SciPod

Laura Perucchetti and colleagues at the British Museum have uncovered a group of skilfully crafted counterfeit ancient coins that may be one of the earliest examples of forgers using scientific analysis to dupe collectors. By examining the composition of the coins and comparing them with genuine artefacts, experts believe the forgers deliberately used ancient metal to avoid detection. The findings...

Dental features have been used to estimate age in humans for centuries and may be used with great accuracy in both living and deceased individuals. However, refinement of these techniques to align with modern clinical practice is ongoing. Dr Hosam Alharbi and colleagues at Qassim University in Saudi Arabia have introduced an amended version of an established technique to assess whether dental imag...

Corporate responsibility is increasingly crucial for businesses, but it comes with challenges. Using Hershey as an example, Professor Bertrand Guillotin of the Fox School of Business at Temple University explores the chocolate industry's struggle with child labor in West Africa. Despite commitments to eradicate this issue, progress has been slow. He examines the changing governance landscape, evol...

What is the impact of the ‘culture wars’ on American businesses? Professor Bertrand Guillotin at the Fox School of Business at Temple University explores this phenomenon using the case of Chick-fil-A, a fast-food giant caught in the crossfire of social issues. From its conservative Christian roots to recent attempts at inclusivity, he explores how CEO Andrew Cathy has so far navigated this complex...

Cardiovascular disease remains a leading cause of death globally. Atherosclerosis, the hardening and narrowing of arteries, is the primary underlying cause. The endothelium, a single layer of cells lining blood vessels, plays a crucial role in vascular health and disease. Disrupted endothelial function can lead to serious conditions such as thrombosis and hypertension and facilitates atherosclerot...

Studying single molecules provides researchers with unique insights into biological mechanisms and processes and allows them to visualise microscopic structural and functional differences. However, results can be unpredictable, and investigations are labour-intensive and expensive, often requiring extensive training and highly specialised laboratory equipment. Dr Rishabh Shetty and colleagues at A...

Whether policymaking can develop solutions for the inevitable problems that capitalism creates has long been a concern of political economists. One of these issues is rising inequality across the USA and other countries. Inequality is a significant risk for political stability, so it is vital to understand how democratic societies respond to it. Progressive taxation policies, which tax the rich at...

Today, the success of businesses and technologies relies on their ability to make quick decisions to address complex problems. To make matters more complex, these problems often involve a vast amount of data. Dr Marius Nagy at Prince Mohammad Bin Fahd University, together with Dr Naya Nagy, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, investigate the ability of quantum computers to act as an ‘oracle’,...

In a novel exploration of human radicalism, defined by governments as violent attacks, Dr Jerome Premmereur, a cardiologist and a clinical research expert based in the United States, draws on the philosophy of Baruch Spinoza to propose innovative solutions to the pressing societal issue of terrorism. His new book, “A Biological, Psychological and Philosophical Approach to Human Nature and Radicali...

In the world of chemistry, solvate-assisted grinding is a new method that could revolutionize how we make important chemical compounds. Researchers Henry DeGroot and Dr. Timothy Hanusa at Vanderbilt University have developed this technique, which uses mechanical energy instead of traditional liquids. This not only makes the process more efficient, but also reduces pollution. It could lead to bette...

克里斯托弗•巴克是一名来自美国马里兰州贝塞斯达国家癌症研究所的病毒学家，他一直都在努力向公众宣传：越来越多的科学文献都提出了 “薄荷和相关草本植物在抵抗新冠病毒感染方面发挥着重要的作用”这一发现。在他最新发表的一篇文献综述《薄荷与新冠病毒的假说》中，他为这一发现提出了一个论据：去中心化临床试验可以更清晰地揭示“薄荷和相关草本植物在抵抗新冠病毒感染方面发挥着重要的作用”。

Dr. Christopher Buck, Virologe am US National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, setzt sich dafür ein, eine wachsende Zahl wissenschaftlicher Studien bekannt zu machen, die darauf hinweisen, dass Minze und verwandte Kräuter bei der Bekämpfung von COVID -Infektionen helfen können. In seinem jüngsten Übersichtsartikel "Die Minze-gegen-Covid-Hypothese" argumentiert er, dass dezentralisierte klin...

