This K-Beauty Serum Is ‘More Like A Potent Magic Potion For Rejuvenating Skin’ — And It’s On Sale

If you’ve been around the skin care block, you may already know about PDRN, the buzzy, salmon sperm-derived ingredient popularized by Korean skin care. In previous reporting, dermatologists have spoken about the effects, from smoothing the appearance of wrinkles to brightening skin, so when we spotted luxury K-Beauty brand Rejuran’s c-PDRN serum on a rare sale, we jumped at the chance to cover it. Made with c-PDRN, a form of PDRN designed for topical use, it’s a soothing, smoothing serum that reviewers agree is “truly the best out there” and “worth the money!” The price is lower than usual today when you hit that on-page coupon for a sweet 15% off.

Fragrance-free and fast-absorbing, reviewers credit this lightweight serum with making their skin firmer, more even-toned and “feeling like a baby’s butt.”

As skin experts have previously told HuffPost, “PDRN has been shown to accelerate repair of damaged skin and promote new tissue growth. It also boosts hydration in the skin, promotes cellular turnover and reduces hyperpigmentation.” In addition to this powerhouse ingredient, the serum contains aloe extract, glycerin, niacinamide and other ingredients intended to boost firmness, hydration and radiance.

The brand says the formula is gentle enough to use twice daily, and recommends applying it after cleansing and toning your skin. “I’ve been using it under my moisturizer, and it’s been making my skin feel so much better,” Lauren writes, calling the serum “great for mature skin.” “My moisturizer seems to be able to do its job better and longer.”

Reviewers call the serum “healing & soothing,” helping “dry, cranky, mature skin” feel “soft, supple and moisturized for hours.”

Many reviewers with mature skin speak to the serum’s anti-aging properties. “I am a woman in my fifties with some sagging, dark spots and uneven tone in a few spots. I use this daily, and my face looks incredibly smooth, like glass,” one wrote, adding that it “makes me happy to look in the mirror.”

“My complexion looks brighter, and it also helped reduce the appearance of neck wrinkles with regular use,” another said, saying it “helped with neck wrinkles” in particular.

Another shopper writes the serum is “more like a potent magic potion for rejuvenating the texture of the skin.” “Worry lines and the like have begun to fade far from view, and a supple glow of invigoration has left my once tired skin, tired-looking no more,” they said. “Talk about your fresh start! The real deal!”

And fans say the sleek bottle feels “like something from a high-end spa” — making it even more of an experience to use.

“Yes, it’s expensive, but the results make it worth every penny,” Ashe writes. “After just a few weeks of using it morning and night, my skin feels incredibly hydrated, plump, and has that coveted glass-like glow that looks healthy and radiant.”

Others speak to the compliments they’ve been getting since adding the serum to the rotation, as the serum has brought “a clear improvement in fine lines and overall skin tone.”

“Friends have commented that my skin looks fresher and younger, which is always the best kind of skincare compliment,” another user said.

Shoppers love this PDRN serum for keeping their skin feeling soft and supple. Read more 5-star reviews and grab a bottle on sale.

This rich serum is more like a potent magic potion for rejuvenating the texture of the skin. Impurities once riddled along my face and neckline now have a healing property attached to their appearance. Worry line and the likes, have begun to fade far from view, and a supple glow of invigoration has left my once tire skin, tired looking no more. Talk about your fresh start! The real deal!” — M. Smith

“This is my second time using the Rejuran product, and i’m once again very impressed. Right after application, I feel a noticeable tightening effect, which gives my skin an immediate sense of firmness. With continued use, I’ve seen visible improvement in wrinkles and overall skin texture. My skin feels smoother and more lifted, which makes me confident that I’ll remain a long term user. If there’s one downside, it’s the small amount of product – I wish it came in a larger size. Still I’m extremely satisfied with the results.” — Hannah

This really works for face smoothing. I am a woman in my fifties with some sagging, dark spots and uneven tone in a few spots. I use this daily and my face looks incredibly smooth, like glass. I noticed a difference after the first application. I will admit to not having tried any comparisons but I don’t feel the need. After using this product daily for 2+ months, there is no sign of increased elasticity to help with sagging, even with micro needling. It’s okay, I’m realistic. Yes, I will continue to use this product, it makes me happy to look in the mirror.”Tonya

“I have sensitive skin but it delivers noticeable improvements in smoothness and radiance. It deeply hydrates and plumps the skin, reducing wrinkles, scars, and dark spots” — JPJP

“This is my first time using Rejuran skincare products and wow… what a transformation! My skin has never looked this good. I’ve noticed a huge difference in texture, glow, and firmness. I’ve even been getting so many compliments—people have literally asked me if I got Botox! (I haven’t!) All the credit goes to these wonderful Rejuran products. They truly deliver what they promise. I’m honestly amazed at how much my skin has improved. I 100% recommend Rejuran to anyone looking for real results. Love it! 💖✨” — Rosa

Looking for more anti-aging skin care for your body? Check out this list of faves, courtesy of HuffPost Shopping.

