Science
press releases.

Science4 Sep 2024

Miniature treadmills accelerate studies of insects walking

Fruit flies walking on miniature treadmills are helping scientists learn how the nervous system enables animals to move in an unpredictable and complex world. Insights from using these fruit fly-sized treadmills were reported Aug. 30 in Current Biology, a Cell Press journal. Several videos of the flies running on the treadmills are available for viewing on the online research paper. The lead author is Brandon G. Pratt, a recent physiology and biophysics Ph.D. graduate of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle and a National Science Foundation ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

UTA undergraduate researcher receives national honors

A physics student at The University of Texas at Arlington studying ways to measure the mass of tiny particles called neutrinos has earned a prestigious national award for her research. Senior Kara Stogsdill received the Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award from the Society of Physics Students, an organization of the American Institute of Physics. The award is given to students based on exceptional research achievements in any physics-related field. Stogsdill’s research is part of the Project 8 Neutrino Mass Experiment, which includes faculty and students from UTA and 13 other universities and national laboratories ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Heavy metal cadmium may be tied to memory issues for some

MINNEAPOLIS – The heavy metal cadmium, which is found in the air, water, food and soil, is known to cause health problems. A new study published in the September 4, 2024, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, examined if thinking and memory skills were associated with cadmium exposure. They found no association when they looked at the group as a whole. However, when looking at Black and white people separately, it found cadmium may be tied to problems with thinking and memory skills in white people. ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Strictest abortion-ban states offer least family support

View a breakdown of the abortion restrictions by state below States with early abortion bans are less likely to offer paid time off after childbearing, to give poor children nutritional support or to expand access to reproductive health care Marginalized people and those with low socioeconomic status are overrepresented in ban states and least likely to overcome the barriers that bans impose CHICAGO --- States with the most severe post-Dobbs abortion restrictions also have the fewest policies in place to support raising families, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. “We found that in the states that most severely ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Leaders of ​‘EV Ready’ Illinois cities recognized in ceremony at Argonne

City leaders who are working to accommodate more electric vehicles (EVs) were recognized in a ceremony o Aug. 23 at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory. Utility ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus spotlighted 12 communities in northern Illinois that recently completed the EV Readiness Program. The EV Readiness Program trains and assists local government officials in taking concrete steps to support EV adoption. As a national leader in EV research, ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

New UMass study shows that ‘super spikes’ can increase track running speed by 2%

New research published in the Journal of Sport and Health Science led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst shows that super spikes, scientifically described as advanced footwear technology (AFT) spikes, can give runners about a 2% edge in middle-distance track races, like the 800- and 1,500-meters. “Track athletes started wearing super spikes about five years ago and they are now commonplace in elite track races,” says Wouter Hoogkamer, assistant professor of kinesiology at UMass Amherst and senior author ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

ACC Quality Summit highlights critical value of ACC accreditation and NCDR services

The American College of Cardiology (ACC) Quality Summit 2024 will take place on September 17-19 in San Antonio, bringing together cardiovascular leaders from across the nation to discuss the value of NCDR services and quality programs. “ACC’s Quality Summit puts the spotlight on the value of ACC Accreditation and NCDR services for improving health care quality across all health systems,” said ACC Quality Summit Chair Olivia N. Gilbert, MD, MSc, FACC, and Director of Quality and Value for Cardiovascular Medicine at Atrium Health Wake Forest ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

A new, updated account of poroid fungi in North America

Poroid fungi, commonly known as "polypores," are among the most frequently encountered fungi throughout the year because of their large size and longevity. Despite the common presence of poroid fungi in North America, most guides include only a limited selection of these fungi. Poroid Fungi of North America, by Leif Ryvarden, offers a necessary, updated account of these fungi, building on the foundational work of the original two-volume North American Polypores, by Ryvarden and R. L. Gilbertson, published in 1987. This comprehensive update incorporates more than three decades of new research, featuring detailed keys, descriptions, and vibrant color ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Collaborative research to benefit coastal flounder populations and fishers

