The titan arum, a plant with a phallus-shaped spike that stands up to 3 metres tall, warms up to 36C at night and gives off the stench of a rotting corpse. A recent study revealed the pungent odours include the aptly named compound putrescine, which is given off by rotting animal carcasses.
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2024/dec/27/plantwatch-the-smelly-deception-of-titan-arums-phallic-spadix
https://redd.it/1ho3kb2
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Study: In situ, breast cancer has decreased since 2009, consistent with decreasing use of screening mammography, but decrease did not appear to have translated to more advanced breast cancer stages at diagnosis or decreases in the proportion of cases treated with partial mastectomy.
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1069095
https://redd.it/1hnw0w4
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A study from Turkey (N=467) suggests loneliness is associated with fear of positive evaluation.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/finding-a-new-home/202410/heres-why-lonely-people-are-afraid-of-compliments
https://redd.it/1hntop1
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A study of 15,728 US children (2015–2020) found flu vaccines reduce the risk of emergency visits, hospitalisations, and critical illness by over 50%.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.52512
https://redd.it/1hnnu59
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Youth protests may initiate the societal change needed to overcome the climate crisis.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41562-024-02075-4
https://redd.it/1hniytj
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Cooking certain vegetables (in particular garlic, onion, and leek) in vegetable oils at high temperatures can cause the oils to turn into trans fats, unhealthy fats linked to an increased risk of heart disease
https://www.newsweek.com/vegetable-cooking-method-harmful-trans-fat-2005747
https://redd.it/1hnidra
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A new study suggests that individuals who struggle to maintain attention may be particularly prone to impulsive engagement with online pornography, as the medium’s accessibility and novelty appeal to their distracted tendencies.
https://www.psypost.org/specific-types-of-impulsivity-serve-as-risk-factors-for-problematic-pornography-use/
https://redd.it/1hngq4x
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A 21-year-old bodybuilder consumed a chemical known as 2,4-DNP over several months, leading to his death from multi-organ failure. His chronic use, combined with anabolic steroids, underscored a preoccupation with physical appearance and suggested a psychiatric condition called muscle dysmorphia.
https://www.psypost.org/a-young-bodybuilders-tragic-end-highlights-the-dangers-of-performance-enhancing-substances/
https://redd.it/1hnb2f5
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New research suggests aligning mealtimes with your body's clock (time-restricted feeding) could help fight fatigue by improving metabolism and muscle function.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2095927324008752?via%3Dihub
https://redd.it/1hn8gz0
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The Risk of Cancer Fades as We Get Older (80+), And We May Finally Know Why
https://www.sciencealert.com/the-risk-of-cancer-fades-as-we-get-older-and-we-may-finally-know-why
https://redd.it/1hn5uiz
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String theory, conceptualized more than 50 years ago as a framework to explain the formation of matter, remains elusive as a provable phenomenon. But a team has now taken a significant step forward in validating string theory by using an innovative mathematical method
https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2024/december/physicists--bootstrap--validity-of-string-theory-.html
https://redd.it/1hmyvb1
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Women who masturbate more frequently tend to have better sexual health literacy and sexual functioning, finds a new study of sexually active Turkish Muslim women. On average, this sample of women reported masturbating five times per month.
https://www.psypost.org/women-who-masturbate-more-frequently-tend-to-have-better-sexual-health-literacy-and-sexual-functioning-study-finds/
https://redd.it/1hmw6im
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Short bursts of physical activity can cut women’s risk of heart attack by as much as 33 percent
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/heart-exercise-physical-activity-women
https://redd.it/1hmq792
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Parasites that cause the deadly illness known as sleeping sickness can spread beyond their native Africa as a result of mutations to key genes, a study shows.
https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/genes-linked-to-deadly-parasites-spread-beyond-africa-identified
https://redd.it/1hmmacf
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AI predicts that most of the world will see temperatures rise to 3C much faster than previously expected. Most land regions will likely surpass the critical 1.5°C threshold by 2040 or earlier. Similarly, several regions are on track to exceed the 3.0°C threshold by 2060—sooner than anticipated.
https://ioppublishing.org/news/ai-predicts-that-most-of-the-world-will-see-temperatures-rise-to-3c-much-faster-than-previously-expected/
https://redd.it/1hml18d
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Temporary resident postdocs make up the majority of US STEM postdocs and are dependent on employers for their visas. They have lower salaries, fewer benefits, less mentoring, and are less involved in collaboration, grants and teaching-- But have higher average research productivity.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048733324001264
https://redd.it/1ho1rj2
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New study reveals economic burden of tooth decay is highest in deprived groups. The UK showed the highest per-person costs across the six countries at approximately £18,000 ($22,910).
