new study, published in The Cryosphere, reveals that a glacier in Antarctica has been stealing ice from its neighbor. This act of ice piracy, observed using satellite imagery, is a phenomenon never before seen in such a short period of time. In fact, until now, ice piracy was understood to be a centuries- or even millennia-long p ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine