WhatsApp to launch digital payments service in India

Messaging giant WhatsApp plans to launch its first payment service this year in India, its biggest market with 400 million users, the company said Friday.

* This article was originally published here

Medications used to treat atrial fibrillation may raise risk of falls

For older adults, fainting and falls are serious health concerns. They can lead to injury, hospitalization, and other severe consequences. Having certain chronic conditions, as well as taking certain medications, can raise your risk of experiencing falls and fall-related injuries.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/medications-used-to-treat-atrial-fibrillation-may-raise-risk-of-falls

Sizzling Southwest summers can cause pavement burns in seconds

When temperatures throughout the sizzling Southwestern U.S. climb to over 100 degrees, the pavement can get hot enough to cause second-degree burns on human skin in a matter of seconds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sizzling-southwest-summers-can-cause-pavement-burns-in-seconds

Two therapeutic targets identified for deadly lung cancer

The vast majority of deadly lung cancer cases (85 percent) are termed non-small-cell lung carcinomas (NSCLCs), which often contain a mutated gene called LKB1. Salk Institute researchers have now discovered precisely why inactive LKB1 results in cancer development. The surprising results, published in the online version of Cancer Discovery on July 26, 2019, highlight how LBK1 communicates with two enzymes that suppress inflammation in addition to cell growth, to block tumor growth. The findings could lead to new therapies for NSCLC.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/two-therapeutic-targets-identified-for-deadly-lung-cancer

Like film editors and archaeologists, biochemists piece together genome history

Old-school Hollywood editors cut unwanted frames of film and patched in desired frames to make a movie. The human body does something similar—trillions of times per second—through a biochemical editing process called RNA splicing. Rather than cutting film, it edits the messenger RNA that is the blueprint for producing the many proteins found in cells.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/like-film-editors-and-archaeologists-biochemists-piece-together-genome-history

Physicists count sound particles with quantum microphone

Stanford physicists have developed a "quantum microphone" so sensitive that it can measure individual particles of sound, called phonons.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/physicists-count-sound-particles-with-quantum-microphone

The effects of skin aging vary depending on ethnicity, review finds

The population in the United States is expected to become increasingly older, with estimates indicating that by the year 2030, nearly 40 percent of Americans will be over the age of 65.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/the-effects-of-skin-aging-vary-depending-on-ethnicity-review-finds

Brain region linked to altered social interactions in autism model

Although psychiatric disorders can be linked to particular genes, the brain regions and mechanisms underlying particular disorders are not well-understood. Mutations or deletions of the SHANK3 gene are strongly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and a related rare disorder called Phelan-McDermid syndrome. Mice with SHANK3 mutations also display some of the traits associated with autism, including avoidance of social interactions, but the brain regions responsible for this behavior have not been identified.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/brain-region-linked-to-altered-social-interactions-in-autism-model