This Is What Happens in Your Brain When You’re Hypnotized

THURSDAY, July 28, 2016 (HealthDay News) — Skeptics view hypnosis as a little-understood parlor trick, but a new study reveals real changes occur in the brain when a person enters an hypnotic state.

Some parts of the brain relax during the trance while others become more active, said study senior author Dr. David Spiegel, associate chair of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

"I hope this study will demonstrate that hypnosis is a real neurobiological phenomenon that deserves attention," Spiegel said. "We haven't been using our brains as well as we can. It's like an app on your iPhone you haven't used before, and it gets your iPhone to do all these cool things you didn't know it could do."

Hypnosis was the first Western form of psychotherapy, but little is known about how it actually works, the authors say.

Hoping to learn more, Spiegel and his colleagues selected 57 people for this study out of a pool of 545 potential participants. Thirty-six of the 57 displayed a high level of hypnotic susceptibility, while the other 21 did not appear to be very hypnotizable.

Using MRI, researchers measured the subjects' brain activity by detecting changes in blood flow. Each was scanned while resting, when recalling a memory, and when exposed to a message intended to induce a hypnotic trance.

People highly susceptible to hypnosis experienced three distinct brain changes while hypnotized that weren't present when they were out of the trance, the study reports. These changes weren't detected in the brains of those with low hypnotic capability.

People in a trance experienced a decrease in activity in an area called the dorsal anterior cingulate, part of what's called the brain's salience network. "It helps us compare context and decide what is worth worrying about and what isn't," Spiegel said.

Hypnotized people also experienced an increase in connections between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the insula. The prefrontal cortex helps us plan and carry out tasks, while the insula helps the mind connect with the body.

"In hypnosis, we know you can alter things like gastric acid secretion, heart rate, blood pressure and skin conductance," Spiegel said. "Your brain is very good at controlling what's going on in your body, and the insula is one of the pathways that does that."

Finally, people in hypnosis also have reduced connections between the task-oriented dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and the brain's default mode network, a region most active when a person is daydreaming rather than focusing on the outside world.

This decrease in connectivity likely represents a disconnect between someone's actions and their awareness of their actions, Spiegel said. Such a disassociation allows the hypnotic subject to engage in activities suggested by a hypnotist without becoming self-conscious of the activity.

Taken together, these brain changes match well-known outward effects caused by hypnosis, Spiegel said.

A hypnotized person is intensely focused but not worried about what they're doing. They are not worried about evaluating instructions, but are simply following those instructions, and they have a more direct connection between their minds and the physical function of their bodies, he noted.

"This is the first time that we've shown what's going on in the brain when a person is hypnotized," Spiegel said. "This is a natural and normal brain function. It's a technique that has evolved to enable us to do the routine things routinely, and deeply engage in the things that matter to us."

Based on this knowledge, doctors might be able to enhance hypnotic response in ways that better help treat medical conditions, he said. Already, hypnosis has been proven to help people quit smoking or cope with pain and stress, the authors noted.

This study provides "important evidence" that could help convince skeptical patients of hypnosis' potential benefits, said Guy Montgomery, who specializes in integrative behavioral medicine at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Dr. Alan Manevitz, a clinical psychiatrist with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, agreed.

"Hypnosis has been around for a long time, but people have looked upon it as quackery," Manevitz said. "This demonstrates it's a legitimate neurobiological phenomenon, by revealing the brain activity that underlies the hypnotic state."

However, Montgomery added that it will take further research to make this specific knowledge directly useful in daily medicine.

"How would I use this information to enhance procedures for patients?" he said. "I don't really know."

The study appears July 28 in the journal Cerebral Cortex.

More information

For more on hypnosis, visit the U.S. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health.

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Can Virtual Reality Meditation Get You Closer to Mindfulness? I Tried It to Find Out

I’ve been meditating, off and on, for the past 14 years. The technique I learned in meditation class many years ago is old-school and austere: Find a place to sit, close your eyes, feel your feet on the floor, and focus on the in-and-out breath at the tip of your nose. No music, no mantras, just the moment-by-moment struggle of bringing your attention back to breathing every time your mind wanders away (which is just about every time you breathe). The point, and the challenge, is to train your mind to let go of distraction, to detach from thoughts, to simply “be here now.” 

Mindfulness meditation is a welcome (some say necessary) respite from the hustle and stress of modern life, and from the incessant pings, buzzes, and chimes of personal technology.

So I was intrigued when I received an invitation from the folks at Oculus, the virtual reality shop at Facebook, to test out the latest application for this booming technology: guided meditation. I wondered: If being mindful requires disengaging from the diversions of modern life, can we truly meditate while mind-melding with state-of-the-art computer processing power? Is it possible to “be here now” if that “here” is a digitally-synthesized someplace else?

At Oculus’ pop-up showroom in New York City, I was first given a quick tour of the capabilities of their high-end Rift system.  I was menaced by a life-size Tyrannosaurus Rex (cowering in virtual terror as the beast stomped past/through me) and dropped onto the ledge of an 80-story Times Square skyscraper (dropping reflexively to hands and knees and crawling backwards to safety). 

RELATED: A Meditation to Start Your Day

After the stress test warm up, I strapped on the Samsung Gear VR, for a downshift into Oculus’ meditation offerings.

The Guided Meditation VR app, developed by Cubicle Ninjas, gives you a choice of environment, voiceover, and chill-out music. I picked a fall foliage setting called "Autumnshade" to start, and the "Relaxation" audio track. 

The 360-degree view was splendid: Crisp brown leaves floated from trees between shafts of golden sunlight. In the narration, an English woman likened our thoughts to hummingbirds, and indeed, my mind was flitting from voice to scene (with multiple perspectives available at the push of a button) and back again, with nary a thought of my breath.

I switched to a tropical seaside setting ("Costa del Sol"), with waves sloshing on the shore, then toggled again to an icy mountain ("Snow Peak"): Blood red sky reflected in an iridescent blue lake. Somewhere behind me I heard a crunching sound, like the calving of icebergs (or the footfall of a hungry snow leopard). Each time I picked a new setting, the device asked me to press my finger to a sensor to measure my heart rate, part of the app's biofeedback feature. I started out around 76 beats per minute, and hovered in that range throughout the experience.

RELATED: Wait, Congress Has a Meditation Guru?

I shifted one last time to a sunny bamboo grove ("Hanna Valley"), leaves swaying in a gentle breeze, a pagoda in the near distance. There was even a pudgy panda dozing on the rocks behind me to add to the snoozy vibe.

Now that I’d found a calm setting, I turned on the lulling “Loving Compassion” voiceover, which was much more conducive to  relaxation than the hummingbird talk, and more in keeping with my own experience practicing loving-kindness meditation. A voice urged me to think about a loved one with the following recitation:

May you be safe / May you be peaceful / May you be healthy / May you live with ease and wellbeing.

Good food for thought, yet I still found myself dazzled by the scenery, looking out and around rather than inward.

My Oculus friends urged me to try another app, so I dove into Perfect Beach, developed by nDreams, which offers a choice of four seaside views with an audio track. The most interesting feature here is that the app lets you select a lower torso (customizable by sex and skin tone) as part of your view, presumably to help you locate your floating head in the VR space. That idea makes sense, given that groundedness is one of the starting points of most any meditation practice, though I found it gave me yet one more thing to look at: undulating waves throwing flecks of golden sun, plus a pair of nicely tanned legs and muscular pecs, just below my line of sight. 

RELATED: Meditation Might Work Better than Painkillers for Chronic Low Back Pain

After an admittedly brief tour, I yanked off the headset and defogged my glasses. The verdict: Is virtual reality immersive?  Of course. Diverting? For sure. Is it relaxing? It would be, if you had enough time to steep in the experience.

Is it meditative? That's a tough one, and it depends on one’s definition of meditation. If by “meditation” you mean getting outside of yourself for a few minutes to zone out, decompress, and escape, then virtual reality would do the trick. If you’re new to meditation, and don’t have access to a class or a teacher, and you’re looking to learn some of the basics of a guided practice like loving-kindess, an app like Guided Meditation VR (as a kind of jacked-up audio program) would help.

But if you’re trying to meditate in the more orthodox, hard-way-in style—to tune in rather than out; to be here, right now; to wake up into reality—you run into something of a conundrum. It seems that a technology that pries your eyes and ears wide open to absorb as much sensory input as possible is working at cross-purposes with a discipline that asks you to forgo distraction, to close your eyes and direct your attention inward.

