Animals and humans have coexisted since our early ancestors first emerged nearly 2 million years ago. Researchers have found artifacts from this time period, such as stone tools in the archaeological site Kanjera South in Kenya, showing the first tangible proof of ancient humans interacting with and hunting animals.This symbiotic relationship between humans and animals hardly comes as a surprise when domesticated pets like dogs and cats are commonplace in the modern world. However, the animals ...read more
For some seniors, enjoying good health during their golden years could be as simple as staying hydrated. In a January 2023 article in The Lancet, researchers followed more than 11,000 participants for 25 years and found the most hydrated were less at risk for chronic diseases and premature death.People become less hydrated as they age, and the authors concluded that having a hydration routine could help a person slow the aging process.Dementia patients, however, aren’t always able to commu ...read more
The discovery of a new dinosaur found within 10 feet of its fossilized eggs is shedding light on how early reptiles reproduced and the evolution of the egg.Qianlong shouhu, which means “Guizhou dragon guarding,” lived during the early Jurassic Period some 190 million years ago, when it was an early precursor to immense sauropod dinosaurs such as the brontosaurus. Q. shouhu, however, was not so large and weighed a mere ton and measured about 20 feet long. Also unlike brontosaurus, it walked o ...read more
The spinal cord is like a superhighway for the body’s nervous system. Partial injuries, like lane closures, let fewer brain signals through, but complete spinal cord injuries are akin to highway closures. No signals cross the injury site to the other side, paralyzing the body below the site of the injury.Today, there’s no way to restore motor function – such as the ability to walk – below the injury site. A recent study published in Science, however, shows that walking can be restored ev ...read more
You wake up one day, and your nose feels a little stuffy. You find yourself reaching for that box of Kleenex more and more, and to your dismay, the crumpled tissues are starting to pile up. Maybe there’s an ominous tickle in your throat that just won’t go away, no matter how much water you chug.It’s upsetting but not surprising: ‘Tis the season of respiratory viruses. As we anticipate the yearly uptick of flu and common cold cases, how can we distinguish those sicknesses from the still-p ...read more