Science
press releases.

Science11 Dec 2024

First full characterization of kidney microbiome unlocks potential to prevent kidney stones

Cleveland Clinic researchers have found definitive proof of a kidney microbiome that influences renal health and kidney stone formation, demonstrating that the urinary tract is not sterile and low levels of bacteria are normal. The Nature Communications publication describes the rigorous multi-pronged approach a team led by Aaron Miller, PhD, and José Agudelo, MD, used to identify and characterize the small bacterial community by combining preclinical, human and dish studies. They also identified certain bacteria within the microbiome ...

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Science11 Dec 2024

New research unlocks jaw-dropping evolution of lizards and snakes

A groundbreaking University of Bristol study has shed light on how lizards and snakes -the most diverse group of land vertebrates with nearly 12,000 species - have evolved remarkably varied jaw shapes, driving their extraordinary ecological success. This research, led by a team of evolutionary biologists and published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B today, offers a new understanding of the intricate factors influencing the evolution of lower jaw morphology in these animals, known collectively as lepidosaurs. The researchers discovered that jaw shape evolution in lepidosaurs is influenced by a complex interplay of factors beyond ecology, ...

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Science11 Dec 2024

Around 1 in 5 of the world’s under 50s living with genital herpes (HSV)

Around 1 in 5 of the world’s under 50s—846 million people—are living with genital herpes infection, suggest the latest global estimates, published online in the journal Sexually Transmitted Infections. And more than 200 million 15-49 year olds probably had at least one symptomatic outbreak of the infection in 2020, the latest year for which figures are available, the data analysis suggests. The findings prompt the researchers to call for the development of new treatments and vaccines ...

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Science11 Dec 2024

Cutting early life exposure to parental smoking may lower MS risk in genetically prone

Cutting early life exposure to parental smoking may lower the risk of developing MS (multiple sclerosis) in those who are genetically predisposed to the disease, finds research published online in the Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry. The interplay of genes and environmental factors, including smoking, alter key aspects of brain structure in early childhood, likely facilitating development of the disease and suggesting that there may be a window of opportunity to stave this off, conclude the researchers. MS is an autoimmune disease that is typically diagnosed between the ages of 20 and 40. But ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Soda taxes don’t just affect sales. They help change people’s minds.

It wasn’t that long ago when cigarettes and soda were go-to convenience store vices, glamorized in movies and marketed toward, well, everyone. Then, lawmakers and voters raised taxes on cigarettes, and millions of dollars went into public education campaigns about smoking’s harms. Decades of news coverage chronicled how addictive and dangerous cigarettes were and the enormous steps companies took to hide the risks and hook more users. The result: a radical shift in social norms that made it less acceptable to smoke and ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Making self-driving cars safer, less accident prone

Self-driving cars rely on artificial intelligence to predict where nearby cars will go. But when those predictions don’t match reality, that discrepancy can potentially lead to crashes and less safe roadways. That’s why a recent study from the University of Georgia developed a new AI model to make self-driving cars safer. This study introduces an AI model for self-driving cars, designed to predict the movement of nearby traffic and incorporate innovative features for planning safe vehicle movements. "The planned trajectory of the self-driving car may turn out to collide with the actual trajectory of another vehicle.” —Qianwen Li, College ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

When does waiting stop being worth it?

You’re standing at a bus stop, waiting for a ride that seems like it will never come. At first, you’re hopeful that it will be here any second. But as the minutes laggardly drag on, doubt creeps in. Should you keep waiting, or is it smarter to start walking or call for a ride? “It’s a classic dilemma. “Do you persist with the belief that the bus is on its way, or do you cut your losses and move on to something else?” asks Joe Kable, a psychologist in the School of Arts ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Nationwide study looks at when and where EV owners use public charging stations

AUSTIN, TX, Dec 10, 2024 – Electric Vehicles (EVs) represent a promising mode of transportation that can help the United States reduce its carbon emissions. But barriers such as the high cost of installing and using EV Charging Stations (EVCS), their limitations in supplying emerging demand, and their uneven distribution throughout the country limit access for many Americans. Researchers at the University of Maryland are using supercomputers and machine learning methods to analyze a full year of real-time data collected from individual EV charging ports at more than 50,000 publicly available stations throughout the country. The primary focus of the study is ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Race, ethnicity, and sleep in us children

