Health & Fitness

Opioid drugs are highly effective at relieving pain but come with severe drawbacks. Their side effects range from dizziness to potentially fatal respiratory depression. Their illegal use contributes to nearly half a million deaths worldwide each year. Researchers have discovered a molecule, called nanobody NbE, which binds tightly and durably to the cell receptors that usually bind to opioids, thereby blocking the drugs' activity. Moreover, the scientists were able to create even smaller molecules that retain the same properties, which could prove far more effective than current treatments in mitigating the harmful effects of opioids.

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Scientists have long wondered why animals get the DNA inside their mitochondria, the cell's energy center, only from their mothers. New research explains why and offers hope for treating mitochondrial disorders.

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Smiling during conversations often elevates the experience of knowing someone, but this understanding has been subjective. A new study investigated the reciprocal relationship between people who indulge in smiling during face-to-face conversations. The researchers found that speakers smile more when listeners smile more, particularly in paired individuals of the same biological sex. These findings provide evidence of synchronized smiling behavior, highlighting the influence of facial expressions on interpersonal relationships.

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Just as a musician can train to more sharply distinguish subtle differences in pitch, mammals can improve their ability to interpret hearing, vision, and other senses with practice. This process, which is called perceptual learning, may be enhanced by activating a major nerve that connects the brain to nearly every organ in the body, a new study in mice shows.

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Researchers have developed a soft robotic 'finger' with a sophisticated sense of touch that can perform routine doctor office examinations, including taking a patient's pulse and checking for abnormal lumps.

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Fratricide-resistant CD7 CAR-T therapy by NUS proves effective in treating relapsed or refractory T-cell leukaemia

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Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen before.

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