When family or friends suspect a loved one has memory loss, an evaluation with a physician can determine whether the patient has mild cognitive impairment due to aging or something more severe, like dementia. In recent years, a greater understanding of dementia has enabled clinicians to diagnose earlier in the disease progression. Early diagnosis allows the patient and their loved ones to make plans for their medical care. Although patients in the earlier stages can still live independently, pe ...read more
A new blood test promises early detection of anxiety disorders, a strike against the old regime of simply interviewing patients, observing their behavior and making a diagnosis. The research team was led by Alexander Niculescu, professor of psychiatry at Indiana University, who has already developed similar tests for mood disorders and post-traumatic stress disorder. The new “BioM-95” test relies on 95 genetic markers identified during an elaborate study that examined both patients and their ...read more
Zoos have changed a lot over the last century. More recently, many have pivoted their focus to conservation, animal rehabilitation and education about wild ecosystems. But regardless of the intent in keeping wildlife behind bars, some animals seem to feel that they would be better off free from their trappings. Some of these zoo escapes have captured the imagination of the public, while others are downright scary. Here are a few of the stranger zoo escapes in the past century. 1. Escaped ...read more
Though proving to be a daydream tool for many industries, ChatGPT is quickly becoming a nightmare for academia. As of January 2023, four separate research papers have cited the AI chatbot as a co-author in a research project — forcing scientific journals to scramble to update their policies and regulations addressing possible ethical problems. Read More: The Pros and Cons of Artificial Intelligence Ethical Issues The process of adding an author who made little to no contribution to a scientifi ...read more
In the modern world, it’s easy to take for granted some specialists and structures that keep us healthy or safe on the daily: sanitation workers and pharmacists, bridge beams and highway paint, even fungi and maggots (and soon their secretions?) — to name a few. Most of us could add environmental scientists to that list. Whether or not you have met an environmental scientist in the flesh, it’s a solid bet that their work has shaped your life, often for the better. This can apply to daily p ...read more
Author Vishay SinghPosted on Categories Discover Magazine