Science
press releases.

Science30 Sep 2024

Honey, I shrunk the city: What should declining Japanese cities do?

Aging societies and population decline have been on the rise globally, but in Japan, the situation has exasperated tenfold. A staggering 36.21 million people, or 28.9% of the populace, are 65 and over. Further, 74.6% of Japan’s 1,747 cities are categorized as shrinking, with urban policies struggling to keep up with the decline. However, the factors that correlate with population changes in cities of varying sizes have not been clarified. Dr. Haruka Kato, a junior associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University, ...

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Science29 Sep 2024

American Academy of Pediatrics promotes shared reading starting in infancy as a positive parenting practice with lifelong benefits

ORLANDO, Fla.--The American Academy of Pediatrics encourages parents and caregivers to read aloud with their newborns and young children as an opportunity to foster loving, nurturing relationships during a critical time of brain development, and recommends that pediatricians support families with guidance and books at well-child visits, according to an updated policy statement. The policy statement, “Literacy Promotion: An Essential Component of Primary Care Pediatric Practice,” marks the first update in AAP recommendations since 2014. Given the extraordinary amount of research in this area, an accompanying ...

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Science28 Sep 2024

Unexpected human behaviour revealed in prisoner's dilemma study: Choosing cooperation even after defection

The study also examined the impact of different game structures, such as simultaneous versus alternating decision-making, and the option of voluntary participation. The results showed that these variations significantly influence participants' cooperation rate. The research reveals that people tend to cooperate even after being defected, which contradicts many traditional game theory models. "This finding is particularly fascinating because it suggests that humans are more forgiving and cooperative than previously thought," said Dr. Hitoshi Yamamoto, the study's lead researcher. The ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Grant helps UT develop support tool for extreme weather events

The University of Tennessee and the UT Institute of Agriculture have received a $434,038 Seeding Solutions grant from the Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) to develop and test a decision support tool for farmers to better manage crop production from risks of extreme weather events across the Tennessee River Basin and surrounding southeast US regions. UT is providing matching funds for a total investment of $966,119 over the three-year project. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that extreme weather is responsible for 90% of crop losses. These estimates are generally based on annual climate conditions. ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Ancient sunken seafloor reveals earth’s deep secrets

University of Maryland scientists uncovered evidence of an ancient seafloor that sank deep into Earth during the age of dinosaurs, challenging existing theories about Earth’s interior structure. Located in the East Pacific Rise (a tectonic plate boundary on the floor of the southeastern Pacific Ocean), this previously unstudied patch of seafloor sheds new light on the inner workings of our planet and how its surface has changed over millions of years. The team’s findings were published in the journal Science Advances on September 27, 2024. Led by geology postdoctoral researcher Jingchuan Wang, the team used innovative seismic imaging techniques to ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Addressing global water security challenges: New study reveals investment opportunities and readiness levels

NEW YORK, September 27, 2024 – Water scarcity, pollution, and the burden of waterborne diseases are urgent issues threatening global health and security. A recently published study in the journal Global Environmental Change highlights the pressing need for innovative economic strategies to bolster water security investments, focusing on the “enabling environment” that influences regional readiness for new business solutions. Initiated and led by researchers at the Advanced Science Research Center at the CUNY Graduate Center (CUNY ASRC), ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Breaking the chain of intergenerational violence

New research shows the connection between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as physical or emotional abuse, and an increased risk of people growing up to be abusive against older generations. While generational trauma is known to be passed down from parent to child, the study showed that it can also reverberate upwards from parent to older generations. A survey of over 13,000 people in Japan found that about half had one or more ACEs. Of these, 8.5% self-reported committing some form of physical or verbal abuse against people aged over 65. An important contributing factor was the person’s mental and physical health, both of which are known to be affected by ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Unraveling the role of macrophages in regulating inflammatory lipids during acute kidney injury

Tsukuba, Japan—Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a poor prognosis, and no effective treatment has been established to date. Understanding the mechanisms that prevent the progression of AKI is crucial. In AKI, immune cells known as macrophages produce lipid mediators (LMs), which are lipids with significant physiological activity and play a pivotal role in promoting and suppressing inflammation. Thus, elucidating their function is of paramount importance. In this study, researchers focused ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

