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press releases.

Science20 Aug 2024

Association for Molecular Pathology files lawsuit against FDA to challenge final rule on regulation for laboratory developed testing procedures

ROCKVILLE, Md. – August 19, 2024 – The Association for Molecular Pathology (AMP), the premier global molecular diagnostic professional society, and world-renowned pathologist Michael Laposata, MD, PhD, today announced the filing of a lawsuit challenging the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Rule that regulates laboratory developed test (LDT) procedures as medical devices under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Texas against the FDA; Robert M. Califf, MD, in his official capacity as Commissioner of Food and Drugs; the U.S. Department of Health ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Less severe forest fires can reduce intensity of future blazes

Not all forest fires have devastating effects. Low- and moderate-severity forest wildfires can reduce the intensity of future conflagrations for as long as 20 years in certain climates, according to new research by the University of California, Davis. The extent of reduced severity of these second fires, or reburns, and the duration of the moderating effect, varies by climate, forest type and other factors. But initial fires continue to mitigate future severity even during extreme weather, such as wind, high temperatures and drought, research published in the journal Ecological ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

For some older adults with kidney failure, dialysis may not be the best option

Whether dialysis is the best option for kidney failure and, if so, when to start, may deserve more careful consideration, according to a new study. For older adults who were not healthy enough for a kidney transplant, starting dialysis when their kidney function fell below a certain threshold — rather than waiting — afforded them roughly one more week of life, Stanford Medicine researchers and their colleagues found. More critically, perhaps, they spent an average of two more weeks in ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

MIT study explains why laws are written in an incomprehensible style

Legal documents are notoriously difficult to understand, even for lawyers. This raises the question: Why are these documents written in a style that makes them so impenetrable? MIT cognitive scientists believe they have uncovered the answer to that question. Just as “magic spells” use special rhymes and archaic terms to signal their power, the convoluted language of legalese acts to convey a sense of authority, they conclude. In a study that will appear in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the researchers found that even non-lawyers use this type of language when asked to write laws. “People seem to understand that there’s ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Rutgers researchers discover new way to control the sense of touch

Rutgers researchers have found a new way to manage the receptors that control the sense of touch, which could lead to treating chronic pain more effectively. “Identifying a natural molecule that specifically reduces pain sensitivity offers hope for new therapeutic strategies in the management of pain,” said Tibor Rohacs, a professor in the Department of Pharmacology, Physiology and Neuroscience at Rutgers New Jersey Medical School and a member of the Rutgers Brain Health Institute. “Our goal is to translate these findings into effective treatments that improve the quality of life for people suffering from chronic ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Florida’s red flag gun law and firearm and nonfirearm homicide and suicide rates

About The Study: Although firearm homicide mortality increased after Florida’s red flag law enactment (permitting the temporary removal of firearms by law enforcement officers from individuals posing a danger to themselves or others), this increase was lower than expected compared with its synthetic control, resulting in an 11% rate reduction (0.73 fewer deaths per 100,000). There were no differences from expected mortality rates for nonfirearm homicide, firearm suicide, or nonfirearm suicide. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Catherine Gimbrone, MPH, email c.gimbrone@columbia.edu. To ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Using temporary nurses doesn’t mitigate deaths linked with staff shortages

A new study led by the University of Southampton has found that using temporary nursing staff to fill rotas only partially combats an increased risk of patient death associated with staff shortages. Researchers found that avoiding low nurse staffing levels lowers the risk of death among patients – particularly even when drafting in temporary registered nurses to maintain staffing levels. However, despite this, the risk of death remains elevated compared to when the ward is fully staffed by permanent nurses. Findings from the ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Expanded child tax credit and food insecurity

About The Study: Expanded Child Tax Credit (ECTC) enactment was associated with substantially lower food insecurity, and ECTC expiration was associated with substantially greater food insecurity in this cohort study. Key features of the ECTC—monthly payments and no earnings requirements—may be important for food insecurity prevention. Future studies should examine this, along with income as a potential effect modifier. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

What time the malaria-bearing mosquito bites you might make a difference

What time the malaria-bearing mosquito bites you might make a difference Circadian rhythms appear to influence vulnerability to malaria parasites A discovery by McGill-affiliated researchers could lead to more effective treatment of malaria and other parasitic diseases. When mice are infected in the middle of the night with the parasites causing cerebral malaria, the symptoms of the disease are less severe than for those inflected during the day, and the spread of the parasites within the hosts is more limited, research teams from McGill University, the Douglas Research Centre ...

