For The Better

The World Health Organization’s most recent estimates (2016) are that over 4.2 million people die prematurely each year due to long-term exposure to fine particulate outdoor air pollution (often referred to as PM2.5,). A recent study now suggests that …

Earth is closer to the sun at some times of year than at others, with the time of closest approach shifting over a period of 22,000 years. This affects Earth’s climate, including ice ages, but a team of scientists found that it also affects a yearly we…

Researchers have published a new theory for making batches of carbon nanotubes with a single, desired chirality. Their method could simplify purification of nanotubes that are all metallic or all semiconductors.

In a study of pregnant women in the United States, investigators found that a specific imbalance of two placental proteins could predict which women were at risk of developing a severe form of preeclampsia, a life-threatening blood pressure disorder.

The force driving a strange outbreak of tuberculosis that exited the lungs and began chewing away at bones 15 years ago in North Carolina has been solved at the molecular level by a collaborative team of scientists. The mysterious bug reverted to an an…

Eligible older adults who participate in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) in the United States may have slower memory decline than eligible people who do not participate, according to a new study. Researchers found that those who us…

Total energy consumption decreased 7.5 percent nationwide in 2020 compared with 2019 as the COVID-19 pandemic led to lockdowns, business closures and employees working from home, according to a new study. The research is the first to quantify the effec…

The mechanism by which fat-related molecules called lipids regulate pacemaker ion channel proteins, which help control the heart rhythm, has been revealed in a new study.

There’s no need to panic about a pending robot takeover just yet. Only 14% of workers say they’ve seen their job replaced by a robot. But those who have experienced job displacement due to a robot overstate the effect of robots taking jobs from humans …

Racial and ethnic disparities in pain prevalence in the U.S. are far larger than previously realized, according to the results of a new study.

Researchers report the discovery of the population of residual tumor cells responsible for the recurrence of colorectal cancer in other organs after removal of the primary tumor. The study shows that early immunotherapy, before surgery, can eliminate t…

With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, a new species of pterosaurs has been identified from the Atlantic coast of Angola.

The death of a loved one, financial or food insecurity, or a newly developed disability were some of the strongest predictors of whether a patient hospitalized for COVID-19 would experience symptoms of long COVID a year later.