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You are here: Home / Archives for Joseph Decker

Different Types of Alcohol Cause Different Moods (Study)

November 22, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

different types of alcohol bottles against a gray day
different types of alcohol bottles against a gray day

Different types of alcohol can have distinct effects on the drinker’s mood.

The holidays are coming, and for some, they might be bringing alcohol with them. A new study shows that different types of alcohol affect your mood in various ways. With this research, scientists analyzed the influence of different types of alcohol such as beer, wine, and spirits on the drinker’s mood. The team monitored how people might feel after consuming these either in public or at home.

Different Types of Alcohol, Different Reactions

To conduct this study, the team behind it made use of data gathered by the Global Drug Survey. This is the biggest worldwide online survey about illicit drugs and alcohol use. It included questions on alcohol consumption and the moods linked to different types of alcohol. Some of the emotions that were analyzed in this survey included feeling confident, tired, tearful, ill, aggressive, restless, relaxed, energized, and sexy.

For their study, the researchers looked at responses from almost 30,000 survey participants aged between 18 and 31. These came from 21 countries and mentioned that they had drunk different types of alcohol over the last year. The findings showed that while spirits are linked to negative feelings, red wine is connected to more positive ones. More than 50 percent of participants mentioned that they felt relaxed after drinking this type of alcoholic beverage.

When drinking spirits, people can develop feelings of aggression. Spirits such as vodka, tequila, and whiskey are more likely to cause an angry mood compared to wine and beer. The researchers mentioned that it is important to understand how different types of alcohol affect your attitude and how you can control it.

Alcohol Differences, but Also Different People

An important thing that should be taken into consideration, point out the researchers, is the difference between the participants. The gender, level of education, age, and the country of origin have a significant impact on the results. The team noted that spirits could cause different moods for different ages. For instance, among young adults (18 to 24 years old), this type of alcohol was associated with feelings of energy, sexiness, and confidence.

When it comes to gender, women were more likely to associate different types of alcohol with varying moods while men were more inclined to link them with aggression. The level of alcohol-dependency also had a meaningful impact on the study. Those who were considered heavy drinkers were more likely to associate different types of alcohol to aggression than those who were low-risk consumers.

Also, people who are considered heavy drinkers were five times more likely to associate energy with different types of alcohol compared to those who drank less often. This shows that people who abuse alcohol sometimes believe that alcohol is the one that brings them energy and helps them develop positive feelings, say the researchers.

Despite the fact that the study doesn’t show explicit evidence that can link certain moods to different types of alcohol, it did demonstrate the effects of drinking wine, spirits, and beer on a person’s feelings. Researchers mentioned that other factors could also influence these while drinking. For instance, advertising, the place where they drink, the period of time, and the concentration of alcohol from their beverage.

Detailed study findings are available in a paper in the journal BMJ Open. 

Image Source: Pixabay 

Filed Under: Health

Lack Of Sleep Causes Brain Cells To Slow Down (Study)

November 7, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

network of brain cells and neurons illuminated and on black background
network of brain cells and neurons illuminated and on black background

Brain cells take the brunt of it when it comes to sleepless nights as they become rather sluggish.

Sleep deprivation can literally slow down some of the neurons in our brains, claims the team behind a new study that set out to study the effects of a lack of slumber on the human body. The researchers reached these results after studying the brains of twelve participants.

The Sluggish Response of the Sleep-Deprived Brain Cells

Research was conducted on a rather unusual basis, as the patients involved were being evaluated before surgeries meant to correct severe epilepsy. A significant number of studies targeting patients with this condition keep the participants awake to trigger a seizure.

So the current study did almost the same thing, but with a different purpose. The researchers set out to take a closer look at the brains of sleep-deprived people and were thus able to do so. By placing wires in their brains, specialists can pinpoint the starting place of a seizure. At the same time, they also have access and can monitor hundreds of cells, even across more than just a day.

For the study, the participants agreed to categorize images of either people, animals, or places. Each image corresponds to a specific area of the brain and led to distinctive patterns in the brain cells’ electrical activity.

