Climate change has caused an increase in the semi-arid climate region in Brazil. Data from the National Center for Monitoring and Warning of Natural Disasters (CEMADEN) and the National Institute of Space Research (INPE) in the South American country indicate an expansion of 7,500 square kilometers per year since 1990, which is equivalent to five times the area of the city of São Paulo. A similar phenomenon has been observed in some regions of Europe and North Africa. With this in mind, and with the desire to find solutions to mitigate climate change, a group ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: New data shows that the number of children suffering a seizure after swallowing medications or illegal substances has doubled between 2009 and 2023 in the US. The findings were presented today (Wednesday) at the European Emergency Medicine Congress.   The most common substances involved in these poisonings include over-the-counter antihistamines, prescription antidepressants and painkillers, and illegal synthetic cannabinoids.   Dr Conner McDonald from the University of Virginia School of Medicine told the Congress: “Seizure is one of the most severe symptoms a poisoned ...

Copenhagen, Denmark: Increases in levels of particulate matter in the air, even within World Health Organization guidelines, correspond with an increase in the number of patients going to the hospital emergency department, according to research presented at the European Emergency Medicine Congress today (Wednesday).   The study found links particularly between air pollution and cases of trauma, breathing difficulties and skin conditions.   The research was presented by Dr Andrea Rossetto an emergency medicine resident at University of Florence and Careggi University Hospital, Florence, Italy, and a PhD Student at Queen Mary University of London, UK.   Dr ...

In a teleconference with reporters on Tuesday, representatives from NASA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the international Solar Cycle Prediction Panel announced that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period, which could continue for the next year. The solar cycle is a natural cycle the Sun goes through as it transitions between low and high magnetic activity. Roughly every 11 years, at the height of the solar cycle, the Sun’s magnetic poles flip — on Earth, that’d be like the ...

Scientists at ChristianaCare Gene Editing Institute Use CRISPR Tools to Safely Disable Gene Mutation Linked to Treatment-Resistant Melanoma   Study finds CRISPR restores the ability for cancer treatments to attack melanoma cancer cells with precision-guided gene edit that ignores healthy cells   Wilmington, DE, OCTOBER 15, 2024  -- In a potential advance for melanoma patients, researchers at ChristianaCare’s Gene Editing Institute have used CRISPR gene editing ...

A major international study has found gout is a chronic illness where genetics is a major cause, rather than lifestyle choices of the sufferer.   Led by University of Otago researchers, the genome-wide association study, published in Nature Genetics, analysed the genetic information of 2.6 million people.   Researchers analysed amalgamated DNA data sets from around the world. About three quarters of the data was from customers of 23andMe, Inc, a direct-to-consumer genetics and preventative health company, who consented to participate in research.   They found inherited genetics is an important part ...

A new analysis from University of Toronto Engineering researchers leverages machine learning to help answer a thorny question: where should new protected bike lanes be placed to provide maximum benefit?  “Right now, some people have really good access to protected biking infrastructure: they can bike to work, to the grocery store or to entertainment venues,” says Madeleine Bonsma-Fisher, a postdoctoral fellow in the Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering and lead author of a new paper published in the Journal of Transport Geography.  “More ...

A new study from the University of Toronto's Department of Civil & Mineral Engineering suggests that large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could lead to significant population-level health benefits.  The research team used computer simulations to show that aggressive electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet, coupled with an ambitious rollout of renewable electricity generation, could result in health benefits worth between US$84 billion and 188 billion by 2050.  Even scenarios with less aggressive grid decarbonization mostly predicted health benefits running into the tens of billions of dollars.  “When ...

TAMPA, Fla. (Oct. 15, 2024) -- The Florida Inventors Hall of Fame is inviting nominations for the 2025 class of inductees. This award recognizes distinguished inventors with a connection to Florida, whose achievements have advanced quality of life for the state and the nation. “Inductees to the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame represent some of our nation’s greatest inventors from across academia, industry and government,” said Paul Sanberg, chair of the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame Advisory Board and president of the National Academy of Inventors. “Their achievements underscore the critical role that innovation plays in driving ...

  In recent U.S. elections, results often took days to finalize, fueling voter distrust in the electoral process and ballot outcomes. Now, research from the Yankelovich Center for Social Science Research at UC San Diego shows that a simple, proactive message from election officials – ahead of Election Night – can effectively reduce this distrust. The study, published in PNAS Nexus, reveals that when voters are informed in advance that counting ballots accurately takes time and there are security measures in place, their trust in the process remains steady, even when results are delayed. “Election officials ...

HOUSTON – (Oct. 15, 2024) – An interdisciplinary team of Rice University engineers and collaborators led by Jamie Padgett has won $1.5 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to improve the safety and resiliency of coastal communities facing compounded risk from hazardous weather events. Padgett, together with Ben Hu and Avantika Gori at Rice, David Retchless at Texas A&M University at Galveston and community partners, will leverage responsible artificial intelligence (AI), hazard and resilience models ...

URBANA, Ill. — As the world’s native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the country to accommodate crop growers. A new study from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign looks at pollination contracts between beekeepers and California almond growers, exploring clauses that could make the agreements more appealing for both parties. “There's about 1.3 million acres of almond trees ...

Climate change presents far-reaching implications for the planet’s weather, sea levels, animals and food supply. Now experts are addressing climate change’s adverse effects on human health. “We need to try to reduce risks for people, especially vulnerable populations,” said Ardythe Morrow, PhD, MSc, professor and director of the Epidemiology division of the Department of Environmental and Public Health Sciences at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. To that end, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences of the National Institutes of Health has awarded a three-year, $4 million ...

