COVID-19's socio-economic fallout threatens global coffee industry
2021-06-28
New Brunswick, N.J. (June 28, 2021) - COVID-19's socio-economic effects will likely cause another severe production crisis in the coffee industry, according to a Rutgers University-led study.
The study, which appears in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, included researchers from the University of Arizona, University of Hawaii at Hilo, CIRAD, Santa Clara University, Purdue University West Lafayette and University of Exeter.
"Any major impacts in the global coffee industry will have serious implications for millions of people across the globe, including the coffee retail ...
Shock find brings extinct mouse back from the dead
2021-06-28
An Australian mammal thought to have been wiped out over 150 years ago can now be crossed off our list of extinct animals, following a new study.
Researchers compared DNA samples fromeight extinct Australian rodents, as well as 42 of their living relatives, to look at the decline of native species since the arrival of Europeans in Australia.
The study showed the extinctGould's mouse was indistinguishable from the Shark Bay mouse, still found on several small islands off the coast of Western Australia.
According to lead author Dr Emily Roycroft ...
Research identifies new ways to try and prevent lethal blood clots
2021-06-28
Scientists have made a breakthrough in understanding the process that leads to a blood clot forming in the lungs - a condition that kills more than two thousand people in the UK each year.
The clot forms a pulmonary embolism or blockage, cutting off blood flow to major blood vessels in the lungs.
In many cases, the blockage is caused by fragments that have broken away from a blood clot elsewhere in the body, such as a deep vein thrombosis in one of the legs. The fragments are transported to the lungs via the blood stream.
In a paper published today (28 June) in the scientific ...
Gut microbe secreted molecule linked to formation of new nerve cells in adult brain
2021-06-28
The billions of microbes living in your gut could play a key role in supporting the formation of new nerve cells in the adult brain, with the potential to possibly prevent memory loss in old age and help to repair and renew nerve cells after injury, an international research team spanning Singapore, UK, Australia, Canada, US, and Sweden has discovered.
The international investigating team led by Principal Investigator Professor Sven Pettersson, National Neuroscience Institute of Singapore, and Visiting Professor at Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), and Sunway University, Malaysia, found that gut microbes that metabolise tryptophan - an essential amino acid - secrete small molecules called ...
Acidic pH enhances butyrate production from pectin by faecal microbiota
2021-06-28
Researchers from Tallinn University of Technology, Grete Raba, Signe Adamberg, and Kaarel Adamberg showed that an acidic environment enhances the production of butyric acid from apple pectin by faecal bacterial consortia - microbiota. Pectin is a dietary fibre abundant in apples, berries, fruits, and vegetables. Pectin is used in jellies and desserts. As human digestive enzymes are not able to degrade pectin, it is metabolized by the microbes of the large intestine. The main conclusions of the research, published in FEMS Microbiology Letters, was the importance of environmental acidity (pH) on the composition and metabolism of colon bacteria. The colonic pH is, however, strongly related to one's diet.
Fibre-rich diets that contain plenty of whole-grain ...
Connective tissue protein fights bacterial infection
2021-06-28
A connective tissue protein known to support the framework of organs also encourages immune responses that fight bacterial infections, while restraining responses that can be deadly in the condition called sepsis, a new study finds.
Led by researchers from NYU Grossman School of Medicine, the work revolves around the extracellular matrix (ECM) of connective tissues, once thought of as an inert framework that shapes bodily compartments, but increasingly recognized as a signaling partner with nearby cells in normal function, and a contributor to disease when signals go awry. Among the key players in the ECM are fibroblasts, the cells that make tough structural matrix proteins ...
How lead (maybe) caused the downfall of ancient Rome (video)
2021-06-28
WASHINGTON, June 28, 2021 -- Ancient Rome's emperors did some pretty bizarre stuff -- bursting into uncontrollable fits of laughter, appointing a horse as a priest, dressing in animal skins and attacking people ... the list goes on. Why were they acting that way? Well, it might have been lead poisoning. In this week's episode, we unwrap the possibility that lead caused the Roman Empire's collapse: https://youtu.be/4k7CvSiomlA.
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The American Chemical Society (ACS) is ...
Scientists discover at the Dead Sea a mineral previously only known in meteorites
2021-06-28
Allabogdanite was first reported in the early 2000s from the Onello - a small iron meteorite recovered from the gold placer at the Bolshoi Dolguchan River in Eastern Yakutia. Chemically, the mineral belongs to phosphides - the compounds containing phosphorus in a negative oxidation state. It was named in honour of the crystallographer Alla Bogdanova. Since that, allabogdanite was identified in several iron meteorites. The recent discovery at the Dead Sea is the first confirmation of the mineral on Earth. Allabogdanite was detected in the course of a systematic study of terrestrial phosphides from the Dead Sea region.
'Our research included the experiments on phase transitions of terrestrial allabogdanite at high pressure and high temperature at the DESY synchrotron ...
Finding support for India during its COVID-19 surge
2021-06-28
India and Pakistan have fought four wars in the past few decades, but when India faced an oxygen shortage in its hospitals during its recent COVID-19 surge, Pakistan offered to help.
