New Atlas

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From aliens to immigration, international study finds most believe a conspiracy theory

Rich Haridy November 29, 2018

In the largest ever academic study into belief in conspiracy theories, a team from the University of Cambridge polled people in nine countries to reveal how mainstream certain fringe conspiratorial views have become in recent years.

A new study has shown how widespread belief in conspiracy theories is among some areas of ...

Medical

Spontaneous genetic mutations in the womb may drive the majority of dementia cases

Rich Haridy October 15, 2018

New research, led by scientists at the University of Cambridge, suggests spontaneous DNA mutations that occur when a baby's brain is growing in the womb may help explain why so many people develop dementia without having any prior family history with the disease.

New research suggests somatic DNA mutations that occur while the brain is developing in the womb ...

Medical

Heartsense is aimed at streamlining wearable ECG tech

Ben Coxworth September 13, 2018

If doctors want to check someone's heart rhythm while that person is out and about, the patient is required to wear a Holter monitor. Now, however, UK scientists have developed what they claim is a cheaper, more comfortable and faster-performing alternative, in the form of the Heartsense monitor.

The Heartsense monitor is worn like a regular heart rate sensor

Biology

Synthetic mouse embryos develop to new key stage of life

Michael Irving July 23, 2018

Scientists have created the most lifelike artificial embryos ever, guiding them through “the most important event in life” – a key development stage known as gastrulation. The researchers combined three types of mouse stem cells into an embryo that was just about ready to be implanted into a womb.

Researchers have developed the most lifelike artificial embryos yet, using three different types of stem cells ...

Science

World's oldest bread is over 14,000 years old and predates farming

Michael Irving July 16, 2018

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest direct evidence of bread ever found, dating back over 14,000 years. It predates farming, leading researchers to suggest that the realization that cereals can be cultivated might have helped humans transition from hunting and gathering to agriculture.

An archaeological site in Jordan, where traces of the oldest bread were found in the 14,400-year ...

Medical

Major research reveals CRISPR gene-editing could increase cancer risk in cells

Rich Haridy June 11, 2018

Two new studies are raising concerns that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing system could trigger an increased cancer risk in cells. With human trials using the technique starting this year, the scientists behind these new studies urge researchers to be aware of this cancer-driving mechanism.

New research suggests that the CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technique could increase the risk of cancer in ...

Medical

How cholesterol in the brain may accelerate the onset of Alzheimer’s disease

Rich Haridy May 7, 2018

A landmark study has revealed that cholesterol in the brain may play a fundamental role in catalyzing the formation of amyloid beta clusters, thought to be a central mechanism leading to the devastating degenerative symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

Amyloid beta clusters (in red) have been found to accumulate faster in the presence of cholesterol ...

Computers

Move over, Mavis: You don't need to learn to touch type to type faster

James Holloway April 6, 2018

You don't need to touch type to become a faster typist, according to new research. Some of the benefits of touch typing date back to mechanical typewriters. But with modern keyboards, which require less force to press keys, typists who use fewer than 10 fingers can be as fast as touch typists.

Diff'rent strokes: Computer keyboards benefit from different techniques to mechanical typewriters

Space

Comets are still reeling from a star that sideswiped the Solar System 70,000 years ago

Michael Irving March 20, 2018

About 70,000 years ago, an interstellar interloper brushed past less than a light-year from us. A new study has found that the effects of this close encounter are still felt today, as the orbits of hundreds of comets and asteroids still bear the star’s gravitational influence.

Scholz's Star, a red dwarf/brown dwarf binary system that made a close pass to the Solar ...

Science

Discovery of brain region that can ease pain paves way for non-opioid painkillers

Rich Haridy February 27, 2018

New research has identified an area in the brain responsible for modulating our feeling of pain. The discovery suggests new pathways toward non-opioid pain control if this natural painkilling system can be artificially activated.

A new understanding into how our brain modulates pain signals could lead to a new generation ...