Octopuses are doomed to be orphans from a very young age. After a female octopus lays her eggs, she stops eating and begins self-mutilating, tearing off her skin and biting off the tips of her tentacles. By the time a young octopus wriggles out of its egg, its mother is already dead. A few months … Read more
A baby fox has tested positive for bird flu H5N1 in Minnesota, state officials revealed Wednesday, in the first case to be reported in a wild mammal in America. The State’s Department of Natural Resources said the fox kit was found lying outside a fox den and being unable to use its back legs in … Read more
WASHINGTON (AP) — Many parents are hunting for infant formula after a combination of short- and long-term problems hit most of the biggest US brands. Millions of babies in the US rely on formula, which is the only source of nutrition recommended for infants who aren’t exclusively breastfed. Here’s a look at what’s behind the … Read more
Thirteen more children in the UK have been struck down by a mystery hepatitis that has been spotted in more than 20 countries. There have now been 176 cases of the deadly liver disease among children under the age of 10 in Britain, with the majority (128) in England. The UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) … Read more
North Carolina has doubled its reported total of hepatitis cases, increasing its total from four to nine cases, as the mysterious infections continue to pop up around the country. State health officials reported the updated figures on Wednesday night, WRAL reports. North Carolina was among the first states to report a case of the disease … Read more
Photo: Bilanol (Shutterstock) There are two types of people in the world. The type who thoughtlessly store their toothbrushes out in the open, in the same bathroom that harbors a fecal-matter-spewing toilet (gross, right?), and the type who takes pains to cover their toothbrushes when not in use, and even periodically disinfect them in the … Read more
Toxoplasma gondii is probably the most successful parasite in the world today. This microscopic creature is capable of infecting any mammal or bird, and people across all continents are infected. Once infected, a person carries Toxoplasma for life. So far, we don’t have a drug that can eradicate the parasite from the body. And there … Read more
The study, published Wednesday in The Lancet, found that 55% of patients still had at least one Covid-19 symptom two years later. That was actually an improvement from six months after infection, when 68% had symptoms. The researchers from China-Japan Friendship Hospital looked at the records of 1,192 people who had been hospitalized at Jin … Read more
Taking aspirin and ibuprofen as painkillers could be completely pointless, a study suggests. Experts have now warned the cheap drugs may actually leave patients in agony for longer. The findings call into question the conventional practice of treating pain with anti-inflammatory drugs, taken by millions around the world. Researchers today praised the ‘excellent’ study, which … Read more
Breakthrough infections have become more common in recent months, putting vulnerable populations at increased risk of severe disease or death as more and more transmissible variants continue to spread. This seems to be especially true for seniors in the United States, who were among the first to get their initial vaccine series. In the second … Read more