Tag Archives: Nose

How Your Nose Can Reveal Insights into Your Mental State

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It’s no surprise that stress is a key factor in various health issues, including mental health disorders like anxiety and depression, as well as physical ailments such as heart disease. There’s an urgent need for a straightforward, objective, and non-invasive method to study and assess stress. Interestingly, the temperature of an individual’s nose might provide valuable insights.

Our stress levels are shaped by our mental perceptions of situations and our physical responses to them. Factors such as genetics, social influences, and cultural backgrounds contribute to our unique stress responses.

Traditionally, stress has been measured in two ways. First, surveys are commonly used, typically administered after stress has occurred, which can disconnect participants from their immediate experiences. These surveys are also subjective; not everyone accurately identifies or articulates their feelings.

The second approach involves monitoring physical indicators like blood pressure, heart rate, and respiratory patterns. While these measures can appear more objective, they require specialized equipment in clinical settings, which can disrupt daily life. Ironically, the process of testing can itself induce stress, leading to an increase in the very markers being measured.

Exciting advancements in science suggest that thermal imaging, originally designed for identifying heat loss in structures, is now proving invaluable in tracking medical conditions related to temperature variations, such as infections, inflammation, and tumors. Researchers are now utilizing thermal cameras to assess stress levels based on facial temperature changes. Their research explores how temperature variations in the face can indicate stress.

When we experience stress, blood flow is redirected within our bodies. The nervous system prioritizes blood flow to vital sensory organs, such as the eyes and ears, while reducing blood circulation to the nose. This reduction in blood flow is detected as a decrease in temperature by thermal cameras. This phenomenon, known as “nose dip,” isn’t exclusive to humans; it has also been observed in both adults and children, as well as in nonhuman primates, suggesting an evolutionary connection to stress responses.

While undergoing stress, our nervous systems can redirect blood flow to heighten sensory awareness, resulting in a cooler nose. Since the nose remains relatively still, these temperature changes can serve as a clear indicator of stress.

The integration of thermal imaging with existing stress measurement techniques could revolutionize stress research. This method offers continuous monitoring in a non-intrusive manner, eliminating the need for lab environments or stressful questionnaires.

In the future, we may be able to utilize nose temperature as a form of biofeedback to help manage stress levels. This approach could support individuals—especially those who struggle to communicate their stress—by allowing for the monitoring of stress levels in high-pressure environments such as emergency rooms, trading floors, or even zoos.

Studies indicate that recognizing stress responses can enhance stress management. Making stress visible allows individuals to better understand its impacts on their mental and physical well-being before, during, and after stressful situations. The future of stress research promises to be groundbreaking.

Gillian Forrester is a professor of comparative cognition at the University of Sussex, UK. Tune in to hear her speak at New Scientist Live on October 18th.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

New ‘Molecular Shield’ Offers Relief from Hay Fever Symptoms in the Nose

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Sneezing and coughing are prevalent symptoms of hay fever

Mohammad Hosein Safaei/Unsplash

Individuals suffering from hay fever may find relief with a novel “molecular shield” designed to stop pollen from penetrating the nasal lining, likely with fewer side effects than traditional treatments.

Hay fever is an allergic response triggered by pollen interacting with IgE antibodies found in the nose, mouth, and eyes, leading to inflammation and symptoms like sneezing and itching. Common treatments, such as antihistamines and steroids, help reduce inflammation but often come with side effects, including drowsiness.

Seeking alternatives, Kaissar Tabynov from Kazakh National University of Agricultural Research and his team first collected blood samples from mice. They then isolated antibodies that did not participate in the allergic response but could bind to major mugwort pollen allergens, the primary trigger for hay fever. This binding action inhibited allergens from connecting with IgE antibodies in laboratory tests. “It acts as a molecular shield,” Tabynov explains.

To evaluate the shield’s effectiveness, the researchers induced mugwort pollen allergies in 10 mice by injecting them with allergens and chemicals to stimulate an immune response.

After a week, they administered small amounts of liquid containing the pollen-blocking antibodies into the noses of half the mice, gradually increasing the dosage over five days. The other group received saline solutions. An hour following each droplet, the mice were exposed to mugwort pollen at concentrations similar to those encountered during peak pollen seasons, according to Tabynov.