ABM releases position statement on breastfeeding in emergency situations

The Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine (ABM) has released a pioneering position statement that provides comprehensive, global recommendations on protecting, promoting, and supporting breastfeeding in emergency situations. The recommendations are the first of their kind specifically tailored for physicians to support breastfed and non-breastfed infants in emergencies and to serve as an invaluable resource for all emergency relief personnel involved in supporting families with infants during disasters. Click here to read the full position statement, published with Breastfeeding Medicine. “Breastfeeding ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Elucidating the mechanism underlying de novo membrane formation during gametogenesis

Tsukuba, Japan—Sexual reproduction, a common mode of reproduction among numerous species, involves gametogenesis in which offspring are produced through fertilization, conjugation, or mating. In plants and animals, eggs and sperm differentiate from germ cells to form gametes. However, in budding yeast, spores are produced within diploid cells. During this process, de novo membrane structures form within the cytosol, encapsulating the meiotic haploid nuclei to produce spores. Despite this knowledge, the precise mechanism underlying the formation of these nascent membrane structures remains poorly understood. To ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Fruit juice offers a fresh take on kombucha

Kombucha is a fizzy, tangy drink made by fermenting tea. But brewers are now fermenting other plant-based drinks to explore nutritional properties and flavors. Researchers in ACS Agricultural Science & Technology compared the biochemistry and flavor of kombucha with brews made from apple and passion fruit juices. They found that the apple beverage contained high levels of bioactive compounds called flavonoids and ranked highly among taste testers, signaling its promise as a kombucha alternative. To make kombucha, brewers ferment sweetened tea with a spongy disk of microbes known as a SCOBY, or symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. The ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Firearm laws restricting large-capacity magazines effective in reducing child deaths in mass shootings

ORLANDO, Fla.-- The only firearm restrictions found to be effective in reducing mass shootings involving children were laws banning the sale of firearms equipped with a large-capacity magazines, according to a new analysis presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference and Exhibition. Researchers will present, “Do State Gun Laws Affect Pediatric Mass Shootings? A 2009 - 2020 Year Analysis,” during the AAP conference held at Orlando Convention Center Sept. 27-Oct. ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Racial justice activism, advocacy found to reduce depression, anxiety in some teens

ORLANDO, Fla.—Black and LatinX teenagers enrolled in an 8-week racial justice activism program reported fewer symptoms of depression and anxiety, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition in Orlando, FL. The research, “Our Voices Matter Pilot Study: A Racial Justice Activism Intervention to Reduce Depression in Adolescents,” will be presented during the conference at the Orange County Convention Center Sept. 27-Oct. 1. The study followed seven Black and LatinX teens ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Children in foster care with disabilities face significant challenges

ORLANDO, Fla.— Children with disabilities in foster care are extremely vulnerable, facing risks of maltreatment and removal from their homes and greater need for healthcare services. New research suggests that children with specific disabilities in foster care are less likely to find a permanent home and have a higher risk of mortality while in care compared to those without disabilities. This research, “The Effect of Initial Disability on Permanency Outcomes of Children in Foster Care,” presented during the American Academy of ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Water-absorbing beads pose increasing hazard for young children; researchers test methods on how to shrink them

ORLANDO, Fla.—Water-absorbing beads have become increasingly hazardous to children over the past 10 years, as children who swallow the beads can experience life-threatening problems such as bowel obstruction. In new research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition, researchers reveal the results of an experiment in which they grew the beads to different sizes and tested different child-safe liquids to see which ones could shrink the beads after they had expanded. The abstract, “The Hidden Dangers: Superabsorbent Polymer (SAP) Beads as an Increasing Cause of Bowel Obstruction in Children,” will be presented ...

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Science27 Sep 2024

Caregivers underestimate suicide as the leading cause of firearm death: study

ORLANDO, Fla.—A study found fewer than one in four Colorado residents living with children at home recognized suicide as the leading cause of firearm death and less than half thought suicide can be prevented, according to research presented during the American Academy of Pediatrics 2024 National Conference & Exhibition. The study will be published online in the journal Pediatrics Sept. 27, the first day of the conference at the AAP National Conference and Exhibition that runs from Sept. 27-Oct. 1 at the Orange County Convention Center. While ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