RELATED: Memory Failing You? Study Suggests Meditation May Help

Oculus’ VR meditation is a fun trip, no doubt, but if I could design a setting, it might look and sound like the classroom where I first learned how to sit: careworn wood floors, mismatched chairs, a rattling air conditioner, with a teacher at the front of the room offering terse instruction and then… silence.  Maybe this dazzling technology, confident enough in its verisimilitude, could also be humble enough to slip into the background, so you'd have no qualms about missing out if you just closed your eyes, and tuned in to the real.

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One Big Interviewing Mistake You Should Try to Avoid

Say you’re in the running for your dream job, but it’s on the other side of the country. The higher-ups call you for a final interview, and give you a choice: You can video conference in, or fly out to meet with them face-to-face.

You might be tempted to choose the easier option that doesn’t involve travel or additional expenses. But it may be wise to make the trip: A new study suggests that in-person interviews tend to leave better impressions on both the hiring company and the candidate.

“We live in a world where we increasingly rely on technology, but this study reminds us that personal interactions should never be underestimated,” study co-author Nikki Blacksmith, a doctoral candidate at the George Washington University’s Department of Organizational Sciences and Communication, said in a press release. Blacksmith and her colleagues wanted to see how tools like telephone and video interviewing might affect overall decision making, so they analyzed the findings of 12 studies published between 2000 and 2007.

Their results, published Monday in the journal Personnel Assessment and Decisions, found that overall, technology-mediated interviews resulted in lower ratings—for both parties involved—than face-to-face interviews. Video interviews received the most negative rankings, followed by telephone and computer interviews.

Initially, the researchers assumed that these differences would have lessened over the years, as people became more accustomed to technology in the workplace. But they were surprised to find the opposite: The ratings were actually more negative in the later research. (They do point out, however, that even the most recent study took place seven years ago.)

“Considering the rate at which technology has changed, it is clear that we lack understanding of the modern interview,” the authors wrote.

Senior author Tara Behrend, PhD, director of the Workplaces and Virtual Environments Lab at George Washington University, says the study was not able to determine what, exactly, was wrong with technology-mediated interviews—but does offer a guess.

“On the phone I can’t shrug my shoulders, roll my eyes, wink, or nod my head to show that I understand,” she told RealSimple.com. “That means that the interviewer can easily misinterpret something I say.”

On top of that, she says, taking turns is harder in a video or phone setting. “The chance of accidentally interrupting the interviewer would be much higher,” says Behrend. “If you’re afraid of interrupting, then you might have a long awkward pause instead. Neither option is going to give the perception that you are a strong communicator.”

It’s also difficult to engage in what Behrend calls “impression management”—doing things to make the interviewer like you—when you’re not face-to-face with them. You might not be able to make friendly small talk or show that you’re attentive by smiling and sitting up straight if you’re on the phone or staring into a webcam, she says.

The problem is, many interviewees aren’t given a choice as to what kind of meeting they’ll have. If a company holds all of its interviews for a certain position the same way, the study authors say, then no one has an unfair advantage. But if some candidates are given in-person interviews and others aren’t, results are likely to be skewed. In fact, the study concludes, these findings could potentially open up companies with such hiring practices to lawsuits.

Behrend says that an important next step is finding a way to improve perceptions in video interactions. “There is plenty of popular advice out there about how to do well in a Skype interview,” she says. “For example, making eye contact is very tough online. But, you can configure your computer so that ‘eye contact’ with the camera happens more naturally.” (You can find our expert tips for acing a video interview—and other smart interview tips—here).

She hopes that by studying tips and techniques like these, researchers can help level the playing field—and give remote interviewers gain back a bit of their lost advantage.

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

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What Being Expected to Check Email After Work Does to Your Health

The Ice Bucket Challenge Helped Researchers Find a Key ALS Gene

It was two summers ago that our Facebook feeds were full of videos of friends and family dumping buckets of ice-cold water over their heads to raise money and awareness for ALS—Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis—also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Now we can officially say that the social media stunt has made a real-world difference. 

The ALS Association announced this week that scientists have discovered a new ALS gene, NEK1, that's one of the most common genes linked to the neurodegenerative disease, and a potential new target for treatment. This breakthrough research, published in the journal Nature Genetics, is part of Project MinE, which aims to sequence the genomes of 15,000 people with ALS—​an international effort that recieved $1 million in #IceBucketChallenge donations.

RELATED: The Story Behind the Ice Bucket Videos All Over Your Facebook Feed

“The sophisticated gene analysis that led to this finding was only possible because of the large number of ALS samples available,” said ALS Association chief scientist Lucie Bruijn, PhD, in a press release. “The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge enabled The ALS Association to invest in Project MinE’s work to create large biorepositories of ALS biosamples that are designed to allow exactly this kind of research and to produce exactly this kind of result.”

As the Ice Bucket Challenge began to sweep across the nation in 2014, it was criticized as a classic example of "slacktivism," or activism that requires little actual effort (like signing an online petition, for example, or championing a cause in your Facebook status). 

But in just eight weeks, donations to the ALS Association climbed to $115 million and generated worldwide awareness and support for people affected by the debilitating disease. Since that summer, researchers from all over the globe have identified several ALS genes thanks to funding from the ALS Association that resulted from the viral challenge.

RELATED: Why Everyone on Facebook Is Taking the #22Pushups Challenge

John Landers, PhD, one of the lead researchers on the new study called the discovery of NEK1 "a prime example of the success that can come from the combined efforts of so many people, all dedicated to finding the causes of ALS."

This August, the ALS Association is launching a new campaign to generate funds and awareness. Visit the site to learn more about Every Drop Adds Up.

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The Sneaky Early Signs of Dementia You Should Know About

Very early dementia may cause changes in personality and behavior—in ways that have nothing to do with memory loss, according to researchers who presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Toronto on Sunday.

Older adults who have become uncharacteristically sad, irritable, anxious, rude, or disinterested in friends or family—and who have been that way for at least six months—could be exhibiting warning signs, they say.

The group of experts is proposing a new diagnosis, called Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI), which could hopefully help doctors recognize brain changes that may lead to neurodegenerative conditions like Alzheimer’s disease. Identifying this progression sooner, they say, might help to pave the way for earlier treatments and better care for at-risk patients.

Along with the new diagnosis, the team also designed an “MBI Checklist” for doctors, which looks at behaviors involving the patient’s mood, level of motivation, impulse control, social appropriateness, and sensory experiences. Caregivers may also be able to use a version of the checklist once it’s finalized.

The checklist asks 34 questions about qualities that many people may recognize in the older adults in their lives. It suggests that doctors consider any behavior that has “been present for at least six months (continuously, or on and off) and is a change from her/his longstanding pattern of behavior.”

A few of these questions include:

• “Does the person lack curiosity in topics that would usually have attracted her/his interest?”

• “Has the person become more easily frustrated or impatient?”

• “Does the person seem to lack the social judgment she/he previously had about what to say or how to behave in public or private?”

• “Has the person developed suspiciousness about the intentions or motives of other people?”

Maria C. Carrillo, PhD, chief science officer, Alzheimer’s Association, said in a press release that the new checklist could help change the way doctors evaluate patients for possible early dementia.

“Alzheimer’s is a deadly brain disease, and while memory loss is a hallmark of the disease, early symptoms such as anxiety, confusion and disorientation are often more common, troubling, and obvious to family members,” she said.

It is important to note, however, that not every older adult who becomes cranky or loses interest in certain activities is on the road to dementia. And some experts do worry, the New York Times reports, that making MBI an official condition could lead to over-diagnosis, expensive and unnecessary treatments, and needless worry for patients and their loved ones.

Zahinoor Ismail, MD, a neuropsychiatrist at the University of Calgary and co-author of the proposed guidelines, says more research is required before the diagnosis and checklist can be put into practice.

“We are still in the very early stages of understanding this new syndrome,” he tells RealSimple.com. “Clinical trials still need to be set up to see if treating patients identified earlier this way makes a difference in terms of the time on onset of dementia.”

He is hopeful, however, that patients identified with MBI will be monitored more closely by their doctors; previously they might have been ignored.

And while patients and concerned family members shouldn’t jump to conclusions or self-diagnose, he does believe that a shift in a person’s mental or emotional state is worth checking out.

“Yes, later life changes in personality should be brought up with one’s doctor,” he says.

The new checklist isn’t the only exciting news coming out of the Alzheimer’s Association conference this week. Additional new and novel ways the disease may soon be detected earlier have been proposed, as well.