https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/news/2024/new-study-reveals-economic-burden-of-tooth-decay-is-highest-in-deprived-groups
https://redd.it/1hnwpko
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Phase 3 C. difficile vaccine efficacy trial was well tolerated but failed to meet primary endpoint
https://academic.oup.com/cid/article/79/6/1503/7740506?rss=1&login=false
https://redd.it/1hnpbma
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How much growth is required to achieve good lives for all. Insights from needs-based analysis.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2452292924000493
https://redd.it/1hnilb4
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People with schizophrenia show distinct brain activity when faced with conflicting information: « Researchers introduce a biomarker to indicate whether someone is struggling with the inflexible thinking associated with the disorder. »
https://now.tufts.edu/2024/11/07/people-schizophrenia-show-distinct-brain-activity-when-faced-conflicting-information
https://redd.it/1hnk22i
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A reduced neural response to receiving rewards in teens (11–17 years) predicts the first onset of depression, but not anxiety or suicidality. This is independent of pre-existing depressive or anxiety symptoms, as well as age or sex
https://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/teens-with-a-reduced-response-to-rewards-are-more-susceptible-to-depression
https://redd.it/1hnhmpe
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People urged to do at least 150 minutes of aerobic exercise a week to lose weight - Review of 116 clinical trials finds less than 30 minutes a day, five days a week only results in minor reductions.
https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/dec/26/at-least-150-minutes-of-moderate-aerobic-exercise-a-week-lose-weight
https://redd.it/1hncn6o
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New study finds large language models are prone to social identity biases similar to the way humans are—but LLMs can be trained to stem these outputs
https://www.nyu.edu/about/news-publications/news/2024/december/-us--vs---them--biases-plague-ai--too.html
https://redd.it/1hn8x62
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Study reveals the brain’s uncanny ability to recognize faces under suppressed awareness.
https://www.psypost.org/study-reveals-the-brains-uncanny-ability-to-recognize-faces-under-suppressed-awareness/
https://redd.it/1hn03vf
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Scientist has found that the rapid detection of snakes by monkeys is because of the presence of snake scales as a visual cue. His findings highlight an evolutionary adaptation of primates to identify snakes based on specific visual characteristics.
https://www.nagoya-u.ac.jp/researchinfo/result-en/2024/12/20241224-02.html
https://redd.it/1hn2wp8
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A new study in mice suggests that the brain plays a key role in the process of controlling body weight by regulating intestinal fat absorption | A brain-to-gut signal controls intestinal fat absorption
https://english.elpais.com/science-tech/2024-12-23/the-brain-controls-body-weight-and-obesity-by-regulating-intestinal-fat-absorption.html
https://redd.it/1hmvtha
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Macrophages, immune cells that detect and respond to harmful substances, function differently depending on the time of day: “when macrophages ‘think’ it’s morning, their inflammasome activation is quicker and more robust, this means the immune response is heightened during the early part of the day”
https://www.rcsi.com/dublin/news-and-events/news/news-article/2024/12/rcsi-research-reveals-how-the-body-clock-regulates-inflammation
https://redd.it/1hmrhb5
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Metformin improves depressive symptoms in type 2 diabetes patients over 24 weeks, study finds | Patients receiving metformin demonstrated a significant decrease in depression scores, dropping from an average of 16.01 at baseline to 12.75 at week 24.
https://www.psypost.org/metformin-improves-depressive-symptoms-in-type-2-diabetes-patients-over-24-weeks-study-finds/
https://redd.it/1hmp1c0
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According to a new study, men with higher levels of wellbeing before becoming fathers are less likely to experience depression after their child’s birth. The research underscores the importance of preventative mental health strategies for fathers-to-be.
https://www.psypost.org/study-highlights-protective-role-of-pre-conception-wellbeing-for-new-fathers/
https://redd.it/1hmm603
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Experiments show that ants collectively outperform individual ants in tasks like the piano-movers puzzle. Human groups, however, only surpass individuals when communication is efficient. Simple minds enjoy scalability while complex brains require extensive communication to cooperate efficiently.
https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2414274121
https://redd.it/1hmjdgi
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