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Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Magic mushrooms live up to their name by appearing to slow ageing
Psychedelic mushrooms are sometimes called 'magic' for their hallucinogenic effects which some proponents believe make them think more clearly and see things they would never ordinarily perceive. But going by findings published in Nature Partnering Journal Aging, the easily-harvested and widely-available wild fungi could be called magic for another reason: they appear to have anti-ageing properties. According to Baylor College of Medicine and Emory University in the US, the active psychedelic compound in the mushroom, known as psilocybin, "may extend both cellular and organismal lifespans." The team said that psilocybin "reduced multiple hallmarks of ageing in cells" and, depending on the dosages, "extended cellular lifespan up to 57%." The researchers also carried out tests on mice that showed psilocybin improving survival in older rodents. The mushrooms, and psilocybin in particular, have been shown to help depression patients and, but the physical effects outside the brain have gone uncharted. According to the research team, there are around 150 studies ongoing or recently completed looking at psilocybin's potential to treat not only depression but also cognitive disorders such as dementia. Last month, the American Cancer Society published findings of a second phase of tests that showed a "significant" reduction in depression among more than half of participants two years on from receiving a 25-milligram dose of psilocybin. "Our findings suggest that psilocybin has potent effects on the entire body, including anti-ageing properties, which also may contribute to the plethora of observed beneficial clinical outcomes," said Louise Hecker, associate professor of medicine – cardiovascular research at Baylor. "Our study provides the first experimental evidence demonstrating that psilocybin impacts hallmarks of ageing," the team said.
Boston Globe
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Boston Globe
What would funding cuts do to NPR and PBS?
Here's what you need to know. Would NPR and PBS survive? Yes. NPR gets about 2% of its annual budget directly from federal grants, including from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting; for PBS, that amount is about 15%. Both organizations also get federal money indirectly, through payments from member stations across the country that receive government funding, though it's difficult to estimate how much. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up The real pain will be felt by local stations in far-flung locations like Unalakleet, Alaska, and Pendleton, Oregon. Those broadcasters often rely disproportionately on federal grants for their operations because of a funding formula that takes into account the fact that they have fewer donors and programming sponsors. Advertisement What about local stations? An internal NPR report from 2011 obtained by The New York Times said that if Congress cut off funding to the public radio system, up to 18% of the roughly 1,000 member stations would close, with broadcasters in the Midwest, South and West affected the most. Nationwide, up to 30% of listeners would lose access to NPR programming. Advertisement For PBS, local TV stations would also bear the brunt of the cuts. And popular programs like 'PBS NewsHour' and 'Nature' might need to find money elsewhere, such as from donations or syndication. How are local stations related to NPR and PBS? Neither NPR nor PBS own their local member stations, and the national organizations don't dictate the local programming schedules. But the local radio and TV stations pay for the rights to air shows distributed by PBS and NPR — well-known programs like 'All Things Considered,' 'Morning Edition' and 'PBS NewsHour.' NPR produces its flagship programs — known as newsmagazines — with its own staff and often relies on reporting from member stations scattered throughout the country. PBS distributes programs that are created by member stations, such as 'Frontline,' which is produced by WGBH in Boston. What's the argument for defunding NPR and PBS? Critics of public broadcasters argue that the media organizations have a liberal bias that taxpayers should not have to support. Uri Berliner, a former senior editor at NPR, argued in an essay last year that journalists at the public radio network had 'coalesced around the progressive worldview,' faulting its coverage of stories such as the controversy surrounding the laptop of then-President Joe Biden's son, Hunter. Some Republican lawmakers, such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia, have argued that widespread internet access has made news coverage from rural stations increasingly unnecessary. Some Republican critics of PBS have taken issue with content that they believe is too focused on issues of race and gender. Those concerns were aired this spring during a congressional hearing where lawmakers grilled Katherine Maher, CEO of NPR, and Paula Kerger, CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service. What's the argument for keeping government funding intact? Proponents of public radio and TV in the United States argue that the organizations provide essential, free and in some cases lifesaving information for Americans across the country for little cost to taxpayers. Advertisement In some places, including remote locations that could be most affected by the cuts, public media is one of the only sources of local news. In addition to news programs like 'All Things Considered' and 'Morning Edition' on NPR, public broadcasting advocates are quick to extol the power of educational programs like 'Sesame Street' and 'Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood.' Defenders of public broadcasting also underscore the virtues of vigorous journalism aired by PBS — programs like 'Frontline' and 'PBS NewsHour' — and investigations published by NPR, such as a recent deep dive into the Trump administration's impact on the federal health care budget. What will happen next? The Senate must act on the proposal to cut the funding, known as a rescission request, by Friday; the House has already approved it. If the measure passes, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer be able to make grants after September. If the rescission is enacted, it will probably not seriously affect any local radio and TV stations until this fall, when the next payment from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting fails to arrive. This article originally appeared in .