Pressing environmental challenges, such as soil degradation, biodiversity loss, and climate change, can negatively affect agriculture, while also being driven by common agricultural practices. To tackle this predicament and ensure food security while promoting environmental sustainability, innovative agricultural practices are essential. Permaculture, a holistic approach to farming that mimics the...

The role of EU trade policy is evolving in today's complex global landscape. Dr. Andrea Christou and Professor Chad Damro at the University of Edinburgh have studied how the EU balances traditional market-oriented goals with emerging geopolitical pressures. Their analysis explores how different EU bodies frame trade policy, highlighting the contrast between the EU's broader geopolitical strategy a...

We are facing a climate crisis that threatens our entire world and life as we know it. Despite this, scientists have found it difficult to engage people on the issue and inspire effective action. Dr Alan Cottey at the University of East Anglia explores the history of scientists’ climate warnings and suggests a four-register model of communication that he believes has the potential to reach people...

Developing therapies to effectively treat cancerous tumors is challenging, due to the hostility of the tumor microenvironment and the potential to unintentionally damage surrounding tissues. Infusions of immune cells can improve immune function and assist the body in fighting disease, although this approach increases the risk of inducing dangerous inflammatory responses. Dr. Archana Thakur and her...

Motor neurone disease is a currently incurable and progressive neurological disorder that severely impacts muscle function. As the disease progresses, individuals with motor neurone disease experience significant difficulties in movement, speech, swallowing, and breathing. Home mechanical ventilation can be used to support breathing and improve the quality of life. However, while this can alleviat...

When the pandemic forced scientists to consider remote working strategies, many groups turned to online bioinformatic research. A team led by Dr. Christopher Buck at the US National Cancer Institute turned lockdown lemons into lemonade. They reoriented away from their usual work directly discovering viruses in clinical specimens to a broader, more comprehensive search aimed at finding viruses lurk...

Reconciliation and peace are emerging themes in tourism, with various post-conflict countries offering tours focused on peacebuilding. In the last few years, reconciliation tourism initiatives, which are defined as tourism services in which reconciliation is a major theme, have been also introduced in Israel and the Palestinian territories in the West Bank, amidst ongoing conflicts. Professor Yani...

Premature birth puts infants at a greater risk of developing various medical conditions, including a chronic lung disease known as bronchopulmonary dysplasia – or BPD for short. Dr. Rebecca Rose, a neonatologist at Indiana University, recently explored how modulating ventilator settings used for very premature newborns can significantly improve their outcomes.

Filicide, the killing of a child by a parent or a parental figure, is a heinous and incomprehensible crime. Professor Thea Brown, with her colleagues Associate Professor Danielle Tyson and Dr Paula Fernandez Arias from the Monash Deakin Filicide Research Hub shared between Monash and Deakin Universities, has been studying filicide for years, in the hope of uncovering common factors linked to filic...

The development of safe and effective medicines that meet strict regulatory requirements has traditionally involved extensive experimentation, which can be laborious and costly. Incorporating digital processes, which can be used to produce individual pharmaceutical components, may provide a solution to manufacturing challenges by reducing development time, resource requirements, and costs. The Fut...

Tuberculosis – or TB – is a global health threat, with 10 million new cases annually. Diagnosing TB can be a challenge, as there is a lack of rapid, point-of-care diagnostic tests. It can also be difficult to distinguish between TB and other inflammatory diseases, such as Sarcoidosis. One option may be to identify antibodies in patient samples that can reveal the presence of TB. However, current a...

Many diseases become more likely to emerge as we age, with metabolic disorders such as diabetes, and neurodegenerative conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, representing two frequent manifestations of poor health in old age. While many age-related diseases present very differently, many share common underlying mechanisms. These include inflammation, a build-up of reactive oxygen molecules that...

With a history as rich as its flavour, chocolate in its various forms has been loved by people for over 5000 years. Currently, however, chocolate is facing a serious threat. The improper disposal of cocoa waste products is spreading devastating diseases through cocoa crops across the world. To address this serious problem, Dr Piergiorgio Gentile from Newcastle University and Dr Joel Girón-Hernánde...