SCIENCELIVE

Having access to the internet is increasingly  considered  to be an emerging human right. International organizations and national governments have begun to formally recognize its importance to freedom of speech, expression and information exchange. The next step to help ensure some measure of  cyber peace  online may be for cybersecurity to be recognized as a human right, too. The United Nations has taken note of the crucial role of internet connectivity in " the struggle for human rights ." United Nations officials have decried the  actions of governments cutting off internet access  as denying their citizens' rights to free expression. But access is not enough. Those of us who have regular internet access often suffer from  cyber-fatigue : We're all simultaneously expecting our data to be hacked at any moment and feeling powerless to prevent it. Late last year, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an online rights advocacy group, called for technology companies to

Tattoo artists may have a role to play in reducing cases of advanced skin cancer, researchers say. That's because tattoos can sometimes hide  skin cancers , and make it harder for doctors to diagnose these cancers early, according to a new study. The researchers found that tattoo artists typically don't have a standard way of dealing with the moles that they may see on their clients, and contrary to what doctors would recommend, many will tattoo right over a mole if a client requests it. Meanwhile, less than a third of the tattoo artists (29 percent) said they had recommended that a client see a dermatologist for a suspicious skin lesion. "Our study highlights an opportunity for dermatologists to educate tattoo artists about skin cancer, particularly melanoma, to help reduce the incidence of skin cancers hidden in tattoos," the researchers, from the University of Pittsburgh, wrote in the Jan. 18 issue of the journal JAMA Dermatology. Tattoo artists could also be t

As we get older, our brain cells show changes, and now a new study finds that certain changes happen so reliably that by themselves they can reveal a person's age. In the study, researchers analyzed brain tissue samples from 480 people who died between the ages 16 and 106. None of these individuals had experienced a  brain disease  before their death. The researchers then examined whether they could find differences between the older brains and the younger ones by looking at the level of their expression of certain genes, meaning which genes were "turned on" and "turned off." They found that, with age, certain types of brain cells called  glial cells  showed a shift in their gene expression patterns in certain regions of the brain. In contrast, no such change was seen in the brain's neurons, which are the "signaling cells" of the brain. Glial cells provide support for neurons. What's more, when the researchers looked at whether the gene exp

Men who have low levels of  vitamin D  may be at increased risk for frequent headaches, a new study from Finland suggests. The study analyzed information from about 2,600 Finnish men ages 42 to 60 who gave blood samples and answered questions about the frequency of their headaches. The men were originally part of a study on risk factors for heart disease, and were assessed in the years 1984 to 1989. Nearly 70 percent of the men in the study had blood vitamin D levels below 20 nanograms per milliliter (50 nanomoles per liter), which is generally considered the threshold for vitamin D deficiency. Low vitamin D levels are a particular concern in Finland and other Nordic countries, because these countries are farther north and have less exposure to sunlight, which the body needs to make vitamin D, the researchers said. [ 9 Good Sources of Disease-Fighter Vitamin D ] On average, men with frequent  headaches  — occurring at least once a week — had vitamin D levels of 15.3 ng/ml (38.3 nmol

Can spending a few minutes on your smartphone each day improve your mental health? A new study says it's possible — if you have the right apps. In the study, about 100 people were asked to download a group of apps, called "IntelliCare," from Google Play that were designed to help reduce  anxiety  and  depression . After eight weeks of using the apps several times a day, all of the participants reported significant improvements in their mental health, according to the study, published today (Jan. 5) in the  Journal of Medical Internet Research . The preliminary study was designed to see how well, if at all, the apps would work for treating anxiety and depression, according to the study. The researchers now plan to conduct a larger study to test the effects in more people. [ 9 DIY Ways to Improve Your Mental Health ] "Using  digital tools  for mental health is emerging as an important part of our future," lead study author David Mohr, a professor of preventive

Your age may really just be a number: How well you're aging may be better revealed by a pattern of chemicals found in your blood than by that number. Indeed, a new study finds that certain "biomarker signatures" in the blood can signal people's risk of later developing some age-related health conditions. A person's  chronological age  doesn't necessarily indicate their overall health or their risk for certain conditions. These biomarker signatures, by comparison, may offer better insight into a person's risk of age-related diseases and death over an 8-year period, the study found. "These signatures depict differences in how people age, and they show promise in predicting healthy aging, changes in cognitive and physical function, survival and age-related diseases such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer," the researchers wrote in the study, published today (Jan. 6) in the journal Aging Cell. [ 7 Ways the Mind and Body Change wit

It's the last day of 2016 and I bet, many didn't have a satisfying year in terms of diet.  However, xplicitinfo brings you a better way to do it, for a beautiful new year.  It's not uncommon to feel as if you're drowning in a sea of diet advice: drink red wine for heart health; avoid bacon and processed meats; make sure your diet is filled with "superfoods." But eating a healthy diet is actually quite simple, if you know what to look for. Live Science pulled together the best advice and the most relevant stories about nutrition so you can eat better this year. Nutrition Guidelines There is no single "perfect" healthy diet. But the U.S. government guidelines, which emphasize eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains and moving away from salt, added sugars and saturated fats, are a good place to start. Here's what they say: Should You Go Vegetarian? Are vegetarian diets really better for you? That may depend on what your goals are. But sci