Health & Science
An Earth-like world nearby
Astronomers have identified an exoplanet only 11 light-years away from Earth that could potentially have the right conditions to support life, reports BBC.com. The newfound world, dubbed Ross 128b, is orbiting in close proximity to a dim red dwarf star known as Ross 128; researchers detected its presence when they identified minute wobbles in Ross 128’s motion. Red dwarfs, the most common stars in the universe, tend to bombard nearby planets with flares of radiation that strip their atmosphere and obliterate life. But Ross 128 is relatively “quiet”; it doesn’t appear to emit these killer flares. If Ross 128b has an Earth-like atmosphere, it would likely have a temperate climate ranging from minus 76 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit—making it a promising place to look for alien life. When more powerful mega-telescopes become operational in the mid-2020s, astronomers plan to examine the planet’s atmosphere for signs of water, oxygen, or methane. Lead researcher Xavier Bonfils, from the Institute of Planetology and Astrophysics in France, says discovering any one of the three would be “an important step toward the evidence of life outside our solar system.”
Exercise stops brain shrinkage
After people turn 40, their brain shrinks by about 5 percent every 10 years. But new research suggests aerobic exercise could have a protective effect, slowing this agerelated deterioration and keeping the mind sharp over time. To investigate the effects of exercise on the hippocampus, a brain region essential for creating and storing memories, an international team of researchers analyzed 14 previous studies, involving 737 people between ages 24 and 76. Some of the participants were healthy; others suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, depression, or schizophrenia. The researchers split the subjects into two groups—people who engaged in various fitness regimens for up to two years and those who didn’t exercise—and compared scans of their brains. They found that aerobic activity appeared to dramatically increase the size of the left region of the hippocampus. “When you exercise, you produce a chemical called brain-derived neurotrophic factor,” lead author Joseph Firth from Western Sydney University tells ScienceDaily.com. “[That] may help to prevent age-related decline by reducing the deterioration of the brain.”
FDA approves ‘smart pill’
In a landmark move, the Food and Drug Administration has approved the first digital pill—medication that lets doctors know whether and when patients have taken it. The “smart pill” in question consists of Abilify, a medication for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, and a minuscule tracking system. Once the tablet reaches the gut and comes into contact with stomach acid, an embedded sensor the size of a grain of sand sends an electrical signal to a patch worn on the patient’s skin. The patch then wirelessly relays the signal to up to five predesignated smartphones, verifying the date and time the drug was ingested. The pill, which is scheduled to roll out next year, could help patients adhere to their treatment plan. Medication noncompliance costs an estimated $100 billion a year, because people become sicker and need further treatment, reports The New York Times. But critics have warned that the technology raises privacy issues and could make patients feel paranoid, or coerced into taking drugs that may cause unwanted side effects. If used improperly, warns Harvard Medical School’s Ameet Sarpatwari, the digital pill “could foster more mistrust instead of trust.”
Health scare of the week
Blood clots from watching TV
People who spend a lot of time in front of the television may be at greater risk for dangerous blood clots that form in deep veins— even if they exercise regularly, new research shows. “Watching TV itself isn’t likely bad,” explains study author Mary Cushman from the University of Vermont. “But we tend to snack and sit still for prolonged periods while watching.” Sitting without moving slows blood circulation, which increases the risk for a blood clot in a vein, known as deep vein thrombosis (DVT). These clots can become dislodged and get trapped in the lungs, reports MedicalNewsToday.com. When Cushman and her colleagues examined the TV habits of 15,158 middle-aged adults, they found that those who watched TV “very often” were at 1.7 times higher risk for blood clots than those who did so rarely or never. Among those who exercised, DVT risk was slightly higher among the people who watched TV “very often” but still managed the recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity— suggesting that bouts of physical activity aren’t enough to offset the harmful effects of sedentary TV binge-watching. ■
