Opt for stairs over escalators for significant long-term health benefits.
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Want to boost your health this year? Small lifestyle changes can significantly impact your longevity.
According to Nicholas Kemel from the University of Sydney, just five extra minutes of sleep, two minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise, and half a serving of veggies daily can potentially extend your lifespan by a year.
It’s common knowledge that adequate sleep, exercise, and a nutritious diet contribute to longevity. Numerous studies have highlighted the lifespan differences between individuals following healthy versus unhealthy eating patterns. For instance, observing adults who adhere to World Health Organization physical activity guidelines shows significant benefits, recommending at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise weekly.
Yet, the effects of minimal lifestyle adjustments on lifespan and health expectancy remained unclear.
To address this, Koemel and his team analyzed data on sleep, diet, and exercise habits from around 60,000 adults aged 40 to 69, gathered from the UK Biobank project. Participants reported their food intake over the past year, with their diet scored from 0 to 100 based on healthiness. Several years later, wearable exercise trackers monitored their activity and sleep for one week, followed by an eight-year tracking of health and mortality records.
This research identified the least healthy 5% of participants, averaging only 5 hours of sleep, 5 minutes of exercise daily, and scoring about 35 on the dietary scale.
Using statistical modeling, researchers estimated that those who improved their habits by sleeping five more minutes, exercising two additional minutes, and consuming half a serving more of vegetables each day lived, on average, an extra year compared to the least healthy group.
Interestingly, combining minor lifestyle adjustments yielded similar longevity outcomes as making substantial changes to a single habit. For example, simply increasing sleep by 25 minutes without altering diet or exercise can be beneficial, Koemel explains. “Lifestyle integration amplifies benefits while reducing demands on individual actions.”
Compared to the unhealthiest group, those who slept an extra 24 minutes, engaged in four more minutes of moderate-vigorous exercise, and increased their vegetable intake could potentially gain four more years of disease-free living, avoiding conditions like dementia, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and type 2 diabetes. “This is a groundbreaking finding—individuals may not only live longer but enjoy more quality years,” Koemel adds.
Koemel’s estimates suggest that an average participant—who sleeps around 7.6 hours, engages in 31 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise daily, and has a dietary score of about 54—can achieve similar benefits through small adjustments.
Another enlightening study this week assessed mortality and exercise data from adults over 64 in Norway, Sweden, and the U.S. Researchers, including Ulf Ekelund from the Norwegian School of Sport Science, utilized statistical models to predict that if the majority of the population (excluding the top 20% most active) engaged in just five additional minutes of vigorous activity daily, about 10% of deaths could be avoided over the next eight years.
However, both studies note limitations. As pointed out by Alan Cohen from Columbia University, dietary recall surveys may be inaccurate due to memory lapses, and a week’s tracker data may not reflect overall habits accurately.
Further research is essential to understand the duration of lifestyle adjustments required for noticeable effects. Additionally, it’s vital to investigate how these findings vary across different age demographics and whether they apply to non-Western, low- and middle-income settings, where physical activity, dietary habits, and chronic disease prevalence differ significantly.
Paleontologists from the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science, the University of Texas at El Paso, and Montana State University unearthed fossil bones of a tenontosaurus sp. This early Cretaceous ornithopod dinosaur from North America inhabited the Yucca Formation located in the far west of Texas, USA. Notably, this southernmost finding of Tenontosaurus in the interior West is around 400 km east of the Arizona record and about 900 km southwest of the north-central Texas record.
Tenontosaurus is a genus of iguanodont ornithopod dinosaur that roamed North America around 115 million years ago during the early Cretaceous period.
This genus includes two known species: Tenontosaurus tilletti and Tenontosaurus dossi.
Both species possessed particularly long and broad tails, which were strengthened by a framework of bony tendons, similar to their backs.
The recent fossils were retrieved from the Upper Yucca Formation of the Indio Mountains, situated approximately 35 km southwest of Van Horn in West Texas.
“I wasn’t specifically searching for fossils that day,” stated Dr. Jason Ricketts, a paleontologist at the University of Texas at El Paso.
“While examining rocks in the area, we spotted debris weathered from the soft shale.”
“There was no need for excavation; I simply collected them. It was a surprising and thrilling discovery. My family joined me to help gather the pieces.”
“Fossils of dinosaurs are uncommon in West Texas, and finding fossilized bones instead of just footprints is especially rare.”
“The fossils were found as separate fragments, with the largest confirmed to be a part of a femoral leg bone.”
“Despite their imperfect state, these fossils hold significant scientific value,” he remarked.
“Before this discovery, similar fossils were only found in other regions of Montana, Idaho, Arizona, and Texas.”
This new finding extends the known range of Tenontosaurus further southwest than previously documented.
“Until now, fossils of this kind were mostly located in northern and eastern states, such as Utah and Wyoming,” Ricketts noted.
“This discovery… indicates that Tenontosaurus lived as far south as West Texas.”
While research on the fossil fragments continues, the authors hope this discovery will encourage additional exploration in West Texas, where dinosaur fossils are largely uncharted.
“This finding demonstrates that there is still a wealth of knowledge to acquire about our region’s prehistoric history,” said Dr. Ricketts.
“It’s a privilege to contribute, even if only in a small way, to that larger narrative.”
Spencer G. Lucas et al. 2025. An ornithopod dinosaur that lived in the early Cretaceous of West Texas. Bulletin of the New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science 101:291-294
The notion that reducing food intake could enhance longevity has existed for millennia. The ancient Greek physician Hippocrates famously stated, “If you overnourish the patient, you nourish the disease as well. Excess is contrary to nature.”
For decades, scientists have been investigating the validity of this advice.
The first major evidence emerged in the 1930s when American nutritionist Dr. Clive McKay discovered that rats on a restricted diet lived nearly twice as long as those with unrestricted access to food.
These rats did not suffer from constant hunger nor did they struggle for survival. On the contrary, they exhibited better health in old age, showcasing improved lung and kidney function, with no signs of cancer (until their food supply was increased post-experiment).
Since then, calorie reduction has been linked to increased lifespan and health across various life forms, including single-celled organisms, nematodes, flies, spiders, grasshoppers, guppies, trout, mice, hamsters, and dogs.
Why is this the case? The theory suggests that reduced food consumption activates a biological mechanism in your cells that encourages energy conservation.
When food is scarce, expending energy for activities like reproduction becomes counterproductive, especially in an environment lacking sufficient resources.
Thus, evolutionary biology suggests that animals in such circumstances should conserve energy, slowing their aging process until food availability improves, increasing their chances of remaining healthy enough to reproduce later.
Anti-aging effects of eating less
While there is ample evidence of caloric restriction in animals, obtaining reliable human data poses challenges.
Funding bodies, ethics committees, and participants are understandably hesitant to commit to long-term dietary interventions.
The most significant trial to date is the carrie trial (A Comprehensive Assessment of the Long-Term Effects of Reducing Energy Intake), where participants aimed to cut their intake by 25% over two years.
(Ultimately, the average reduction was only 12 percent, highlighting the difficulty of maintaining such a regimen, even with scientific support.)
Though two years is insufficient to conclusively determine longevity, participants did experience an average weight loss of 8 kg (17.6 lb), along with minor reductions in LDL cholesterol, blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and inflammatory markers.
Cutting back on protein
If you wish to apply this concept personally, an important question arises about what exactly should be reduced in your diet.
Recent studies indicate that a reduction in protein intake—the critical factor influencing our health—may be essential.
For example, one study by researchers at the University of Sydney found that mice on a low-protein diet lived approximately 30% longer than those on a protein-rich diet.
Specificity matters here. Since proteins are composed of 20 amino acids, reducing one or more of these could potentially extend lifespan.
Research indicates that lowering levels of “branched-chain” amino acids (BCAAs) might extend male mice lifespan by 30%. (The reasons behind the different effects in female mice remain unclear.)
In fact, reducing the specific amino acid isoleucine resulted in a 33% increase in male mice lifespan (compared to just 7% for female mice).
Ongoing research is investigating additional amino acids. For instance, methionine presents a delicate case.
Mice consuming a diet with 0.15% methionine lived 10% longer than those on a standard diet containing 0.4% of this amino acid.
Conversely, mice consuming 0.1% methionine often faced early death from rectal prolapse, prompting one to consider the risks involved.
Current research is shifting focus from merely restricting dietary components to optimizing them. However, with 20 amino acids, the permutations can be overwhelming.
Even experimenting with simple combinations of high and low doses of each amino acid could require over a million trials.
read more:
Genome-based amino acid diet
To tackle this complexity, scientists are examining our DNA, which directs protein synthesis. The building blocks of proteins are amino acids.
What if we provided living organisms with a diet that reflects the amino acid ratios found in their DNA?
Early research on fruit flies showed that those fed a diet aligned with their DNA ratios were larger, matured faster, laid more eggs, and had longer lifespans compared to those on standard diets.
A subsequent study involving mice found that when provided with the ideal dietary amino acid balance via their DNA, the mice demonstrated faster growth, increased muscle mass in males, and enhanced sperm production.
However, it’s yet to be determined if these mice will also enjoy prolonged lifespans.
