Recent research from CU Boulder may have finally revealed why humans tend to get sick from airborne viral diseases more often in drier environments.
Feb 23, 2023
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A study into the use of an at-home test that uses saliva rather than blood to diagnose adrenal insufficiency, which has been developed by scientists at the University of Sheffield and tested in Sheffield endocrine patients ...
Jan 6, 2023
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The field of genomic science is rapidly advancing, with commercial genetic tests becoming affordable and popular.
Nov 29, 2022
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Researchers in the Oregon State University College of Engineering have taken a key step toward improving the lives of patients with epilepsy by developing a sensor system for quickly testing their saliva to see if they have ...
Nov 28, 2022
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COVID-19 reactivated viruses that had become latent in cells following previous infections, particularly in people with chronic fatigue syndrome, also known as ME/CFS. This is the conclusion of a study from Linköping University ...
Nov 16, 2022
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Florida doctors are using a new test to determine someone's future risk for Alzheimer's disease from a few drops of spit.
Nov 11, 2022
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Tuberculosis can be tough to detect. Diagnosis usually requires coughing up a sputum sample from the lungs, which can be unpleasant, impractical, and even hazardous. But in a promising new study, a multinational team of researchers ...
Oct 13, 2022
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Saliva samples could soon be key to predicting the severity of someone's case of COVID-19, allowing hospitals to triage patients effectively, according to new research from the University of Surrey.
Sep 28, 2022
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Until recently, scientists have not fully understood why ticks are such dangerous disease vectors. A research team led by Johanna Strobl and Georg Stary from MedUni Vienna's Department of Dermatology shows that tick saliva ...
Sep 28, 2022
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The transition to kindergarten causes a generalized and normal increase in the stress hormone cortisol in children during the first two weeks of school. Cortisol levels then decrease in some children but not others.
Sep 8, 2022
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Saliva (also referred to as spit , spittle or slobber) is the watery and usually frothy substance produced in the mouths of humans and most other animals. Saliva is produced in and secreted from the salivary glands. Human saliva is composed mostly of water, but also includes electrolytes, mucus, antibacterial compounds, and various enzymes. As part of the initial process of food digestion, the enzymes in the saliva break down some of the starch and fat in the food at the molecular level. Saliva also breaks down food caught in the teeth, protecting them from bacteria that cause decay. Furthermore, saliva lubricates and protects the teeth, the tongue, and the tender tissues inside the mouth. Saliva also plays an important role in tasting food by trapping thiols produced from odourless food compounds by anaerobic bacteria living in the mouth.
Various species have evolved special uses for saliva that go beyond predigestion. Some swifts use their gummy saliva to build their nests. Some Aerodramus swiftlet nests are made only from saliva and used to make bird's nest soup. Cobras, vipers, and certain other members of the venom clade hunt with venomous saliva injected by fangs. Some arthropods, such as spiders and caterpillars, create thread from salivary glands.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA
