Health

The promise of machine learning in predicting the outcome of cardiac surgery

Health / /

On Sept. 3, 2023, my grandpa suffered a minor acute heart attack. Left without many options, we turned to a form of cardiac surgery called an angioplasty. Despite the doctor’s initial confidence in the surgery, the heart attacks intensified, and my grandfather fought hard until the moment he passed away. After the surgery, the doctors […]

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Ruthless environmental dangers during infancy

Health / /

An average of over 120,000 babies with congenital complications are born a year. Congenital complications are believed to result from genetics, maternal choices during pregnancy, environmental factors, and other influences. One environmental factor, air pollution, is associated with low birth weight (a birth weight under 5.5 pounds) and being preterm (born prior to 37 weeks

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Biological antifreeze: Wood frogs and organ cryopreservation

Biology, Health / /

On February 4, 2023, Boston hit the coldest temperature recorded since 1886 at minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit. While most of us were snug in our blankets with a warm mug of tea in hand, others were not as lucky. Lithobates sylvaticus, commonly known as the wood frog, is a fascinating vertebrate model of freeze tolerance

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Napping — it’s more important than you think!

Health / /

Napping is a prominent part of today’s culture; many partake in after-school naps, midday naps, and power naps before an exam, among other types. People often label those who nap as lazy, but studies show that napping provides both academic and physical benefits. Napping should therefore be regarded as productive, rather than the opposite. Surrounding

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The spirit molecule: Our body’s natural psychedelic

Biology, Health, Psychology / /

DMT earned its nickname as the “spirit molecule” in the 1990s when over half of Dr. Rick Strassman’s research subjects vocalized experiencing something extraordinary. His experimentation had initially concerned the physiological effects of the molecule, but he couldn’t ignore its inherent psychoactive influences after about 200 of his participants reported undergoing a “religious” transformation with

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Deep brain stimulation study provides biomarker to track recovery from severe depression

Health, Psychology / /

Like the bottom of the ocean, major depressive disorder (MDD) is widespread, often dangerous, and yet largely shrouded in mystery. MDD impacts about 5% of the population — 280 million people worldwide — and its symptoms include the lack of ability to feel pleasure, extreme fatigue, and sleep and appetite disturbances. These symptoms cannot be

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