The number of people who develop long-term health problems such as obesity, high blood pressure and kidney disease increases every year. Because these chronic conditions affect so many, it is important to better understand what causes them. International scientists who study the kidneys, heart, blood vessels and other organs recently gathered to discuss the relationship … Continue reading Probiotics for Gout, New Therapies for Heart Disease and More Discussed at APS Research Conference
Scientific Research
How Is the Nobel Prize Chosen?
The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine will be awarded on October 7, kicking off a weeklong celebration of groundbreaking achievement in medicine or physiology, physics, chemistry, literature, global peace and economics. We at the American Physiological Society (APS) eagerly await this time of the year too. Physiologists have been well-represented in the long list … Continue reading How Is the Nobel Prize Chosen?
How Math Is Leading to Breakthroughs in Cancer, Breath Tests and Understanding of Glaucoma
What do you get when you put mathematicians and physiologists in a room together? The question may sound like the beginning of a joke, but the answer is not a punchline. Last week, math modelers and experts who study the body’s smallest blood vessels—called the microcirculation—met in Scottsdale, Ariz. This group of elite scientists explored … Continue reading How Math Is Leading to Breakthroughs in Cancer, Breath Tests and Understanding of Glaucoma
A ‘Holy Grail’ for Exercise Recovery?
Credit: iStock When you start a new fitness routine—whether you are training for a marathon, planning to walk a 5K or committing to swimming more laps—choosing a plan can help you get started and keep you on track. You can find a lot of information about the best way to recover after exercising. However, whether … Continue reading A ‘Holy Grail’ for Exercise Recovery?
The Triple Threat: Diet, Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
Credit: iStock Fatty liver disease is a group of disorders that occur when too much fat builds up in the liver. Many people may have heard of alcohol-related fatty liver disease, a condition in which moderate to heavy consumption of alcohol leads to fat buildup and scarring in the liver. However, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease … Continue reading The Triple Threat: Diet, Diabetes and Fatty Liver Disease
How Our Body Stays Cool in the Heat and What Changes as We Age
In the past several decades, heat waves have been occurring more frequently, with a recent major heat event breaking temperature records in Europe. When people don’t have access to air conditioning, fans or simply a shady spot, the extremely high temperatures can be dangerous, especially for the elderly. While young adults are more able to … Continue reading How Our Body Stays Cool in the Heat and What Changes as We Age
Photoblog: Experimental Biology 2019
Experimental Biology (EB) 2019 was a whirlwind of science, collaboration and reconnection. I Spy Physiology volunteer blog editor Audrey Vasauskas was our “woman on the street” during the poster sessions. She asked APS members and other EB attendees at the opening reception poster sessions “What are you most excited about for this EB 2019?” Read … Continue reading Photoblog: Experimental Biology 2019
Time to Breathe
Like a candle flame, our metabolism consumes oxygen and releases carbon dioxide (CO2). Breathing removes the CO2 and brings in fresh oxygen, ensuring that metabolism—and life— can continue. It is the buildup of CO2 more than the lack of fresh oxygen that makes you feel a strong urge to inhale when you hold your breath—like … Continue reading Time to Breathe
Surprising Ways to Protect Your Heart: Research from Experimental Biology 2019
Scientists who study physiology and other biomedical research fields—including anatomy, biochemistry, pathology and pharmacology—gather every year at the Experimental Biology (EB) meeting to network, collaborate and communicate new research findings. This year’s EB meeting in Orlando, Fla., featured studies ranging from the gut microbiome to heart disease to adolescent health. Read on to learn … Continue reading Surprising Ways to Protect Your Heart: Research from Experimental Biology 2019
The Jury Is Still Out on Whether Brown Fat Can Make You Thin
Obesity is a major health problem that carries enormous costs to both the individual and society. Being overweight may limit quality of life and work productivity and cause disease, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke and some types of cancer. It may even lead to premature death. Obesity is defined as the excess accumulation … Continue reading The Jury Is Still Out on Whether Brown Fat Can Make You Thin