There’s no two ways about it: having a cold sucks. A lot of the time‚ it’s expected that we’ll simply power through it – but a stuffy nose‚ aches in places you didn’t know could ache‚ and fatigue can be a lot to contend with. But does science have a way we can avoid the lurgy? And if not‚ does it have any answers for how to feel better?What is the common cold?The common cold is the result of viruses infecting the upper respiratory tract‚ which includes the sinuses‚ nose‚ throat‚ and windpipe. And yes‚ that’s viruses‚ plural – a multitude of different viruses can cause the common cold‚ ranging from coronaviruses (not that one though) to the most frequent causative agent‚ rhinoviruses.A lot of the symptoms that we feel‚ such as a sore throat‚ sneezing‚ and coughing‚ are often the result of the body’s immune response to these viruses invading. Whilst that might seem like a bit of a kick in the teeth given how crummy it makes us feel‚ it does mean the immune system is doing its job‚ though occasionally people can wind up with secondary infections.   How to prevent itThe variety of viruses that can cause a cold has hindered the development of a vaccine or cure‚ but is there anything else that can be done to prevent it? According to a whole host of healthcare providers‚ backed up by research‚ there are some fairly simple ways to try and avoid catching a cold that many people will be familiar with. These include washing your hands with warm water and soap‚ not touching your face (eyes and nose in particular) with unwashed hands‚ and staying fit and healthy.Researchers have‚ however‚ been exploring some of the factors that might put someone at higher risk of catching a cold‚ which points to some potential new targets for prevention. One such study relates to the plethora of folklore suggesting that the cold makes you more likely to catch‚ well‚ a cold.There does tend to be a peak in colds during the winter months‚ but this has historically been put down to more people being indoors and closer together. But researchers from Northeastern University have also found there might at least be something to the urban legends‚ with their study revealing that the immune response in the nasal cavity is dampened in colder temperatures.Under normal conditions‚ tiny sacs called extracellular vesicles bind to viruses entering the nose and suspend them in the mucus‚ but fewer of these turn up when it’s cold. This has therapeutic potential‚ according to study co-lead Mansoor Amiji.“Can you create artificial virus sponges – a decoy cell – that the virus can bind to? And now you have an antiviral compound that destroys it before it infects the actual cell‚” the researcher said in a statement. Unfortunately‚ this approach isn't available to stem your streaming nostrils just yet.How to treat itEven with simple prevention techniques‚ sometimes a cold will slip through the cracks. So what’s the best way to deal with it when you do get one? As with preventative methods‚ there are a lot of popular supposed treatments or so-called “miracle” cures. While commonplace‚ many of these have conflicting or insufficient scientific evidence to back them up‚ such as garlic‚ echinacea‚ and zinc supplements. Antibiotics won't work either‚ as they target bacteria‚ not viruses - taking them inappropriately can contribute to antibiotic resistance.In that vein‚ there’s a well-known saying: “Feed a cold‚ starve a fever”. While a small study published in 2002 suggested eating could positively affect the adaptive immune system‚ this is by no means substantial evidence‚ and there’s little else to say that eating plenty of food will magically cure you. But depending on the water content of what you’re eating‚ it might at least make you feel a bit better. “Both fevers and colds can cause dehydration‚” according to Dr Rachel Dawkins from Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.In that case‚ something like a nice lemon and ginger tea or a bowl of chicken soup (other soups are available) could help rehydrate you and give you a decent nutrient hit to boot.     Overall though‚ the advice is probably what you’ll know already: get plenty of rest and drink up. Pain relievers such as paracetamol might help with aches‚ while decongestants could give a helping hand with that stuffy nose. Oh‚ and find something fun to watch to entertain you whilst you ride it out.All “explainer” articles are confirmed by fact checkers to be correct at time of publishing. Text‚ images‚ and links may be edited‚ removed‚ or added to at a later date to keep information current. The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions.

