News: Scientists Are Flabbergasted to Discover Asthma Drugs May Stop Viral Pneumonia
By looking for the mechanism that allows influenza A to invade lung cells, scientists also discovered a treatment that might block the virus from taking hold there.
Leads Originate Search Results
News: More Than 20 Pathogens Found Lurking in Medical Marijuana—Dosing Users with (Potentially) Deadly Fungus
Marijuana is legal to use for medical purposes in 28 states and the District of Columbia, but the quick development of this new industry could have left some regulation issues in the lurch.
News: Hepatitis C Cases Are Soaring in Iowa
This month, Iowa issued their first hepatitis C virus epidemiological profile and the news was not good. The number of cases of hepatitis C reported in Iowa between 2000 and 2015 rose nearly threefold, from 754 cases in 2000 to 2,235 cases in 2015.
News: A Compound from This Florida Weed Could Kill Deadly MRSA Staph Infections
A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but one annoying invasive weed may hold the answer to treating the superbug MRSA. Researchers from Emory University have found that the red berries of the Brazilian peppertree contain a compound that turns off a gene vital to the drug-resistance process.
News: Infections During Pregnancy Could Impact Baby's Brain; Genital Herpes Linked to Increased Autism Risk
Maternal infection with genital herpes, or other pathogens, during early pregnancy could increase risk of autism, or other neurodevelopmental disorders, says a new study.
News: Cats May Drive You Crazy, but They Won't Make You Mentally Ill
Even if your cat drives you a little nuts, don't worry, because a new study says that cats pose no risk to your mental health.
News: Listeria May Be a Cause of Early Undiagnosed Miscarriage
New research suggests the bacteria that causes listeriosis may be a bigger threat in early pregnancy than previously thought. Usually considered a danger to late pregnancy, scientists suggest early undiagnosed miscarriages could be caused, in some cases, by infection with Listeria.
How To: Tell if You Have a Cold or the Flu
Have the sniffles? Yes. Does your head hurt? Yes. Coughing? Yes. Could you have influenza? Yes. How do you know the difference? With these symptoms, you could also have a cold.
News: BlackBerry Unveils the KeyOne—A New Security-Focused Phone with a Physical Keyboard
BlackBerry has formally announced the arrival of its flagship, the KeyOne, during Mobile World Congress 2017 in Barcelona. The all-Android KeyOne looks distinctly BlackBerry, with its 4.5" screen and physical QWERTY keyboard. Here's the lowdown on this elegant handset that hearkens back to BlackBerry's heyday, which had previously been known by its code name, the BlackBerry Mercury. Aluminum Unibody with Physical Keyboard
News: A Beach Infected with Fecal Coliform Can Ruin Your Vacation, but Seagrasses Can Save the Day
Seagrass may help your favorite beach stay a little less toxic. A new study, led by Joleah Lamb, a postdoctoral researcher in the Harvell Lab at Cornell University, found that coastal seagrasses reduce levels of pathogens dangerous to humans and marine organisms in near-shore waters.
News: Bioprospectors Make Unique Discovery INSIDE a Coal Fire That Makes an Antibiotic Better
Scientists are constantly on the search for new organisms, species, and other types of life. A special group of these researchers, calling themselves "bioprospectors," dive deep into mines to find unique lifeforms with special properties not found anywhere else.
News: Fighting Nightmare Bacteria Is Like a Game of Whack-a-Mole—It Keeps Popping Up in Unexpected Places
The pathogen referred to as a "nightmare bacteria" is quietly adapting and spreading faster than anticipated.
News: New Finding Shows How Deadly, Flesh-Eating Strep Toxins Help the Bacteria Burrow Deeper into Tissues
Where in the world did it come from? All of a sudden, one day, someone had an infection with flesh-eating bacteria. It captured headlines and worldwide attention because it was such a severe, strange, uncontrollable, and really disgusting condition.
News: Wine Research Study Reveals How to Make Better Booze by Dosing Yeast with Nitrogen
Ah, wine. The bouquet fills your nose. The rich finish fills your mouth with soft flavors of oak and raspberries. The wine warms your belly and soothes your mind. Yeast and their biochemical factory help create this feast for your senses. Thanks to a research group from France, we now have a little more information on how that process works and a little more appreciation for yeast's contribution.
News: New Study Says Stopping Slimy Biofilms Could Save Thousands a Year from Legionnaires' Disease
In the summer of 1976, 4,000 American Legionnaires descended upon the Bellevue-Stratford Hotel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, for a four-day convention. Several days later, many of the attendees experienced symptoms of severe pneumonia. By the beginning of August, 22 people had died. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that about 180 people were sickened and 29 people died before this mysterious outbreak burnt out.
News: How Your Diet & Gut Bacteria Work Together to Reduce Risk of Colon Cancer
We all know you are what you eat—or so the expression goes—but it's good to remember that what you are (at least intestinally) is mainly bacteria. A new study has shown that what you eat, and how your gut microbiome reacts to that food, might be a key player in your risk of developing a certain type of colon cancer—and changing your diet can help decrease your risk.
News: We've Found the Back Door HIV Uses to Hide in the Brain—& It Could Help Us Take the Virus Down
Over 1.2 million people in the US are infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—and one out of eight of them don't know it. Even after decades of intense research into the virus, there's still no cure for it. One of the big problems is that the virus hides out in certain cells of the body, resisting treatments that kill it.
News: Genetically-Modified Parasites Could Save People from Malaria
You might feel the bite, you might not, but an infected mosquito has injected you with a parasite named Plasmodium falciparum, a single-cell protozoa that quickly takes up residence in your body.
News: How El Niño—& Climate Change—Kill People with Virus Epidemics
Using mathematical modeling, researchers suggest weather and warming created the "perfect storm" that drove the Zika outbreak in 2016.
News: Syphilis Has Returned with New Drug Resistance
What do Leo Tolstoy (writer), Beethoven (composer), Paul Gaugin (artist), and Adolf Hitler (politician) have in common? They are all considered to have suffered from the sexually transmitted disease syphilis.
How To: 3 Logical Explanations for Google's Pixel & Nexus Battery Problems
Starting in October, many Nexus 6P users have been experiencing a bug that causes their phone to completely shut down, even though there was 20% or more battery life remaining. At first, it was thought to be a direct result of the recent Android Nougat update, but a combination of factors indicate that this isn't necessarily the case—or, at least, it's not the only problem.
News: HoloLens App Muralize Combines Art & Technology—From an All-Female Developer Team
One thing you'll find a lot of in the Windows Store for HoloLens is demos and mockups, but very few projects are as fully realized and fully-functioning as Muralize. Created by Magnopus, an all-female development team, Muralize first appeared in the Windows Store in late-November of 2016, and makes it easy and fun to create real-life murals using a HoloLens.
How To: Get Motorola's Active Display Features on Your Pixel or Nexus
Regardless of what they call them—be it Pixel or Nexus—Google's line of smartphones have a cool feature called "Ambient Display" that wakes your screen in a low-power black and white state when you receive a notification. This feature was added back when Google owned Motorola, as Moto's phones had a similar lock screen effect called "Active Display."
News: Daring Man Carves Thrifty Engagement Ring Out of Meteorite
When most people say, "Damn, look at that rock," regarding an engagement ring, they're usually not referencing an actual rock—let alone a space rock.
Mac for Hackers: How to Install RVM to Maintain Ruby Environments in macOS
We're almost there to completing the setup of your Mac for hacking! Now that we have Git and Homebrew under our belts, it's time to take on something fairly easy, but very important for our hacking needs.
How To: Diceware Gives You Truly Random Yet Easy-to-Memorize Passwords
Passwords are everywhere. We use them to unlock phones, computers, websites, encrypted disks, encrypted files... the list just goes on and on. Savvy users will already have a password manager of some sort that can generate a very strong password on a per site basis. However, these password managers also require a password. Not only that, it has to be something memorable.
News: Google Is Deadly Serious About Taking on Apple's iPhone
Looking past the obvious visual similarities between the iPhone 7 and Google's new Pixel phones, there are several indications that the search giant had Apple in its sights as they released their latest flagships. For once, this isn't an Android phone we're talking about, it's a Google phone—and it showcases Google's latest strategy.
News: 'Nothing Says Coffee Like 6 in the Morning'—Waking Up Like a Gilmore Girl
Where you lead, Gilmore Girls, I will follow. My lifelong dream to grow up Gilmore was to blame for how I ended up waiting in line outside a Williamsburg coffee shop at 6:30 a.m. on a random Wednesday morning. If I was going to start my day like a Lorelai, I needed to live my caffeine-addicted truth with a (free) cup of the good stuff from Luke's Diner.
News: AltspaceVR's Democracy Plaza Puts You in the Middle of the 2016 Election
Most of us don't get the opportunity to see election coverage first hand, but with virtual reality, we're not as restricted. AltspaceVR has teamed up with NBC News to let you log in on your computer or VR headset and actually take part in the action—just not physically.
News: TouchWiz by Any Other Name—Grace UX May Not Be Official, but the Bloat Sure Is
During the lead up to Samsung's Note7's release, rumors swirled about a leaked "Grace UX" interface replacing Samsung's maligned TouchWiz Android skin. In the end, this seems to have been nothing more than an internal code name that Samsung was using to test a few new icons and a slightly-redesigned Settings menu, because not much else has really changed.
News: All the Apps You Need to Install on Your New Galaxy Note
Whether you made the switch from iOS, or you came from a different Android device, there's a lot to learn about your new Galaxy device. Samsung does things a bit differently, and thanks to their TouchWiz interface, there are tons of added features to take advantage of—though some folks might find these extras to be a bit too much.
How To: Don't Fear the Giant Watermelon—Use Every Last Slice with These 15 Juicy Ideas
Summer means watermelon. Juicy, pink-fleshed, and ever-so-tasty, this pepo is a seasonal sensation. But while cost effective, purchasing a whole, large watermelon can lead to melon monotony and maybe even a rotting rind in the fridge. To keep that from ever happening, here are 15 creative ways to use up that wondrous watermelon. Waste not, want not!
How To: Stop Tossing Food—Expiration Dates Mean Nothing
I'll admit it: I ignore expiration dates. No matter if it's a sell-by date, "best if used before" date, or even a use-by date, I don't care. I just check for signs of food decay and keep on eating.
How To: 8 Easy Ways to Enjoy Eating Octopus
The octopus is famous for its bulbous head, enormous eyes, and four pairs of long arms. The stuff of legends and nightmares, octopi have been featured in stories, artwork, and meals galore. But how do you eat this distinctive looking, bilaterally symmetrical sea creature?
How To: With This Slow Cooker Hack, You'll Never Have to Buy Yogurt Again
Making yogurt at home doesn't sound like an easy task at first. We initially saw it as detailed, hands-on, and precise—a process that required special equipment, specialized (and expensive) live-culture bacteria, and loads of yogurt knowledge.
How To: Give Your MacBook's Battery a Longer, Healthier Life with These Power Tips
Apple's MacBook line of laptops is quite famous for their extensive battery life, thanks to various technologies that Apple has utilized. However, all things must pass, and over time your MacBook's battery will degrade. Certain use scenarios can accelerate the degradation of the battery—from excessive usage to high temperatures to overloading the system—and this can all lead to the untimely obliteration of your battery.
News: This Hack Makes Rolling Sushi, Pinwheels & Roulades a Cinch
Plastic wrap is, arguably, man's greatest invention—or at least, the 2000 Year Old Man thought so. Its primary use is to protect food from getting dried out in the fridge or on the counter; but if that's all you're only using it for, you're missing out.
Hack Like a Pro: Reconnaissance with Recon-Ng, Part 1 (Getting Started)
Welcome back, my novice hackers! As many of you know, recon is crucial to a successful hack/pentest. In most cases, hackers spend more time doing good reconnaissance than actually hacking. Without proper recon, you are simply guessing at what type of approach or exploit is going to work and, as a result, your time is wasted without any useful outcomes.
News: Why YOU Should Study Digital Forensics
As many of you know, I have been running a couple of series here on Null Byte about digital forensics called Digital Forensics for the Aspiring Hacker and Digital Forensics Using Kali. Although many readers have seemed to enjoy these series, just as many seem to be pondering, "Why should I study digital forensics?"
How To: When You're Sick of Almond & Soy, Try These 5 Milk Alternatives
Whether you are vegan, lactose-intolerant, or cooking for someone who is, standing before the non-dairy milk shelf in the grocery store can be daunting. Instead of playing it safe with the two most common milk alternatives—soy and almond—perhaps you should explore a few other choices that tend to be overlooked.