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of children’s sleep disparities, racially and ethnically minoritized children exhibited disparities in mean levels and variability of sleep compared with their white peers. These findings suggest that policies and practices should target multiple sleep dimensions among diverse racial and ethnic groups to promote equitable pediatric sleep health. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Yijie Wang, PhD, email yjwang@msu.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49861) Editor’s ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Americans are uninformed about and undervaccinated for HPV

LOS ANGELES — The human papillomavirus (HPV), a common sexually transmitted infection, accounts for 70% of all throat cancers, according to the National Cancer Institute. While commonly associated with cervical cancer, throat cancer is now the most common type of HPV-related cancer. However, the majority of American adults are unaware that HPV can cause throat cancer and are not taking advantage of the one proven method for prevention — the HPV vaccine. These are the conclusions of two recent studies from the USC Head and Neck Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC and the USC Caruso Department of Otolaryngology – ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

PLOS receives $3.3 million grant to support Open Access publishing & business model transformation

SAN FRANCISCO — FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE PLOS has been awarded a $3.3million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, underscoring its commitment to pioneer a shift away from traditional publishing models. The 3-year funding package from the Gates Foundation will support PLOS’ transition towards APC-free publishing by enabling authors, funded by the foundation, to publish with PLOS without facing APC barriers, and to contribute to open access publishing options for authors who do not have access to funding. This 3-year grant offers support while PLOS is actively working on new publishing models grounded in open science starting with ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

National TRAP Program funds large-scale cleanup of discarded fishing gear

A massive cleanup of derelict fishing gear in U.S. coastal waters is set to begin now that William & Mary’s Batten School & VIMS has awarded $1.4 million to fund 11 projects under the National Fishing Trap Removal, Assessment, and Prevention (TRAP) Program. From diving in waters up to 130 feet deep to retrieve lobster and crab traps in protected ecosystems to the removal of debris in tribal fishing grounds, this initial round of projects facilitates removal efforts in California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

National Academy of Inventors announces Class of 2024 Fellows

The National Academy of Inventors (NAI) announced today the election of 170 exceptional inventors into the 2024 Class of Fellows. NAI Fellowship is the highest professional distinction awarded solely to inventors. The full list of 2024 Fellows can be found here. The 2024 cohort of Fellows exemplifies the Academy’s belief that groundbreaking innovation knows no bounds and inventors can be found everywhere. This is evident in the fact that the honorees represent 39 U.S. states, 12 countries, and 43% identify as underrepresented ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

SwRI showcases capabilities, evaluates novel fire-safety method with customized test

SAN ANTONIO — December 10, 2024 — Southwest Research Institute successfully customized and conducted a full-scale evaluation of a novel fire mitigation method designed to safely store damaged electric vehicles and batteries. SwRI engineers demonstrate customized research and development support for government and industry clients with novel projects and challenges related to emerging technologies where no standardized testing exists. “SwRI established the nation’s first fire-focused research program 75 years ago, so our extensive ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Flexible and rollable? No problem!

The Korea Institute of Materials Science (KIMS) announced that a research team led by Dr. Dong-Chan Lim and Dr. So-Yeon Kim from the Energy & Environment Materials Research Division has developed a next-generation thin-film material technology that significantly improves the durability of energy and electronic devices. This technology, which combines organic and inorganic materials in a dual-layer structure, can be applied to film-based solar cells and sensors. It is particularly notable for its ability to minimize the physical stress caused by rolling or unrolling, thereby greatly enhancing mechanical ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Bighorn sheep face death by avalanche in Sierra Nevada range

AGU Annual Meeting 9 – 13 December 2024 Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW Washington, D.C. 20001 5 December 2024 Press Release 24-37 EMBARGOED until Tuesday, 10 December at 8:00 a.m. EST Bighorn sheep face death by avalanche in Sierra Nevada range Even as snow cover becomes less reliable, climate change may make deadly avalanches in the California range more frequent Researcher contact: Ned Bair, University of California, Santa Barbara, edwardbair@ucsb.edu (UTC-8 hours) AGU press contact: Liza Lester, +1 (202) 777-7494, news@agu.org ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

These are now the smokiest cities in America, new science says

AGU Annual Meeting 9 – 13 December 2024 Walter E. Washington Convention Center 801 Allen Y. Lew Place NW Washington, D.C. 20001 6 December 2024 Press Release 24-39 EMBARGOED until Tuesday, 10 December at 8:00 am EST AGU press contact: Liza Lester, +1 (202) 777-7494, news@agu.org (UTC-5 hours) Contact information for the researchers: Dan Jaffe, University of Washington, djaffe@uw.edu (UTC-8 hours) WASHINGTON — Normally, America’s smokiest cities lie out west. But Canada’s unusually intense 2023 wildfire ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Wrong trees in the wrong place can make cities hotter at night, study reveals