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Science19 Aug 2024

Swiping through online videos increases boredom, study finds

Swiping through online videos to relieve boredom may actually make people more bored and less satisfied or engaged with the content, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. The study included seven experiments with a total of more than 1,200 participants from the United States or college students at the University of Toronto. In two baseline experiments, participants switched from one online video to the next when they were bored, and they predicted they would feel less bored by switching videos instead ...

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Science18 Aug 2024

Researchers develop an instant version of trendy, golden turmeric milk

DENVER, Aug. 18, 2024 — If you’ve visited a trendy café in the past few years, you might have noticed “golden” turmeric milk on the menu. Though recently advertised as a caffeine-free, healthy coffee alternative, the drink is a fancified version of haldi doodh — a traditional Indian beverage often used as an at-home cold remedy. And now, researchers have developed an efficient method to make a plant-based, instant version that maintains the beneficial properties of the ingredients while also extending its shelf life. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ...

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Science18 Aug 2024

Evidence stacks up for poisonous books containing toxic dyes

DENVER, Aug. 18, 2024 — If you come across brightly colored, cloth-bound books from the Victorian era, you might want to handle them gently, or even steer clear altogether. Some of their attractive hues come from dyes that could pose a health risk to readers, collectors or librarians. The latest research on these poisonous books used three techniques — including one that hasn’t previously been applied to books — to assess dangerous dyes in a university collection and found some volumes may be unsafe to handle. The researchers will present their results at the fall meeting of the American Chemical Society (ACS). ACS Fall 2024 is a hybrid meeting being ...

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Science17 Aug 2024

The bee’s knees: New tests created to find fake honey

Researchers led by Cranfield University have developed new ways to detect sugar syrup adulteration in honey, paving the way for fast and accurate tests to discover fake products. There is growing consumer demand for honey, with £89.8 million worth of honey imported to the UK in 2023. But as a high-value product it is vulnerable to fraud, with syrups added to dilute the pure honey – a report from the European Commission in 2023 found 46% of 147 honey samples tested were likely to have been adulterated with cheap plant syrups. Because honey’s characteristics vary due to sources of nectar, season of harvest and ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

UAF scientists discover phenomenon impacting Earth’s radiation belts

Two University of Alaska Fairbanks scientists have discovered a new type of “whistler,” an electromagnetic wave that carries a substantial amount of lightning energy to the Earth’s magnetosphere. The research is published today in Science Advances. Vikas Sonwalkar, a professor emeritus, and Amani Reddy, an assistant professor, discovered the new type of wave. The wave carries lightning energy, which enters the ionosphere at low latitudes, to the magnetosphere. The energy is reflected upward by the ionosphere’s ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Underground event marks excavation completion on colossal caverns for underground neutrino laboratory, DUNE

Lead, SD (Aug. 15, 2024) — A ribbon-cutting event was held today at the Sanford Underground Research Facility (SURF) in Lead, S.D. to mark the completion of excavation work for the Long-Baseline Neutrino Facility/Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (LBNF/DUNE), an international project led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory. The “Into the Depths of Discovery” event, hosted by Fermilab and the South Dakota Science and Technology Authority (SDSTA), was attended by supporters of the three-year excavation of the caverns, including state and federal leaders as well as officials from the Department of Energy. “Today ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Exposing myths about ballot collection on Native American reservations

Third-party collection of mail-in ballots has helped rural residents and those with disabilities to vote, yet the practice has become contentious and the target of laws aimed at restricting it. Critics claim the process is vulnerable to fraud and manipulation. But new research from the University of Utah’s College of Social & Behavioral Science tells a different story. Ballot collection is more accurately characterized as a pathway for legitimate voter participation, according to a study published last month. Authors Daniel McCool, a professor emeritus in the Department of Political Science, and Weston McCool, a ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Knocking out one key gene leads to autistic traits

