Science
press releases.

Science11 Jul 2024

Comprehensive evaluation of large language models in mining gene relations and pathway knowledge

Understanding complex biological pathways, such as gene-gene interactions and gene regulatory networks, is crucial for exploring disease mechanisms and advancing drug development. However, manual literature curation of these pathways cannot keep pace with the exponential growth of discoveries. Large-scale language models (LLMs) trained on extensive text corpora contain rich biological information and can be leveraged as a biological knowledge graph for pathway curation. Recently, Quantitative Biology published a study titled "A Comprehensive ...

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Science11 Jul 2024

Dante on the Move: Refugee’s share experiences through the lens of 14th century poet

International refugees and academic experts have contributed to a new book examining the resonance of Dante’s Divine Comedy with today’s migrants fleeing the troubles in their home countries. Dante on the Move is launched in Rome today (Thursday 11th July) and has been produced as part of a research project Reading Dante with Refugees led by the University of Birmingham and Trinity College Rome. It features work by people from Afghanistan, China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Kurdistan, Ukraine, the USA and Venezuela. Mohammed, a Kurdish refugee from Iraqi and contributor to the book survived a shipwreck in the Mediterranean in which many people drowned. He said: “Reading ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Loneliness increases risk of age-related memory loss

About a third of Canadians feel lonely, and a study from the University of Waterloo shows it has a greater negative impact on memory than even social isolation, though both present a significant risk to the aging population. Loneliness is a subjective emotion that people might feel even while engaging in social activities. It is often associated with depression and an increase in stress hormones that may contribute to impaired memory. Waterloo researchers examined four combinations of social isolation ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Taylor Swift’s impact on fans’ body image attitudes mostly positive, research shows

Taylor Swift’s past struggles with body image, disordered eating, and body objectification have had an overall positive influence on her fans’ attitudes on these issues, a new study from University of Vermont (UVM) researchers finds. The new research, published in journal Social Science & Medicine, analyzed the top 200 TikTok and Reddit posts—including over 8,300 online comments—about Taylor Swift, eating disorders, and body image to determine the impact of Swift’s disclosures about her past eating disorder on her fans. “Our findings suggest that fans who felt highly connected to Swift were influenced to positively change their behaviors ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

New Consumer Food insights from Purdue explores consumer attitudes toward U.S. farm bill

The general public has limited knowledge of the U.S. farm bill that politicians are debating on Capitol Hill, according to the June 2024 Consumer Food Insights (CFI) Report. The survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability (CFDAS) assesses food spending, consumer satisfaction and values, support of agricultural and food policies, and trust in information sources. Purdue experts conducted and evaluated the survey, which included 1,200 consumers across the U.S “Around one-third ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Lion with nine lives breaks record with longest swim in predator-infested waters

A record-breaking swim by two lion brothers across a predator-infested African river has been documented in a study co-led by Griffith University and Northern Arizona University. Dr Alexander Braczkowski, from Griffith’s Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, led a team that filmed a two-male lion coalition crossing the Kazinga Channel in Uganda at night, using high-definition heat detection cameras on drones. The work was done under the supervision of the Uganda Wildlife Authority. One half of the lion brother duo was a 10-year-old ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Aging exacerbates oxidative stress and liver fibrosis in an animal model of Down Syndrome

“[...] our results put the basis for the use of antioxidants supplementation in Down Syndrome patients to prevent liver-associated pathologies.” BUFFALO, NY- July 10, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Aging (listed by MEDLINE/PubMed as "Aging (Albany NY)" and "Aging-US" by Web of Science) Volume 16, Issue 12, entitled, “Aging exacerbates oxidative stress and liver fibrosis in an animal model of Down Syndrome.” Down Syndrome (DS) is a common genetic disorder characterized by an extra copy of chromosome 21, leading to dysregulation of various metabolic pathways. Oxidative stress in DS is associated ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Targeting ABC transporters in PDAC – past, present, or future?