Rapamycin (red) inhibits a protein known as mTOR (blue), which is linked to aging – Image credit: Science Photo Library
While the biological effects of reducing protein intake remain uncertain, scientists are making strides in understanding the underlying mechanisms. Similar to calorie restriction, this approach appears to significantly slow down the aging process.
A recent study published in May 2025 suggests that a low-protein diet may help in reducing DNA damage and mutations.
This doesn’t imply that proteins are directly mutagenic, but their influence on metabolism might lead to the production of “free radicals” that can harm DNA and cellular structures.
DNA mutations are known precursors to cancer and have long been associated with the aging process.
The exploration of how dietary adjustments can indirectly influence the rate of chemical “errors” in our DNA is a promising area for research.
Not everyone needs protein reduction
So, should you begin reducing your protein intake? While animal studies provide compelling evidence, human research yields more nuanced findings.
One 2014 study found that individuals consuming less protein tend to live longer than those with high protein intakes. A 50-year-old consuming under 45 g (1.6 oz) of protein daily may expect to live approximately four years longer than someone consuming 90 g (3.2 oz) daily.
Nonetheless, generalizing this advice proves challenging. In individuals over 65, the same study indicates the opposite effect. This might be due to age-related muscle loss, where protein consumption aids in weight gain.
Moreover, individuals consuming a higher proportion of plant-based protein did not face an increased mortality risk during midlife.
Hence some contend that risks may stem more from excessive red and processed meat intake than protein consumption itself.
Another factor could be that plant proteins are generally lower in certain amino acids, like methionine, meaning high vegetable consumers might naturally have a lower methionine intake.
Sadly, no comprehensive human studies have been conducted to deliberately restrict specific amino acids.
However, it would be intriguing to research this approach in humans, not through protein powders but via dietary combinations that adhere to our genetic requirements and can be easily integrated into daily nutrition.
Such findings may help mitigate the downsides associated with strict diets. Reducing food variety often leads to reported feelings of hunger, chills, decreased libido, irritability, and slower recovery from injuries.
As an old saying in longevity science goes, while dietary restrictions might not extend your life, they can certainly make your life feel longer.
Medication alternatives to protein restriction
Perhaps the answer lies not in our kitchens but in pharmaceuticals. A drug called rapamycin, for example, activates cellular recycling pathways that mimic those triggered during dietary restriction, leading to lifespans increased by up to 60% in mice.
Diabetes medications that lower blood sugar are another avenue to induce caloric reduction and extend mouse lifespans.
Moreover, GLP-1 agonists such as semaglutide (Ozempic) have showcased the potential to alleviate various conditions by directly curbing appetite.
Could these or other medications help us maintain health without adhering strictly to lengthy dietary regimens?
As a person interested in a long, healthy life, but wishing to avoid being a hungry centenarian, I eagerly anticipate the initiation of clinical trials.
When centenarians are asked about their longevity, the common reply centers on diet. For instance, Maria Blañas Morela, the oldest known person when she passed at 117, consumed three yogurts daily. Jeanne Calment, often recognized as the oldest living person, attributed her remarkable age to olive oil, chocolate, and the occasional glass of port.
Diet plays a significant role in health and is essential for a long life. However, a better question to consider might be: “What did you avoid eating?”
This article is part of a special issue examining ways to achieve the healthiest and happiest year possible. Click here for more details!
For example, Lars Fadness from the University of Bergen in Norway and colleagues analyzed research from the global burden of disease report. Their findings indicate that a conventional Western diet—characterized by lower intake of refined grains, sugar, red and processed meats, and dairies, alongside lesser fresh fruits, vegetables, nuts, and fish—is not conducive to longevity. In fact, such diets contribute to approximately 11 million early deaths annually.
Researchers modeled the life expectancy impact of dietary changes, showing that if a typical 20-year-old woman in the US shifts to a diet focused on whole grains, fruits, vegetables, nuts, legumes, and fish, her life expectancy could rise from 80 to 89. Similarly, a 20-year-old man making the same dietary switch would see an increase from 76 to 86.
“Increasing whole grains, nuts, and legumes while minimizing processed and red meat can significantly improve health,” Fadness notes.
“
Even if your 20th birthday is long gone, there are compelling reasons to make a change “
Even if you’re past 20, there’s still value in changing your habits. For instance, a 60-year-old woman switching to this healthier lifestyle could gain over seven extra years, raising her life expectancy from 81.6 to 89.
Fadness also detailed how transitioning towards a diet less aligned with Western standards can extend life expectancy, albeit to a lesser degree than complete dietary optimization.
Eating lots of fresh vegetables can add years to your life
NRD/UNSPLASH
While these are theoretical models, real-world data supports the premise that diet plays a significant role in health over the years.
