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NZ Herald
3 days ago
- Health
- NZ Herald
Dengue fever outbreak: Samoan family lose second son to mosquito-borne illness
The post has been widely shared among the Samoan community in the islands and overseas. Rising death toll: 5 The Asian tiger mosquito is one of the vectors responsible for transmitting dengue fever. Photo / Science Photo Library Samoa's dengue fever death toll now officially stands at four – with the fifth death being deemed a probable case of dengue fever at this stage, authorities say. All have been children. Samoan Prime Minister Fiame Naomi Mata'afa yesterday spoke of the nation's heartbreak at losing yet another child to dengue. 'On behalf of the Government and the people of Samoa, I extend our deepest condolences to the parents and families of the children we have lost,' he said. 'Our children are dear to us, and the loss of a young soul is utterly sorrowful. May the Holy Spirit comfort parents and families of the children we have lost. We remember you in these sorrowful times.' Also known as break-bone fever, dengue fever is a viral infection that spreads from mosquitoes to people. Symptoms include sudden high fever, intensely sore joints and muscles, pain behind the eyes and a rash. Fumigation efforts have been carried out nationwide and schools have remained shut as a result of the outbreak. Samoa's health officials are ramping up fumigation efforts in the fight against dengue fever. As of Sunday, 5670 clinically diagnosed cases had been recorded since January, with just over 2600 of those identified as laboratory-confirmed cases. In the past week, 1446 new clinically diagnosed cases have been reported across Samoa's main islands of Upolu and Savai'i, including 342 new lab-confirmed cases. New Zealand health authorities have also reported a spike in dengue fever cases since the start of the year, with 34 confirmed incidents reported in Auckland last month in people coming back into the country. About half of those cases were acquired in Samoa, said National Public Health Service national clinical director Dr Susan Jack. The latest figures show 103 cases of dengue fever recorded in Auckland since January. That figure is double the number of cases recorded for all of last year when 54 cases were recorded. Fiame also called on parents and families to follow the official advice of health authorities and not to resort to traditional healing practices for dengue fever. 'For parents and guardians, please seek immediate medical assistance if your child develops dengue fever symptoms. 'Do not wait until it is too late. Early treatment can save lives.' Vaimoana Mase is the Pasifika editor for the Herald's Talanoa section, sharing stories from the Pacific community. She won junior reporter of the year at the then Qantas Media Awards in 2010 and won the best opinion writing award at the 2023 Voyager Media Awards.
National Geographic
31-07-2025
- Health
- National Geographic
These 6 strategies are scientifically proven to boost your memory
If you find yourself forgetting things, here are a few science-backed ways to remember things better. Illustration by Spencer Sutton/Jessica Wilson/Science Photo Library Forget your keys again? Studying for a test? The best method for improving your memory depends on what you're trying to remember. Forgetting is normal, but it can make life difficult. You might forget someone's name seconds after you meet them, blank on where you've put your keys, or miss an important birthday. Memories are fallible for a reason. Without a mechanism for forgetting, you would be unable to filter out unnecessary information when you're trying to remember something. 'You don't want to fill your brain with clutter,' says Charan Ranganath, a neuroscientist at the University of California, Davis. To improve your memory, however, most doctors will recommend a few basic life changes. For one, it's particularly important to get enough sleep, because the brain takes this time to review what you've learned and store it in long-term memory, says Michael Hasselmo, a neuroscientist at Boston University. Things like exercise and healthy eating also help, he says. (Your memory, rewired: Read Nat Geo's exploration into the frontier of memory science.) But if you struggle to remember your grocery list, the good news is that there are several science-backed strategies that can boost your ability to memorize and retain information, experts say. The strategy that's best for you depends on who you are, what you're trying to remember, and why. We spoke to memory experts about the six top strategies for improving your memory—and how to get started. Strategy 1: Make meaningful connections Best for: Remembering any new information—even random, unconnected facts When you're learning something new, the brain links those details to information it has already stored away, Ranganath says. So, the easiest way to remember anything is to make it meaningful, he says. In fact, decades of cognitive science research show that meaningful information is easier to remember than random, unconnected facts. Meaning, in this context, signifies that the information either connects to what you already know, makes sense within context, or has some personal connection to you. For example, studies show that people find it easier to remember new vocabulary if they translate concepts into their own words. Or if you're trying to learn someone's name, linking them in your mind to someone else you know with that name might help. (Are you better than AI at guessing what makes a photo memorable?) But to remember things that don't inherently have meaning—like a list of numbers or dates—creating an artificial meaning can help. This is the idea behind mnemonics—acronyms, rhymes, alliterations, or songs that create associations between new information and existing knowledge or visual imagery, says Daniel Willingham, a psychologist at the University of Virginia. 