Spending two hours per week in nature brings bountiful benefits, study finds

Turns out taking in a lungful—120 minutes' worth—of fresh air could actually be the main key to health and well-being, a new study says.

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Researchers study healthy ALS neurons as way to understand resistance to the disease

Although largely paralyzed, ALS patients can communicate through eye-tracking devices because they retain eye movement until the disease's late stages. Yet, how some motor neurons resist ALS to allow for this movement has been a mystery.

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Researchers create first portable tech for detecting cyanotoxins in water

North Carolina State University researchers have developed the first portable technology that can test for cyanotoxins in water. The device can be used to detect four common types of cyanotoxins, including two for which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) recently finalized recreational water quality criteria.

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Payloads deployed by SpaceX to study space weather and spacecraft propulsion

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory researchers designed and built two science payloads that went up with SpaceX's Falcon 9 Heavy rocket launch on June 25.

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Microscopic glass blowing used to make tiny optical lenses

Inserting air into hot glass to form a bubble has been used to make glass objects since Roman times. In new work, researchers apply these same glass blowing principles on a microscopic scale to make specialized miniature cone-shaped lenses known as axicons.

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Hacker used Raspberry Pi computer to steal restricted NASA data

A hacker used a tiny Raspberry Pi computer to infiltrate NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory network, stealing sensitive data and forcing the temporary disconnection of space-flight systems, the agency has revealed.

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Voxelotor improves hemoglobin levels in sickle cell disease

(HealthDay)—For individuals with sickle cell disease, 1,500 mg of voxelotor increases hemoglobin levels and reduces the incidence of worsening anemia compared with placebo, according to a study published in the June 14 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

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Zero-calorie sweeteners on trial again

As a sugar substitute, zero-calorie sweeteners may reduce tooth decay and blood sugar spikes. Seven are approved worldwide and safe for humans—but does this mean they're healthy?

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Hubble finds tiny 'electric soccer balls' in space, helps solve interstellar mystery

Scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have confirmed the presence of electrically-charged molecules in space shaped like soccer balls, shedding light on the mysterious contents of the interstellar medium (ISM) - the gas and dust that fills interstellar space.

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Fake news 'vaccine' works: 'Pre-bunking' game reduces susceptibility to disinformation

An online game in which people play the role of propaganda producers to help them identify real world disinformation has been shown to increase "psychological resistance" to fake news, according to a study of 15,000 participants.

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Fake drugs that could kill are on the rise in Western countries

Fake medicines—illegal and substandard pharmaceuticals—have until now largely been a problem in low and middle-income countries. Ranging from lifestyle products to lifesaving medicines, such products are now also on the rise in the Western world. The spread is concerning, as fake medicines can be completely ineffective or extremely toxic.

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Researchers improve classification of pancreatic cancer to better predict patient outcomes

Researchers at the University of Toronto and University Health Network have found that standard pathology grading for the most common type of pancreatic cancer can be improved to better predict patient outcomes.

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How preschools can do more to support children living with HIV

Thanks to antiretroviral therapy, children living with HIV are likely to live much longer than they would without treatment. They will go to school like other children and develop in much the same way. But how much do their teachers and peers need to know about their HIV-positive status? And what is the best way of managing their particular health needs at preschool level?

* This article was originally published here

Crop pests more widespread than previously known

Insects and diseases that damage crops are probably present in many places thought to be free of them, new research shows.

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Americans overestimate income for children from wealthy families—and underestimate it for children from poor ones

Americans overestimate the future income for children from wealthy and middle-income families, but underestimate that for children from poor ones, finds a new study by New York University sociologists.

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Young women who smoke face highest risk of major heart attack

Smoking increases both men's and women's risk of a major heart attack at all ages, but women smokers have a significantly higher increased risk compared to men, especially women under 50 years old, according to a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Despite the increased risk, smokers can reduce their risk to that of a never smoker in as little as a month after quitting.

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Researchers explain visible light from 2-D lead halide perovskites

Researchers drew attention three years ago when they reported that a two-dimensional perovskite—a material with a specific crystal structure—composed of cesium, lead and bromine emitted a strong green light. Crystals that produce light on the green spectrum are desirable because green light, while valuable in itself, can also be relatively easily converted to other forms that emit blue or red light, making it especially important for optical applications ranging from light-emitting devices to sensitive diagnostic tools.

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Combatting the world's deadliest infections using groundbreaking human-mimetic tools

A new article published today in the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology shows that research built around human-mimetic tools are more likely to succeed in the search for effective treatments for and prevention of flavivirus infection as compared to research using monkeys or other animals as laboratory models. The study, led by Dr. David Pamies at the University of Lausanne, with researchers at Johns Hopkins University and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases' Vaccines Research Center in the United States, includes a comprehensive review of the models used to study deadly mosquito-borne flaviviruses (MBF) such as dengue fever and the Zika virus, known to cause neurological disease in humans.

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Half of U.S. adults should monitor blood pressure at home, study says

Some people go to the doctor and find the intake so nerve-wracking their blood pressure spikes. Others find the routine relaxing, as they're asked to rest for a moment and breathe easy before a blood pressure cuff is wrapped around their arm.

* This article was originally published here