Last year, Zhaoli Dai-Keller and her team at the University of New South Wales investigated the nutritional habits of thousands of people aged 95 and older, focusing on individuals from community environments in East Asia, Australia, and Western Europe. These individuals have successfully aged, and their dietary patterns revealed valuable insights.
Avoid Excess Salt
The study found that those individuals exemplified dietary virtues. They consumed significantly less alcohol and adhered to a balanced, diverse diet featuring primarily fruits, vegetables, white meat, fish, and legumes. Notably, Dai-Keller highlighted, “Salt intake was notably lower among centenarians.” High salt consumption is linked to cardiovascular diseases, a leading cause of death globally.
In a related study, Anne Julie Tessier and Marta Guasch-Ferré from the Harvard Chan School of Public Health, reexamined data from two extensive studies that tracked over 105,000 individuals spanning three decades, searching for evidence of healthy aging, defined as reaching age 70 free from major chronic diseases and maintaining physical and mental acuity.
Only about 10% of participants met these criteria. Analysis showed that a key commonality among those who reached this goal was dietary habits, with the majority consistently following a Mediterranean diet during middle age. In contrast, those who indulged in fatty, salty, and meaty diets did not fare as well in aging healthily.
While reaching the age of 70 in good health does not guarantee a lifespan of 100, it certainly helps.
So, how much does body weight influence longevity, beyond simply what you eat? According to a 2024 study led by Dai-Keller, one defining characteristic of those over 95 is that they tend to be slender. Approximately half maintained normal weight, while a third experienced weight loss.
Weight and Daily Activities
Obesity does not appear to be a conducive factor for reaching 100 years. However, research showed that being overweight, as opposed to being obese, was beneficial for daily functions compared to maintaining a normal weight. Additionally, being underweight increased the risk of disability by about 25%.
This discussion leads us to calorie restriction, a method sometimes recommended for promoting longevity. One of the most reliable ways to prolong the lifespan of laboratory animals is to reduce caloric intake by over 25%. However, this is challenging for humans, and calorie restriction is yet to be proven effective in extending human lifespan. Even if it does extend life, it may compromise the ability to perform daily tasks.
In conclusion, to enhance your chances of living to 100 in optimal health, consider the crucial elements on your plate.
Illustration of rapamycin (red), a drug that inhibits proteins known as MTOR (blue)
Science Photo Library/Alamy
The anti-aging benefits of rapamycin may be related, at least in part, to its ability to prevent DNA damage in immune cells.
Initially created as an immunosuppressant for organ transplant patients, rapamycin blocks the function of the MTOR protein, which is crucial for cell growth and division. Studies suggest that low doses can extend the lifespan of various organisms, including the mouse, potentially by disrupting processes associated with aging, such as inflammation, intracellular breakdown, and decline in mitochondrial function.
Recent research by Lynn Cox and colleagues at Oxford University has demonstrated that rapamycin also appears to prevent DNA damage in certain types of immune cells. DNA damage is one of the key factors contributing to aging in our immune system, accelerating the aging process throughout the body.
The researchers conducted experiments with human T cells, a type of white blood cell responsible for fighting infections. When T cells were exposed to an antibiotic named zeocin alongside rapamycin, significant DNA damage occurred.
Results showed that rapamycin lowered DNA damage and tripled cell survival rates compared to T cells exposed to zeocin alone.
The researchers found no indication that the observed effects were due to other actions of rapamycin, such as preventing cell failure. “We consistently observe this effect regardless of whether rapamycin is administered prior to, during, or post-injury,” noted team member Ghada Arsare at Oxford University.
The rapid response suggests a direct impact. “The effect is very swift, indicating it influences the DNA damage response and accumulation. The lesions observed last about four hours, so it’s unlikely that there are downstream effects impacting other processes,” explained Cox.
According to Matt Kaeberlein from Washington University in Seattle, the findings support the notion that rapamycin can directly protect DNA, but “this is not the critical mechanism.” Researchers aim to explore rapamycin-induced alterations in RNA and proteins produced in immune cells.
In a separate part of the study, nine men aged 50 to 80 were assigned to receive either 1 milligram of rapamycin or a placebo daily. Blood tests conducted eight weeks later revealed that T cells from men taking rapamycin exhibited less DNA damage. Furthermore, neither group experienced a decrease in overall white blood cell counts, indicating that rapamycin does not negatively impact immune functionality. “Our findings confirm that low doses are safe, which is crucial,” stated Cox.
Mitigating DNA damage in the immune system may provide a pathway for reducing overall aging, according to Cox. Arsare highlighted the potential for rapamycin to be used preventively, such as for astronauts exposed to cosmic radiation.