For example, University of Waterloo scientists unveiled a non-invasive eye-scan technology that may help recognize dementia-specific proteins in the brain before a person develops symptoms. And a team from Columbia University reported that a scratch-and-sniff smell identification test might also be useful in predicting cognitive decline.

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

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Transgender's Classification as 'Mental Disorder' Is Outdated, Study Finds

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Being transgender is currently classified as a mental health disorder in the World Health Organization International Classification of Diseases (ICD), but a new study suggests that should change.

And, such a change wouldn't be without precedent. The American Psychiatric Association removed gender identity disorder from the latest edition of its Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM).

For the new study, Mexican researchers interviewed 250 transgender people.

The researchers found levels of distress were more strongly influenced by social rejection and violence than by being transgender.

Seventy-six percent said they suffered social rejection due to being transgender. This rejection most often came from family members, followed by schoolmates/co-workers and friends, the study showed.

Nearly two-thirds were victims of violence due to their gender identity, the researchers found.

Family members were responsible for nearly half of the cases of violence. The most common types of violence were mental and physical violence. Some of those surveyed reported sexual violence, the study revealed.

This study is the first of its kind, the researchers said. Others are now being conducted in Brazil, France, India, Lebanon and South Africa, the researchers added.

Findings from the study were published July 26 in The Lancet Psychiatry.

"Stigma associated with both mental disorder and transgender identity has contributed to the precarious legal status, human rights violations and barriers to appropriate care among transgender people," study senior author Geoffrey Reed said in a journal news release. Reed is a professor at the National Autonomous University of Mexico.

"The definition of transgender identity as a mental disorder has been misused to justify denial of health care and contributed to the perception that transgender people must be treated by psychiatric specialists, creating barriers to health care services," he said.

Reed said some governments have used the definition of transgender as a mental health disorder in courts to deny people their rights in matters of child custody, reproduction and changing legal documents.

Study lead investigator Rebeca Robles said, "Our findings support the idea that distress and dysfunction may be the result of stigmatization and maltreatment, rather than integral aspects of transgender identity." Robles is from the Mexican National Institute of Psychiatry.

She said these findings need to be confirmed with additional studies before the next approval of the revision of the WHO International Classification of Diseases in 2018.

"Rates of experiences related to social rejection and violence were extremely high in this study, and the frequency with which this occurred within participants' own families is particularly disturbing," Robles said.

"Unfortunately, the level of maltreatment experienced in this sample is consistent with other studies from around the world. This study highlights the need for policies and programs to reduce stigmatization and victimization of this population. The removal of transgender diagnoses from the classification of mental disorders can be a useful part of those efforts," she concluded.

More information

For more about transgender issues, visit GLAAD.

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Does Dementia Diagnosis Have Silver Lining for Some?

TUESDAY, July 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- Is it possible that a diagnosis as devastating as dementia could have some positive effects?

Yes, a small study suggests.

Researchers asked 48 people with early dementia or mild cognitive impairment to complete a questionnaire that measured their quality of life and personal outlook after getting their diagnosis.

The "Silver Lining Questionnaire" was designed to measure how much patients believe their illness has a positive impact in areas such as: relationships, appreciation for life, positive influence on others, inner strength and life philosophy.

The questionnaire has been used before with cancer patients. But, this was the first time it was used with dementia/mild cognitive impairment patients, the researchers said.

"The overall assumption is that this diagnosis would have a uniformly negative impact on a patient's outlook on life, but we were surprised to find that almost half of respondents reported positive scores," said study author Dr. Gregory Jicha, a professor at the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging at the University of Kentucky.

The patients in the study had high scores on areas such as: appreciation and acceptance of life; less concern about failure; self-reflection, tolerance of others, and courage to face problems in life; stronger relationships and new opportunities to meet people.

"The common stereotype for this type of diagnosis is depression, denial and despair," Jicha said in a university news release.

"However, this study -- while small -- suggests that positive changes in attitude are as common as negative ones," he said.

The study was to be presented Monday at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference in Toronto. Findings presented at meetings are generally viewed as preliminary until they've been published in a peer-reviewed journal.

The next phase in this research is to determine the factors that led some dementia patients to see the positive in their diagnosis. That information can likely be used to help other patients, the researchers said.

More information

The Alzheimer's Association has more on dementia.

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Got Ringing in Your Ears? Here's How to Cope With Tinnitus

You might be the only one who can hear the ringing in your ears, but that doesn’t mean you’re alone. A new study published in JAMA Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery found that 1 in 10 adults suffers from tinnitus, or the perception of noise that isn't actually there.

For some people it's a high-pitched buzz. Others might hear a low roar, hissing, or clicking. Tinnitus may come and go, or never stop. And doctors may never determine the exact cause of the symptom.

It can be triggered by anything from a buildup of earwax or a very loud concert to a blood vessel disorder or age-related hearing loss. Even some antidepressants and other meds can trigger a phantom noise.

Unfortunately for most chronic cases, there's no cure, as the American Tinnitus Association points out. But there are steps you can take to manage the symptom. For tips on coping with the ringing, we tapped Sarah Mowry, MD, an assistant professor and member of the Ear, Nose & Throat Institute at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Cleveland, Ohio. Here, Dr. Mowry's tips for anyone bothered by the noise.

Mask it

If you're having trouble concentrating or resting, turn on some white noise. You could use a sound machine, a fan, or even the TV at low volume. “These help your brain suppress the [phantom] noise so it’s less bothersome,” Dr. Mowry explains. 

RELATED: 7 Best White Noise Machines for a Good Night's Sleep

Try to de-stress

Tinnitus can actually be a sign from your body that it's time to take a breather, says Dr. Mowry. “My patients will say they’re not sure why [their tinnitus is] so bad today, and then it turns out they’re stressed and not sleeping,” says Dr. Mowry. When you put stress management techniques into practice (like breathing exercises, or gentle stretching before bed), you may find that you don't notice the noise as much.

Consider biofeedback

If your usual tension-busting measures don’t help, you might want to look into biofeedback therapy, in which you learn to control your body's physical reaction to stress. Dr. Mowry compares some cases of tinnitus to phantom pain (or sensation perceived in a body part that's been amputated); when a patient is suffering from tinnitus from hearing loss, she explains, it may be that "their brain is trying to fill in missing information" with the phantom noise. "For those patients, we do a lot of biofeedback," she says.

Or tinnitus retraining therapy

A combination of biofeedback, psychotherapy, and music therapy, tinnitus retraining therapy (TRT) is another option for patients who are struggling to live with the noise, says Dr. Mowry. It can be difficult to find a practitioner, she warns, and may not be covered by your insurance plan. But when nothing else has worked, TRT can make a world of difference.

Join up

It may be helpful to connect with others who are dealing with the same problem, Dr. Mowry points out. By attending meetings of a tinnitus support group, not only will you realize you're not alone, but you'll be able to share coping strategies with the people you meet. 

RELATED: 15 Everyday Sounds and How They Affect Your Hearing

Protect your ears

“Tinnitus gets worse as hearing loss gets worse,” explains Dr. Mowry, which means it's really important to protect your ears when you know you'll be exposed to loud noise. Dr. Mowry recommends taking precautions such as wearing earplugs when you blow dry your hair (seriously!) or go to a concert. Research suggests earplugs really do help: A study published last month found that only 12% of concert-goers who wore them experienced ringing in their ears afterwards, compared to 40% of people who didn't use ear protection.

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The Weird Way Harry Potter Could Affect Your Political Views

Come November, your fiction preferences might have a real-life impact on your choices at the polls. People who have read Harry Potter novels tend to have a lower opinion of Donald Trump, according to a new study—and the more books they’ve read in the series, the less favorably they view the Republican presidential nominee.

These findings held true regardless of a person’s political party, gender, age, level of education, or religious beliefs, says study author Diana Mutz, professor of political science and communication at the University of Pennsylvania’s Annenberg School for Communication.

The massive popularity of the series, by British author J.K. Rowling, made such research possible; more than 450 million copies of the books have been sold worldwide, and Mutz found that both Republicans and Democrats were equally likely to have read them.

To gauge people’s opinions of the controversial businessman-turned-politician, Mutz surveyed a nationally representative sample of 1,142 Americans. (In addition to Trump and Harry Potter, she also asked them about hot-button election issues such as waterboarding, the death penalty, and the treatment of Muslims and gay people.)

She found that each book people had read in the fantasy series lowered their evaluations of Trump by about two to three points on a 100-point sale. “This may seem small,” Mutz acknowledged in a press release, “but for someone who has read all seven books, the total impact could lower their estimation of Trump by 18 points out of 100.”

