The liver is an amazing organ. Not only is it capable of regenerating itself to repair damage from toxins, like alcohol, but the liver apparently never ages, either.

According to new research, the liver is almost always just under three years old. The concept of liver age has been a medical conundrum for decades. Studying animal livers has yet to offer any kind of answer, so scientists with TU Dresden looked at human livers to try to discern more about our body’s filter.

Your liver never ages beyond three years old

Image source: bluebay2014 / Adobe

An international team of scientists at TU Dresden analyzed the livers of multiple individuals between the age of 20 and 84. Every individual’s liver cells showed that they were roughly the same age. “No matter if you are 20 or 84, your liver stays on average just under three years old,” Dr. Olaf Bergmann, lead researcher on the study, explained in a release.

The examinations of the different livers showed that liver age is constantly maintained thanks to an ongoing replacement system. As such, the body appears to closely regulate the process to ensure liver regeneration is working as intended. It’s an intriguing discovery and one that will no doubt help us uncover more about the human liver – such as what drives its regenerative properties overall.

But, not all cells in the liver remain the same age. Some cells do age beyond that three-year marker. The researchers found that a fraction of the cells in the human liver can live up to a decade before they renew. These cells tended to have more DNA than the others. Where normal liver cells have two sets of chromosomes, these longer-living cells included four, eight, or even more chromosomes.

How nuclear fallout taught scientists about our livers

Cells pinpointed with the white arrow showcase normal chromosome levels. Cells with yellow arrows showcase those with more than two chromosomes. Image source: TU Dresden

Perhaps one of the most intriguing parts of this study on liver age is how the scientists came to their conclusions. One of the biggest problems surrounding liver age research is that animal models often can’t be applied to humans.

However, the scientists were able to apply aspects of radiocarbon birth dating to help us better understand our livers. In the 1950s, the government carried out multiple aboveground nuclear tests. Not only have these tests had a lasting effect on our planet, but they also released large amounts of radiocarbon into the atmosphere.

As a result, the radiocarbon made its way into the plants, the animals, and eventually humans. Further, cells that formed within that period would have had higher amounts of radiocarbon in the DNA. But aboveground nuclear testing was banned in 1963. This means the radiocarbon levels have been declining for years. And those levels helped play a part in how the scientists studied liver age.

The researchers looked at the level of radiocarbons in the atmosphere, then compared that to the levels in liver cells. This allowed them to get a better look at the age of the cells that make up our livers. The researchers published their findings in Cell Systems this month.

The post Your liver is always less than three years old or younger appeared first on BGR.

Fireflies are one of the best parts of warm summer nights. The dancing, flickering lights of these tiny bugs have enamored people for centuries. Now, a group of scientists at MIT have created robot lightning bugs inspired by nature. Not only can these robots fly, but they also emit light. Just like real-life fireflies.

From performing simple tasks to helping explore the Moon, humans have found many uses for robots. But what could robots the size of an insect do? Well, the possibilities, as it turns out, are quite endless.

Check out these robot lightning bugs that MIT researchers created

Making robot lightning bugs that are built to insect-scale isn’t easy. And, there are a lot of factors to consider. After all, at such a small size, these robots can’t really be fitted with sensors and other tracking tech. That’s not even taking into account the need to keep the robot’s weight down as low as possible to make flying smoother.

But, because these robots can emit light, the researchers can track them without sensors. Instead, all the researchers need is a camera capable of picking up the emitted light. Normally, we’d have to rely on bulky infrared cameras. Which would make the robot’s usefulness outdoors unlikely.

However, the researchers proved they can track the robot lightning bugs using a standard smartphone camera. And, the researchers say, they could even teach them how to communicate using their lights, similar to how real fireflies communicate.

The glow up

Image source: sihasakprachum / Adobe

One of the most challenging parts of the process was creating small robots capable of emitting light. While it might not sound difficult, you still have to take the weight and overall size of the robot lightning bugs into account. As such, the researchers at MIT had to embed minuscule electroluminescent particles into the artificial muscles the robot utilizes.