“These are the very neurons [that] are responsible for the way you process the world in front of you,” states Dr. Itzhak Fried, one of the study authors and a neurosurgery professor part of the University of California, Los Angeles.

Four of the study participants were asked to stay awake all night, and then recategorize images. This showed that the sleep-deprived patients’ brain cells were rather ‘sluggish’.

Dr. Fried said that “The responses are diminished, and they are smeared over longer periods of time”.

The researcher continued by pointing out that because of this, brain cells may be finding it harder to communicate. In turns, this might also lead to changes in the perception and even the memory.

Detailed study methods and findings are available in a paper in the journal Nature Medicine.

Image Source: Maxpixel

Filed Under: Health

Be Careful With Black Licorice This Halloween, Warns The FDA

October 31, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

black licorice roll
black licorice roll

The FDA advises caution and moderation when consuming black licorice, today and in general.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning before one of the biggest candy and sweets-eating holidays of the year. FDA officials advised caution when consuming treats for Halloween and especially warned against the excessive and extended consumption of black licorice.

Black Licorice on FDA’s Black List?

The FDA starts its warning by stating that “As it turns out, you really can overdose on candy—or, more precisely, black licorice.”

In then continues by advising moderation when consuming this treat, no matter the age. People over 40 should especially pay attention when eating this type of licorice. Reportedly, eating it for two weeks or more might land the consumer in the hospital with arrhythmia or an irregular heartbeat.

As it is, black licorice’s effects can be felt at any age, if one eats too much at a time. The FDA recommends that anyone that has been consuming excessive amounts of this treat and seems to have an irregular heartbeat should stop eating the sweet immediately. They should also contact their medical provider or seek medical attention.

This licorice can also seemingly interact with some herbs, dietary supplements, and medication, so people looking to consume it might want to consult a professional beforehand.

Black licorice’s effects were linked to one of the sweetening compounds in its composition, glycyrrhizin. Derived from licorice root, this can seemingly cause a fall in the body’s potassium levels. Because of this, some people might have arrhythmia, while others may experience high blood pressure, swelling, or lethargy, among others.

According to the FDA warning, some medical journals found a link between black licorice and health problems in people aged 40 or older that were also known to have high blood pressure and/or heart disease.

As it is, trick-or-treaters and people looking to enjoy Halloween can eat black licorice without a problem, just not too much, as moderation should be the main target when eating any type of candy or sweets today and the following weeks.

Image Source: StaticFlickr

Filed Under: Health

The Peak In Hair Loss Searches Point To Human Shedding? (Study)

October 26, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

hair loss on a hairbrush in close up
hair loss on a hairbrush in close up

A new analysis just linked the peak hair loss searches with seasonality.

A study team noticed an interesting trend when analyzing Google searches for “hair loss”. They noted that the volume of such searches tends to peak during the summer and fall, in both hemispheres. Because of this, the researchers pointed to the possibility of there being a so-called “human shedding” period.

Hair Loss Linked to Seasonality?

The analysis looked at data from eight countries around the world in between 2004 to 2016. Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and India, are some of the selected countries. The team decided to use only English-speaking countries to avoid language-based confusions.

According to the results, the hair loss search volume peaked during the summer, and the fall came in second in both of the globe’s hemispheres. However, the researchers point out that such searches do not necessarily point to the users’ experiencing hair loss.

In countries in the Northern Hemisphere, the study team defined the summer seasons as being June, July, and August with the Fall ones being September, October, and November. Countries in the Southern Hemisphere are precisely the opposite, as the Northern summer is the Southern Winter.

The research team pointed out that these study parameters help back up the findings of previous studies.

They “back up the results of smaller studies involving patients that showed greater [hair loss] in the summer months,” according to Dr. Shawn Kwatra. He is the senior study author and a Johns Hopkins Medicine dermatology resident.

The researchers point out that such studies indicated a possible link between seasonality and losing hair. Namely, they found higher rates of “telogen” hairs in the summer and the lowest ones in the winter. Telogens are hair in the final stages of growth, and also the most likely to fall out.

