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Tag: long

Long spaceflights and endurance swimming can ‘shrink the heart’

Long spaceflights and endurance swimming can ‘shrink the heart’

Science
SPLSpending very long periods of time in space has something in common with extreme endurance swimming: both can cause the heart to shrink.That's the conclusion of a study that compared the effects of astronaut Scott Kelly's year in space with a marathon swim by athlete Benoît Lecomte.Both remove the loads on the heart that are usually applied by gravity, causing the organ to atrophy.Exercise wasn't enough in either case to counteract the changes to the heart.The study was led by Dr Benjamin Levine, professor of internal medicine at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, and is published in the journal Circulation.The research has implications for very long-duration journeys in space - such as the expeditions to Mars which Nasa plans to mount in coming decades.Histo...
The best science long reads of 2020

The best science long reads of 2020

Science
.css-94m6rd-HeadingWrapper{border-bottom:solid 1px #BABABA;padding-bottom:1.5rem;}.css-94m6rd-HeadingWrapper > *:not([hidden]):not(style) ~ *:not([hidden]):not(style){margin-top:1rem;}.css-uf6wea-RichTextComponentWrapper{margin:1rem 0;max-width:36.25rem;}.css-83cqas-RichTextContainer{color:#3F3F42;}.css-83cqas-RichTextContainer > *:not([hidden]):not(style) ~ *:not([hidden]):not(style){margin-top:1rem;}.css-14iz86j-BoldText{font-weight:bold;}It was a year when scientists tried to solve the mystery of rogue orcas attacking boats and the pandemic shed light on our increasingly strained relationship with nature. If you want to delve deeper into some of the big science and environment stories of the year, here's a selection of this year's long reads. .css-yidnqd-InlineLink:link{color:#3F3F42;}....
Long Covid: Hospital patients to get checks at six weeks

Long Covid: Hospital patients to get checks at six weeks

Health
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Arctic ground squirrels recycle their body’s own nutrients to survive the long winters

Arctic ground squirrels recycle their body’s own nutrients to survive the long winters

Science
Dec. 7 (UPI) -- By analyzing the body chemistry of hibernating Arctic ground squirrels, scientists found the rodents are able to recycle their body's own nutrients during deep hibernation. The discovery, detailed Monday in the journal Nature Metabolism, may explain how mammals survive prolonged periods of inactivity during the winter, as well as offer insights into muscle loss in humans. Advertisement For the study, researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks monitored ground squirrels in a lab for more than two years. Using pulse isotopic tracing, scientists were able to track the movements of nearly undetectable levels of nutrients through the squirrels' bodies. As the rodents slept away the winter, with temperatures just above freezing, the instruments observed the conversion of ...
Glitch caused self-isolation orders to be too long

Glitch caused self-isolation orders to be too long

Technology
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