Four faculty members from three departments in the College of Natural Resources and Environment have received $1.7 million from the National Science Foundation to fund research into the dynamics of socio-environmental factors impacting coastal fisheries. Holly Kindsvater and Willandia Chaves of the Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Craig Ramseyer of the Department of Geography, and Michael Sorice of the Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation will collaborate with Jonathan van Senten and Fernando Gonçalves of the Virginia Seafood Agricultural Research ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Both cats and dogs often enjoy playing fetch with their owners

This release has been removed per request of the submitting organization due to a duplicate submission. You can find the embargoed release here: https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1055807 For more information, please contact: Charlotte Bhaskar, cbhaskar@plos.org END ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Flower Power: providing blooms all season long may be the key to attracting pollinators, no matter what landscape your garden is near

A diverse and abundant flower planting that provides flowers in bloom all season may be more important to bees and other pollinators than whatever is surrounding the flower garden, according to a study published September 4, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Devon Eldridge from the University of Tennessee, US, and colleagues. As we learn more about how critical pollinators (native and non-native bees, butterflies, and other insects) are to our food supply and ecosystem, many people are planting pollinator-attractive ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Study: EV charging stations boost spending at nearby businesses

Charging stations for electric vehicles are essential for cleaning up the transportation sector. A new study by MIT researchers suggests they’re good for business, too. The study found that, in California, opening a charging station boosted annual spending at each nearby business by an average of about $1,500 in 2019 and about $400 between January 2021 and June 2023. The spending bump amounts to thousands of extra dollars annually for nearby businesses, with the increase particularly pronounced for businesses in underresourced areas. The study’s authors hope the research paints a more holistic picture of the benefits ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Most states have higher child, adolescent firearm mortality rates, U-M study finds

Injury-related mortality rates, including firearm-related deaths, among children and adolescents increased in almost every state between 2018-2022, according to findings from the University of Michigan. Researchers from the U-M Institute for Firearm Injury Prevention analyzed mortality data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Wide-ranging Outline Data for Epidemiologic Research and found that nearly 90% of states saw an increase in mortality rates among children and adolescents overall during the study period. North Dakota's numbers show the largest increase among states at 65% and Rhode Island saw the largest decrease ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Three common variants increase the risk of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome

Three common variants increase the risk of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome Study by scientists at deCODE genetics/Amgen and collaborators in Denmark and the USA, on the genetics of accessory conduction pathways in the heart (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome), reveals that accessory pathways can cause rhythm disturbances, characterized by an overly fast heartbeat, which can be life-threatening. Accessory pathways are found among around 0.3% of individuals, but their prevalence is likely higher as a majority of them do not cause symptoms that lead to diagnosis. It is believed that other individual factors can influence the likelihood of developing rhythm ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Brown to lead $2.8 million NSF grant to create an undergrad research administration curriculum

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Chris Brown, Ph.D., is a former researcher who now heads research administration at a university with more than $780 million in research expenditures. Yet Brown — like other research administrators across the nation — had to learn his profession on the job because there is no complete, formal, recognized career training for the thousands of people who have a version of “research administrator” in their titles. To fill this critical gap, Brown, vice president for Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will lead a three-year, ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

MD Anderson research highlights for September 4, 2024

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Protein expression atlas covers almost all cancer hallmarks The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia (CCLE) provide DNA and RNA data from approximately 11,000 patient samples across 33 cancer types and 1,000 cancer cell lines, but limited protein information is available. Researchers led by Han Liang, Ph.D., Rehan Akbani, ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

At-risk butterflies more likely to survive with human help

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Some of the butterflies most in danger of fluttering out of existence fare better when their habitats are actively managed by humans, a recent study found. A team led by Washington State University researchers Cheryl Schultz and Collin Edwards analyzed data on 114 populations of 31 butterfly species in 10 U.S. states. Scientists have long warned that insect populations worldwide are falling rapidly due to the combined effects of climate change, habitat loss and pesticides. Overall, the research team found that these at-risk butterflies ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Researchers identify mechanism underlying allergic itching, and show it can be blocked

