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press releases.

Science17 Jan 2024

SDG-washing found among Canada's top companies

Canada's biggest companies often speak of their plans to be more sustainable, but a new study found corporations aren't fully backing up those commitments. A team of University of Waterloo researchers concluded that corporate investing in communities fell despite an increase in companies committing to the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) over the last decade. Researchers investigated the community investment of Canada's 58 leading private-sector companies as a percentage of their net profit after tax to determine whether introducing SDGs created ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

Enhanced photoelectrochemical water splitting with a donor-acceptor polyimide

Polyimide (PI) has emerged as a promising organic photocatalyst owing to its distinct advantages of high visible-light response, facile synthesis, molecularly tunable donor-acceptor structure, and excellent physicochemical stability. However, the synthesis of high-quality PI photoelectrode remains a challenge, and photoelectrochemical (PEC) water splitting for PI has been less studied. A research group of Huiyan Zhang and Sheng Chu from Southeast University prepared PI films by a ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

A manned submersible found a fault scarp of the 2011 Tohoku-oki megaquake in the Japan Trench

Niigata, Japan – On September 4, 2022, a geologist Hayato Ueda in Niigata University boarded a submarine vehicle with a pilot Chris May and had a dive into the Japan Trench within the epicenter area of the 2011 Tohoku-oki megaquake, which caused the devastating tsunami disaster. On the 7,500 m deep trench bottom, they found a 26 m high nearly vertical cliff on the eastern slope of a 60 m high ridge. Previous bathymetric surveys from the sea surface have revealed that the ridge did not exist before, and appeared just after the megaquake ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

Video gamers worldwide may be risking irreversible hearing loss and/or tinnitus

Video gamers worldwide may be risking irreversible hearing loss and/or tinnitus—persistent ringing/buzzing in the ears—finds a systematic review of the available evidence, published in the open access journal BMJ Public Health. What evidence there is suggests that the sound levels reported in studies of more than 50,000 people often near, or exceed, permissible safe limits, conclude the researchers. And given the popularity of these games, greater public health efforts are needed to raise awareness of the potential ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

Enlarged breast tissue in men (gynaecomastia) linked to heightened risk of death

Men with enlarged breast tissue, not caused by excess weight—a condition formally known as gynaecomastia—may be at heightened risk of an early death before the age of 75, suggests the first study of its kind, published online in the open access journal BMJ Open. Those with a pre-existing risk factor, such as cancer or circulatory, lung, and gut diseases before diagnosis seem to be most vulnerable, the findings indicate. Enlarged breast tissue in men is usually caused by a hormone imbalance and affects around a third to around two thirds of men, depending on age. It is distinct from what is often dubbed ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

Same-level workplace falls set to rise amid surge in older female workforce numbers

Same-level falls in the workplace are set to rise amid rapid growth in the numbers of older female employees in the workforce, suggests Australian research published online first in the journal Occupational & Environmental Medicine. Although workplace falls, overall, are more common among male employees, particularly falls from height, same-level falls are more common in older women, the findings indicate. The prevalence and relative severity of workplace falls mean that better prevention strategies are needed to mitigate these sex-specific risk factors, conclude the researchers. In 2016, an estimated 1.53 million deaths and 76.1 million years of ...

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Science17 Jan 2024

Silkmoths: Different olfactory worlds of females and males

The world smells different for female silkmoths than for males In humans, the sense of smell is similarly developed in men and women, although women have slightly more olfactory neurons and therefore a slightly more sensitive nose. On the whole, however, they perceive the same odors. Male moths, on the other hand, live in a completely different olfactory world to their female counterparts. For example, the antennae of male silkmoths - their "nose" - are highly specialized to detect female sex pheromones, ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Tests can reveal whether an antibody can turn into a killer

What makes a soldier switch sides? That is a really good question. Especially when the soldier is an antibody that is supposed to defend the body against one of the world's most dangerous snake venoms but instead ends up helping the venom kill the body. The question has become topical after a group of DTU researchers slightly changed how they tested an antibody that had previously proven promising as an antidote to snake venom. In the first experiment on mice, the damaging effect on muscle tissue from the venom of Bothrops Asper, ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Canadian Science Publishing goes live on OA switchboard

