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High genetic diversity discovered in South African leopards
Science

High genetic diversity discovered in South African leopards

Researchers say the discovery of very high genetic diversity in leopards found in the Highveld region of South Africa has increased the need for conservation efforts to protect leopards in the country. Declan Morris, a PhD candidate with the University of Adelaide’s School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, led the research project, which discovered that the two maternal lineages of leopards found in Africa overlap in the Highveld, leading to the high genetic diversity. One lineage can be found across most of the African continent, while the other is confined ...

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Facebook Marketplace is home to steals and deals—and serious trust issues
Science

Facebook Marketplace is home to steals and deals—and serious trust issues

Love it or hate it, Facebook Marketplace is the largest online resale site today with more than one billion monthly users. A new study conducted by UBC researchers sheds light on the intricate web of trust, privacy and safety factors shaping users’ experiences on this popular platform. Researchers interviewed 42 Facebook Marketplace buyers and sellers in the U.S. and Canada to uncover the factors associated with trading decisions. “Concerns for physical and financial safety, as well as well-being, were top ...

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Diamond heat
Science

Diamond heat

Diamond is the hardest material found in nature — diamond also has the highest thermal conductivity, allowing the most heat to flow through it rapidly. An international team of scientists discovered using supercomputer simulations that by flexing diamond, its thermal conductivity can be drastically tuned up or down. Scientists worldwide are interested in studying elastic strain engineering to discover the properties that materials exhibit when they are under large tensile or shear stresses. Findings like this could open ...

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Allen Institute for Immunology and Seattle Children’s Research Institute launch study to unravel molecular mysteries of pediatric IBD
Science

Allen Institute for Immunology and Seattle Children’s Research Institute launch study to unravel molecular mysteries of pediatric IBD

By Jake Siegel Seattle, WA—May 13, 2024—With pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) diagnoses on the rise globally, a clinical trial in Seattle aims to transform treatment approaches through deep molecular profiling. Recruitment has begun for the Seattle STRIDE study, a joint effort by Seattle Children’s Research Institute and the Allen Institute for Immunology. The trial aims to enroll 200 volunteers and follow them over three years. It will employ a range of genomic tools to analyze intact tissue samples from routine tests. ...

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Texas Tech researchers help confirm first case of avian influenza transmitted from cow to human

Texas Tech University’s Biological Threat Research Laboratory (BTRL) played a key role in detecting the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A (H5N1) transmitted from a mammal (dairy cow) to a human. The case was made public in an article published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Steve Presley, the director of The Institute of Environmental and Human Health (TIEHH) and the BTRL, and Cynthia Reinoso Webb, the biological threat coordinator at TIEHH, were co-authors on the journal publication. The journal article explains that in March a farm worker who reported no contact with ...

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Science

Coming out to a chatbot?

Today, there are dozens of large language model (LLM) chatbots aimed at mental health care — addressing everything from loneliness among seniors to anxiety and depression in teens. But the efficacy of these apps is unclear. Even more unclear is how well these apps work in supporting specific, marginalized groups like LGBTQ+ communities. A team of researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Emory University, Vanderbilt University and the University of California Irvine, found that while large language models can offer fast, on-demand support, they frequently fail to grasp the specific challenges that many members ...

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Persistent strain of cholera defends itself against forces of change, scientists find

A deadly strain of cholera bacteria that emerged in Indonesia back in 1961 continues to spread widely to this day, claiming thousands of lives around the world every year, sickening millions — and, with its persistence, baffling scientists. Finally, in a study published today in Nature, researchers from The University of Texas at Austin have discovered how this dangerous strain has held out over decades. A longstanding mystery about the strain of Vibrio cholerae (V. cholerae) responsible for the seventh global cholera pandemic is how this lineage has managed ...

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Science

Low testosterone in men associated with higher risk for death

Embargoed for release until 5:00 p.m. ET on Monday 13 May 2024 Annals of Internal Medicine Tip Sheet @Annalsofim Below please find summaries of new articles that will be published in the next issue of Annals of Internal Medicine. The summaries are not intended to substitute for the full articles as a source of information. This information is under strict embargo and by taking it into possession, media representatives are committing to the terms of the embargo not ...