'Let's say you meet someone named Neil who has a big nose or other defining feature,' Ranganath says. 'You might think to yourself 'Oh Nosy Neil' and it could make that person's name easier to remember. Vivid imagery or interesting narratives can also help make information more meaningful. Trying to memorize the order of all the planets in the solar system? My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Noodles is one narrative that might help. (Or, if you refuse to accept that Pluto is no longer a planet, perhaps your mother actually served nine pizzas.) Strategy 2: Space out your study sessions—and let yourself struggle Best for: Studying for a test, learning a new language, remembering facts in detail If you're cramming for a test, a studies suggest that spacing out those sessions where you're reviewing foreign language vocabulary or memorizing flashcards can help your brain store memories better and more efficiently. This technique, called spaced repetition, involves revisiting information at increasing intervals. Spaced repetition works because when you initially learn something, you store it in short-term memory, Ranganath says. The process of consolidating this information into long-term memory, however, takes time and happens 'offline' during periods of rest, he adds. (The unexpected ways Ozempic-like drugs might fight dementia.) Another advantage of spaced repetition is that it can help you retrieve that memory when you need it later. Because humans are better at recalling things in their original context, we often struggle to remember things when we're no longer in that context—like the coffee shop where you studied for your test with the smell of roasted beans wafting through the air, Ranganath says. 'By spacing out your learning, these memories become unmoored from a particular place and time and more likely to be accessible anytime you need it,' Ranganath says. Another way to successfully commit something to memory is to test yourself and let yourself struggle to remember, Ranganath says. For example, rather than rereading your textbook to study for a test, try to quiz yourself first. This process of trying to remember, called retrieval practice, can help solidify the information in your brain, studies show. Struggling to remember something before you find the answer can give your brain a chance to repair the memory and form the neural connections to make the new information stick, Ranganath says. That's why, if you struggle with names, it might be beneficial to guess someone's name even before you learn it, Ranganath says. 'Then if I take a moment to think about your name and correct myself once you give me the answer, now my brain will be less likely to come up with all these random associations that are not correct.' Strategy 3: Read out loud Best for: Short-term memorization like a grocery list Studies show that reading out loud or even singing words can help you remember information better than just reading it silently, a phenomenon known as the production effect. This might be because speaking out loud activates more senses than silent reading. When you say things out loud, it fires up neurons in the motor and auditory areas in your brain. The more neural connections a memory has to different regions of the brain, the more distinctive and easier it is to recall, Hasselmo says. However, Hasselmo cautions that the production effect may not be as powerful for creating long-term memories as other methods, like mnemonics or active recall. In addition, a study published in January 2024 showed that while reading text aloud does help your memory, it doesn't help comprehension. So, this technique might be better for remembering your grocery list rather than studying for a test, experts say. Strategy 4: Engage your senses Best for: When you want to remember a moment from your own life In addition to reading out loud, engaging your other senses during learning can help you form vivid memories of an experience. Take, for example, misplacing your keys. To find them, your memory must compete with all the other times you've put down your keys, Ranganath says. To combat this, the next time you put down your keys you might 'focus on the unique aspects of this particular moment, like the sights, the sounds, the smells,' Ranganath says. These sensory experiences will create a distinct memory—and help you find your keys later. The key to strengthening memories is to increase the number of associations that they have in the brain, says Hasselmo. Focusing on sensory information can activate more parts of the brain, creating memories that are more distributed. 