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Ozempic for sobriety?

Drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy — mostly known for treating diabetes and offering weight-loss assistance — are being explored for a number of other applications, and it seems those struggling with alcohol use might benefit.

Early research in both animals and humans shows these medications may reduce cravings, make alcohol feel less rewarding and help people avoid relapses after quitting alcohol consumption, as seen in a recent review out of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.

The animals tested reduced drinking, withdrawal symptoms and the likelihood of relapsing. Some humans also reported fewer cravings and less consumption. The drugs seem to quiet the reward circuits in the brain that make alcohol use feel good, especially in the release of dopamine— the brain’s pleasure chemical.

Unlike older medications that can make alcohol taste bad or knock you out, these drugs don’t seem to work through punishment or sedation. Instead, they subtly reduce the brain’s drive to seek alcohol.

Most human trials so far, however, involve people with diabetes or obesity. It’s not yet clear if the same benefits will apply to people of average weight who drink heavily. That’s why scientists are calling for bigger, more diverse studies.

Early signs, however, are hopeful.

In the future, GLP-1–based therapies could become one part of a toolkit, helping people cut back on drinking or to stay sober.

More like this: Obesity expert has the skinny on semaglutide

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Oral bacteria linked to heart
attacks

A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association offers evidence that viridans streptococcal biofilm outsmarts immune detection, jump starts inflammation and possibly contributes to fatal coronary plaque ruptures. That’s right — bacteria living in your mouth might play an unexpected role in heart attacks.

Researchers in Finland found DNA from common mouth bacteria in more than 40 percent of samples of artery plaques — the build-up inside the blood vessels. And they weren’t just hanging out in plain sight; they were hiding out.

The bacteria were found in tight-knit biofilm communities inside the plaques, which makes them difficult for the body’s natural immune protectors to locate. Upon breaking the plaque apart, the immune system suddenly recognized the intruders and activated an appropriate inflammatory response. This inflammation may contribute to the fatal rupture of plaques that cause heart attacks.

The research adds to the long-running theory that infections may play a more prominent role in heart disease than originally thought. And if they really are part of the problem, it could lead to new ways of detecting or treating the hidden culprits to lower heart attack risk.

More like this: Mapping hidden kidney damage

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Gravy thickener could save the sea

A recent American Physical Society Journals study by Scientists at the University of Colorado Boulder finds that common daily use starches such as corn and arrowroot can replace artificial particles used to map water movement patterns. The result is less expensive experiments that are eco-friendly, and we’ve got jellyfish to thank.

Jellyfish are great natural water mixers. Their pulsing movements stir up currents that are complex for such simple animals. Scientists study them to understand how animals move water for feeding, swimming and shaping ecosystems.

Typically, scientists use particle image velocimetry (PIV) for water movement tracking. They sprinkle small tracer particles into the water, direct a laser toward them and capture the flow patterns on film. Unfortunately, those particles are usually synthetic, sometimes made from glass or plastic. Ultimately they are not ocean friendly.

The research team tested simple cornstarch and arrowroot starch and found that they float and scatter light on par with costly synthetics. And bonus — they are biodegradable, non-toxic and significantly less expensive.

The testing was carried out with the starch tracers both in lab set-ups and with live animals like brine shrimp and jellyfish. The results were on-the-nose performance and no harm to the critters or the environment.

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Turning CO2 into fuel

A team of scientists has brought us one step closer to turning CO2 pollution into clean, high-energy fuel by tweaking nickel.

In a study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore and ETH Zürich, scientists created a new kind of nickel catalyst that’s been “doped” with fluorine.

It’s kind of like giving nickel a little chemical superpower. The doped nickel then helps guide CO2 through a special reaction path — building branched and long-chain hydrocarbon fuel that burns better and works great in engines, especially for planes and cars.

Unlike traditional copper catalysts (which often fizzle out with short chains or alcohols), this improved nickel can grow longer, more complex chains of hydrocarbons by getting carbon-based bits like *CO and *CH₂ to pair up in the right way.

By studying how these reactions happen using tricks like pulsed electricity or adding formaldehyde, the team learned how to nudge the reaction toward making the desired high-quality fuel.

This discovery could help us create greener fuels directly from CO₂, making our energy cleaner and stronger.

More like this: Ask the experts: What’s the future of hydrocarbons in an increasingly green world?

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Mice feel each other’s pain
through sound

The phrase “I feel your pain” takes on new meaning with a study from the Tokyo University of Science that shows when mice hear other mice squeak with pain, they become more sensitive to pain themselves — hurt or not.

These pain squeaks are ultrasonic — way too high-pitched for humans to hear, but perfectly clear to other mice. When researchers played recordings of these cries to healthy mice, the listeners started showing signs of heightened pain sensitivity.

Scientists also found signs of brain inflammation, especially in the thalamus, a region linked to pain processing. Two inflammation genes (Ptgs2 and Cxcl1) lit up, showing that the stress of hearing pain alone can trigger a physical reaction in the brain.

The effect wasn’t just emotional. Mice already suffering from pain took longer to recover and didn’t respond well to painkillers after hearing these sounds. But when researchers used drugs to block those inflammation pathways, the extra pain eased up.

The study is in its infancy, but the results suggest pain might be socially contagious — and that sounds alone can trigger it.

This is a novel way to think about pain, empathy and healing — at least if you’re a mouse.

More like this: Looking to nature for better drugs