Category: Science

Rats’ brains simulate journeys to a desired future, such as a yummy meal, when they rest, new University College London research says. Brain activity in rats was monitored by the researchers, first as the animals looked at food in a location they couldn’t reach, next as they rested in a separate chamber, and finally as…

In California, the species diversity of native wildflowers is shrinking, following several years of drier winters, says a new study. Drought-intolerant species suffered the worst declines, the researchers confirmed. The study is based on 15 years of monitoring about 80 sampling plots at McLaughlin Reserve, part of University of California, Davis’ Natural Reserve System, and…

For centuries, artists mixed silver and gold powder with glass to fabricate colorful windows to decorate buildings. The results were impressive, but they didn’t have a scientific reason for how these ingredients together made stained glass. In the early 20th century, the physicist Gustav Mie figured out that the color of a metal nanoparticle is…

Around 100 years ago a father and his son in north England conducted an experiment that would revolutionise the way scientists study molecules. A refined version of their method still remains one of the most important tools for scientists. To achieve this feat, William Henry Bragg and his son William Lawrence Bragg used table salt…

Quantum mechanics has been hailed as the next big thing in technology. And quantum computers are a media favourite. But there is a little-known quantum technology that can peer beneath the earth, which could be ready before the quantum computing revolution comes about. These technologies makes use of the counter-intuitive consequences of quantum mechanics –…

Zebrafish are probably not the first creatures that come to mind when it comes to animals that are valuable for medical research. You might struggle to imagine you have much in common with this small tropical freshwater fish, though you may be inclined to keep a few “zebra danios” in your home aquarium, given they…

The evidence gleaned from medical research directly affects the decisions made about health care, driving everything from clinical practice guidelines, to which health interventions will and won’t be reimbursed by public health systems. For the most part, this evidence comes from highly specific studies called randomised clinical trials. These trials are conducted by commercial or…

Clinical trials are experiments done in clinical research. Such prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants are designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietary choices, dietary supplements, and medical devices) and known interventions that warrant further study and comparison. Clinical trials…