Latest news with #AcademiaSinica
STV News
2 days ago
- Health
- STV News
University makes 'ground-breaking' discovery offering hope for chronic pain sufferers
Scientists in Aberdeen have made a ground-breaking discovery that could revolutionise treatment for chronic pain. Researchers from the University of Aberdeen, Academia Sinica in Taiwan and a group of international experts have discovered that chronic and acute pain are physiologically different. It is hoped the breakthrough will lead to new treatments for conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. Marlene Lowe knows only too well what it's like living with debilitating pain. The 35-year-old suffers from both chronic fatigue and fibromyalgia, which causes widespread pain. Often dismissed by the healthcare system, she says these conditions can feel like an invisible burden. STV News Marlene describes her experience of living with the chronic pain condition fibromyalgia She told STV News: 'One day you can be perfectly fine and you can go for a jog and the next day it is difficult to get out of bed. It's hard to balance those things out, so when you are in that state, people don't see you. 'They see you when you are feeling better and out and about. It's incredibly demoralising to say 'look, I'm in agonising pain constantly' and someone says 'But you are still working, you must be alright'.' Marlene is one of millions who suffer from persistent chronic pain which, unlike acute pain – typically caused by injury – is very hard to treat. Until now, Western cultures have not differentiated between the two. But scientists at Aberdeen University, together with experts from Taiwan, have discovered that in the nervous system, chronic pain is processed differently from the pain that comes from an injury or over exertion. Crucially, they found a new and distinct separate physiological pathway for this chronic type of pain, which means it can now be a target for future therapies. Dr Guy Bewick is a senior lecturer in biomedical science at the University of Aberdeen. 'The GP cannot give these patients anything to relieve the pain. It doesn't respond to painkillers,' he said. 'They have to give them moral support and advise them on things they should or shouldn't do, which will make it worse or better. 'But we think we have found the pathway. We have a model and we have found out how that gets turned on by two specific set of nerves, which are talking to each other.' STV News Dr Guy Bewick He explained that Eastern cultures have differentiated pain for centuries, with chronic pain being called 'sng' or 'suan tong' (sour pain) in Mandarin. 'The stinging pain from sharp objects and surgery can usually be treated effectively with common painkillers, but chronic pain often cannot,' he added. 'New treatments require an identifiably different drug target. This study has found that target. Specifically, we discovered the mechanism of this pain we call 'sng'.' Dr Bewick's team discovered that a molecule called glutamate is released in muscles to activate a highly unusual receptor. This sparked a collaboration with Professor Chen's team in Taiwan who found that too much glutamate release activated pain nerves nearby making them permanently active and not switch off as they normally would. Crucially, they then discovered that blocking the newly discovered, highly unusual, glutamate receptor entirely stopped the chronic pain being triggered. STV News Chronic pain has been shown to be physiologically different from acute pain – and now scientists have the roadmap for how to target it Scientists hope their findings will help develop new treatments for conditions such as fibromyalgia and rheumatoid arthritis. 'It's this ache which can become chronic and very distressing to some people,' Dr Bewick said. 'The acute pain responds well to painkillers; whereas the second pathway, people didn't know what it was. 'This has the potential to help the many people whose pain is currently inadequately treated.' The wider research was led by Professor Chih-Cheng Chen from Academia Sinica, supported by National Science and Technology Council's Brain Technology Project and an Investigator Award of Academia Sinica. They were able to differentiate between the two types of pain by genetically silencing neuronal pathways in a mouse model. At the Taipei Medical University Hospital in Taiwan, the theory was then tested in practice in a patient with a spinal cord injury that blocked 'standard' pain but spared the newly discovered pathway. Professor Chen said: 'Fundamentally, we found that sng persists even in people who have lost other pain sensation, for example, a patient with spinal cord damage did not notice when he had broken a toe but could still perceive 'sng' and position in the same leg. 'Clearly, therefore, sng is a separate pathway. 'This finding could lead to new pain relief treatments for such conditions as fibromyalgia, exercise-induced muscle pain (DOMS), rheumatoid arthritis, and chronic pain after spinal surgery. 'It is a truly ground-breaking discovery in pain research.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Hindustan Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Hindustan Times
Don't force spending time in nature if it gives you no joy: Study
