Science
press releases.

Science20 May 2023

HRS, APHRS, and LAHRS release cardiac physiological pacing guideline

New Orleans, May 20, 2023 – Today, the Heart Rhythm Society (HRS), Asia Pacific Heart Rhythm Society (APHRS), and Latin American Heart Rhythm Society (LAHRS) released a new clinical practice guideline on cardiac physiologic pacing (CPP) strategies to restore ventricular synchrony and improve cardiac performance. The 2023 HRS/APHRS/LAHRS Guideline on Cardiac Physiologic Pacing for the Avoidance and Mitigation of Heart Failure is intended to provide guidance to clinical cardiac electrophysiologists, cardiologists, and other clinicians on the use of CPP, which includes cardiac resynchronization therapy and conduction system pacing, in patients ...

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Science20 May 2023

Forging partnerships in the Americas: Naval leaders gather at SIANC S&T Conference

ARLINGTON, Va.—For Dr. Brett Seidle — the deputy assistant secretary of the Navy for Research, Development, Test and Engineering — the breakneck speed of current scientific progress and technological proliferation can be challenging, especially when the impact of new technologies on civilian and military realities transcends national borders. While giving the keynote address at the recent Specialized Inter-American Naval Conference on Science, Technology and Innovation (SIANC-ST&I) in Orlando, Florida, Seidle identified several scientific disciplines that have developed into ...

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Science20 May 2023

Semaglutide shown to be effective for weight loss in multicentre, one-year real-world study

New research presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO2023, Dublin, 17-20 May) shows that the obesity drug semaglutide is effective for weight loss in a multicentre, 1-year-long real-world study. The study is by Dr Andres Acosta and Dr Wissam Ghusn, Precision Medicine for Obesity Program at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA and colleagues. Semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, is the most recently FDA-approved anti-obesity medication. It has shown significant weight loss outcomes in multiple long-term randomised clinical trials and short-term real-world studies. However, little is known about ...

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Science19 May 2023

Illinois Tech researchers unveil key predictors of bitcoin returns

CHICAGO—May 19, 2023—Blockchain technology, investor sentiment, and economic stress levels are significant predictors of bitcoin returns, according to a groundbreaking paper from Illinois Institute of Technology researchers that provides empirical evidence to help guide investors, economists, and academics. Sang Baum “Solomon” Kang, associate professor of finance at Illinois Tech’s Stuart School of Business and co-author of the paper, also found that the cryptocurrency is detached from economic fundamentals and therefore may not effectively serve as a diversifier or safe-haven asset. Additionally, Kang reported that returns on commodities, ...

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Science19 May 2023

Why do so many businesses fail? A new study suggests it has to do with when they're born

Only 25% of new businesses make it to 15 years or more, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics. Despite vacillating economic conditions between and across markets, that statistic has remained consistent for 30 years. A new study from the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal suggests an elegant explanation: a business’s long-term success depends significantly on its founding conditions not just changes in its markets. “A venture’s performance following environmental change depends on its internal ...

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Science19 May 2023

Blinding idea evaluation? New experiment reveals little bias in the innovation process

Innovation and implementation of new ideas can directly influence organizational outcomes. Thus, organizations often dedicate significant time to the assessment of countless new ideas through myriad idea evaluation systems. However, the evaluation process is often distorted by various biases arising from hierarchy, sequence, and nepotism. Data on evaluation studies show that evaluators can be biased toward specific idea proposers. In a new study published in the Strategic Management Journal, a research team sought evidence for the bias claim by employing a blinding approach for evaluating ...

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Science19 May 2023

Pollinators are attracted to humidity, not just scent

ITHACA, N.Y. -- Humidity is as important as scent in attracting pollinators to a plant, new Cornell-led research finds, advancing basic biology and opening new avenues to support agriculture. In a study published May 7 in Current Biology, a team of Cornell researchers and colleagues at Harvard University and the Montgomery Botanical Center found that the weevil responsible for pollinating the plant Zamia furfuracea was just as sensitive to humidity as to scent. “The world of plant-insect interactions was drastically changed by the work that was done on visual and scent cues,” ...

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Science19 May 2023

Puppeteer fungus’ targeted takeover of zombie flies

In a new study published in eLife, lead author Carolyn Elya, postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology at Harvard, reveals the molecular and cellular underpinnings behind the parasitic fungus, Entomophthora muscae’s (E. muscae), ability to manipulate the behavior of fruit flies. Elya first described the manipulated behavior, called summiting, in a study published in eLife in 2018. Elya, who was studying microbes carried by fruit flies while a graduate student ...