To a lesser extent, Harry Potter readership was also associated with a more positive attitude toward Muslim and gay people, and a more negative one toward questions about the use of torture and killing terrorists.

Mutz believes that the books’ message of tolerance and respect for each others’ differences may play a key role in influencing readers’ political views.

For example, she writes, Harry Potter advocates for oppressed house-elves and opposes the evil Lord Voldemort’s quest for “blood purity” among wizards. Trump, on the other hand, has called for a temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States, and made comments about minorities, including women, Mexicans, and disabled people.

The protagonists in Rowling’s books are also reluctant to use violence to settle disputes, she writes, while Trump has supported waterboarding and bombing terrorists’ families.

Finally, Mutz writes, “it may simply be too difficult for Harry Potter readers to ignore the similarities between Trump and the power-hungry Voldemort.”

The study will appear in a special election edition of the journal PS: Political Science and Politics. Mutz concludes—with obvious bias of her own—that she’s not sure if Harry Potter can “defeat Donald Trump” in this year’s election, but that her research raises hope that the values the book preaches could prevail.

“If half-bloods, werewolves and others should be treated with respect and fairness as the Potter stories teach,” she writes, “so too should all human beings.”

 

This article originally appeared on RealSimple.com.

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Why Can't I Meditate? 7 Solutions to Common Meditation Blockers

Meditation might be the biggest self-care trend since yoga, and for good reason—it’s been shown to help with everything from easing anxiety to boosting your sex life. Problem is, meditation isn't quite as simple as it seems, and it doesn't come easy for everyone. If you’ve tried (and tried, and tried) meditating to no avail, you’re not alone. Here, Elisha Goldstein, PhD, co-founder of The Center for Mindful Living in Los Angeles, solves the most common meditation problems so you can finally find your Zen. 

I can’t clear my mind

Legs crossed, eyes closed, body relaxed—you’re all ready for a meditation session. There’s just one problem: you can’t stop thinking about all those errands on your to-do list, that fight you just had with your sister, or what you’re going to make for dinner. Sound familiar? Try as we might, sometimes it’s downright impossible to totally empty our minds. “It’s easy to get frustrated because we have certain expectations about what meditation is supposed to be like,” says Goldstein. “There’s this misconception that meditation is supposed to be concentration. But it’s not.”

If you’re having trouble staying focused, Goldstein suggests trying mindfulness meditation. With this type of meditation, the goal is not to completely clear your mind of all thoughts; instead, it's to be fully aware of your thoughts and surroundings in the present moment. “If your mind wanders that’s perfectly fine, just realize your mind is going off and be aware of that,” Goldstein says. Most importantly, he points out: “It’s perfectly okay to be imperfect about this practice.”

RELATED: A Meditation to De-Stress

I get restless

Many people feel fidgety when they try to meditate. Just because you struggle to sit still, though, Goldstein says you shouldn't assume meditation is not for you. “The only way we can be more at ease and at peace with our lives is to learn how to deal with that restlessness differently, and to learn how to settle it down,” he says. Test out different types of meditation. Your restlessness may be well suited for a walking meditation, in which you focus on staying mentally present while moving your body.  

It’s physically painful to sit still

When you imagine somebody meditating, you may picture them sitting cross-legged on the floor. That may be the ideal position for some, but ultimately, you just need to get into a comfortable position that allows you to relax and breathe, whether you're sitting on a mediation cushion or a chair, or even lying down, Goldstein says. Take a few deeps breaths, and really try to soften your muscles. The main goal: “Come to a place where you’re settling in and taking the time for you,” Goldstein says. 

I don’t have enough time

Ask yourself: If I’m not going to take care of myself, who will? Just like working out, taking time for this self-care practice can do a world of good for your body. Studies have shown that mediation may sharpen memory, ease chronic pain, reduce depression and anxiety, improve sleep, and more. “It has to do with committing to ourselves,” says Goldstein.

Plus, meditation doesn't need to last for hours and hours. You can start with as little as three minutes a day, says Goldstein, and build up to a longer practice later. Just be sure to make it a non-negotiable part of your day. 

RELATED: 7 Ways to Carve Out Time to Meditate

It makes me fall asleep

So you finally found the time to meditate, and two minutes in you’re out like a light. While falling asleep mid-practice isn’t the goal, it’s also not necessarily a bad thing. “I prescribe meditation to go to bed all the time, it’s a great thing to help turn the volume down on your mind,” says Goldstein. To do this intentionally, lie down on your bed, play a guided meditation, and allow yourself to drift to dreamland. “The goal is of course to be awake,” he says. “But if all you have time for is a meditation as you fall asleep, that’s totally fine.”

If you’re prone to drowsiness, but are determined to stay awake for a full session, Goldstein suggests picking a time of day when you tend to be less tired, or doing a little stretch before you begin your practice. “That helps with energy, and promotes better meditation.”

RELATED: A Sleep Meditation for a Restful Night

I can't stick with it

So you tried to make meditation a priority for a few days, but then totally dropped the habit. That doesn't mean you shouldn't pick the practice back up. “There’s this phrase I really like to use: forgive, investigate, and invite,” Goldstein says. First, forgive yourself for missing a few sessions. Then, Godstein advises, ask yourself what got in your way. Did you forget to plan it into your day? Did something unexpected come up? No matter the reason, Goldstein says it’s simply important to identify the obstacle, and then invite yourself to try again. “If you do that alone—stopping and starting your practice over and over again in your life—you’ll become a master at meditation.

RELATED: Stuck on a Problem? Let Your Mind Wander

I won't be good at it

There’s often an underlying fear of failure at the root of this hesitation, says Goldstein. Question your self-doubt, and work with it instead. “Vulnerability is oftentimes where we learn to trust ourselves," Goldstein says. 

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7 Things to Know Before You Donate Blood

The summer’s no vacation for blood banks, and this one has been especially hard: Just after the fourth of July, the American Red Cross issued an emergency call for blood and platelet donations. This time of year, “blood donors are typically out of town and unable to give," explains Justin Kreuter, MD, medical director of the Mayo Clinic Blood Donor Center in Rochester, Minnesota; or they may not be eligible to donate after traveling to certain areas outside the United States. “It really hits us in the summer months,” Dr. Kreuter says. Your community needs your help now; here’s what you should know about pitching in.

Eligibility is always changing, and Zika’s a concern this year

The Red Cross maintains an alphabetical list of eligibility criteria for potential donors—from acupuncture (thumbs up) to Zika (thumbs down)—and can give you the latest information on whether or not you’re good to give. There have been no reported cases of Zika transmission via blood transfusion so far, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but there’s a strong possibility that the virus can be transmitted that way. “What we’re doing now, per the FDA, is deferring [donors who may have been exposed to Zika] for 28 days, which is twice the known period of infectivity,” Dr. Kreuter says. Because Zika can be transmitted by sexual contact (via semen) as well, women with male partners who have visited Zika-affected areas are deferred for three additional months.

RELATED: 4 Unexpected Benefits of Donating Blood

The FDA regulates donor blood just as aggressively as it regulates drugs

“It takes a lot of money to do the infectious-disease testing that we do [on donor blood], and when we create blood products out of the donation, that’s done to the same standards as any drug manufactured in this country. The FDA holds us to those same standards, so it’s a very high level of quality and also resources that are invested,” Dr. Kreuter explains. “These tests and high standards are what’s keeping the blood supply safe, so that if my wife or one of my daughters needs a blood transfusion, I can feel assured that I can just sit at their bedside and hold their hand rather than worry about what that might result [in] for them later down the road.”  

You’ll get a mini-physical before you donate

The flip side of donor blood screening (which ensures that it’s safe for the eventual recipient) is confirming the donor’s health (which ensures that the blood draw won’t have a negative effect on them). “We check blood pressure and pulse, we do a pinprick to check red blood cells to make sure they’re safe—we don’t want to make our donors iron deficient,” Dr. Kreuter says. He makes no specific suggestions about what you eat and drink prior to donation; just be sure you have breakfast and lunch under your belt, and take it easy on caffeine. “We all live on our daily espressos and whatnot, but we see donors who show up and haven’t eaten [meals] and they’ve only been drinking coffee, and they’re quite dehydrated. When you donate you’re losing circulating fluid, so the water that you drink before and after your donation is important.”