At last count‚ there are 118 confirmed elements in the periodic table – yet‚ out of that huge number‚ you’re more than nine times more likely to come into contact with just five than the other 113.That’s because‚ out of all of the dozens of elements found in the Earth’s crust‚ it’s those five – oxygen‚ silicon‚ aluminum‚ iron‚ and calcium – which make up a total of more than 92 percent. In fact‚ almost half of the atoms we encounter every day are oxygen‚ making it by far the most abundant element on the planet.At the other end of the scale‚ though‚ we have astatine: the rarest naturally-occurring element on Earth. It’s thought that less than 25 grams – that’s less than a single ounce – of the stuff exists planet-wide at any one time. In fact‚ it’s so rare that scientists still don’t know basic information about the element‚ like what it looks like.Astatine is named after the Greek word for “unstable”‚ and it’s a fitting moniker: it’s incredibly radioactive‚ with a half-life of just over eight hours even in its most stable form‚ astatine-210. That means that even if you managed to get your hands on some‚ after 24 hours‚ just one-eighth of it would be left – the rest having decayed into either bismuth-206 or polonium-210.And that’s the most stable isotope – most forms of astatine have half-lives of a single second or less. In its elemental form‚ things get even more volatile: it’s so radioactive that if you had enough to see with the naked eye‚ it would literally vaporize itself under its own heat.While scientists are sort of able to deal with astatine directly‚ they can only do so by artificially creating it through nuclear reactions – usually by bombarding bismuth-209 with alpha particles. Most of what we know about the element‚ therefore‚ comes from theoretical work rather than practical experimentation. For example‚ we think astatine probably looks like a black solid‚ because it lies in the halogen column of the periodic table. Halogens get darker as they get heavier: fluorine is essentially colorless‚ chlorine is yellow-green‚ bromine is red-brown‚ and iodine is dark grey-violet – hence‚ the logic goes‚ astatine‚ as the next halogen in the list‚ should be darker still.Of course‚ that’s assuming the element isn’t in fact more like a metal than a halogen – a question that divides chemists‚ since astatine also lies along a diagonal line in the periodic table which contains metalloids like boron and silicon. In chemical reactions‚ it sometimes acts like a halogen and other times like a metal‚ resisting easy classification even by experts.Despite being so rare as to be practically non-existent – and so confounding that we know basically nothing about it for sure – astatine may turn out to have some pretty important practical applications. As the element decays‚ it emits α particles: radioactive particles formed from a combination of two protons and two neutrons‚ which are‚ for various reasons‚ really good at targeting cancer cells.“Astatine is the Goldilocks of α emitters‚” Mehran Makvandi‚ a radiologist at the University of Pennsylvania’s medical school‚ told Chemical and Engineering News‚ a magazine published by the American Chemical Society‚ back in 2020. It emits fewer α particles than other isotopes like actinium-225‚ Makvandi explained – that makes it less potent‚ but more focused in its emissions. It has an extremely short half-life‚ meaning it won’t hang around for a long time. Importantly‚ it only emits α particles – the least harmful of the various types of radiation.If scientists could attach astatine isotopes to cancer-targeting molecules‚ then‚ they might be able to create an anti-cancer treatment that could slice through the DNA of a cancerous cell‚ and leave the surrounding tissue relatively unharmed. When it comes to potential cancer treatments‚ Makvandi said‚ “nothing can even come close to having that same targeted potency.”Of course‚ there’s a pretty big caveat to all that: researchers need to get their hands on the stuff first. Since it’s so rare and unstable‚ that’s no easy task – which may be why the element is still officially listed as having no known biological role or uses outside of research.But maybe that’s for the best. After all‚ if we knew it was really important‚ we’d probably need a lot more than 25 grams of the stuff‚ wouldn’t we?An earlier version of this article was published in March 2023.

