UNC

Feb 27 2025SCIENCE

Moon Mission: Athena's Big Adventure

The lunar landscape is about to get a new visitor. This time, it's Athena, a spacecraft built by Intuitive Machines. Athena is not your average spacecraft; it's a lunar lander designed to explore the moon's south pole. This region is a hotspot for scientists because it might hold water ice, which co

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Feb 27 2025HEALTH

Drinking Problems and Pain Avoidance: A Brain Connection

Ever wondered why some people who struggle with drinking problems also have trouble avoiding pain? It turns out, there's a surprising link between the two. People who have issues with drinking often find it hard to learn from past experiences to avoid pain. This might be because their brain's reward

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Feb 27 2025SCIENCE

Brain Waves and Deep Learning: A New Way to Understand Our Thoughts

Imagine if scientists could teach computers to understand our brain waves better. This is exactly what some researchers are trying to do. They are using a technique called deep learning to analyze something called functional brain networks (FBNs). These networks are like maps that show how different

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Feb 26 2025HEALTH

Fighting Fat: How Alternative Treatments Can Help Teens Lose Weight

Adolescent obesity is a significant global health concern. It's not just about how much they weigh; it's about their overall health. To tackle this issue, researchers have looked into complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments. They focused on teens aged 12 to 17 and checked if these t

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Feb 26 2025EDUCATION

Student Loan Repayment Plans Hit a Snag

The U. S. Department of Education has pulled the plug on online applications for income-driven repayment (IDR) plans. This means borrowers can't sign up, renew, or tweak their repayment terms through the federal website. This change comes after a federal court order that stopped key parts of the IDR

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Feb 26 2025HEALTH

Brain Health: How Gut Bacteria Affects Newborns' Thinking Skills

Newborns can suffer from long-term thinking problems due to a lack of oxygen and blood flow to the brain. This condition is known as neonatal hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD). Scientists have found that the tiny organisms living in our gut, called gut microbiota, play a big role in how well our

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Feb 26 2025SCIENCE

China's New Satellite: What's the Big Deal?

China has sent a new satellite into space. This isn't just any satellite, though. It's called ChinaSat-10R, and it's designed to replace an older one that's been up there since 2011. The launch happened on February 22 from a place called Xichang Satellite Launch Center. This launch was a big deal be

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Feb 26 2025HEALTH

Unraveling the Heart's Changes in Severe Blood Pressure Spikes

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause some serious changes in the heart. A recent study took a close look at these changes using a special kind of imaging called cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) in people who had a sudden, severe spike in blood pressure, known as a hypertensive cris

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Feb 25 2025HEALTH

Fighting Fat and Sugar: The Double Whammy of New Drugs

Imagine a world where one pill could tackle two major health issues at once. This is not a fantasy; it's the promise of a new class of drugs called GLP-1RAs. These aren't your average medications. They're designed to help people struggling with obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). But here's

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Feb 24 2025HEALTH

Heart Health Check: What Happens 1. 5 Years After COVID-19?

Ever wondered what happens to your heart long after you've had COVID-19? A recent study took a close look at this question. It turns out that during the initial infection, many people, especially those in the hospital, experienced issues with how their heart's left and right ventricles functioned. B

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