The world of sports has seen a big push to catch athletes using performance-enhancing drugs. This has led to the creation of the Athlete Biological Passport. It is a system that tracks specific biological markers over time to spot any unusual changes. This can indicate the use of banned substances. The idea behind this system is simple: instead of trying to catch ...
MRSA, or Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, is a tough bacterium that doesn't play nice with antibiotics. This makes it a big problem for both the environment and human health. It's sneaky, it's strong, and it can hide just about anywhere. This is why spotting MRSA quickly and accurately is super important. It helps keep our surroundings safe and makes sure...
Pesticides, especially organophosphorus types, are a big problem. They stick around in food and mess up the environment. So, scientists need clever ways to spot them. One new method uses a special tool called a ratiometric fluorescent immunosensor. This tool is like a detective that finds tiny amounts of a pesticide called fenitrothion. This detective tool uses some...
GHB, or gamma-hydroxybutyric acid, is a sneaky substance. It's often used in recreational drugs and, sadly, in drug-facilitated sexual assaults. The problem? GHB breaks down quickly in the body. This makes it hard for investigators to collect evidence. Plus, it's tricky to tell if GHB was added to a drink or if it's naturally present in the body. So, how do experts ...
Aflatoxin B1 is a big problem in food safety. It is highly toxic and found in many foods. Scientists have created a new way to detect it quickly. They used a mix of natural enzymes and tiny nanozymes. These work together to create a special signal. This signal helps to find even tiny amounts of aflatoxin B1. The new method is much better than the old one. It can fin...
Bacteria are everywhere. They can be found in the air, on surfaces, and even inside the human body. Some bacteria are helpful, but others can make us sick. Scientists are always looking for better ways to spot these harmful bacteria quickly and accurately. Two methods that help in identifying bacteria are lipidomics and proteomics. These methods look at the fats and ...
Food safety is a big deal. It's under threat from pollutants in the environment and from human activities. But there's a new hero in town: deep eutectic solvents, or DESs. These aren't your average solvents. They're green, efficient, and great at detecting tiny amounts of pollutants in food. DESs are special. They can form hydrogen bonds with all sorts of target an...
Researchers have set their sights on a critical question: Do medications taken during pregnancy impact the risk of childhood cancer? This is a big deal because, in wealthy countries, cancer is a major cause of death in kids. The problem is that we don't have much information on how in-utero medication exposure affects childhood cancers. It's not that we don'...
Russian elections in 2011 and 2012 have a peculiar and surprising pattern in their numbers. These elections were not just about who won or lost. It was a surprising case of anomalies that seemed to favor the pro-government party, United Russia. This party is linked to the leader Vladimir Putin. A closer look at the official numbers reveals some inconsistencies. O...
Antibiotics have long been heroes in the medical world, battling bacterial infections with ease. But lately, bacteria have started fighting back, leading to a global health concern called antimicrobial resistance (AMR). This means some antibiotics don't work as well as they used to, making it crucial to find new ways to detect and handle resistant bacteria. Enter CR...