Science
press releases.

Science13 Dec 2023

Early research shows Gen Z perceives more dangers in life than previous generations

There appears to be a common understanding that there is a mental health crisis among young people, but has society understood why? As presented at the 2023 Society for Risk Analysis Annual Conference, Gabriel Rubin from Montclair State University conducted 40 interviews with members of Gen Z (as of publication) in an ongoing study about risk factors that have led to the current mental health crisis in young people. So far, this study has identified risk factors such as mass shootings, school lockdown drills, parental pressure, social media and the climate crisis. Despite risk analysis research demonstrating that we ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

MD Anderson Research Highlights for December 13, 2023

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Recent developments at MD Anderson include a novel blood-based test to predict lung cancer relapses, improved detection of genes associated with complex traits, insights into how B cell activity influences immunodeficiency, novel targets that drive treatment ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

When parents drink during Super Bowl, kids get harsh discipline

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Parents who drank alcohol while watching the Super Bowl were more likely than those who abstained to use aggressive discipline on their children during the game, a new study shows. Most of the parents in the study – more than 90% - were mothers, which is significant, said Bridget Freisthler, lead author of the study and professor of social work at The Ohio State University. “The links between alcohol use, aggression and watching violent sports have been studied almost exclusively among ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

Time to abandon null hypothesis significance testing? Moving beyond the default approach to statistical analysis and reporting

Researchers from Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and University of Colorado published a new Journal of Marketing study that proposes abandoning null hypothesis significance testing (NHST) as the default approach to statistical analysis and reporting. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “‘Statistical Significance’ and Statistical Reporting: Moving Beyond Binary” and is authored by Blakeley B. McShane, ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

The shape of dogs' heads affects their sleep

Flat-faced dog breeds are popular all over the world. In the USA and in Hungary, the French Bulldog is currently the most common breed. However, their popularity comes at a high cost in terms of health: shortened skulls are associated with deteriorative brain morphology changes, breathing difficulties and sleep problems. According to recent findings by Hungarian researchers, flat-faced dogs sleep more because their breed-specific sleep apnea increases daytime sleepiness, their REM sleep phase is longer than ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

UTSA names Department of Defense leader David Brown as NSCC Executive Director

The University of Texas at San Antonio today announced the selection of David Brown as the new executive director of its National Security Collaboration Center (NSCC) and professor of practice. Brown will join UTSA with decades of experience leading collaborative research and development ecosystems supporting U.S. national defense strategies. Brown is a trusted, well-connected leader in civilian and military communities nationwide who has especially strong relationships within U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) organizations, laboratories and commands and has gained national recognition for his transformative leadership in federal research ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

Inbiomotion and The Scientific Group sign an exclusive distribution agreement of MAF Test® for the Sub-Saharan Africa

Barcelona and Johannesburg, December 13th, 2023 The Scientific Group, a leader in the IVD industry, and Inbiomotion, a company commercializing its proprietary MAF Test® for identifying high risk early-stage breast cancer patients have signed an agreement to start marketing MAF Test® in Sub-Saharan Africa. The MAF Test® predicts the prognosis of breast cancer patients and helps oncologists to identify those patients who may be able to prevent recurrence and benefit from adjuvant treatment with bisphosphonates, which are commonly used to treat osteoporosis. The test also identifies those patients whose prognosis would worsen if treated with bisphosphonates. Breast ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

New tool helps gauge trust in government

People are less likely to adopt new health policies if they don't have faith in their government, and a new tool from University of Waterloo researchers aims to fix that. The tool – designed by a team based in Waterloo's School of Public Health Sciences - aids lawmakers in how trustworthy they may appear to the public and could help improve the uptake of public health policies by informing their design and communication. Policymakers can use the tool to measure citizens' trust in government and inform the design and communication of public health initiatives in ways that build confidence across members of ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

New study identifies the best areas for rewilding European bison

At the end of the last ice age, large herds of bison roamed across Europe. But by 1927, the European bison became extinct in the wild, with only about 60 individuals remaining in captivity. Scientists have long debated the exact causes of the grazers’ near extinction, and how much humans were to blame. A new study combines fossil evidence, ancient DNA, and modeling to disentangle the threats that forced the European bison’s population decline. Rapid environmental change and hunting by humans were the main drivers, according to the study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. Since the near-extinction of the European ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

