Science
press releases.

Science29 Jul 2024

Everyday activities aren’t enough to protect against stroke

Research conducted at the University of Gothenburg shows that the physical activities we do as we go about our lives, at work or in the home, aren’t enough to protect us from having a stroke. However, exercising in our free time and using active modes of transport are associated with a decreased risk of stroke. “Physical activity during leisure time and as transportation is becoming increasingly important now that many jobs and domestic activities are becoming more sedentary,” says lead ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Losing a loved one may speed up aging, study finds

Losing someone close, like a family member, can make you age faster, says a new study from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the Butler Columbia Aging Center. The study found that people who lost a parent, partner, sibling, or child, showed signs of older biological age compared to those who hadn’t experienced such losses. The research was published in JAMA Network Open. Biological aging is the gradual decline in how well your cells, tissues, and organs function, leading to a higher risk of chronic diseases. Scientists measure this type of aging using DNA markers known as epigenetic clocks. “Few studies ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

From tree holes to trash

A team of biologists from the University of Delhi and Zoological Survey of India, Harvard University, and the University of Minnesota has discovered a unique breeding behavior in a species of frog endemic to the Andaman Islands of India. In a new study published in the Harvard Museum of Comparative Zoology’s journal Breviora, scientists describe a combination of traits that makes reproduction in this frog unique. The Andamanese Charles Darwin’s frog, Minervarya charlesdarwini, belongs to the family Dicroglossidae, a large radiation of Asian frogs that comprises over ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Despite risk, many unsure of temperature to heat food to prevent illness

PHILADELPHIA – With bird flu virus detected in cow’s milk, U.S. health authorities have warned the public against potential sources of exposure, including drinking raw or unpasteurized milk, and have reiterated a general warning that consuming uncooked or undercooked poultry or beef products can make you sick. Relatively few people say they drink raw milk. Only 3% of U.S. adults report having consumed raw milk in the past 12 months, while 4% were not sure whether they had, according to a new nationally representative Annenberg Public Policy Center health survey of nearly 1,500 empaneled U.S. adults conducted in July.* But many more people say they do ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Gropp, former NCSA leaders selected for HPCwire’s inaugural ‘35 Legends’ list

NCSA Director Bill Gropp and two former Center directors were chosen for the first-ever HPCwire “35 Legends” list in celebration of the publication’s 35th anniversary. Thirty-five honorees will be announced each year, selected by HPCwire editors and advisors based on their contributions to the high-performance computing community over the past 35 years and celebrated for the different ways they’ve helped move HPC forward. Gropp, NCSA’s Founding Director Larry Smarr and Former Director Daniel Reed were among the first 17 honorees announced in July. The remaining HPCwire 35 Legends will be ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

UC San Diego researchers use non-invasive technique to record involuntary nervous system

A research team led by UC San Diego has, for the first time, shown that a wearable, non-invasive device can measure activity in human cervical nerves in clinical settings. The device records what the team calls Autonomic Neurography (ANG), neural activity from the human vagus and carotid sinus nerves as well as other autonomic nerves found in the skin and muscle of the neck. The vagus nerve is a “superhighway” of the involuntary nervous system, with tendrils extending from the base of the skull through the torso and abdomen to influence digestion, heart rate and the immune system. The vagus nerve ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Most US voters agree on basic human values – so is polarization exaggerated?

The vast majority of American voters think alike on what they find important in life, but both Republicans and Democrats fail to recognise their shared views and values, according to new research from the Universities of Bath and Essex. This finding is revealed today in the academic journal Social Psychological and Personality Science less than a month after the US Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump survived an assassination attempt when a gunman shot at him during a campaign rally. “There’s a general perception ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increasing in Canada

In Canada, rates of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) have increased, but the good news is there has been a decline in some related health conditions, according to new research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231547. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include chronic hypertension (high blood pressure), gestational hypertension, and preeclampsia or eclampsia. These disorders affect 5%–10% of pregnancies worldwide, and cause more than 50 000 maternal deaths and 500 000 deaths in fetuses and infants ...

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Science29 Jul 2024

Is free genetic testing really free?

Free genetic testing, offered partially or fully subsidized by industry, may have trade-offs, and health systems in Canada must carefully weigh potential clinical, ethical, and legal considerations to protect patient data, authors argue in a CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) commentary https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231588. “Near- and long-term expansion in no-cost testing and industry partnership in genetics, with patient data as the commodity, is likely,” writes Kirsten ...

