Scientists discover a new molecular pathway shared by two neurodegenerative disorders

Researchers from two independent research teams have discovered how the mislocalization of a protein, known as TDP-43, alters the genetic instructions for UNC13A, providing a possible therapeutic target that could also have implications in treating amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and other forms of dementia. ALS and FTD are two neurodegenerative disorders in which many cases are linked by mislocalization of TDP-43, where instead of being primarily located in the nucleus of the cell where genes are activated, it forms aggregates outside the nucleus in multiple neurodegenerative diseases. Rare mutations in the TDP-43 gene are known to cause ALS, but almost all cases of ALS show mislocalization of TDP-43.

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Physical fitness linked to lower risk of Alzheimer’s disease

People who are more physically fit are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than people who are less physically fit, according to a preliminary study.

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5-Year-old Donates Everything He Has–30 Cents–to a Homeless Man, Teaching His Father a Lesson

Justice Smith almost messed up “big time”. He and his 5-year-old were coming back from the dentist, when they saw a homeless man in the median strip in the road. Smith said on Facebook that he wanted to give the man some money, but didn’t have any cash. His son Justus Mateo noticed the man […]

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600 Hospitals Get Free LEGO MRI Scanners – to Reduce Anxiety in Young Patients

The LEGO Foundation has announced it is donating 600 LEGO kits to hospitals worldwide for miniature MRI Scanners—to help children cope with the intimidating process of having a Magnetic Resonance Imaging scan. What started in 2015 as a passion project for LEGO employee Erik Ullerlund Staehr and a Denmark hospital, is now being scaled and […]

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Mom Whose Facial Tumor Left Her Barely Able to Eat Now Lives Normal Life Thanks to Mercy Ship

A mother whose massive facial tumor left her barely able to eat or breathe is now living a normal life, thanks to the charity work of surgeons aboard a ship. Mabouba first noticed the facial tumor in her teenage years and, as she grew older, her condition rapidly worsened. By 2014, the tumor was so […]

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Snowmobilers Spotted a Moose Stuck Under Ice and Worked for Hours to Free it – WATCH

Last week, a pair of Anchorage snowmobilers rescued a moose trapped beneath the ice of a frozen creek. To an Alaskan, a moose is not a cuddly member of the deer family, but rather a very dangerous and ornery animal, yet Andrew Koerner and his friend Terry White wasted no time digging an eight-foot wide […]

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Ohio Family Converts a 1903 Church Into Their Home – and it’s Pretty Amazing (Look)

A family of seven have converted a 1903 church into their home, using the pews as seats at the dining room table, and even adding a slide for quick exits from the balcony. Parents Matt and Kristen Gray, were looking to move somewhere so their kids wouldn’t have to cross busy roads on their way […]

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Having a poor score on a simple memory test may be linked to Alzheimer’s biomarkers

Among people with no memory or thinking problems, having a poor score on a simple memory test may be linked to biomarkers in the brain associated with Alzheimer's disease as well as very early signs of memory impairment that precede dementia by several years, according to a new study.

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Researchers feed worms a natural plant extract; watch them fatten, live 40% longer

A new study looks at how a natural plant extract of a particular kind of wormwood, Artemisia scoparia, could lead to longer lifespans, including potentially for humans. The key lies in enhanced metabolic health.

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Patients with rare skin cancer face 40% recurrence rate

Patients treated for Merkel cell carcinoma (MCC) face a five-year recurrence rate of 40% -- markedly higher than the recurrence rates for melanoma and other skin cancers. Additionally, in the study cohort of more than 600 patients, 95% of MCC recurrences happened in the first three years, suggesting that surveillance efforts should be focused on that span.

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New artificial intelligence tool detects often overlooked heart diseases

Physician-scientists have created an artificial intelligence (AI) tool that can effectively identify and distinguish between two life-threatening heart conditions that are often easy to miss: hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and cardiac amyloidosis.

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Wildlife Sound Recordist Releases Treasured Audio Collection for Free – to Awe and Inspire the World

One of the world’s most prolific wildlife sound recordists has released a large collection of his most treasured recordings of wild places to listen to for free on Soundcloud, as he nears the end of his life. Martyn Stewart has recorded nearly 100,000 pieces, consisting of 30,000 hours of material, spread across 40 countries, and […]

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Her Bumper Sticker Saved a Stranger’s Life: ‘You never know who needs a reminder’

When you’re headed down a dark road and feeling hopeless, sometimes all it takes to get you headed back in the right direction is a little sign—or in this case, a bumper sticker. Like many who have felt the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, 22-year-old university student Brooke Lacey had her own share […]

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This Woman Escaped Slavery by Hiding in Plain Sight – Disguised as a White Man

Shakespeare’s works are famous for portraying cross-dressing, particularly for the purpose of dealing dastardly and playing tricks on people. However, his fictions are nothing compared to the realities during slavery in America, where several enslaved people completed incredible escapes by disguising themselves as white. The most famous perhaps is that of Ellen and William Craft, […]

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Well-functioning fat may be the key to fewer old-age ailments

Fat tissue plays an important role in human health. However, our fat tissue loses function as we age, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and other ailments. High levels of lifelong exercise seem to counteract this deterioration.

