how Climate change harms our sleep
Climate change that leads to warmer than normal nights can do major harm to human sleep. The findings showed that abnormal increases in night temperature by 1 degree Celsius can translate to three nights of insufficient sleep per 100 individuals per month in the US. If climate change is not addressed, warmer temperatures could cause six additional nights of insufficient sleep per 100 individuals by 2050 and approximately 14 extra nights per 100 by 2099, the researchers said. “Sleep has been well-established as a critical component of human health. Too little sleep can make a person more susceptible to disease and chronic illness, and it can harm psychological well-being and cognitive functioning,” said lead author Nick Obradovich. “Ambient temperature can not only play a role in disrupting sleep but also that climate change might make the situation worse by driving up rates of sleep loss.”
designer virus could help fight cancer
Scientists have created artificial ‘designer’ viruses that can target cancer by alerting the body’s immune system and sending killer cells to fight tumours. The findings may pave the way for novel cancer treatments. Most cancer cells only provoke a limited reaction by the immune system — the body’s defence mechanism — and can thus grow without appreciable resistance. By contrast, viral infections cause the body to release alarm signals, stimulating the immune system to use all available means
to fight the invader. Immunotherapies, used to treat cancer for many years, ‘disinhibit’ the body’s defence system and thus strengthen its half-hearted fight against cancer cells. Stimulating the immune system to specifically and wholeheartedly combat cancer cells, however, has remained elusive.
sad music may lead to depression
listening to sad music in a group and talking about sad things tend to make people feel more depressed, says a study. This kind of group rumination with music was more common in younger people, and likely reflects relative importance of both music and social relationships to younger people, the study found. “These results reveal important information about how people with depression use music,” said corresponding author, Sandra Garrido from Western Sydney University, Milperra, Australia. “Susceptible individuals with a predilection for rumination may be most likely to suffer negative outcomes from group rumination, with social feedback deepening and exacerbating negative thoughts and feelings,” Garrido said.