Bushfire smoke increases hospitalisation risks more than other types of air pollution Bushfire smoke increases people's risk of being hospitalised for respiratory conditions and asthma, and may increase it more than other types of air pollution, according to Australian-led research. The study, which the authors say is the largest study on the links between wildfire-specific fine particulate matter and respiratory hospitalisations, included data from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, New Zealand, Vietnam, Thailand and Taiwan. It found that bushfire-specific fine particulate matter was linked with increased hospitalisation risks for respiratory conditions, including asthma, influenza and pneumonia. It also found that wildfire-specific fine particulate matter posed a greater hospitalisation risk for various respiratory diseases than other types of fine particulate matter.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/bushfire-smoke-inc

World first scale to measure gender euphoria among trans community Melbourne researchers have developed a world first scale to measure gender euphoria among trans adolescents and adults. And the new tool to assess gender euphoria, a feeling of joy in how a person’s gender identity is presented and perceived, could have significant implications for mental health interventions.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/world-first-scale-

Farmers brought fish up the mountains of Europe as early as the 7th century Farmers brought fish up the Pyrenean mountains and into the lakes as early as the 7th century, according to international and Australian researchers. The team say lakes in the high mountains of Europe didn't originally have fish, but evidence of humans introducing them to those areas has been found from the 14th and 15th centuries. The researchers studied the sediment core of Lake Redon in the Pyrenes Mountains of Spain and found DNA from fish parasites and fish prey dating back as early as the 7th century, when the region was likely used for sheep farming, suggesting fish were brought there earlier than previously thought. Today, the lake is home to about 60,000 brown trout.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/farmers-brought-fi

Yoga could help manage arthritis knee pain Yoga appears to be just as good as strengthening exercises for managing knee osteoarthritis, according to Australian research. The study, which compared three yoga sessions a week to 3 sessions of strengthening exercises, found that both groups improved their knee pain to the same levels. The authors say that the findings suggest that integrating yoga as an alternative or complementary exercise option in clinical practice may help in managing knee osteoarthritis.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/yoga-could-help-ma

Sperm don’t just swim - they screw their way forward Monash researchers have discovered that swimming sperm create swirling fluid vortices – shaped like rolling corkscrews – giving them an extra boost in the race to the egg. The study reveals that these vortices attach to the sperm cell and rotate in sync, adding extra spin that enhances propulsion and helps keep them on a direct path through the fluid.
https://www.scimex.org/newsfee....d/sperm-dont-just-sw