Why do some people feel itchy after a mosquito bite or exposure to an allergen like dust or pollen, while others do not? A new study has pinpointed the reason for these differences, finding the pathway by which immune and nerve cells interact and lead to itching. The researchers, led by allergy and immunology specialists at Massachusetts General Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, then blocked this pathway in preclinical studies, suggesting a new treatment approach for allergies. The findings are published in Nature. “Our research provides ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Newly discovered gene may influence longevity

It turns out that a particular gene has a great influence on longevity, a new study from the University of Copenhagen concludes. This may pave the way for new treatment. Sleep, fasting, exercise, green porridge, black coffee, a healthy social life … There is an abundance of advice out there on how to live a good, long life. Researchers are working hard to determine why some people live longer than others, and how we get the most out of our increasingly long lives. Now researchers from the Center for Healthy Aging, Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine at the University of Copenhagen have made a breakthrough. They have discovered that ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

New research has potential to speed up forensic analysis in sexual assault cases

A team of researchers has developed a radical new technique for analyzing evidence in sexual assault cases. The new approach could streamline the forensics pipeline and reduce delays in the processing of DNA evidence. The research is described in a paper published today in the journal Advanced Science. There are almost half a million sexual assaults in Canada every year with many more going unreported. The new approach could mitigate one of the reasons victims are reluctant to report assaults: the perception that ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

The state of dating report: How Gen Z is transforming sexuality and relationships

Feeld, the dating app for the curious, in collaboration with Dr. Justin Lehmiller of The Kinsey Institute, has released a groundbreaking report, "The State of Dating: How Gen Z is Redefining Sexuality and Relationships." Released on World Sexual Health Day under the theme #PositiveRelationships, this report takes a deep dive into how Gen Z—shaped by global instability, digital immersion, and evolving cultural scripts—are shaping their approach to dating and sexuality. After analyzing ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Photosynthesis in near darkness

Photosynthesis can take place in nature even at extremely low light levels. This is the result of an international study that investigated the development of Arctic microalgae at the end of the polar night. The measurements were carried out as part of the MOSAiC expedition at 88° northern latitude and revealed that even this far north, microalgae can build up biomass through photosynthesis as early as the end of March. At this time, the sun is barely above the horizon, so that it is still almost completely dark in the microalgae's habitat under the snow and ice cover of the Arctic Ocean. The results of the study now published in the journal Nature Communications show that photosynthesis ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

In world 1st, high-quality feline iPSCs generated without genetic footprint

A common image of cats today comes in the form of cute cat memes online, but these furry felines commonly experience kidney disease. Amid advances in medicine to improve people’s quality of life, an Osaka Metropolitan University-led team has, for the first time in the world, generated high-quality feline induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), which have the potential to help companion animals and humans alike. Human iPSCs have been generated using just four genes known as transcription factors, but feline iPSCs have been difficult to generate. Graduate School of Veterinary Science Professor Shingo Hatoya led the team in introducing six transcription factors via the Sendai virus ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

How Sub-Saharan Africa can achieve the SDGs by 2100: A new report by Earth4All

In the best-case scenario, called the "Giant Leap," Sub-Saharan Africa could see poverty drop from 500 million to 25 million people, hunger nearly eradicated, and universal access to education, clean water, and sustainable electricity. On the other hand, the "Too Little Too Late" scenario paints a grim picture where poverty rises to 900 million, hunger still affects 180 million, and over a billion people lack clean water. The Too Little Too Late scenario is based on existing policies in the region. These two scenarios highlight the critical importance of action this decade to drive five extraordinary turnarounds in the areas of poverty, inequality, ...

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Science4 Sep 2024

Can you identify the new threat attracting Gen Z to nicotine use?

COLUMBUS, Ohio – About half of adults can identify cigarettes and e-cigarettes, but just one in four would recognize oral nicotine pouches, and these easily available products are growing increasingly popular among teens and young adults, according to a recent study commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James). Oral nicotine pouches are small packets filled with a flavored powder containing nicotine and other chemicals that are tucked between the lip and gums. ...

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