Target

A skin-smoothing body lotion with encapsulated retinol

This non-greasy, lightweight lotion by Versed contains 0.10% encapsulated retinol, a more stable delivery method of the ingredient, to brighten skin and improve elasticity. It’s also formulated with a blend of cocoa butter and vitamin E, which can help protect skin from environmental damage at a cellular level.

Sephora

An argan oil body butter with a gentle pro-retinol and antioxidants

Illyas explained that argan oil, which is rich in triglycerides, has hydrating, antioxidant, and wound-healing properties and has even shown evidence of improving skin’s elasticity. For this reason, she recommends products like this whipped body butter by Josie Maran, which contains a heavy dose of argan oil, powerful antioxidants to promote youthful skin and a pro-retinol in the form of pink algae extract.

A fragile skin cream that helps address thinning and crepey skin

This nourishing cream by DerMend was specifically intended to help address the most common signs of aging skin, such as thinning, loss of elasticity, and fragility. It is notably formulated with hyaluronic acid, however, it also contains retinol, glycolic acid, ceramides, and niacinamide for a holistic approach to caring for the skin.

The Real Deal: We use deal trackers and commerce experience to sift through “fake” hike-and-drop deals and other deceptive sales tactics. Products will usually be rated at least 4 stars with a minimum 15% discount. (And when there’s an exception, we’ll tell you why.)

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Gas Prices And Rates Skyrocketed. You Deserve The 36 Discounts We Just Found This Weekend.

Gas prices have skyrocketed again this week. The Fed hiked rates, and it’s possible another hike is en route before the year ends. Many folks also just had their student loan payments jump again. It’s really been going down in this economy, and not in a good way. Saving money anywhere we can is more important than ever. Lucky for you, deal hunting is our whole job here at HuffPost Shopping. It’s our mission to ensure that none of us pay full price for anything, so below are the best price drops available this weekend. Snag your must-haves while the price drops are live. (We even spotted if they’re on sale beyond Amazon, in case you’ve got a gift card, rewards card or some other money-saving situation at play.)

The Real Deal: We use deal trackers and commerce experience to sift through “fake” hike-and-drop deals and other deceptive sales tactics. Products will usually be rated at least 4 stars with a minimum 15% discount. (And when there’s an exception, we’ll tell you why.)

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Scientists just named a new snake after Guns N’ Roses legend Slash

Slash, also known as Saul Hudson, is famous worldwide as the guitarist for Guns N’ Roses. But music is only part of his story. He has also been fascinated by reptiles for most of his life and has long supported zoos, museums, and natural history.

Now that passion has earned him an unusual scientific honor. Researchers have named a newly identified snake species from New Guinea Lielaphis slashi, or Slash’s groundsnake.

“As a long time herpephile, I am extremely honored and humbled to have Lielaphis slashi from New Guinea named after me. It is really exciting, I never would have imagined this moment would arrive,” says Slash.

A Childhood Connection to Slash

For Sara Ruane, the Field Museum’s Associate Curator of Herpetology and senior author of a paper in Zootaxa describing the species, the name also has a personal connection.

“Guns N’ Roses has been one of my favorite bands since I was in first grade, and by fifth grade, I had already told my teacher that I wanted to be a herpetologist — a scientist who studies reptiles — when I grew up,” says Sara Ruane, the Field Museum’s Associate Curator of Herpetology and senior author of a paper in Zootaxa describing the new species. “So when I was twelve years old and got my copy of Reptiles Magazine in the mail and it had a picture of Slash holding his pet reticulated python on the cover, I thought, ‘This guy is so cool.'”

Years later, after Ruane became a scientist who sometimes has the opportunity to assign official names to newly recognized reptile species, she returned to that old magazine interview.

“I reread his interview, and he talked about how much he loves museums and zoos and natural history, and about how when he was a kid, he’d go outside and look for snakes — it was all stuff that I really related to, and it made me think that he’d be a great person to name a new species after,” says Ruane.

Her opportunity eventually came in the form of a reddish-brown snake measuring 28 inches long that had been collected in the forests of New Guinea.

A Mysterious Snake From New Guinea

New Guinea is the world’s second-largest island, behind Greenland. Located just north of Australia, the island is divided between Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Its tropical forests support enormous biological diversity, much of which remains poorly documented by scientists.

During fieldwork one night in 2006, Chris Austin, a professor and curator of herpetology at the Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science, encountered a snake in New Guinea that he did not recognize.

“These New Guinea groundsnakes are nocturnal, so the best way to find them is at night. They are typically found just after sunset at the base of large trees where they are looking for something to eat,” says Austin, a co-author of the paper describing the new species. “When working at night in New Guinea you need to be very careful as there are several highly venomous species that look very similar to the non-venomous groundsnakes.”