More than 70 genes have been linked to autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a developmental condition in which differences in the brain lead to a host of altered behaviors, including issues with language, social communication, hyperactivity, and repetitive movements. Scientists are attempting to tease out those specific associations gene by gene, neuron by neuron. One such gene is Astrotactin 2 (ASTN2). In 2018, researchers from the Laboratory of Developmental Neurobiology at Rockefeller University discovered how defects in the protein produced by the gene disrupted ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

A visionary approach: How an Argonne team developed accessible maps for colorblind scientists

Imagine having to do your job, but not being able to visually process the data right in front of you. Nearly eight percent of genetic males and half a percent of genetic females have some form of Color Vision Deficiency (CVD), or the decreased ability to discern between particular colors. CVD is commonly referred to as color blindness. Scientists use colors to convey information. Many scientists in the weather radar community have CVD and the use and interpretation of color is an important aspect of their work. Most colormaps ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Unveiling the power of hot carriers in plasmonic nanostructures

A new scientific review explores the exciting potential of hot carriers, energetic electrons generated by light in plasmonic nanostructures. These tiny structures hold immense promise for future technologies due to their unique way of interacting with light and creating hot carriers. Hot carriers are electrons with a surplus of energy. When light strikes a plasmonic nanostructure, it can excite these electrons, pushing them out of equilibrium. This non-equilibrium state unlocks a range of fascinating phenomena. Hot carriers can be used to control light itself, potentially leading to ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

PolyU develops versatile fluidic platform for programmable liquid processing

Society relies heavily on diverse fluidic technologies. The ability toprecisely capture and release various chemical and biological fluids plays a fundamental role in many fields.A long-standing challenge is to design a platform that enables the switchable capture and release of liquids with precise spatial and temporal control and accurate volumes of the fluid. Recently, researchers at The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (PolyU) have invented a new method to effectively overcome this challenge. Led by Prof. WANG Liqiu, Otto Poon Charitable Foundation Professor in Smart and Sustainable Energy, Chair ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Why isn't Colorado's snowpack ending up in the Colorado River? New research suggests the problem might be the lack of spring rainfall

The Colorado River and its tributaries provide water for hydropower, irrigation and drinking water in seven U.S. states and Mexico. Much of this water comes from the snowpack that builds up over the winter and then melts each spring. Every year in early April, water managers use the snowpack to predict how much water will be available for the upcoming year. But since 2000, these predictions have been incorrect, with the actual streamflow being consistently lower than the predicted streamflow. That’s left water managers ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

How some states help residents avoid costly debt during hard times

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A new national study provides the best evidence to date that generous unemployment insurance benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic helped reduce reliance on high-cost credit use. Researchers found that lower-income residents of states with more generous benefits were significantly less likely than those living in less-generous states to take out new credit cards, personal finance loans and payday loans or other alternative financial service offerings. The study, published recently in the journal ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

The banana apocalypse is near, but UMass Amherst biologists might have found a key to their survival

August 16, 2024 The Banana Apocalypse is Near, but UMass Amherst Biologists Might Have Found a Key to Their Survival Discovery of molecular mechanisms used by the banana-destroying microbe brings hope to the breakfast table AMHERST, Mass. – The bananas in your supermarket and that you eat for breakfast are facing functional extinction due to the disease Fusarium wilt of banana (FWB) caused by a fungal pathogen called Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. cubense (Foc) tropical race 4 (TR4). However, thanks to recent research from an ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

Rethinking the dodo

Rethinking the Dodo Review of 400 years of scientific literature corrects the record on icon of extinction Researchers are setting out to challenge our misconceptions about the Dodo, one of the most well-known but poorly understood species of bird. In a paper published today [16 August 2024] in the Zoological Journal of the Linnean Society researchers from the University of Southampton, Natural History Museum (NHM) and Oxford University Museum of Natural History have undertaken the most comprehensive review of the taxonomy of the Dodo and its closest relative, the Rodriguez ...

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Science16 Aug 2024

How policing impacts the homeless

People who are homeless often endure constant and intrusive police interactions, leaving them feeling intimidated, harassed and stigmatised, a new study finds. More people of all ages and backgrounds are finding themselves homeless, often due to job loss or illness, as well as a lack of affordable housing. Between 2016 and 2021 homelessness increased by 5.2% in Australia. Professor of Law Thalia Anthony from the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) said the research aimed to give a voice to people experiencing homelessness ...

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