'A rich visual image with a particular memory increases the number of neurons that are getting activated and number of synapses that are getting modified,' he says, making the memory stronger. It's not as tricky as you might think to train your senses. Discover all the expert tips in our companion story on how to make stronger memories by putting your senses to work. Strategy 5: Navigate the memory palace Best for: Memorizing a long list or material for a speech The memory palace—also known as the method of loci—is an ancient mnemonic technique that studies show can improve retention and recall. This technique is a favorite of memory athletes, some of whom use it to remember tens of thousands of digits of pi. 'If the goal is to memorize a list or material for a speech, the method of loci is probably the easiest way to do it,' Hasselmo says. Start by picturing a familiar space like your home. As you walk through that space, create an association between the information you want to remember and a specific location within that space. The more unusual or bizarre the association the better, Hasselmo says—same for adding sensory information like smells or textures. (Use this ancient technique to remember (almost) anything.) To remember a grocery list consisting of a banana, asparagus, and ice, for example, you might imagine entering your house and smashing a banana into the doorway, then plopping a bunch of asparagus on the stairs, and finally dumping a pile of ice into your bed. Then, to remember the three items, you picture yourself retracing your route to retrieve them. The reason the memory palace works is because it creates relationships between information you want to remember and well-ingrained, existing imagery, Hasselmo explains. Scientists hypothesize that the same brain areas involved in memory, namely the hippocampus, also help you figure out your location in the world—which is why navigating a familiar place is a powerful method of remembering things, he says. However, the effectiveness of the method of loci isn't settled science. Some scientists don't believe it's any more efficient than other mnemonic methods. 'It's just another way to put meaning on something and to really organize information that you need,' Ranganath says. 'It's just giving you a framework,' Willingham agrees. Strategy 6: Make memories intentionally Best for: Moments you know you'll want to vividly remember Ranganath recognizes that for many people, the things they want to remember aren't facts and details, but important times in their lives. To make the most of your memory during a significant event, Ranganath says that you might want to consciously think about what you want to get out of the experience beforehand. That way, you'll be better able to be present and focus on what you're experiencing and the emotions that you're feeling. 'Often you go to a party and you just expect to get memories from that for free. And that's not how things really work,' Ranganath says. 'So that's probably the advice I would give, is think about what you really want to take away from an experience.'
National Geographic
25-07-2025
- Science
- National Geographic
Cosmic radiation gave the Fantastic Four superpowers. Here's what would happen in real life.
When we gaze up at the night sky, we often marvel at the twinkling stars, distant planets, and expansive galaxies. Yet, beyond the visible spectrum lies a more mysterious aspect of the cosmos—cosmic radiation. These are high energy particles that stream through the universe at nearly the speed of light, according to Dimitra Atri of the Mars Research Group at New York University Abu Dhabi's Center for Astrophysics and Space Science. They originate from events like supernova explosions and solar flares and travel through space, constantly bombarding Earth in all directions and entering its atmosphere. (How cosmic rays helped find a tunnel in Egypt's Great Pyramid.) In Marvel Studios' The Fantastic Four: First Steps, now playing only in theaters, the Fantastic 4 receive their powers after being exposed to cosmic radiation that alters their DNA on a fundamental level. While these high-speed particles unfortunately won't give you superpowers in real life, they can permeate the human body. At high doses, cosmic rays can tear through DNA molecules and damage biological tissue. Prolonged exposure to cosmic radiation can increase the risk of cancer, cataracts, and reproductive problems. It can also hinder neurogenesis, the process of generating new cells in the brain. But just how much the human body is exposed to this type of radiation and how it'll influence our health will vary depending on altitude and what measures are taken to protect us from them. Here's what you should know. How cosmic radiation affects you if you stay on Earth Here on Earth, we have a natural defense system against cosmic radiation that safeguards life on the planet: Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field. The atmosphere absorbs most of the energy from cosmic radiation, letting only a small fraction reach the Earth's surface. Our planet's magnetic field, produced by electric currents in the Earth's core, shields the planet from most harmful space radiation. Cosmic rays that reach the Earth's surface have been recorded by the vapor trails they leave in bubble chambers, such as the above recording from Bubble Chamber-924 in July 1960. Photograph by Science Source/Science Photo Library When the Apollo crews returned from the moon, small dents were found in their helmets caused by impacts from cosmic rays. The above is a magnified view of a silicone test helmet replica. Photograph by NYPL/Science Source/Science Photo Library On average, people on Earth's surface are exposed to around three millisieverts of radiation per year. (Sieverts, frequently expressed in millisieverts, are a unit used to measure the dose of radiation that affects the human body.) However, elevation matters. 