After completing her doctorate, Ruane worked with Austin at LSU in 2016. The two began collaborating to better understand New Guinea’s poorly studied snakes, and they have continued working together on the group ever since.

Genetics Reveal a New Species

At first glance, the snake did not obviously appear to represent a species new to science. Laboratory work, however, revealed important differences.

“Using multiple cutting-edge genetic analyses, we found that L. slashi is genetically distinct from other similar snakes in the same genus,” says Tianqi Huang, the study’s first author and a post-doctoral researcher at the Field Museum with Ruane. “The combination of physical characteristics, like differences in numbers of scales when compared with other species, and the genetic evidence is what led us to realize that it is an entirely new species. We also used ecological modeling to show that L. slashi‘s preferred habitat is different from similar snakes.”

The researchers combined genetic evidence with physical traits, including differences in scale counts, to distinguish L. slashi from related snakes. Ecological modeling also indicated that the new species favors a different type of habitat than similar members of the genus.

What Slash’s Groundsnake Eats

Scientists still know relatively little about the behavior and ecology of Slash’s groundsnake.

“It’s incredibly hard to observe snakes in the wild before they slither away, so our knowledge about L. slashi is limited,” says Ruane.

Its anatomy does provide some hints about how it may live and feed.

“Snakes in this genus often have large teeth in the back of their mouths, which New Guinea groundsnakes may use to grab on to and eat small, slippery-scaled lizards and the eggs of other reptiles; this snake isn’t grasping and squeezing its prey like a boa constrictor,” says Ruane.

Although Guns N’ Roses has been called the “most dangerous band in the world,” its reptilian namesake is not dangerous to people. L. slashi does not produce venom capable of seriously harming a human.

Threats to New Guinea’s Forests

Slash’s groundsnake may pose little danger to humans, but human activity could threaten the species and many other animals living in New Guinea’s forests.

“The habitats that Slash’s groundsnake is from are under threat from industries like coffee farming and mining,” says Ruane. “That’s part of why describing the species that live there is important. Every species should be recognized in order for us to better understand how ecosystems work, how everything fits into the environment. We can’t conserve animals or other living things that we don’t know about.”

By formally identifying species such as L. slashi, scientists can build a clearer picture of New Guinea’s biodiversity and better understand which organisms may be at risk as their habitats change.

This study was contributed to by Tianqi Huang (Field Museum and Rutgers University), Chris Austin (Louisiana State University Museum of Natural Science), Justin Bernstein (Slippery Rock University and the American Museum of Natural History), Bulisa Iova (Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery), Jackson Roberts (Virginia Museum of Natural History), Jeffrey Frederick (University of Kentucky), and Sara Ruane (Field Museum).

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Caltech’s tiny new chip can steer light in 74 quadrillionths of a second

Light can transmit huge amounts of information at extraordinary speed, which is why photonic technologies are being explored for faster communications, more powerful computing, and highly sensitive sensors. To make those systems work, however, researchers need precise ways to control the direction of light and change it extremely quickly.

Caltech researchers have now developed a device that uses one beam of light to redirect another in just 74 femtoseconds (74 quadrillionths of a second). That is roughly the amount of time light needs to travel across the width of a human hair.

“Steering light with light is very challenging because light typically interacts very weakly with matter. Using optical meta-surfaces (ultrathin carefully nanoengineered sheets), we can up the interaction strength to make this possible with much higher efficiency,” says Harry Atwater, the Howard Hughes Professor of Applied Physics and Materials Science and the Otis Booth Leadership Chair of the Division of Engineering and Applied Science at Caltech.

The researchers report their findings in a paper recently published in Nature Nanotechnology. Lead author Claudio Hail carried out the research while he was a postdoctoral scholar in Atwater’s Caltech lab. He is now an assistant professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley.

Why Conventional Light Steering Has a Speed Limit

Many existing technologies for steering or modulating light depend on changing the electronic properties of a material. Examples include liquid-crystal panels used in projectors and optical chips found in telecommunications systems.

In these devices, electrons are pushed into higher energy states before returning to lower ones and releasing their excess energy. That relaxation takes time, creating a bottleneck that usually limits light modulation to nanosecond or picosecond timescales (trillionths of a second).

Atwater’s team took a different approach by eliminating the need for an electrical signal. Instead, the researchers used a powerful beam of light, known as the pump, with a carefully designed pattern that temporarily altered the optical behavior of a material.

A second, weaker beam, called the probe, then passed through that material. Its direction changed according to the pattern created by the pump beam.

Using the Optical Kerr Effect

The system relies on a phenomenon known as the optical Kerr effect. When an intense beam of light passes through a material, it can briefly produce a very small change in the material’s refractive index, which describes how much light slows down and bends as it travels through that material.

The effect comes from changes in the motion of electrons within their orbitals, regions around an atom’s nucleus where electrons have a high probability of being located. Crucially, the electrons are not pushed into separate, longer-lasting excited states.

