A study at Umeå University, Sweden, provides new clues in the understanding of how antibiotic resistance spreads. The study shows how an enzyme breaks down the bacteria's protective outer layer, the cell wall, and thus facilitates the transfer of genes for resistance to antibiotics. "You could say that we are adding a piece of the puzzle to the understanding of how antibiotic resistance spreads between bacteria," says Ronnie Berntsson, Associate Professor at Umeå University and one of the authors behind the study. The Umeå researchers have studied Enterococcus faecalis, which is a bacterium that often ...

The debate has raged for decades: Was it humans or climate change that led to the extinction of many species of large mammals, birds, and reptiles that have disappeared from Earth over the past 50,000 years? By "large," we mean animals that weighed at least 45 kilograms – known as megafauna. At least 161 species of mammals were driven to extinction during this period. This number is based on the remains found so far. The largest of them were hit the hardest – land-dwelling herbivores weighing over a ton, the megaherbivores. Fifty thousand years ago, there were 57 species of megaherbivores. Today, only 11 remain. These remaining ...

Analyzing nasal swabs taken during the pandemic, researchers at Yale School of Medicine suggest that the frequent presence of other viruses and bacteria may have helped to protect children from the worst effects of COVID-19 by boosting their immune systems. Their results will be published July 1 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine (JEM). Children are generally more susceptible than adults to respiratory infections such as the common cold, and yet, for unknown reasons, the SARS-CoV-2 virus tends to cause less severe ...

BATON ROUGE, La. – Ochsner Medical Center – Baton Rouge now offers robotic-assisted bronchoscopy using the Ion robotic platform, a new, minimally invasive option for lung biopsy. With bronchoscopy, doctors insert a long, thin tube with a camera to examine lung tissue and retrieve a biopsy sample. The Ion robot enables doctors to perform a biopsy quicker and safer than ever before. These advancements are especially critical for treating lung cancer, since early detection is key to achieving the best outcome. Every six weeks of delayed treatment lowers ...

Chicago (July 1, 2024) — New research performed with mice suggests that daily time in a warm environment such as a sauna might help older adults, especially women, combat age-related obesity and insulin resistance. The study shows the potential of heat treatments as a simple way to promote healthier aging. The researchers found that older female mice receiving a daily 30-minute whole-body heat treatment gained less weight and showed improved use of insulin, which helps control blood sugar. The investigators ...

Antibiotic resistant bacteria are experts in evolving new strategies to avoid being killed by antibiotics. One such bacterium is Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which is naturally found in soil and water, but also hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions for persons with weakened immune systems are home for strains of this bacterium. As many P. Aeruginosa strains found in hospitals are resistant to most antibiotics in use, science is forced to constantly search for new ways to kill them.   Now, at team of researchers from Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Department of ...

Not everything in the brain is meant to last. As our brains assemble, trillions of neural connections have to be built or torn down at the right time and place. Otherwise, the seeds of disorders like autism can take root. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Assistant Professor Gabrielle Pouchelon studies how the brain is wired early in life. In doing so, she hopes to find the origins of various brain dysfunctions and new ways to treat them. In a new study, Pouchelon and her team zero in on a process known as pruning. This is when the brain removes unnecessary connections between ...

DALLAS, July 1, 2024 — The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of lifesaving service as the world’s leading nonprofit organization focused on heart and brain health for all, has named its volunteer leadership for fiscal year 2024-25. Keith Churchwell, M.D., FAHA, serving as the new volunteer president, and Marsha Jones, continuing a two-year term as volunteer board chairperson, will help guide the Association as it enters its second century. Churchwell and Jones are long-time volunteer leaders for ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1 July 2024 The Geological Society of America Release No. 24-06 Contact: Jason Elkins +1-303-357-1026 jelkins@geosociety.org Boulder, Colo., USA: The Geological Society of America (GSA) is excited to announce a significant reduction in membership fees for students. Effective 1 July 2024, undergraduate and graduate students majoring in geology or related sciences can sign up for an annual student membership for just $25. This initiative underscores GSA's commitment to supporting the next generation of geoscientists by making membership more accessible and affordable. The ...

Every year, the negative effects of human activities on the environment become increasingly clear. From climate change and microplastics to the endangerment and extinction of countless species, it is evident that we need to find new ways to achieve sustainability. Fortunately, many research groups in prominent fields like chemistry and materials science are tirelessly working to develop solutions to get us closer to circular and sustainable economies. One area that has attracted much attention in this regard is biomass upcycling. It refers to the transformation of naturally available organic materials into ...

Pioneering AI-powered research on butterflies has probed the under-studied evolution of females and adds to a debate between the founding fathers of evolution. The University of Essex study – published in Communications Biology – explores a controversy between Victorian scientists Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace. Darwin thought males had more variation, as females often chose mates based on male appearance. Whereas Wallace thought natural selection across sexes was the biggest factor in difference. For over a century, scientists ...

Our bodies are inhabited by trillions of microorganisms, with specific microbes unique to each individual. Through experimentation, scientists have pinpointed certain factors that account for variation in the gut: diet, living conditions, exercise and maternal line. Now, scientists at University of California San Diego have discovered another factor that affects the composition of the gut microbiome: time of day. In fact, the scientists have found that time of day is such an important factor that they’re calling on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to require researchers ...