University of Cambridge media release Wrong trees in the wrong place can make cities hotter at night, study reveals UNDER STRICT EMBARGO UNTIL 10:00 AM UK TIME / 05:00 AM (US ET) ON TUESDAY 10TH DECEMBER 2024 While trees can cool some cities significantly during the day, new research shows that tree canopies can also trap heat and raise temperatures at night. The study aims to help urban planners choose the best combinations of trees and planting locations to combat ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Young children less likely than adults to see discrimination as harmful

A White House report earlier this year outlined how discrimination, and specifically racial discrimination, persists in the United States today, raising questions about when attitudes underlying these behaviors are formed. Past scholarship has found discriminatory views increase as children grow older. However, new work by a team of New York University psychology researchers shows that young children in the US are less likely than adults to see discrimination as harmful, indicating these beliefs begin at an early age. Moreover, children ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Study offers insight into chloroplast evolution

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — One of the most momentous events in the history of life involved endosymbiosis — a process by which one organism engulfed another and, instead of ingesting it, incorporated its DNA and functions into itself. Scientific consensus is that this happened twice over the course of evolution, resulting in the energy-generating organelles known as mitochondria and, much later, their photosynthetic counterparts, the plastids. A new study published in the journal Nature Communications explores the origin of chloroplasts, the plastids that allow plants ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Advancing the synthesis of two-dimensional gold monolayers

Nanostructured two-dimensional gold monolayers offer possibilities in catalysis, electronics, and nanotechnology. Researchers have created nearly freestanding nanostructured two-dimensional (2D) gold monolayers, an impressive feat of nanomaterial engineering that could open up new avenues in catalysis, electronics, and energy conversion. Gold is an inert metal which typically forms a solid three-dimensional (3D) structure. However, in its 2D form, it can unlock extraordinary properties, such as unique electronic behaviors, enhanced surface reactivity, and immense potential for revolutionary applications in catalysis ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

A novel heme-model compound that treats lethal gas poisoning

You may not be familiar with hydrogen sulfide, a colorless gas that smells like rotten eggs, and is produced naturally from decaying matter. However, this gas is lethal to breathe in, and hydrogen sulfide present in high concentrations can cause death very rapidly. Its relative density is also greater than air, causing it to accumulate at lower altitudes and posing an enormous threat to workers at sites, such as manholes, sewage systems and mining operations. Why is hydrogen sulfide so dangerous? It binds strongly to the heme-containing cytochrome c oxidase ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Shape-changing device helps visually impaired people perform location task as well as sighted people - EMBARGO: Tuesday 10 December (10:00 UK time)

IMPERIAL COLLEGE LONDON PRESS RELEASE Under STRICT EMBARGO until: 10 December 2024 10:00 UK TIME / 05:00 ET Peer-reviewed / Observational study / People Trial shows no significant difference in performance between visually impaired participants using new device and sighted participants using only natural vision. Participants performed significantly better using new device than with currently available vibration technology. The new device is believed to be the most advanced navigation tech of ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Leading stress expert Ron de Kloet on hormone's dual nature: From protection to harm

LEIDEN, Netherlands, 10 December 2024 – In a wide-ranging Genomic Press Interview, eminent neuroscientist Dr. Edo Ronald (Ron) de Kloet reveals crucial insights into how stress hormones can shift from protecting to potentially damaging the brain, a discovery that has transformed our understanding of stress-related mental disorders and opened new therapeutic pathways. Dr. de Kloet, Professor Emeritus at Leiden University Medical Centre and an Academy Professor of the Royal Netherlands Academy ...

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Science10 Dec 2024

Almost half of young vapers are able to stop with quitline help

Quitline coaching over the phone helped almost half of young people who vape ditch the habit, potentially improving their health and decreasing the chances they’ll transition to cigarettes, according to a new study. The finding is promising and provides critical evidence about vaping cessation, an area with limited research to date, said Liz Klein, a researcher at The Ohio State University College of Public Health and co-author of the study, which appears in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine today (Dec. 10, 2024). “This study provides hope that young adult ...

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