As a result, the change can appear and vanish almost as quickly as the light pulse itself. There is no need to wait for excited electrons to fall back to lower energy levels.

On its own, though, the optical Kerr effect is too weak to redirect a beam of light by an amount that would be useful in practical devices.

Nanoscale Silicon Pillars Amplify the Effect

To strengthen the response, the researchers created a meta-surface from a thin film of amorphous silicon. The surface was covered with nanoscale pillars, each smaller than the wavelength of the pump’s light.

By carefully choosing the size and spacing of these pillars, the team caused light to remain inside the meta-surface slightly longer and circulate within it instead of simply passing straight through.

That additional interaction time amplified the small refractive index change in the silicon. The resulting effect became strong enough to redirect the probe beam.

Using this design, the researchers steered light by angles of up to 13 degrees in as little as 74 femtoseconds. They also showed that the modulation speed was limited by the duration of the pump pulse (which was also 74 femtoseconds).

Even Faster Light Control May Be Possible

The researchers say the current speed limit comes from the laser pulses used to operate the system, not from the fundamental properties of the meta-material itself.

That leaves open the possibility of making the process even faster. With further development, the technology could reach timescales relevant to emerging photonic concepts including time crystals and synthetic time-varying optical materials.

The paper is titled “Ultrafast, reconfigurable all-optical beam steering and spatial light modulation.” Along with Hail and Atwater, Lior Michaeli is also an author of the paper. He completed the work as a postdoctoral scholar at Caltech and is now an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tel Aviv University.

The work was supported by funding from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and its Meta-Imaging Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative, the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Fulbright Fellowship program, and the Breakthrough Foundation. The Kavli Nanoscience Institute at Caltech provided infrastructure and support for the work.

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Scientists are about to test Einstein’s gravity with exotic matter

Does gravity affect every type of particle in exactly the same way? Researchers at ETH Zurich and the Paul Scherrer Institute (PSI) in Villigen are preparing an experiment that could test that fundamental assumption using one of nature’s more unusual particles.

“We have taken an important step towards carrying out an exciting experiment on this topic,” says the professor of physics: “We want to measure the gravitational interaction of the muon.”

The familiar matter that makes up people, planets, and nearly everything around us consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Physicists classify these particles as belonging to the first generation of matter. Two additional generations also exist, made up of heavier particles. One of them is the muon, a heavier relative of the electron that belongs to the second generation.

Researchers at PSI can create muons and their antiparticles using a large particle accelerator. When a positively charged antimuon combines with a negatively charged electron, the pair forms a neutral atom known as muonium.

Why Physicists Want to Test Muons

The Standard Model of particle physics describes these different generations of particles, but it does not explain why nature has multiple generations in the first place.

“But we physicists do not yet understand why these additional generations exist at all in the first place,” says Soter. “And why are there three in total?”

That mystery raises another important question. Do the heavier particles of the second and third generations respond to gravity in exactly the same way as the lighter particles found in the first generation?

Testing Einstein’s Equivalence Principle

For ordinary matter, objects at the same location in a gravitational field fall at the same rate. Galileo Galilei and Isaac Newton recognized this universality of free fall centuries ago. It later became central to Albert Einstein’s theory of gravity through the equivalence principle, which connects gravitational mass with inertial mass.

So far, however, researchers have demonstrated this principle only with ordinary matter or first-generation antimatter. Measuring how muonium behaves under gravity would provide the first test involving a second-generation particle.

“The exotic muonium is very well suited to this because it is a neutral atom,” explains Soter: “After all, to make something fall, you need something neutral.”

Neutrality is essential because gravity is extremely weak compared with electromagnetism. If researchers tried to perform the experiment with a charged particle, stray electromagnetic fields could overwhelm the gravitational effect they are attempting to detect.

Muonium presents another major obstacle. Muons survive for only about 2.2 microseconds before decaying. Earlier methods also produced muonium atoms traveling at different speeds and in many directions, making them poorly suited for extremely precise gravity measurements.

Researchers at PSI have now found a way around that problem.

“We have managed to produce the muonium atoms in a ‘cold’ state, which is what makes the gravity experiment possible in the first place,” says Soter. “In this case, ‘cold’ means that the atoms propagate at similar speeds, almost parallel to one another.”

Superfluid Helium Creates a Controlled Muonium Beam

The team describes its new method for producing muonium in Nature Physics.

“In order to achieve this, we used superfluid helium that had been cooled close to absolute zero at minus 273 degrees Celsius,” explains Jesse Zhang, lead author of the study. “Superfluid helium is what is known as a quantum fluid, in which the individual helium atoms lose their identity, and which does not tolerate any impurities within it.”

The process begins by directing antimuons from PSI’s accelerator into a thin layer of superfluid helium. Inside the helium, the particles slow down. When an antimuon encounters a free electron, the two form a muonium atom with positive chemical potential.