New research confirms link between perceived stress and psoriasis relapse

(Friday, 27 September 2024, Amsterdam, Netherlands) Innovative research has provided compelling evidence that perceived stress can directly trigger the relapse of psoriatic skin lesions.1 The study, presented today at the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV) Congress 2024, is the first to scientifically validate this connection in vivo. Psoriasis, a chronic skin condition affecting over 6 million people in Europe, is characterised by rapid skin cell production, leading to scaling and inflammation.2, 3 While it has long ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Call to action: A blueprint for change in acute and critical care nursing

PHILADELPHIA (September 26, 2024) – A groundbreaking article published in the latest issue of Nursing Outlook proposes a significant shift in how nursing care is measured within acute and critical care settings. This "Blueprint for Action" seeks to revolutionize current methods by recognizing the full scope of a nurse's work and its profound impact on patient outcomes. "The current measurement systems fail to capture the essence of what nurses truly do," explains lead-author ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Who transports what here?

Transport proteins are responsible for the ongoing movement of substrates into and out of a biological cell. However, it is difficult to determine which substrates a specific protein can transport. Bioinformaticians at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) have developed a model – called SPOT – which can predict this with a high degree of accuracy using artificial intelligence (AI). They now present their approach, which can be used with arbitrary transport proteins, in the scientific journal PLOS Biology. Substrates in biological cells need to be continuously transported inwards and outwards across the cell membrane to ensure the survival of the cells and ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Science publishes eLetter on 2023 study by Guess et al., as well as response by Guess et al.

In 2023, Science published the study, “How do social media feed algorithms affect attitudes and behavior in an election campaign?” by Andrew Guess et al. Now, Chhandak Bagchi and colleagues – in an eLetter that will appear on the 2023 study – state that the study’s “reporting and conclusions did not account for a series of temporary emergency changes to Facebook’s news feed algorithm in the wake of the 2020 U.S. presidential election that were designed to diminish the spread of voter-fraud misinformation. This issue may have led readers to misinterpret ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Supreme Court ruling could strip protections from up to 90 million acres of US wetlands

New interpretations following the recent Sackett v. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) United States Supreme Court ruling could strip federal protections from up to 90 million acres of U.S. nontidal wetlands – nearly all that exist in the coterminous US – according to a new study. The findings reveal the potential scope and impacts of the regulatory changes and highlight the uncertainty introduced by the ruling. Enacted in 1972, the Clean Water Act (CWA) aims to restore and protect the quality of U.S. waters ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Research reveals impact of gut microbiome on hormone levels in mice

Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 19:00hrs Thursday 26 September 2024 Peer reviewed Experimental study Animals Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that the balance of bacteria in the gut can influence symptoms of hypopituitarism in mice. They also showed that aspirin was able to improve hormone deficiency symptoms in mice with this condition. People with mutations in a gene called Sox3 develop hypopituitarism, where the pituitary gland doesn’t ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Lignin-based sunscreen offers natural and high-performance UV protection

In a significant breakthrough for the cosmetics industry, researchers have developed a new type of sunscreen using lignin, a naturally abundant polymer, and titanium dioxide (TiO2). The study, led by Yarong Li and Zhiguang Tang, was published in the Journal of Bioresources and Bioproducts and details the innovative use of a dual-modified lignin sub-microsphere to enhance the SPF and improve the color of sunscreens. Lignin, a byproduct of the pulp industry, is known for its UV-absorbing properties and antioxidant capabilities. However, its application in commercial sunscreens has been limited due ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

How are stretch reflexes modulated during voluntary movement?

How did the bodies of animals, including ours, become such fine-tuned movement machines? How vertebrates coordinate the eternal tug-o-war between involuntary reflexes and seamless voluntary movements is a mystery that Francisco Valero-Cuevas’ Lab in USC Alfred E. Mann Department of Biomedical Engineering, set out to understand. The Lab’s newest computational paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) adds to the thought leadership about the processing of sensory information and control of reflexes during voluntary movements—with implications as to how its disruption could ...

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Science26 Sep 2024

Genetic rescue for rare red foxes?

A rescue effort can take many forms – a life raft, a firehose, an airlift. For animals whose populations are in decline from inbreeding, genetics itself can be a lifesaver. Genomic research led by the University of California, Davis, reveals clues about montane red foxes’ distant past that may prove critical to their future survival. The study, published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution, examines the potential for genetic rescue to help restore populations of these mountain-dwelling red foxes. The research is especially relevant for the estimated ...

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