HYH Article Breakdown – Infrared light therapy could help people living with dementia, scientists say

Featured / Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Infrared light therapy could help people living with dementia, scientists say

Samuel Osborne – Sky News

How did they find out?

Article covers a pilot study investigating the utility of a helmet that emits infrared beams on cognition. 14 healthy people were given the helmet to use twice a day for a month, 13 people were given a dummy helmet. Thse using the helmet had improvements in performance in motor function, memory and brain processing speed. The study was not carried out in people living with dementia.

Who said so?

Dr. Gordon Dougal of Maculume ltd who designed the helmet – major conflict of interest that is not covered in the article. Also, Dr Paul Chazot of Durham University. Original research article is published in the journal Photobiomodulation, Photomedicine And Laser Surgery but not linked. Article is not Open Access.

Who else agrees?

No quotes from an independent party

HYH Article Breakdown – Elephants born without tusks in ‘evolutionary response’ to violent poachers

Featured / Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Elephants born without tusks in ‘evolutionary response’ to violent poachers

Will Brown – The Telegraph

How did they find out?

No specific study cited or linked and no specific methods but appears to be survey covering elephants in Gorongosa National Park in central Mozambique. Study shows tusklessness has become more common in elephants and this may be due to gene mutations. Original research article eventually discovered published in Science – DOI: 10.1126/science.abe7389

Who said so?

Robert Pringle at Princeton University. No mention of original research article.

Who else agrees?

No independent quotes

HYH Article Breakdown – Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and works well for kids ages 5–11

/ Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Pfizer says its COVID-19 vaccine is safe and works well for kids ages 5–11

Tina Hesman Saey – ScienceNews

How did they find out?

Press Release from Pfizer and BioNTech reporting prelininary data from trials conducted in children age 5-11. Trial enrolled up to 4,500 children ages 6 months to 11 years of age in the United States, Finland, Poland, and Spain from more than 90 clinical trial sites.

Who said so?

Pfizer and BioNTech – producers of the vaccine. Results are not yet published or peer-reviewed.

Who else agrees?

“That preliminary report is promising” – Debbie-Ann Shirley, a pediatric infectious diseases doctor at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville and medical director of the COVID-19 clinic

HYH Article Breakdown – Cold Showers Allegedly Have Health Benefits. Here’s The Actual Science

/ Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Cold Showers Allegedly Have Health Benefits. Here’s The Actual Science

LINDSAY BOTTOMS – The Conversation – Sciencelert.com

How did they find out?

Multiple studies covered in articles including large-scale intervention studies, small-scale mechanistic studies and reviews. All published in peer-reviewed journals.

Who said so?

Academic at University of Hertfordshire. Links are provided to all reverenced studies.

Who else agrees?

No independent quotes

HYH Article Breakdown – Eating More Fruit And Vegetables Linked To Better Childhood Mental Health

/ Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Eating More Fruit And Vegetables Linked To Better Childhood Mental Health

Maddy Chapman – IFLScience.com

How did they find out?

A self-reporting online survery of ~10000 primary and secondary school pupils (mostly secondary) in Norfolk asking about dietary habits and concomittant age-appropriate questionnaire on mental wellbeing.

Who said so?

Study commisioned by Norfolk County Council Public Health and the Norfolk Safeguarding Children Board. Paper published by academics at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia

Who else agrees?

No quotes from independent sources

HYH Article Breakdown – Study Discovers Startling Amounts of Microplastics in The Feces of Babies

/ Mike Daniels / Leave a comment

Study Discovers Startling Amounts of Microplastics in The Feces of Babies

MICHELLE STARR – ScienceAlert.com

How did they find out?

Researchers collected poo from 6 one-year-olds and 10 adults and meconium from 3 newborn babies and measured levels of different plastics by mass spectometry.

Who said so?

Academics at New York University School of Medicine. Link provided to the article published in the journal ‘Environmental Science & Technology Letters’. Article not accessible.

Who else agrees?

No quotes from authors (apart from copied from paper text) or independent researchers

#7 – About The Buzz

/ Luke Chaplin / Leave a comment


In this episode, we have something a little different. Katie and Luke were invited to appear on The Buzz. The Buzz is a science and engineering podcast from The University of Manchester. They join hosts Kory and Joe to discuss science in the news, and how to approach dramatic headlines.

The Buzz podcast can be found on Spotify, Stitcher and Apple Podcasts. The Buzz covers all sorts of topics across science and engineering. All their episodes are worth a listen and you can find out more about them on Twitter or their website.

You can find the Have You Heard Podcast on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify or your favourite podcasting app. We’d love you to send us any interesting news articles you’ve seen, questions you have, or feedback for us. Leave a comment below, send us an email at haveyouhearduk@gmail.com or use our contact form. You can also contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Music in this episode:
“Funkorama”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


#6 – About Dementia

/ Luke Chaplin / Leave a comment


Dementia is mentioned a lot in the news, and is only going to become more relevant as we continue to live longer. But what separates it from old age? And how does Alzheimer’s disease relate to it? In this episode we are joined by the brilliant Mike Daniels, a researcher in this fascinating field who works for the UK Dementia Research Institute. We’ll tackle some headlines which have cropped up in the news recently that deal with reducing your risk of dementia and potential treatments.

Have you heard?

Drug that can reverse effects of ageing on the brain shows promise as treatment for Alzheimer’s
Brain health: Eat your way to better cognitive health to reduce your risk of dementia
Earlier Diabetes Onset Could Raise Dementia Risk

If you want to know more about how lifestyle affects your risk of dementia, there is an excellent resource available here: Dementia Risk Factors and Prevention

You can find the Have You Heard Podcast on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify or your favourite podcasting app. We’d love you to send us any interesting news articles you’ve seen, questions you have, or feedback for us. Leave a comment below, send us an email at haveyouhearduk@gmail.com or use our contact form. You can also contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Music in this episode:
“Funkorama”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


#5 – About Graphene

/ Luke Chaplin / Leave a comment


We keep hearing about this graphene stuff, but what is it? Wonder material of the future? Or, overhyped lump of coal? We are thrilled to be joined by researcher in graphene, Clara Skuse, who will guide us through this exciting new world of nanomaterials. We’ve found some articles on graphene that have piqued our interest and brought them for discussion. Prepare to hear the word graphene, a lot.

Have you heard?

One million times thinner than a human hair, medical miracle that could cure the blind
Graphene sheet with ‘thermal camouflage’ can hide soldiers from infrared
Clothes lined with graphene could prevent mosquito bites, study shows

You can find the Have You Heard Podcast on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify or your favourite podcasting app. We’d love you to send us any interesting news articles you’ve seen, questions you have, or feedback for us. Leave a comment below, send us an email at haveyouhearduk@gmail.com or use our contact form. You can also contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Music in this episode:
“Funkorama”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/


#4 – About Hangover Cures

/ Luke Chaplin / Leave a comment


What a year it has been… However you are celebrating, we’re wishing you a happy New Year! In a matter completely unrelated to those celebrations, in this episode we’re talking about hangover cures. Katie and Luke are joined by the delightful Jason Chu and are tackling news articles they have seen about alcohol, hangovers and hangover cures. Apologies for the poor sound quality, here’s to a less interrupted 2021, with more episodes of the Have You Heard Podcast.

Have you heard?

Best cure for a hangover? Sprite, scientists claim
Beer before wine not fine, scientists find after vomit-filled tests
Hangover cures: A Full English breakfast really is the FASTEST acting remedy

You can find the Have You Heard Podcast on YouTube, iTunes, Spotify or your favourite podcasting app. We’d love you to send us any interesting news articles you’ve seen, questions you have, or feedback for us. Leave a comment below, send us an email at haveyouhearduk@gmail.com or use our contact form. You can also contact us on Twitter or Facebook.

Music in this episode:
“Funkorama”
Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)
Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/