As part of our open science strategy, Canadian Science Publishing (CSP) is pleased to announce our new partnership with OA Switchboard, a mission-driven, community led initiative designed to simplify the sharing of information between stakeholders about open access publications throughout the whole publication journey. “We’re thrilled to partner with the OA Switchboard to improve the visibility of the work we publish,” says Elaine Stott, Chief Executive Officer of CSP. “This initiative enables institutions, consortia and funders to report ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Supports help keep Aussie firefighters safe

House fires, road crashes and emergency rescues – they’re all part of the job for Aussie firefighters. And in such physically demanding roles, maintaining a high level of fitness and movement quality is essential. Now, new research from health and fitness experts at the University of South Australia shows that professional firefighters have reduced movement quality as they age, which could put them at greater risk of injury. Conducted by UniSA masters researcher, Alex Redshaw, in partnership with the South Australian Metropolitan Fire Service (MFS), the findings indicate that firefighters over the age of 50 generally have lower movement ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Study: New deepfake detector designed to be less biased

BUFFALO, N.Y. — The image spoke for itself. University at Buffalo computer scientist and deepfake expert Siwei Lyu created a photo collage out of the hundreds of faces that his detection algorithms had incorrectly classified as fake — and the new composition clearly had a predominantly darker skin tone. “A detection algorithm’s accuracy should be statistically independent from factors like race,” Lyu says, “but obviously many existing algorithms, including our own, inherit a bias.” Lyu, PhD, co-director of the UB Center for Information Integrity, and his team have now developed what they believe are the ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

What if cows could talk?

You may not know it, but cows share information every time they burp, moo, and chew that speaks volumes about their health and welfare. Through the work of researchers in Virginia Tech’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, we may soon know more about what cows are “telling” us and be able to use that information to improve their well-being. James Chen, an animal data sciences researcher and assistant professor in the School of Animal Sciences is using a $650,000 grant from the U.S. Department ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Allen Fawcett named Director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute

By Greg Koller COLLEGE PARK, Md.— Allen Fawcett — an energy expert and economist who has played a leading role in formulating and coordinating U.S. climate policy — is the new director of the Joint Global Change Research Institute. Fawcett joined the Environmental Protection Agency in 2003 and, since 2012, served as the chief of EPA’s Climate Economics Branch, which advances the science of climate economics to inform policy. From 2010 to 2011, Fawcett took leave from EPA to serve as the deputy associate director for energy ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

How did free wi-fi help unlock Hanoi wet markets’ mysteries?

Researchers at the Alliance of Bioversity International and CIAT and their collaborators have been working on how to harness the power of the estimated 549 million Wifi hotspots worldwide, resulting in a project that used anonymized data gathered from free Wi-Fi to better understand the impact of COVID-19 on Hanoi’s wet markets during the first stage of the Covid-19 pandemic. In the paper “Using free Wi-Fi to assess impact of COVID-19 pandemic on traditional wet markets in Hanoi” published in December 2023 in the scientific journal Food Security, the researchers analyzed and interpreted mobile device tracking ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Amnesia caused by head injury reversed in early mouse study

WASHINGTON - A mouse study designed to shed light on memory loss in people who experience repeated head impacts, such as athletes, suggests the condition could potentially be reversed. The research in mice finds that amnesia and poor memory following head injury is due to inadequate reactivation of neurons involved in forming memories. The study, conducted by researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center in collaboration with Trinity College Dublin, Ireland, is reported January 16, 2024, in the Journal of Neuroscience. Importantly for diagnostic and treatment purposes, the researchers found that the memory loss attributed to head injury was not a permanent pathological event driven by ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Domesticating plants impacts their microbiome, study finds

New research led by the University of Oxford indicates that human domestication of crops can alter the communities of microorganisms that are associated with plants. Intriguingly, independent domestication events were found to have similar impacts on the plant microbiome. The results have been published today in Current Biology. Lead researcher Dr Riccardo Soldan (Department of Biology, University of Oxford) said: 'Our study provides evidence that regardless of where and how domestication took place, domesticated ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Reductive carboxylation of glutamine as a potential target in AML

“Identification and validation of novel and targetable metabolic weaknesses in AML is ongoing.” BUFFALO, NY- January 16, 2024 – A new editorial paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 14 on December 1, 2023, entitled, “Reductive carboxylation of glutamine as a potential target in acute myeloid leukemia.” In this new editorial, researchers Alessia Roma, Lawrence D. Goodridge and Paul A. Spagnuolo from the University of Guelph discuss acute myeloid leukemia (AML) — an aggressive cancer of the blood and bone marrow ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Identity concealment in sexual minority men may have impeded mpox care

