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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 19, 2026 at 8:59am

Male Neanderthal pelvises resemble those of modern females, challenging decades-old assumptions
A new study published in Scientific Reports offers an explanation for one of the striking differences between men and women: the evolutionary development of the modern human pelvis.
By comparing Neanderthal pelvises with those of modern humans, the researchers reached a surprising conclusion: The unusual structure of the pelvis may not be that of the Neanderthal, as has been assumed for decades, but rather that of the modern human male.
According to the researchers, the male pelvis evolved into a unique biomechanical shock-absorbing mechanism that stores energy and makes long-distance walking more efficient.
The study is based on a comparison of two nearly complete male Neanderthal pelvises, one from Kebara Cave in Israel and the other from the Sima de los Huesos site in Spain, with dozens of modern human pelvises.

Surprisingly, despite their large size and robust construction, the Neanderthal pelvises were found to resemble those of modern human females in most measurements and proportions rather than those of modern human males.

During every step of bipedal walking, the body's center of mass drops downward. This drop strains the joints and requires energy to raise the body again in preparation for the next step.

According to the new model, the distinctive geometry of the male pelvis enables the thigh muscles to cushion the drop of the body's center of mass, store potential energy during the step and then release that energy immediately afterward—effectively "springing" the body upward into the next step.

In this way, the pelvis functions as a natural shock absorber and energy-return system. It may reduce energy expenditure, improve walking efficiency and thereby provide a significant advantage during long-distance travel on foot. The change in the position of the hip joints also required additional structural adaptations, including the thickening of the pubic bone and deepening of the anterior portion of the pelvis to withstand the new mechanical loads.
Modern human females, by contrast, could not adopt the full suite of these modifications. According to the researchers, the constraints imposed by childbirth require a relatively shallow pelvis and a sufficiently wide birth canal. As a result, the female pelvis remains closer to the ancestral configuration—the same general configuration found in male Neanderthals.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 18, 2026 at 11:55am

Can vitamin C cure a cold? How a Nobel Prize winner convinced us it could
Vitamin C does not prevent colds in the general population or help when started after symptoms begin. Regular supplementation may modestly reduce severe symptom duration and severity, with greater effects in athletes and military personnel. High doses can cause gastrointestinal effects, kidney-stone risk, increased iron absorption, and drug interactions.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 18, 2026 at 11:28am

Scientists have designed a functioning virus from scratch using AI. What you need to know
AI-generated genomes for the bacteriophage ΦX174 produced 16 functional phages among 285 synthesized designs, demonstrating that sequence models can generate viable viral genomes based on existing biological patterns. The system remains limited to a simple bacteriophage; clinical phage applications and biosecurity require further validation and oversight.

original article.

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 18, 2026 at 10:31am

A better option for remembering information: Break out a pen and paper. Writing something down—for example, taking notes during a lecture—forces us to process and organize the information into manageable bullet points and draw connections. Known as "desirable difficulty," the mental effort in this kind of processing may make us more likely to remember the information.

However, it's not foolproof; sometimes, writing something down can lead to cognitive offloading—such as forgetting a friend's birthday after we add it to our calendar and set reminders. Like the phone numbers in your contact list, you may no longer be able to remember the specific information.

Screenshotting can potentially supplement your memory if you take only a few intentional shots and review them later—similar to how a calendar reminder can support your memory of an upcoming event. But taking frequent screenshots and letting them accumulate unreviewed has the opposite effect, research shows.
The results of the current study suggest that we are likely harming our memory for information and experiences with the press of a button, and that this impairment may even extend beyond what is captured.

Sophia P. Fabrizio et al, Digital amnesia: The aftermath of a screenshot, Memory & Cognition (2026). DOI: 10.3758/s13421-026-01921-2

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 18, 2026 at 10:29am

Taking screenshots makes you more likely to forget information

Snapping a photo or taking a screenshot to remember something? According to recent cognitive research, the practice may make you more likely to forget.

Research has consistently shown that if you take photographs or screenshots during an experience, your memory of the information or event is degraded.

Taking photos or screenshots can impair memory for captured information, particularly when images are not later reviewed. Across seven experiments, capture showed no memory benefit and was associated with poorer recall and source memory. Divided attention, cognitive offloading, and attentional disengagement may contribute.

Known as the photo-taking impairment effect, the phenomenon occurs for material that the picture-taker doesn't review afterward. According to other research, using photographs to retrieve and review memories may benefit long-term retention.
However, many of us take more photos and screenshots than we can use—about 20 photos a day, with about 2,000 photos stored on the average smartphone, according to estimates.

Unless you are actively reviewing those images as cues for elaborative memory retrieval, it is unlikely to benefit you.

Another study suggests that our memory isn't impaired when photographs are captured automatically using a wearable clip camera. This indicates that there's something about the act of taking a photo or capturing a screenshot that impairs memory, rather than the knowledge that something is being saved.
One possible mechanism behind digital amnesia is divided attention: The act of capturing an experience takes away cognitive resources that would otherwise be dedicated to encoding the information in memory. While divided attention plays a role, it's unlikely to be the main source of memory impairment. People show a comparable deficit when extra time is provided to view artwork before or after taking a photograph and when the capture task is made less difficult, which should minimize its effects.

Another possibility is cognitive offloading, in which we do not allocate cognitive resources to remember information if it's stored externally. Offloading allows us to redirect those conserved cognitive resources toward aspects of an experience that weren't captured or toward unrelated tasks.

