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Science

New UNC-Chapel Hill study examines the increased adoption of they/them pronouns

People are using “they/them” pronouns more often according to a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Led by UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Jennifer E. Arnold, Ph.D., the new research paper published on April 14 in Glossa Psycholinguistics provides the first evidence of how people use “they/them” when talking about a specific person in a spoken storytelling context. “Within the last decade, people have started to use ‘they’ as a personal pronoun, often because they identify as nonbinary or gender nonconforming,” said Arnold, a professor ...

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Registration of biological pest control products exceeds that of agrochemicals in Brazil
Science

Registration of biological pest control products exceeds that of agrochemicals in Brazil

The number of biological products registered in Brazil in recent years for crop protection against agricultural pests has surpassed that of agrochemicals. Around 90% of the area under sugarcane cultivation in the country, for example, already uses natural enemies such as microorganisms, macroorganisms, biochemicals (compounds of natural origin that control pests and diseases) and semiochemicals (molecules that induce behavioral responses in target organisms). The data were presented by José Maurício Simões Bento, a ...

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Science

How reflecting on gratitude received from family can make you a better leader

The longstanding advice to “check your baggage at the door” may not be the best way for leaders to engage and empower their employees. Instead, acknowledging that leaders are complete individuals with experiences outside of the office is a key factor in assisting them with the challenging, exhausting and often thankless work they do daily. According to new research from the University of Florida, leaders who reflect on gratitude that they receive from family members at home feel higher levels of ...

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Science

Self-administered acupressure for probable knee osteoarthritis in middle-aged and older adults

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial with 314 participants, self-administered acupressure with a brief knee health education program was efficacious and cost-effective in relieving knee pain and improving mobility in middle-aged and older adults with probable knee osteoarthritis. Authors: Wing-Fai Yeung, Ph.D., of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University in Hong Kong, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5830) Editor’s ...

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Science

Unraveling water mysteries beyond Earth

The first clue for finding life on other planets is finding liquid water. The moons of Saturn and Jupiter like Enceladus, Ganymede, Europa, and Callisto are suspected of holding oceans of liquid water beneath icy crusts. Similarly, some exoplanets beyond our solar system likely host liquid water, crucial for habitability. But detecting water, when we can’t physically access these celestial bodies, poses challenges. Ice-penetrating radar, a geophysical tool, has proven capable of detecting liquid water ...

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Baby sharks prefer being closer to shore, show scientists
Science

Baby sharks prefer being closer to shore, show scientists

Remember #BabyShark? And no, this was not the very catchy song for kids that took the internet by storm. Earlier this year, social media was abuzz with stunning footage of a newborn great white shark, captured by a flying drone. Now, marine scientists have shown for the first time that juvenile great white sharks select warm and shallow waters to aggregate within one kilometer from the shore. These results, published in Frontiers in Marine Science, are important for conservation of great white sharks – especially as ocean temperatures increase due ...

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Technical Trials for Easing the (Cosmological) Tension
Science

Technical Trials for Easing the (Cosmological) Tension

Thanks to the dizzying growth of cosmic observations and measurement tools and some new advancements (primarily the “discovery” of what we call dark matter and dark energy) all against the backdrop of General Relativity, the early 2000s were a time when nothing seemed capable of challenging the advancement of our knowledge about the cosmos, its origins, and its future evolution. Even though we were aware there was still much to uncover, the apparent agreement between our observations, calculations, and theoretical framework was indicating that our knowledge of the universe was set to grow significantly and without ...

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Silent flight edges closer to take off, according to new research
Science

Silent flight edges closer to take off, according to new research

The study, published today in Journal of Fluid Mechanics, reveals for the first time how noise is generated and propagated from these engines, technically known as boundary layer ingesting (BLI) ducted fans. BLI ducted fans are similar to the large engines found in modern airplanes but are partially embedded into the plane's main body instead of under the wings. As they ingest air from both the front and from the surface of the airframe, they don't have to work as hard to move the plane, so it burns ...

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Returning rare earth element production to the United States
Science

Returning rare earth element production to the United States

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — ReElement Technologies on Thursday (April 18) signed an exclusive license to use patented Purdue University technologies to domestically refine and sell minerals critical in manufacturing modern, high-tech products for commercial and industrial use. The license was signed during the Purdue Innovates Startup and Technology Expo 2024 at the Purdue University Memorial Union. Sourcing rare earth and critical battery elements Rare earth elements are foundational essentials in permanent ...

