Peter Hess
Inverse
New York, United States
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Past articles by Peter:
What Weed Actually Does to Your Brain: Here's What fMRI Scans Show
Here's what it looks like before, during, and after. → Read More
Methadone pioneer Herbert Kleber's approach still helps people today
As a pioneer of medication-assisted addiction treatment, Herbert Kleber was among the first US doctors to treat patients with methadone. And though the worsening opioid overdose crisis has helped other medicines become popular, methadone remains one of the gold standard treatments for people with opioid use disorder. → Read More
Parrot and gecko skulls reveal why T. rex had such a powerful bite
How did Tyrannosaurus rex use its bones to crush other animals’ bones without breaking its own bones in the process? In a study in The Anatomical Record, a team proposed that the taut muscles, ligaments, and cartilage in T. rex’s face and head helped keep its jaw aligned and its skull stiff during its deadly bites. → Read More
Earth dolphins: "Lost" genes transformed Flipper into a water-living creature
The order of marine mammals called cetaceans, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises, evolved over millions of years to lose the legs and move into the sea. New research in Science Advances shows that these changes appear in the DNA of modern cetaceans, offering new clues to what they traded for a life at sea. → Read More
How the sleeping brain decides which memories are worth keeping
Melanin-concentrating hormone-producing neurons in the hypothalamus are especially active while mice are in REM sleep and not at all active during non-REM sleep. Inhibiting these MCH-producing neurons during REM sleep improved the mice’s memory abilities, while activating them impaired the mice’s memories. → Read More
Cancer cases blamed on drinking water contaminants, even at EPA’s “safe” levels
In a paper published on Thursday, researchers show evidence that chemicals in US drinking water may be responsible for over 10,000 cancer cases over an 8-year period. Arsenic, disinfection byproducts and radioactive contaminants are the main hazardous ingredients contributing to the cancer risk of drinking water. → Read More
New Jersey dirt is the only thing tough enough to eat “forever chemicals” PFAS
In a paper published on Tuesday in the journal Environmental Science & Technology, researchers show that a microbe living in the soil of New Jersey’s wetlands has the unique ability to break down PFAS, a nasty class of organic pollutants, by severing one of the strongest chemical bonds in all of nature. → Read More
Common Insecticide Linked to Worrying Effects in Migrating Songbirds
Researchers have found that a neonicotinoid insecticide called imidacloprid might be the cause of a disruption in the migration pattern of some song birds. A new study in Science finds the common insecticide can result in dangerous weight loss and disrupted migration patterns for these little birds. → Read More
Injectable Pig Heart Tissue Is the Future of Recovering From Heart Attacks
New research in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Basic to Translational Science shows evidence that a substance called VentriGel, which is made from pig heart cells, can be safely injected directly into the hearts of patients who have survived heart attacks. → Read More
The Brains of Artists Who Paint With Their Toes Adapt in Spectacular Ways
The human brain can adapt to major changes, both in the brain itself and in the rest of the body. New research in the journal Cell Reports shows that for individuals born without hands, using one’s feet to do precise tasks reshapes the brain in profound ways, creating uniquely specialized divisions. → Read More
The Rising Suicide Rate in Rural America Has Been Linked to These 4 Factors
Suicide rates in rural US counties are rising faster than those in cities, a new paper in JAMA Network Open shows. Data revealed the four factors most responsible for this difference: easy access to firearms, a lack of social connectedness, fewer opportunities for civic engagement, and a lack of health insurance. → Read More
Study Finds Yet Another Way Lefties' Brains Are Special
In a paper published on Wednesday in the journal Brain, researchers presented evidence that people who are left-handed show an extraordinary level of connection between language regions of their brains, much more than righties exhibit. They also found four genetic markers of left-handedness. → Read More
Single Traumatic Brain Injury Can Have Long-Term Effects on Brain Structure
In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Science Translational Medicine, researchers presented brain scan evidence that people who’d suffered traumatic brain injuries an average of 31 years prior showed clear evidence of a specific form of phosphorylated tau, a hallmark symptom of CTE and Alzheimer’s disease. → Read More
2 Factors Increase the Likelihood Your Doctor Will Prescribe Opioid Drugs
Research in JAMA Open Network shows that doctors make decisions differently when they are pressed for time. In a paper published on Friday, public health researchers presented evidence that physicians who are running behind schedule or who are seeing patients later in the day are more likely to prescribe opioid drugs. → Read More
Hurricane Dorian This Weekend: Predictions Get More Accurate as It Approaches
Hurricane Dorian passed by Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, and the Dominican Republic without causing much damage, but Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina aren’t off the hook yet. Since the storm departed the Caribbean islands and headed out into open waters, it has gathered strength. → Read More
Tropical Storm Dorian, Upgraded to a Hurricane, Is on Track to Florida
The National Hurricane Center upgraded Tropical Storm Dorian to a hurricane before it reached Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands on Wednesday. Meteorologists predict Hurricane Dorian will reach the Atlantic coast of Florida over Labor Day weekend, warning that it could intensify into a Category 3 hurricane by then. → Read More
Tropical Storm Dorian: What's Its Path, and Who Will Be Affected?
The National Hurricane Center issued a tropical storm warning for Puerto Rico and part of the Dominican Republic as Tropical Storm Dorian approaches. It is expected to reach the Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic on Wednesday before moving toward Florida, where it will likely make landfall over the weekend. → Read More
NASA Satellite Map Shows Extreme Air Pollution From Amazon Fires
For most of August, a record number of wildfires have burned in the Amazon Rainforest, started mostly by farmers practicing slash-and-burn agriculture. While this natural disaster unfolded, the Atmospheric Infrared Sounder (AIRS) on NASA’s Aqua satellite captured two weeks worth of the carbon monoxide emissions. → Read More
Not Eating for 36 Hours Is Shown to Be a Surprisingly Sustainable Diet, Study Shows
Caloric restriction is a well documented way to lose weight, improve heart health, and potentially even slow aging. New research in the journal Cell Metabolism outlines a novel way to restrict calories, one that achieves the same health benefits while possibly being more manageable than constantly restricting calories. → Read More
Donald Trump Hurricane Nukes Theory: NOAA Debunked It 17 Years Ago
Axios reports that President Donald Trump has proposed using nuclear weapons on hurricanes to make them dissipate before they reach the United States. Unfortunately, the science is not on his side. The National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration addressed this idea 17 years ago, and the answer was a resounding no. → Read More