Science
press releases.

Science16 Oct 2023

Extinct ape gets a facelift, 12 million years later

A new study led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History, Brooklyn College, and the Catalan Institute of Paleontology Miquel Crusafont has reconstructed the well-preserved but damaged skull of a great ape species that lived about 12 million years ago. The species, Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, may be crucial to understanding great ape and human evolution. The researchers describe their findings today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Pierolapithecus catalaunicus, a species from northeastern Spain first described in 2004, was one of a diverse group of now-extinct ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Management zone maps of little use to corn growers, study finds

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A multiyear analysis tested whether management zone maps based on soil conditions, topography or other landscape features can reliably predict which parts of a cornfield will respond best to higher rates of seeding or nitrogen application. The study found that – contrary to common assumptions – crop-plot responses to the same inputs vary significantly from year to year. The most unpredictable factor – the weather – seemed to have the biggest impact on how the crops responded to these inputs. The ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

American Society of Anesthesiologists recognizes Karsten Bartels, M.D., Ph.D., MBA, with its 2023 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award

SAN FRANCISCO — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today honored Karsten Bartels, M.D., Ph.D., MBA., with its 2023 James E. Cottrell Presidential Scholar Award in recognition of his exemplary research to improve patient outcomes in perioperative and critical care medicine and pain management. The award is presented annually to an ASA member who has dedicated their formative career to research. Dr. Bartels is the Robert Lieberman Endowed Chair in Anesthesiology, vice chair of research and professor of anesthesiology with tenure at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) in Omaha. Additionally, he is the inaugural director of the Robert ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Sansbury receives funding for dissertation study

Amber B. Sansbury, a doctoral candidate in Mason's School of Education, received $24,576 from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for the project: "Racial Identity Development of Young Black Children in Early Childhood Education: The Roles of Teachers and Families." Colleen Vesely, Associate Professor, College of Education and Human Development (CEHD), is serving as Sansbury's adviser. In this qualitative dissertation study, Sansbury will explore how family engagement vis-a-vis relationships between African American teachers and African American families supports racial socialization and young children's emergent racial ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Scientists present the first set of global maps showing geographic patterns of beta-diversity in flowering plants

Beta-diversity serves as a crucial metric for gauging shifts in species composition over spatial or temporal scales, bridging the spectrum between localized (alpha) and broader regional (gamma) diversity. In the fields of ecology, biogeography and conservation biology, to elucidate the origins and sustenance of geographic beta-diversity patterns, we need to explore both the taxonomic and phylogenetic beta-diversity at different evolutionary depths. In an article published in the KeAi journal Plant Diversity, using a ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Salmon cooling stations

16 October 2023 The Geological Society of America Release No. 23-36 Contact: Justin Samuel +1-303-357-1026 jsamuel@geosociety.org For Immediate Release Pittsburgh, Pa., USA: You’ve heard of the salmon run: upon reaching sexual maturity, wild Atlantic salmon, which are born in freshwater rivers but spend most of their adult life in the ocean, swim upstream all the way back to their birthplace to spawn. This remarkable migration—a journey thousands of miles long, against the current—is filled with obstacles, from dams to hop over to hungry bears to dodge. Climate warming has brought about an additional hurdle for wild Atlantic salmon populations: rising water ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

New study assesses safety and efficacy of radial access for peripheral artery interventions

WASHINGTON (October 16, 2023) – A new study published today in the Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (JSCAI) explores the safety and efficacy of using radial access (RA) for peripheral artery interventions. The study, conducted by a team of researchers from prominent medical centers, aimed at examining evaluating the safety and feasibility of RA for complex endovascular lower extremity interventions. Peripheral artery interventions, such as angioplasty and stenting, are commonly performed to treat vascular conditions ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

NYU’s Lerrel Pinto wins Packard Foundation Fellowship

Lerrel Pinto, an assistant professor at New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, has been named a recipient of a 2023 Packard Fellowship for Science and Engineering. Pinto was one of 20 scientific researchers to receive a fellowship. Pinto, named to MIT Technology Review’s “35 Innovators under 35” list earlier this year, is seeking ways to train robots that can perform a variety of tasks—or, as the magazine put it, create robots that “do a lot more than vacuum.” “Think of a seemingly easy task of opening an unlocked door—something humans can do effortlessly by adapting their approach to ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

National Poll: Parents of elementary-aged children may engage in more helicopter parenting than they think

