Friday 8 December 2023

Science Daily

  1. Paleontologists are getting a glimpse at life over a billion years in the past based on chemical traces in ancient rocks and the genetics of living animals. New research combines geology and genetics, showing how changes in the early Earth prompted a shift in how animals eat.
  2. Hydrogen sulfide, recognized by its characteristic rotten egg smell, is synthesized in the respiratory center -- an integral brain region governing respiration. Researchers have identified that hydrogen sulfide within the respiratory center plays a crucial role in maintaining the rhythm and depth of respiration by modulating neurotransmissions.
  3. A study has investigated the possible scenarios that could lead to waning memory in some older people.
  4. A recently published study puts forth a new theory that volcanic eruptions combined with widespread ocean detoxification pushed Earth's biology to a tipping point in the Late Devonian era, triggering a mass extinction.
  5. A technology developed over the past few years for controlling microvehicles using ultrasound also works in the brain, as researchers have now been able to show. These microvehicles are gas bubbles, which are harmless and dissolve once their job is done. In the future, these microvehicles could be equipped with medications and deliver them to specific points in the brain. This may increase the efficacy of the drugs and reduce their side effects.

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