NDTV
13 hours ago
- Science
- NDTV
Are Boys Better At Math Than Girls? Study Dissects Stereotypes
New research suggested that boys often outperform girls in mathematics, but this doesn't necessarily mean boys are inherently better at the subject. The study found that boys and girls start with equal math skills in early elementary school. However, a "gender gap in favour of boys became highly significant after four months of schooling," a study published in the journal Nature revealed. "These findings were repeated each year and varied only slightly across family, class or school type and socio-economic level," a study revealed. "Although schooling correlated with age, exploiting the near-orthogonal variations indicated that the gender gap increased with schooling rather than with age." The study noted that gender disparities in maths are thought to primarily reflect an "internalisation of the sociocultural stereotype that 'girls are bad at maths'". But where, when and how widely this stereotype becomes entrenched remains uncertain. The study is based on the results of a four-year assessment of language and mathematical performance of all French first and second graders - more than 2.5 million schoolchildren (2,653,082 children). The study revealed that boys tend to be more confident and have positive attitudes towards math than girls. This confidence gap can impact performance, with boys scoring higher on math tests. However, the way math is taught may contribute to the gap. Researchers suggest that early math instruction might favour boys, leading to a disparity in performance. Differences in math performance aren't due to inherent ability but rather a socioeconomic status and environmental factors. Countries with equal opportunities tend to have smaller gaps in math performance between boys and girls. "There are no differences in overall intrinsic aptitude for science and mathematics among women and men," Elizabeth Spelke, now Marshall L. Berkman Professor of Psychology at Harvard University, told The Harvard Gazette last week. "Competitive pressure affects girls and boys differently," Marta Macho-Stadler, a professor in the Department of Mathematics at the University of the Basque Country who was not involved in the new study, told the Spanish Science Media Centre. "A previous study conducted in a two-stage [math] competition in Spain would indicate [...] that the motivations and performance of boys and girls may differ in competitive environments." "In addition, expectations from the family and teaching environment may push girls to limit themselves and perform worse than boys in this type of test," she said. Encouraging curiosity, logical thinking and effort in both boys and girls can help reduce the gap. Teachers and parents should promote positive attitudes towards math and provide equal support to both genders.
Time of India
14 hours ago
- Science
- Time of India
66-million-year-old fossil egg found in Antarctica may change what we know about sea reptiles
A strange-looking fossil egg that had been sitting unnoticed in a museum for years is finally getting the attention it deserves– and it's offering a glimpse into Antarctica's ancient marine life. The egg, which was found decades ago on Seymour Island in Antarctica, had puzzled researchers for a long time. It was large, soft-shelled, and oddly deflated, which earned it the nickname 'The Thing' at Chile's National Museum of Natural History, where it was kept. For years, no one knew exactly what it came from. But now, scientists believe it likely belonged to a massive marine reptile– possibly a type of sea lizard or ancient snake– that lived more than 66 million years ago, during the age of dinosaurs. Fossil from the Age of Dinosaurs The fossil egg– estimated to be between 66 and 68 million years old– was found by a Chilean team in the same rocky area where dinosaur bones had previously been uncovered. It's a big one too. At around 29 by 20 centimeters (roughly 11 by 8 inches), it's now considered the second-largest egg ever discovered. Only the egg of Madagascar's extinct elephant bird– a massive, flightless species– has it beat in size. 'A deflated football' with historical significance According to Lucas Legendre, a palaeontologist at the University of Texas, 'This new egg is the very first fossil egg from Antarctica, and the largest soft-shelled egg ever discovered.' He added, 'It is elongated, collapsed, with many creases and folds on its surface. One side is flattened, suggesting this is where it came in contact with the sea floor. Its eggshell is very thin and poorly mineralised, like in the eggs of lizards and snakes. ' His team's findings were published in the journal Nature, offering new evidence that challenges long-standing beliefs about marine reptile reproduction. Stored in Chile, studied across continents Since it was first uncovered, the fossil has been kept at Chile's National Museum of Natural History. For years, its origin remained a mystery. But after a closer look and detailed analysis, researchers were finally able to trace it back to massive marine reptiles– likely mosasaurs or plesiosaurs– that swam the oceans during the Late Cretaceous period. Shifting scientific understanding Until now, scientists had assumed that such marine reptiles were entirely viviparous, meaning they gave birth to live young. However, the discovery of this fossil egg suggests otherwise, indicating that some of these ancient creatures may have laid eggs. Note: Images in this article were generated using Canva AI and are for illustrative purposes only.
The Mainichi
19 hours ago
- Health
- The Mainichi
Japan research team discovers new gut bacterium that boosts cancer immunotherapy
TOKYO -- A Japanese research team led by the National Cancer Center Japan announced in the British journal Nature on June 14 that it has discovered a new type of gut bacterium that enhances the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy drugs, raising hopes for the development of new treatments that further strengthen the immune response against cancer. Cancer immunotherapy leverages the body's immune system to attack cancer cells. One class of drugs, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors -- including PD-1 inhibitors such as Opdivo -- works by releasing the "brakes" that cancer uses to evade immune cell attacks, thereby restoring the immune system's natural ability to target tumors. However, even when used in combination with other treatments, checkpoint inhibitors are effective in only about 20% of patients over the long term. Previous studies have shown that transplanting stool from patients who responded well to these drugs into non-responders can improve outcomes, suggesting that gut bacteria play a key role. Until now, the mechanism by which gut bacteria influence cancers located far from the intestines, such as in the lungs, was not well understood. The research team found that patients who responded well to immunotherapy had high levels of a type of gut bacterium from the Ruminococcaceae family. These patients experienced longer-lasting treatment effects and had more T cells -- immune cells that attack cancer -- present within their tumors. The team identified this bacterium as a new strain, named YB328. In mouse experiments, administering both checkpoint inhibitors and YB328 led to tumor shrinkage, and even when YB328 was given together with stool transplanted from non-responders, the drug's effectiveness improved. Further investigation revealed that YB328 activates dendritic cells -- immune system "commanders" that orchestrate immune responses -- in the gut. These dendritic cells then travel from the intestines to distant tumor sites, where they activate nearby T cells and enhance the immune attack on cancer. Hiroyoshi Nishikawa, head of the Cancer Immunology division at the National Cancer Center Research Institute, commented, "Not only could administering this bacterium to (drug) non-responders improve outcomes, but adding it to responders' treatment regimens may further boost effectiveness."