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – As they grow, children start doing certain activities without their parents watching over them, including trick-or-treating with friends, staying home alone or biking to a friend’s house. And while most parents agree that kids benefit from opportunities to be independent, they may be engaging in more “helicopter parenting” than they realize, suggests a new University of Michigan Health C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital National Poll on Children’s Health. “There’s a sizable gap between parent attitudes about promoting children’s independence and what they actually allow or encourage ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Virtual driving assessment predicts risk of crashing for newly licensed teen drivers

Philadelphia, October 16, 2023 – New research published today by the journal Pediatrics found that driving skills measured at the time of licensure on a virtual driving assessment (VDA), which exposes drivers to common serious crash scenarios, helps predict crash risk in newly licensed young drivers. This study, conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Prevention (CIRP) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) with colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and the University of Michigan, brings the research community one step closer to identifying which skill deficits put young new drivers at higher risk for crashes. With this cutting-edge information, ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

Treating high-risk drinking, alcohol use disorder: new Canadian guideline

A new Canadian guideline for treating high-risk drinking and alcohol use disorder (AUD) with 15 evidence-based recommendations to reduce harms associated with high-risk drinking and to support people’s treatment and recovery from AUD is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.230715. High-risk drinking, AUD and alcohol-related harms are common in Canada. Nearly 18% of people aged 15 years or older in Canada will meet the clinical criteria for an AUD in their lifetime, and over 50% of people in Canada aged 15 years or older currently ...

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Science16 Oct 2023

New research reveals forgotten lives of Eurasian otters in Hong Kong

Researchers have gained new insights into the lives and losses of Eurasian otters in Hong Kong, as detailed in a paper published by Oryx—The International Journal of Conservation, published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of international wildlife conservation charity Fauna & Flora. Hong Kong is one of the world’s busiest metropolises, and the Eurasian otter Lutra lutra is among its most threatened wildlife. Dependence on lowland wetlands makes it particularly susceptible to human disturbance. Moreover, the low-lying region within Hong Kong where most otters can be found has been earmarked for a government-led mega ...

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Science14 Oct 2023

Two easy fixes could reduce bleeding after cesarean delivery

SAN FRANCISCO — Two simple solutions could help prevent severe bleeding (postpartum hemorrhage) after cesarean delivery, suggests research presented at the ANESTHESIOLOGY® 2023 annual meeting. As the leading cause of maternal mortality in the U.S. at the time of birth, postpartum hemorrhage is more common after cesarean deliveries than vaginal births. Both solutions help address uterine atony, which causes up to 80% of postpartum hemorrhage. Uterine atony is when, after delivery, the uterus remains soft and weak instead of contracting to compress the blood vessels that had been attached to the placenta. One solution involves infusing a medication to help the ...

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Science14 Oct 2023

American Society of Anesthesiologists honors Stanley W. Stead, M.D., MBA, FASA, with its Distinguished Service Award

SAN FRANCISCO — The American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) today presented Stanley W. Stead, M.D., MBA, FASA, with its 2022 Distinguished Service Award in recognition of his enduring contributions to advancing patient-centered, physician-led health care, and his advocacy related to health care economics, including value-based care and equitable physician payment models. The award is the highest honor ASA bestows and is presented annually to a member who has transformed the specialty of anesthesiology. A nationally recognized thought leader in health care economics, information technology and quality of care, Dr. Stead ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Losing weight as a couple? It’s just as good to go it alone

New research has underscored how characteristics of “grit” and self-control are associated with better weight loss and weight maintenance outcomes in a study focusing on couples. And that these characteristics can change through behavioral interventions. This research led by Amy Gorin, professor of psychological sciences and vice provost for health sciences and interdisciplinary initiatives; and Tricia Leahey, professor of allied health sciences in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

American Society of Plant Biologists announces new peer review report policy

Plant Physiology and The Plant Cell, published by the American Society of Plant Biologists (ASPB), are introducing a new mechanism for publishing peer review reports on each journal’s website. A version of peer review reports has been published with the supplemental material of original research articles in The Plant Cell for some time. However, for the first time the ASPB Editorial Office is introducing a uniform process for formatting and publishing these reports with Plant Physiology original research articles, as well. The ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Advancing solutions: SELINA gathers members and stakeholders for the second thematic workshop

The second SELINA thematic workshop took place from 2-5 October 2023 in Madrid, Spain, hosted by SELINA’s partner Rey Juan Carlos University. This hybrid event with the theme "Advancing solutions" (for mapping, assessment and accounting of ecosystems and their services) brought together over 100 participants (15 of them online) from all 27 EU member states, Israel, Norway, the UK and Switzerland. Apart from the SELINA partners, the event was also attended by the SELINA Advisory Board members ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

