sense | Common News Update

Jul32020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Sense of smell and taste ‘improve for most’

Health

Almost 90% of people who lost their sense of smell or taste while infected with Covid-19 improved or recovered within a month, a study has found.The study, in Italy, found 49% of patients had fully regained their sense of smell or taste and 40% reported improvements. But 10% said their symptoms remained the same or had worsened.Given the scale of the pandemic, experts warn hundreds of thousands of people could face longer-term problems.A change in - or loss of - someone's sense of smell or taste are now recognised as core symptoms of coronavirus. 'Mild illness' According to NHS advice, anyone who experiences them should isolate, together with their household, and be tested.The international team of researchers surveyed 187 Italians who had the virus but w...

May132020 by adminNo Comments

Scientists make sense of pulsating stars using NASA’s TESS satellite

Science

May 13 (UPI) -- A team of scientists in Australia said they used a NASA space telescope to identify the pulsating rhythm of nearby stars, allowing them to learn more about the age and structure of the stellar objects. The researchers said they were able to make sense of the jumble of pulsations from nearby stars using the Transiting Exoplanet Survey Survey satellite, or TESS, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Tim Bedding, professor at University of Sydney and lead author of the study, compared pulsations to musical notes. "Previously we were finding too many jumbled up notes to understand these pulsating stars properly," he said. "It was a mess, like listening to a cat walking on a piano. "The incredibly precise data from NASA's TESS mission have allowed us...

May112020 by adminNo Comments

Coronavirus: Use common sense to see loved ones outdoors – Dominic Raab

Health

Media playback is unsupported on your device People in England can meet another person from outside their household as long as they are outside and stay 2m apart, the government has confirmed.Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab said people should "use some common sense" and cannot visit others at their home.The new rule is part of a 50-page guidance document to be published by the government later.On Sunday, Boris Johnson announced a "conditional plan" to begin lifting England's coronavirus lockdown.Scotland and Wales - which have their own powers over lockdown and have not changed the advice to stay at home - rejected No 10's new "stay alert" slogan, while Labour's Sir Keir Starmer criticised the PM's plan for lacking clarity.In his address on Sunday, the PM s...

Nov72019 by adminNo Comments

Left-handed women’s quirk over sense of smell

Health

Scientists say they have discovered a biological anomaly that could change how we understand our sense of smell. The study in the journal Neuron shows some people can smell normally, despite missing the part of the brain that is considered to be crucial for smell - the olfactory bulbs. Lacking bulbs should cause anosmia (being unable to smell). Curiously, the phenomenon mostly affects left-handed women, and has never been detected in men. How does smell work?So how do we smell a fresh mug of coffee, a garden flower or even a newborn's soiled nappy? Current science says odours enter the nose where they excite nerve endings. This creates an electrical signal that travels up to a specialised part of the brain called the olfactory bulbs. They process the sign...

Oct72019 by adminNo Comments

How cells sense oxygen wins Nobel prize

Health

Three scientists who discovered how cells sense and adapt to oxygen levels have won the 2019 Nobel Prize for physiology or medicine.Our body's cells use oxygen to convert food into usable energy.The trio - British Sir Peter Ratcliffe and two Americans, William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza - discovered how cells adapt when oxygen levels drop.The Swedish Academy said their "elegant" findings were leading to treatments for anaemia and even cancer. It said: "The fundamental importance of oxygen has been understood for centuries, but how cells adapt to changes in levels of oxygen has long been unknown."Sir Peter Ratcliffe is based at the Francis Crick Institute in the UK, William Kaelin at Harvard in the US and Gregg Semenza at Johns Hopkins University in the US.O...