The El Gigante rockshelter in western Honduras is among only a handful of archaeological sites in the Americas that contain well-preserved botanical remains spanning the last 11,000 years. Considered one of the most important archaeological sites discovered in Central America in the last 40 years, El Gigante was recently nominated as a UNESCO World Heritage site. “No other location shows, as clearly as El Gigante,” state UNESCO materials about the site’s universal value, “the dynamic character of hunter-gatherer societies, and their adaptive way of life in the Central ...

Water is an essential and indispensable component of humanity’s everyday existence. As the global population grows and the climate warms, so does the water demand.  Over the past two decades, global reservoirs have become increasingly empty despite an overall increase in total storage capacity due to the construction of new reservoirs. Led by Dr. Huilin Gao, associate professor in the Zachry Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Texas A&M University, researchers used a new approach with satellite data to estimate the storage variations ...

B cells are thought to play a critical role in innate and adaptive immunity, but their exact role in anti-tumor immunity remains unknown. Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital with expertise in immunology collaborated with experts in dermatology from Massachusetts General Hospital to further understand the role of B cells and identify a subset of cells that may play a critical role. In collaboration with the Broad Institute they used a technique called single-cell profiling, which allows them to look at all the genes ...

NEW YORK & SAN FRANCISCO – June 23, 2023 – Building on the resounding success of last year’s standing-room-only debut, the Cardiovascular Research Foundation (CRF) and Fogarty Innovation are proud to present an even more dynamic and comprehensive TCT MedTech Innovation Forum in 2023. The highly anticipated program will feature additional learning tracks, expanded networking opportunities, increased attendee capacity, and the TCT Shark Tank Innovation Competition. The day-long interactive summit will take place on the first day of TCT 2023 (Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics), ...

Key takeaways: A new study suggests global future economic growth will be slower than predicted, with developing nations taking longer to close the wealth gap and approach the income of wealthier nations Governments need to start planning for slower-growth scenarios, which may involve wealthier nations providing lower-income countries with financing for climate change adaptations  National debt and debt-ceiling talks may become more contentious in the coming decades  The global economy will grow slower in the 21st century ...

A nascent literature is emerging that analyzes the case of Colin Kaepernick who was “locked out” of the National Football League (NFL) beginning in 2017 because he chose to protest police brutality, systemic racism, and white supremacy. Using status expectations states theory and prototypicality theory, this research re-conceptualizes Kaepernick’s lock-out as an infringement on his right to work. First, researchers utilize a modified case-study approach comparing his experiences to those of six other Black male athletes who were “locked out.” Second, researchers utilize data and “matched cases” to demonstrate empirically ...

LA JOLLA (June 23, 2023)—Worldwide, more than a million deaths occur each year due to diarrheal diseases that lead to dehydration and malnutrition. Yet, no vaccine exists to fight or prevent these diseases, which are caused by bacteria like certain strains of E. coli. Instead, people with bacterial infections must rely on the body taking one of two defense strategies: kill the intruders or impair the intruders but keep them around. If the body chooses to impair the bacteria, then the disease can occur without the diarrhea, but the infection can still be transmitted—a process called asymptomatic carriage. Now, Salk scientists have found that ...

The race to make the widespread use of intermittent renewable energy a reality has taken a step forward with new research by experts from the University of Adelaide who are improving the efficiency of iridium-based catalysts. “Currently it is difficult for commercial iridium oxide catalysts to achieve high activity and stability at the same time in proton exchange membrane water electrolysis (PEMWE),” said the University of Adelaide’s Associate Professor Yao Zheng, ARC Future Fellow, School of Chemical Engineering. “We have found that a lattice-water-assisted mechanism – a ...

A team of researchers at Baylor College of Medicine is gaining ground in their search for solutions to the global problem of bacterial antibiotic resistance, which was responsible for nearly 1.3 million deaths in 2019. The team reports in the journal Science Advances a drug that, in laboratory cultures and animal models, significantly reduces the ability of bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance, which might prolong antibiotic effectiveness. The drug, called dequalinium chloride (DEQ), is a proof-of-concept for evolution-slowing drugs. “Most people with bacterial infections ...

Between the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, excess deaths decreased in large metropolitan counties and increased in rural counties in the United States, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn). The novel study presents the first-ever monthly estimates of excess mortality rates for every US county during the first two years of the pandemic. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to the number of deaths that would be expected ...

Between the first and second year of the COVID-19 pandemic, excess deaths decreased in large metropolitan counties and increased in rural counties in the United States, according to a new study led by Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) and The University of Pennsylvania (UPenn).   The novel study presents the first-ever monthly estimates of excess mortality rates for every US county during the first two years of the pandemic. Excess mortality, which compares observed deaths to the number of deaths that would be expected under normal conditions in a given ...

A Florida State University faculty member’s research is helping to uncover more about the conditions necessary for the beginnings of life on Earth. FSU Assistant Professor Richard Bono was part of a multi-institution team that found evidence that the planet’s magnetic field was stable from 3.9 to 3.4 billion years ago, a time when scientists think life may have first originated. Their research was published in Nature. Bono explained more about what the team found and its implications for the origins of plate tectonics and life on Earth. What did the research team find? Our research showed ...

For years, researchers studying chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, believed the primary cause of it was repetitive hits to the head, whether or not those hits caused concussions. They believed the more frequently that a person sustained head blows, the more likely they were to develop neurological and cognitive struggles later in life. A new collaborative study conducted by researchers at Boston University, Mass General Brigham, and Harvard Medical School—using brains donated to BU’s ...