“Rapamycin is particularly promising in addressing aging-related issues where DNA damage is a significant factor, such as skin aging,” noted Kaeberlein. Referring to a study, he added that local use of rapamycin reduces aging markers in human skin. However, he cautioned against generalizing results to other types of damage, such as radiation, given that Cox’s team used antibiotics to create DNA damage.
Zahida Sultanova from the University of East Anglia emphasized the necessity for trials involving women and individuals across various age groups, as the placebo-controlled experiments were limited to older men. Evidence from non-human animal studies indicates that rapamycin may have sex-specific and age-specific effects.
Exercise doesn’t need to be lengthy to yield substantial rewards
Sol Stock Ltd
If you’re skipping exercise due to time constraints, integrating just a few short bursts of activity—like 5 to 6 active sessions of 10 seconds each—can greatly impact your health. A US study revealed that individuals engaging in over a minute of intense activity daily had a significantly lower mortality risk over the next six years compared to those who were inactive.
Currently, only about 15% of adults participate in regular exercise, according to Emmanuel Stamatakis from the University of Sydney, Australia. “The majority of the adult population struggles with including regular exercise into their routine, whether due to a lack of interest or difficulty.”
To further investigate, Stamatakis and his team studied the health benefits associated with incidental exercise, which can occur through activities like walking downhill, playfully engaging with children, and carrying heavy objects. They monitored participants for one week as part of a larger health study, assessing their activity levels and examining mortality risks in the following year.
In 2023, findings from the UK Biobank study involving tens of thousands of participants indicated that those with approximately 4.4 minutes of daily active time were 38% less likely to die from any cause in the next seven to eight years compared to non-exercisers.
Additionally, the research included results from 3,300 individuals in the US NHANES study. “This group, on average, is significantly overweight and less active,” remarks Stamatakis.
This group only required 1.1 minutes of intense activity daily to lower their overall mortality risk by 38% over the subsequent six years.
This demonstrates that this less active US group experienced similar relative benefits with just 1.1 and 4.4 minutes of activity found in the fitter UK group; however, it doesn’t imply they reached the same health status. Participants in the US study generally had lower fitness levels to start with and were at a higher baseline risk of mortality.
“This observation may indicate a more sedentary, higher-risk demographic that benefits considerably from minor increases in activity, and I concur,” states Carlos Celis Morales from the University of Glasgow, UK. “This phenomenon is known as the ceiling effect; those with high fitness levels have diminished potential for further improvement, while individuals with lower fitness levels have significant room for enhancement.”
The findings further support the notion that even small amounts of intense, unintentional movement can yield substantial health benefits. However, Stamatakis cautions that causation hasn’t been firmly established yet. “While it seems logical that health benefits might exist,” he notes. “This type of study cannot definitively prove causality.”
His research team is planning future studies to provide stronger evidence that observed health improvements stem from increased incidental exercise. “Our long-term objective is to discover methods to incorporate more activity into people’s everyday lives without requiring trips to the gym,” Stamatakis expresses.
Paleontologists have uncovered fossilized tracks of reptile-like creatures from the early Carboniferous Tonan period, approximately 355 million years ago, within the snow plain formation in Victoria, Australia. This discovery indicates that such animals originated from Gondwana, where Australia was centrally located.
Artist’s impression of early reptile track makers from 355 million years ago. Image credit: Martin Ambrozik.
Tetrapods evolved from a group of fish that transitioned from aquatic to terrestrial life around 390 million years ago during the Devonian period.
These ancestral beings are the forebears of all modern vertebrates inhabiting land, including amphibians and various mammals, reptiles, and birds.
The oldest known amniotic fossils previously discovered date back to the late Carboniferous period, roughly 320 million years ago.
The findings from this 355 million-year-old snow plains slab, found by two amateur paleontologists, reveal that reptiles were already present 35 million years earlier than previously thought, at the dawn of the Carboniferous.
“Upon recognizing this, I understood that we had the oldest evidence globally of animals akin to reptiles, pushing back the evolutionary record by at least 35 million years beyond prior findings in the Northern Hemisphere,” stated Professor John Long from Flinders University.
“The fossilized tracks uncovered in the Mansfield region of northern Victoria, Australia, were created by creatures resembling small, agile, Goanna-like animals.”
A slab containing 355 million-year-old tracks from Australia’s Snowy Plains formation. Image credit: Long et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-025-08884-5.
“When I initially encountered this specimen, I was astounded. Just seconds later, I noticed that the nail impressions were remarkably preserved,” said Dr. Grzegorz Niedwiedzki, a researcher at Uppsala University.