Altogether, the process added around 2.5 percent more weight to the robot. However, it didn’t affect its flight performance, a key factor the researchers had to consider. Another intriguing part of these robots is how they move around.

Unlike drones, which require propeller-like systems to move around, the robot lightning bugs use artificial muscles capable of flapping built-on wings. That means that MIT’s robot is actually flapping wings to take off, instead of forcing air underneath it like a propeller system. To make the light-emitting qualities work, the researchers had to create an electrode that wouldn’t block light.

To do this, they used highly transparent carbon nanotubes. These nanotubes are only a few nanometers thick. As such, they allow the light to pass through them easily and clearly. The researchers published a paper on the robot lightning bugs in IEEE Robotics and Automation Letters earlier this month.

The post Watch MIT’s fascinating little robot lightning bugs take flight appeared first on BGR.

A new experimental cystinosis treatment has proven successful but has also had an unintended side effect. According to a report, four out of five patients who have taken part in a clinical trial to treat cystinosis have seen a change in their hair color following treatment.

When someone has cystinosis, their body builds up an abnormal amount of cystine. This amino acid created crystals, called cystine crystals, throughout the body. That buildup can affect many parts of the body. And, because it’s genetic, the disease is passed down through families. Oftentimes, patients with cystinosis vomit a lot, suffer from dehydration, and can even develop more serious problems, too.

This experimental cystinosis treatment has a weird side effect

Image source: geargodz/Adobe

Jordan Janz was 20 years old when he began an experimental cystinosis treatment. As a rare, genetic disease with no known cure at the time, finding a way to treat cystinosis was a top priority for doctors for decades. That’s because on average, people diagnosed with cystinosis only live to be around 28 and a half years old.

That’s not a very long life, especially when you consider that a disease like cystinosis isn’t something you have any control over picking up. The doctors extracted blood stem cells from Janz’s bone marrow and then began genetically modifying them in a lab. At the same time, Janz had to undergo chemotherapy to destroy the rest of the faulty cells.

Janz told The Atlantic that the entire process of the cystinosis treatment was “physically grueling.” The chemo even got so bad, that Janz was unable to eat because he developed sores in his mouth that were extremely painful. As a result of the chemo, Janz also lost all his then pale-blond hair. Hair loss is a common side effect of chemotherapy, so it wasn’t unusual to see it happen in Janz’s case.

Growing back darker

Image source: BFWood/Amazon

What was unusual though, was how his hair grew back after the cystinosis treatment was administered. See, a big part of the treatment required the doctors to genetically modify his stem cells. They modified them to express the gene that cystinosis mutates, a gene called CTNS.

With the new cells in, his white blood cells began pumping out the protein, clearing away the cystine crystals that had accumulated.

After a while, the hair that he had lost during chemo even began to grow back. Though, as noted above, the cystinosis treatment caused it to grow back darker, almost black. Now, a few years after the treatment, Janz’s hair has settled into a darker blonde. A big change from the pale blonde he had earlier in his life.

But what causes these changes? Well, As it turns out, the cystinosis gene also plays a part in your body’s hair pigments. While not every patient diagnosed with cystinosis has different colored skin or hair, it has been noted in many individuals with the disease. So, when the cystinosis treatment began clearing out the abnormal build-up, it may have kicked things to where they’re meant to be.

Unfortunately, there’s still a lot we don’t know about the cystinosis gene. And this cystinosis treatment won’t reverse the damage that the disease has already done to patients’ bodies. But, it can stop the progression of the disease, especially in younger individuals.

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen genetic modification used to treat ailments. But, if it works, Stephanie Cherqui, a stem-cell scientist at UC San Diego and one of the scientists behind the trial of the cystinosis treatment, says that it could prevent future kids with the disease from having to live a life of suffering.