However, the study team of this latest analysis underlines that the hair type is probably just one of the varied possible reasons for the seasonal hair loss. According to them, the UV index, which returns the strength of the outdoors ultraviolet rays may also be an influencing factor.

A study paper is available in the British Journal of Dermatology.

Image Source: Flickr

Filed Under: Health

A Very Rare Condition Has Woman Sweating Blood

October 24, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

closeup on a face sweating blood
closeup on a face sweating blood

An Italian was sweating blood in a case of hematohidrosis, a rare condition.

A newly released study presents the very strange case of an Italian woman that sweats blood from her forehead and hands. She was diagnosed with having hematohidrosis, an incredibly rare condition.

Sweating Blood, and the Condition Attached to This, Still Controversial

Italian doctors reported meeting with the very odd case of a 21 years old woman that came in because she was sweating blood from her head and hands. Perspiration is a normal and very much needed process of the human body that helps it regulate its temperature.

In the case of the Italian woman, she reported having a three years long story of spontaneously perspiring blood from her forehead and face in general, as well as her hands. The sweating episodes were one to five minutes old.

She did not appear to have any cuts or lesions. Blood and skin tests also did not reveal any abnormalities or problems that might explain the bleeding. Instead, the patient presented symptoms of anxiety, self-isolation, and depression. She also claimed that she chose to isolate herself out of fear of having blood sweating episodes in public.

The specialists examining her diagnosed their patient with a very rare condition, hematohidrosis. So the Italian woman was treated with beta blockers and also anti-depressants. According to the study paper, although the medicine helped reduce the bloody perspiration, these couldn’t be stopped altogether.

The case was presented in a study paper published in the Canadian Medical Journal and accompanied by a commentary analysis.

Hematohidrosis and Its History

The accompanying commentary pointed out that the majority of the documented cases of hematohidrosis affected women. However, an exact cause for this condition is not known.

Allegedly, the appearance of this condition might be tied to hysteria or other such psychiatric conditions. There are no medical reports to tie any death to this condition.

Some also regard this condition with skepticism, although the research team points out that such episodes “persist at a steady and possibly rising rate” so the doubts seem rather unfounded.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Health

Flying Insect Populations Revealed To Have Reduced Dramatically

October 21, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

blue dragonfly of the flying insect populations
blue dragonfly of the flying insect populations

The flying insect populations of Germany’s natural reserves registered a significant decline.

Flying insects may well be on their way to becoming a rarity, believes a newly released study which monitored the flying insect populations of more than 60 nature protection areas in Germany.

The research, which spanned over almost three decades, found that over 75 percent of the local insect population of such areas dropped by over 75 percent in just 27 years.

Flying Insect Populations and Their Worldwide Importance

Germany’s Entomological Society Krefeld and the Netherlands’ Radboud University researchers are behind this new study. This was conducted in 63 nature reserves in Germany and had the specialists install Malaise traps.

This a specialized net that helps capture flying insects and then measure their biomass or weight. The insect catch of every trap was followed and calculated over a period of 27 years, which helped draw the study’s conclusions.

These found a worrisome in the flying insect numbers, with all the flying critters being “clumped together” and included in the results.

The results show that, for the mid-summer period, the flying insect populations registered a drop of over 82 percent. The general results were far from being better, as flying insects revealed a more than 76 percent decline in numbers in less than three decades and in a protected area as well.

This is among the most worrisome aspects of the study, underline the researchers. They consider that, if this massive drop is happening in protected nature areas, it is also likely taking place “everywhere else” as well.

The decline could be even more prominent in urban as well as in agricultural areas. According to this report on the matter, the drop in numbers cannot be explained by changes in the weather, habitat characteristics, or land use.

“The flying insect community as a whole has been decimated over the last few decades,” the study writes. “Loss of insect diversity and abundance is expected to provoke cascading effects on food webs and to jeopardize ecosystem services.”

The researchers believe that an extension of the national reserve areas as well as a lower use of pesticides might help decrease this significant decline in the number of flying insects.

