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[ad_1] According to a new study performed by UCL researchers, those who had amblyopia ('lazy eye') in childhood are more likely to experience hypertension, obesity, and metabolic syndrome in adulthood, as well as an increased risk of heart attacks. In publishing the study in eClinicalMedicine, the authors stress that while they have identified a correlation, their research does not show a causal relationship between amblyopia and ill health in adulthood. The researchers analysed data from more than 126,000 participants aged 40 to 69 years old from the UK Biobank cohort, who had undergone ocular examination. Participants had been asked during recruitment whether they were treated for amblyopia in childhood and whether they still had the condition in adulthood. They were also asked if they had a medical diagnosis of diabetes, high blood pressure, or cardio/cerebrovascular disease (ie. angina, heart attack, stroke). Meanwhile, their BMI (body mass index), bloo...

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: Scientists have put forward a theory that dark matter might actually be an alternate universe . In a recent study quoted by Daily Express, Dr Arushi Bodas and his team at the University of Chicago’s Enrico Fermi Institute suggest that dark matter could be seen as a distorted parallel universe that never fully developed. Dark matter has always been a mysterious concept. Despite making up more than 80% of all matter in the universe, scientists have never directly observed it. Its existence is inferred from the behavior of stars, planets, and galaxies , which would be impossible to explain without the presence of dark matter. The problem is that dark matter is completely imperceptible – it emits no light or energy and cannot be detected using conventional sensors and detectors. The composition of dark matter is still speculative. While visible matter, also known as baryonic matter, is made up of subatomic particles called baryons (such as protons, neutrons, an...

[ad_1] According to a study, sufficient sleep is needed to benefit long-term in brain power from exercise. There may be little point in working out if you’re tired and not sleeping well, a study suggests. Exercise is known to do wonders for cognitive skills but research from University College London shows that getting less than six hours sleep a night could wipe away most of those brain gains. A study of almost 9,000 middle-aged people found that people who exercised regularly had stronger minds over a 10-year study period. However, people who exercised but got insufficient sleep saw a quicker decline in cognitive ability than their well-rested peers. People sleeping less than six hours a night, even if they exercised, had similar attention, memory and learning ability to those who did not get any exercise, effectively wiping out any benefit from being active. Physical activity has other health benefits, but with regards to the brain the effect is negligible when compared...

[ad_1] BANGOR: According to new research , 176 bird species around the world use a variety of anthropogenic materials in their nests. Birds use our leftover or discarded materials all over the world. Seabirds in Australia use fishing nets in their nests, ospreys in North America use baler twine, city birds in South America use cigarette butts, and common blackbirds in Europe collect plastic bags to use in their nests. This study was published in the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B special issue on "The Evolutionary Ecology of Nests: A Cross-Taxon Approach." According to researchers, this material found in bird nests can be beneficial. Cigarette butts, for example, retain nicotine and other compounds that repel ectoparasites that attach themselves to the skin of nestling birds and suck blood from them. Meanwhile, harder man-made materials may help provide structural support for bird nests, while plastic films may help provide insulation and keep offs...

[ad_1] WASHINGTON: Scientists have figured out how cats can locate food , allies and enemies. This research was published in PLoS Computational Biology. A complicated network of tightly coiling bony airway structures is to blame, according to the first thorough investigation of the domestic cat's nasal airway. In order to mimic how air containing typical cat food scents would pass through the coiled structures during an inhalation, the researchers built a 3D computer model of the cat's nose . They found that the air divides into two flow streams, one of which purifies and humidifies the air, and another of which swiftly and effectively transports the odorant to the part of the body responsible for smell, the olfactory region. According to the experts, the cat nose serves as a highly effective and dual-purpose gas.A complicated network of tightly coiling bony airway structures is to blame, according to the first thorough investigation of the domestic cat's nasal airwa...