That chemical potential effectively drives the newly formed atom out of the liquid. When it reaches the surface, the chemical potential is converted into kinetic energy, giving the muonium atom a boost that sends it vertically upward.

“So we’re using the chemical potential as an atomic cannon,” explains Zhang.

The muonium atoms must pass through the quantum liquid without collisions and at a predictable speed. Their lifetime is so short that any significant delay would prevent them from reaching the surface before they decay.

“For our experiments, we also rely on PSI’s particle accelerator, which generates the world’s most intense, continuous muon beams,” says Soter. “Thanks to this high-quality source, a great many muonium atoms can be produced.”

Watching Gravity Shift an Atomic Pattern

The researchers are now building an instrument known as an interferometer to measure how Earth’s gravity affects the muonium beam.

The device takes advantage of the wave properties of atoms to produce an interference pattern. Earth’s gravitational pull should cause an extremely small shift in that pattern. Measuring the displacement would allow the researchers to determine how gravity acts on the muon.

“We hope to be able to test the method for the first time with the atomic beam this year, and if all goes well, the actual gravity experiment should follow in two or three years’ time,” as Soter relates.

The new beam could also make much more precise laser spectroscopy experiments with muonium possible. Those measurements could improve scientists’ understanding of the muon’s mass and fundamental physical constants, another long-term goal of the research group.

Could the Experiment Reveal a Fifth Force?

If muonium responds to gravity differently from ordinary matter, the implications could be profound.

“That would indeed be surprising, and, in addition to other theories, it could point to the existence of a fifth force,” as Soter outlines.

Modern physics recognizes four fundamental interactions: gravity, electromagnetism, the strong interaction, and the weak interaction. Scientists have repeatedly proposed the possibility of an additional fifth force, but no such force has ever been confirmed.

Discovering one is not the main objective of Soter’s experiment. The immediate goal is more fundamental: determining whether one of Einstein’s central principles also holds for a different generation of particles.

“I am completely open-minded,” she says. “I simply want to measure, for the first time, whether the equivalence between gravitational and inertial mass also applies to the second generation of particles — this alone is quite an inspiring piece of work.”

This research is supported by the National Centre of Competence in Research Muoniverse.

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If You’re Dealing With This 1 Uncomfortable Symptom Of Aging, OBGYNs Say These Products Could Help

While hot flashes and irregular periods may be the most common signs of menopause, one lesser-discussed symptom may be causing you just as much strife, and, according to double board-certified gynecologist and Associate Professor of Clinical Obstetrics and Gynecology at Weill Cornell Medicine, Dr. Kecia Gaither, it’s a discomfort you shouldn’t ignore.

Vaginal dryness in menopause is typically related to decreasing amounts of estrogen in a person’s body, which makes vaginal tissue thinner, less elastic, and less able to produce lubrication,” Gaither said.

This ultimately leads to the burning, itching, and uncomfortable urinary symptoms you may be experiencing, as well as painful intercourse.

Other experts previously said that prolonged dryness can increase the risk of recurrent UTIs and potentially light bleeding. Additionally, they told us that, with menopause, vaginal pH rises, which disrupts the healthy lactobacilli that normally help protect the area.

Gaither said that there is no universal best choice for treating vaginal and vulvar dryness. According to her, the choice is individualized and depends on factors such as duration and purpose needed and whether it causes irritation or not. However, she said a practical non-prescription starting point may be to use a vaginal moisturizer and a lubricant for intercourse.

“They can additionally be used alongside a prescription regimen when symptoms are more significant,” she said. According to Gaither, prescription options can include items like low-hormone creams, insertable rings, and oral medications.

Gaither didn’t name any specific brands or over-the-counter products, however, she did provide some general guidance on what to look for and what not to. Take a look at some of the options that we chose based on her advice below.

As always, you should speak to your own medical provider before using any of the products below.

The experts consulted for this story do not necessarily endorse the products ahead unless otherwise noted.

Amazon

An organic balm with healing honey propolis

A board-certified gynecologist previously spoke to HuffPost about the beloved Medicine Mama vulva balm, a moisturizer that is pH-balanced, made with natural ingredients, has 4.4 stars across 15,600+ ratings on Amazon, and an impassioned following.

The expert said that this formula is effective for mild, external vulvar dryness, but is not a substitute for medical treatment. It is formulated with beeswax, propolis, and emollients, which help create a protective barrier and prevent water loss from the area. We also learned that thicker balms like this are better for providing daily comfort, as opposed to water-based lubricants, which might require more frequent application.

Amazon

A very popular silicone-based lubricant

“Silicone-based lubricants can be used during sex when longer-lasting slip is needed. [They are] generally useful for marked friction-related discomfort [and] may be preferable if water-based products dry out too fast,” Gaither said.

Überlube, a lubricant that we chose, has a fragrance-, paraben-, and glycerin-free formula — all ingredients Gaither said to avoid, as they may provoke irritation or predispose yeast infections.