Following the final injection, the mice receiving the antibody treatment showed an average of 12 nose rubs over five minutes, in stark contrast to 92 in the saline group.

The researchers aimed to diminish inflammation and confirmed their success by imaging the nasal tissues collected from the mice at the study’s conclusion. This imaging revealed that the treatment not only had localized effects but also systemic ones. “Our research is the first to show that allergen-specific monoclonal antibodies can be administered intranasally to achieve both local and systemic protection against plant pollen allergies,” states Tabynov.

While the researchers did not assess potential side effects, they do not anticipate the adverse reactions associated with oral hay fever treatments, since the antibodies act at the site of allergen entry.

“This study represents a significant breakthrough and underscores the promise of intranasal therapies for allergic rhinitis. [hay fever] It lays the groundwork for early clinical trials exploring this method in humans,” remarks Sayantani Sindher from Stanford University in California.

Nonetheless, translating success in mice to human applications may prove challenging, and the antibodies will need to be modified to ensure they do not provoke an unexpected immune response in humans, Tabynov notes. If all goes well, the team hopes to advance this method to a nasal spray for human use within the next two to three years, he adds.

Such sprays could also address additional pollen types responsible for hay fever. “We envision a future where tailored antibody sprays can be made for individuals with sensitivities to different pollen varieties,” muses Tabynov.

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Source: www.newscientist.com

Research shows that foxes are less likely to sustain injuries while diving in the snow due to their elongated nose

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Certain fox species dive into the snow to catch prey. This is a hunting mechanism called rat hunting. Red fox (Vulpes Vulpes Vulpes) and arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) It can dive into the snow at a speed of 2-4m/s. Scientists at Cornell University have found in a new study that a highly curved, elongated snout generates less impact force when it penetrates the snow, reducing the chance of injury in a crash. This skull shape allows the fox to reach deep into the snow, giving it an advantage in catching small rodents at greater depths. As a result, the authors predict that red and arctic foxes living in snow-covered areas will have higher hunting success when hunting mice in the snow.

Yuku other. They studied a hunting technique employed by red foxes and arctic foxes known as mousing. In this hunting technique, they dive headfirst into the snow to capture their prey. Image credit: Yellowstone National Park.

The red fox and the arctic fox dive into the snow to catch their prey. This behavior is known as mouse trapping.

These foxes can locate animals under several feet of snow due to their excellent sensitivity to rustling sounds that peak at frequencies between 2 and 10 kHz.

The fox senses the location of its prey and quickly dives into the snow at 2 to 4 meters per second, catching it completely by surprise.

Previous studies investigated this mouse behavior in terms of diving mechanisms and success rates.

Red foxes tended to jump in a northeast direction, and hunting success was much higher when foxes jumped in this direction compared to all other directions, suggesting that foxes take advantage of the Earth's magnetic field. It was suggested that they were hunting.

However, the mechanical aspects of snow diving, which are also important for hunting success, are not well understood.

“The fox's sharp snout does not compact the snow significantly and penetrates it with little resistance,” said Professor Seong-Hwan Jeong, a researcher in Cornell University's Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering.

In the study, Professor Jung and his colleagues scanned the skulls of foxes and arctic foxes, as well as lynx and puma skulls.

They 3D printed skulls and attached sensors to each to measure impact forces.

The skulls were then dropped into both snow and water, and the researchers fed the data into a computer model to compare the effects of both.

Researchers found that the fox's sharp nose penetrates the snow with little resistance, minimizing potential tissue damage when diving headfirst.

Professor Chong said, “Despite the high-speed impact, snow behaves like water if it is not compressed very much.''

“However, the flattened feline's snout compacted the snow upon impact, creating significant and potentially damaging drag.”

When targeting mice in the snow, the fox's long snout allows it to reach its prey faster, since the mouse is very sensitive to surrounding movements and can quickly escape.

Other behavioral studies have shown that foxes listen for the rustling of mice and other animals beneath the snow by shaking their heads before plunging, thereby gauging the depth of the sound source.

“Although this is a very dangerous process, there have been no reports of foxes being injured,” Professor Chong said.

Regarding this research, paper inside Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

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Jisoo Yuk other. 2024. Effects of skull morphology on fox snowdiving. PNAS 121 (19): e2321179121; doi: 10.1073/pnas.2321179121

Source: www.sci.news