Extension economists from 13 land-grant universities have joined forces to launch Southern Ag Today, a new digital platform featuring daily news, articles and resources related to issues affecting agriculture in the South. Agricultural producers and policymakers will find the latest information on topics including crop and livestock marketing, farm management, agricultural policy, trade, agricultural law and specialty topics, making it the only collection of its kind focused on agriculture in the Southern region. Crop marketing specialist Aaron Smith and agricultural trade expert Andrew Muhammad from the Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics at the University of ...

Using 3-D models of ovarian cancer tumors, scientists found differences in gene activity based on where a cell is in a tumor, demonstrating how a cell’s location and environment in a cancerous tumor can strongly influence which genes are active and the cell’s role in the cancer’s biology. More specifically, the team co-led by researchers at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS), part of the National Institutes of Health, showed that gene activity in cells at or near a tumor’s surface differed from that of cells closer to the tumor center. The approach pairs the use of a technology to reveal the genetic activity of single ...

Reston, VA—Leaders from 12 nuclear medicine organizations around the world have issued a white paper about the challenges and opportunities in theranostics education. Published in the June issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine, the report outlines the current theranostic educational and accreditation offerings across the globe. It also provides guidelines to assist countries in developing educational and training curriculums that enable physicians to confidently and safely perform nuclear ...

DALLAS, June 23, 2023 — People who live in rural areas of the U.S. are 40% more likely to develop heart disease and have a 30% higher risk of stroke than people who live in urban areas, according to data reported in the 2020 Call to Action: Rural Health: A Presidential Advisory From the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association. At least 20% of the U.S. population live in rural areas and these people face unique health challenges related to individual risk factors, social determinants of health and lack of access to health care. To address this issue, the American Heart Association, the world's leading nonprofit organization focused on ...

Immunotherapy is among the newest and most potent weapons against cancer. It prompts the immune system to recognize tumors as intruders in the body and attack. But not all patients respond well to immunotherapy. Why? Scientists aren’t always sure. Sometimes, immunotherapy patients experience side effects that steroids called glucocorticoids (GCs) can treat. GCs are often used to regulate the immune response in conditions such as asthma, Crohn’s disease, and even COVID-19. Yet just how they work is also a mystery. Now, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) researchers may be closer to answering both questions. Their new research indicates GCs may indirectly lead ...

Despite a national opioid overdose epidemic supercharged by a surge of illicit fentanyl, new research from Oregon Health & Science University reveals wide discrepancies among U.S. states in effectively treating opioid use disorder among people covered by Medicaid. The study, published today in the journal JAMA Health Forum, found that in many states, fewer than half of people diagnosed with opioid use disorder received proven medications to treat it. “We fail people by not providing adequate treatment to people with opioid use disorder enrolled in Medicaid,” said lead author Stephan Lindner, Ph.D., associate professor in ...

About The Study: There were significant reductions in nicotine dependence prevalence from 2006 to 2019 among U.S. adults with cigarette use and all examined subgroups 26 years and older. Adults 50 years and older (especially those with major depressive episode and/or substance use disorder) had the highest nicotine dependence prevalence compared with other age groups, highlighting the importance of assisting with smoking cessation efforts and addressing nicotine dependence for this older population. Evidence-based tobacco cessation strategies tailored to age and comorbidities are ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that medical evacuation in a war zone by converted trains is possible and can improve access to health care for war-affected patients. The presence of intensive care capacity on board allows for transport of more severely ill or injured individuals. However, the target population should not be limited to trauma patients, as health care institutions affected host a much broader population whose needs and urgency for evacuation may change over time.  Authors: James ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE, June 23, 2023 Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-3508-7838, ginad@bu.edu BU Researcher Receives NIH Grant to Study Stress, Depression (Boston)—Michael Wallace, PhD, assistant professor of anatomy & neurobiology at Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, was awarded a $2.8 million from the National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. The award will fund his project "Serotonergic modulation of the circuits and cell-types of the lateral habenula." The award, which runs from 2023-2028, supports his research into the cellular and circuit impacts of serotonin on a brain region implicated in chronic stress and ...

The rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration is a primary catalyst for global warming, and an estimated one fifth of the atmospheric CO2 originates from soil sources. This is partially attributed to the activity of microorganisms, including bacteria, fungi, and other microorganisms that decompose organic matter in the soil utilizing oxygen, such as deceased plant materials. During this process, CO2 is released into the atmosphere. Scientists refer to it as heterotrophic soil respiration. Based on a recent study published in the scientific journal Nature Communications, a team of researchers from ...

A UVA Health doctor is launching an ambitious effort to assess and improve HIV care for people with low incomes across the nation, a campaign that could also help prevent transmission. Kathleen McManus, MD, MS, of the University of Virginia School of Medicine, and her collaborators plan to identify specific policies and programs that can increase the numbers of patients who keep the HIV virus in their blood at undetectable levels. This desirable state, known as being “undetectable” or having “sustained viral suppression,” is associated with better health outcomes for individuals ...

Introduction Science Partner Journal Space: Science & Technology is an online-only Open Access journal published in affiliation with Beijing Institute of Technology (BIT) and distributed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). BIT cooperates with China Academy of Space Technology (CAST) in managing the journal. The mission of Space: Science & Technology is to promote the exploration and research of space worldwide, to lead the rapid integration and technological breakthroughs of interdisciplinary sciences in the space field, and to build a high-level academic platform for discussion, cooperation, technological progress and information dissemination ...