Cocaine is perhaps most notoriously known as a dangerous drug. But it’s also used legally as a local anesthetic for surgeries. Scientists in China have now genetically engineered a tobacco plant to produce cocaine in its leaves. “Actually, it’s a big challenge to solve this unresolved scientific question,” says Sheng-Xiong Huang, a plant chemist at the Chinese Academy of Sciences’ Kunming Institute of Botany. Researchers have attempted to determine how the coca plant, native to western ...read more
Signs of dementia can spark anxiety and fear in anyone who is aging and experiencing cognitive decline. These concerns often ripple into the psyche of family members, friends and loved ones, too. Part of the challenge is the many unknowns and uncertainties that accompany dementia, which is not a sole diagnosable disease. Rather, this syndrome — involving a gradual decline in thinking, memory or other cognitive abilities — typically stems from various terminal neurodegenerative diseases. The ...read more
Essential oils have been in use for nearly 6,000 years — intended for therapeutic, hygienic and spiritual purposes — and they remain quite popular today. Claims about their benefits range from stress and pain relief to insomnia and psoriasis treatment, with a global market expected to reach $14.1 billion by 2026. But each vial of extract has a limited shelf life that consumers should consider. Can Essential Oils go Bad? Essential oils are concentrated extracts made from steaming or pressin ...read more
Last year, scientists announced the discovery of two new minerals: elaliite and elkinstantonite. These were fascinating finds, perhaps even more so because they came from a 15-ton meteorite that had hurtled through space to crash down in Somalia. While there are currently nearly 6,000 mineral species recognized by the International Mineralogical Association, Robert Hazen, a mineralogist at the Carnegie Institution’s Geophysical Laboratory and George Mason University, says there are an estimate ...read more
Snakes are cold-blooded animals, or ectothermic, because they get their temperature from their surroundings and cannot generate their own body heat. While this can come in handy, the downside of being a cold-blooded animal is the struggle to survive in cold environments. Incidentally, if the outside temperature rapidly drops, their physical temperature can drop to temperatures that are life-threatening, too. Species that live in habitats where winter months are inhospitable stay safe in the form ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine