Science
press releases.

Science14 Jun 2023

Skipping evolution: some kangaroos didn’t hop, scientists explain

Extinct kangaroos used alternative methods to their famous hop according to comprehensive analysis from University of Bristol and the University of Uppsala scientists. Although hopping is regarded as a pinnacle of kangaroo evolution, the researchers highlight that other kinds of large kangaroos, in the not too distant past, likely moved in different ways such as striding on two legs or traversing on all fours. In the review, published in Alcheringa: An Australasian Journal of Palaeontology, the team shows that there are other ways to be an evolutionary ...

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Science14 Jun 2023

Giving birth outside of working hours in England is safe, suggests study

A new study suggests that between 2005 and 2014, for almost all births in England, being born outside of working hours did not carry a significantly higher risk of death to the baby from anoxia (lack of oxygen) or trauma, when compared to births during working hours. The finding runs contrary to an assumed, wider ‘weekend effect,’ with previously reported research suggesting a significantly higher risk of death for births outside of working hours or at weekends. The current study from City, University of London ...

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Science14 Jun 2023

Brighter nights risk extinguishing glow-worm twinkle

The bright lights of big cities are wonders of the modern world; intended to help us work, stay safe and enjoy the world around us long after the sun has set. While artificial light has been great for increasing human productivity, some nocturnal animals, and even people, pay a price for this illumination. From increasing the amount of time that predators are active to disrupting migrations, light pollution affects many animals; but how do animals that use their own luminescence to lure food or attract mates fair against this new, brighter background? Female common glow-worms (Lampyris noctiluca) emit a green glow from their abdomen to ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Meat processing plants: What factors are critical for survival?

URBANA, Ill. — Meat processing plants in the U.S. have garnered considerable public attention in recent years, often focusing on production and labor issues. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the vulnerability of large, concentrated plants, as major shutdowns led to reduced output and higher meat prices for consumers. Policy makers have launched initiatives at the state and federal levels to increase meat processing capacity and industry resilience, often favoring small and medium-sized plants. But little research exists to determine what factors make plants more likely to succeed. A new study from the University of ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

CHOP researchers develop universal MHC molecules that can be produced rapidly at scale

Philadelphia, June 13, 2023— Class I major histocompatibility complex (MHC-I) proteins play an essential role in the immune system of all jawed vertebrates. The MHC-I displays peptide fragments of proteins from within the cell on the cell surface, “presenting” them to the immune system, which is constantly scanning the body for foreign or toxic antigens. When foreign peptides are identified, they trigger a cascade that allows cytotoxic T cells to eliminate intruders. This process has been exploited in the development of both vaccines ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Peptide from venomous fish toxin controls lung inflammation in mice

A molecule found in the venomous toadfish Thalassophryne nattereri has proved capable of controlling lung inflammation and could be the basis for a more effective asthma drug. The research was supported by FAPESP and conducted by scientists at Butantan Institute in São Paulo, Brazil. An article describing the results is published in the journal Cells. A welter of fish species live in freshwater, seawater and a mixture of the two, and some of them are venomous. They have spines or stingers connected to venom glands, which ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Different genes are expressed at different stages during pregnancy, according to scientists

We have a good understanding of how a woman’s external features can change during pregnancy, but scientists know surprisingly little about what biological changes occur internally. A new Northwestern Medicine study, published June 5 in the journal Frontiers in Immunology, provides data about immune cells and biological changes (gene expression) in pregnant people at multiple timepoints before and during pregnancy. Using RNA sequencing and computational methods to estimate proportions of different activated types of immune cells in blood the team of scientists showed how pregnancy induces progressive changes in the maternal ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

New approaches to evaluating water interventions around the globe

Billions of people around the world face water insecurity. Although there are numerous projects from governments, NGOs, and private corporations who are committed to providing safely managed water and sanitation by 2030, a new study advocates for more holistic evaluation of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) interventions. According to the study by Justin Stoler, associate professor in the University of Miami College of Arts and Sciences Department of Geography and Sustainable Development, issues ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

What’s an underrated way to study decisions? Think out loud

Think fast: if you’re running a race and overtake the person in second place, what position are you in? Many people instinctively respond that you’re in first place. However, upon reflection, some people realize the correct answer is that you’re now in second place: the former number-two runner slipped into third as you overtook them. Trick questions of this kind are invaluable to cognitive scientists because they shed light on the cognitive quirks that shape our decision-making. “These aren’t just trick questions,” explained Nick Byrd, a philosopher-scientist and Intelligence Community Fellow who led the research at Stevens ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Men and women with migraine both carry an increased risk of ischemic stroke

