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

Adult tropical trees of the same species grow farther apart than factors like seed dispersal limits can explain

2023-08-03
(Press-News.org) Tropical trees distance themselves from members of their own species more than they do other species, a new study shows. What’s more, trees of the same species exist at distances farther apart than would be expected by chance or the limits of seed dispersal. The results reveal pervasive within-species spatial repulsion in adult trees, providing new insights into the ecological dynamics that stabilize species diversity and enable the exceptionally high diversity of tropical forests. Tropical forests host an unusually high diversity of tree species. For example, some tropical forests contain more than 250 tree species per hectare. However, how hundreds of species coexist on relatively small spatial scales remains a question. It’s thought that for species to coexist, performance of a species should decrease as they become more common, preventing any one species from taking over; an individual tree is more likely to survive when surrounded by different tree species with different resource needs, pathogens, and herbivores. As a result, this phenomenon, known as conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD), should produce patterns of within-species spatial “repulsion.” While evidence for CNDD has been observed in juvenile trees in forests, the patterns it creates have rarely been demonstrated in adults. Michael Kalyuzhny and colleagues compared the within-species spatial patterns of adult tropical trees (41 species) in a forest plot in Panama with the outcomes of a Dispersal Limitation null model, which estimated species-specific dispersal-distance distributions. Kalyuzhny et al. discovered that many of the adult trees of tropical species show strong spatial repulsion in the forest plot. In some cases, several species were significantly and substantially overdispersed at distances up to ~100 meters. Using a spatially explicit simulation model, the authors demonstrate that such strong spatial repulsion can only arise if species suffer more from competition with their own kind than from other species (heterospecific negative density dependence) and that these observed patterns can result from small-scale CNDD.

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

A gut hormone for controlling appetite doubles as an immune regulator for the fungal microbiome

2023-08-03
Peptide YY (PYY), a hormone produced by gut endocrine cells that was already known to control appetite, also plays an important role in maintaining the balance of fungi in the digestive system of mammals, according to new research from the University of Chicago. In a study published this week in Science, researchers found that specialized immune cells in the small intestine called Paneth cells express a form of PYY that prevents the fungus Candida albicans from turning into its more virulent form. PYY was already known to be produced by endocrine cells in the gut as a hormone that signals satiety, or when an animal has had enough to eat. The new research shows that it also ...

New, simple and accessible method creates potency-increasing structure in drugs

New, simple and accessible method creates potency-increasing structure in drugs
2023-08-03
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Chemical structures called cyclopropanes can increase the potency and fine-tune the properties of many drugs, but traditional methods to create this structure only work with certain molecules and require highly reactive—potentially explosive—ingredients. Now, a team of researchers from Penn State has identified and demonstrated a safe, efficient and practical way to create cyclopropanes on a wide variety of molecules using a previously undescribed chemical process. With additional development, the new method—described ...

Study finds a surprising new role for a major immune regulator

2023-08-03
CAMBRIDGE, MA -- A signaling protein known as STING is a critical player in the human immune system, detecting signs of danger within cells and then activating a variety of defense mechanisms. STING is primarily on the lookout for DNA, which can indicate either a foreign invader such as a virus or damage to the host tissue or cell. When STING detects that danger signal, it can turn on at least three different pathways — one leading to interferon production, one to non-canonical autophagy (involved in recycling cell components and clearing pathogens), and a third to formation of the inflammasome, a complex of proteins that activates ...

Winter storms over Labrador Sea influence Gulf Stream system

2023-08-03
The Gulf Stream, which brings warm water from the Gulf of Mexico to Europe and keeps the climate mild, is only part of a larger system of oceanic currents called the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC for short. It runs through the Atlantic like a giant climate machine: as warm water from the tropics is transported northwards at the surface, the current reverses in the North Atlantic – the water cools, becomes heavier and flows south at depth. Where exactly these sinking processes take place is the subject of current research, and recent measurement programmes have located them to the east of Greenland. ...

Doctors, medical professionals, and artificial intelligence: Innocent bystanders or vicious culprits? – a hot topic of the AI & Medicine 2024 World Congress in Paris, France

Doctors, medical professionals, and artificial intelligence: Innocent bystanders or vicious culprits? – a  hot topic of the AI & Medicine 2024 World Congress in Paris, France
2023-08-03
Paris, France – August 3, 2023 – The First International Congress on Artificial Intelligence and Medicine, AI & Medicine 2024, is set to take place on April 11-12, 2024, in Paris, France. Building on the success of IA & Néphrologie 2023, the conference aims to bridge the gap between cutting-edge technology and health care. AI & Medicine 2024 aims to inform medical professionals about the capabilities of advanced machine learning techniques, and simultaneously raise awareness within the tech industry regarding the unique challenges and requirements of the healthcare sector. The congress will offer a platform to discuss the current applications of AI in diagnostics, ...