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New imaging scan reveals a culprit in cognitive decline of Alzheimer’s

Advanced imaging technology has helped scientists confirm that the destruction of brain synapses underlies the cognitive deficits experienced by patients with Alzheimer's disease. For many years, scientists have assumed that the loss of connections between brain cells caused Alzheimer's-related symptoms, including memory loss, but actual evidence of the role of synaptic loss had been limited to a small number of brain biopsies and post-mortem brain exams conducted on patients with moderate or advanced disease. However, the emergence of a positron emission tomography (PET) scanning technology has allowed researchers to observe the loss of synapses in living patients with even mild symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

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Heart attack survivors may be less likely to develop Parkinson’s disease

People who have had a heart attack are at increased risk of stroke and vascular dementia; however, a new study found they may be less likely to develop Parkinson's disease. A large, nationwide study in Denmark found that the risk of Parkinson's disease was moderately lower among people who have had a heart attack than among the general population.

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For a Man’s 80th Birthday, a Wrong is Made Right Six Decades Later

Billy Macon is a faithful husband, father, and grandfather. He ran his own business, wrote a book, and enjoys his hobbies. But for six decades there was always something which gnawed at the 80-year-old. Though Macon graduated from West Anchorage High School in 1961, his diploma was given to him with a red stamp displaying […]

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Human olfactory mucosa cell model opens a new perspective on Alzheimer’s disease

Researchers have developed and characterized a new cell model for Alzheimer's disease that has wide utility for research and could prove useful in early diagnosis and testing of new therapies.

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Behind a good mutation: How a gene variant protects against Alzheimer’s

While the word 'mutation' may conjure up alarming notions, a mutation in brain immune cells serves a positive role in protecting people against Alzheimer's disease. Now biologists have discovered the mechanisms behind this crucial process.

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Study reveals likely link between mitochondrial dysfunction and age-dependent cognitive disorders

Increased oxidative damage is linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). Even though the pathophysiology of AD has been widely investigated, the likely relationship between mitochondrial dysfunction and the disease remains largely unknown. A research team has now confirmed that AD progression is linked to oxidative brain damage, which impairs cognitive function in AD transgenic mice in an age-dependent manner.

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Girls’ Soccer Team Goes From Losing 20-0 Each Week to Reaching the Top Division – After a Dad Accepted Coaching Duties

A girls’ soccer team has gone from losing 20-0 each week to winning promotion to the top division—after a dad started coaching. Leek Town Devils under 15s were getting routinely thrashed every time they turned out, until Stuart Henley stepped in two years ago. The 41-year-old car valeter took the job when the previous manager […]

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The Average American Has Made 5 New Friends Through Video Gaming in the Past Year

Playing video games can actually help people make new friends. The average American has made five new online friendships through playing video games over the last 18 months, according to a new poll. The survey of 2,000 adults found that 39% has seen an increase in their online friend list since the pandemic began, with […]

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Harvesting baker's yeast for aging-related therapeutics

Researchers have successfully engineered common baker's yeast to produce D-lysergic acid (DLA), an ingredient used in medicine for dementia and Parkinson's Disease.

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Researchers identify potential new means of slowing neurodegenerative diseases

Scientists have discovered a new class of potential drug targets for people suffering from neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Lou Gehrig's disease.

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Potential to identify risk of Alzheimer’s in middle age with simple eye test

A simple eye test may make diagnosing the earliest stages of 'diseases of old age' possible when people are much younger, researchers hope.

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Aboriginal Australians in cities have dementia rates as high as those in rural areas

Studies have shown that Aboriginal Australians living in remote areas of the country are disproportionately affected by dementia, with rates approximately double those of non-Indigenous people. A new study shows that Aboriginal Australians living in urban areas also have similar high rates of dementia.

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Clearance of protein linked to Alzheimer's controlled by circadian cycle

The brain's ability to clear a protein closely linked to Alzheimer's disease is tied to our circadian cycle, according to new research. The research underscores the importance of healthy sleep habits in preventing the protein Amyloid-Beta 42 (AB42) from forming clumps in the brain, and opens a path to potential Alzheimer's therapies.

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Calorie restriction trial reveals key factors in extending human health

Decades of research has shown that limits on calorie intake by flies, worms, and mice can enhance life span in laboratory conditions. But whether such calorie restriction can do the same for humans remains unclear. Now a new study confirms the health benefits of moderate calorie restrictions in humans -- and identifies a key protein that could be harnessed to extend health in humans.

