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Stay Sharp: Healthy Lifestyle Linked to Slower Memory Decline in Older Adults

The researchers found that each individual healthy behavior (healthy diet, regular exercise, active social contact, cognitive activity, non-smoking, and never drinking alcohol) was associated with a slower-than-average decline in memory over 10 years after accounting for other health, economic, and social factors. The strongest effect on slowing memory decline was a healthy diet, followed by cognitive activity and then physical exercise. Even those with genes linked to Alzheimer’s disease see benefits. According to a decade-long study of older adults in China, recently published in The BMJ, a healthy lifestyle, particularly a healthy diet, is linked to slower memory decline. The…

Time Can Do Tricks: Why Children and Adults Experience Time Differently

Time can play tricks on us, causing the same period to feel different depending on our age. For example, while the summers of our childhood felt like they lasted forever, the same three months now seem to fly by in the blink of an eye. Researchers at Eötvös Loránd University have investigated whether the perception of time changes with age, and if so, how, and why we perceive the passage of time differently. Their study was published in the journal Scientific Reports. Time can do tricks. Many of us experienced the illusion that those long summers during childhood felt so…

The Amazon in Crisis: New Study Reveals Alarming Extent of Human Impact

Lead Image: Photo taken in 2015 of a burning forest in Belterra, in the Brazilian Amazon. In this photo, the flames are about 30cm high. The continuous fire line can be seen at the back of the photo, together with a lot of smoke. Credit: Adam Ronan/Rede Amazônia Sustentável A new study recently published in Science reveals that the Amazon rainforest has been damaged to a much greater extent than previously thought, with over a third of the remaining forest impacted by human activity. A study led by a team of 35 international scientists from institutions such as Brazil’s University…

Revolutionizing Biotechnology: Scientists Create Supercharged Bacteria with Immunity to Viral Infections

Lead Image: An illustration of viruses called phages infecting a bacterial cell. Researchers have developed a modified strain of Escherichia coli bacteria that is resistant to natural viral infections and has a low risk of escaping into the environment. This breakthrough in genetic engineering and synthetic biology is expected to decrease the risk of viral contamination in the production of medicines and other substances, such as biofuels. Currently, viral infections in bacteria can cause a halt in production, endanger drug safety, and result in high financial costs. Credit: Behnoush Hajian Researchers create virus-resistant, safely restrained E. coli for medical, industrial…

First Complete Map of an Insect Brain – “Everything Has Been Working Up to This”

Lead Image: The complete set of neurons in an insect brain, which were reconstructed using synapse-resolution electron microscopy. Credit: Johns Hopkins University/University of Cambridge In the quest to understand how we think, “everything has been working up to this.” Researchers have completed the most advanced brain map to date, that of an insect, a landmark achievement in neuroscience that brings scientists closer to true understanding of the mechanism of thought. “It’s been 50 years and this is the first brain connectome. It’s a flag in the sand that we can do this.” — Joshua T. Vogelstein, Associate professor, Whiting School…