The post This experimental treatment for a rare disease has a crazy side effect: A new hair color appeared first on BGR.

The healthiness of beer has been under scrutiny for quite a while. Some argue that even drinking two beers a day can damage your brain. Others say even a little alcohol can raise your risk of cancer. Now, though, the tables have turned, and scientists say drinking lager beer can actually be good for you. So long as you do it in moderation.

Is drinking beer actually good for you?

Image source: HQY/Amazon

According to a new study, drinking one lager (whether alcoholic or non-alcoholic) a day can be very good for you. That’s because lager beer appears to increase the diversity of your gut bacteria. This, the researchers behind the study say, can reduce the risk for some diseases.

According to a press release shared by the American Cancer Society, our gastrointestinal tracts house trillions of microorganisms. These microorganisms can directly impact our body’s well-being. Additionally, scientists say the more bacterium types we have present, the lower our chances of contracting chronic diseases will be.

But what does this have to do with lager beer and whether or not beer is good for you? Well, the question of whether or not beer is good for you has been on everyone’s mind for decades.

Previous studies have looked into whether beer can provide additional bacteria diversity in the human gut. But nobody had ever really tested whether drinking alcoholic or non-alcoholic beer was good or bad for you.

Distilling results

Image source: BRAD/Adobe

According to the researchers, who published their study in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, it doesn’t matter whether the beer is alcoholic or non-alcoholic. In their study, two groups drank 11 fluid ounces of lager beer at dinner for four weeks.

At the end of the four-week period, the participants all had more diverse gut bacteria, supposedly proving that beer is actually good for you.

It’s an interesting set of results, and worth noting because it dived into whether the beer had to be alcoholic or non-alcoholic. Of course, as I noted above, there is a lot of research and background around how healthy drinking beer can be. And much of it points toward consuming alcohol of any kind as being unhealthy.

As such, the researchers say that people who want to drink a beer a day may choose to go with a non-alcoholic beverage. It will provide a more diverse set of bacteria in your gut but will also avoid the unhealthy concerns that alcohol brings to the table.

The post New study shows why it’s actually good to drink a beer a day appeared first on BGR.

A group of researchers made gene-edited hamsters that were meant to be less aggressive. The researchers used CRISPR, a gene-editing platform, to remove a gene they believed was responsible for aggressive behavior in hamsters. However, the genetic modification had a much different effect. Instead of being more docile, the hamsters became overly aggressive.

Scientists accidentally made angry and aggressive gene-edited hamsters

Image source: stockcrafter / Adobe

Hamsters have been at the heart of many animal studies for decades. That’s because these furry little rodents have a social organization and a stress response that is very human-like. Because of this, scientists have used the rodents to try to better understand what governs social behaviors like anger, stress, and so on.

Several decades ago, back in the early 1980s, a group of researchers discovered that a hormone known as arginine vasopressin (AVP) could change the behavior of hamsters. From here, the scientists dug deeper into the differences between the sexes of hamsters and the AVP receptor, called Avpr1a. It’s this hormone that was changed in the gene-edited hamsters.

Previously, researchers found that males injected with Avpr1a activators became more aggressive, while female hamsters became less aggressive. Alternatively, when injecting males with Avpr1a inhibitors, males became more docile, while females became aggressive. More research into the hamster’s response to Avpr1a showed how it regulates aggression in the rodents. At least, we thought it did.

Turning decades of research on its head

Image source: Pushpangadan / Adobe

In 2007, another test saw researchers removing the Avpr1a gene in male mice. They expected to see reduced aggression because of the lack of AVP signaling. However, the mice showed no difference in aggression levels than normal mice. Now, researchers have tested this same idea by creating gene-edited hamsters.

The researchers used CRISPR-Cas9 to remove the Avrpr1a receptor gene in both male and female hamsters. As with the mice, they expected it to reduce aggression levels overall. However, that hypothesis was incorrect. Instead, the female and male gene-edited hamsters both became more aggressive. They were even going so far as to attack other hamsters of the same sex.