RELATED: 15 Signs You May Have an Iron Deficiency

You’ll hardly feel a thing—seriously

The needles used to collect blood are a bit larger than those you’d encounter when, say, receiving a flu shot, but the so-called ‘small pinch’ you feel at insertion is, truly, no big deal. “What we feel [at the start of a blood draw] is just on the surface of our skin. These needles have silicone on them, they’re made to glide and be quite comfortable. After that initial stick, you’re not going to feel anything,” Dr. Kreuter says. If needles give you the shivers, look away for the quarter-second in which yours is placed; then ask a staffer to cover up the insertion site for you. Since the so-called tough part is already over, you can lie back and spend the next eight to 10 minutes zoning out.

It’s okay to have a cookie after you donate

“What’s healthy is to keep a balanced diet as you go forward in the day [after your donation],” Dr. Kreuter says. “We tend to stock our canteen area with things like water and juice and then salty snacks, because salt helps you retain a little more of the [water] volume that you’ve lost through donation. The cookies are there because [they’re] something the donor culture has grown up in—maybe not the healthiest option, but certainly an expectation. Believe it or not, I have meetings about cookies. I’ve seen shirts before that say ‘I donate for the cookies.’” Bottom line: Rewarding yourself with a treat isn’t going to do any harm, provided that you indulge in moderation.

Your blood could save patients who haven’t even entered the world yet

Though many of us are reminded of the importance of blood donation when tragedies hit the news, much of what we give does the quiet work of saving people who’ll never show up on the news. Since the need for blood doesn’t go away, the best way to save lives is to contribute regularly. “At Mayo, about 15% to 20% of our blood is going to trauma patients and being used in our ER; a lot of our blood gets used supporting patients through life-saving cardiac or cancer surgeries. Cancer patients [also need blood]—chemotherapy knocks down their ability to make their own red blood cells and platelets—and folks who have medical conditions like autoimmune diseases also need transfusions.”

Donations flow to delivery rooms, too: “If anemia is significant enough in utero we transfuse during pregnancy and sometimes immediately after delivery,” Dr. Kreuter explains. “A lot of kids need blood in the first couple of minutes of life. Sometimes with newborn babies an emergency platelet transfusion in the first few moments of life is absolutely necessary; in their situation the newborn brain is so delicate and fragile that having these platelets immediately available is the name of the game in order to prevent bleeding into their brains, which results in long-term disabilities.”

Note that platelets have a shelf life of just five days, while whole blood can be stored for up to six weeks. The immediate need for platelet—and platelet donors—is constant.

RELATED: 6 Iron-Rich Food Combos—No Meat Required

Donating your voice is vital, too

Those "Be nice to me, I gave blood today!" stickers aren’t merely a cute (and justified) humblebrag: They’re also a benevolent form of peer pressure, not unlike the "I voted" stickers we earn and wear on election days. “Hearing about blood donation from a friend or colleague is very motivating in getting [potential first-timers] to think about taking that next step,” Dr. Kreuter says. “Our donor population [in Rochester] has an older average age, and we’re trying to reach out to the younger generation to start having the same blood donation habits.”

Think about it this way: Taking your kids to see you strengthen your community’s heartbeat at a blood center is just as important as bringing them with you to the voting booth. Donate visibly, donate vocally, and donate as often as you can.

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In a Scientific First, Blind Mice Regain Eyesight

Once the optic nerve that’s responsible for sight is damaged, it’s impossible to see again. At least that’s been the dogma. But a group of U.S. scientists has upended that thinking and helped mice with destroyed optic nerves to see again. It does not have immediate implications for humans yet, but it points researchers in promising new directions.

Andrew Huberman, an associate professor of neurobiology at Stanford University, and his team describe their advance in a study published in Nature Neuroscience. To learn about the way vision nerves grow, they crushed the optic nerve in one eye of mice. Once destroyed, the long finger-like extensions sent out by nerve cells from the eye to the brain start to shrivel, eventually severing any connection to the brain and resulting in blindness. Huberman and his colleagues, however, found that a combination of visual stimulation of the nerve, along with nerve-growing chemicals, can rescue these extensions, called axons, and coax them to stretch out again. Not only that, but the axons are able to find their appropriate connections to the correct sight-dedicated parts of the brain to restore vision. Mice with similar damage to the nerve that didn’t receive the treatment did not show much regrowth of the axons.

About three weeks after the optic nerves in the mice were damaged, the researchers saw evidence of axons extending back into the brain from the eye, something that previous efforts to regenerate eye nerves haven’t done with much reliability. The combination of keeping the damaged but remaining axons stimulated, by exposing the mice to bars on a screen that are moving in different directions, and the nerve growth factors lead to a 500-fold increase in axon regrowth. Granted, not all of the axons managed to sprout again, but those that did were able to do so with impressive speed and distance to reach the brain.

When the researchers conducted four different tests to verify how much of the regrowth contributed to actual restoration of vision in the animals, the animals passed two of the tests that detected large objects and movement.

“For the longest time people in the field wondered if neurons could regenerate and form the correct patterns to connect to the brain, and we found that they did,” says Huberman.

The most compelling finding is that the study suggest that once nerves are coaxed to grow again, they retain the instructions to find their proper connections in the brain’s visual center. If nerves growing toward the brain are like visitors to New York’s Grand Central Station, these nerves are like well-equipped travelers with maps and specific instructions for finding their destination. “It means that neurons remember the way home; they never forget,” says Huberman.

That’s encouraging him and his team to start considering how to translate the results to treat blindness in people. Keeping the axons stimulated by exposing them to stimuli is an easy first step; if these axons are kept alive, then they have a chance of regrowing again, as the mouse study showed. And now that it’s possible to push those axons to grow long enough to reach the brain, there is hope that some people with diseases like glaucoma, for example, might be able to retain their vision if they keep their compromised axons stimulated enough, and then eventually treat them with nerve growth factors.

That may be a few years away yet for people, but, Huberman is hopeful. “I want to see something positive in humans within five years,” he says.

This article originally appeared on Time.com.

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5 Ways to Make Yourself a Morning Person

Do you have trouble getting out of bed in the morning? While it might be tough to leave the comforts of sleep, you're not alone—60% of Americans say that they wake up feeling groggy at least a few times per week, according to a Sleep in America poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation. If you're one of those people, watch this video for some ways that you can trick yourself into being a morning person, so you'll wake up with more energy every day.

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Ostrich relative lived in North America about 50 million years ago

The new species is named Calciavis grandei -- with "calci" meaning "hard/stone," and "avis" from the Latin for bird, and "grandei" in honor of famed paleontologist Lance Grande who has studied the fossil fish from the same ancient North American lake for decades.

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Characteristics improving bean resistance to drought identified

A combination of characteristics is the key to success for the genetic improvement of beans to make them resistant to droughts, say scientists, whose research can improve crop yield in Central and South America, Africa and Mexico.

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Link between stress hormone, obesity in depressed, bipolar patients

Low levels of the stress hormone cortisol are linked to obesity, high levels of fat in the blood and metabolic syndrome among patients with recurrent depressions or bipolar disorder, according to a new study.

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Evolutionary split up without geographic barriers

Evolutionary biologists have completed the most extensive study of sympatric speciation so far. They used around 20,000 characteristics of 450 fish to document the parallel evolution of cichlid fish in two crater lakes, Apoyo and Xiloá, in Nicaragua.

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Extra 1000 steps a day has benefits for children with type 1 diabetes

Keeping count of daily steps and boosting physical activity can really pay off for children with type 1 diabetes, according to new research.

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Mammals diversified only after dinosaur extinction left space

Humans' early mammal relatives likely diversified 66 million years ago, after the extinction of dinosaurs opened up space for animals such as big cats, horses, elephants and eventually apes to evolve.

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The story of how a touch screen helped a paralyzed chimp walk again

The case of Reo, a male chimpanzee that learned to walk again after being paralyzed due to illness, shows how much can be done to rehabilitate animals injured in captivity.

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Higher consumption of unsaturated fats linked with lower mortality rates

Consuming higher amounts of unsaturated fats was associated with lower mortality rates, according to a new study. The researchers found higher consumption of saturated and trans fats was linked with higher mortality compared with the same number of calories from carbohydrates. This study provides further support for the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans that emphasize the types of fat rather than total amount of fat in the diet.

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New study examines Freud's theory of hysteria

New research has studied the controversial Freudian theory that Hysteria, a disorder resulting in severe neurological symptoms such as paralysis or seizures, arises in response to psychological stress or trauma. The study found supportive evidence that stressors around the time of onset of symptoms might be relevant for some patients.

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Warming pulses in ancient climate record link volcanoes, asteroid impact and dinosaur-killing mass extinction

A new reconstruction of Antarctic ocean temperatures around the time the dinosaurs disappeared 66 million years ago supports the idea that one of the planet's biggest mass extinctions was due to the combined effects of volcanic eruptions and an asteroid impact.

