Theconversation

Lab-grown ‘mini-bladder’ helps explain why urinary tract infections keep coming back - theconversation.com

For many people, a urinary tract infection (UTI) doesnt really end when the antibiotics run out. The burning and constant trips to the toilet fade, then return weeks or months later. UTIs affect mor…

How sugar from outer space became one of the backbones of life on Earth - The Conversation

Is there life elsewhere, or is Earth unique in the universe? This is one of humanitys great unanswered questions. One way to approach this mystery is to investigate how life began here on Earth. Our…

Alien life? Why the possibility of exoplanet LHS 1140b emitting helium gas is so exciting - The Conversation

This summer, exoplanet science the study of planets orbiting stars beyond our sun took a big step forwards. Reports of helium gas escaping from the atmosphere of LHS 1140b propelled this exoplanet f…

Shingles can cause severe chronic pain – new research on how exosomes alter neurons offers pathways to treatment - The Conversation

Shingles can cause pain that is notoriously difficult to manage and can last for months to years for some people. The pain can be so severe that it causes a significant decline in quality of life and…

What are statins? And can healthy people use them to prevent heart disease and dementia? - The Conversation

Every month, around 2.7 million Australians have a statin dispensed to lower their risk of heart attack and stroke. Statins reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the collective term for conditi…

Learning without a brain – how bacteria store memories and remember the past like artificial neural networks - The Conversation

Learning is often thought to require a brain. But learning is a broad concept that does not necessarily depend on neurons. If an organism uses information from past experiences to shape its future …

Gondwana really was a supercontinent. And it helped kick-start life on Earth - The Conversation

Some 550 million years ago, the Earth looked very different to what it does today. The Southern Hemisphere was dominated by an enormous, single continent known as Gondwana. This continent was first …

Tiny backpacks reveal the secret, sometimes circuitous migrations of small songbirds - The Conversation

Squinting through my binoculars, I scanned the dense branches of a black spruce, trying my best to catch a glimpse of the thin legs of a small black, white and yellow songbird. I was on the hunt for …

Mosquitoes are picky eaters – we studied 3 common South Florida species to learn why they like some people more than others - The Conversation

If youve ever had to prepare a meal for a picky eater, you know its not easy. They may not like certain flavors or textures, and there are often foods you have to avoid altogether. And it turns out,…

Many space missions are searching for life beyond Earth – but are we prepared for the fallout if they succeed? - The Conversation

Microbes from space have fueled the plots of science fiction mainstays like Project Hail Mary and The Andromeda Strain. But with more space missions launching each year, finding extraterrestrial life…

Dolly Parton took control of her career by making men the butt of the joke - The Conversation

Of all the moments that capture Dolly Partons musical talents, fierce intelligence and driving ambition, I often find myself thinking back to an awkward, ad-libbed live television duet on The Porter …

New research shows how psychedelics reorganise the patterns in your brain - The Conversation

One participant described melding with the MRI machine, floor, walls and air. Another described losing all sense of self, becoming at one with their surroundings. Half the participants in our study r…