They wiggle, though they don’t do much else. That’s what we’ve long thought about the auricular muscles — the useless ear muscles that once helped our ancient ancestors hear. But recent research in Frontiers in Neuroscience reveals that these muscles are still trying hard to help us, activating during difficult listening situations.“There are three large muscles [that] connect the auricle [the outer ear] to the skull and scalp,” said Andreas Schröer, a study author and a neuroscient ...read more
Humans are social creatures. Many of us enjoy spending time with friends and family doing social activities, like going out to dinner, attending sporting events, and participating in book clubs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), being social offers a myriad of health benefits, including emotional regulation, reduced stress and anxiety, better sleep, and a reduced risk of heart disease and stroke. And now, thanks to a new study published in Alzheimer's & Deme ...read more
Pain relief without addiction has been a pharmaceutical goal long before the opioid crisis. A newly approved medicine appears to have achieved that.The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Journavx to treat short-term pain. The drug, which was developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals in Boston and tested as a pain treatment following surgeries, targets the nerves near an injury site instead of in the brain.“It works in a way that is different than previous medications,” says Paul Negu ...read more
About seven years from now, in 2032, an asteroid orbiting the Sun will fly so close to Earth that it has a little over 1 percent chance of impact. The asteroid, named 2024 YR4, stands out as the only near-Earth asteroid out of the over 37,000 currently recognized to have an impact probability above 1 percent. Scientists calculated this probability after the asteroid was reported on December 27, 2024 at a telescope in Chile belonging to the Asteroid Terrestrial-impact Last Alert System (ATLAS), ...read more
At long last, the Eaton and Palisades wildfires in Los Angeles are almost fully contained.It has been more than three weeks since the blazes erupted on Jan. 7, 2025, and now, as I'm writing this on Friday, Jan. 31, they are finally just a percent or two from full containment, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. Driven by hurricane force winds, the fires quickly roared through a desiccated landscape. Together they've scorched 37,469 acres — an area more than ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine