The Eurasian common shrew, Sorex araneus, is a small mammal that has a unique way of dealing with winter. Instead of hibernating or migrating, it shrinks its brain, skull, and most organs. Then, come spring, it grows back to its original size. This ability to change brain size is something that scie
Medicare's involvement in gender-affirming surgery is a topic that deserves a closer look. It's crucial to understand that Medicare does not have a blanket policy for these procedures. Instead, each case is evaluated individually. This approach raises several questions. How many Medicare beneficiar
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
Temperature plays a significant role in how our genes function. This is especially true for a specific spot in the PDGFRβ gene, where four different changes have been found. These changes, known as p. Asn666Lys, p. Asn666Tyr, p. Asn666Ser, and p. Asn666His, lead to a variety of health issues. These
Social media is a place where people share all kinds of content. Some of this content can be upsetting or trigger bad memories for some users. To help with this, users have started adding trigger warnings to their posts. These warnings let others know that the content might be upsetting. This way, p
Nile tilapia, a type of fish, can change sex based on water temperature. This might sound strange, but it's a real phenomenon called temperature-dependent sex reversal (TSR). Scientists have been trying to figure out how this happens at the molecular level. It's not just about the fish changing sex;
The liver of triploid rainbow trout faces unique challenges in low-oxygen waters. To understand how these fish cope, researchers dug into the world of tiny gene regulators called miRNAs. They found 45 miRNAs that change their activity when oxygen levels drop. These miRNAs don't work alone. They team
The Scottish Government made big changes to how general practice works in 2018. They started a new contract for GPs. The goal was to make primary care better and fix health problems that weren't fair. But did these changes make patients happier? That's the big question. Before diving in, it's i
The use of helpful bacteria, known as plant growth-promoting bacteria, is a well-known method to boost crop growth and soil health. However, the exact ways these bacteria work their magic on soil quality and crop productivity are not fully understood. A recent investigation looked into how a special
In the world of fish farming, channel catfish are superstars. They grow fast, adapt well, and are valuable. But there's a big problem: a disease caused by Aeromonas hydrophila. This bacteria can cause severe issues, like hemorrhaging, making it tough for farmers. To fight this, scientists are lookin