US female gun violence victims less likely to die than male victims despite same injury severity

Female victims of gun violence in the US are less likely to die than their male counterparts, despite having similar injury severity, finds a 7-year analysis of a US national injury database, published in the open access journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open. They are also likely to have better outcomes, with fewer complications after hospital admission, the analysis shows. The US has the highest number of firearm deaths of all developed countries, and firearms injuries and deaths have been rising year on year, point out the researchers. And women are 21 times more likely to die from firearm injuries than their peers in any other developed nation. But it’s not ...

Read the release

Science13 Dec 2023

Grade difficulty of skatepark features like ski runs to curb fall risk, say researchers

To curb the risk of falls, it may be worth grading skateboard parks like ski runs according to the popularity of the metal and concrete features they contain and the level of expertise required, conclude researchers in the journal Injury Prevention. Their analysis of the moves performed by more than 500 young skateboarders reveals that flips, jumps, and turns on flat ground and quarterpipe (a curved concave ramp) and ramp tricks seem to pose the greatest risk, and are universally popular. A grind box, ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Caregiving can be stressful, but it could also lower risk of depression

Becoming a caregiver to an aging parent or spouse can be stressful, but a new study from a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin is questioning the idea that family caregiving is also a risk factor for depression. The study, published in the journal Advances in Life Course Research, found that depression in adult caregivers is mostly driven by having a loved one experiencing serious health problems, while becoming a caregiver is associated with fewer symptoms of depression. “Decades of research on this topic indicate that there are positive and negative aspects to being a caregiver,” said Sae Hwang Han, ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

European Policy Lab gathers stakeholders to map forest policy opportunities and barriers

ForestPaths’ first Policy Lab convened stakeholders in Helsinki, Finland, on 27-29 September 2023. Nineteen carefully selected participants with diverse expertise – including research, policy, governance, civil society, value chain professionals, and forestry practitioners – engaged in discussions on forest-based policymaking and modelling related to climate change and biodiversity. Tasked with considering policy actions given different timescales, governance paradigms, enablers, and barriers, participants contributed ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Zapping manure with special electrode promises an efficient method to produce fertilizers, other chemicals

MADISON – An interdisciplinary team led by University of Wisconsin–Madison scientists has developed a new technique that could help farmers extract useful nutrients such as ammonia and potassium from livestock manure to efficiently make fertilizer and other useful chemical products. While the strategy still needs to be scaled up beyond a proof-of-concept stage, the group's preliminary analyses show it could offer considerable benefits by cutting water and air pollution while simultaneously creating products that farmers could use or sell. Manure stinks in part because it contains ammonia, one of the more ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Archaeologists unearth one of earliest known frame saddles

In April 2015, looters sacked an ancient cave burial at a site called Urd Ulaan Uneet high within the Altai Mountains of western Mongolia. When police apprehended the criminals, they uncovered, among other artifacts, an elegantly carved saddle made from several pieces of birch wood. Now, in a new study, researchers from Mongolia collaborating with University of Colorado Boulder archaeologist William Taylor have described the find. The team’s radiocarbon dating pins the artifact to roughly the 4th Century ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Heavy metals in our food are most dangerous for kids

WASHINGTON, DC, 2023, December 12, 2023 – The problem of foodborne metal contamination has taken on new urgency, thanks in part to a 2021 US Congressional Report detailing high levels of metals found in infant food pulled off grocery shelves. (More recently, high levels of lead were discovered in children’s fruit puree pouches.) Now, two new studies provide information on the correlation between exposure to heavy metals in food and the risk of cancers and other serious health risks. The findings will be presented ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

National Academy of Inventors honors SMU professor J.-C. Chiao as fellow

DALLAS (SMU) J.-C. Chiao, the Mary and Richard Templeton Centennial Chair and professor in the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department in the SMU Lyle School of Engineering, has been named a fellow of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI). Election as an NAI fellow is the highest professional distinction awarded to academic inventors. The NAI Fellows Program highlights academic inventors who have demonstrated a spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society. Chiao, one of 162 inventors selected for the ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Sanford Burnham Prebys elects Lori Moore to its Board of Trustees