Educational psychologists could help to fight mental health and neurodiversity misinformation on TikTok as more young people self-diagnose based on poor quality content on the platform, a new study says. Growing numbers of young people may be labelling themselves as being neurodivergent or having mental health conditions after engaging with information online, some of which may be inaccurate. Educational psychologists and their professional bodies could engage with TikTok by creating accessible evidence-based content about neurodiversity and mental health on the platform. Their assessments could also ...

WASHINGTON (Oct. 15, 2024)—Six medical technology innovators focused on pediatric cardiology were selected to receive grants of $50,000 each in the “Make Your Medical Device Pitch for Kids!TM” competition in Toronto. The funds will help awardees bring their devices to the market and improve care for children with heart conditions.     The awardees, selected from a highly competitive field of ten finalists, are:      Bloom Standard, Minneapolis—Autonomous, hands-free ultrasound  Compremium AG, Bern, Switzerland—Noninvasive central venous pressure estimation for pediatric patients  Massachusetts ...

Northwestern University engineers have developed a new system for full-body motion capture — and it doesn’t require specialized rooms, expensive equipment, bulky cameras or an array of sensors.  Instead, it requires a simple mobile device. Called MobilePoser, the new system leverages sensors already embedded within consumer mobile devices, including smartphones, smart watches and wireless earbuds. Using a combination of sensor data, machine learning and physics, MobilePoser accurately ...

Distinct immune “signatures” in patients who develop adverse events while taking immunotherapy for cancer may help oncologists identify patients at risk and treat them early to prevent serious side effects, suggests a study by researchers from the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center and its Bloomberg~Kimmel Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy. The study, published Oct. 15 in the Journal of Clinical Investigation, is the largest to date to look at immune signatures in patients with a range of cancers. It included a diverse sample of 111 patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors ...

The North Texas Genome Center (NTGC) at UT Arlington is getting an upgrade in the form of a next-generation genetic sequencer that will allow researchers to study genetic links between health and disease at a large scale. The new $1 million instrument, the only one of its kind in North Texas, will allow faculty and students to more deeply analyze rare genetic variants, an important step in discovering new insights for the future of health care. “I’m excited to be able to expand and upgrade the technological capabilities of the North Texas Genome Center, a collaborative ...

A research group led by Joshua Neunuebel at the University of Delaware, USA, tracked the behavior of mice using machine learning to understand how they handle aggressive behavior from other mice. The researchers’ findings, published on October 15th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, show that male mice deescalate aggressive encounters by running over to a female mouse to distract the aggressive male mouse. The researchers recorded groups of two male and two female mice interacting over five hours. Like many other animals, mice have social hierarchies, and in almost each group recorded, one male was always significantly more aggressive towards the other. Social interactions ...

In an era where mental health awareness is at the forefront of public discourse, a new historical review is shedding light on the often-overlooked French contributions to our understanding of depression. Published in Genomic Psychiatry, the study by Dr. Kenneth S. Kendler and Virginia Justis of Virginia Commonwealth University examines a seminal 1897 French monograph that helped shape modern concepts of melancholia and depression. The review focuses on "La Mélancolie" by Jacques Roubinovitch ...

New Study Key Takeaways: New model focuses on more equity and accessibility in opioid overdose treatment locations and resource allocation. Utilizing this model, the results project that within 2 years, there will be a decrease in the number of people with opioid use disorder, an increase in the number of people getting treatment and a decrease in opioid-related deaths. Policymakers should target adding treatment facilities to counties that have significantly fewer facilities than their population share and are more socially vulnerable. BALTIMORE, MD, October 15, 2024 – The opioid epidemic is a crisis that has plagued the United States for decades. ...

Key takeaways Voting eligibility for people with felony convictions has expanded since 1997, with more than two million individuals now able to vote. Several factors, like misinformation, distrust of government or lack of clarity around procedures, impede many from exercising their right to vote. Direct outreach, including through trusted, on-the-ground community organizations, as well as informational text messaging, can help eligible voters navigate the process and make sure their voices are included in elections. As get-out-the-vote efforts hit high gear nationwide, a team of sociologists, political scientists ...

Alzheimer’s disease may damage the brain in two distinct phases, based on new research funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) using sophisticated brain mapping tools. According to researchers who discovered this new view, the first, early phase happens slowly and silently — before people experience memory problems — harming just a few vulnerable cell types. In contrast, the second, late phase causes damage that is more widely destructive and coincides with the appearance of symptoms and the rapid ...

Advancements in quantum information technology are paving the way for faster and more efficient data transfer. A key challenge has been ensuring that qubits, the fundamental units of quantum information, can be transferred between different wavelengths without losing their essential properties, such as coherence and entanglement. As reported in Advanced Photonics, researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) recently made significant strides in this area by developing a novel method for broadband frequency conversion, a crucial step for future quantum networks. The SJTU team focused on a technique using X-cut thin film lithium niobate ...

Aston University is leading a new £5.5 million EU research project Will focus on converting fibre-optic cables into sensors to detect natural hazards Could identify earthquakes and tsunamis and assess civil infrastructure. Aston University is leading a new £5.5 million EU research project to explore converting existing telecommunication fibre-optic cables into sensors which can detect natural hazards, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, and assess the condition of civil infrastructure.  The project is called ECSTATIC (Engineering Combined Sensing and Telecommunications Architectures for Tectonic and Infrastructure Characterisation) ...