PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Newly discovered ancient arthropod lived hundreds of millions of years ago

2015-04-07
(Press-News.org) The Burgess Shale Formation, in the Canadian Rockies of British Columbia, is one of the most famous fossil locations in the world. A recent Palaeontology study introduces a 508 million year old (middle Cambrian) arthropod--called Yawunik kootenayi--from exceptionally preserved specimens of the new Marble Canyon locality within the Burgess Shale Formation.

Its frontal appendage--the "megacheiran great appendage"--is remarkably adorned with teeth, emphasizing an advanced predatory function. The appendage also had long hair-like flagella at the end that likely served a sensory function.

"Yawunik illustrates unique attributes in the early evolution of the most successful group of animals on Earth - the arthropods. It shows that the combination of functions on a single, frontal-most appendage was a type of strategy selected for before the grasping and sensory roles were ensured by different head limbs," said lead author and PhD candite Cédric Aria.

INFORMATION:



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

The rest of the brain gets in the way

The rest of the brain gets in the way
2015-04-07
Why do some people learn a new skill right away, while others only gradually improve? Whatever else may be different about their lives, something must be happening in their brains that captures this variation. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Johns Hopkins University have taken a network science approach to this question. In a new study, they measured the connections between different brain regions as participants learned to play a simple game. The differences in neural activity between the quickest and slowest ...

A better biomarker to predict cetuximab response in CRC patients

A better biomarker to predict cetuximab response in CRC patients
2015-04-07
The results appear in the 2015 2nd issue of the journal of Human Genome Variation. To see a video about the partnership between Champions and Insilico, visit: http://tinyurl.com/InsilicoChampions . Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the United States. More than 50,000 people die of CRC each year due to tumor spreading to other organs and almost half of all newly diagnosed patients are in an advanced stage of cancer (metastatic CRC or mCRC) when they are first diagnosed. With the development ...

Common drug is re-engineered to improve surgery outcomes

2015-04-07
A Northwestern University research team potentially has found a safer way to keep blood vessels healthy during and after surgery. During open-heart procedures, physicians administer large doses of a blood-thinning drug called heparin to prevent clot formation. When given too much heparin, patients can develop complications from excessive bleeding. A common antidote is the compound protamine sulfate, which binds to heparin to reverse its effects. "Protamine is a natural compound that has been used in surgeries for many decades," said Guillermo Ameer, professor of biomedical ...

Easing the pain

2015-04-07
The combination of two well-known drugs will have unprecedented effects on pain management, says new research from Queen's. Combining morphine, a narcotic pain reliever, and nortriptyline, an antidepressant, has been found to successfully relieve chronic neuropathic pain - or a localized sensation of pain due to abnormal function of the nervous system - in 87 per cent of patients, and significantly better than with either drug alone. "Chronic pain is an increasingly common problem and can exert disastrous personal, societal, and socio-economic impacts on patients, their ...

Stanford-led study finds limited mutations involved in transmission of drug-resistant HIV

2015-04-07
In the largest study of its kind to date, researchers at Stanford University School of Medicine and their colleagues have found that worldwide only a limited number of mutations are responsible for most cases of transmission of drug-resistant HIV. HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, can mutate in the presence of antiviral drugs, and these mutations can be transmitted from one person to the next. In the new study of more than 50,000 patients in 111 countries, the researchers found a small group of mutations accounted for a majority of the cases of transmission-related resistance ...

Leading cardiovascular societies release new guidance on use of heart pumps

2015-04-07
Washington, DC (April 7, 2015) - Greater availability of percutaneous mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices for treatment of heart failure is helping expand treatment options for a rapidly growing number of acutely and chronically ill cardiac patients who could benefit from the devices. An expert consensus statement released today by the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI), American College of Cardiology (ACC), Heart Failure Society of America (HFSA) and The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) provides new guidance to help physicians match ...