“[...] it is crucial for the future application of ABC transporter inhibitors [...] to develop a stratification protocol [...] to identify those PDAC patients who are most likely to benefit from chemosensitization induced by these inhibitors.” BUFFALO, NY- July 10, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on June 20, 2024, entitled, “Targeting ABC transporters in PDAC – past, present, or future?” In this new editorial, Cecilia Bergonzini, Elisa Giovannetti and Erik ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Holiday season already? Anticipation might make time seem to fly

Christmas or Ramadan might seem to come around more quickly each year, for people who pay more attention to time, are more forgetful of plans, and love a good holiday. A research team led by Ruth Ogden of Liverpool John Moores University, UK, and Saad Sabet Alatrany of Imam Ja'afar Al-Sadiq University, Iraq, published these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on July 10, 2024. They suggest this could mean that someone’s experience of time is shaped not only by what they’ve done, but what is left to do. “Christmas seems to come quicker each year,” is a staple of small talk. But the ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Perceived warmth, competence predict callback decisions in meta-analysis of hiring experiments

Perceived warmth and competence predict the influence of race, gender and age on callback decisions, suggesting social perceptions might underlie such hiring bias. The meta-analysis of North American correspondence studies is published July 10, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Carina Hausladen from the California Institute of Technology and ETH Zürich, Marcos Gallo from the California Institute of Technology, and colleagues. In the labor market, applicants from marginalized groups continue to face disparate treatment. To ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Rice’s Omid Veiseh elected to the Controlled Release Society College of Fellows

HOUSTON – (July 10, 2024) – The Controlled Release Society (CRS), the premier international, multidisciplinary society dedicated to the science and technology of drug delivery, has elected Rice University bioengineer Omid Veiseh to its College of Fellows. The recognition is a prestigious acknowledgement of “outstanding and sustained contributions in the field of delivery science and technology,” according to the organization website. “I am deeply honored to be elected to the CRS College ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Tackling the challenge of coca plant ID: wild vs cultivated for cocaine

A new paper published today in Molecular Biology and Evolution reveals that it's not as straightforward as it might seem. Despite decades of data collection by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), which has been valuable to monitor changes in areas occupied by illegal coca plantations in South America, there is no reliable scientific method to distinguish between different types of coca plants. South American coca plants have been essential to Andean and Amazonian communities for at least 8,000 years. It is within these communities that they are thought to have evolved from wild to domesticated coca plants. Their ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

BESSY II shows how solid-state batteries degrade

Solid-state batteries have several advantages: they can store more energy and are safer than batteries with liquid electrolytes. However, they do not last as long and their capacity decreases with each charge cycle. But it doesn't have to stay that way: Researchers are already on the trail of the causes. In the journal ACS Energy Letters, a team from HZB and Justus-Liebig-Universität, Giessen, presents a new method for precisely monitoring electrochemical reactions during the operation of a solid-state battery using photoelectron spectroscopy at BESSY II. The results ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Pitch perfect: match the message to the idea's newness, study finds

In a study examining styles of pitching ideas to audiences, researchers found that pitches promoting radical ideas are better received when framed in concrete and explanatory ‘how’ terms, while progressive ideas do better with abstract ‘why’ style of pitches. Previous research found that professional audiences, like investors, prefer concrete pitches with how-style explanations, while lay audiences such as students and crowdfunders respond better to ‘why’ style pitches for abstract ideas. Professor Simone Ferriani, Professor of Entrepreneurship at Bayes Business School (formerly ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Cirrhosis affects twice as many transgender adults as cisgender adults

LOS ANGELES — Cirrhosis is chronic, progressive end-stage liver disease that occurs when scar tissue prevents the liver from functioning normally. Studies have shown that two of the leading causes of cirrhosis — alcohol use disorder and viral hepatitis — occur more frequently in transgender individuals, but there has been little research examining if these risk factors translate into greater incidences of cirrhosis among transgender patients. A new study from Keck Medicine ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Scientists discover a cause of lupus and a possible way to reverse it

· Lupus is an autoimmune disease affecting more than 1.5 million people in the U.S. · Until now, the causes of this disease remained unclear · Scientists are working to expand research into novel treatment CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine and Brigham and Women’s Hospital scientists have discovered a molecular defect that promotes the pathologic immune response in systemic lupus erythematosus (known as lupus) and show that reversing this defect may potentially reverse the disease. Lupus affects more than 1.5 million ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Few U.S. adults use nicotine pouches, study finds

A new study found that the prevalence of nicotine pouch use was low in U.S. adults despite a 641% increase in sales of the products between 2019 and 2022. Researchers say the findings raise questions about who is using the millions of nicotine pouches sold in the U.S. and why. Nicotine pouches, a new commercial tobacco product, contain a crystalline powder with nicotine, flavorings (including fruit, mint or candy) and other additives. They do not cause respiratory harm and are perceived by some as an alternative to help adults who smoke tobacco quit. ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Surprise discovery with big scientific potential