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Three ORNL scientists elected AAAS Fellows
Science

Three ORNL scientists elected AAAS Fellows

Three scientists from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, or AAAS, the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals. "Keith Kline, Rigoberto Advincula and Takeshi Egami have delivered significant impact for the scientific community," said ORNL Director Stephen Streiffer. "This distinguished honor highlights their commitment, hard work and leadership in their respective fields. I offer my congratulations to them on this well-deserved recognition.” AAAS ...

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Science

Bentham Science joins United2Act

Bentham Science Publishers is now a signatory organization of United2Act's consensus statement on paper mills. We are committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity in academic and scientific publishing. Part of the effort to uphold integrity in scientific publishing includes preventing publication from fraudulent 'paper mills' which negatively impact the credibility of research. We fully support the COPE position statement on this critical issue. The intrusion of fraudulent papers into the publication record not only undermines public trust in research but also poses significant risks to ...

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When thoughts flow in one direction
Science

When thoughts flow in one direction

Contrary to previous assumptions, nerve cells in the human neocortex are wired differently than in mice. Those are the findings of a new study conducted by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin and published in the journal Science.* The study found that human neurons communicate in one direction, while in mice, signals tend to flow in loops. This increases the efficiency and capacity of the human brain to process information. These discoveries could further the development of artificial neural networks. The neocortex, a critical structure for human intelligence, is less than five millimeters thick. There, in the outermost layer of the brain, 20 billion neurons process ...

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Science

China’s major cities show considerable subsidence from human activities

The land under nearly half of China’s major cities is undergoing moderate to severe subsidence, affecting roughly one-third of the nation’s urban population, according to a systematic national-scale satellite assessment. The findings suggest that within the next century, 22 to 26% of China’s coastal land will have a relative elevation lower than sea level, putting hundreds of millions of people at elevated risk of flooding due to sea-level rise. Over the last several decades, China has experienced one of the most rapid and extensive urban expansions in human history. This massive wave of urbanization may be threatened ...

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China’s sinking cities indicate global-scale problem, Virginia Tech researcher says
Science

China’s sinking cities indicate global-scale problem, Virginia Tech researcher says

Sinking land is overlooked as a hazard in urban areas globally, according to scientists from Virginia Tech and the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom. In an invited perspective article for the journal Science, Virginia Tech’s Manoochehr Shirzaei collaborated with Robert Nicholls of the University of East Anglia to highlight the importance of recent research analyzing how and why land is sinking — including a study published in the same issue that focused on sinking Chinese cities. Results from the accompanying research study showed that ...

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Science

MRE 2024 Publication of Enduring Significance Awards

Marine Resource Economics (MRE) is pleased to announce the 2024 winners of the journal’s Publication of Enduring Significance Award: Kenneth Ruddle, Edvard Hviding, and Robert E. Johannes for their 1992 article, “Marine Resources Management in the Context of Customary Tenure,” and Frank Asche for his 2008 contribution entitled “Farming the Sea.” In “Marine Resources Management in the Context of Customary Tenure,” Ruddle, Hviding, and Johannes use a case study-based analysis to show how and why customary marine sea ...

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Fourteen years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, endemic fishes face an uncertain future
Science

Fourteen years after the Gulf of Mexico oil spill, endemic fishes face an uncertain future

The 2010 Gulf of Mexico Deepwater Horizon was the largest accidental oil spill in history. With almost 100 million gallons (379 million liters) of oil combined with dispersants suggested to remain in the Gulf, it is one of the worst pollution events ever. More than a decade later, its long-term effects are still not fully understood. In a new study, researchers from Louisiana State University and Tulane University examined the endemic Gulf of Mexico fish species that may have been most impacted by the oil spill to see how their distribution has changed over the years. To get their data, they studied museum specimens from natural ...

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Salk Professor Satchin Panda named 2023 AAAS fellow
Science

Salk Professor Satchin Panda named 2023 AAAS fellow

LA JOLLA (April 18, 2024)—Salk Institute Professor Satchidananda Panda has been named a 2023 Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the journal Science. Panda is among 502 new AAAS Fellows spanning 24 scientific disciplines who were nominated by their peers for their distinguished efforts to advance science. The election recognizes his contributions to the field of chronobiology, particularly for applications to obesity and human health. “The Salk community congratulates ...