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Science19 May 2023

Human ancestry has been shaped by mixing and matching alleles

The course of human history has been marked by complex patterns of migration, isolation, and admixture, the latter a term that refers to gene flow between individuals from different populations. Admixture results in a blending of genetic lineages, leading to increased genetic diversity within populations. In addition to admixture among modern human populations, ancient humans reproduced with other hominin groups, such as Neanderthals and Denisovans. This resulted in fragments of DNA from these ancient lineages being passed down to modern humans in a process known as introgression. Two ...

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Science19 May 2023

Insights from largest chronic limb-threatening ischemia study to inform quality of care improvements

Phoenix, AZ (May 19, 2023)- Data from a cohort of one million patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) were presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2023 Scientific Sessions. Using data from Medicare, the cohort, Chronic Limb threatening Ischemia Process PERformance (CLIPPER), found one out of six patients with CLTI died within their first year of diagnosis and 50% survived at five years. CLTI is a serious condition in ...

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Science19 May 2023

Room-temperature, solid-state synthesis of high-quality Cs3Cu2I5 thin films

Advanced electronic devices require high-quality materials such as metal halide phosphors that can effectively convert light into measurable signals. Toxic element-free copper-based iodides such as cesium copper iodide (Cs3Cu2I5: CCI) are particularly promising in this regard. CCI is an efficient blue light-emitting material that can convert almost all the absorbed energy into detectable light, making them ideal for use in deep-UV photodetectors and γ-ray scintillators for detecting ionizing radiation, ...

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Science19 May 2023

Study reveals the persistent effects of corruption on trust and voting

The short-term effects of corruption are often obvious. Numerous sources, both in Russia and in the West, consider the military's endemic corruption one of the main reasons of the logistical problems, very low troop morale, and massive casualties of the Red Army in Ukraine. In late 2016, a corruption scandal cost the first woman elected head of state in an Asian country, South Korea's Park Geun-hye, impeachment. We can well imagine that the ongoing “Qatargate,” a political scandal raised by the suspicion ...

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Science19 May 2023

Even weak traffic noise has a negative impact on work performance

Researchers at Chalmers’ Division of Applied Acoustics have conducted a laboratory study in which test subjects took concentration tests while being exposed to background traffic noise. The subjects were asked to look at a computer screen and react to certain letters, then to assess their perceived workload afterwards. The study shows that the subjects had significantly poorer results on the performance test, and also felt that the task was more difficult to carry out, with traffic noise in the background. “What is unique about our study is that we were able to demonstrate a decline in performance at noise levels as low as 40 dB, which ...

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Science19 May 2023

Johanna Spyri and Heidi archives included in the Memory of the World Register of UNESCO

The Johanna Spyri and Heidi archives in Zurich have been added to UNESCO's Memory of the World International Register. The decision by the Executive Board of UNESCO acknowledges the collections' universal importance. The University of Zurich will be working with both institutions to promote the academic study of the collections. Heidi is important to Switzerland’s cultural heritage and has influenced art and popular culture around the world for more than a century. The documentary heritage ...

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Science19 May 2023

Individuals who feel safe where they live lose more weight, Dutch study finds

Feeling safe where you live may be key to weight loss, the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Dublin, Ireland (17-20 May) will hear. Preliminary Dutch research has shown that the feeling of safety in one's neighbourhood is linked to greater weight loss when taking part in lifestyle interventions. The term “neighbourhood safety” covered four dimensions: not feeling afraid of crime or harassment while walking through the neighbourhood, feeling safe while walking or cycling due to heavy traffic, adequate street lighting during ...

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Science18 May 2023

Illinois Tech project receives $1.6 million contract to develop system for authorship attribution and anonymization

CHICAGO—May 18, 2023—Researchers at Illinois Institute of Technology have secured a $1.6 million contract to develop a groundbreaking system for authentic authorship attribution and anonymization. Using natural language processing and machine learning, the program, known as AUTHOR, promises to create “stylistic fingerprints” for reliable identification, while also providing robust solutions for anonymization. With broad applications including counterintelligence, combating misinformation, and even investigating the origins of ancient religious texts, the project marks a significant leap in computational analysis. The project—a collaboration ...

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Science18 May 2023

Catching foodborne illness early

Produce such as lettuce and spinach is routinely tested for foodborne pathogenic bacteria like salmonella, listeria monocytogenes and pathogenic types of E. coli in an effort to protect consumers from getting sick. Rapid testing of foods may occur, but it still takes time to figure out who is sick and from where the contaminated product originated. That’s far too late for the many Americans who already ate the produce. The current solution, often a multi-state recall, then becomes damage control. University of Delaware researchers want to spot these bacteria before anyone ever falls ill. As detailed in an article published ...

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Science18 May 2023

Novel virtual coronary roadmap tool reduces volume of iodinated contrast needed during percutaneous coronary interventions

Phoenix, AZ (May 18, 2023)- Results from Dynamic Coronary Roadmap for Contrast Reduction (DCR4Contrast), a multi-center prospective, unblinded, randomized controlled trial were presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2023 Scientific Sessions. The trial found that Dynamic Coronary Roadmap (DCR), a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) navigation support tool developed by health technology company Philips, effectively reduces iodinated contrast during PCI. Iodinated contrast is used to enhance the ability ...

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Science18 May 2023

First-of-its-kind study confirms safety of distal radial artery access for cardiac catheterization

Phoenix, AZ (May 18, 2023)- One-year findings from the Distal versus Proximal Radial Artery Access for Cardiac Catheterization and Intervention (DIPRA) study were presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2023 Scientific Sessions. The single-center, randomized-controlled trial evaluated outcomes of hand function and effectiveness of conventional proximal radial artery (PRA) access compared to distal radial artery (DRA) access for cardiac catheterization. Current guidelines for patients undergoing percutaneous intervention recommend PRA access. A complication of PRA is radial artery occlusion, ...

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Science18 May 2023

Historical memories have long reach in consumer preferences, study finds

Toronto - Zachary Zhong had heard his grandparents’ stories about the Japanese invasion in 1944 of neighbouring counties in his hometown in China. As the Japanese army continued their advance civilians were killed and injured, while others fled the invaders’ path, some taking shelter in his family’s ancestral home. Those events lodged deep into locals’ memory. Curious about the impact of a re-ignited territorial dispute between Japan and China in 2012, Zhong, now an assistant professor of marketing at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management looked at what happened to car sales in the province of Guangxi around ...

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Science18 May 2023

Forgetfulness, even fatal cases, can happen to anyone, study shows

Since 1998, approximately 496 children have died of pediatric vehicular heatstroke in the United States because their caregiver forgot they were in the car, according to recent data from NoHeatStroke.org. Advocacy groups have been lobbying Congress to enact laws to help protect against this particular forgetfulness by requiring certain safety mechanisms be installed into automobiles. Researchers at the University of Notre Dame set out to understand how and why this kind of forgetfulness is even possible. Nathan Rose, the William P. and Hazel ...

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Science18 May 2023

Historical fiction: a guarantee of critical success or a trap?

For 21st century authors, the odds of writing a critical hit are much higher if the novel takes place in the past, not the present or future. Between 2000 and 2020, about three quarters of the novels shortlisted for the National Book Award, the Pulitzer Prize, and the National Book Critics Circle Award took place in the historical past. “As a reader, you may not have even noticed the growing infatuation with history in literature because the historical novel has become such a diversely practiced form by such a wide array of writers, it's almost become invisible to us as a genre in itself,” ...

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Science18 May 2023

Amputees feel warmth in their missing hand

“When I touch the stump with my hand, I feel tingling in my missing hand, my phantom hand. But feeling the temperature variation is a different thing, something important... something beautiful,” says Francesca Rossi. Rossi is an amputee from Bologna, Italy. She recently participated in a study to test the effects of temperature feedback directly to the skin on her residual arm. She is one of 17 patients to have felt her phantom, missing hand, change in temperature thanks to new EPFL technology. More importantly, she reports feeling reconnected to her missing hand. “Temperature feedback is a nice ...

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Science18 May 2023

Fear of large predators drives smaller predators into areas they perceive as safer, but where risk is greater

Medium-sized carnivorous species – mesopredators like coyotes or bobcats – tend to move into human-dominated areas to avoid predation by larger carnivores, a phenomenon also known as the “human shield” effect. However, according to a new study, doing so places these safety-seeking species at considerably greater risk for mortality due to human activities. The findings describe a “paradox of the lethal human shield” for mesopredators, which could become an increasingly important driver of carnivore community dynamics and ecological trophic structures as species restoration and recovery efforts expand the coexistence of ...

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Science18 May 2023

Half of world's largest lakes losing water

More than 50 percent of the largest lakes in the world are losing water, according to a groundbreaking new assessment published today in Science . The key culprits are not surprising: warming climate and unsustainable human consumption. But lead author Fangfang Yao, a CIRES visiting fellow, now a climate fellow at University of Virginia, said the news is not entirely bleak. With this new method of tracking lake water storage trends and the reasons behind them, scientists can give water managers and communities insight into how to better protect critical sources of water and important regional ecosystems. “This is the first comprehensive assessment of trends ...

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