New Atlas

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Measles resurgence raises concerns over vaccine exemptions

Rich Haridy February 10, 2019

A major measles outbreak in Washington state is being blamed on low-vaccination rates. In response, Washington lawmakers are currently debating a measure seeking to remove a current exemption that allows parents to refuse vaccinating their child based on philosophical or personal beliefs.

Officials in Washington are debating removing personal belief vaccine exemptions in the wake of an ongoing ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

New discoveries into the effects of fasting on metabolism and aging

Rich Haridy January 31, 2019

A compelling new study by a team of Japanese researchers has offered an incredibly thorough examination into the metabolic alterations that occur in human blood during fasting, revealing a fascinating array of changes that could point to a variety of health benefits.

A new study uncovered 30 previously undiscovered metabolic markers that were found to increase in the ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

New meta-study concludes breakfast is not the most important meal of the day

Rich Haridy January 30, 2019

Recent research has raised doubts over the veracity of the commonly held belief that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, and a new meta-analysis concludes there is no good evidence to suggest eating breakfast promotes weight loss or improves metabolic rates later in the day.

Collecting data from 13 different trials, a meta-analysis found skipping breakfast does not lead to weight ...

Biology Audio available

Muscles may maintain the "memory" of past gains in their cells

Michael Irving January 28, 2019

One of the most frustrating things about exercise is how easily progress can be undone, but maybe not all is lost after all. Researchers have now found that muscles keep their nuclei from past growth, which makes it easier to rebuild later after a period of inactivity.

Researchers have found that muscles maintain the "memory" for past growth, making it easier to rebuild ...

Environment Audio available

How to feed 10 billion people: Landmark report lays out a sustainable diet for the planet

Nick Lavars January 17, 2019

Billed as a planetary health diet for both the Earth and its people, the set of diet guideline put forward by the EAT-Lancet Commission gun for nothing short of a "Great Food Transformation," something they say would feed 10 billion people, save lives and avoid large-scale environmental destruction.

Scientists are calling for the global population to move towards a more plant-based diet

Biology

Your nose bacteria might influence whether or not you get the flu

Michael Irving January 13, 2019

Researchers from the University of Michigan have discovered a new symbiotic relationship we have with bacteria in our noses and throats, some of which may help fight off the flu virus.

A new study suggests that the bacteria in your nose and throat may influence whether or ...

Medical Audio available

Breakthrough study stops cancer hijacking immune cells

Michael Irving January 6, 2019

Cancer uses some insidious tricks to survive and spread in the body. But now researchers at Rush University and the University of California, San Diego have found a way to intervene in one of these schemes, preventing tumors from recruiting immune cells to help them grow and metastasize.

A new study has found a way to reverse one of cancer's crafty little tricks, where ...

Biology Audio available

Intriguing new study finds molecular target to slow aging in worm neurons

Michael Irving January 2, 2019

Researchers at the University of Michigan may have found a way to slow aging – in worms at least. The team has identified a molecule in neurons that, when blocked, improves motor function in older worms and increases their lifespan and general health. Similar pathways might be at work in humans too.

Researchers at the University of Michigan have found a molecule that may be a potential target ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Chronic bullying could be causing parts of teenagers' brains to shrink

Anthony Wood December 12, 2018

Persistent bullying could lead to a structural deformation in the brains of teenagers, according to a new study. Bullying is a serious problem for many children and teens that can cause myriad problems in later life, including long-term impacts on mental health.

Persistent bullying in youngsters could be causing parts of the brain to shrink

Science Audio available

Massive global health study reveals "disturbing" trends

Rich Haridy November 11, 2018

The annual Global Burden of Disease study is a giant peer-reviewed assessment of global health trends. The results this year, published across a series of articles in The Lancet, present some concerning trends, from a worrying plateau in global mortality rates to a decline in global fertility rates.

The annual Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study reveals some worrying trends in people's health around ...