NJIT awarded $6 million from the National Science Foundation to commercialize campus inventions

NJIT has secured a $6 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to translate science and engineering discoveries into market-ready technologies that will improve quality of life in areas ranging from health care, to sustainable energy, to data privacy. Awarded by the agency’s Directorate for Technology, Innovation, and Partnerships, the grant will accelerate the development of promising prototypes and enable market validation and other commercialization activities. It will also strengthen the university’s entrepreneurial culture ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Cleaner snow boosts future snowpack predictions

RICHLAND, Wash.—Less pollution settling into snow should help cut the decline of snowpack in the Northern Hemisphere later this century. Though the snowpack will still diminish due to rising temperatures, the outlook is less dire when the cleaner snow of the future is considered. In some scenarios, the researchers predict that the reduction in snowpack will be less than half what has been predicted—good news for the many people who rely on subsequent snowmelt in high mountains for water and food production, as well as for those who depend on winter recreation. The ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

American Academy of Pediatrics hosts 2023 National Conference & Exhibition in Washington, D.C.

Media Contacts: Lisa Black, lblack@aap.org, 630-626-6084 Adam Alexander, aalexander@aap.org, 630- 626-6765 Jamie Poslosky, jposlosky@aap.org, 202-724-3301 Devin Mazziotti, dmazziotti@aap.org, 202-724-3308 WASHINGTON, DC – The 2023 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference & Exhibition presents exciting new research and policies concerning children’s health this year in the nation’s capital, where more than 10,000 pediatric medical professionals will arrive from across the country and world. The conference, held Oct. 20-24, 2023, at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Most accurate test to date developed to measure biological aging

A team of European researchers has developed a new test that can accurately measure biological aging in a clinical setting. The discovery was made while studying patients for the aging effects of chronic kidney disease. The new test is an epigenetic clock – a type of biochemical assessment that looks at DNA to understand how well the body is aging in contrast to its chronological age – and is the first of these cutting-edge tests to be proven to perform accurately in a clinical setting, in ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Unlocking the secrets of cold tolerance: a deep dive into tomato plants' molecular responses to chilling stress

Cold sensitivity poses a significant challenge for certain essential crops. While there's an indication that these plants may possess cold acclimation capabilities, the molecular dynamics, particularly involving the CRT binding factor (CBF) family, are not fully explored. One primary concern has been the disparity in cold tolerance between temperate plants and tropical species such as the tomato. Additionally, the accumulation of small metabolites, termed cryoprotectants, plays a crucial role in enabling plants to resist damage from low temperatures. Adding ...

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Science13 Oct 2023

Stress wrecks male big brown bat fertility during breeding season

Even on a good day the environment can be wildly unpredictable, from unexpected gusts of wind to food scarcity, and as humans continue to edge out the natural world, the stress on wild populations is increasing. ‘Bats are critical for the maintenance and stability of many terrestrial ecosystems’, say Mattina Alonge [University of California, Berkeley (UCB), USA] and Lucas Greville (McMaster University, Canada) and the animals are known to be particularly sensitive when under strain. But little was known about the impact that stress might have on their ability to reproduce. Concerned about the effect of stress on already vulnerable bat populations, Alonge and her colleagues ...

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Science12 Oct 2023

Advertising rental housing in Spanish puts off many potential renters

Publishing an ad for an apartment or rental home in Spanish may seem like it would broaden the pool of potential renters, but new research shows it can harm rental-seekers’ perception of the property and its neighborhood. Finding a new apartment or home to rent can be nerve-wracking and tedious. It is increasingly digital and there are thousands of websites and Facebook groups for prospective renters to peruse. It can be a fraught endeavor — from vetting Craigslist listings to scrolling through hundreds of different listings to find the ...

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Science12 Oct 2023

About 2 million years ago, Homo Erectus lived at high altitudes and produced both Oldowan and Acheulean tools

Two million years ago, Homo erectus had expanded beyond the lowland savanna environments of East Africa and into the high-altitude regions of the Ethiopian highlands, where they produced both Oldowan and Acheulean tools, according to a new study. It presents a reanalysis of an early hominin fossil first discovered in 1981. The findings provide novel insights into the evolution, migration and adaptive capacities of early human ancestors. In Africa, the limited number of hominin fossils found in direct association with stone tools has hindered attempts to link Homo habilis and Homo erectus with ...

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