Research has found that supplementing older people with GlyNAC – a combination of glycine and N-acetylcysteine – wards off several key indicators of aging and keeps people healthier as they age. Not only that‚ but older people also appeared to be fitter and stronger with slimmer waistlines after taking the GlyNAC supplement. As reported in the study‚ scientists at Baylor College of Medicine studied the effect of GlyNAC supplementation on 24 older adults and 12 younger people in a randomized‚ double-blind human clinical trial. After 16 weeks‚ the GlyNAC supplementation was found to be associated with a host of benefits for key hallmarks of aging and age-associated defects. This included oxidative stress‚ glutathione deficiency‚ mitochondrial dysfunction‚ mitophagy‚ inflammation‚ insulin resistance‚ endothelial dysfunction‚ genomic damage‚ stem cell fatigue‚ and cellular senescence. Meanwhile‚ no improvements were seen in those receiving a placebo.In turn‚ the older people who received doses of GlyNAC acquired stronger muscles‚ lower blood pressure‚ and smaller waist measurements. They could exercise harder‚ and their walking speed improved‚ which is a surprisingly good indication of ill-health in old age. The researchers explain that the key to GlyNAC’s benefits lies in its ability to restore mitochondrial health and the correction of oxidative stress. Mitochondria – the “powerhouse of the cell” as school textbooks like to say – generate most of the energy needed to fuel the cell's biochemical reactions. As we age‚ however‚ they become less efficient at producing energy. Just as their previous mice studies have suggested‚ this clinical trial showed that GlyNAC supplementation appeared to lift the mitochondrial function of older people to levels found in young people. As for oxidative stress‚ this describes the process in which the body takes damage from high levels of toxic waste products‚ known as reactive oxygen species or free radicals‚ resulting in the breakdown of cells and DNA damage. Our body produces a natural anti-oxidant – glutathione – to counteract this‚ but levels of this also drop as we age. The latest trial showed that GlyNAC supplementation helps to remedy this glutathione deficiency and lowers oxidative stress in older humans.The GlyNAC supplementation also appeared to have some real impacts on the participants’ health and wellbeing. Older people that received GlyNAC experienced improvements in muscle strength and increased exercise capacity‚ as well as a significant improvement in walking speed‚ which is known to be linked to increased chances of survival in old people. “One of the intriguing questions from this trial is why so many improvements occur toward promoting health. We believe that this is due to the combined effort of three separate components – glycine‚ cysteine (from NAC)‚ and glutathione‚ and not just due to glutathione itself. Glycine and cysteine are both very important for cellular health on their own‚ and GlyNAC provides both‚” Dr Rajagopal Sekhar‚ corresponding study author and professor of medicine at Baylor‚ explained in a statement. “Glycine and cysteine are building blocks to form glutathione‚ which also has health benefits. We believe that the improvements in this trial and in our previous studies are the result of the combined effects of glycine and NAC and glutathione‚ and we refer to this combination as the ‘Power of 3‚”  he added.Despite how important the aging process is to everyone‚ scientists still know surprisingly little about how it unfolds. Through clinical trials like this‚ we could help to unravel some of its mysteries and find ways to ensure the world's growing older population lives happier and healthier lives. “It is believed that correcting aging hallmarks could help people age in a healthier way‚” Sekhar added. “However‚ we do not fully understand why these aging hallmarks occur in the first place‚ and therefore there have been no proven solutions via human randomized clinical trials to improve or correct aging hallmarks in aging humans.”The study is published in the Journals of Gerontology Series A.The content of this article is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice‚ diagnosis‚ or treatment. Always seek the advice of qualified health providers with questions you may have regarding medical conditions. An earlier version of this article was published in August 2022.

What are the Monopoly Go Victory Campaign rewards? This February event is one of the easier ones to clear‚ with plenty of prizes to grab along the way. All about having Mr. Monopoly take up office‚ there's not a whole lot to do but roll big‚ fast‚ and with purpose. It's also a great source of chips for the returning Prize Drop machine. New to Monopoly Go? Check out the Monopoly Go events page to learn about events past and present. It can help you spend your spins wisely and predict when another promotion is set to come around. To make most of the events easier‚ you can also rely on daily Monopoly Go dice links to get loads of free spins. Looking for something new? Check out the best online board games while you work through the latest event. Continue reading Monopoly Go Victory Campaign rewards MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best board games‚ Free PC games‚ Monopoly Go dice

The classic old Fallout games are among the most iconic PC RPGs ever‚ so we were very much looking forward to even more people getting the chance to discover them thanks to an upcoming deal that would see Fallout‚ Fallout 2‚ and Fallout Tactics all become free games on the Epic Games Store. Sadly‚ however‚ the Fortnite and Unreal Tournament developer has seemingly had a change of heart‚ replacing them instead with a new game. Continue reading Fallout was about to be free‚ but Epic changed its mind MORE FROM PCGAMESN: How Fallout 2 defined the series‚ Best Fallout companions

Civil forfeiture allows state and federal authorities to take your hard-earned cash without cause and keep it. The practice must be reformed.

Surviving the Nazis and winning over French critics after the war.

The pro-Israel‚ pro-Ukraine majority deserves to be heard.

That person is President Biden.

There’s a ton of things I’m itching to experience in FromSoftware’s next Soulsborne project (be that a Bloodborne sequel or Elden Ring): from a fresh world filled with hidden places to brand-new weapons with killer moves. What’s got me hyped the most‚ however‚ is the likelihood that their next entry will be next-gen-only‚ which unlocks a ton of possibilities.