A research challenges the theories on the global increase in jellyfish population
2012-02-23
(Press-News.org) An international research, involving the participation of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC), provides a new perspective on the jellyfish proliferation in world's oceans. This phenomenon has noticeably impacted on beaches around the world in recent years and has provoked the concerns of fishermen and bathers. However, according to the group of experts leading this new research, there are no "conclusive evidences" that point to global increase in jellyfish population.
The news rise in Mass Media on jellyfish blooms and the discrepancies in climate and science reports have motivated the article, published in the latest issue of the BioScience magazine. According to the experts, jellyfish population has increased in several regions but has decreased or fluctuates through decades in others. They believe that the key to solve this question relies on understanding the data obtained in the long-term.
Carlos Duarte, CSIC researcher, states: "The significance of this work lies in putting data in common from now on so we will be able to support theories with contrasting scientific data and not speculations". Duarte is one of leaders of the Global Jellyfish Group, a consortium of 30 experts in gelatinous organisms, climatology, oceanography and socioeconomics.
Global database
In order to monitor the evolution of jellyfish populations, the scientists are already working on a global database with the information compiled since 1750. This future catalogue will comprise about 500.000 data. The Global Jellyfish Group's initiative develops within the framework of the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis, associated to the University of California, in Santa Barbara (USA).
The analysis of this repository will enable scientist to evaluate key aspects such as the relation between human activity and jellyfish blooms, knowing if these are caused by natural causes, or finding out if more attention is paid to this phenomenon due to its direct impact on sectors such as fishing or tourism.
Duarte adds: "it is fundamental to get the right answer in order to make decisions about tourism, fishing and marine ecosystems management".
INFORMATION: END
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
2012-02-23
Criminal gangs are increasingly using the internet to market life-threatening counterfeit medicines and some have even turned up in legitimate outlets such as pharmacies, according to a review led by Dr Graham Jackson, editor of IJCP, the International Journal of Clinical Practice, and published in the March edition.
Latest estimates suggest that global sales of counterfeit medicines are worth more than $75 billion, having doubled in just five years between 2005 and 2010. Numerous studies have also reported large numbers of websites supplying prescription only drugs without ...
2012-02-23
Texting while driving increases the likelihood of a car accident or crash. The Alaska legislature passed a law in 2008 that it thought made texting and driving a crime, but the ambiguous language has raised questions from judges across the state.
A bill has been introduced to clarify the language and make it clear that texting while driving is prohibited in Alaska.
The problem with the law is how it described texting. It currently states:
"A person commits the crime of driving with a screen device operating if the person is driving a motor vehicle, a the vehicle ...
2012-02-23
Researchers from the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL) have studied for the first time the response of human NK cells (Natural Killer) against porcine chondrocytes (cartilage cells).
The results of the research, published in The Journal of Immunology, indicate that these cells, characteristic of the innate immune system, play an important role in the rejection of xenotransplantation (transplantation from another species) of porcine chondrocytes.
NK cells
Together with neutrophils and macrophages, NK cells are part of the first line of cellular defence ...
2012-02-23
Researchers from the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU, Spain) have been the first to discover the presence of certain aldehydes in food, which are believed to be related to some neurodegenerative diseases and some types of cancer. These toxic compounds can be found in some oils, such as sunflower oil, when heated at a suitable temperature for frying.
"It was known that at frying temperature, oil releases aldehydes that pollute the atmosphere and can be inhaled, so we decided to research into whether these remain in the oil after they are heated, and they do" ...
2012-02-23
Sudden cardiac death is a risk for patients with heart failure because the calcium inside their heart cells is not properly controlled and this can lead to an irregular heartbeat. New findings published in PLoS ONE, which reveal mechanisms that underlie this life-threatening risk, provide new possibilities for fighting it.
The study, led by researchers from the University of Bristol's School of Physiology and Pharmacology, show how two individual but very similar proteins cooperatively adjust the amount of calcium inside the heart cells, and how this dual regulation may ...
2012-02-23
Can animals' survival instincts shed additional light on what we know about human emotion? New York University neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux poses this question in outlining a pioneering theory, drawn from two decades of research, that could lead to a more comprehensive understanding of emotions in both humans and animals.
In his essay, which appears in the journal Neuron, LeDoux proposes shifting scientific focus "from questions about whether emotions that humans consciously feel are also present in other animals and towards questions about the extent to which circuits ...
2012-02-23
A new study by researchers at The University of Nottingham has proved that assessing family medical history is a significant tool in helping GPs spot patients at high risk of heart disease and its widespread use could save lives.
Previous research has suggested that family history can be an indicator of a patient's risk of heart disease but at present family medical details are not systematically collected and used by GPs in cardiovascular risk assessment.
This first-ever clinical investigation into systematically collecting family history as part of cardiovascular ...
2012-02-23
Amsterdam, February 22, 2012 – Functional foods containing bacteria with beneficial health effects, or probiotics, have long been consumed in Northern Europe and are becoming increasingly popular elsewhere. To be of benefit, however, the bacteria have to survive in the very hostile environment of the digestive tract. A group of scientists from the Norwegian University of Life Sciences in Ås, Norway have developed a "model gastric system" for evaluating the survival of bacteria strains in the human digestive system, and determined that some bacteria strains survive better ...
2012-02-23
Sparrows, blackbirds and the great tit are all birds known to sing at a higher pitch (frequency) in urban environments. It was previously believed that these birds sang at higher frequencies in order to escape the lower frequencies noises of the urban environment. Now, researchers at the University of Copenhagen and the University of Aberystwyth have discovered that besides noise, the physical structure of cities also plays a role in altering the birds' songs.
Urban birds sing differently and at a higher frequency than woodland birds in an effort to penetrate the wall ...
2012-02-23
For some older adults, the online video game World of Warcraft (WoW) may provide more than just an opportunity for escapist adventure. Researchers from North Carolina State University have found that playing WoW actually boosted cognitive functioning for older adults – particularly those adults who had scored poorly on cognitive ability tests before playing the game.
"We chose World of Warcraft because it has attributes we felt may produce benefits – it is a cognitively challenging game in a socially interactive environment that presents users with novel situations," ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
[Press-News.org] A research challenges the theories on the global increase in jellyfish population