The results are puzzling, to be sure, especially with almost four decades of research into how Avpr1a affects these animals. While we know that AVP increases social behaviors, scientists now say it could have more global effects too. Instead of linking these receptors to single parts of the brain, the researchers say we need to see how they affect “entire circuits of the brain.”

This isn’t the first time we’ve used gene editing to mess around with animals. Scientists have also tried gene-editing in cats, as well as created genetically modified cockroaches. The researchers published their findings on the experiment in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

The post Researchers created gene-edited hamsters full of rage in an experiment gone wrong appeared first on BGR.

Scientists may have found a way to measure your risk of death. A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine posits that a 10-second balance test could help measure your overall risk of dying.

A 10-second test may be able to measure your risk of death

Balance can play a key part in your overall health. Image source: Amazon

The study was conducted by several scientists using a pool of 1,702 people aged between 51 to 75 years. They examined data about the participants taken between 2008 and 2020 and measured how well they could perform a 10-second one-legged balance test. The results, they say, could allow doctors to better measure your risk of death.

The 10-second test requires the participant to stand on one leg, with the free leg resting on the back of the standing leg. They then place their hands at their side and try to stay still. During the study, the participants were given three chances to complete the balance test. Around 20 percent were unable to complete the test. The number of people unable to complete it also increased with age.

Five percent of participants between 51 and 55 failed, while 8 percent between 56 and 60 failed. From there, 18 percent of people aged 61 to 65 failed, and then 37 percent of those 66 to 70 years of age failed. Finally, 54 percent of people between 71 and 75 years of age failed the test to measure their risk of death.

Measuring mortality

Image source: JHDT Productions/Adobe

The researchers found that most who failed the balance test tended to have higher body weights, or suffered from cardiovascular disease, type-2 diabetes, or high cholesterol. Additionally, after they adjusted the findings for age, sex, and existing health conditions, the scientists believe those who failed had an 84 percent increased risk of death over the next seven years.

But how does it work? These findings are intriguing, to say the least. However, it is important to look at the wider picture that the doctors were painting here. This balance test may be able to measure your risk of death. However, it isn’t a way to prevent heart disease, diabetes, or any other diseases. It’s simply an “all-cause mortality” test.

Balance is an important aspect of our body. And many doctors believe that balance can be a good indicator of how healthy a person is. Since the test only takes 10 seconds to complete it isn’t a bad way to measure the possible risk of death. However, it also isn’t going to tell you any in-depth information about your risk of any diseases or other issues.

As such, the researchers are pushing for the balance test to be added to regular doctor visits. Alongside the other tests we run, it could increase the chance of catching diseases or issues before they advance. There are, of course, other things you can do to reduce your risk of death, like watching less TV each day.

The post This 10-second test could measure your risk of death, study says appeared first on BGR.

Mars was not always the rocky, lifeless planet that we know it to be now. At least, all of the science seems to point towards that truth. For years, NASA has been discovering more about our neighboring planet. And now, the space agency’s Curiosity rover has discovered even more evidence that water once covered parts of the Martian surface.

Curiosity rolls past ancient rocks formed by water on Mars

Ancient streambed rocks discovered on Mars. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS

In August of 2021, NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on the Martian surface. It was a historic day, one followed several years later by the landing of NASA’s Perseverance rover at another spot on the planet. Since its landing, Curiosity has made a number of discoveries. Many of those discoveries have added evidence to the belief that water once flowed on Mars.

Now, Curiosity has discovered even more evidence of that while exploring a region known as the Gale Crater. Earlier this month, as Curiosity made its trek up Mount Sharp, a 3-mile-high peak in the Gale Crater, it discovered flaky, streambed rocks. It captured images of the rocks, which NASA says may have formed in an ancient streambed or small pond of water on the Martian surface.

A dry timeline

Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/Cornell/Arizona State Univ.

But Curiosity has been finding evidence of water on Mars for years. What’s most intriguing about these new discoveries is that it creates a clear timeline for how the Martian surface began to dry up. As Curiosity made its trek toward the mountain’s peak, the space agency noted several changes in the makeup of the ground the rover is passing over.

“We no longer see the lake deposits that we saw for years lower on Mount Sharp,” Ashwin Vasavada, a project scientist for Curiosity at NASA JPL explained. “Instead, we see lots of evidence of drier climates.

Vasavada says the environment is more reminiscent of dry dunes with streams of water running around them. It’s a massive change from the lakes of water on Mars we believe persisted for millions of years before. NASA plans to drill into the rock around the area for a more in-depth look at the mineral composition.

The space agency isn’t quite sure exactly what it will find when it does so. But what we do know is that the evidence is stacking up. Mars was perhaps once a lush paradise, but something made that paradise fall. Something catastrophic caused all the water on Mars to dry up, and the land to become the sandy wasteland we now know.

Perhaps, as we study the Martian surface more, we’ll be able to glean some information on what exactly happened. And, when NASA sends humans to Mars in 2030, perhaps we’ll be able to learn even more.

The post Curiosity has discovered ancient rocks formed by water on Mars appeared first on BGR.

Andrew McCarthy, a known astrophotographer, has captured video of a thunderstorm, unlike anything you’ve likely ever seen. He shared the video on his Instagram and also has a composite print of the event available on his website.

This thunderstorm video gives you a close-up look at our planet’s explosive nature

Whether you love thunderstorms or hate them, it’s hard not to appreciate the latest capture from astrophotographer Andrew McCarthy. McCarthy has captured some astounding photos of the Sun and even the Moon in the past. His latest capture gives us a close-up look at a thunderstorm as it rages across the Earth. The thunderstorm video is also unlike anything else he’s shared in the past.

McCarthy shared the thunderstorm video on Instagram on Thursday. He says that he noticed the storm while driving back home near Tucson, Arizona. He had a camera with him at the time, so he decided to set it up and capture the storm on video. The result is an absolutely astonishing portrayal of the lightning catching in the clouds.

He made the thunderstorm video using several different photos played in succession. Additionally, McCarthy has created a composite of the images and placed it on his website. That photo itself is also astounding, showcasing the lightning, dark clouds, and even star lines in the background. Altogether, it’s well worth checking out if you want to see how beautiful nature’s phenomena can be.

Chasing shots

This thunderstorm video isn’t the first time that McCarthy has delivered a beautiful composite for everyone to enjoy. As I noted above, he’s previously shared images of the Moon and Sun. In fact, one of his most recent photographs showcased the waxing crescent Moon as it passed behind several clouds. He truly has an eye for creating fantastic images that are hard to forget.

In fact, he’s actually gone on record about chasing great shots as much as he can. He recently stayed up most of the night to capture a photo of the International Space Station as it passed across the last quarter Moon. The dedication that McCarthy has shown to capturing content like this and the thunderstorm video showcase goes a long way.

Plus, his dedication has given us glimpses of fantastic events we might not otherwise have been given. You can see both images on McCarthy’s Instagram. Prints of each instance are also available for a limited time on his website, if you’d like to showcase them in your home or office.

The post Incredible up-close footage shows a thunderstorm like you’ve never seen before appeared first on BGR.

Jupiter has been quite a mystery for astronomers over the years. Despite being the largest planet within our solar system, we know very little about the inner workings of this gas giant. Now, though, NASA’s June space probe may have shed some new light on how the planet formed. Researchers now believe that Jupiter may have eaten other smaller planets to fuel its own growth.

Jupiter eats other planets, researchers suggest

An image of Jupiter as captured by NASA’s Juno spacecraft. Image source: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS

The idea of one planet eating another might sound like something out of science fiction. After all, this isn’t Star Wars, where we have to worry about massive Death Star space stations or other planet killers. But, scientists believe that the fifth planet from our Sun, Jupiter ate planets during its formation.

For decades, we’ve been unable to look past the harsh gas clouds that cover the surface of the planet. Now NASA’s Juna space probe has given us a glimpse below. The researchers used gravitational data to peer past Jupiter’s clouds. The makeup of the rocky material at the gas giant’s core suggests that Jupiter ate baby planets—often called planetesimals—to fuel its growth.

Growing a gas giant

Image source: Image data: NASA/JPL-Caltech/SwRI/MSSS Image processing by Thomas Thomopoulos ©

It’s a bold claim, but it is one that has been around for a while. With this new data, though, scientists finally have a little bit of evidence that Jupiter eating other planets could be more than just science fiction. It especially makes sense as the gas giant would have needed to pull in a lot of mass to become as massive as it has become.

There are two main theories about how Jupiter formed. The first is that Jupiter accumulated billions of smaller space rocks. These rocks eventually formed the condensed core that makes up the gas giant. The other theory, and the one this new evidence supports, is that Jupiter may have eaten other planets to grow as large as it has.

These planets would have been absorbed by the gas giant, eventually forming the dense core of the planet. Then, scientists believe that Jupiter began to absorb and collect gas from the birth of our Sun. This is what helped form the clouds that we see covering the surface of the planet now, too.

Of course, even with this evidence, we can’t say for sure how Jupiter formed. It is possible that Jupiter ate smaller planets as it was forming. But, with no way to see the planet itself form, we can’t verify that this happened. All we can do now is interpret the evidence we’ve discovered. And right now, that evidence says Jupiter is a planet eater.

The post New paper claims Jupiter may have ‘eaten’ other planets appeared first on BGR.

The skies are giving us a rare and stunning sight this month, as a five-planet planetary parade will be visible in June of 2022. The parade of planets will include Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, all in that order. They’ll be visible throughout the sky from lower in the east to higher in the south.

Here’s when to see the June planetary parade

Image source: sborisov / Adobe

The June planetary parade has been visible since early this month, as originally noted by Sky and Telescope. However, the best time to see the parade was the morning of June 24. While it won’t be as bright throughout the rest of the month, the parade will continue throughout Monday, June 27.

The separation between Mercury and Saturn was also at its smallest in early June, but the parade is still worth checking out as it continues throughout the later part of this month.

Ultimately, your best bet for viewing this parade is to head out early in the morning, before the Sun is too high in the sky. As the Sun rises higher, the light from its rays will wash out the visibility of certain planets, such as Mercury. You may still be able to see some of the others, but you won’t get the full effect.

The first of its kind since 2004

Venus is one of five planets visible during June’s planetary parade. Image source: gor_Filonenko/Adobe

But what makes this June planetary parade so special is the fact that we haven’t seen one of its kind since 2004. Sure, we’ve reported on planetary parades, and they aren’t that rare a sight on their own. But it’s very rare for us to see one that includes five separate planets. Especially in the order of their closeness to our solar system’s Sun.

Normally when planetary parades happen, they’re just made up of multiple planets appearing in the sky together. In this case, though, the planets are actually lined up in the order that they appear closest to the Sun. Mercury and Venus are the two closest planets to our Sun. Then the Earth rests at number three, with Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn taking up the next three spots.

Skywatchers will definitely want to take advantage of the opportunity this month. Especially since we’re unsure when another similar parade will happen. All you’ll need to do to get the most out of June’s planetary parade is head outside before the Sun has risen too high. Make sure to grab a pair of binoculars, or even just look with your naked eye.

You should then be able to spot the five planets as they make their way into the sky, starting with Mercury, then moving on to Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. We saw a similar parade back in April, though it didn’t include five planets at once.

The post 5 planets will align in June: When and where to see the spectacular sight appeared first on BGR.