A spinout’s biggest competitor may be the parent company, not other entrepreneurs

2023-08-03
Spinouts, or new ventures started by employees leaving a parent firm, often outperform other types of new firms. But a new study published in Strategic Management Journal finds that when parent firms identify and implement ideas internally, they outperform spinouts. For example, if employees at Microsoft leave the parent and start their own spinout in the competing industry, the spinout potentially needs to compete against a new establishment formed by Microsoft in the same industry. New ventures by former employees often have an edge over competitors because of the knowledge transfer from their ...

FSU researcher finds potential new tool for early identification of dementia risk

FSU researcher finds potential new tool for early identification of dementia risk
2023-08-03
Research at the Florida State University College of Medicine has identified a potential low-cost method for predicting if a person is at risk of developing dementia. By analyzing data from nearly 13,000 subjects who participated in a long-term aging study, researchers found that an interviewer’s rating of a cognitively healthy person’s memory successfully predicted the likelihood of developing dementia over a 15-year period. Their findings will be published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Our findings show that interviewers ...

Current takes a surprising path in quantum material

2023-08-03
ITHACA, N.Y. -- Cornell researchers used magnetic imaging to obtain the first direct visualization of how electrons flow in a special type of insulator, and by doing so they discovered that the transport current moves through the interior of the material, rather than at the edges, as scientists had long assumed. The finding provides new insights into the electron behavior in so-called quantum anomalous Hall insulators and should help settle a decades-long debate about how current flows in more general quantum Hall insulators. These insights will inform the development of topological materials for next-generation quantum devices. The team’s paper, “Direct ...

Professor Deborah Laufer discusses barriers to cervical cancer screening in Uruguay – BGI Insights

Professor Deborah Laufer discusses barriers to cervical cancer screening in Uruguay – BGI Insights
2023-08-03
The recently released BGI Genomics 2023 Global State of Cervical Cancer Awareness Report highlights the level of knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to cervical cancer screening and the human papillomavirus (HPV) on a global scale. Dr. Deborah Laufer, a gynecologist and Associate Professor at the Faculty of Medicine in the University of Montevideo, offers her insights on this report's findings and the steps needed to improve cervical cancer awareness in Uruguay. Q: 40% of respondents worldwide did not choose HPV as the key cause of cervical cancer. 37% in Uruguay did not mention it either. ...

Researchers strengthen defenses against common cyberattack

Researchers strengthen defenses against common cyberattack
2023-08-03
RICHLAND, Wash.—Scientists have developed a better way to recognize a common internet attack, improving detection by 90 percent compared to current methods.   The new technique developed by computer scientists at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory works by keeping a watchful eye over ever-changing traffic patterns on the internet. The findings were presented on August 2 by PNNL scientist Omer Subasi at the IEEE International Conference on Cyber Security and Resilience, where the manuscript was recognized as the best research paper presented at the meeting.   The ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Thirty-year mystery of dissonance in the “ringing” of black holes explained

Less intensive works best for agricultural soil

Arctic rivers project receives “national champion” designation from frontiers foundation

Computational biology paves the way for new ALS tests

Study offers new hope for babies born with opioid withdrawal syndrome

UT, Volkswagen Group of America celebrate research partnership

New Medicare program could dramatically improve affordability for cancer drugs – if patients enroll

Are ‘zombie’ skin cells harmful or helpful? The answer may be in their shapes

University of Cincinnati Cancer Center presents research at AACR 2025

Head and neck, breast, lung and survivorship studies headline Dana-Farber research at AACR Annual Meeting 2025

AACR: Researchers share promising results from MD Anderson clinical trials

New research explains why our waistlines expand in middle age

Advancements in muon detection: Taishan Antineutrino Observatory's innovative top veto tracker

Chips off the old block

Microvascular decompression combined with nerve combing for atypical trigeminal neuralgia

Cutting the complexity from digital carpentry

Lung immune cell type “quietly” controls inflammation in COVID-19

Fiscal impact of expanded Medicare coverage for GLP-1 receptor agonists to treat obesity

State and sociodemographic trends in US cigarette smoking with future projections

Young adults drive historic decline in smoking

NFCR congratulates Dr. Robert C. Bast, Jr. on receiving the AACR-Daniel D. Von Hoff Award for Outstanding Contributions to Education and Training in Cancer Research

Chimpanzee stem cells offer new insights into early embryonic development

This injected protein-like polymer helps tissues heal after a heart attack

FlexTech inaugural issue launches, pioneering interdisciplinary innovation in flexible technology

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Methyl eugenol: potential to inhibit oxidative stress, address related diseases, and its toxicological effects

A vascularized multilayer chip reveals shear stress-induced angiogenesis in diverse fluid conditions

AI helps unravel a cause of Alzheimer's disease and identify a therapeutic candidate

Coalition of Autism Scientists critiques US Department of Health and Human Services Autism Research Initiative

Structure dictates effectiveness, safety in nanomedicine

[Press-News.org] Adult tropical trees of the same species grow farther apart than factors like seed dispersal limits can explain