Women and men who experience migraine headaches also carry an elevated risk of having an ischemic stroke, but women alone may carry an additional risk of heart attack and hemorrhagic stroke, according to a new study led by Cecilia Hvitfeldt Fuglsang of Aarhus University, Denmark publishing June 13th in the open access journal PLOS Medicine. People diagnosed with migraine are believed to have a higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke before the age of 60. Previous studies have suggested ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

How seeing corpses reduces the lifespan of flies

Researchers led by Christi Gendron at the University of Michigan, US, have found the link between death perception and reduced aging in flies. Their new study, published June 13th in the open access journal PLOS Biology shows that a specific group of brain cells in the fly, called R2 and R4 neurons, are activated when flies encounter other dead flies, and that this increased activity leads to more rapid aging. Aging is a complex process that can be affected by both genetics and the environment. While we know that perceptual experiences can affect ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Powering the future: UH professor to use NSF Career Award for game-changing research

In today's dynamic environment where electricity demand is skyrocketing, power converters are the unsung heroes quietly transforming the way we harness and utilize electrical energy and seamlessly fueling our daily lives – from the ubiquitous wall chargers powering up everything from laptops to cell phones to integral parts of electrical systems that keep offshore wind turbines spinning. By 2030, over 80% of electricity is expected to flow through power converters, creating a pressing need to extend their operational lifetime. “Without power conversion, you cannot really get energy from or efficiently from solar panels and wind turbines, you cannot charge electric ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

First side-necked turtle ever discovered in UK

The first side-necked turtle ever to be found in the UK has been discovered by an amateur fossil collector and palaeontologists at the University of Portsmouth. The fossil remains are the earliest of a so-called side-necked pan-pleurodiran turtle, named as such because they fold their neck into their shell sideways when threatened. This does mean they can only see out with one eye. Originally found on a National Trust beach on the Isle of Wight, the turtle fossil is an almost complete shell with cervical, dorsal and caudal vertebrae, scapulae, pelvic girdle and appendicular bones. Sadly, the skull was missing. Lead author, Megan Jacobs, ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Which CFTR variants should be tested by laboratories? The ACMG releases updated carrier screening recommendations for cystic fibrosis

The American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG) has released updated recommendations for CFTR carrier screening –Updated recommendations for CFTR carrier screening: A position statement of the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. Pathogenic variants in the CFTR gene can cause cystic fibrosis (CF) as well as CF-related disorders. The new updated ACMG CFTR variant list includes a set of 100 variants.* The new CFTR variant list represents an updated minimum recommended variant set for CF carrier screening and supersedes the previous group of 23 CFTR variants recommended by the ACMG. These revised recommendations apply to carrier screening, a type of genetic ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

DESI early data release holds nearly two million objects

The universe is big, and it’s getting bigger. To study dark energy, the mysterious force behind the accelerating expansion of our universe, scientists are using the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI) to map more than 40 million galaxies, quasars, and stars. Today, the collaboration publicly released its first batch of data, with nearly 2 million objects for researchers to explore. The 80-terabyte data set comes from 2,480 exposures taken over six months during the experiment’s “survey validation” phase in 2020 and 2021. In this period ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Intraocular corticosteroids best for treating complications of chronic inflammatory eye condition

Repeat treatment with corticosteroid injections improved vision in people with persistent or recurrent uveitis-related macular edema better than two other therapies, according to results from a clinical trial funded by the National Eye Institute (NEI). Compared with methotrexate or ranibizumab intravitreal (in-the-eye) injections, the corticosteroid treatment achieved greater reductions in retinal swelling and was the only therapy in the study that improved vision. The report was published today in the journal Ophthalmology. NEI is part of the National Institutes of Health. “Prior to this study, we didn’t know the best treatment for persistent or recurrent macular edema, a major ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

New approach opens avenue to investigate element distribution and transport pathways in plants