Epidemiology of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance

2015-04-07
Only a limited number of surveillance drug-resistance mutations (SDRMs) are responsible for most instances of non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NNRTI)- and nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor (NRTI)-associated resistance, and most strains of HIV-1 transmitted drug resistance (TDR) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and south/southeast Asia (SSEA) arose independently, according to a study published this week in PLOS Medicine. The study, led by Soo-Yon Rhee of Stanford University, and colleagues, came to these conclusions after analyzing individual virus sequences ...

Mortality and blood pressure directly linked to relationship quality

2015-04-07
While other studies have shown that stress and negative marital quality can influence mortality and blood pressure, there has not been research that discussed how it might affect married couples over time. Using systolic blood pressure as a gauge, researchers assessed whether an individual's blood pressure is influenced by their own as well as their partner's reports of chronic stress and whether there are gender differences in these patterns. The Journals of Gerontology, Series B®: Psychological Sciences published these findings in the article titled, "Stress and ...

Common birds bring economic vitality to cities, new study finds

2015-04-07
Is it worth having birds in the city? If you live in Seattle or Berlin, the answer is yes, to the tune of $120 million and $70 million a year for each city, respectively. A new study published last month in the journal Urban Ecosystems tries to determine what economic value residents in two comparable cities place on having birds in their backyards and parks. Researchers at the University of Washington and Humboldt State University compared two types of common birds - finches and corvids - in both cities, asking residents how much they would pay to conserve the species ...

Why daring to compare online prices pays off offline

2015-04-07
This news release is available in French. The sudden closures of big-box stores like Future Shop and Target may make it seem like online shopping is killing real-world stores. But shoppers are actually engaging in "web-to-store" shopping -- buying offline after comparing prices online. New research from Concordia University's John Molson School of Business shows this consumer behaviour has important implications for retailers. When setting in-store prices or offering price-matching guarantees, offline retailers should focus more on online retailer ratings than on ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Uniting the light spectrum on a chip

Hundreds of new bacteria, and two potential antibiotics, found in soil

Smells deceive the brain – are interpreted as taste

New species survival commission fills critical gap in conservation

New conservation committee led by Applied Microbiology International calls on science community to get on board with microbial conservation

Scientists uncover key stabilizing role of small molecules

“Black Hole Stars” could solve JWST riddle of overly massive early galaxies

Mysterious ‘red dots’ in early universe may be ‘black hole star’ atmospheres

A gene mutation found in East Asian people increases liver disease risk by an ‘aldehyde storm’

Artificial intelligence‑assisted conductive hydrogel dressings for refractory wounds monitoring

Scalable fabrication of methylammonium‑free wide‑bandgap perovskite solar cells by blade coating in ambient air

Wearable devices could revolutionize pregnancy monitoring and detect abnormalities

Efficient cation recognition strategies for cationic compounds

US COVID-19 school closures were not cost-effective, but other non-pharmaceutical interventions were, new study finds

Human activities linked to declines of big seeds

North-south autism assessment divide leaves children waiting three years longer 

Want to publish in Nature? Webinar with Prof. Willie Peijnenburg shares insider tips

Cataract surgery on both eyes can be carried out safely and effectively in one go

Personalized brain stimulation shows benefit for depression

AI uncovers hidden rules of some of nature’s toughest protein bonds

Innovative approach helps new mothers get hepatitis C treatment

Identifying the Interactions That Drive Cell Migration in Brain Cancer

ORNL receives 2025 SAMPE Organizational Excellence Award

University of Oklahoma researchers aim to reduce indigenous cancer disparities

Study reveals new evidence, cost savings for common treatments for opioid use disorder in mothers and infants

Research alert: Frequent cannabis users show no driving impairment after two-day break

Turbulence with a twist

Volcanic emissions of reactive sulfur gases may have shaped early mars climate, making it more hospitable to life

C-Path concludes 2025 Global Impact Conference with progress across rare diseases, neurology and pediatrics

Research exposes far-reaching toll of financial hardship on patients with cancer

[Press-News.org] Newly discovered ancient arthropod lived hundreds of millions of years ago