Sanford Burnham Prebys today announced that Lori Moore will join the Institute’s Board of Trustees. “With many years in health care, both as a provider and a leader, Lori brings a welcomed depth and breadth of experience,” says David A. Brenner, president and CEO of Sanford Burnham Prebys. “Her perspectives will be much valued as the Institute advances its message of translating science into health.” Moore is a registered nurse, a fifth-generation San Diegan and a member of the Cushman family, whose philanthropic endeavors span decades. She serves as vice president of The Cushman Foundation, which supports a wide range of community ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Single-use e-cigarettes contain batteries that last hundreds of cycles despite being discarded

While the lithium-ion batteries in disposable electronic cigarettes are discarded after a single use, they can continue to perform at high capacity for hundreds of cycles, according to a study published December 12 in the journal Joule. The analysis, conducted by scientists from University College London (UCL) and the University of Oxford and supported by The Faraday Institution, highlights a growing environmental threat from these increasingly popular vape pens, which are not designed to be recharged. “The surprise for us were the results that pointed toward just how long these batteries could potentially cycle,” says ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Cannabis exposure and adverse pregnancy outcomes related to placental function

About The Study: In a multicenter observational cohort, a composite adverse pregnancy outcome (small-for-gestational-age birth, medically indicated preterm birth, stillbirth, or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy) was more frequent in pregnant individuals with cannabis exposure ascertained by a urine drug assay compared with unexposed individuals. The risk for an adverse outcome was higher among those who continued to use cannabis beyond the first trimester. Authors: Torri Metz, M.D., M.S., of University of Utah ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Scientists patent new microphone inspired by spider silk

BINGHAMTON, N.Y. -- By studying how spider silk responds to sound, researchers at Binghamton University, State University of New York have developed a patent for a brand-new microphone technology. Using biomimicry as a model, Binghamton University Distinguished Professor of Engineering Ron Miles worked with then-doctoral student and current Assistant Professor of Mechanical Engineering Jian Zhou to patent a bio-inspired flow microphone — the very patent that has now been commercialized by the Canadian venture firm TandemLaunch and its spin-off company Soundskrit, which has also recently ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

You can always become a better reader

Our reading skills, and understanding of a text, depend on several factors. “These include decoding texts, learning the letters of the alphabet, and knowing the different words and how they sound. However, vocabulary is also important,” says Professor Hermundur Sigmundsson at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) Department of Psychology. He is behind a special edition of Frontiers in Psychology together with Professors Heikki Lyytinen from the University of Jyväskylä and Elena L. Grigorenko from the University of Houston. Most people can learn how ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

FAU lands USDA $1 million grant to create South Florida’s first microbiome innovation center

In addition to being one of the largest, most diverse metropolitan areas in the world with a population of 6.1 million, South Florida hosts more than 9.7 million acres of farmland with a revenue of more than $7 billion in recent years. However, climate change, extreme weather events, poor soils, pests and disease, and workforce shortages present unique challenges in this region. To address a critical need to train a diverse workforce with new sets of tools and skills to confront these emerging challenges, ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Equity in cannabis research

In a Perspective, researchers call for equity in cannabis research as the field rapidly expands. When marijuana was illegal across the United States, enforcement and penalties were disproportionately heaped upon communities of color. Today, cannabis remains federally illegal and unequal enforcement continues, while profits from the “green rush” of state legalization are in many cases flowing to wealthy white men. Renée Martin-Willett and an interdisciplinary team of colleagues propose a way forward for cannabis research that acknowledges this history of discrimination and misuse of institutional power and embraces ...

Read the release

Science12 Dec 2023

Daily singing workout keeps songbird males attractive

Every year in the Christmas season it becomes clear again that some people are amazingly skilled singers, like Mariah Carey and George Michael. Their singing can stir strong emotions. Singing involves probably the most complex, and mostly hidden, movements humans and animal can make. To become a good singer, you need to learn how to coordinate the movements of hundreds of muscles in your body with extreme precision. Therefore, you need a lot of talent, and practice. We all know that athletes invest a lot of time exercising their limb ...

Read the release