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New Chinese leaf-roller weevil does not know how to roll leaves

New beetle species and genus from China was reared from legumes. Observed to eat the seeds, it belongs to a tribe, whose members are known to roll hardwood leaves to make nests. The females deposit their eggs in them, so that once hatched, the larvae eat the rolls. This species seems to have still not developed this evolutionary ability and is considered very primitive in its group.

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Despite increasing global legalization of physician-assisted suicide, use remains rare

Despite increasing legalization of euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide (PAS) worldwide, the practice remains relatively rare and, when carried out, is primarily motivated by psychological factors such as loss of autonomy or enjoyment of life, rather than physical pain. A new comprehensive assessment of data from around the world shows that in areas where they are legal, only 0.3 to 4.6 percent of deaths result from euthanasia or PAS, with more than 70 percent of cases involving patients with cancer. The study also shows that the majority of patients requesting euthanasia or PAS are older, white and well-educated.

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Bouncing droplets remove contaminants like pogo jumpers

Researchers are exploring whether surfaces can shed dirt without being subjected to fragile coatings.

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Building a better bowtie

Bowtie-shaped nanostructures may advance the development of quantum devices.

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New plastic material begins to oscillate spontaneously in sunlight

Place this thin layer of plastic in the sun and it begins to oscillate irregularly all by itself. This material is the first that moves spontaneously under the influence of daylight. According to the researchers, this pliable plastic is suitable as a self-cleaning surface, for example for solar cells.

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Many elderly are prescribed antihypertensive medication despite having low blood pressure

According to a new study a significant proportion of patients over 70 remain on antihypertensive medication despite having low blood pressure. This, the study argues, has a significant effect on increased mortality rates and admissions to hospital.

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New detection method paves the way for 100 percent detection of esophageal cancer

Recognizing early stages of esophageal cancer is difficult because it can easily be missed. Medical researchers have now been working to develop a method to enable a computer to scan esophagus images for signs of esophageal cancer. With exceptional results: the computer recognizes early cancer with almost as much accuracy as top specialists, of which there is only a handful.

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New brainstem model reveals how brains control breathing

Scientists have discovered how the brain controls our breathing in response to changing oxygen and carbon dioxide levels in the blood.

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A little impurity makes nanolasers shine

Scientists have improved the performance of tiny lasers by adding impurities, in a discovery which will be central to the development of low-cost biomedical sensors, quantum computing, and a faster internet. A researcher added atoms of zinc to lasers one hundredth the diameter of a human hair and made of gallium arsenide -- a material used extensively in smartphones and other electronic devices,.

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New discovery could better predict how semiconductors weather abuse

Scientists have found a way to better predict how thin-film semiconductors weather the harsh conditions in systems that convert sunlight, water and carbon dioxide into fuel.

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Extra fat does not act as an insulator

Carrying excess fat does not contribute to a warmer body in obese mice, a new study on the insulating effects of fat finds. What did work to keep the mice warm was fur. The research team found fur to be a significant protector against heat loss, responsible for roughly half of a mouse's insulation.

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What happens when sports rules go awry?

As Wimbledon quarter finals beckon and the semi-finals of Euro 2016 are about to kick off, operational research scientists have been looking at what happens when the rules of sport are changed or when existing rules lead to unforeseen consequences. They’ve been assessing how administrators and supporters deal with these situations and if their decision making could be better informed.

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Rediscovery of early twentieth-century ecotheology

The vast majority of us subscribe to the idea that human activity dramatically changes the natural environment, altering many biological processes. But addressing the global nature of human impact may require help from belief systems large enough to conceptualize on a cosmic scale.

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Fluctuating liquid structure induces ultrabroad infrared absorption: The hydrated proton on ultrafast time scales

The elusive infrared absorption continuum of protons in aqueous environment has been topic of intense controversial debate since half a century. Scientists now show for the case of the Zundel cation the surrounding liquid induces fluctuating electrical forces onto the proton, modulating its vibrational motions between the two water molecules. This mechanism, together with low-frequency thermal motions, results in the extreme broadening of the infrared spectrum.

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A new tool to study plant cell biomechanics

Researchers have developed a new method that promises to shed light on single cell biomechanics -- by capturing individual cells in microscopic gel beads. The beads are no wider than a strand of hair, a mere sixty micrometers, but they allow researchers to manipulate the external environment of a single plant cell and study how the cell responds.

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To these flies, cicada sounds are like love songs

A fly known as Emblemasoma erro uses sound, not smell, to locate its cicada hosts. And it's not just gravid females that are lured by the cicadas' songs -- males are also attracted to the sound, possibly in order to hook up with females.

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Pedal powered cinema

A team of engineering students has produced a bicycle powered generator which could power a 55 watt projector for the time required to watch a movie.

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Research highlights adolescent abuse and neglect risk

New research from England reveals an increase in the number of adolescents who died or were seriously harmed as a result of abuse or neglect.

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Let there be light: Super bright galaxies of the early Universe

Astronomers have shed further light on the evolution of the early Universe with the discovery of a "team" of super bright galaxies.

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Reconstruction of 12,000 year old funeral feast brings ancient burial rituals to life

The woman was laid on a bed of specially selected materials, including gazelle horn cores, fragments of chalk, fresh clay, limestone blocks and sediment. Tortoise shells were placed under and around her body, 86 in total. Sea shells, an eagle's wing, a leopard's pelvis, a forearm of a wild boar and even a human foot were placed on the body of the mysterious 1.5 meter-tall woman. Atop her body, a large stone was laid to seal the burial space. New research reveals insight on ancient burial rituals in the western Galilee region of northern Israel.

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How water gets its exceptional properties

Water is liquid at room temperature – astounding for such a small molecule. Insights into the causes are provided by a new simulation method, which has its origins in brain research.

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Fluorescent protein from Japanese eel muscles used to detect bilirubin in newborns

A fluorescent protein sourced from Japanese eel muscles can be used to accurately detect unconjugated bilirubin in newborns. This detection method is ideal for newborn patients who can only give limited blood samples, and could revolutionize ways of monitoring jaundice in newborn infants, say researchers.

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Day-biting invasive mosquito species spreading its range in Austria

Until a few years ago the Asian bush mosquito, Aedes japonicus, was not yet present in Europe. Now it is spreading its range in several European countries, including Switzerland, Germany and Austria. Ae. japonicus no longer is an exotic guest – it is here to stay.

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Junk food advertising is too tempting for children

Children describe junk food advertising as ‘tempting’ and ‘addictive’, and say they could ‘lick the screen’, according to a new study that talked to children in the United Kingdom aged between 8 and 12 years.

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California droughts caused mainly by changes in wind, not moisture

Droughts in California are mainly controlled by wind, not by the amount of evaporated moisture in the air, new research has found. The research increases the understanding of how the water cycle is related to extreme events and could eventually help in predicting droughts and floods.

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Unraveling the genes for sexual traits in stag beetles

Scientists have built a gene expression database of a stag beetle and identified genes important for sex determination and differentiation.

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Scientists identify an essential role of the immune receptor CD69 in psoriasis

The findings of the study suggest that CD69 might also participate in other inflammatory diseases such as atherosclerosis.

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Changes in brain networks may help youth adapt to childhood adversity

A new study reports a neural signature of emotional adaptation that could help researchers understand how the brain adapts to childhood adversity and predict which kids may be vulnerable to developing later psychopathology.

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Study exposes major flaw in classic artificial intelligence test

A serious problem in the Turing test for computer intelligence is exposed in a new study.

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Making astrophysical simulations more accurate

New research may result in better simulations of large astrophysical events such as supernova explosions. This work also raises hopes of finding out more about how atomic nuclei behave in neutron stars.

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Regulatory T cells' involvement in the progress of colon cancer

Researchers have clarified that T-lymphocytes expressing FOXP3 at a low level found in colorectal cancers (CRCs) facilitated cancer immunity. FOXP3 is a master gene of Regulatory T (Treg)  cells that suppress various immune responses including cancer immuity. They found that a certain intestinal bacteria species was involved in the induction of such FOXP3-low T cells enhancing tumor immunity. These findings suggest new potentials in the treatment of CRCs via regulation of intestinal bacteria.

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First fossil facial tumor discovered in a dwarf duck-billed dinosaur from Transylvania

The first-ever record of a tumourous facial swelling found in a fossil has been discovered in the jaw of the dwarf dinosaur Telmatosaurus transsylvanicus, a type of primitive duck-billed dinosaur known as a hadrosaur.

