How do ketogenic diets affect skin inflammation?

Not all fats are equal in how they affect our skin, according to a new study in the Journal of Investigative Dermatology. The investigators found that different ketogenic diets impacted skin inflammation differently in psoriasiform-like skin inflammation in mice. Ketogenic diets heavy in medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs) such as coconut, especially in combination with omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil and plant sources like nuts and seeds, exacerbated psoriasis.

Risk of brain damage and death in premature babies may reduce if born in specialist units

Extremely premature babies born in English hospitals with specialist neonatal intensive care units may have a reduced risk of brain damage and death, compared to premature babies born in hospitals without such specialist units.

Warning about making health decisions based on 'over the counter' genetic tests

Genetic tests sold online and in shops should not be used to inform health decisions without further scrutiny, say experts in The BMJ today.

For most healthy people, benefits of statins 'may be marginal at best'

The benefits of statins for people without heart disease (known as primary prevention) is small and uncertain and there are potential harms, say researchers in The BMJ today.

Weight gain in early adult life linked to increased risk of premature death

Gaining weight from your mid-20s into middle age is associated with an increased risk of premature death, finds a study of US adults published by The BMJ today.

World's fastest ant hits recording breaking speed of 855mm/s

According to Noël Coward, mad dogs and Englishmen are the only creatures that go out in the midday sun, but Harald Wolf from the University of Ulm, Germany, would add another animal: Saharan silver ants (Cataglyphis bombycina). Venturing from their nests to scavenge the corpses of less-fortunate creatures at the peak of the day—when the sand can reach 60°C—these resilient ants had always fascinated Wolf. 'Even among desert ants, the silver ants are special', he says, explaining that the insects were reputed to hit speeds approaching 1 m/s. But little was known about how the ants scamper at such blistering speeds across the sand. During an earlier trip to the salt pans of Tunisia—to study the silver ant's cousin, Cataglyphis fortis—Wolf, Sarah Pfeffer, Verena Wahl and Matthias Wittlinger had taken a detour to Douz to search for the enigmatic desert dwellers. After finding silver ants thriving in the dunes, the team returned in 2015 to film them in action. The team publishes their discover that Saharan silver ants are the fastest ants ever recorded, reaching speeds of 0.855m/s (855mm/s) by swinging their legs at speeds of up to 1300mm/s in Journal of Experimental Biology.

Intel to pay $5M to settle pay discrimination allegations

The Labor Department says it has reached a $5 million settlement with chip maker Intel Corp. over allegations of pay discrimination against its female, African American and Hispanic employees.

Twitter says world leaders 'not above' its rules

Twitter said Tuesday world leaders are "not above" the rules of the online platform and could see their messages removed or demoted for egregious conduct violating its terms of service.

Fido's raw meat pet food may be loaded with harmful bacteria: study

Increasingly popular raw meat meals for dogs and cats may be full of multi-drug resistant bacteria, posing a serious risk to animals and humans, scientists reported Wednesday.

Google touts privacy options, but still depends on your data

Google's latest phone and smart-home devices came packaged with a not-so-subtle message: Google cares about your privacy. Does it?

NASA unveils flexible, one-size-fits-all space suits

Bye bye to bunny hops: when US astronauts next touch down on the Moon, expect them to walk almost as they do on Earth, thanks to a new generation of spacesuits offering key advantages over those of the Apollo-era.

Study finds relationship between racial discipline disparities and academic achievement gaps in US

An increase in either the discipline gap or the academic achievement gap between black and white students in the United States predicts a jump in the other, according to a new study published today in AERA Open, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Educational Research Association. This is the first published peer-reviewed nationwide study of this topic.

New report says accelerating global agricultural productivity growth is critical

The 2019 Global Agricultural Productivity Report, "Productivity Growth for Sustainable Diets, and More," released today by Virginia Tech's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, shows agricultural productivity growth—increasing output of crops and livestock with existing or fewer inputs—is growing globally at an average annual rate of 1.63 percent.  

Harnessing plasmonics for precision agriculture worldwide

Maiken Mikkelsen wants to change the world by developing a small, inexpensive hyperspectral camera to enable worldwide precision farming practices that would significantly reduce water, energy, fertilizer and pesticide use while simultaneously increasing yields. While that goal sounds like a tall task for a simple camera, it's one that has now been greenlighted by a 2019 Moore Inventor Fellowship.

NASA's Aqua satellite reveals flooding in Japan from Typhoon Hagibis

Typhoon Hagibis made landfall in Japan over the weekend of October 12 and 13, bringing damaging winds, rough surf and flooding rains. NASA's Aqua satellite provided a visible image of the flooding caused by the torrential rainfall.

First smart speaker system that uses white noise to monitor infants' breathing

Gone are the days when people use smart speakers—like Amazon Echo or Google Home—only as kitchen timers or dinner party music players. These devices have started helping people track their own health, and can even monitor for cardiac arrest.

Scientists shed light on how brains turn pain up or down

Pain perception is essential for survival, but how much something hurts can sometimes be amplified or suppressed: for example, soldiers who sustain an injury in battle often recall not feeling anything at the time.

Hormone therapy associated with improved cognition

Estrogen has a significant role in overall brain health and cognitive function. That's why so many studies focused on the prevention of cognitive decline consider the effect of reduced estrogen levels during the menopause transition. A new study suggests a cognitive benefit from a longer reproductive window complemented with hormone therapy. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Osteoarthritis can increase your risk for social isolation

When older adults become lonely—a condition health professionals call "social isolation"—their health and well-being can suffer. In fact, there may be a link between being socially isolated and osteoarthritis (arthritis) which causes joint pain and can limit your ability to get around.

Physical activity in lessons improves students' attainment

Students who take part in physical exercises like star jumps or running on the spot during school lessons do better in tests than peers who stick to sedentary learning, according to a UCL-led study.

Plotting air raids on Britain: Map shows devastating impact of WWII Luftwaffe strikes

A researcher from the University of York has developed an interactive map detailing every air raid across the UK during the Second World War.

Syphilis infection rates in dialysis patients exceed general population

Syphilis rates, like other sexually transmitted disease rates in the United States, are soaring, and the first known study to examine syphilis rates in patients with kidney failure found an incidence greater than three times that of the general population.

Clinical research improves health of UK economy and NHS

The value of clinical research to the NHS, the UK economy and jobs market has been evaluated in a new report, which provides an assessment of the economic impact of the National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Network's (NIHR CRN) activities to support clinical research in England.

Report: Progress in global cancer fight is not only possible, but achievable

The Cancer Atlas, 3rd edition, a comprehensive global overview of cancer around the globe, concludes that progress in the fight against cancer is not only possible, but achievable. The report was produced by the American Cancer Society (ACS), the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC), and International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC). It was released at the World Cancer Leaders' Summit in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan.

Artificial intelligence and farmer knowledge boost smallholder maize yields

Farmers in Colombia's maize-growing region of Córdoba had seen it all: too much rain one year, a searing drought the next. Yields were down and their livelihoods hung in the balance.

Sweetened drinks represented 62% of children's drink sales in 2018

Fruit drinks and flavored waters that contain added sugars and/or low-calorie (diet) sweeteners dominated sales of drinks intended for children in 2018, making up 62 percent of the $2.2 billion in total children's drink sales, according to Children's Drink FACTS 2019, a new report from the Rudd Center for Food Policy & Obesity at the University of Connecticut.