“Nails are characteristic of all early amniotic species but are absent in other quadruped lineages,” added Per Erik Ahlberg, a professor at Uppsala University.
“The combination of nail marks and foot shapes suggests that the track maker was a primitive reptile.”
According to the research team, this discovery profoundly impacts the understanding of early tetrapod evolution.
Although all stem tetrapods and stem amniotes must have emerged during the Devonian period, evidence suggests that tetrapod evolution progressed significantly faster than previously believed, with far fewer Devonian tetrapods than assumed.
“Skeletons can reveal much about an animal’s capabilities, but trackways capture behavior and illustrate how the animal functioned,” explained Dr. Alice Clement from Flinders University.
“This new fossilized trackway we examined dates from the early Carboniferous, making accurate age identification crucial. We achieved this by comparing the various fish fauna in these rocks to similar morphotypes found in well-dated sedimentary layers from across the globe, providing a timeline constraint of approximately 10 million years.”
“This finding redefines a segment of evolutionary history,” remarked Dr. Gillian Garvey from La Trobe University.
“Much has occurred in Australia and Gondwana, indicating that the narrative is still unfolding.”
The findings are detailed in a paper published in the journal Nature.
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Ja Long et al. Early amniote tracks revise the timeline of tetrapod evolution. Nature published online on May 14th, 2025. doi:10.1038/s41586-025-08884-5
NASA announced on Tuesday that two astronauts have been stranded on the International Space Station since a problem with their Boeing spacecraft in June. Due to delays, they will have to remain there even longer.
The next astronaut launch to the ISS, originally scheduled for February, has been postponed to late March. This is to allow the new SpaceX spacecraft used for the mission more time to complete processing.
The four crew members currently on board the station must wait for the next crew member to arrive before departing in another SpaceX Dragon capsule. Among them are NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who are set to embark on the first test flight of Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft.
Originally planned to spend about a week on the space station, Williams and Wilmore have now been living and working in orbit for over nine months, including additional time due to the recent delay.
Typically, new crew members overlap with departing crew members for a short period on the ISS, known as the handover period. During this time, astronauts exchange information about ongoing experiments, maintenance projects, and other protocols.
When Williams and Wilmore finally depart, NASA astronaut Nick Haig and Russian cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov will also return home with them.
December 2, 2024, ISS astronaut Suni Williams. NASA (via Flickr)
According to officials, the new Dragon capsule scheduled for launch in late March should arrive at NASA’s processing facility in Florida in early January. Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, emphasized the meticulous attention to detail required in manufacturing, assembling, testing, and integrating a new spacecraft.
The capsule, known as Crew 10, will be launched by NASA astronauts Anne McClain and Nicole Ayers, Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov, and Japanese cosmonaut Takuya Onishi. Until then, the quartet will continue training for the mission at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston.
Back pain is a common discomfort that can be difficult to shake once it sets in. Researchers suggest a simple way to make back pain more manageable and potentially extend the time between episodes.
Over 600 million people worldwide suffer from back pain, with studies showing that 7 out of 10 individuals experience a relapse within a year after recovery. This makes back pain a major cause of disability globally (source).
The Spine Pain Research Group at Macquarie University in Australia conducted a study indicating that regular walking can help treat back pain. They suggest that some current exercise recommendations may not be suitable or practical due to cost or supervision requirements (source).
A recent study published in the journal Lancet focused on 701 adults who had recovered from low back pain lasting at least 24 hours. Participants were assigned to a personalized walking program, physical therapy sessions, or a control group with no treatment (Dr. Mark Hancock).
The researchers observed that the walkers experienced less back pain, reduced the need for medical assistance, and halved their sick leave. The time between episodes nearly doubled from 112 days to 208 days.
Dr. Hancock believes walking’s benefits come from gentle motion and muscle strengthening, as well as stress-relieving effects. While some experts agree that low-intensity exercise like walking can help with back pain, others suggest the study’s findings may not be groundbreaking.
In conclusion, while walking may not be a quick fix for back pain, it is a recommended low-intensity exercise that can provide relief over time. It’s important to keep moving and gradually improve rather than sitting still and doing nothing.
Glassy gels are a new class of materials that are as stiff as plastic but extremely stretchy.
Meishan Wang, North Carolina State University
When you think of gel, you might imagine something sludgy, but the new gel-like material has been engineered to be strong and transparent like glass, yet flexible enough to stretch to almost seven times its original length.
Michael Dickey The North Carolina State University researchers say they discovered the “glassy gel” when student Meishan Wang was experimenting with ionic liquids and kept finding unexpected mechanical properties. The material they came up with is more than 50 percent liquid, yet it's as strong as the plastic in water bottles, and it's also highly stretchable and sticky. “It has a lot of great properties,” Wang says.
