Mice exposed to high doses of a common plasticizing chemical in utero exhibit significant reproductive alterations and precancerous lesions as they grow up, according to a new toxicology report appearing in the journal Reproductive Toxicology. Phthalates are widely used – in soaps, cosmetics, plastic containers and toys – and exposure to them has previously been […]
Tag Archives | effect
Antioxidants found to impair muscle function
Antioxidants increasingly have been praised for their benefits against disease and aging, but new studies at Kansas State University show they can also seriously impair muscle function by limiting oxygen in the bloodstream. The discovery, reported in the Journal of Applied Physiology, came about while the researchers were studying how to improve oxygen delivery to […]
Tantalizing glimpse of macroscopic quantum effects
The weird laws of quantum mechanics govern how molecules, atoms and smaller particles behave, but quantum phenomena sometimes “leak up” to macroscopic scales, researchers at the University of Illinois have found. They have demonstrated that, counter to classical Newtonian mechanics, an entire collection of superconducting electrons in an ultrathin superconducting wire is able to “tunnel” […]
More evidence for herpes conferring beneficial anti-bacterial effect
A new study by scientists at the Trudeau Institute has confirmed intriguing findings from earlier research that showed that mice infected with certain forms of the herpes virus are resistant to infection with bacterial pathogens. Although herpes infections are generally considered undesirable and are associated with declining immune function or the development of a variety […]
Expensive Placebo Works Better Than Cheap One
A 10-cent pill doesn’t kill pain as well as a $2.50 pill, even when they are identical placebos, according to a new study from Duke University. The researchers used a standard protocol for administering light electric shock to participants’ wrists to measure their subjective rating of pain. The 82 study subjects were tested before getting […]
Exotic Form Of Carbon Dioxide Cranks Up Greenhouse Effect On Venus
Planetary scientists have tracked down an exotic form of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of Venus, which they believe could affect the way the greenhouse mechanism works there. The discovery was announced at the annual meeting of the American Astronomical Society’s Division of Planetary Sciences in Orlando, Florida. Hints of the molecules presence were first […]
The Strange Case Of The Missing Dimension
Scientists at Los Alamos have uncovered an intriguing quantum mechanical phenomenon while studying magnetic waves in barium copper silicate (a 2,500-year-old pigment known as Han purple). When newly grown crystals of the pigment were exposed to very high magnetic fields at very low temperatures; they entered a rarely observed state of matter. At the threshold […]
Ritual A Critical Element Of Placebo Effect
The nature of the so-called placebo effect continues to tantalize scientists as an increasing number of lab experiments are detecting robust physiological responses to placebos. And just to add fuel to the fire, a new study, published in the British Medical Journal, takes placebo investigations one step further by comparing the effects from two different […]
Placebo Effect Produces Real Painkillers
A study from the University of Michigan (U-M) has provided the first direct evidence that endorphins – the brain’s own pain-fighting chemicals – do play a role in the phenomenon known as the placebo effect. It appears that just thinking that a medicine will relieve pain is enough to prompt the brain to release these […]