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Archivist explores Troy's invisible workers
Science

Archivist explores Troy's invisible workers

While poring over nearly century-old photos documenting the University of Cincinnati’s historic excavation at Troy, archivist Jeff Kramer was struck by just how many people worked behind the scenes for years to contribute to its success. The archivist and research associate in UC’s Department of Classics created a digital archive of pictures and documents from UC archaeologist Carl Blegen’s influential 1930s project that identified nine periods of reconstruction and evidence of a great battle and fiery devastation that some historians said was suggestive of the ransacking of Troy. But ...

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From roots to leaves: The nitrogen connection to photosynthetic efficiency
Science

From roots to leaves: The nitrogen connection to photosynthetic efficiency

Delving into the nuances of plant nutrition, researchers have discovered that the form of nitrogen intake profoundly affects the efficiency of photosynthesis in plants. This pivotal finding sheds light on how plants process and utilize nitrogen, offering critical insights for enhancing crop productivity and optimizing nitrogen use in agriculture. Photosynthesis efficiency in plants is influenced by the type of nitrogen absorbed. Ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3-) are the primary nitrogen sources, each affecting plant physiology differently. Variations in leaf anatomy, such as cell wall thickness and chloroplast number, play a crucial role in ...

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Changes in registered nurse employment plans and workplace assessments

About The Study: The results of this study showed that nurses reported improved workplace conditions in the 2023 vs the 2022 survey; however, planned departure rates, abusive or violent events, and unsafe conditions remained high, and understaffing remained a primary concern for most nurses. Health system leaders and policymakers should prioritize initiatives that support nurse retention and reduce potential workforce instability. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Christopher ...

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Science

NFCR welcomes two new Board of Directors

Rockville, MD – July 18, 2024 The National Foundation for Cancer Research (NFCR) announced new Board of Directors members today who both have been long-term supporters of the organization: Silas Deane, Vice President, Tyler Technologies, and Dr. Padmakumar Kaimal, previous Vice President of Technology Alliance & Business Development at Suven Life Sciences. The areas of expertise and leadership they bring to NFCR signify a pivotal moment for the organization working to advance the mission of providing new areas of hope and solutions for cancer patients worldwide. Silas Deane has extended expertise in technology, healthcare, government relations, ...

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PEPITEM – a novel protective agent for inflammageing

A naturally occurring peptide called PEPITEM could potentially rejuvenate the immune response in older individuals and protect against 'inflammageing', which is widely believed to be the root cause of many age-related diseases. The study, published today in the journal npj Aging, raises the exciting possibility of a protective agent that could dampen age-related inflammation and restore normal immune function in older adults. PEPITEM (Peptide Inhibitor of Trans-Endothelial Migration) was initially identified at the University ...

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Science

Unexpected role of OTX2 drives aggressive medulloblastoma

In a report published in Nature Cell Biology, researchers at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children’s Hospital, the University of Manitoba and collaborating institutions revealed an unexpected way in which the protein OTX2 drives the progression of medulloblastoma – the most common aggressive childhood brain cancer. The findings suggest that targeting OTX2 or its effects can have therapeutic relevance. “We see medulloblastoma stem cells as the root of the disease. The tumors develop from these cells early during development of the cerebellum, the brain region ...

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Science

Research shows young infants use their mother’s scent to see faces

Humans see the world through the five senses, but how and when the ability to integrate across the senses arises is debated. Research shows that humans combine sensory information together, particularly when one sense is not able to produce a sufficient response alone. Studies also show that infants may use multisensory cues to perceive their environments more efficiently. A new Child Development study by researchers at the Université de Bourgogne, University of Hamburg, Université de Lyon, Institut Universitaire de France, Université de Lorraine, Centre Hospitalier de Nancy, and Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique ...

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Pompeii skeleton discovery shows another natural disaster may have made Vesuvius eruption even more deadly
Science

Pompeii skeleton discovery shows another natural disaster may have made Vesuvius eruption even more deadly

Almost 2,000 years ago, Pliny the Younger wrote letters describing a shaking ground as Vesuvius erupted. Now, a collaborative study led by researchers from the Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia (INGV) and Pompeii Archaeological Park has shed light on the effects of seismicity associated with the 79CE eruption. The study is the first to tackle the complex task of reporting on the effects of co-occurring earthquakes. This is tricky due to the possibility of volcanic and seismic effects happening concurrently or in quick succession, meaning volcanic effects can overshadow effects caused by earthquakes and vice versa. “These ...

