Discoveries News | Discoveries News – Discoveries Information

News & Articles By Ralph Flores

10/27/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Mosquitoes balance taste with risk: Study finds they can remember your smell, and if you tried to swat them

There are a few insects, or animals for that matter, that can top our disdain for mosquitoes. They’re pretty much everywhere, and that bite – a reaction in part to their mouthparts impaling you and drinking your blood – is nothing short of annoying to most people. What’s worse: They seem just to fly away right before […]

10/17/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Misconception: The black-legged tick, not the lone star, carries the bacteria that cause Lyme disease, according to a review of evidence

One fact that people know about Lyme disease is that ticks cause it. As to which tick causes the condition – which the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports as the most commonly reported vector-based illness in the U.S. – is where the confusion starts. Lyme disease, of which the causative agent is the spirochetal bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, is known […]

10/16/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Music may trump medication for the mind: Scientists explore the ways music engages different brain regions for healing and therapeutic effects

Once limited to auditoriums and concert halls, music is now making its way to operating theaters and hospital wards. In MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, for example, what was once a somber chemotherapy unit is now spruced up with the sound of a violin marching to the beat — followed by dancers flowing to the melody. In […]

08/28/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Developing grease from different types of waste oils

Researchers from Malaysia have found a way to synthesize grease from waste oil using red gypsum. The details, outlined in the Australian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences, was the culmination of efforts to determine the best quality of grease using different ratios of red gypsum and fumed silica. To measure the overall grade of the […]

08/22/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Jupiter’s red spot: What’s inside the storm that’s “one-and-a-half Earth’s wide”

For the first time, the mysteries of Jupiter’s red spot are available. In the latest data gathered by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s first pass over Jupiter’s Great Red Spot in July 2017, experts have discovered that the solar system’s largest storm affects regions below it. NASA has released a computer-animated video based […]

05/18/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Caffeine protects the lungs by strengthening minute tissue structures

There are some things that – by virtue of logic – just don’t go together: Raking leaves and a windy day, for instance. Chocolate and dogs also fit the bill, and even caffeine and babies. However, a study published in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology could very well change our thoughts on the […]

05/08/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Differentiating between probiotics and “postbiotics”

So what’s in a name? For scientists, it’s the chance to learn more about a new compound that carries potential benefits to human health. In a study published in the journal Trends in Food Science & Technology, the team looked at how “postbiotics” – defined as soluble factors that are released by probiotics – could be […]

02/19/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Natural bacteria-killing viruses in the bladder may prove more effective at clearing UTIs than antibiotics

Our body is home to a lot of organisms besides our cells. While some of them may be pathogenic, waiting for a chance to strike, most of them help us out a lot. A case in point: A recent study has reported that bacterial viruses called bacteriophages (or phages for short), which infect and replicate […]

01/22/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Flavonoids in wild ephedra plant extracts have been found to be potent antioxidants; may replace toxic ingredients in food and cosmetics

Ephedra alata, a plant widely used in traditional folk medicine in Palestine, takes center stage as researchers explore its potential medical uses. The paper, which was published in the African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines, analyzed the antioxidant and antibacterial activity of the wild E. alata plant. Ephedra alata in traditional medicine A member of the Ephedraceae […]

01/09/2018 / By Ralph Flores

Essential oils found to be effective fumigants against the pulse beetle, a pest common in chickpeas, lentils and other legumes

Essential oils have a lot of benefits, especially for people. However, this effect is not just limited to people – it can even be used in plants. A recent study found that certain types of oils can be effectively used as fumigants against some insects. The study, which was published by the Entomological Society of Southern Africa, […]

1 of 2