The struggle to cut emissions is real.  Last year, the world emitted more than 37 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide, setting a new record high. As a result, sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere has become an increasingly popular idea. Governments worldwide are banking on this technology, called direct air capture, to help them achieve climate goals and avoid the worst consequences of climate change.  But despite more than a dozen direct air capture facilities being up and running around the globe already, the technology ...

Newly published research from the University of Houston College of Pharmacy identifies key mechanisms of skeletal muscle regeneration and growth of muscles following resistance exercise. It’s a finding that opens the door to the development of targeted therapies for various muscle disorders, like Muscular Dystrophy, which affect millions of people worldwide.  When it comes to muscles and muscle disorders, the importance of a discovery like this cannot be overstated.    The muscle of muscles  The ...

From your car’s navigation display to the screen you are reading this on, luminescent polymers — a class of flexible materials that contain light-emitting molecules — are used in a variety of today’s electronics. Luminescent polymers stand out for their light-emitting capability, coupled with their remarkable flexibility and stretchability, showcasing vast potential across diverse fields of application.   However, once these electronics reach their end use, they are discarded, piling up in landfills or buried underground. Recycling this electronic waste is complex, requiring expensive ...

USC scientists have discovered a way to turn the body’s B cells into tiny surveillance machines and antibody factories that can pump out specially designed antibodies to destroy cancer cells or HIV, two of medicine’s most formidable foes. The research, published today in Nature Biomedical Engineering, describes a technique for editing the genes of immune cells called B cells, turbocharging them to fight even the sneakiest invaders. The work is an important advance in harnessing the power of antibodies to treat conditions ranging from Alzheimer’s ...

Methane is the second-largest contributor to climate warming after carbon dioxide, and so scientists have put a lot of attention toward addressing one of the top sources: methane emissions from livestock. In other words, cow burps are bad for the planet. Farmers add various seaweeds to cow diets as a source of protein, unsaturated fats, and other health-promoting ingredients that provide immediate energy, says Dipti Pitta of the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, and a 2016 study in Australia found that feeding sheep a species ...

Native trees adapt to the climate and environmental conditions of their area to survive. Researchers in the College of Natural Resources and Environment in collaboration with the American Chestnut Foundation confirmed this by examining the genome of American chestnut trees sampled throughout the Appalachian Mountain range and grouping the samples according to their specific environmental region. The research, recently published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal, has the potential to help the ...

“Future development for sEphB4-HSA in HNSCC is likely to focus on patients with HPV-negative disease where there is greatest need to improve on the outcomes with pembrolizumab monotherapy.” BUFFALO, NY- July 22, 2024 – A new research paper was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on July 10, 2024, entitled, “Improved efficacy of pembrolizumab combined with soluble EphB4-albumin in HPV-negative EphrinB2 positive head neck squamous cell carcinoma.” Patients with relapsed or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) after primary local ...

Toronto, ON - The US Surgeon General recently recommended a warning label for social media platforms due to concerns about their impact on youth mental health. The Surgeon General’s Advisory on Social Media and Youth Mental Health highlighted potential links between social media use and poor sleep quality in youth. Considering these concerns, what specific actions can adolescents and parents take to improve sleep? A new national study, published in the Journal of Adolescent Health, offers insights into screen habits linked with better sleep. “Ensuring adolescents get enough sleep is vital, as it supports ...

About The Study: In this randomized study, individuals who received a cash benefit had significantly fewer emergency department visits, including those related to behavioral health and substance use, fewer admissions to the hospital from the emergency department, and increased use of outpatient subspecialty care. Study results suggest that policies that seek to alleviate poverty by providing income support may have important benefits for health and access to care.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sumit D. Agarwal, M.D., M.P.H., Ph.D., email sagarwal14@bwh.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

Traditional epidemiological studies have identified numerous potential risk factors, but observational studies have struggled to establish causal links due to confounding factors and reverse causation. Theoretically avoiding confounding and reverse causation, Mendelian randomization (MR) infers causality, offering novel research perspectives and methods for investigating risk factors of intestinal diseases (Figure 1). MR research on intestinal disease Based on MR methodology, researchers have identified lifestyle factors, circulating nutrients, and obesity as being associated with the risk of ...

Among the vastly different ways of tackling a disease, controlling the genetic expression of cells is undoubtedly one of the most powerful. Over the past few decades, scientists have come up with dozens of innovative strategies that involve using messenger RNA (mRNA) to ‘force’ cells to build specific proteins. These mRNA-based therapies have recently gained prominence as vaccines against infectious diseases like COVID-19. Additionally, they hold significant potential for treating cancer and genetic disorders. Since mRNA itself is ...

When people are having a conversation, they rapidly take turns speaking and sometimes even interrupt. Now, researchers who have collected the largest ever dataset of chimpanzee “conversations” have found that they communicate back and forth using gestures following the same rapid-fire pattern. The findings are reported on July 22 in the journal Current Biology. “While human languages are incredibly diverse, a hallmark we all share is that our conversations are structured with fast-paced turns of just 200 milliseconds on average,” ...

An international team of researchers, including a Northwestern University chemist, has discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen — 13,000 feet below the surface. The surprising discovery challenges long-held assumptions that only photosynthetic organisms, such as plants and algae, generate Earth’s oxygen. But the new finding shows there might be another way. It appears oxygen also can be produced at the seafloor — where no light can penetrate — to support the oxygen-breathing (aerobic) sea life living in complete darkness. The ...