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have developed nanorobots that kill cancer cells in mice. The robot’s weapon is hidden in a nanostructure and is exposed only in the tumour microenvironment, sparing healthy cells. The study is published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. The research group at Karolinska Institutet has previously developed structures that can organise so-called death receptors on the surface of cells, leading to cell death. The structures exhibit six peptides (amino acid chains) assembled in a hexagonal pattern. “This hexagonal nanopattern of peptides becomes a lethal weapon,” explains Professor ...

Genes can indirectly influence the age at which girls have their first period by accelerating weight gain in childhood, a known risk factor for early puberty, a Cambridge-led study has found. Other genes can directly affect age of puberty, some with profound effects. In the largest study of its kind to date, an international team led by researchers at the Medical Research Council (MRC) Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge, studied the DNA of around 800,000 women from Europe, North America, China, Japan, and Korea. Published today in Nature Genetics, the researchers found more than 1,000 variants – small changes in DNA – that ...

If you’ve ever snacked on raisins or enjoyed a glass of wine, you may, in part, have the extinction of the dinosaurs to thank for it. In a discovery described in the journal Nature Plants, researchers found fossil grape seeds that range from 60 to 19 million years old in Colombia, Panama, and Peru.  One of these species represents the earliest known example of plants from the grape family in the Western Hemisphere. These fossil seeds help show how the grape family spread in the years following the death of the dinosaurs. “These are the oldest grapes ever found in this part of the world, and they’re a few million years ...

Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have developed an AI model that increases the potential for detecting cancer through sugar analyses. The AI model is faster and better at finding abnormalities than the current semi-manual method.   Glycans, or structures of sugar molecules in our cells, can be measured by mass spectrometry. One important use is that the structures can indicate different forms of cancer in the cells. However, the data from the mass spectrometer measurement must be carefully analysed by humans to work out the structure from the glycan fragmentation. This process can take anywhere from hours ...

How much trust should we put in our memories? New research shows we have a good awareness of when we are recalling events accurately – and when our brain is filling in gaps with general knowledge.  Memories are a blend of recalled details and ‘prototypical’ information, but a study at the University of Birmingham has shown that when prototypes appear more prominent, we become less confident in the recollection.  This means that we are able to distinguish between these two types of memory, and accurately assess how ...

Statement Highlights: Palliative medication management focuses on providing relief from symptoms and enhancing quality of life for people with cardiovascular disease throughout the various stages of the disease. Decisions about initiating, adjusting or discontinuing cardiovascular and other medicines should be patient-centered and include input from multiple specialties including cardiology experts in close collaboration with primary care professionals. Evidence shows that adding palliative care interventions to standard cardiovascular ...

Lancaster University researchers have come up with exciting and sophisticated new mapping technology enabling future generations to get involved in creating their own future built landscape. They say, in their new research published today, that planners are missing a real trick when it comes to encouraging and involving the public to help shape their own towns, cities and counties for the future. They also say that games platforms can be used to plan future cities and also help the public immerse themselves in these future worlds. The researchers have modified Colossal Order’s game ‘Cities: Skylines’ ...

Large engines are essential for the global transport and energy sector, powering container ships, locomotives, decentralised power plants and heavy construction machinery. In many areas, battery-powered electric engines are not feasible, which is why the further development of large combustion engines is a key factor for meeting climate protection targets: through greater efficiency, but above all by using new, climate-neutral fuels. In order to strengthen research and the training of specialists in this field, Graz University of Technology ...

In the fight to protect biodiversity and limit climate change, the world will reap what it sows, say researchers from the University of Surrey.   Energy crops can be used for heat, electricity and even biofuels like bioethanol. They will become more important as the world transitions away from fossil fuels. In a new study, researchers from Surrey have shown that where you choose to plant energy crops makes a big difference to biodiversity.  A detailed analysis has shown that planting energy crops on existing agricultural land in places like China and Central Europe could minimise harm to biodiversity ...

Addiction is not simply a chronic brain disease and considering it as such can limit treatment options and increase stigma, an extensive research review suggests. After decades of research, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology Reinout W. Wiers suggests that while in some extreme cases addition can be considered a chronic brain disease, in most cases it should be considered as biased choice. According to in-depth research examined in new book A New Approach to Addiction and Choice, portraying addiction as a chronic brain disease reduces confidence in the possibility of lasting change, in both the addict themselves and the therapist. What does science say? The ...

Chicago (June 30, 2024) — In a new study, older adults who reported consuming higher amounts of ultra-processed foods, as defined by the NOVA classification system, were about 10% more likely to die over a median follow-up of 23 years compared with those who consumed less processed food. The findings are based on a large study that has tracked over half a million U.S. adults for nearly three decades. According to the results, higher intake of ultra-processed foods was associated with modest increases in death from any cause and from deaths related specifically to heart ...

Chicago (June 30, 2024) — A new study demonstrates that eating primarily minimally processed foods, as they are defined by the NOVA classification system, does not automatically make for a healthy diet, suggesting that the types of foods we eat may matter more than the level of processing used to make them. Comparing two menus reflecting a typical Western diet — one emphasizing minimally processed foods and the other emphasizing ultra-processed foods, as categorized by the NOVA classification system — the researchers found that ...

Chicago (June 30, 2024) — Eating patterns that align with the Mediterranean diet or the dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH) diet could help lower cardiovascular disease risk in adults with type 1 diabetes, according to results from a six-year study. The DASH and Mediterranean diets are both considered heart-healthy and emphasize plant-based foods, healthy fats, lean proteins and low intake of processed foods and sugars. “Type 1 diabetes increases the risk of developing cardiovascular disease, which raises the ...