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Science

Chatbots tell people what they want to hear

Chatbots share limited information, reinforce ideologies, and, as a result, can lead to more polarized thinking when it comes to controversial issues, according to new Johns Hopkins University–led research. The study challenges perceptions that chatbots are impartial and provides insight into how using conversational search systems could widen the public divide on hot-button issues and leave people vulnerable to manipulation. “Because people are reading a summary paragraph generated by AI, they think they’re getting unbiased, fact-based answers,” said lead author Ziang Xiao, an assistant professor of computer ...

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Herpes cure with gene editing makes progress in laboratory studies
Science

Herpes cure with gene editing makes progress in laboratory studies

SEATTLE — May 13, 2024 — Researchers at Fred Hutch Cancer Center have found in pre-clinical studies that an experimental gene therapy for genital and oral herpes removed 90% or more of the infection and suppressed how much virus can be released from an infected individual, which suggests that the therapy would also reduce the spread of the virus. “Herpes is very sneaky. It hides out among nerve cells and then reawakens and causes painful skin blisters,” said Keith Jerome, MD, PhD, professor ...

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Catch and release can give sea turtles the bends #ASA186
Science

Catch and release can give sea turtles the bends #ASA186

OTTAWA, Ontario, May 13, 2024 – Six out of seven sea turtle species are endangered, and humans are primarily responsible. Commercial fishing activities are the largest human-caused disturbance to sea turtles due to accidental capture. Fishers are typically unaware if a sea turtle is caught in their net until it’s completely pulled out of the water. However, releasing sea turtles without veterinary evaluations can be harmful. When accidentally caught, the turtles’ normal diving processes are interrupted, ...

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Science

Like dad and like mum…all in one plant

In a new study, led by Charles Underwood from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research (MPIPZ) in Cologne, Germany, scientists established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents. The study is now published in Nature Genetics. Hybrid seeds, combining two different parent lines with specific favorable traits, are popular in agriculture as they give rise to robust crops with enhanced productivity, and have been utilized by farmers ...

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Science

Transgender preteens report 13 hours of daily screen time

Toronto, ON - A new national study found that transgender preteens, 12 and13 years old, reported 13 hours of daily recreational screen time, which was 4.5 hours more than their cisgender peers. Data were collected from 2019 to 2021, overlapping with the COVID-19 pandemic, and the study was published in Annals of Epidemiology. “Transgender adolescents are more likely to experience school-based bullying and exclusion from peer groups due to their gender identity, leading them to spend less time in traditional school activities and more time on screens,” says lead author, Jason Nagata, MD, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco. ...

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Science

New findings released from US 2020 Facebook and Instagram election study

In the weeks before and after the 2020 presidential election, researchers ran a number of tests to try to understand how much Facebook and its corporate cousin, Instagram, may be contributing to the nation's political divide. One of those experiments — led by Matthew Gentzkow and Hunt Allcott, economics professors at Stanford University — centered on more than 35,000 Facebook and Instagram users who were paid to stay off the platforms in the run-up to Election Day. There’s a lot that researchers could glean from the social media hiatus, including whether people’s political attitudes shifted and in what ways. If views changed dramatically, that ...

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Science

Fruit fly testes offer potential tool against harmful insects

A way to curb nagging insects has been flying under our radar—an enzyme from fruit fly testes. The compound could control bugs that carry disease and harm crops by stunting their ability to procreate, Johns Hopkins University researchers found. “We have a toe in the door to control fruit fly populations with this enzyme,” said Steven Rokita, a professor of chemistry at Johns Hopkins who led the research. “It could offer a good way to control fertility of all kinds of biological and agricultural pests, starting with mosquito populations.” The findings are set to publish ...

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Research on centromere structure yields new insights into the mechanisms of chromosome segregation errors
Science

Research on centromere structure yields new insights into the mechanisms of chromosome segregation errors

Researchers from the Kops group in collaboration with researchers from the University of Edinburgh, made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides new mechanisms underlying erroneous divisions in cancer cells. The research was published in Cell on May 13th 2024. Our bodies consist of trillions of ...

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Science

SIAM Conference on Nonlinear Waves and Coherent Structures (NWCS24)

Theoretical and computational aspects of applied mathematical research on nonlinear waves and coherent structures are relevant to subjects as diverse as general relativity, high-energy particle and plasma physics, fluid and solid mechanics, nonlinear electrical circuits, materials science (including metamaterials), Bose-Einstein condensation, nonlinear optics, random media, atmosphere and ocean dynamics, chemical reactions, and biology. Relevant predictions are often tested against physical experiments and open avenues for collaborations and interactions ...