'As you move up, the thickness of the atmosphere lessens and you're exposed to more radiation,' Atri says. The higher a person is in altitude, the less atmospheric protection they will receive from cosmic particles. People in high-altitude locations, such as Denver—known as "The Mile High City"—experience slightly elevated cosmic radiation levels than those who are at sea level in places like Miami. How cosmic radiation affects you when you fly When air travel takes us to higher altitudes, it also brings us closer to the highly energetic particles emanating from outer space. While a plane passenger is exposed to elevated levels of cosmic radiation, the radiation they receive in one flight is insignificant. For example, a coast-to-coast round-trip flight is about equal to the radiation dose of a single chest X-ray. Pilots, flight attendants, and frequent flyers, however, face increased exposure to cosmic radiation because of how often they're in the sky. One Harvard University study concluded that radiation exposure contributed to occupational health issues within flight crews and job-related cancer risks. Other research found that aircrew typically receive more radiation exposure than workers at nuclear facilities. 'Still, it is not enough to cause that much damage because you are still within the magnetic field of the Earth, and there is still an atmosphere,' Atri adds. How cosmic radiation affects you when you leave the planet After venturing beyond Earth's protective atmosphere, spacefaring humans face significant radiation exposure levels. The human body in space would be constantly pelted with high-energy particles. (What toll does spaceflight take on astronauts? Here's what we know.) Astronauts aboard the International Space Station (ISS), which orbits the Earth at an altitude of 400 kilometers, or 260 miles, are exposed to much higher levels of radiation than those on Earth's surface. In just one week aboard the ISS, astronauts are exposed to the same cosmic radiation the average human would receive at sea level on Earth in a year. Astronauts traveling to farther reaches of the cosmos—on missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond—would be exposed to even more cosmic rays during transit and arrival to their destination. Because of this, many space agencies have proposed career-long radiation dose limits on how much radiation spacefaring astronauts can be exposed to. An instrument aboard the Curiosity Mars rover during its 253-day trek to Mars revealed that the radiation dose received by an astronaut on a trip there and back alone would be about 0.66 sieverts—the equivalent of 660 chest X-rays. And while Earth's atmosphere protects it from most of the cosmos' barrage of radiation, Mars' slight atmosphere—about 100 times thinner than Earth's—allows a lot of that radiation in. Using the Curiosity rover's measurements, researchers estimate a 500-day mission on the Red Planet's surface would bring the total exposure to around one sieverts; that's about 10 times the radiation dose an astronaut receives during a six-month mission on the ISS. Researchers have proposed a number of spacecraft designs with shields made of water, hydrogen-rich materials, or planetary material that can offer a potentially safer trip through the cosmos by absorbing radiation. Phantom Torsos, such as the one seen above, are anatomical models built with hundreds of radiation monitoring devices that allow researchers to calculate the amount of radiation that penetrates internal organs during space travel. While space suits offer some protection from cosmic rays, timing extravehicular activities during periods of low solar activity is the best means of protection. There is also ongoing research surrounding shelter designs that, once astronauts have reached their destination, can be buried or shielded to reduce radiation exposure. 'When you're on the surface, you can use Mars' soil to build habitats,' Atri says. 'You can build somethingunderground that gives you natural shielding. That should be sufficient to basically get rid of the most extreme component of damaging radiation.' Cosmic radiation is a major challenge for interplanetary travel, prompting medical experts to also consider medications that can lessen its impact on the human body. 'It's a very interdisciplinary field,' Atri says. 'We have medical professionals, physicists, engineers, psychologists—everyone has to be on board.' Despite our growing knowledge of these mysterious charged particles, Atri says we need more data to fully understand how to protect humans from exposure if we want to explore the far reaches of the cosmos. Unless you have any space travel planned in the near future, you can rest assured you won't be feeling many negative health effects—or experiencing superpowers—from cosmic radiation. Marvel Studios' "The Fantastic Four: First Steps" is now playing only in theaters.
National Geographic
22-07-2025
- Health
- National Geographic
What causes Parkinson's disease? Scientists uncover an unexpected new clue.
