How the Immune System can Alter our Behavior

A woman looking at tomatoes, nuts, shrimp, and fish
(© stock.adobe.com)

Simply the smell of seafood can make those with an allergy to it violently ill — and therefore more likely to avoid it. The same avoidance behavior is exhibited by people who develop food poisoning after eating a certain meal.

Scientists have long known that the immune system played a key role in our reactions to allergens and pathogens in the environment, but it was unclear whether it played any role in prompting these types of behaviors towards allergic triggers.

According to Yale-led research published July 12 in the journal Nature, it turns out that the immune system plays a crucial role in changing our behaviors.

“We find immune recognition controls behavior, specifically defensive behaviors against toxins that are communicated first through antibodie...

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A Safe, Easy, and Affordable Way to Store and Retrieve Hydrogen

diagram showing the compounds storing and extracting ammonia
Reversible changes in color and crystal structures during storage and extraction of ammonia through chemical conversion

Researchers at the RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (CEMS) in Japan have discovered a compound that uses a chemical reaction to store ammonia, potentially offering a safer and easier way to store this important chemical. This discovery, published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society on July 10, makes it possible not only to safely and conveniently store ammonia, but also the important hydrogen is carries. This finding should help lead the way to a decarbonized society with a practical hydrogen economy.

For society to make the switch from carbon-based to hydrogen-based energy, we need a safe way to store and transport hydrogen, which by itself is ...

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Rare, Double-Lobe Nebula Resembles Overflowing Cosmic ‘Jug’

A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark the death throes of an ancient red-giant star, as captured by Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab. The resulting structure, said to resemble an old style of English jug, is a rarely seen bipolar reflection nebula. Evidence suggests that this object formed by the interactions between the dying red giant and a now-shredded companion star.

Gemini South captures the spectacular end-of-life display of a red-giant star. A billowing pair of nearly symmetrical loops of dust and gas mark the death throes of an ancient red-giant star, as captured by Gemini South, one half of the International Gemini Observatory, operated by NSF’s NOIRLab...

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Dental Lozenge could provide Permanent Treatment for Tooth Sensitivity

Guided by a peptide derived from the protein used to develop teeth, the remineralization process covers sensitive tissue with new mineral microlayers. Credit: ACS Publications. 

Over 30 years of dentistry, Sami Dogan has treated just about every kind of tooth ailment. Cavities are simple to fill. Dental implants have become routine. But there’s one problem, he said, that annoys even the most experienced dentists: hypersensitivity, the painful sensation sparked by contact with hot, cold or acidic food.

“We see patients with hypersensitive teeth, but we can’t really help them,” said Dogan, a professor of restorative dentistry at the University of Washington. “We have all these repair options available in the market, but they’re all transient...

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