This never-sticky and hypoallergenic personal lubricant stays slick even when wet and can also help prevent chafing during exercise. It’s a very popular and highly rated option with 4.6 out of 5 stars on Amazon across 42,640 ratings.

Amazon

A hyaluronic acid water-based lubricant

According to some medical research, hyaluronic acid-containing lubricants and moisturizers performed well in randomized controlled trials, with some studies suggesting that this popular ingredient may even offer benefits comparable to those of vaginal estrogen. Based on these findings, we chose the Good Clean Love Rehydrate gel, a fragrance-free, water-based formula containing hyaluronic acid.

“Water-based [lubricant] is often the most convenient first trial,” Gaither said. “[They are] lighter and easily removed, often dry quickly, require reapplication, and are compatible with condoms or toys.”

Amazon

An internal long-lasting moisturizer by Vagisil

“Products specifically labeled as vaginal lubricants, moisturizers, or FDA-approved vaginal prescription therapies are intended for internal use when used as directed,” Gaither said.

One internally administered moisturizer that we chose to highlight is Vagisil’s long-lasting vaginal moisturizer that comes with an easy applicator and claims to be effective for up to three days. This no-drip, gradual-release formula is free from estrogen, fragrance, and preservatives, and contains hyaluronic acid to effectively hydrate. It has a 4.4-star rating on Amazon.

Amazon

A daily vulva lotion without glycols or hormones

Gaither said that vulval moisturizers — formulas meant for external application — are good for regular use, often several times weekly for day-to-day moisture. We chose to include the Kindra Daily V Lotion, a lightwieght moisturizer “to relieve dryness, itching, and intimate discomfort in just one hour,” according to the brand. The pH-balanced and scent-free formula contains hyaluronic acid, a skin-calming peptide, shea butter, and coconut oil — a moisturizing ingredient that Gaither approves of for vulvar applications only.

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Andy Burnham urged to set dementia waiting-time target

An 18‑week referral‑to‑treatment target has been backed by England’s former national cancer director.

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This popular fermented food may help flush nanoplastics from the body

The World Institute of Kimchi (President: Hae Choon Chang), a government-funded research institute under the Ministry of Science and ICT, announced that a lactic acid bacterium isolated from kimchi can help promote the removal of nanoplastics from the body by binding to them in the intestine.

Nanoplastics are ultrafine plastic particles measuring less than 1 micrometer (μm; one-thousandth of a millimeter) that are generated during the degradation of larger plastic materials. These particles can enter the human body through food and drinking water. Due to their extremely small size, nanoplastics may cross the intestinal barrier and accumulate in organs such as the kidneys and brain. However, biological strategies to reduce nanoplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract remain at an early stage of research.

A research team led by Drs. Se Hee Lee and Tae Woong Whon at WiKim investigated the adsorption capacity of a kimchi-derived lactic acid bacterium, Leuconostoc mesenteroides CBA3656, against polystyrene nanoplastics (PS-NPs).

Under standard laboratory conditions, strain CBA3656 showed a high adsorption efficiency of 87%, comparable to that of the reference strain Latilactobacillus sakei CBA3608 (85%). However, a notable difference was observed under simulated human intestinal conditions. While the adsorption rate of strain CBA3608 decreased sharply to 3%, strain CBA3656 maintained a substantially higher adsorption level of 57%. These results indicate that the kimchi-derived strain can stably bind nanoplastics even in environments resembling the human intestinal tract.

Significant findings were also observed in animal experiments using a germ-free mouse model. Compared with the control group that did not receive probiotics, both male and female mice administered strain CBA3656 showed more than a twofold increase in nanoplastics detected in feces. This result suggests that the probiotic may contribute to the excretion of nanoplastics by binding to them in the intestine.

This study provides scientific evidence that kimchi-derived lactic acid bacteria may interact with environmental micropollutants beyond their traditional role in fermentation. The findings provide new insight into potential biological mechanisms that may help reduce nanoplastic accumulation in the gastrointestinal tract.

“Plastic pollution is increasingly recognized not only as an environmental issue but also as a public health concern,” said Dr. Sehee Lee, the lead researcher of the study. “Our findings suggest that microorganisms derived from traditional fermented foods could represent a new biological approach to address this emerging challenge. We will continue to expand the scientific value of kimchi microbial resources to contribute to public health and environmental solutions.”

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Scientists discover a mysterious new frog hiding in the Amazon

Scientists have identified a previously unknown frog species living in the seasonally flooded forests of the western Amazon. Named Adenomera varcena, the species adds to growing evidence that Amazonian biodiversity is even richer than it appears.

The discovery also highlights the importance of cryptic diversity, in which animals that look nearly identical can actually belong to separate species. Researchers distinguished the new frog by combining several lines of evidence, including its DNA and distinctive call.

