Health & Fitness

The neurotransmitter glutamate is essential for regulating everything from mood to memory, but it can also encourage a toxic buildup of protein, which can contribute to Alzheimer's and related diseases. Scientists now describe a new approach for counteracting these devastating and often fatal neurodegenerative effects. Researchers made their discovery by studying lab mice as well as human brain 'organoids,' which are rudimentary brain-like structures grown in the lab.

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A team has found two antibodies that can work together to neutralize the virus that causes COVID-19 in all its current known variations in a laboratory environment. More research is needed, but the approach shows promise in developing treatments to keep pace with evolving viruses.

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Engineers have developed a pioneering prosthetic hand that can grip plush toys, water bottles, and other everyday objects like a human, carefully conforming and adjusting its grasp to avoid damaging or mishandling whatever it holds.

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New research has uncovered that anxiety and apathy -- two common but distinct emotional states -- lead to fundamentally different patterns in how people learn and make decisions.

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A research team has uncovered the neural mechanisms underlying the processing of pain and itch in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). This study provides new insights into how the brain distinguishes between these two distinct sensory experiences.

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Everyday smartwatches are extremely accurate in detecting viral infection long before symptoms appear -- now, research shows how they could help stop a pandemic before it even begins.

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A new study has unveiled a precise picture of how an ion channel found in most mammalian cells regulates its own function with a 'ball-and-chain' channel-plugging mechanism. The findings boost the understanding of ion channel biology and could lead to new drugs that target these channels to treat disorders such as epilepsy and hypertension.

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