An unexpected find has enabled important progress to be made in the battle against harmful bacteria. An international team of researchers, led by Professor Peter Fineran from the University of Otago, investigated a particular protein used by bacteria-infecting viruses, known as phages. Research into this microscopic arms race between bacteria and phages is important as it can lead to alternatives to antibiotics. Published in prestigious international journal Nature, the study analysed a protein phages use when deploying anti-CRISPR, their method of blocking the CRISPR–Cas immune system of bacteria. Lead ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

The plague may have caused the downfall of the Stone Age farmers

Ancient DNA from bones and teeth hints at a role of the plague in Stone Age population collapse. Contrary to previous beliefs, the plague may have diminished Europe's populations long before the major plague outbreaks of the Middle Ages, new research shows. In the 14th century Europe, the plague ravaged the population during the so-called 'Black Death,' claiming the lives of nearly a third of the population. But the plague arrived in Scandinavia several thousand years earlier, and despite several theories suggesting otherwise, the plague might have caused an epidemic, according to new research from ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

When there’s money to lose, phone usage while driving drops

PHILADELPHIA— To make someone put their phone down while driving, show them the money—with a catch, according to new research published in JAMA Open. When a group of auto insurance customers were tempted with a cash incentive—and regular feedback letting the driver know how they were doing compared to other drivers trying to reduce their phone time—handheld phone use dropped significantly, a team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found. The researchers examined several different strategies ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Ochsner, AJMC® partner for conference on value-based care on July 25 in New Orleans

NEW ORLEANS – Ochsner Health’s Healthy State initiative, in partnership with The American Journal of Managed Care, will host a free conference on value-based care from 3:30-7 p.m. on Thursday, July 25 at The Westin New Orleans hotel in Louisiana. Registration and program details are available here for “Healthy State: Know It, Own It, Live It: Creating a Thriving Louisiana Through Innovation in Value-Based Care.” The event is open to the public, medical professionals, health policy experts and community organizers. Organized ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Wolves’ return has had only small impact on deer populations in NE Washington, study shows

FROM: James Urton (Note: researcher contact information at the end) Humans drove wolves to extinction in Washington state around the 1930s. Thanks to conservation efforts, by about 80 years later, wolves had returned — crossing first from the Canadian border into Washington around 2008 and later entering the state from Idaho. Since then, wolf numbers in Washington have been steadily growing, raising questions about what the return of this large predator species means for ecosystems and people alike. In northeast Washington, where wolves have recovered most successfully, researchers from the University of Washington and the Washington Department ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

A simple firmware update completely hides a device’s Bluetooth fingerprint

A smartphone’s unique Bluetooth fingerprint could be used to track the device’s user–until now. A team of researchers have developed a simple firmware update that can completely hide the Bluetooth fingerprint, eliminating the vulnerability. The method was developed by a team of researchers at the University of California San Diego. The team discovered the vulnerability caused by Bluetooth fingerprints in a study they presented at the 2022 IEEE Security & Privacy conference. They presented the fix to this vulnerability two years later at the 2024 IEEE Security & Privacy conference. The math behind the update itself is complex but the implementation ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

Can omega-3 fatty acid intake affect acne severity?

In a study in the Journal of Cosmetic Dermatology that included 60 individuals with mild to moderate acne, following the Mediterranean diet and taking omega-3 fatty acid supplements led to significant reductions in inflammatory and non-inflammatory skin lesions, as well as improved quality of life. Notably, 98.3% of participants had omega-3 fatty acid deficits at the start of the study. Acne severity lessened significantly in those who reached target omega-3 fatty acid levels during the study. “Lifestyle interventions, including dietary recommendations, should ...

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Science10 Jul 2024

How did surge facilities impact the time to reunification for unaccompanied migrant children and their families?

Unaccompanied children entering the United States without adult legal guardians and legal status account for a growing share of U.S. Border Patrol encounters along the southern border, with most fleeing extreme violence, poverty, and food insecurity. In response, emergency intake sites and influx care facilities (surge facilities) were used to promptly house unaccompanied children. A new analysis published in Economic Inquiry finds that the emergency shelters expedited the reunification of children with their families. By analyzing data on unaccompanied minors encountered ...

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