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Man Needed to ‘Make Friends,’ So He Nervously Made Pancakes for Dozens of Neighbors – It Was a Huge Hit

A nervous and self-conscious San Franciscan was looking to make new friends, and in hosting a Saturday morning pancake party he ended up starting a new neighborhood tradition. Figuring that while there are many differences between individuals‚some might enjoy sport, while others might much prefer a book club, for example—no-one would say no to free […]

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Star Trek Founder’s Wife’s Ashes Get Blasted Into Space Aboard a Mission to Advance Lunar and Martian Science

Reprinted with permission from World At Large, a news website of nature, politics, science, health, and travel. Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry died in 1991, then six years later some of his ashes were launched into deep space by an outer-spatial funerary company called Celestis in what most people found a fitting end for the science-fiction […]

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Fecal implants drive behavioral and cognitive changes in Alzheimer’s model

New research in mice for the first time draws a definitive causal connection between changes in the gut microbiome to behavioral and cognitive changes in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease.

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80-Year-old Man Walks Through Blizzard to Rescue 3 Cars of People

A retiree rescuer hiked half a kilometer through a winter whiteout to reach a woman that had used social media to alert the local neighborhood that she was stuck and afraid for her safety. At 80-years old, Andre Bouvier Sr. is being hailed as a hero for rescuing not only the woman, but three other […]

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Survivors of weather-related disasters may have accelerated aging

When Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico in September 2017 as a high-end category 4 storm, it left in its wake the largest catastrophe in the history of the island. Along with the human toll, the devastation impacted all the island's wildlife, including a group of free-ranging rhesus macaques living on the isolated Cayo Santiago island near Puerto Rico. Now, a team of scientists has published one of the first results that shows the effects of natural disasters may have molecularly accelerated aging in the monkeys' immune systems.

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Poor sleep can triple risk for heart disease

Individual aspects of poor sleep can be detrimental to heart health. But if you combine them, the risk of heart disease can increase by as much as 141 percent.

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WATCH Idaho Man Who Says He Completed His Goal of Breaking 52 World Records in a Single Year

What better way to show kids that anything is possible than by setting a world record for most kiwifruits sliced over the duration of one minute, with a samurai sword, while standing on an exercise ball? That’s just another week in the life of David Rush, one of the world’s most prolific Guinness World Record […]

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Ancient Trees Have Incredible Lifespans That Also Help Keep The Surrounding Forests Alive

New research suggests that ancient trees possess far more than an awe-inspiring presence. They provide a suite of ecological services to forests, as well as sustaining the entire tree population’s ability to adapt to a rapidly changing environment. In the February edition of Nature Plants, Chuck Cannon, PhD, director of The Morton Arboretum’s Center for […]

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This Week’s Inspiring Horoscopes From Rob Brezsny’s ‘Free Will Astrology’

Our partner Rob Brezsny provides his weekly wisdom to enlighten our thinking and motivate our mood. Rob’s Free Will Astrology, is a syndicated weekly column appearing in over a hundred publications. He is also the author of Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How All of Creation Is Conspiring To Shower You with Blessings. (A free […]

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How Good News Saved His Life – Anthony Samadani

The Lesson: There are many kinds of capital and currencies, but there is only one we all share. Anthony Samadani pointed out, as the Austrian-school economists do, that time is paid in addition to the cost of all things, but unlike stocks, commodities, or other currencies, it never appreciates, only depreciates. Looking at the cost in […]

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Small study finds Alzheimer's-like changes in some COVID patients' brains

A study reports that the brains of a small sample of patients who died of COVID display some of the same molecular changes found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

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When it comes to obesity, the problem isn’t an excess of fat but its loss of function, researchers argue

Obesity is known to cause cardiometabolic diseases like hypertension and diabetes but attributing these diseases to merely an overabundance of fat is a simplification. On a basic level, fat acts as a receptacle to store energy, but upon a closer look it is an essential actor in vital bodily processes like the immune response, the regulation of insulin sensitivity, and maintenance of body temperature. Researchers argue that the negative health effects of obesity stem not simply from an excess of fat but from the decline in its ability to respond to changes, or in other words, its plasticity.

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Family-of-Four Goes Weeks Without Producing a Single Piece of Trash With ‘Zero Waste’ Lifestyle

Meet the eco-family who goes weeks without throwing a single piece of trash thanks to epic amount of recycling and savvy shopping. 41-year-old Esther Peñarrubia encourages her two kids to make crafts and drawings from old bits of packaging so that nothing ends up in landfill. Over the past two weeks, Esther has only been […]

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Artist Makes Incredible Doll Houses of Miniature Film Sets From Harry Potter, Friends, and Jurassic Park

Bridget McCarty creates miniature film sets—but they’re so detailed you wouldn’t even know they were fake. Her works include iconic scenes from Jurassic Park, Friends, and Harry Potter and can take up to a month each to build, but the outcomes are astounding. Bridget, from Los Angeles, California, says it started as a hobby—but it […]

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Instability of brain activity during sleep and anesthesia underlies the pathobiology of Alzheimer's disease, study finds

A new study revealed a pathological brain activity that precedes the onset of Alzheimer's first symptoms by many years: increased activity in the hippocampus during anesthesia and sleep, resulting from failure in the mechanism that stabilizes the neural network. The researchers believe that the discovery of this abnormal activity during specific brain states may enable early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, eventually leading to a more effective treatment of a disease that still lacks effective therapies.

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