-
Magazine
In the July 6 SN: Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11, stone tool dates face scrutiny, ocean plastic goes deep, records of Inca taxation, erosion spurred plate tectonics and more.
Search Content
-
News in Brief
Gut bacteria may guard against diabetes that comes with aging
11/19/2018 - 10:55 Microbiology, Physiology, Immune ScienceLosing one variety of gut bacteria may lead to type 2 diabetes as people age.
Old mice have less Akkermansia muciniphila bacteria than young mice do, researchers report November 14 in Science Translational Medicine. That loss triggers inflammation, which eventually leads cells to ignore signals from the hormone insulin. Such disregard for insulin’s message to take in glucose is known as...
-
News in Brief
The number of calories you burn while resting depends on the time of day
11/08/2018 - 11:00 PhysiologyTiming is everything. Even how many calories a person burns while at rest depends on the hour.
People burn about 129 more calories when resting in the afternoon and evening than in the early morning. But morning is better for burning carbohydrates, while fats are more likely to be burned in the evening, researchers report November 8 in Current Biology. The findings add to evidence that...
-
News
Eating less protein may help curb gut bacteria’s growth
11/02/2018 - 06:00 Microbiology, Ecology, PhysiologyHumans and other animals may have a way to control the growth of gut microbes: Eat less protein.
That’s because protein contains nitrogen. And, it turns out, the amount of nitrogen in the diet of mice governed the growth of bacteria in the animals’ large intestine, researchers report October 29 in Nature Microbiology. The finding may help researchers learn how to manipulate the types and...
-
News in Brief
To get a deeper tan, don’t sunbathe every day
10/25/2018 - 11:07 Physiology, GeneticsSunbathing — if you must do it — should be limited to every other day, a new study suggests. You’ll get darker and prevent some skin damage.
That’s because skin makes the protective pigment melanin only every 48 hours, researchers report October 25 in Molecular Cell. Daily sunbathing can disrupt the pigment’s production and leave skin vulnerable to damage from ultraviolet light.
A...
-
Reviews & Previews
Explore the history of blood from vampires to the ‘Menstrual Man’
10/16/2018 - 09:00 Physiology, Health, History of ScienceNine PintsRose GeorgeMetropolitan Books, $30
The title of journalist Rose George’s new book, Nine Pints, quantifies how much blood George has flowing through her body. Her supply takes a temporary dip in the book’s opening chapter, when she donates about a pint (a story that continues on to recap the amazing accomplishment that is blood banking). This act of generosity is an...