ITHACA, N.Y. – Openly gay, bisexual and other sexual minority men were more likely than those who conceal their sexual orientation to seek care for mpox during a global outbreak of the disease last year that disproportionately affected their community, researchers from Cornell University and the University of Toronto found. It wasn’t necessarily concern over being “outed” that kept some sexual minority men from seeking care for the disease, formerly known as monkeypox. According to the researchers, it was an information gap, partially attributable to separation from community due to identity concealment. “The resource knowledge and community-connected ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

BSC predicts that global-mean temperature could reach the 1.5ºC warming level threshold in 2024

2023 has just been confirmed as the hottest year on record, with global average temperatures exceeding pre-industrial conditions by 1.48°C, as stated by the Copernicus Programme of the European Union. Climate scientists from the Barcelona Supercomputing Center-Centro Nacional de Computación (BSC-CNS), based on the BSC decadal forecast system, were capable of predicting a year ago that 2023 had a high probability of being the warmest year on record. After the record-smashing conditions in 2023, the imminent question is how the year 2024 and the following years will ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Study reveals key factors in surgeons' opioid prescribing patterns

Key takeaways Decreasing trend in opioid prescriptions: There was a notable nationwide reduction in opioid prescriptions after surgery from 2013 to 2017, reflecting a shift in the medical community's approach to pain management. Social determinants affect opioid prescription rates: At the county level, lower median population age, higher education levels, insufficient sleep, higher health care costs, fewer mental health providers, and higher uninsured rates are linked to higher opioid prescription rates. No ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Consumption of 100% fruit juice and body weight in children and adults

About The Study: This systematic review and meta-analysis of 42 eligible studies, including 17 among children (n = 45,851) and 25 among adults (n = 268,095), found a positive association between intake of 100% fruit juice and weight gain in children. Analysis of cohort studies in adults found a significant positive association among studies unadjusted for total energy, suggesting potential mediation by calories; an analysis of trials in adults found no significant association between 100% fruit juice consumption and body weight. The findings ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Experiences of interpersonal violence in sport and perceived coaching style among college athletes

About The Study: The results of this survey study involving 4,119 currently competing U.S. college athletes suggest that interpersonal violence is associated with marked changes in the psychosocial health and emotional well-being of college athletes, particularly those who identify as female and with non-heterosexual sexual orientations. Variations in coaching style have the potential to alter these associations. Ongoing efforts are needed to leverage the unique position that coaches hold to help reduce interpersonal violence and create safe places where all college athletes can thrive. Authors: Yetsa A. Tuakli-Wosornu, M.D., ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Palliative telecare significantly improves quality of life for those with chronic illnesses, and results last for months

AURORA, Colo. (January 16, 2024) – Researchers from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have found that a team intervention, provided by phone, leads to persistent improvements in depression, anxiety, and quality of life for people managing chronic illnesses. Additionally, researchers found that the improvement in quality of life results last months after intervention concludes. In a study, published today in JAMA, researchers observe the impact a telecare intervention program, called ADAPT, has on veterans suffering from poor quality of life as a result ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Ten scientists receive EMBO Installation Grants

16 January 2024 – EMBO is pleased to announce that ten life scientists have been awarded EMBO Installation Grants, which support group leaders who will move to, or have recently moved to, countries participating in the scheme. The scientists’ inspiring research spans a wide range of biological processes: ageing, tumour biology, gut-brain axis communication, microbiota and gene editing tools are among the topics they are exploring. One installation grantee will establish a laboratory in the Czech Republic, one in Greece, two in Hungary, ...

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Science16 Jan 2024

Do violent video games numb us towards real violence?

Neuroscientists from the University of Vienna and the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm have investigated whether playing violent video games leads to a reduction in human empathy. To do this, they had adult test subjects play a violent video game repeatedly over the course of an experiment lasting several weeks. Before and after, their empathic responses to the pain of another person were measured. It was found that the violent video game had no discernible effect on empathy and underlying brain activity. These results have now been published in the renowned journal eLife. Video games have become an integral part of the everyday life of many ...

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