Each glassy gel is made up of long molecules called polymers mixed with ionic liquid (essentially liquid salt). The gels are transparent solids that can withstand up to 400 times atmospheric pressure, yet easily stretch up to 670 percent. Dickey says this could make them suitable for building soft robotic grippers or for 3D printing deformable materials.
He and his colleagues created glassy gels from mixtures of several polymers and liquid salts, and found that their strength and stretchability depended on the exact ratios used.
“By simply changing the ratio of the two materials, we can make something as stretchy as a rubber band or as hard as glass,” Dickey says.
This is because the material's stretchability comes from the ionic liquid depositing in the spaces between the stiff polymer molecules, pushing them apart, while its strength comes from electrostatic attraction between the charged particles in the liquid and the polymer, which prevents the particles from moving apart completely.
The glassy gel is also capable of self-repair; cuts or breaks can be repaired by applying heat, causing the molecules at the broken edges to rejoin. Richard Hoogenboom Researchers at Ghent University in Belgium say the technique could be useful in some cases where traditional plastics are used, but that the formulations may need to be tweaked to only soften at high enough temperatures to avoid accidental softening.
Have you ever taken melatonin to help you sleep? Melatonin is a natural hormone involved in sleep. Our brains react to darkness by synthesizing melatonin, which helps regulate our internal and biological clocks. circadian rhythm. However, melatonin has many diverse functions that help maintain our health. It’s more than just a good night’s sleep.
For example, researchers have shown in the past that melatonin is an antioxidant and helps calm inflammation. When our bodies are damaged, the immune system initiates a natural repair response through inflammation, but excessive inflammation can actually harm cells. Scientists have discovered that melatonin has anti-inflammatory properties and can help stop harmful inflammation.
These properties have led scientists to propose that melatonin may also help heal injuries associated with severe inflammation, such as spinal cord injuries. These complex injuries are rooted in the central nervous system and can affect our ability to move, speak, and process information. Healing is very difficult because spinal cord cells cannot regenerate like other cells such as skin cells.
A team of Chinese scientists recently began testing whether melatonin can reduce spinal cord injuries in mice. They hypothesized that melatonin may do so through a biochemical pathway that activates it.anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects. Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway.
The researchers paralyzed the limbs of 100 mice to simulate spinal cord injury, then injected them with different doses of melatonin. They injected a control group of 25 mice with a placebo and compared their responses to mice receiving melatonin injections.
The scientists took sections of tissue from the spinal cords of mice before and after giving them melatonin. They stained the tissue to see if the cells were dead, dying, or normal. They found that mice injected with melatonin had fewer dead cells than the control group.
To see how the mice responded to these treatments at the cellular level, the scientists also investigated the energy factories in the mice’s cells, mitochondria. They stained the mice’s mitochondria and examined them under a microscope. Scientists have discovered that the mitochondria in mice are fatally affected by paralysis. They observed bubble-like structures within the mitochondria. vacuole, only in mice that did not receive melatonin. This means that the mouse’s cells died from lack of energy, just as plants die when they are deprived of water.
The research team confirmed that fewer vacuoles formed within mitochondria in mice injected with melatonin. They suggested that this means that melatonin’s antioxidant properties protect the membranes of our cellular power-generating factories, just as our skin protects us from the elements.
Scientists also tested whether melatonin could prevent inflammation and other changes in the chemical structure of cells by interacting with proteins.a protein called NLRP3 inflammasome Code of inflammation within our body. Scientists predicted that too much NLRP3 could promote injury, cause uncontrolled inflammation, and cause cell death.
The scientists used a gel-based method to separate proteins in tissue samples based on size. western blot, to detect what kind of proteins are made by mice injected with melatonin. They confirmed that melatonin interacted with the NLRP3 inflammasome in these mice through proteins of the Nrf2/ARE signaling pathway and reversed the inflammatory effects of NLRP3. They confirmed that melatonin reduced inflammation in these mice and prevented the progression of the simulated spinal cord injury.
The researchers concluded that melatonin may reduce spinal cord injury and provide insight into the recovery process. They suggested that future researchers should test whether melatonin’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects could treat other diseases associated with cell death, such as Alzheimer’s disease.