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Drawing a line back to the origin of life
Science

Drawing a line back to the origin of life

Scientists in Cambridge University suggest molecules, vital to the development of life, could have formed from a process known as graphitisation. Once verified in the laboratory, it could allow us to try and recreate plausible conditions for life's emergence. How did the chemicals required for life get there? It has long been debated how the seemingly fortuitous conditions for life arose in nature, with many hypothesises reaching dead ends. However, researchers at the University of Cambridge have now modelled how these conditions could occur, producing the necessary ingredients for life in substantial ...

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Science

Palaeontology: Discovery of new ancient giant snake in India

A new ancient species of snake dubbed Vasuki Indicus, which lived around 47 million years ago in the state of Gujarat in India, may have been one of the largest snakes to have ever lived, suggests new research published in Scientific Reports. The new species, which reached an estimated length of between 11 and 15 metres, was part of the now extinct madtsoiidae snake family, but represented a distinct lineage that originated in India. Debajit Datta and Sunil Bajpai describe a new specimen recovered from the Panandhro Lignite Mine, Kutch, Gujarat State, India, which dates ...

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Science

Racial discrimination and metabolic syndrome in young Black adults

About The Study: The findings of this study with 322 participants suggest that racial discrimination predisposes Black young adults to metabolic syndrome via sleep problems and inflammation, which may serve as actionable targets for prevention in minoritized populations that could reduce existing disparities and promote health equity. Authors: Nia Heard-Garris, M.D., M.B.A., M.Sc., of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, is the corresponding author. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.5288) Editor’s Note: Please ...

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Science

Maltreated children are three times more likely to develop substance use disorders in adulthood

A new study published in the scientific journal Addiction has found that people who are maltreated as children may be three times more likely to be admitted to hospital for alcohol and substance use disorders by the age of 40, compared with those who are not maltreated. The study used data from over 6,000 children born at the Mater Mothers Hospital, Brisbane, Australia between 1981 and 1983. Ten percent of those children (609 children) had at least one child maltreatment notification (reported or substantiated) up to 15 years of age. Compared with the rest of the children, those 609 ...

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Two U professors selected as AAAS fellows
Science

Two U professors selected as AAAS fellows

University of Utah Health professors Amy Barrios, PhD, and H. Joseph Yost, PhD, have been elected as Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), a lifetime honor that celebrates their excellence in research and commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists. Yost and Barrios join a distinguished cadre of AAAS Fellows at the U, including Nancy Songer, PhD; Thure Cerling, PhD; Vahe Bandarian, PhD; Eric W. Schmidt, PhD; Jennifer S. Shumaker-Parry, PhD; and Mario Capecchi, PhD. Rachel Hess, MD, associate vice president for research at U of U Health, says, ...

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Dana-Farber Chief Scientific Officer, Kevin Haigis, PhD, elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
Science

Dana-Farber Chief Scientific Officer, Kevin Haigis, PhD, elected as Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science

Boston - Kevin Haigis, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, has been named Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as an AAAS Fellow is a distinguished lifetime honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. Haigis is recognized within Biological Sciences for his distinguished contributions to understanding the complex diversity of cellular dysregulation by different variants of RAS mutations and their consequences in pathophysiology and ...

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Four MD Anderson researchers elected AAAS Fellows
Science

Four MD Anderson researchers elected AAAS Fellows

HOUSTON ― In recognition of their significant achievements in the realm of cancer care and research, four researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have been elected fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). This prestigious distinction stands as one of the highest accolades within the scientific research community. Boyi Gan, Ph.D., Candelaria Gomez-Manzano, M.D., Li Ma, Ph.D., and Sattva Neelapu, M.D., now join this esteemed group of fellows elected by their peers. AAAS’s annual tradition of recognizing leading scientists as fellows dates to 1874. With these newest additions, 68 MD Anderson faculty members ...

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Can bismuth prevent oil leaks – (and save Norwegians billions)?
Science

Can bismuth prevent oil leaks – (and save Norwegians billions)?

Over the next 25 years, as the world shifts away from fossil fuels, the oil and gas wells that have sustained the fossil fuel age will have to be plugged. No big deal, you might think, drilling those wells was the hard part. Plugging them should be no problem. But think again. The Norwegian Continental Shelf, as an example, is punctured by more than 2000 wells. Harald Linga, centre director for SWIPA (see box), a Centre for Research Based Innovation based at SINTEF, Scandinavia’s largest independent research institute, estimates that plugging them using today’s technology will cost upwards of NOK 800 billion – that’s USD 73 billion. And while oil ...

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