A new study explains how cocaine modifies functions in the brain revealing a potential target for therapies aimed at treating cocaine addiction. The study was published this week in Cell Reports. Researchers from the University of California, Irvine have demonstrated that a key receptor for dopamine, called D2 (D2R), intervenes in the mechanism through which cocaine...
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From Voldemort to Vader, Science Says We Prefer Fictional Villains Who Remind Us of Ourselves
As people binge watch TV shows and movies during this period of physical distancing, they may find themselves eerily drawn to fictional villains, from Voldemort and Vader to Maleficent and Moriarty. Rather than being seduced by the so-called dark side, the allure of evil characters has a reassuringly scientific explanation. According to new research published...
Evidence Suggests COVID-19 Isn’t Sexually Transmitted
COVID-19 is unlikely to be spread through semen, according to University of Utah Health scientists who participated in an international study of Chinese men who recently had the disease. The researchers found no evidence of the virus that causes COVID-19 in the semen or testes of the men. The study was not comprehensive enough to...
Researchers Rebuild the Bridge Between Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence
The origin of machine and deep learning algorithms, which increasingly affect almost all aspects of our life, is the learning mechanism of synaptic (weight) strengths connecting neurons in our brain. Attempting to imitate these brain functions, researchers bridged between neuroscience and artificial intelligence over half a century ago. However, since then experimental neuroscience has not...
COVID-19 and the Ethical Questions it Poses
The coronavirus pandemic has been unprecedented in its impact, leaving no aspect of life unaffected from its arrival in late 2019. From day-to-day impacts on work, school, social gatherings, and travel, to larger shockwaves to the world’s economy and health care systems, COVID-19 is a once-in-a-lifetime crisis on the global stage. And with such a...
After COVID-19, When Will Las Vegas’ Tourists Return?
From 2007 to 2009, the Great Recession affected Las Vegas more than anywhere else in the United States. The Las Vegas’s economy will, once again, be dealt a difficult hand as a result of the COVID-19 global pandemic, according to Stephen M. Miller, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and economics professor at...
Scientists Explore Using ‘Own’ Immune Cells to Target Infectious Diseases Including COVID-19
The engineering of specific virus-targeting receptors onto a patient’s own immune cells is now being explored by scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School (Duke-NUS), as a potential therapy for controlling infectious diseases, including the COVID-19-causing virus, SARS-CoV-2. This therapy that has revolutionised the treatment of patients with cancer has also been used in the treatment of...
Keep Children from Hospital During Crisis
With stressed hospital services, and concerns about the spread of COVID-19, experts are reminding carers of children and young people of the importance of adhering to supported chronic condition self-management plans from the safety of their home. Telehealth options, use of home-monitoring devices, keeping regular medical appointments and positive reinforcement from carers and health professionals...
Nearly Half of U.S. Breathing Unhealthy Air; Record-Breaking Air Pollution in Nine Cities
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Clean Air Act, which is responsible for dramatic improvements in air quality. Despite this, a new report from the American Lung Association finds nearly half of the nation’s population – 150 million people – lived with and breathed polluted air, placing their health and lives at risk....
CUNY School of Public Health & Health Policy Weekly COVID-19 Survey Update Week 6
Nearly half (49%) of New York City residents believe we should wait until after June 1st to reopen all non-essential businesses, while 19% said openings should take place between May 16-31. These findings are part of the sixth weekly city and statewide tracking survey from the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health & Health Policy...