Dinosaurs may have been big and scary, but they weren’t lumbering beasts of prey. The more we learn about them, the more we realize how misguided our early reconstructions were. This glossy image feature compares historical depictions with our current knowledge. The difference is amazing.
white hole
Perhaps the most surprising scientific discovery of the past decade is that the universe is filled with black holes. They have been detected in an astonishing variety of sizes, with some having masses slightly more than the Sun and others billions of times larger. But what happens when black holes die? Carlo Rovelli reveals how they can rise again into new reflected forms. white hole.
dry january
Hard science shows that no matter how much alcohol you drink, it’s not good for your health. So should we reconsider the way we drink?
body dysmorphic disorder
If you suffer from body dysmorphia, an intense obsession with flaws in your appearance, you are not alone. It is thought to affect one in five young people. How is technology changing the way we see ourselves? We’ve taken a closer look at this often debilitating condition and put together a practical guide to alleviate your worries.
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meta quest 3: Tech expert Alex Hughes straps on the Meta Quest 3 and takes it for a spin. This headset has yet to deliver a truly viable home VR experience. finally Tell us about the future of virtual reality?
Do you have a genius dog? Scientists have identified the characteristics of a unique type of genius dog, and it all depends on how well they know their toys. If your dog can retrieve a toy by calling its name instead of chewing it up, you may have a genius.
Yellowstone eruption: National park. Wonders of nature. An existential threat? There are approximately 1,500 active volcanoes on Earth, 170 of which are in the United States. Few of these have captured our imaginations or evoked a collective sense of existential dread like Yellowstone. So, is the supervolcano threat worth the hype?
Issue 401 Released on January 19, 2024
don’t forget that BBC Science Focus Also available on all major digital platforms. There is a version of android, Kindle Fire and Kindle e-readers, but also, iOS app For iPad and iPhone.
Are hearing aids really worth the investment? Recent research suggests that they may be more beneficial than previously thought. In fact, a new study indicates that using hearing aids can decrease the risk of premature death by about 25%. Despite this, a large portion of adults with hearing loss in the US and UK do not use hearing aids, even though they could greatly benefit from them.
Researchers at the University of South Carolina conducted the study and are hoping that their findings will encourage more people with hearing loss to utilize hearing aids. Dr. Janet Choi, the study’s principal investigator, stated that the results are particularly interesting as they point to the possibility that hearing aids can contribute to overall health and longevity.
The study, which was published in the Lancet Health and Longevity journal and involved 10,000 participants, found that regular users of hearing aids had a considerably lower risk of death compared to non-users. The research also suggested that consistent use of hearing aids, rather than occasional use, was key to reaping the benefits for longevity.
This research indicates that hearing aids can lead to improved mental health and cognitive function, ultimately contributing to a longer and healthier life. Interestingly, the study found that factors such as degree of hearing loss, age, ethnicity, and income did not impact the benefits of hearing aids on lifespan.
These findings suggest that the benefits of using hearing aids go beyond improved hearing and may actually play a crucial role in promoting overall health and well-being.
To better cope with such heavy usage, a former Apple employee shared the best battery-saving hacks to help users see and scroll through TikTok texts throughout the day.
Tyler Morgan, who previously worked in sales at Apple and recently received 11.1 million views, has revealed the best tips and tricks to preserve battery power. Check him out @hitomidocameraroll or watch the video on TikTok.
First, Morgan warned users not to charge their iPhones to 100% or overnight. Instead, he recommended only allowing the battery to reach 80% to prevent chemical degradation once it reaches a full charge. Users can go to “Settings, Battery, Battery Health and Charging, [charging optimization]” to set a limit of 80%.
Tyler Morgan, who previously worked as a sales representative at Apple, recently racked up 11.1 million views after revealing his best tips and tricks for preserving battery power for as long as possible. Prima91 – Stock.adobe.com
Morgan also recommended turning off background activity by going to Settings, General, and clicking Background App Refresh. He explains that all the apps running in the background use battery power to keep them updated, so users can switch to updating only on Wi-Fi or when opened.
He warned that users should not charge their iPhones to 100% or overnight. tiktok.com/@hitomidocameraroll
Morgan suggested iPhone users turn off the “Hey, Siri” feature in Siri and Search for those who don’t rely on their personal assistant. He also recommended going to “Accessibility”, “Motion” and clicking “Reduce Motion” to save battery life.
Morgan then advised users to turn off automatic updates and reduce brightness and Bluetooth usage. He acknowledged that it might make the phone experience worse but could be useful in saving battery. He also showed viewers how to use iPhone features more efficiently, such as opening the video feature directly from the camera app and using the one-handed keyboard option.
Morgan advised users to turn off certain features such as automatic updates, background activity, and location services. tiktok.com/@hitomidocameraroll
This helpful hack comes after users experienced rapid battery drain and expressed privacy concerns following the iOS 17 upgrade. The latest software improvements, iPhone Operating System 17.2, include bug fixes related to virtual car keys and financial features, addressing these security concerns.
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