Detailed study findings and conclusions and suggestions are available in a paper in the journal PLOS One.

Image Source: Pixabay

Filed Under: Nature

American Alligators Seem To Have No Problem With Eating Sharks

October 18, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

american alligators on top of one another in lagoon water
american alligators on top of one another in lagoon water

Research revealed that when in the same environment, American alligators eat sharks.

A new study revealed that not even the fearsome sharks are safe from being eaten by a bigger or meaner predator. Namely, a team of researchers discovered that sharks that venture into freshwater are at risk of becoming the next meal of an alligator.

American Alligators and Their Unexpected Dietary Choices

Sharks are well known for being the apex predators of any salty waters. In contrast, the Alligator mississippiensis or American alligators are known for waddling through freshwater.

However, a new study found that not only do these two species actually interact but that one of them is also not against eating the other.

James Nifong, a Kansas State University researcher, and Russell Lowers, an IMSS wildlife biologist, are behind this latest research. The two captured and then analyzed the stomach contents of some 500 living alligators.

This revealed the usual dietary choices which include snails, crustaceans, and on occasion, smaller fish. However, the researchers also detected the remains of four different types of sharks, including stingrays and nurse sharks.

The team determined that, on the rare occasion that either American alligators venture into salty waters or sharks set out for freshwater ones, the latter may become prey to the former.

However, the researchers also point out that this doesn’t mean that alligators are always the winning party. Instead, the relations between these two predators was described as being a “reciprocal predation”.

The team hypothesizes that, if both the alligator and the shark are hungry and find themselves in the same environment, size will likely determine the winner.

“The frequency of one predator eating the other is really about size dynamic. If a small shark swims by an alligator and the alligator feels like it can take the shark down, it will, but we also reviewed some old stories about larger sharks eating smaller alligators,” states Nifong.

A paper with the study results is available in the Southern Naturalist.  

Image Source: Pixabay 

Filed Under: Nature

Thousands Of Adélie Penguin Chicks Die, Leaving Just 2 Alive

October 16, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

adelie penguin chicks with adult penguin feeding one of them
adelie penguin chicks with adult penguin feeding one of them

The disastrous breeding season in East Antarctica resulted in just two alive Adelie penguin chicks

According to a recent World Wildlife Fund (WWF) for Nature report, 2017 was a disastrous breeding year for a colony of almost 40,000 Adélie penguins living in Antarctica. Reportedly, only two Adélie penguin chicks are still alive after an unusual event that affected the breeding season all throughout the summer.

Adélie Penguin Chicks, Victims of Nature

The affected colony resides in a region of East Antarctica known as Adélie Land or Adélie Terre. This is a region of the continent discovered in the 1840’s, by Jules Dumont, and currently under the rule of France. It is also what a colony of more than 18,000 pairs of Adélie call home.

The WWF statement declares that this penguin species is “generally faring well” in the region. In contrast, they are on the downward path in the Antarctic peninsula as an effect of climate change.

Also, an unusual event has led to a disastrous breeding season for the East Antarctica colony. According to the report, an “unusually extensive sea ice” lasted late into the summer.

Because of this, adult penguins had to travel and search for food farther away then they might have been used to. Even so, reports point out that their efforts in foraging for food were seemingly not enough as many of the Adélie penguin chicks are believed to have starved.

Only two chicks are said to have survived this mating season.

As pointed out, this is also not the first time that the East Antarctica Adélie penguin faced difficulties during their mating season. Four years ago, their breeding activity was affected by “unusual environmental conditions”, that occurred both on land and on sea. No chick survived the 2013 – 2014 season.

‘Adélie penguins are one of the hardiest and most amazing animals on our planet. This devastating event contrasts with the image that many people might have of penguins,” states Rod Downie, the WWF’s Head of Polar Programmes.

Adélie penguins feed mostly on krill, so the WWF is also worried about the effects of opening krill fisheries in the area. This might further worsen the species’ feeding prospects.