A new study published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology's June 2025 volume found that simply enjoying the experience of being in nature is more strongly associated with happiness and life satisfaction than the frequency of outdoor activities. Also read | New pain killer revealed: Study shows the neurological power of nature to relieve physical discomfort Emotional engagement with nature plays a central role in boosting well-being. The study suggests a shift in focus from just visiting nature to emotionally engaging with it as appreciating and enjoying nature can have a positive impact on mental health and well-being. More research is needed to understand the complex relationship between physical contact with nature and well-being – but by emphasising the importance of emotional engagement with nature, the study provides valuable insights into the complex relationship between nature and human well-being. Interestingly, as per the findings, physical contact with nature might not directly enhance well-being and could even negatively influence the relationship when considered alongside perceptual enjoyment. So, if people do not find joy in the visit, being in nature may actually reduce their happiness or life satisfaction. 'I am a survey methodologist, but subjective well-being, particularly happiness and life satisfaction, and environmental issues have been my research interests since graduate school,' said study author Pei-shan Liao of the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at Academia Sinica. Pei-shan added, 'This publication is part of a series based on my research. Another key objective is to promote and validate the question items on nature contact and enjoyment. These items, derived from the ISSP 2020 Environment module, were proposed by the Taiwanese team to measure positive aspects of natural environment through intentional interaction. We are happy and satisfied with the results.' For their study, the researchers used data from the 2020 Taiwan Social Change Survey, a nationally representative dataset collected from over 1,800 adults across Taiwan between June 2020 and February 2021. The survey focused on environmental issues and included questions about participants' frequency of outdoor activities, how much they enjoyed being in nature, their general happiness, and life satisfaction. The researchers also accounted for several background variables known to influence well-being, including age, gender, income, marital status, education, employment status, religious activity, perceived health, and social status. Researchers found that enjoyment of nature was a strong predictor of outdoor activity frequency, meaning that people who enjoyed nature more were also more likely to spend time outside. When examining happiness, they found that enjoyment of nature was consistently associated with higher happiness scores. However, physical contact with nature—how often people actually went outside—was not positively related to happiness. In fact, after adjusting for possible statistical bias, greater physical engagement with nature showed a surprising negative association with happiness. 'The negative association between visiting nature and subjective well-being, including both happiness and life satisfaction, surprised us,' Liao said, adding, 'We have tried different coding scheme for data analysis but the findings remained the same. It is possible that enjoying contact with nature makes people want to engage in outdoor activities more than they are actually able to, which may lead to dissatisfaction with their situation. Such results may also be attributed to the study's non-Western setting. It will be great to have data from more countries to further examine the issue.' Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Experts stunned after fisherman captures wild sea creature not seen in nearly a century: 'The beautiful myth reappears'
If you haven't heard of a dugong, you're not alone. A fisherman in Taiwan recently hauled one aboard and, without realizing that the highly endangered creature hadn't been seen alive in the country in 88 years, promptly released it back into its waters. Fortunately, he also snapped a picture, and people around the world have been thrilled and awed at the sight. The Taipei Times shared the exciting news, explaining that the fisherman had caught the dugong accidentally in his net. Dugongs are part of the broader manatee family, though they differ in several aspects, including their fluked tails. A related species, Steller's Sea Cow, was hunted to extinction by humans, but the dugong has managed to evade being completely wiped out despite also being hunted for meat, skin, and bones. Unfortunately, habitat loss and water contamination continue to endanger the remaining dugongs. Their population has dwindled so severely that the species was declared extinct in Taiwan many years ago. And considering no living dugong had been seen in the country since 1937, the fisherman's find was thrilling to conservationists and animal lovers alike. "Not just a legend! The beautiful myth reappears in Taiwan," said Jeng Ming-hsiou, with Academia Sinica's biodiversity research center, per Taipei Times. The myth Ming-hsiou is referencing is the mermaid myth, as many people attribute the origin of mermaid stories to dugong sightings. Prior to this sighting, the most recent record of a dugong in Taiwan was merely remains found in 1986, the Taipei Times explained. The find, while encouraging, is also a stark reminder that the few dugongs who persist face a number of threats, including being caught and killed as bycatch from fishing boats. Many endangered marine species — including sea birds — around the world are killed each year through accidental bycatch and entanglement, leading them to starve or die from injuries. As a result, many governments have attempted to enforce stricter regulations on fishing practices, though much of the practice ultimately comes down to each boat responsibly managing its equipment to avoid unnecessary losses. Do you think America is in a housing crisis? Definitely Not sure No way Only in some cities Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
The Independent
08-04-2025
- Science
- The Independent
Saturn has 128 more moons than astronomers previously thought