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Egg freezing: Britain’s largest ever study reports live birth outcomes comparable to those of routine IVF
Science

Egg freezing: Britain’s largest ever study reports live birth outcomes comparable to those of routine IVF

18 July 2024: Britain’s largest ever study of egg freezing which followed up the outcome of almost 30,000 eggs frozen at the London Women’s Clinic shows that success rates are comparable to those achieved by routine IVF and subject to the same variables of female age and embryo quality.(1) When seen alongside other similar large-scale egg-freezing studies from other countries, the results of this study add to a pattern of success which is consistent, predictable and reliable. The study, published today in the peer-reviewed journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online, analysed the outcomes of treatment ...

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Science

The courtship of leopard seals off the coast of South America

A pioneering study led by Baylor University biologist Sarah Kienle, Ph.D., and published in the journal Polar Biology has unveiled the first paired observations of sexual behavior and vocalizations in wild leopard seals. Supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation, Kienle and her team’s third published study on the mysterious leopard seal represents a major advance in understanding the behavior of one of the most difficult apex predators to study on Earth. Key findings from the study Kienle and her team observed a two-hour courtship interaction between a male and female leopard seal in Laguna San Rafael, Chile, and documented a range of behaviors ...

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Science

Substantial rise in adults vaping for longer than 6 months, especially in young adults

The number of adults in England who report vaping for more than six months has increased substantially from around one in 80 in 2013 to one in 10 in 2023, finds a study published by The BMJ today. Much of this increase has occurred since 2021, coinciding with the rapid rise in popularity of disposable e-cigarettes, especially among young adults, including those who had never regularly smoked, the results show. It was already established that vaping rates have increased substantially in England since new disposable e-cigarettes became ...

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Singing the science: Using karaoke to examine blushing
Science

Singing the science: Using karaoke to examine blushing

A new collaboration between researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, the University of Amsterdam and the University of Chieti explores the neural substrates of blushing in a MRI scanner. Most of us know what it feels like to blush. The face becomes warm and red, and we experience self-conscious emotions, such as embarrassment, shyness, shame, and pride. It is perhaps no wonder that Charles Darwin referred to it as “the most peculiar and the most human of all expressions”. But why do we blush, and what ...

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Science

Data protection laws reduced breaches but affected firms’ value

The introduction of new data protection rules significantly reduced breaches by firms but negatively impacted their market value, according to new research by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and University of Texas. Researchers looked at what happened when the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) started being enforced in 2018. Using its extraterritorial reach, the authors explore variation in US firms’ exposure to the EU GDPR to see how stricter data privacy laws affected their value, ...

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Science

Lichtenberg earns GSA’s 2024 Donald P. Kent Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Peter Lichtenberg, PhD, ABPP, FGSA, of Wayne State University as the 2024 recipient of the Donald P. Kent Award. This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member who best exemplifies the highest standards for professional leadership in gerontology through teaching, service, and interpretation of gerontology to the larger society. It was established in 1973 in memory of Donald P. Kent, PhD, for his outstanding leadership in translating research findings ...

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Cohen-Mansfield earns GSA’s 2024 Robert W. Kleemeier Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Jiska Cohen-Mansfield, PhD, FGSA, of Tel Aviv University as the 2024 recipient of the Robert W. Kleemeier Award. This distinguished honor is given annually to a GSA member in recognition for outstanding research in the field of gerontology. It was established in 1965 in memory of Robert W. Kleemeier, PhD, a former president of the Society whose contributions to the quality of life through research in aging were exemplary. The award presentation will take place at GSA’s ...

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Science

Barnes earns GSA’s 2024 James Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award

The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) — the nation’s largest interdisciplinary organization devoted to the field of aging — has chosen Lisa L. Barnes, PhD, FGSA, of Rush University Medical Center as the 2024 recipient of the James Jackson Outstanding Mentorship Award. This distinguished honor is given annually and recognizes individuals who have exemplified outstanding commitment and dedication to mentoring minority researchers in the field of aging. It was renamed in 2021 in memory of James Jackson, PhD, FGSA, a pioneering psychologist ...

