A genetic investigation has finally tracked down the source of the pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine, closing a case that has been up in the air for years. Researchers nailed down the Andes Mountains in South America as the birthplace of Phtytophthora infestans, otherwise known as potato blight or late blight. The pathogen, taking the form of a fungus-like microorganism (oomycete/water mold), has devastated potato and tomato plants throughout history. A new study published in the jou ...read more
A set of leggings with a matching Minnie Mouse shirt, freeze-dried blueberries, a face cream; These seemingly unrelated items shared one toxic trait — they were recalled because they contained a dangerously high level of lead.The Minnie Mouse outfit, for example, used lead paint to print the smiling character onto the shirt and matching daisies onto the pants. Almost 90,000 units were sold, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Although government bans have reduced lead ...read more
According to a new U.K. study published in The British Journal of Psychiatry, adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have shorter life spans than those without. In this first-of-its-kind study, the authors determined that both men and women saw a drop in life expectancy, and this may be due to limited access to treatments and an overall misdiagnosis of ADHD. A Shortened Life Expectancy Researchers from the University College London (UCL) analyzed data fro ...read more
“Get me a rewrite,” reporters used to shout into a telephone when they called into a newsroom with changing information. Scientists may now want to yell the same thing — but about how our existing genetic code came to be, according to a study in PNAS. That rewrite could shift our understanding of how life evolved on Earth from its simplest forms, and what it could look like on other planets.How the Genetic Code WorksThat code is both deceptively simple in appearance, but amazingly complica ...read more
In the relentless search to know how the ancestors of humans spread across the world, the latest evidence has revealed that hominins were in Europe at least 1.95 million years ago. Clues on their presence were recently found by researchers at an archaeological site in Romania that could now help explain hominins’ early dispersal out of Africa.A study published in Nature Communications details the prominent find, which predates evidence of hominins previously found at other sites across Europe ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine