Fresh Science

Most people recover from whiplash injuries within the first few months. However some people have long term pain – lasting months or years. Until now there has been no way of diagnosing these more severe cases. New Brisbane research suggests that fat deposits in the neck muscles are the key.

Studies by University of Adelaide doctoral student Cadence Minge have shown that a high fat diet can cause damage to eggs in ovaries. And when fertilised, these eggs do not develop into normal, healthy embryos.

Synchrotron light delivers Nature paper for young scientist Natalie Borg and colleagues from Monash and Melbourne universities have shown for the first time how the body’s immune defence system can be triggered by fats, sugars and other biological compounds, not just by proteins. The research, published recently in Nature, opens the way to potential new…

A combination of supplements readily available in health food stores can double the rate at which an exercise program builds muscle and sheds body fat. It’s all a matter of timing, according to Melbourne researchers. The researchers found that people who consumed the supplements immediately before exercising with weights gained much more muscle and strength…