The findings were published in the journal Ichthyology & Herpetology. The research team includes Célio F. B. Haddad, a professor at São Paulo State University (UNESP), and Thiago R. Carvalho, a professor at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG). Both are part of the Center for Research on Biodiversity Dynamics and Climate Change (CBioClima), a Research, Innovation, and Dissemination Center (RIDC) funded by FAPESP.

A New Frog From the Western Amazon

The discovery grew out of field expeditions in the Upper Juruá River region of western Acre. Scientists surveyed forest fragments near the Moa and Crôa rivers, close to Cruzeiro do Sul.

Confirming that the frog represented a new species required far more than simply examining its appearance. The team compared DNA data, recordings of its calls, body shape (morphology), habitat information, and specimens preserved in scientific collections.

The name varcena refers specifically to Amazonian floodplain forests, ecosystems that are submerged during certain parts of the year. That is the environment where the newly described frog was found.

Its habitat is particularly notable because members of the genus Adenomera are generally associated with dryland forests. Finding Adenomera varcena in seasonally flooded forest therefore reveals a previously unknown habitat association for the genus.

DNA and a Distinctive Call Reveal Its Identity

Although Adenomera varcena closely resembles related frogs, researchers found physical and acoustic features that set it apart. One visible difference is the absence of a dark spot on the underside of its forearm.

Its mating call also has a distinctive signature. The frog produces a short sound at a slow rhythm, along with other specific acoustic characteristics that helped researchers separate it from closely related species.

The discovery offers another example of how much Amazonian biodiversity remains undocumented, particularly among animals that appear almost identical on the outside. This type of hidden variation is known as cryptic diversity.

Researchers also found evidence that numerous Adenomera lineages have still not been formally described. That suggests scientists have much more work to do to understand how these amphibians diversified throughout the Amazon.

Climate Change Could Alter Its Flooded Habitat

Scientists do not yet know enough about the ecology and life history of Adenomera varcena to determine how environmental changes could affect it.

“Since we don’t yet know in detail the species’ ecological requirements and its natural history [reproductive period and mode], it’s difficult to predict the impacts of climate change, which may alter the seasonal flooding patterns of the floodplain forest ecosystem in this region of the Amazon,” says Carvalho. “Since the species has a preference for this specific ecosystem, it’s possible to suggest that these changes in flood dynamics may influence – though we don’t know to what extent – the species’ reproductive behavior. In a scenario of accelerated loss of natural areas, the formal description of a new species underscores how much more effort we still need to make to advance studies on our biodiversity. Species may become locally extinct even before they’re formally recognized as species through their naming and description.”

Because the frog appears to favor this particular floodplain ecosystem, shifts in the timing or extent of seasonal flooding could potentially affect its reproduction. However, researchers do not yet know how large that effect might be.

A Race to Catalog Brazil’s Biodiversity

Haddad notes that new amphibian species are still being discovered regularly, but scientists face increasing pressure to document Brazil’s biodiversity as natural habitats continue to disappear.

“Currently, the pace of ecosystem destruction outpaces the capacity of taxonomic studies to keep up. Consequently, species that haven’t yet been described are omitted from lists of threatened fauna and remain legally and environmentally vulnerable. Thus, describing new species serves as a tool that aids in their protection. Furthermore, deepening our knowledge of actual biodiversity expands our understanding of the evolution of organisms, consolidating an essential pillar for both pure science and conservation strategies,” he says.

Formally identifying a species can therefore have practical consequences for conservation. Animals that have not yet been recognized scientifically may be absent from threatened species lists, environmental policies, and extinction risk assessments.

The identification of Adenomera varcena expands scientific knowledge of Neotropical amphibians while also illustrating why taxonomy matters for conservation. Rare species and those restricted to highly specific environments can be especially easy to overlook if they have not been formally described.

The project brought together researchers from Brazilian and international institutions, including UFMG, UNESP, the University of São Paulo (USP), the Federal University of Uberlândia (UFU), and the University of Ecuador (PUCE-Quito).

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A $100 detector can see invisible particles raining down from space

Tiny particles from space are passing through Earth all the time, even though we cannot see, hear, feel, taste, or smell them.

Many of these particles are linked to cosmic rays, extremely energetic particles that can come from exploding stars and other violent events far beyond our solar system. When cosmic rays strike atoms high in Earth’s atmosphere, they create showers of secondary particles. Among them are muons, which can travel through the atmosphere and even penetrate underground.

University of Delaware physics professor Spencer Axani has developed a device called CosmicWatch that makes it much easier to detect these otherwise invisible particles. The technology is now being used by everyone from high school students to professional researchers.

A $100 Detector for Invisible Cosmic Particles

CosmicWatch is roughly the size of a box of animal crackers. Built from electronic components costing around $100, the detector flashes and records a count whenever a muon passes through it. The information is stored so users can later download and analyze the data.

The device was initially created as an inexpensive way to introduce students to particle physics. Since then, however, CosmicWatch has found a role in international astrophysics research as well.