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Science

Study: Uninsured, Hispanic people less likely to be referred to care after stroke

MINNEAPOLIS – Insurance coverage, ethnicity and location may all play a role in a person’s ability to receive care after a stroke, according to a study published in the July 17, 2024, online issue of Neurology® Clinical Practice, an official journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Receiving the right care after a stroke is crucial to recovery and minimizing disability,” said study author Shumei Man, MD, PhD, of the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio and a member of the American Academy of Neurology. “Unfortunately, decisions about care may be influenced by factors such as race, insurance, and geographic location. Our study ...

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Most Afghans support women’s rights, especially when men think of their daughters
Science

Most Afghans support women’s rights, especially when men think of their daughters

A majority of people in Afghanistan support human rights for Afghan women, and men are especially likely to support women’s rights when primed to think about their eldest daughters, according to a study published July 17, 2024, in the open-access journal PLOS ONE, by Kristina Becvar and colleagues from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Human rights groups have been concerned for the rights of Afghan women in particular since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021. Since then, Afghan ...

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New antidote for cobra bites discovered
Science

New antidote for cobra bites discovered

Scientists at the University of Sydney and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine have made a remarkable discovery: a commonly used blood thinner, heparin, can be repurposed as an inexpensive antidote for cobra venom. Cobras kill thousands of people a year worldwide and perhaps a hundred thousand more are seriously maimed by necrosis – the death of body tissue and cells – caused by the venom, which can lead to amputation. Current antivenom treatment is expensive and does not effectively ...

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Mindfulness training may lead to altered states of consciousness, study finds

Mindfulness training may lead participants to experience disembodiment and unity – so-called altered states of consciousness – according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge. The team say that while these experiences can be very positive, that is not always the case. Mindfulness teachers and students need to be aware that they can be a side-effect of training, and students should feel empowered to share their experiences with their teacher or doctor if they have any concerns. Mindfulness-based programmes have ...

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Reef pest feasts on 'sea sawdust'
Science

Reef pest feasts on 'sea sawdust'

Researchers have uncovered an under-the-sea phenomenon where coral-destroying crown-of-thorns starfish larvae have been feasting on blue-green algae bacteria known as ‘sea sawdust’. The team of marine scientists from The University of Queensland and Southern Cross University found crown-of-thorns starfish (COTS) larvae grow and thrive when raised on an exclusive diet of Trichodesmium – a bacteria that often floats on the ocean’s surface in large slicks. UQ’s Dr Benjamin Mos from the School ...

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Microbes found to destroy certain ‘forever chemicals’
Science

Microbes found to destroy certain ‘forever chemicals’

UC Riverside environmental engineering team has discovered specific bacterial species that can destroy certain kinds of “forever chemicals,” a step further toward low-cost treatments of contaminated drinking water sources. The microorganisms belong to the genus Acetobacterium and they are commonly found in wastewater environments throughout the world. Forever chemicals, also known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances or PFAS, are so named because they have stubbornly strong carbon-fluorine chemical bonds, which make them persistent in the environment. The microorganisms discovered by UCR scientists and their collaborators ...

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Research tracks 66 million years of mammalian diversity
Science

Research tracks 66 million years of mammalian diversity

When trying to understand the present, it's helpful to look to history. New research from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln examined the fossil record going back 66 million years and tracked changes to mammalian ecosystems and species diversity on the North American continent. The study, led by Alex Shupinski, who earned her doctorate in May, and co-authored by Kate Lyons, associate professor in the School of Biological Sciences, provides a large-scale view of how species diversity changed over the first 65 million years of the Cenozoic era — up until the arrival of humans — ...

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Duke-NUS finding advances quest to slow ageing
Science

Duke-NUS finding advances quest to slow ageing

An ageing population will bring colossal health, social, and economic challenges over the coming decades[1]. As people live longer, staving off the physical decline and frailty that come with age has become a holy grail, with effective interventions projected to unlock significant societal and economic benefits. Estimates suggest that a slowdown in ageing that increases life expectancy by one year alone is worth US$38 trillion.[2] In a discovery published in Nature, a team of scientists from Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore may have found a key to slow ageing. The ...

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Science

The Vps21 signaling pathway regulates white-opaque switching and mating in Candida albicans

This study was led by Dr. Guanghua Huang (School of Life Sciences, Fudan University). The team discovered that the conserved Vps21 signaling pathway plays critical roles in the regulation of white-opaque switching and mating in Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen. Candida albicans is able to cause cutaneous diseases as well as life-threatening systemic infections in humans. It has multiple cellular morphologies and can undergo transitions among different morphologies to adapt to environmental changes. White-opaque transitions represent a typical morphological phenotypic switching system ...

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