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Science27 Jul 2024

MLB add lifesavers to the chain of survival in New York City

NEW YORK CITY, July 26, 2024 — The American Heart Association and Major League Baseball (MLB) brought cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training to MLB staff at the New York headquarters office located on Avenue of the Americas on Monday, July 22. Nearly 100 employees attended to learn the lifesaving skills building confidence and capabilities to respond in the event of a cardiac emergency. According to American Heart Association data, nine out of every ten people who experience cardiac arrest outside of a hospital die, in part because they do not receive immediate CPR more than half of the time. CPR, especially if performed ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Study finds big disparities in stroke services across the US

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Media Contact: Elizabeth.Fernandez@ucsf.edu, (415) 502-6397 Subscribe to UCSF News Study Finds Big Disparities in Stroke Services Across the U.S. Low-income communities are up to 42% less likely to obtain stroke center certification. Hospitals in poor communities are significantly less likely to obtain certification for stroke services, which makes them unable to provide urgent, lifesaving treatment, UC San Francisco researchers are reporting in a 14-year study of the nation’s hospitals. By ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Heather Dyer selected as the 2024 ESA Regional Policy Award Winner

The Ecological Society of America (ESA) will present its 17th annual Regional Policy Award to Heather Dyer, Chief Executive Officer of the San Bernardino Valley Municipal Water District, Sunday, Aug. 4, 5:00 p.m. PDT, during the ESA Annual Meeting Opening Plenary. The ESA annual award recognizes an elected or appointed local policymaker whose record reflects the use of ecological science to inform policy decisions. “ESA is honored to recognize Dyer,” said ESA President Shahid Naeem. “It’s rare for a biologist with ecosystems expertise to transition from technical science work to executive ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

New study highlights global disparities in activity limitations and assistive device use

A new study of over 175,000 people in 25 countries revealed that individuals in low- and middle-income countries face greater challenges with daily activities and are less likely to use assistive devices compared to those in high-income countries. These findings raise concerns about the global burden of disability, particularly in low-income countries. Despite decreases in death and cardiovascular disease rates and increases in life expectancy worldwide, people in low- and middle-income countries still ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Study finds targeting inflammation may not help reduce liver fibrosis in MAFLD

Researchers at UCLA Health uncovered new information about the role inflammation plays in mitigating liver fibrosis, which is associated with metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD), one of the most common diseases in the world affecting up to 40 percent of U.S. adults. While inflammation in the liver has long been considered a prerequisite to developing liver fibrosis, the scarring and thickening of tissue that can impair the liver’s ability to function, this new research suggests ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

A deep dive into polyimides for high-frequency wireless telecommunications

As 5G technologies continue to evolve, scientists and engineers are already exploring new ways to turn things up a notch for 6G. One of the biggest challenges to address in both 5G and 6G is the many detrimental effects that operating at extremely high frequencies has on wireless communications. At frequencies nearing the terahertz range, problems such as signal attenuation and interference are more prominent, and maintaining signal integrity becomes much harder. Some of these issues can be greatly mitigated by using insulating materials with exceptional dielectric properties. Glass- and ceramic-based insulating materials ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

The ancestor of all modern birds probably had iridescent feathers

The color palette of the birds you see out your window depend on where you live. If you’re far from the Equator, most birds tend to have drab colors, but the closer you are to the tropics, you’ll probably see more and more colorful feathers. Scientists have long been puzzled about why there are more brilliantly-colored birds in the tropics than in other places, and they’ve also wondered how those brightly-colored birds got there in the first place: that is, if those colorful feathers evolved in the tropics, or if tropical birds have colorful ancestors that came to the region from somewhere else. In a new study published ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

A rare form of ice at the center of a cool new discovery about how water droplets freeze

Tokyo, Japan – Ice is far more complicated than most of us realize, with over 20 different varieties known to science, forming under various combinations of pressure and temperature. The kind we use to chill our drinks is known as ice I, and it’s one of the few forms of ice that exist naturally on Earth. Researchers from Japan have recently discovered another type of ice: ice 0, an unusual form of ice that can seed the formation of ice crystals in supercooled water. The formation of ice near the surface ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Lampreys possess a ‘jaw-dropping’ evolutionary origin