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Study finds sensing mechanism in food poisoning bug

Researchers have uncovered a mechanism that a type of pathogenic bacteria found in shellfish use to sense when they are in the human gut, where they release toxins that cause food poisoning.

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A short period of bed rest after intrauterine insemination makes no difference to pregnancy rates

Despite the positive results of small studies and a widely held belief in its benefit, the practice of keeping female patients immobilized after intrauterine insemination has no beneficial effect on pregnancy rates, according to results of a large randomized study.

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One small step for babies, one giant leap for humankind

Even before they stand up, infants have a rough idea of how to walk; they just need some time to lay down the right neural wiring. Understanding how babies take their first steps can also help us to improve the rehabilitation of patients recovering from spinal cord injury, and children with cerebral palsy.

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Genetic mutations found linked to rare cases of multiple bowel tumors

Researchers have identified genetic mutations affecting the immune system which may lead to the development of more than one bowel tumour at the same time. Understanding how these cancers develop could improve targeting of therapies, according to the new study.

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Want kids to eat their veggies? Turn squash into a superhero

Convincing kids to choose vegetables becomes easier when you deploy a team of animated characters to sell them on the good stuff, new research has found.

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CT follow-up sufficient for some lung nodules

Annual low-dose computed-tomography (CT) screening can eliminate the need for biopsy or surgery in nonsolid lung nodules, according to a new study.

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Patient complaint procedures leave doctors emotionally distressed, finds new study

Complaints against doctors can impact on their psychological wellbeing, according to a new study. The statements from doctors about the complaint process included phrases such as: "Makes you feel worthless even when you know you've done the best you can," "It seemed as if the patient is presumed to be right, and the doctor is presumed wrong, unless you can prove otherwise."

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NASA's Juno spacecraft in orbit around mighty Jupiter

After an almost five-year journey to the solar system's largest planet, NASA's Juno spacecraft successfully entered Jupiter's orbit during a 35-minute engine burn. With its suite of nine science instruments, Juno will investigate the existence of a solid planetary core, map Jupiter's intense magnetic field, measure the amount of water and ammonia in the deep atmosphere, and observe the planet's auroras.

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Study investigates whether it is safe for GPs to prescribe fewer antibiotics

A new study has found that reducing antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections -- such as coughs, colds, sore throats and ear infections -- is not linked to an increase in the most serious bacterial complications, such as bacterial meningitis. The study investigated whether reducing antibiotic prescribing for people attending their GP with respiratory tract infections could have an effect on safety.

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Dishonesty is aggressively punished in the world of paper wasps

Is honesty really the best policy? Isn't it more beneficial to cheat, if you can get away with it? Not if you're a paper wasp, shows new research.

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Seeing RNA at the nanoscale

A technique known as expansion microscopy has been adapted to visualize RNA molecules at high resolution in tissue samples. They have also made the technique easier to use, with off-the-shelf components.

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Study shows how genes affect immunity in response to pathogens

A study that is first of its kind has looked at how far genetic factors control the immune cell response to pathogens in healthy individuals. A team investigated the response of immune cells from 200 healthy volunteers when stimulated with a comprehensive list of pathogens ex vivo, and has correlated these responses with 4 million genetic variants.

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From climate killer to fuels and polymers

Researchers have discovered a catalyst that performs highly selective conversion of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide into ethylene – an important source material for the chemical industry. A new article describes how plasma-treated copper can be used for this purpose.

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New technique helps link complex mouse behaviors to genes that influence them

Mice are one of the most commonly used laboratory organisms, widely used to study everything from autism to infectious diseases. Yet genomic studies in mice have lagged behind those in humans. In a study, researchers used 1,200 outbred mice, which are more similar to a natural population, to test a new cost-effective technique to search for specific genes linked with 66 different physical and behavioral traits.

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Immune-based therapy in mice shows promise against pancreatic cancer

While immune therapy has proven effective in treating certain types of cancer, especially lung cancer and melanoma, tumors of the pancreas remain among the most difficult to treat and, so far, are impervious to immune-based therapies. Now, a new study in mice has shown that immunotherapy against pancreatic cancer can be effective when given in conjunction with drugs that break up the fibrous tissue in these tumors.

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Researchers reveal dominant player in human T helper cell maturation

A powerful arm of the immune system is production of antibodies that circulate through the blood and neutralize invading pathogens. Although B cells actually manufacture antibody proteins, the process is aided by neighboring T cells, which shower B cells with cytokines to make them churn out high-quality antibody proteins -- and remember how to do so. Given the essential function of 'helper' T cells, researchers have long sought to define biological signals that encourage their development.

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Discovery could dramatically boost efficiency of perovskite solar cells

Scientists have discovered a possible secret to dramatically boosting the efficiency of perovskite solar cells hidden in the nanoscale peaks and valleys of the crystalline material.

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Researchers reveal new therapeutic avenue in the fight against cancer

A team of researchers has identified NEAT1, a non-coding RNA, as a potential therapeutic target in the fight against cancer. Researchers have shown that NEAT1 plays an important role in the survival of highly dividing cells -- and in particular of cancer cells. These findings can help develop new drugs that target NEAT1, in order to kill cancer cells more effectively.

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New research to prevent blindness

A researcher has been awarded a new award that enables the scientist to expand the field of stem cell-based tissue engineering applications in the eye.

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How lifestyle intervention for weight loss affects birth rates in women with a high BMI

Women who are overweight or obese pose an ongoing challenge for the fertility clinic. Many studies show that these patients are at increased risk of infertility and are less likely than normal-weight women to conceive after fertility treatment.

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Children growing up in solo mother families are well adjusted and developing well

The number of children born to single women is increasing, partly as a result of social and legislative changes (in most jurisdictions) in the rights to parenthood. While technology has been readily able to meet this rising demand through donor insemination and even IVF, little is known about how children think, feel and fare growing up in the families formed by single women.

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New screening tool to help physicians tell if a fainting episode heralds something serious

A simple nine-question tool could help emergency physicians uncover the sometimes dangerous hidden conditions that cause some people to faint, according to a new study.

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Expanding Antarctic sea ice linked to natural variability

The recent trend of increasing Antarctic sea ice extent -- seemingly at odds with climate model projections -- can largely be explained by a natural climate fluctuation, according to a new study.

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Dancing neurons

Scientists have shown how synaptic connections in the brain force nerve cells to coordinate their work.

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A giant impact: Solving the mystery of how Mars' moons formed

Where did the two natural satellites of Mars, Phobos and Deimos, come from? For a long time, their shape suggested that they were asteroids captured by Mars. However, the shape and course of their orbits contradict this hypothesis. Two independent and complementary studies provide an answer to this question. One of these studies rules out the capture of asteroids, and shows that the only scenario compatible with the surface properties of Phobos and Deimos is that of a giant collision. In the second study, researchers used cutting-edge digital simulations to show how these satellites were able to form from the debris of a gigantic collision between Mars and a protoplanet one-third its size.

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Scamming Nemo: How cleaning fish are the 'con-men' of the coral reef

Cleaner wrasse perform a cleaning service for coral reef fish -- namely eating parasites off their customer's skin. However, what the females of some species actually want is to lure in clients and 'cheat' them by biting off some tasty mucus before escaping.

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HPV vaccine reduced cervical abnormalities in young women

Young women who received the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine through a school-based program had fewer cervical cell anomalies when screened for cervical cancer, found a new Canadian study.

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Rechargeable batteries that last longer and re-charge more rapidly

Materials researchers have developed a very simple and cost-effective procedure for significantly enhancing the performance of conventional Li-ion rechargeable batteries. The procedure is scalable in size, so the use of rechargeable batteries will be optimized in all areas of application-whether in wristwatches, smartphones, laptops or cars, explain scientists. Battery storage capacity will be significantly extended, and charging times reduced, they say.

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Endometrial scratch appears beneficial in couples trying to conceive

There is a much disputed claim that 'injury' to the lining of the uterus -- whether inadvertent or deliberate -- increases the chance of embryo implantation and thus the chance of pregnancy in certain groups of women having IVF.

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Electronic nose smells pesticides, nerve gas

To improve the detection of pesticides and nerve gas in very low concentrations, an international team of researchers has built a very sensitive electronic nose with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs).

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Genetically engineered mice suggest new model for how Alzheimer's causes dementia

Using a novel, newly developed mouse model that mimics the development of Alzheimer's disease in humans, researchers say they have been able to determine that a one-two punch of major biological 'insults' must occur in the brain to cause the dementia that is the hallmark of the disease.