On Twitter, hashtags like #IndiaNeedsOxygen and #PakistanStandsWithIndia trended. Finding these positive tweets, however, was not as easy as simply browsing the supportive hashtags or looking at the most popular posts. Negative tweets often hijack the supportive hashtags for trolling or fighting with other users. And Twitter's algorithm isn't tuned to surface the most positive tweets during a crisis.
Ashique KhudaBukhsh of Carnegie Mellon University's Language Technologies ...
New report explains microbiome impact on glucose control
2021-06-28
San Francisco, CA, June 28, 2021 - A new study by Pendulum Therapeutics was presented at the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) 81st (Virtual) Scientific Sessions, the preeminent global conference for diabetes clinicians, researchers, and professionals where cutting-edge science and advances in diabetes research, prevention, and care are discussed. The findings shine a light on proprietary probiotic formulations that may be used to help patients with Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).
The research report entitled, "Changes in Circulating Metabolites, Including Butyrate, Points to Underlying Mechanism of a Probiotic Intervention That Improves Postprandial Hyperglycemia in Type 2 Diabetes," is believed to be the first of its kind. Its findings show Pendulum ...
Review by Temple scientists: Endovascular therapy best for superior vena cava syndrome
2021-06-28
(Philadelphia, PA) - Like a blocked water line, obstructions in blood vessels in the human circulatory system can cause serious problems. This is especially the case in superior vena cava syndrome (SVCS), in which oxygen-depleted blood returning from the head, upper chest, and arms is partially or completely prevented from reaching the heart. The result, however, is far more serious than the inconvenience of low water pressure from a clogged pipe - SVCS requires immediate attention.
Each year, some 15,000 people in the United States are affected by SVCS, symptoms of which include facial swelling, ...
Mangrove forest study has takeaways for coastal communities
2021-06-28
A new paper published by an East Carolina University researcher in the Department of Coastal Studies shines light on the effect human-made infrastructure and natural topography has on coastal wetlands after major storm events.
In partnership with NASA and Florida International University, the study, led by assistant professor David Lagomasino, was published in the July edition of Nature Communications.
The study focused on the effects of Hurricane Irma, which struck Florida in 2017, and the damage it caused to the state's mangrove forests. The research team found that the forests suffered unparalleled dieback after the major hurricane.
Mangrove forests are often damaged after hurricanes, but Lagomasino said forests in Florida have shown great resiliency in ...
Plant physiology: A tale of three proteins
2021-06-28
LMU biologists have shown that 'supervisor' and 'motivator' proteins are required to enable a third factor to perform its function in photosynthesis.
Plants, algae and cyanobacteria need only three ingredients for the synthesis of sugars via the process of photosynthesis - carbon dioxide, water and sunlight. However, the operation is far more complicated than this simple list of ingredients might suggest. Prof. Dr. Dario Leister and research group in the Department of Biology I at LMU are analyzing the complex regulation of photosynthesis. Their latest findings shed light on the roles of three proteins, named PGRL1, PGRL2 and PGR5, which participate in the control of one of the two subsystems of the photosynthetic apparatus. PGRL2 itself was first discovered in the course of the ...
US presidents' narcissism linked to international conflict
2021-06-28
COLUMBUS, Ohio - The most narcissistic U.S. presidents since 1897 preferred to instigate conflicts with other great power countries without seeking support from allies, a new study suggests.
Results showed that of the presidents measured, those highest in narcissism - including Lyndon B. Johnson, Teddy Roosevelt and Richard Nixon - were about six times more likely to initiate a dispute with another great power in any given year than a president with average levels of narcissism.
The inclination to "go it alone" in international disputes fits with the desire ...
Public opinion surveys on vaccine hesitancy can help predict where vaccine uptake is likely to be lower
2021-06-28
Public opinion surveys could be used more widely to understand regional variation in vaccine hesitancy, experts have recommended.
The research shows vaccine uptake rates for childhood vaccines are significantly lower in regions where hesitancy observed in mass public opinion surveys is more pronounced.
This data is often not widely available, which makes it challenging for experts to analyse the links between attitudes and real-world behaviour. The study says this data should be used by public health officials to understand where vaccines are more likely to be rejected, and who should be the target of information campaigns.
The research published in the journal ...
Unique exoplanet photobombs Cheops study of nearby star system
2021-06-28
While exploring two exoplanets in a bright nearby star system, ESA's exoplanet-hunting Cheops satellite has unexpectedly spotted the system's third known planet crossing the face of the star. This transit reveals exciting details about a rare planet "with no known equivalent", say the researchers.
The discovery is one of the first results from ESA's Cheops (CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite), and the first time an exoplanet with a period of over 100 days has been spotted transiting a star that is bright enough to be visible to the naked eye.
Named Nu2 Lupi, this bright, ...
Pediatricians ID cause of muscle breakdown in rare disease found on newborn screening
2021-06-28
PITTSBURGH, June 28, 2021 - It was a nagging mystery: A rare-disease expert at UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh had found a successful treatment for two of the deadliest symptoms of one of the more common classes of rare diseases diagnosed by newborn screenings, but one symptom--painful episodes of muscle breakdown that land victims in intensive care--persisted.