“CosmicWatch detectors allow us to do far more physics at a dramatically lower cost, in a compact and portable form, opening the door to many new kinds of experiments and outreach opportunities,” Axani said.

What Muons Can Reveal About the Universe

Scientists study muons because they can provide clues about some of the most powerful events in the cosmos, including supernovae, gamma-ray bursts and blazars. By measuring muons, researchers can estimate properties of the original cosmic ray, including its energy, mass and direction.

Muon flux also played an important role in physics history. In the early 1940s, measurements of these particles provided one of the first experimental confirmations of Einstein’s theory of special relativity.

Muons are useful for studying objects on Earth as well. The particles can travel through solid materials such as walls, rock, or humans without causing damage. Because they leave behind a detectable energy trail, scientists can use them to image structures hidden behind large amounts of matter. In 2016, muon technology uncovered an unknown corridor in the Great Pyramid of Giza.

The challenge is that conventional muon detectors are often bulky and expensive. That limits both the experiments researchers can perform and the number of schools that can give students hands-on access to the technology.

“A typical undergraduate physics lab course uses a rack of electronics about the size of a small bookshelf to measure muons,” Axani said.

How CosmicWatch Began

Axani first created CosmicWatch in 2017 while he was a graduate student at MIT. His original goal was to build a compact, energy-efficient muon detector for use at the IceCube observatory in Antarctica.

IceCube is a massive detector buried beneath the ice that searches for neutrinos, another type of subatomic particle. A muon detector is useful because it helps researchers distinguish muons from the neutrinos they are trying to identify.

As the project developed, Axani realized the same technology could be made portable and inexpensive enough for educational use. CosmicWatch then evolved into an outreach tool for teaching particle physics.

After joining the UD faculty in 2022, Axani continued refining the design. He recently released the third version of CosmicWatch. Improvements described in an article in the Journal of Instrumentation in October allow the new detector to monitor its surroundings, tolerate high radiation levels, and gather data more quickly.

“Even though I had studied cosmic rays, I didn’t fully appreciate the rich physics behind the working of these detectors to actually ‘see’ the world and atmospheric particle production,” said Masooma Sarfraz, a doctoral student in Axani’s lab and primary author on the journal article. “For a student like me who has been working on theoretical ideas, this was a perfect opportunity to dive into the experimental side. It also connects beautifully to my current broader research work with particle physics.”

From Dark Matter Research to Spaceflight

The latest CosmicWatch design is well suited for calibrating large-scale detectors. It is currently being used in the NuDot experiment at UD and at the Coherent CAPTAIN-Mills (CCM) dark matter detector in Los Alamos, New Mexico.

Researchers are also developing another version that could measure primary cosmic rays aboard rockets and spacecraft.

Despite its expanding research role, education remains an important part of CosmicWatch. At UD, Axani uses the detector to teach particle, nuclear, and astrophysics. Students assemble the devices themselves, gaining experience with high-speed electronics before using their finished detectors in experiments they design.

Musarate Shams, a doctoral student in the quantum science and engineering program, modified his own CosmicWatch by adding temperature and pressure sensors. His goal was to study cosmic rays in Earth’s upper atmosphere.

In May, the detector traveled aboard a high-altitude balloon to 100,000 feet, near the edge of space. After examining the measurements, Shams was able to show how the flow of cosmic rays from space changes as altitude increases.

“It’s a very cool thing to build something in the lab in a couple of days that’s able to detect these cool particles from hundreds of light-years away,” he said.

Giving Students a Taste of Real Particle Physics

CosmicWatch is also being used outside the University of Delaware. Natasha Holmes, the Ann S. Bowers Associate Professor of Physics at Cornell University, has students in her introductory physics courses build the detectors and conduct experiments with them.

She said that working directly with the technology gives students an experience that feels much closer to professional experimental physics.

“The students seem really excited about doing this thing that is more like what particle physicists and experimental physicists actually do,” she said. “They get to learn some coding with it, and sometimes they break the devices, and then we have to talk to them about being careful with your equipment. It’s very different from a typical physics lab. We’ve had students say they’re doing ‘real science’ after using it.”

A Possible Global Network of Cosmic Ray Detectors

Axani estimates that thousands of CosmicWatch detectors have been built since the first version appeared eight years ago. He hopes that number could eventually grow much larger through a worldwide “citizen science” effort.

Under that idea, people in different parts of the world could measure local muon rates and send their observations to a central location online. Together, those measurements could create a much broader picture of particle activity around the planet.

Axani is also developing a related detector system that could help groups of satellites respond more intelligently to changes in their environment. The technology could allow satellites to communicate with one another about conditions in space. If a solar flare were detected, for example, the system could alert nearby satellites so they could power down when necessary.

What began as an inexpensive educational project has now spread into several areas of advanced physics, something Axani did not originally expect.

“Although it started as an educational program, it’s found a use in a lot of different areas of physics,” Axani said. “It’s pretty cool.”

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