
Clarissa Brincat
Clarissa Brincat is a freelance writer specializing in health and medical research. After completing an MSc in chemistry, she realized she would rather write about science than do it. She learned how to edit scientific papers in a stint as a chemistry copyeditor, before moving on to a medical writer role at a healthcare company. Writing for doctors and experts has its rewards, but Clarissa wanted to communicate with a wider audience, which naturally led her to freelance health and science writing. Her work has also appeared in Medscape, HealthCentral and Medical News Today.
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Sperm quality is at its peak in the summer, study findsSeasonal shifts in behavior — not temperature — may subtly influence sperm motility. Whether this variation in sperm quality influences fertility remains to be seen.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Synesthesia isn't just in your mind. The body reacts as if the colors were real.Pupil size in people with synesthesia changed depending on how bright or dark the perceived colors were.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Should compulsive shopping and gaming be considered an addiction? Psychiatrists are considering expanding the definition.Mental health professionals recognize problematic gambling as an addiction. Should the same apply to excessive gaming, compulsive sexual behavior and problematic social media use?
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Cancer vaccine shows promise against HPV-related throat tumors in early studyIf proven effective in humans, the vaccine could complement standard therapies for HPV-driven cancer, as well as inform the design of therapeutic vaccines for other diseases.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Men develop cardiovascular disease 7 years before womenMen's heart health tends to decline earlier in life, and the difference is driven largely by coronary heart disease, which appears roughly a decade sooner in men than in women.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Wegovy now comes in pill form — here's how it worksThe pill version of Wegovy seems to work just as well as the injectable form, but there are some key differences between the two formulations, experts say.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Why is flu season so bad this year?Flu season in the U.S. is particularly bad this year, and a new branch of the flu family tree may be to blame.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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DNA from ancient viral infections helps embryos develop, mouse study revealsA stretch of viral DNA in the mouse genome gives cells in early-stage embryos the potential to become almost any cell type in the body.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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It matters what time of day you get cancer treatment, study suggestsGiving immunotherapy earlier in the day can significantly extend patients' survival, compared to giving treatment later in the day, a new study of lung cancer shows.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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5 genetic 'signatures' underpin a range of psychiatric conditionsA study suggests psychiatric disorders can share the same genetic signatures and that they may stem from shared biological mechanisms.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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What was the loudest sound ever recorded?Determining the "loudest recorded sound" depends on how you define sound and on which measurements you choose to include.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Injecting anesthetic into a 'lazy eye' may correct it, early study suggestsTemporarily shutting down a "lazy eye" triggers a burst of neuronal activity that reverses the condition in animal experiments, a study shows.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Kissing goes back 21 million years, to the common ancestor of humans and other large apes, study findsScientists traced kissing back to a primate ancestor that lived around 21 million years ago.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Can brainless animals think?Even without brains, creatures like jellyfish and sea anemones can learn from experience.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Aging and inflammation may not go hand in hand, study suggestsDeclining immune responsiveness with age may be driven by changes in immune cells — not by inflammation, as previously thought.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Did Neanderthals eat anything other than meat?Neanderthals were meat eaters, but new analyses show that their diets included other morsels.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Are there any countries with no mosquitoes?One country has long been a mosquito-free zone, but global warming may change that.
By Clarissa Brincat Last updated
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What is type 5 diabetes? Newly recognized form of the disease gets nameFirst spotted decades ago but largely forgotten, a newly named form of diabetes stems from undernutrition and is thought to affect millions.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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What's the strongest muscle in the human body?Several muscles can claim the crown, depending on how you measure strength.
By Clarissa Brincat Last updated
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Years of repeated head impacts raise CTE risk — even if they're not concussionsYears of hits in sports like football and soccer, even without concussions, can trigger neuron loss and inflammation in the brain, a study finds.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Why does your breath sometimes stink even after brushing your teeth?You might brush twice a day but still struggle with stinky breath. Why is that?
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Acne drug Accutane may restore sperm production in infertile men, early study hintsAccutane, a decades-old acne treatment, could help men with infertility produce motile sperm and avoid invasive sperm retrieval surgery, a study finds.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Do humans and chimps really share nearly 99% of their DNA?The frequently cited 99% similarity between human and chimp DNA overlooks key differences in the genomes.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
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Caffeine may help bacteria resist antibiotics, study findsA laboratory experiment suggests caffeine may boost E. coli’s antibiotic resistance. However, whether this discovery applies to real-world infections in people is not yet known.
By Clarissa Brincat Published