Image Source: Wikipedia

Filed Under: Nature

Sleeping Supervolcanoes, Closer To Waking Up Than Believed?

October 12, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

illustrated inside structure of yellowstone caldera, a sleeping supervolcanoes
illustrated inside structure of yellowstone caldera, a sleeping supervolcanoes

Sleeping supervolcanoes, such as the Yellowstone Caldera, gather magma faster than believed.

Researchers believe that the planet may not be as safe and far away from the eruption of a supervolcano as initially thought. Namely, a team of scientists considers that the so-called sleeping supervolcanoes of the world are closer to waking up than believed. Such an event could allegedly take decades to happen, not millennia, as previously estimated.

Arizona State University researchers are behind this warning, and they presented their study conclusion at IAVCEI meeting in Portland, Oregon.

Sleeping Supervolcanoes Showing Signs of Unrest

The study team based its study on samples of volcanic rock taken from the Yellowstone. The National Park is known for harboring a supervolcano beneath its surface. Other famous examples of such formations are Campi Flegrei, in Italy, and Lake Toba, in North Sumatra, among others.

Previous research concluded that a volcano would need thousands of years of “preparation” before an eruption. Namely, it would first have to fill its magma chambers.

Believed to be a slow process, this latest research claims that, in fact, this can happen quite fast. The scientists argue that, in just decades, enough magma can accumulate in chambers to lead to an eruption.

“It’s shocking how little time is required to take a volcanic system from being quiet and sitting there to the edge of an eruption,” stated Hannah Shamloo, the study lead.

Still, Christy Till, who was also part of the research, does point out that there still could be pre-eruption processes that might require thousands of years of preparation.

The team based its conclusion on an analysis of the crystals in the volcanic stones collected from the Yellowstone Caldera.

One of the best-known sleeping supervolcanoes, Yellowstone was estimated to have last erupted 631,000 years ago. Scientists approximate that a supervolcano erupts around every 100,000 years.

As it is, the team behind this latest study considers that, even with this new information, science is still rather far from being able to predict when the next supervolcano will erupt, or which one it would be.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Nature

The Soot On A Lark’s Wings, An Indicator Of Air Pollution

October 11, 2017 By Joseph Decker Leave a Comment

soot on a horned lark sitting a white plant
soot on a horned lark sitting a white plant

The soot accumulated on the feathers of horned larks might help determine air pollution levels.

An analysis of old bird fossils, that also seem to be dusty or dirty doesn’t really seem like a good indicator of how air pollution levels have evolved. But a new study from a team of University of Chicago graduates comes to contradict this.

The researchers, Carl Fuldner and Shane DuBay, analyzed over 1,000 bird specimens collected by US museums over the last 135 years. All of the fossils where the remains of the Eremophila alpestris or the horned lark. They looked to quantify and determine the effects of airborne soot in the US Rust Belt cities, including Chicago, Detroit, and Pittsburgh.

The team did so by calculating the amount of soot that still remained on the feathers of the larks. This is a trace of the black carbon that has been floating in the air over time.

The Relation Between Larks and Soot

Some likened the analyzed specimens to air filters as soot was noted to accumulate and store in their wings similar to dust n feather duster. Horned larks were the perfect study candidates as this species is known to change its plumage annual.

As these molt and grow a new set of feathers every year, the soot collected on them can be longer than that.

“The soot on the birds closely tracks the use of coal over time. During the Great Depression, there’s a sharp drop in black carbon on the birds because coal consumption dropped — once we saw that, it clicked, says DuBay.

According to the study results, black carbon levels matched the nation’s coal consumption up until around the mid-20th century. Following this point, although the coal use increased, the black carbon levels started and are still going down.

The research team then determined that this latter is the effect of an improvement in the burning efficiency, rather than in the coal emissions control.

Based on their results, the scientists believe that following the evolution of atmospheric black carbon might help researchers better study the changing climate and global warming.

Also, DuBay and Fulder consider that their study also points out the importance of museum collections and their scientific and research importance.

A paper with the detailed study findings is available in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Image Source: Wikimedia

Filed Under: Nature

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