The full moon has long been blamed for keeping people awake and even causing madness. But is there any truth to this belief? Research shows that the moon can indeed affect sleep, but its impact on mental health is less clear. Studies have found that people sleep less and take longer to fall asleep during the days leading up to a full moon. This is likely because the...
Measles is back in the news, and this time it hit close to home for Denver residents. Three people have caught the measles virus after a flight from Turkey landed in Denver on May 13. The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment has identified six places where these individuals were while contagious. These spots include restaurants, a gym, and shops. The ...
The health effects of sunlight are a hot topic. Many people know that too much sun can lead to skin cancer. But there is more to the story. Sunlight has benefits too. It is not clear if the good outweighs the bad or vice versa. Some studies have looked at how sunlight affects how long we live. One such study looked at people who spent a lot of time outside during the...
Dentists have a unique chance to help with skin cancer. They look at the head and neck every day. This is important because most skin cancers show up in these areas. Why? Too much sun exposure. The sun's ultraviolet light can damage skin cells over time. Dentists are great at spotting issues in the mouth and throat. But when it comes to skin lesions, they might not ...
The night sky is no longer dark. Artificial light has taken over. This might seem harmless, but it could have serious effects on our health. One big worry is the link between nighttime light exposure and breast cancer risk. Light at night, especially the blue kind, messes with our bodies' natural clock. This is called the circadian rhythm. When this rhythm is o...
The time of year when a baby is born can affect their growth. This is especially true for kids born in Estonia between 1937 and 1962. The amount of sunlight a mother gets during pregnancy can change the nutrients available to the baby. This includes vitamin D and other important minerals. However, it's not clear when during pregnancy the baby is most affected by this...
Did you know that light can affect the brain? A recent study explored how different light levels influence rat brain tissue. Researchers used 32 male Wistar Albino rats, splitting them into four groups: Control, Light, Dark, and Dim Light. Each group had 8 rats and was exposed to their respective conditions for 30 days. After the experiment, scientists analyzed the r...
Imagine you're living in Tyumen, Russia. Scientists there studied 122 adults, average age 24, to see how COVID-19 affects their sleep patterns. They tracked their activity for seven days using a special watch. The group was split into those who had COVID (79 people) and those who didn't (43 people). They found that people who had COVID were more sensitive to light. T...
Inside our bodies, there's something called the circadian clock. It's like a tiny timekeeper that controls our daily rhythms and interacts with our environment. When we talk about infection, it can change how these 'clock' genes work. In zebrafish, this is affected by light. Scientists wanted to see how dead bacteria influences these genes in zebrafish cells called Z...