Fears of a new lockdown are spreading amid an outbreak of the human metapneumovirus (HMPV) in China. Recent reports from northern China indicate hospitals there are struggling to cope with a wave of patients checking in with respiratory infections. Many are due to HMPV, which causes symptoms like those produced by flu viruses or cold viruses – fever, cough and congestion. However, scientists say fears a new pandemic could occur are overblown, as HMPV has been common in winter months for decades, and many of us have built up at least some immunity to it. The virus does pose a bigger threat to the elderly, young children and people with weakened immune systems. In them, it can lead to more serious conditions like bronchitis or pneumonia. But as with other seasonal bugs, experts say, infection rates should fall when warmer weather returns. Author: Derrick Williams #STEMTok #sciencetok #science #learnontiktok #dwscience #dwhealth #hmpv #humanmetapneumavirus #hmpvvirus #newpandemic #outbreak

The spleen is a small organ, but it does an amazing job: It takes care of blood purification and immune defense and thus ensures that we stay healthy! All of our blood – six liters in an adult – flows through the spleen several hundred times a day. It filters out old blood cells, bacteria, pathogens and tumor cells and then organizes their disposal with the help macrophages (a type of white blood cells). It also trains white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, to work together with the bone marrow and thymus. Lymphocytes defend the body against pathogens. The spleen is also a storage organ: It holds onto a small amount of blood for emergencies, such as severe blood loss. Author: Jörg Grüner/Kirstin Schumann  #spleen #organ #spleenfacts #humananatomy #humanbiology #med #medstudent #anatomy #STEMTok #sciencetok #science #learnontiktok #dwscience #dwhealth

What happens during ovulation when your ovaries release an egg? It’s totally unhinged! During the fertile phase of a woman’s menstrual cycle around 15 to 30 eggs begin to mature in fluid-filled follicles, with only the largest follicle reaching ovulation. The follicle ruptures, releasing an egg into the fallopian tube, where fertilization may occur within 24 hours. A complex hormonal interplay regulates ovulation, though the mechanics are still largely unknown due to the challenges of studying such processes within the ovaries. A recent study successfully captured the three phases of ovulation in real-time under high-resolution microscopy. The first phase, follicle expansion, is driven by hyaluronic acid, causing fluid intake and follicle growth. In the second phase, muscle cells in the follicle’s outer layer contract. Finally, in the third phase, the follicle ruptures, releasing the egg. These findings, according to the study’s authors, confirm ovulation as an independent process; while an external signal acts as a trigger, the sequence of steps then unfolds independently within the follicle. The team’s new methods could enhance understanding of ovulation and contribute to human fertility research. Author: Mira Fricke Source/Study: Thomas, C.; Marx, T.L.; Penir, S.M.; & Schuh, M.: Ex vivo imaging reveals the spatiotemporal control of ovulation. Nature Cell Biology #STEMTok #ScienceTok #science #learnontiktok #dwscience #dwhealth #fertility #TTC #biology #incrediblescience #ovulating

Would you like to go to Mars? Today, the surface of Mars is a pretty inhospitable environment for humans. It has a super-thin atmosphere and no strong magnetic field, so it’s not great at blocking out the different kinds of radiation in deep space. The recent big solar storm in May showed us how much radiation future astronauts could encounter on Mars! If someone was standing next to NASA’s Curiosity rover at the time it happened, they would have gotten a dose of radiation equal to 30 chest X-rays (8,100 micrograys). That one big burst would not be deadly, but the constant radiation on Mars is a serious problem for astronauts. Too much radiation can make you feel really sick, with nausea, vomiting, fatigue, and even lead to problems with movement and thinking. And over a long time, it can cause even more serious diseases, like cancer, ocular complications damage, and heart disease. But scientists are already working on ways to keep future Mars explorers safe. These could include building habitats in caverns or lava tubes to protect them from radiation and meteorites. Here on Earth, we're lucky! Our magnetic field and atmosphere keep us safe from most space radiation. Author: Hannah Fuchs #Mars #NASA #curiosity #space #universe #radiation #stemtok #sciencetok #science #dwscience

How do your noise cancelling headphones or noise cancellation headphones work? Here's the science behind it. Sound is a wave. Noise cancelling is based on wave interference. That's how two or more waves interact when they meet. Sound waves have high and low points. You can generate a sound wave that is the flip image of the original sound - so that the crest of one wave aligns with the trough of the other. When these two combine they cancel each other out. This is called destructive interference, and it's the technology behind noise cancelling headphones. On the other hand, when the crests of both waves align, the combined sound wave is much louder. That is called constructive interference. Interference also happens with light because it’s an electromagnetic wave. Astronomers use the interference of lasers to detect gravitational waves. That technique is called laser interferometry. Author: Esteban Pardo #noisecancelling #headphones #acoustics #sound #hightech #techtok #stemtok #science #dwscience