About The Study: The results of this cohort study suggest that prenatal cannabis use was associated with several adverse maternal health outcomes during pregnancy. Continued research is needed to understand whether characteristics of prenatal cannabis use (e.g., dose, mode, and timing) moderate these associations.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kelly C. Young-Wolff, Ph.D., M.P.H., email kelly.c.young-wolff@kp.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media ...

About The Study: The findings of this study suggest that sexual and gender minority adults in the U.S. have a disproportionate prevalence of epilepsy. The reasons for this disparity are likely complex and may be associated with biological and psychosocial determinants of health unique to this population; as such, these individuals are in need of protected access to medical care. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Emily L. Johnson, M.D., M.P.H., email ejohns92@jhmi.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.2243) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this randomized clinical trial, overground robot-assisted gait training using a wearable robot significantly improved gross motor function and gait pattern. This new torque-assisted wearable exoskeletal robot, based on assist-as-needed control, may complement standard rehabilitation by providing adequate assistance and therapeutic support to children with cerebral palsy. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Min-Keun Song, M.D., Ph.D., email drsongmk@chonnam.ac.kr. To access the embargoed study: Visit our ...

What: Sexual and gender minorities (SGM)—individuals who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, transgender, non-binary, or gender-diverse—are twice as likely to report active epilepsy compared to non-SGM individuals, based on a National Institutes of Health (NIH) analysis of data from the population-based National Health Information Survey. “Active epilepsy” means a person has been diagnosed with epilepsy and has had more than one seizure in the past year or is currently taking anti-seizure medication. This study suggests that epilepsy could be added to the growing ...

During the peak of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, there was an increase in maternal mortality in Chile. This is confirmed by a natural population experiment based on data from the Department of Health Statistics and Information (DEIS) of the Chilean Ministry of Health. The research was published in PLOS Global Public Health. In a collaborative study, led by Professor Elard Koch, senior epidemiologist and founder of MELISA Institute (Chile), and conducted with a team of researchers from the Universidad Católica Sedes Sapientiae (Peru), the Pontificia Universidad ...

A University of Virginia School of Medicine scientist and other top experts from around the world have developed the first comprehensive guidelines for reporting cutting-edge “precision medicine” research in a bid to improve patient care and health equity for people everywhere. Precision medicine aims to tailor treatments to individual patients to get the best possible outcomes. It does this by considering many different factors specific to the patient, such as the patient’s genetics, environment, lifestyle and more. But until now there have been no standardized guidelines for reporting precision ...

Research Highlights: Two new, basic research studies in rodents (mice and rats) analyzed the impacts that alcohol may have on the heart. In a mouse study, abnormal heart rhythms that can occur after a pattern of repeated simulation of binge drinking may be related to a spike in a stress protein found in the heart. Researchers tested a heart protective molecule to reduce the stress protein spike and the resulting irregular heart rhythms. In a study using rats that lacked estrogen production to simulate human menopause, alcohol exposure resulted ...

A technology has been developed to decompose refrigerants, a greenhouse gas 1,300 times more potent than carbon dioxide, using challenging-to-handle industrial waste. Dr. Ryi, Shin-kun’s research team at the Hydrogen Convergence Materials Lab of the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) has successfully developed a catalyst from industrial waste known as 'red mud,' a byproduct of aluminum production. This catalyst can decompose HFC-134a refrigerant, commonly used in household appliances like air conditioners and refrigerators, with an efficiency of 99%. * Red Mud: An industrial byproduct remaining after extracting aluminum ...

Tim Rademacher is taking on a sweet new role at the University of Vermont—as the new Scientific Director of UVM’s Proctor Maple Research Center (PMRC). The PMRC is a field research station of the Department of Plant Biology at the University of Vermont, and is the oldest and most renowned maple science research centers in the world. Since 1947 it has produced cutting edge research on maple, supported maple sugar producers, and bolstered maple syrup production in Vermont—and globally. “I'm very excited to join PMRC with its rich history and its excellent work that has really pushed the industry in the past, says Rademacher, who will start this fall. “I ...

Soft rehabilitation gloves have become popular tools for helping patients with hand function-related disabilities recover finger movement. These gloves often use soft pneumatic actuators that employ air pressure to generate movements. Despite significant design improvements in recent years, many available soft actuators have drawbacks in achieving bidirectional motion typical of finger joints—such soft actuators facilitate finger bending (or flexion) but not finger straightening (or extension).   A group of biomedical researchers from Chiba University successfully ...

The bull elephants gather in the evening coolness to drink. After a spell, a senior male lifts his head and turns from the waterhole. With ears flapping gently, he lets out a deep, resonant rumble.  One by one, the others respond, their voices overlapping in a sonorous, infrasonic chorus that whispers across the savanna. This elephant barbershop quartet conveys a clear message: It’s time to move on. Gradually, the elephants shift, their massive bodies swaying as they follow their rumbling leader to the next stop on their nocturnal wanderings. For the first time, scientists from Stanford University and other institutions have documented male elephants using “let’s ...

Submarine canyons are crucial for the instability of the Antarctic ice sheet Antarctic canyons play a crucial role in the instability of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet, as they facilitate the transfer of relatively warm water (Circumpolar Deep Water) from the abyssal areas to the continental shelf and from there to the base of the ice sheet, thus contributing to its melting.  The new study, conducted by an international team of researchers led by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) and including the University of Southampton, ...