A computer illustration of human pegivirus, an RNA (ribonucleic acid) virus scientists believe may be linked to Parkinson's disease. Illustration by Kateryna Kon, Science Photo Library A recent study linking human pegivirus to Parkinson's is leading scientists to examine the connection between other viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. More than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that leads to symptoms such as tremors, slow movement, limb stiffness, and balance issues. Scientists still don't know what causes the disease, but it's thought to develop due to a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors, and treatment is still quite limited. But new research is putting scientists one step closer to some possible answers. In a recent study published in JCI Insight, researchers found a common virus, called human pegivirus (HPgV), in the brains of patients who had Parkinson's disease when they died. Although HPgV infections don't usually cause symptoms, researchers believe the virus may be playing a role in the development of Parkinson's. 'The hypothesis is that a long-term, low-burning infection might lead to these sorts of diseases,' such as Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative disorders, says Barbara Hanson, a researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, and one of the authors of the paper. Here's what we know so far. Colored Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan showing the brain of a 65-year-old patient with Parkinson's. New research suggests that viral infections can be at play in the development of the disease. Photograph by Zephyr/Science Photo Library Over 500 viruses screened In this study, researchers screened for over 500 viruses in the autopsied brains of 10 patients who had Parkinson's disease and compared them to the autopsied brains of 14 control patients, who were matched for age and gender. In five of the patients with Parkinson's, they found the presence of HPgV, while none of the control patients had the virus. In order to bolster their findings, researchers conducted follow-up experiments that looked at the blood samples of patients who were in different stages of Parkinson's disease. What they found was that patients who had Parkinson's and were positive for HPgV had similar immune system responses, including a lower level of an inflammatory protein called IL-4, which can either promote or suppress inflammation depending on the situation. They also found that patients who had a specific Parkinson's-related gene mutation had a different immune system response to HPgV, compared to patients with Parkinson's who didn't have the mutation. 'It was a very thorough study,' says Margaret Ferris, a neurologist and researcher at Stanford University who was not part of the study. She adds that this offers a possible mechanism for the interaction between genetics and environment. Although the presence of HPgV in the brains of people with Parkinson's disease is suggestive of a link, the full answer of what causes the neurodegenerative disease is more complex. Parkinson's disease has always been hard to study, due to the fact that it develops slowly, over many years, and is difficult to diagnose in the earlier stages. 'One of the hard things about investigating neurodegenerative disorders is that it is very hard to identify people who will get neurodegenerative disorders, but don't yet have them, and to study and watch them,' Ferris says. Further complicating this matter is the fact that there doesn't seem to be one single trigger for Parkinson's disease. 'It is difficult to determine the causes of Parkinson's, because they are likely multifactorial,' says William Ondo, a neurologist at Houston Methodist Hospital, who specializes in treating patients with movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease. Ondo was not part of the study. Currently, Parkinson's disease is believed to develop from a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors, with individual triggers varying from one person to another. This makes studying the potential causes of the disease quite challenging, and means that there still aren't definitive answers to what can trigger the condition. It's likely that some people may develop Parkinson's disease as a result of multiple triggers. 'Everyone is on their own path,' to developing Parkinson's disease, says Erin Furr-Stimming, a neurologist at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, who was not part of the study. In recent years, there has been a growing body of evidence to suggest a link between viral infections and the development of neurological diseases, such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's. This includes the recent discovery that Epstein-Barr virus is a major trigger for multiple sclerosis, as well as a number of associations between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions. Parkinson-like symptoms have also been triggered by a number of viral infections, such as West Nile virus, St. Louis Encephalitis virus, and Japanese Encephalitis B Virus. As Hanson notes, inflammation in the brain has been linked to the development of neurodegenerative disorders, with viral infections being a potential trigger for this inflammation. 'Any amount of inflammation in the brain can trigger a number of cascades that lead to the loss of normal homeostatic brain function,' Hanson says. 'It's possible that viral infections are one of those triggers that lead to inflammation in the brain.' Other potential reasons that viral infections may lead to neurodegeneration include direct damage to neurons from the virus, or the accumulation of misfolded proteins. However, while this recent study offers evidence of a suggested link between HPgV and the development of Parkinson's disease, there's still more research needed before a clear link between the two can be established. 'This study doesn't show a cause-and-effect relationship—it just suggests there may be a relationship between pegivirus and Parkinson's,' says Joseph Jankovic, a neurologist and director of the Parkinson's Disease Center and Movement Disorders Clinic at Baylor College of Medicine. In order to understand the connection further, Jankovic says, 'this study needs to be replicated in a different cohort of patients.'
RNZ News
12-07-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
Toxic fungus enlisted in fight against leukemia
Close-up illustration of Aspergillus flavus fungus. Photo: KATERYNA KON/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Researchers say they have been able to modify toxic fungus cells to fight cancer - specifically, leukaemia. The same mould that has been linked to deaths in the excavations of ancient tombs and found on old bread has the capability of fight leukemia cells. The fungus is known as aspergillus flavus fungus. Associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, Dr Sherry Gao, told Saturday Morning the discovery was significant. Gao said they found a new class of compound which was produced by the fungus. But how does the compound fight cancer? Associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania Dr Sherry Gao. Photo: Supplied / Dr Sherry Gao "We isolated and define the chemical structure of those new compounds," Gao said. "By making some small chemical tweaks we actually modified the structure a bit, we've found those modified compounds can enter leukaemia cells very selectively. "Once it's entered the cell, its able to prevent cell division - that's why it could possibly lead to a cure for leukaemia." This was not the first fungus that has led to a breakthrough in medicine. Penicillin was also created using a fungus. Gao said her lab was also experimenting with other fungi, aiming to kill other cancer cell lines. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero , a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