Today, the scientists announce in the journal Clinical & Translational Immunology that they've gotten to the bottom of the self-destructive syndrome and have a good lead on a treatment.
"These episodes looked a lot like inflammatory ...
Weird warbler reveals genetics of its mismatched colors
2021-06-28
An incredibly rare hybrid warbler with mismatched color patterns has allowed researchers to disentangle the genetic drivers of two traits that usually come as a package deal--the black face mask and the black throat patch in blue-winged and golden-winged warblers. A new study describing the peculiar bird and pinpointing the location in the genome that controls the face mask and throat patch appears online in the journal Ecology.
"Golden-winged warblers have both a black face mask and a black throat patch, while blue-winged warblers have neither," said Marcella Baiz, postdoctoral researcher at Penn State and first ...
Are we missing other earths?
2021-06-28
Some exoplanet searches could be missing nearly half of the Earth-sized planets around other stars. New findings from a team using the international Gemini Observatory and the WIYN 3.5-meter Telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory suggest that Earth-sized worlds could be lurking undiscovered in binary star systems, hidden in the glare of their parent stars. As roughly half of all stars are in binary systems, this means that astronomers could be missing many Earth-sized worlds.
Earth-sized planets may be much more common than previously realized. Astronomers working at NASA Ames Research Center have used the twin telescopes of the international Gemini Observatory, a Program of NSF's NOIRLab, to determine that many planet-hosting ...
Emergency physician residents and health care workers at high risk of physical or verbal assault, new analysis shows
2021-06-28
WASHINGTON, D.C.--A new study in Annals of Emergency Medicine highlights the importance of protecting physician residents--early-career doctors still in training--and emergency care teams from incidents of physical or verbal abuse.
The survey of 123 physicians, residents, and staff in one emergency department found that 78 percent of all health care workers experienced a violent assault in the prior 12 months, including more than one in five (22 percent) emergency physician residents. Eighty-nine percent of residents experienced verbal assault by a patient in the prior 12 months, compared to 80 percent of other health care workers.
"Violent ...
CHOP researchers discover unique immune response by cells critical to lung health
2021-06-28
Philadelphia, June 28, 2021--Researchers at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) have discovered that a specific type of lung cell exhibits unconventional immune properties and may contribute to the outcome of respiratory viral infections. The researchers focused on type II alveolar (AT2) cells, which are non-immune cells of the lung that are critical for basic lung health and tissue repair after lung injury. They found that AT2 cells express high levels of major histocompatibility complex II (MHC-II), an important immune system trigger, and that AT2 MHC-II expression appears to confer an appreciable ...
Mouse brain imaged from the microscopic to the macroscopic level
2021-06-28
Researchers at the University of Chicago and the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have leveraged existing advanced X-ray microscopy techniques to bridge the gap between MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and electron microscopy imaging, providing a viable pipeline for multiscale whole brain imaging within the same brain. The proof-of-concept demonstration involved imaging an entire mouse brain across five orders of magnitude of resolution, a step which researchers say will better connect existing imaging approaches and uncover new details about the structure of the brain.
The advance, which was published on June 9 in NeuroImage, will allow ...
Traits of a troll: Research reveals motives of internet trolling
2021-06-28
As social media and other online networking sites have grown in usage, so too has trolling - an internet practice in which users intentionally seek to draw others into pointless and, at times, uncivil conversations.
New research from Brigham Young University recently published in the journal of Social Media and Society sheds light on the motives and personality characteristics of internet trolls.
Through an online survey completed by over 400 Reddit users, the study found that individuals with dark triad personality traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy) combined with schadenfreude - a German word meaning that one derives pleasure from another's misfortune - were more likely to demonstrate trolling behaviors.
"People who exhibit ...
Researchers discover protein complex that promotes cancer growth
2021-06-28
A discovery by a team of researchers, led by a Geisinger professor, could yield a potential new treatment for breast cancer.
In a study published this month in Cell Reports, the team used small molecules known as peptides to disrupt a complex of two proteins, RBM39 and MLL1, that is found in breast cancer cells but not in normal cells.
The research team discovered that the abnormal interaction between RBM39 and MLL1 is required for breast cancer cells to multiply and survive. The team developed non-toxic peptides that prevent these proteins from interacting in breast cancer cells, disrupting their growth and survival.
"Because these proteins do not interact in normal ...
'Unexciting' an anxious brain: Novel drug reduces anxiety-like behavior in mice
2021-06-28
Anxiety, commonly termed as a feeling of fear, dread, and restlessness, is a perfectly normal reaction to stressful situations. However, a state of heightened anxiety, which is the reality for thousands of people who struggle to cope with these feelings, is called anxiety disorder. Anxiety disorder can invoke debilitating fear or apprehension, even without any immediate threat. Though intensive research over the years has yielded a plethora of information, and effective drugs like selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors have been used to alleviate this condition, a lot remains to be understood about this complex condition and ...
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