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Sustainable Chemistry students solve decades-old oxidation puzzle

A group of students has designed a new catalyst that can render important chemical processes more sustainable. Their catalyst can create selective peroxide-like reagents literally from thin air and uses those to oxidize alcohols to carbonyl compounds in a dual-action mechanism.

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Many elderly are prescribed antihypertensive medication despite already having low blood pressure

A significant proportion of patients over 70 remain on antihypertensive medication despite having low blood pressure, new research reveals. This, the study argues, has a significant effect on increased mortality rates and admissions to hospital.

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Formation of the browning pigment melanin decoded

Researchers have uncovered the molecular mechanism behind the synthesis of melanin using a technique involving mutation of the relevant enzyme tyrosinase.

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New study confirms that migration leads to larger wings in monarch butterfly populations

How does migration boosts the size of monarch butterflies? This was the question scientists asked in their recent study, which found that in fact migration can increase the size of wings in these butterflies.

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Be wary of knotweed advice on the web, researchers warn

Gardeners turning to the Internet for advice about Japanese knotweed are likely to find a wide range of sometimes contradictory and potentially misleading advice that could put them on the wrong side of the law, scientists have found.

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Still no strong evidence that adjunctive treatment with human growth hormone in IVF improves results

Despite its occasional use as an adjunct in IVF, human growth hormone appears of little benefit to women having difficulty conceiving. Indeed, in an Australian/New Zealand collaborative placebo-controlled randomised trial, live birth rates were no better in poor-responding patients (under the age of 41) given growth hormone as a supplement than in those given placebo.

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Urban hedgehogs are more at home in the city than you thought

A species that is 15 million years old, hedgehogs have survived all kinds of environmental changes over the years, including urbanization. Surprisingly, cities have often been found to have higher hedgehog populations than rural areas. Understanding why this is could help us to protect them in the future.

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Mitochondrial DNA levels as a marker of embryo viability in IVF

Despite the claims and counter-claims for new embryo assessment techniques introduced over the past two decades, the search for the holy grail of assisted reproduction -- the key to the embryo destined to implant -- continues. Genetic screening techniques so far have relied largely on the assessment of one component of the embryo's genetic constitution, the number of chromosomes in its cells.

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Does home comfort promote complacency?

Youth who experienced high parental warmth and support are less civically engaged in young adulthood -- in comparison to their peers who received less parental affection. The surprising finding challenges the widely held belief that positive parenting leads to positive outcomes for children and youth in virtually all life domains.

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Alma finds a swirling, cool jet that reveals a growing, supermassive black hole

Astronomers have made the surprising discovery of a jet of cool, dense gas in the center of a galaxy located 70 million light years from Earth. The jet, with its unusual, swirling structure, gives new clues to a long-standing astronomical mystery -- how supermassive black holes grow.

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Teaching drones about the birds and the bees

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) of the future will be able to visually coordinate their flight and navigation just like birds and flying insects do, without needing human input, radar or even GPS satellite navigation.

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Robotic rectum may aid prostate cancer diagnosis

A robotic rectum may help doctors and nurses detect prostate cancer. The technology, which consists of prosthetic buttocks and rectum with in-built robotic technology.

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Greener method of carbon capture using waste biomass

Scientists have developed an innovative new green method of capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from power stations, chemical and other large scale manufacturing plants. Starbons, made from waste biomass including food peelings and seaweed, were discovered and first reported 10 years ago. Using these renewable materials provides a greener, more efficient and selective approach than other commercial systems of reducing emissions.

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New insights for personalized cancer treatment

Doctors increasingly work with large quantities of digitized patient data – and yet the insights it contains often remain unexploited. Researchers have now developed a software program that allows doctors to extract information from multiple patient files to quickly obtain new pointers for the treatment of prostate cancer.

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Fine-tuning prosthetics for cyclists

Disabled cyclists will be among those competing at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in September 2016. Ensuring top performance calls for prosthetics of superior design, but tailoring them to handle the combination of movements cyclists make has always been a problem. Now, in a new movement lab, a test prosthesis is helping to quickly and precisely optimize these artificial limbs.

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Rapid test identifies disease pathogens

At present, bacteria, fungi or viruses can generally only be detected with certainty by way of elaborate laboratory tests or animal experiments. The food and pharmaceutical industries would like to have faster tests to check their products. Researchers are now developing a stick that works like a pregnancy test and quickly delivers a result. In the future, it is also to be used for detecting allergens and disease pathogens in the blood.

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New probiotic identified in fermented Japanese vegetable: Enzyme improves colon health in rats

An enzyme produced by fermenting a vegetable common in Japanese cuisine may be responsible for increasing the amount of at least one beneficial bacterium associated with healthy colons in a study using rats. 

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No identity: One in five Aboriginal births unregistered in western Australia

Nearly one in five Aboriginal children aged less than 16 years old in Western Australia had unregistered births according to new research that means thousands of Aboriginal children are likely to have no official identity.

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Advanced colorectal cancer: Anti-interleukin-1 alpha antibody MABp1 improves outcomes significantly over placebo

A novel anti-interleukin 1-alpha antibody has shown a significant impact on symptoms, and a high level of safety and tolerability in patients with advanced colorectal cancer, according to phase III data.

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Trauma induces more alcohol craving than stress among veterans with PTSD and co-occurring alcohol dependence

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol dependence (AD) are two of the most common and debilitating disorders diagnosed among American military veterans. AD and PTSD often occur together, and this co-occurrence has a worse prognosis than either disorder alone. Alcohol craving is related to relapse, but the relationship between PTSD symptoms, craving, and relapse is not well understood. This study is the first to explore the effects of trauma-induced and stress-induced imagery on alcohol craving, affect, and cardiovascular and cortisol responses in a laboratory setting.

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How to (better) model beam transport

Electrically charged wire meshes are used throughout science and engineering to guide, focus and analyse charged particles and may be found in areas as diverse as unmanned satellite propulsion systems, mass spectrometers and particle accelerators. Understanding particle motion is a necessity to optimise the performance of devices such as these. Experts have carried out extensive studies into mesh based systems to improve the understanding of the dynamics of charged particles which pass through them.

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Fetal surgery stands to advance from new glues inspired by mussels

Bioengineers are making better glues for medical procedures inside the body, a wet environment, applying what he and others before him have learned about underwater superglue-making techniques that have been developed and elaborated upon through eons of evolution by mussels, a brainless bivalve.

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Reasons for delays in early autism diagnoses in Australia

A new study has found many Australian children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may not be diagnosed until long after initial signs appear, prompting calls for improvements to the diagnostic process.

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Researchers identify human fingerprint on Indo-Pacific warm pool growth

Scientists have provided the first quantitative attribution of the Indo-Pacific warm pool (IPWP) warming and its expansion over the course of the past 60 years, examining human influences and natural contributions.

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Dividing T cells: A potential target for improving cancer immunotherapy

When an immune T cell divides into two daughter cells, the activity of an enzyme called mTORC1, which controls protein production, splits unevenly between the progeny, producing two cells with different properties. Such 'asymmetric division,' uncovered by researchers using lab-grown cells and specially bred mice, could offer new ways to enhance cancer immunotherapy and may have other implications for studying how stem cells differentiate.

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Decoding the complete genome of the Mediterranean's most emblematic tree: The olive

A team of scientists from three Spanish centers has sequenced, for the first time ever, the complete genome of the olive tree. This work will facilitate genetic improvement for production of olives and olive oil, two key products in the Spanish economy and diet. The specimen sequenced is an olive tree of the Farga variety, one of the most widespread in eastern Spain, and over 1,300 years old.

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Walking meetings could brings longer and healthier lives to office workers

Changing just one seated meeting per week at work into a walking meeting increased the work-related physical activity levels of white-collar workers by 10 minutes, according to a new study. The study suggests a possible new health promotion approach to improving the health of millions of white-collar workers who spend most of their workdays sitting in chairs.

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Cerebrovascular disease linked to Alzheimer's

While strokes are known to increase risk for dementia, much less is known about diseases of large and small blood vessels in the brain, separate from stroke, and how they relate to dementia. Diseased blood vessels in the brain itself, which commonly is found in elderly people, may contribute more significantly to Alzheimer's disease dementia than was previously believed, according to new study.

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Routine eye exams lead to high rate of change in vision status or care

Do you really need to get your eyes checked -- even if you haven't noticed any vision problems or eye-related symptoms? More than half of routine eye examinations in asymptomatic patients lead to a change in vision prescription or other changes in care, according to a study.

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