Good Bacteria Save Newborn Indian Babies’ Lives
Good bacteria cuts sepsis deaths in Indian newborns; people who hear voices have enhanced skills in recognising speech; digital technology eases musicians' performance anxiety
A dose of “good bacteria” has helped to cut the number of babies’ deaths from sepsis in a trial in India. Sepsis occurs when the body is overwhelmed by infection and then turns against itself. The study – which involved giving babies a mixture of probiotics and prebiotics – was stopped early, so that all babies could benefit from the preventative treatment, which reduced deaths by 40%.
When people hear voices in their heads, it can be a symptom of schizophrenia, but not always. Some people hear voices and don’t have any other problems. But where these voices come from in the brain is still something of a mystery. So a team at Durham University has been scanning the brains of people who hear voices and others who don’t – to see who’s best at detecting words in distorted sounds.
Amateur and professional musicians alike feel nervous before a performance and stepping out onto a stage in front of an audience can make them freeze. Some of the talented music students at the Royal College of Music in London have been trying out a digital mock-up of a performance – complete with grim-faced judges on a screen – to practise their strategies for overcoming anxiety.
(Photo: Getty Images)
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Indian babies’ lives saved by “good bacteria”
Duration: 03:13
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- Wed 23 Aug 2017 19:32GMTý World Service except News Internet
- Thu 24 Aug 2017 02:32GMTý World Service Americas and the Caribbean
- Thu 24 Aug 2017 04:32GMTý World Service except Americas and the Caribbean, East and Southern Africa, News Internet & West and Central Africa
- Thu 24 Aug 2017 06:32GMTý World Service East and Southern Africa
- Thu 24 Aug 2017 13:32GMTý World Service Australasia
- Sat 26 Aug 2017 23:32GMTý World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
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