All posts tagged: Allergies

Got pollen allergies? Light pollution might make them worse

Got pollen allergies? Light pollution might make them worse

Published by skeptic

allergy: The inappropriate reaction by the body’s immune system to a normally harmless substance. Untreated, a particularly severe reaction can lead to death. asthma: A disease affecting the body’s airways, which are the tubes through which animals breathe. Asthma obstructs these airways through swelling, the production of too much mucus or a tightening of the tubes. As a result, the body can expand to breathe in air, but loses the ability to exhale appropriately. The most common cause of asthma is an allergy. Asthma is a leading cause of hospitalization and the top chronic disease responsible for kids missing school. average: (in science) A term for the arithmetic mean, which is the sum of a group of numbers that is then divided by the size of the group. climate: The weather conditions that typically exist in one area, in general, or over a long period. climate change: Long-term, significant change in the climate of Earth. It can happen naturally or in response to human activities, including the burning of fossil fuels and clearing of forests. …

Woman builds EpiPen cannon, because why not?

Woman builds EpiPen cannon, because why not?

Published by Jenni Sidey

Get the Popular Science daily newsletter💡 Breakthroughs, discoveries, and DIY tips sent six days a week. The PVC pipe potato gun is a staple of many science-oriented (and frequently unsupervised) childhoods. There are plenty of variations to that starchy shooter, but the basic elements are invariably the same: load a potato inside the pipe barrel, fill the rear chamber with either combustible gas or compressed air, then fire away. In theory, you can launch any similarly sized object using the contraption.Why not swap the potato for something that can save lives? That’s what YouTuber Emily the Engineer pondered during a recent video entry. I Built an EpiPen Launcher “The only thing that modern medicine has lacked in is a more efficient way to distribute this medicine. Do you see where we’re going with this now?” she asks her viewers. Her final result is the EpiPen Launcher, a custom-built device that lives up to its name. Also known as an epinephrine autoinjector, the EpiPen is a relatively recent invention that’s saved countless lives. The simple but …

Mouth and gut bacteria may explain why peanut allergies vary so widely

Mouth and gut bacteria may explain why peanut allergies vary so widely

Published by Jenni Sidey

A quiet but powerful process begins the moment food touches your mouth. Long before your immune system reacts, bacteria in your saliva and gut may already be shaping what happens next. For people with peanut allergies, that hidden step could mean the difference between a mild response and a life-threatening emergency. A new study led by researchers at McMaster University, offers a striking explanation for a long-standing mystery. Two people can have similar levels of peanut-specific antibodies, yet react in very different ways. Scientists now suggest the answer may lie in the microbes living in your mouth and digestive system. “Peanut allergies can cause serious reactions like difficulty breathing, and in some cases, can even be life threatening. However, some people with peanut allergies can still eat small amounts without having a reaction. We were curious about why this happens, and we discovered the answer while studying the microbes in our mouth,” said Liam Rondeau, a postdoctoral fellow with McMaster University’s Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute. A graphical abstract of the study. (CREDIT: Cell …

Your microbiome may determine your risk of a severe allergic reaction

Your microbiome may determine your risk of a severe allergic reaction

Published by skeptic

Peanuts are one of the most common food allergens Radharc Images / Alamy The microbiomes in our gut and mouth may determine whether people with a peanut allergy develop a life-threatening reaction. This could help explain why some people with the allergy experience relatively mild reactions, while others develop severe, or even fatal, symptoms. “There’s a big question around why some patients are more susceptible to more severe reactions,” says Rodrigo Jiménez-Saiz at the Autonomous University of Madrid in Spain. Peanut allergy occurs when the immune system mistakenly identifies proteins in the legume as a threat, causing it to produce excessive amounts of a particular type of antibody. This ramps up inflammation, leading to symptoms such as itching, swelling and vomiting. In extreme cases, peanut exposure causes anaphylaxis, a life-threatening reaction that typically involves breathing difficulties. Jiménez-Saiz and his colleagues wondered whether the microbes that live on and within us play a role here, given the huge influence that our body’s various microbiomes have on our immune system. To find out, they inserted a small …

Universal vaccine for cold, flu, COVID and allergies moves a step closer, scientists say | Science, Climate & Tech News

Universal vaccine for cold, flu, COVID and allergies moves a step closer, scientists say | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

A universal vaccine for humans against cold, flu, COVID and allergies has moved a significant step closer following a study using mice, scientists say. The vaccine, which could be given as a nasal spray, has been developed by experts at Stanford Medicine in the US. It may protect against a wide range of respiratory viruses, bacteria and allergy triggers, they claimed. Scientists said the vaccine offered broad protection in the lungs of mice for several months. Vaccinated animals were protected against COVID and other coronaviruses, Staph (which can infect the skin and cause sepsis), Acinetobacter baumannii (which can cause infections in the blood, urinary tract, lungs or wounds), and house dust mites. This form of vaccine, if translated into humans, could replace multiple jabs every year for winter respiratory infections. It also has the potential to work against new pandemic bugs. Lead author Dr Bali Pulendran, from Stanford Medicine, said: “I think what we have is a universal vaccine against diverse respiratory threats. “Imagine getting a nasal spray in the fall months that protects you …

The 13 best dehumidifiers in 2026, tested at home for effectiveness and efficiency

The 13 best dehumidifiers in 2026, tested at home for effectiveness and efficiency

Published by Sam Flores

Just when you thought artificial intelligence (AI) had conquered everything, along comes an AI-powered dehumidifier. The Ebac 4000 series uses “Smart Control” to remember your home’s humidity patterns and automatically adjusts as needed. This is a clever touch that stops you constantly fiddling with settings (and allegedly saves on running costs). It connects to the SmartLife app, not Ebac’s own, which lets you tweak humidity targets and fan speed, though the icons aren’t the clearest. Still, it does the job and you can see your room’s humidity graph changing in real time, which is oddly satisfying. It looks quirky and retro, with a fully enclosed 3.5-litre water tank that prevents spills but is impossible to see into. It’s heavy too, and the castors are sold separately, but thankfully there’s a handle on the back to assist with lugging it around. Performance-wise, it’s efficient if not quick. In laundry mode, it drew a steady 144W (a figure that, oddly, didn’t climb when I switched to Boost mode), and while it eventually dried a heavy wash load, …

The best humidifiers for more comfortable air, tested at home

The best humidifiers for more comfortable air, tested at home

Published by Sam Flores

Indoor air that’s too dry can irritate skin, cause asthma symptoms, sore throats and even cracked lips. Adding moisture back with a humidifier may help. They’re useful in summer, when fans and air conditioners dry the air, and winter, when heating and dehumidifiers do the same. I know how shifts in temperature can leave my son’s skin feeling uncomfortably dry (not to mention my own), so I’m always looking for ways to manage ot. I tested 10 of the most popular humidifier brands, including Dyson, Humio and Meaco, to see if they’d help. Incidentally, my house plants have flourished thanks to the added moisture in the air. Prices vary from about £60 to nearly £700, depending on the device you choose. You can read my reviews further down, followed by some advice on how to use humidifiers. Here’s a quick look at my top five: The best humidifiers: At a glance JUMP TO REVIEWS How to choose the best humidifier “Many adults suffering with asthma, eczema or allergies choose to buy humidifiers,” says Dr Semiya …