New Atlas

Medical Audio available

Intriguing study suggests Alzheimer's-like brain damage can be "caught"

Rich Haridy December 13, 2018

A new study is adding weight to the hypothesis that Alzheimer's disease is somewhat transmissible, providing experimental evidence that in the past amyloid beta plaques may have been seeded in a patient's brain through contaminated samples of human growth hormone.

A new study reveals old, human-derived growth hormone may have indirectly seeded Alzheimer's-like pathologies in the ...

Medical Audio available

Male contraceptive gel enters major human testing phase

Rich Haridy November 28, 2018

A Phase 2 trial into the efficacy of a male contraceptive gel is about to get underway bringing modern medicine closer than it ever has before to finally developing a male birth control drug, decades after the female contraceptive pill hit the market.

A new gel-based experimental male contraceptive is set to undergo a major trial involving more than ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

New meta-study suggests testosterone therapy helps relieve depression in men

Rich Haridy November 14, 2018

A meta-analysis of 27 existing studies has concluded that testosterone treatment seems to be effective in reducing depressive symptoms in men. While a relationship between testosterone and depression has been hypothesized for years, experts suggest more specific and rigorous trials are still needed.

A meta-study has confirmed testosterone may be helpful in treating depression in men, however experts are ...

Health & Wellbeing Audio available

Not sleeping enough? You may be dehydrated

Rich Haridy November 6, 2018

A study has revealed a new reason why getting less than eight hours of sleep a night could be damaging to our health. The research found adults who only got around six hours of sleep per night were more likely to be dehydrated, and the cause could be a particular hydration-regulating hormone.

New research suggests sleeping six hours a night may lower the release of a hormone that ...

Health & Wellbeing

Breakthrough Stanford wearable detects stress levels through sweat

Rich Haridy July 22, 2018

A team has developed the first wearable skin sensor that can measure a person’s cortisol levels from their sweat. Cortisol, a hormone that spikes in response to stress, is an important biomarker for scientists that can help measure everything from emotional stress to metabolism and immune function.

A novel sweat sensor can detect cortisol levels in just seconds

Health & Wellbeing

Male contraceptive pill reports successful results from Phase 1 clinical trials

Rich Haridy March 18, 2018

The race is on to develop a male contraceptive drug similar to that of the female birth control pill. The results from a Phase 1 study into the safety and efficacy of a new male birth control pill are promising, revealing the prospective drug to be safe and effective.

A prospective male birth control pill has successfully moved through Phase 1 of its human clinical ...

Health & Wellbeing

Study claims chemicals in essential oils can disrupt hormones

Rich Haridy March 18, 2018

A new study is rekindling a debate over the safety of essential oils. The research suggests lavender and tea tree oils contain potential hormone disrupting chemicals and could be responsible for a condition called prepubertal gynecomastia where young boys develop abnormal breast tissue.

New research suggests lavender and tea tree oils could contain chemicals that disrupt our endocrine system

Science

Body's own built-in bathroom scales could regulate body fat

Rich Haridy December 27, 2017

Researchers believe they've discovered an unidentified body fat regulatory system. The mechanism senses excessive body weight much like bathroom scales, signaling the brain to reduce food intake. If confirmed, this will be the first new fat regulatory mechanism to be discovered in over 2 decades

A new study suggests the body contains its own set of internal scales that can alter ...

Biology

Hijacking gut-brain communications can shut down hunger pangs

Rich Haridy December 6, 2017

A new study has uncovered the mechanism by which our gut communicates with the brain to regulate the sensation of hunger. The researchers also discovered a novel combination of hormones that can mimic the signal sent to our brain telling it that enough food has been consumed.

Experiments have shown how the stomach sends messages to the brain to keep eating or stop ...

Biology

Can stimulating the brain make us fall in love?

Michael Irving June 1, 2017

The brain circuitry involved in falling in love is still being untangled, but neuroscientists have found the regions in brains of prairie voles responsible for pair bonding. By stimulating those areas they have been able to encourage the formation of such bonds.

Researchers might have found the areas of the brain responsible for pair bonding, and stimulating them ...