Earlier this week, Saturn gained a whopping 128 new official moons, as the International Astronomical Union recognised discoveries from a team of astronomers led by Edward Ashton at the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. The sixth planet from the Sun now has a grand total of 274 moons, the most of any planet in the Solar System. The discovery has raised a lot of questions. How do you spot moons, and why hadn't anybody seen these ones already? Doesn't Jupiter have the most moons? What are they going to call all these moons? Are there more out there? And what exactly makes something a moon, anyway? These new discoveries cement Saturn's place as the winner of the Solar System's moon competition, with more confirmed moons than all of the other planets combined. But it hasn't always been this way. Jupiter's four largest moons – Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto – were the first ever discovered orbiting another planet. They were spotted by Galileo Galilei more than 400 years ago, in 1610. Saturn's first known moon, Titan, was discovered by Dutch astronomer Christiaan Huygens 45 years later. The new batch of 128 moons was discovered by stacking images from the Canada France Hawaii telescope. Some of Saturn's other moons were discovered by space voyages, and some during what are called 'ring-plane crossings'. When the Voyager 1 spacecraft passed by Saturn, it took images that were used to discover the moon Atlas. The Cassini Mission later discovered seven new Saturnian moons. A ring-crossing is where Saturn's rings seem to disappear from our point of view here on Earth. This is when Saturn is at just the right angle so we're looking at the rings exactly side-on (that is, when we can only see the edge of the rings). Titan was discovered during a ring-plane crossing, and so were 12 other moons. Saturn's rings will be edge-on twice in 2025, in March and November. From 2019 to 2023, Jupiter and Saturn were fighting for first place in the moon race. In 2019, Saturn surpassed Jupiter with the discovery of 20 new moons. This took the count to 82 for Saturn and 79 for Jupiter. Just a few years later, in February 2023, Jupiter took the lead with 12 new moons, beating Saturn's 83 moons at the time. Only a short time later, still in 2023, the same astronomers who discovered the recent 128 moons discovered 62 moons orbiting Saturn. This placed the ringed planet firmly in the lead. Elsewhere in the Solar System, Earth has one moon, Mars has two, Jupiter has 95, Uranus has 28 and Neptune has 16, for a total of 142 moons. We only need to discover ten more moons around Saturn to give it double the number of all the other planets combined. The newly discovered moons are all small. Each one is only a few kilometres across. If something that small can be a moon, what really counts as a moon? NASA tells us 'naturally formed bodies that orbit planets are called moons', but even asteroids can have moons. We crashed a spacecraft into an asteroid's moon in 2022. Earth has had a few mini-moons, some only a couple of metres in size. The line of what is and isn't a moon is a bit hazy. Moons orbiting planets in the Solar System can be either 'regular' or 'irregular'. The new moons are all irregular. Regular moons are formed around a planet at the same time as the planet itself forms. Irregular moons are thought to be small planets (planetesimals) that are captured by a planet as it finishes forming. They are then broken into pieces by collisions. Regular moons tend to orbit their planets in nice, circular orbits around the equator. Irregular moons typically orbit in big ovals further away from planets, and at a range of angles. Saturn has 24 regular moons and 250 irregular moons. Studying these moons can tell us about how moons form, and reveal clues about how the Solar System formed and evolved. Saturn's rings are made of small chunks of ice and rock. Astronomers think they formed out of pieces of comets, asteroids and moons that were torn apart by Saturn's gravity. So for Saturn in particular, irregular moons can tell us more about the formation of its beautiful rings. Names of astronomical objects are governed by the International Astronomical Union (IAU). Originally, all moons in the Solar System were given names from Greco-Roman mythology. But the large number of moons, particularly of Saturn and Jupiter, means the IAU has expanded to giants and gods from other mythology. And it's all about the details. If binary moons are discovered, they are required to be given names of twins or siblings. Saturn's first seven moons were given numbers instead of names. In 1847, John Herschel named them after the Greek Titans. After they ran out of titans and Greek mythological giants, they expanded the naming system to include Inuit and Gallic gods and Norse giants. Discoverers get to suggest names for moons, and the names they suggest are given priority by the IAU. In the past, there have been competitions to name new moons of Jupiter and Saturn. With 128 new moons for Saturn, it might take a while to come up with names that follow the IAU rules. Maybe we'll even see the addition of different mythologies. We'll have to wait and see. Until then, each moon has a name made of a string of numbers and letters, such as 'S/2020 S 27'. Without a solid definition of what a moon is, it's hard to say when (or if) we will ever finish finding them. Everyone agrees we shouldn't call every single chunk of rock in Saturn's rings a moon, but exactly where to draw the line isn't clear. That said, there is probably a limit to the number of moon-like objects astronomers are likely to want to add to the list. Edward Ashton, who led the discovery of the new moons, doesn't think we'll be finding too many new moons until our technology improves.