Plant roots play a critical role in taking up, selecting, enriching and retaining a range of different mineral elements thereby supplying distant plant tissues with nutrients while sequestering excessive amounts of metals. To execute such element-specific functions, a range of ion transporters present at roots mediate the uptake, efflux and intracellular compartmentalization of different mineral elements. Most ion transporters show characteristic tissue and cell type-specific localization patterns, which can be altered in response to internal signalling or external cues. To fully ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Why women with multiple sclerosis get better when pregnant

Women suffering from the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis temporarily get much better when pregnant. Researchers have now identified the beneficial changes naturally occurring in the immune system during pregnancy. The findings, published in Journal of Neuroinflammation, can show the way to new treatments. Pregnancy is a very special condition from an immunological point of view. The immune system serves to defend us against foreign substances. However, although half of the genetic material of the foetus ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

Creation of a new molecule through innovative combination of two reactions

A research group led by Professor Hideki Fujiwara and Associate Professor Daisuke Sakamaki from the Graduate School of Science at Osaka Metropolitan University succeeded, for the first time, in synthesizing a new molecule using a novel combination of dynamic covalent chemistry, in which organic radicals couple and dissociate reversibly, and coordination chemistry, which binds radicals to metal ligands. The study shows that the two types of reactions work without inhibiting each other. “This research was based on a very simple idea of combining two types of reactions,” stated Professor Sakamaki. “However, it was not clear ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

USTC achieves breakthrough in in-situ detection of gas-phase active intermediates in photocatalysis

Prof. PAN Yang and Associate Researcher LIU Chengyuan, researchers from the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), have achieved significant progress in detecting intermediates in methane photocatalytic reactions. Their technique, Synchronous Radiation Photoionization Mass Spectrometry (SR-PIMS), allows for in-situ detection of active intermediates. The findings were published in the prestigious chemistry journal Angewandte Chemie International ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

ASHP Summer Meeting Tip Sheet

Posters All poster presentations will take place on Monday, June 12, 2023, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. EDT, or Tuesday, June 13, 2023, from 12:15 to 1:30 p.m. EDT at the Baltimore Convention Center, Exhibit Hall E, Level 100. Abstract 4-M (Monday) Avoiding Clinical Inertia: Comparing Time to Intensification of Glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) Receptor Agonists in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Among Clinical Pharmacists versus Providers Clinical pharmacists have a significant impact on medication optimization and reduction ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

MOVA: new method for evaluating the pathogenicity of missense variants using AlphaFold2

Niigata, Japan - The Department of Neurology at Niigata University has developed a new in silico method for evaluating the pathogenicity of missense variants using AlphaFold2 (MOVA). Rare variants in the causative gene of ALS are present in 10-30% of sporadic ALS cases, which highlights the need for accurate and efficient pathogenicity prediction methods. To predict the pathogenicity of the variants, in silico analysis methods are commonly used. In some ALS causal genes, the mutations are concentrated in specific regions, and the accuracy of pathogenicity prediction can be improved by considering the positional information of the variants. ...

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Science13 Jun 2023

The chatbot will see you now:

Glasgow, UK: The informed consent process in biomedical research is biased towards people who can meet with clinical study staff during the working day. For those who have the availability to have a consent conversation, the time burden can be off-putting. Professor Eric Vilain, from the Department of Paediatrics, University of California, Irvine, USA, will tell the European Society of Human Genetics annual conference today (Tuesday 13 June) how results from his team’s study of the use of a chatbot (GIA – ‘Genetics Information Assistant’ ...

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Science12 Jun 2023

Dartmouth-led project updates smoking as a risk factor in NCI mortality estimates

New findings from a project led by researchers at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in collaboration with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and published in the journal JAMA Network Open, show the dramatic impact that smoking status has on mortality and more accurately predict the risk of dying from cancer and other diseases. “Historically, mortality risk has often been presented by age, sex, and race but it rarely has accounted for smoking status—a major risk factor for many causes of death,” says lead author Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, a professor of ...

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Science12 Jun 2023

AMA strengthens its policy on protecting access to gender-affirming care

CHICAGO—The American Medical Association (AMA) House of Delegates today passed the Endocrine Society’s resolution to protect access to evidence-based gender-affirming care for transgender and gender-diverse individuals. As political attacks on gender-affirming care escalate, it is the responsibility of the medical community to speak out in support of evidence-based care. Medical decisions should be made by patients, their relatives and health care providers, not politicians. In the resolution, the AMA committed to opposing any criminal and legal penalties against patients seeking ...

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