EVANSTON, Ill. --- One of just two vertebrates without a jaw, sea lampreys that are wreaking havoc in Midwestern fisheries are simultaneously helping scientists understand the origins of two important stem cells that drove the evolution of vertebrates. Northwestern University biologists have pinpointed when the gene network that regulates these stem cells may have evolved and gained insights into what might be responsible for lampreys’ missing mandibles. The two cell types — pluripotent blastula cells (or embryonic stem cells) and neural crest cells — are both “pluripotent,” ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Towards next-gen indoor lighting: novel tunable ultrasonic liquid crystal light diffuser

It is no mystery that light is essential to human life. Since the discovery of fire, humans have developed various artificial light sources, such as incandescent lamps, gaslights, discharge lamps, and light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The distribution and intensity of artificial lights indoors are important factors that affect our ability to study and work effectively and influence our physical and mental health. Consequently, modern artificial light sources are designed with these psychological elements to achieve the best aesthetics. ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Shining light on similar crystals reveals photoreactions can differ

A rose by any other name is a rose, but what of a crystal? Osaka Metropolitan University-led researchers have found that single crystals of four anthracene derivatives with different substituents react differently when irradiated with light, perhaps holding clues to how we can use such materials in functional ways. Graduate student Sogo Kataoka, Dr. Daichi Kitagawa, a lecturer, and Professor Seiya Kobatake of the Graduate School of Engineering and colleagues compared the photoreactions of the single crystals when the entire anthracene crystal was irradiated with light. For two ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

More than 10-fold difference in rates of unintentional gun deaths across US states

There’s more than a 10-fold difference in the rates of unintentional gun deaths across US states, with such incidents claiming more than 12,000 lives between 2001 and 2021, finds research published online in the journal Injury Prevention. Poverty, rural residency, non-White ethnicity and firearms ownership are all associated with higher rates, the findings show. Firearms kill over 130 Americans every day. Most of these deaths are intentional, but of the 48,830 firearm related deaths in 2021, 549 were unintentional, note the researchers. But it’s not clear if rates differ within and between states. To explore this further, the researchers looked ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

Unplanned pregnancies among active service women likely curb US military readiness

Unplanned pregnancies among active service women may be curbing overall US military readiness for action and compromising its Women Peace and Security objectives, suggests research published online in the journal BMJ Military Health. That’s because they potentially result in the loss of an estimated 2.5 million to more than 4.5 million active duty days, depending on the denominator used, the findings indicate, with the highest rates among 18-24 year olds, those of White race, those deployed in junior ranks and those serving in the Army. The researchers set out to assess the impact ...

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Science26 Jul 2024

High levels of ozone and grass pollen expected for Paris Olympics/Paralympics

High levels of the respiratory irritant ozone and grass pollen are likely during the 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games if hot, sunny weather prevails, suggests an analysis of historic air quality monitoring data for the city of Paris and surrounding area during previous summers, and published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. Athletes can be affected by environmental factors, despite generally being in good physical condition, note the researchers. Breathing in air pollution during exercise may pose health risks, depending on exposure levels and underlying long term conditions, they add. Endurance athletes are particularly susceptible to allergic symptoms, they say. To ...

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Science25 Jul 2024

How iBuyers are changing real estate racial disparities and individual homeownership rates in one major city

Instant buyers, also known as iBuyers, rapidly buy and sell homes using automated models to set prices. These companies, such as Opendoor and Offerpad, can turn around cash offers in a matter of hours, and they’ve captured more than 5% of the real estate market in some U.S. cities. Since new tech often replicates or exacerbates existing societal biases, University of Washington researchers wanted to investigate how iBuyers have affected the well-documented racial bias in home appraisals — particularly bias against Black homeowners. The ...

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Science25 Jul 2024

How epigenetics influence memory formation

When we form a new memory, the brain undergoes physical and functional changes known collectively as a “memory trace”. A memory trace represents the specific patterns of activity and structural modifications of neurons that occur when a memory is formed and later recalled. But how does the brain “decide” which neurons will be involved in a memory trace? Studies have suggested that the inherent excitability of neurons plays a role, but the currently accepted view of learning has neglected to look inside the command ...

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