Yahoo
30-03-2025
- Yahoo
Is Taiwan the happiest place in Asia?
Growing up, Huang Wen-chun remembers listening to friends and family complain about life in Taiwan. So when she saw news reports declaring Taiwan the happiest place in Asia, she couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. 'When I was young, everyone believed that the moon was rounder abroad,' said the 25-year-old freelance worker in Taipei. 'As I got older, I realized there are so many ways in which Taiwan surpasses everywhere else.' According to the annual World Happiness Report, the island democracy has surpassed Singapore as the happiest place in Asia. Globally Taiwan ranked 27th, while the top three spots went to Finland, Denmark and Iceland. The report, which draws on Gallup World Poll data, is compiled by asking more than 100,000 participants in over 140 countries to rank their lives on a scale from 1, worst possible, to 10, best possible. Taiwan averaged a response of 6.669 over the past three years. The World Happiness Report also cited factors such as having someone to count on, economic development, healthy life expectancy, generosity and the freedom of choice and freedom from corruption as reasons for a feeling of contentment. It also attributed high levels of happiness to activities such as volunteering and sharing meals with others. One thing Huang appreciates about Taiwan is the sense of safety. When she was a high school student, she visited Oakland on a trip to California, where thieves broke into her family's car. Then they were targeted by scammers, who claimed they were sent to tow the car. When her father asked about a replacement vehicle, they drove away. 'In Taiwan, I never had to worry about this kind of thing,' she said. In interviews, Taiwanese pointed to universal healthcare, an open and friendly society, freedom of expression and convenience in daily life as other potential contributors to local happiness. But some residents were not convinced that Taiwan should rank the highest in happiness in all of Asia. 'Right now, I don't feel particularly happy, because of the pressures of inflation,' said 55-year-old Shen Shi-hung, who runs a food stall in Taipei. 'But on the whole, Taiwanese people are very friendly and the quality of life is very good.' Yu Ruoh-rong, a professor at Taipei-based research institution Academia Sinica, said that while the COVID-19 pandemic was associated with loneliness, her research indicated that most Taiwanese people had reverted back to their previous social lives. 'Even people who are single or live alone seem to easily gather with friends, and find people to share meals with,' she added. Yu, who has helped the Taiwanese government conduct happiness surveys, said that such reports often garner reactions of surprise from the general public. She said that while younger generations have some frustrations with economic stagnation, their sense of well being rates higher than prior generations. Stagnant wage growth and high housing prices are common complaints among Taiwanese. 'When I saw the news I was a bit confused,' said Shen Wan-ju, a 37-year-old accountant in Taipei. 'I feel like the salary growth is not quite keeping up with the increase in our cost of living," she continued, adding that the cost of raising kids puts a lot of pressure on parents. While Shen does not have children, she has watched her brother work hard to send his two sons to good schools. 'Honestly, it seems really hard to be parents. The cost of providing a good education for your child is getting higher,' she said. Taiwan's birth rate has fallen so low that it's considered a national crisis, prompting the government to provide more financial support and matchmaking services for singles. Last year, the fertility rate, or the number of children the average woman will bear in her lifetime, was 0.885, among the lowest in the world. The title of 'happiest place in Asia,' also coincides with increasing military threats from China, which claims the self-governed island as a part of its territory. In 2021, the Economist labeled Taiwan 'the most dangerous place on Earth.' But Tony Yang, a professor in health policy at the George Washington University School of Nursing, said the ability of Taiwanese to adapt to adversity such as ongoing tensions with China and see happiness as a fluctuating condition contribute to the quality of life. 'Despite persistent threats, daily life proceeds with remarkable normalcy and optimism,' he wrote in an op-ed for the Taipei Times. 'This is not denial, but an ability to hold contradictory realities simultaneously — acknowledging threats while refusing to let them dominate our collective consciousness.' Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