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Science

Zampieri receives funding for doctoral consortium

Marcos Zampieri, Assistant Professor, Information Sciences and Technology, received funding for: “Doctoral Consortium at Student Research Workshop at the Annual Conference of the North American Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (NAACL).” Zampieri will use this funding to subsidize travel, conference, and housing expenses of students selected to participate in the NAACL 2024 Student Research Workshop, which will take place during the main NAACL conference on June 16-21, 2024 in Mexico City, Mexico. The student research workshop welcomes contributions in two categories: 1) thesis proposals, for advanced students who have ...

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Science

Inclusion is not enough: New study reveals the potential of coaching employees to drive new strategic ideas

In the landscape of modern business, inclusion isn't just a buzzword - it's a strategic imperative. Companies like IBM, Volkswagen and Starbucks are moving to more participative strategy development approaches that reflect a growing understanding of the importance of diversity in fostering innovative and creative strategic ideas. Yet the outcomes of inclusive strategy processes often fall short of expectations. A new study in the Strategic Management Journal sheds light on why that may be. In ...

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Science

Sending abortion pills through the mail is timely and effective

Dispensing abortion pills through the mail works as well as requiring patients to get them in person from a clinic or doctor’s office, according to new research from UC San Francisco, which comes as the Supreme Court is considering whether to disallow the practice. Researchers found that using a mail-order pharmacy to deliver the drugs after an in-person assessment was both safe and effective, and patients appreciated the privacy and convenience of receiving their abortion medication that way. “The ...

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SHINE trial sheds light on deadly stroke complication
Science

SHINE trial sheds light on deadly stroke complication

An ambitious, nationwide clinical trial led by UVA Health’s Karen Johnston, MD, has provided doctors with long-needed insights into the importance of managing stroke patients’ blood sugar after treatment with clot-busting therapy. The findings will help improve stroke care and save lives. The SHINE trial, funded by the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (grant U01 NS069498), was conducted at UVA Health and 69 other hospitals around ...

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European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society publish Joint Guideline on glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (GC-AI)
Science

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society publish Joint Guideline on glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency (GC-AI)

European Society of Endocrinology and Endocrine Society publish Joint Guideline on Glucocorticoid-induced Adrenal Insufficiency (GC-AI) As focal points for endocrinology and hormone research, both the European Society of Endocrinology (ESE) and the Endocrine Society (ES) regularly produce clinical guidelines with recommendations for patient care, either in collaboration with other Societies or independently. Guideline development at each society is overseen by a Clinical Committee, and all guidelines are subject to a rigorous review process before ...

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Endocrine Society and European Society of Endocrinology publish joint guideline on glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency

WASHINGTON—The joint guideline is designed to help clinicians manage patients who have, or are at risk of developing, glucocorticoid-induced adrenal insufficiency. At least 1% of the global population uses chronic glucocorticoid therapy as anti-inflammatory or immune-suppressive agents. The guideline, titled “Diagnosis and Therapy of Glucocorticoid-induced Adrenal Insufficiency,” will appear in the May 2024 issues of the Societies’ respective journals, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism and the European Journal of Endocrinology. ...

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Some varieties of annual flowers have a place in pollinator-friendly gardens
Science

Some varieties of annual flowers have a place in pollinator-friendly gardens

Annapolis, MD; May 13, 2024—While wildflowers and perennials are a must for supporting pollinators, there's no denying the popularity of many annual flowers for their colorful, visual appeal. Annuals are often thought of as pollinator "deserts," but a new study suggests choosing the right varieties can give annual flowers a role in nourishing bees and other pollinating insects in home gardens. In a two-year study, researchers at Michigan State University observed pollinators visiting 25 different varieties, or cultivars, of the six most popular annual ...

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SwRI studies boiling processes in partial gravity aboard parabolic flights
Science

SwRI studies boiling processes in partial gravity aboard parabolic flights

SAN ANTONIO — May 13, 2024 —Southwest Research Institute is studying the process of boiling liquids under partial gravity conditions in a series of parabolic flights. The internally funded project, conducted in collaboration with Texas A&M University, aims to better understand how liquids boil on different surfaces in partial gravity. Boiling liquids will likely be required during future extended space missions to the Moon or Mars to support surface power, life support systems, cryogenic fuel production and in situ resource utilization. “We ...

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