Individuals should only employ the strategy if the information is reliably saved and accessible. However, research has shown that memory remained impaired even when picture-takers knew their images would be immediately deleted. With screenshots in particular, people were less likely to remember whether they captured an image or viewed a piece of art, and had worse memory for the art itself when it was captured.

A third hypothesis is attentional disengagement, in which the act of taking a photograph or screenshot causes us to unconsciously distance ourselves from the experience.
This unconscious detachment may be sparked by a longstanding association between capturing images and the ability to offload information.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 16, 2026 at 11:06am

Faecal transplant soothes peanut allergy
Six people with a severe peanut allergy can tolerate the nut after a transplant of gut bacteria from the stool of people without the allergy. Four months after the transplant, five participants could eat 600 milligrams or more of peanut protein — the equivalent of about two and a half peanuts — without triggering a severe immune response. The potential of this type of therapy to have a lasting benefit is really, really exciting, because available treatments for food allergies are limited and short-lived.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/scitranslmed.aee3263

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 16, 2026 at 10:17am

Levels of ALT, an enzyme indicative of poor liver health, and liver triglycerides were higher in both groups of mice in the experiments whose diets were laced with microplastics than in animals fed the same corresponding diet without polyethylene.

The same went for liver cell inflammation and ballooning, and steatosis (fat buildup in the liver).
Genes encoding proteins PPAR-alpha (which regulates liver fat production) and Annexin A2 (which, in the liver, is involved with tissue repair) were both in overdrive in the microplastics-affected livers.

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.aec8681

Part 2

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Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 16, 2026 at 10:15am

A Common Plastic Increases Risk of Fatty Liver Disease

One of the world's most common plastics – used in food packaging, plastic wraps, storage containers, and takeaway cups – may be partially responsible for your risk of fatty liver disease.

The disease, as we know it today, was first described in 1980.

But physicians have known since the 19th century that fatty infiltration of the liver is somehow related to diet, long before formal studies began.

A new study in mice suggests modern food conveniences might be adding to the problem.
People often aren't aware they have fatty liver disease (the non-alcoholic kind) until it is detected incidentally when they get a scan for some other condition.

When people do experience symptoms, they may present with fatigue, feeling generally unwell, and discomfort under the right side of their ribs.

Excess fat builds up in the liver cells, which can eventually lead to inflammation, then fibrosis (an accumulation of scar tissue), and even cirrhosis (serious damage), if untreated.
You're more at risk for fatty liver disease if you're carrying extra weight, especially around the middle.

Other risk factors include high blood fat levels (LDL cholesterol or triglycerides), type 2 diabetes or prediabetes, and high blood pressure.
All of these risk factors involve food and metabolism, but a new study in mice shows there may be an important aspect of people's diets that has been overlooked: exposure to microplastics, specifically polyethylene.

It's one of the most important plastics for food convenience: it packages takeaways, cling-wraps leftovers, stops your single-use cup from dissolving in your hand.

And, compared to many other polymers, polyethylene has kind of been considered a lesser concern.
Studies suggest that microscopic polyethylene can trigger signs of fatty liver disease, even with a standard diet. Regardless of diet, the addition of microplastics appeared to exacerbate the condition – even among the mice who ate a relatively healthy diet.
Part 1

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 16, 2026 at 10:09am

Essentially, the lingering bubbles begin to link together, dry out the surface faster, and cause the cooling mechanism to collapse. Reduced gravity is an advantage for heat transfer, right up until it isn't.

There are limitations to consider here: only nitrogen was tested, and on short parabolic flights.

However, the data gathered will be useful for future modeling as researchers devise equipment for more efficient, safer space travel.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41526-026-00631-y

Part 2

Comment by Dr. Krishna Kumari Challa on August 16, 2026 at 10:08am

Boiling Liquid Does Something in Near-Zero Gravity
Out in deep, dark depths of space, electronics and fuel can still get hot – very hot.

As plans are made for longer missions and more advanced tech systems, one of the key areas scientists want to understand better is what happens to ultra-cold, cryogenic liquids when they boil.

These liquids are used as rocket fuel and to cool electronics, for example, but at the moment, we don't know enough about their boiling behavior in microgravity.

A new study investigating just that, in a series of airborne experiments, has turned up some surprising results. The findings are published in npj Microgravity

We know boiling liquids behave strangely in space; we've seen it happen before.
With less gravity, convection doesn't circulate heat through liquids as readily. And bubbles don't detach from surfaces as easily; they are less buoyant, so they don't float up as they do on Earth.
So it might reasonably be assumed that low gravity would also reduce the cooling capacity of those space bubbles because they can't carry heat away as fast.

But the researchers found the opposite: reduced gravity improved heat removal under certain conditions.

That is, until a heat threshold was exceeded and boiling became unstable.
Researcher s found that bubbles started forming sooner, and heat transfer was improved under near-zero-gravity conditions. The researchers think it's because in microgravity, the bubbles stick closer to the heated surface, which improves heat removal efficiency.
Their hypothesis is that bubbles stop floating away, so they linger on the surface.
When bubbles are on the surface, there is a small liquid gap between the bubble and the heater, and that liquid layer is so thin that it can improve heat transfer.
While that sounds beneficial, the cooling systems reached their limit faster in the simulated space conditions.

The maximum amount of heat that the liquid nitrogen coolant could handle dropped by 65 percent in microgravity compared to the lab tests.

Part 1

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