Flamingos form cliques of like-minded individuals within their flocks, new research shows. Scientists analysed the personalities and social behaviour of Caribbean and Chilean flamingos. Birds of both species tended to spend time with others whose personality was similar to their own.   The study, by the University of Exeter and the Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust (WWT), reveals the complex nature of flamingo societies and could help in the management of captive flocks. “Our previous research has shown that individual flamingos have particular ‘friends’ within the flock,” said Dr Paul Rose, from WWT and Exeter’s Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour. “In ...

Toronto, ON — A new study published in the journal International Social Work has uncovered concerning rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety among social workers. Stressors related to COVID-19 were the strongest factors associated with the negative mental health outcomes. Those who experienced a higher number of pandemic-related stressors — such as health concerns, increased caregiving responsibilities, violence in the home, family stress due to confinement, and stress associated with work-life balance — experienced mental health problems ...

The mainly brown woodcock uses its bright white tail feathers to communicate in semi-darkness, reflecting 30% more light than any other known bird. These surprise findings, by a team led by an Imperial College London scientist, suggest there is much to learn about how birds that are most active at night or at dawn and dusk communicate. Birds that are most active during the day often have colourful plumages, which they use to communicate information with each other. Birds that are most active at dawn and dusk or at night (‘crepuscular’), such as nightjars and woodcocks, tend to have less showy plumage, as while sleeping during ...

Cells that form cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma tumours prepare themselves to migrate to the lymph nodes to metastasise other organs, and they make changes so that they can survive this process. According to a study led by researchers from the Inflammatory and Neoplastic Dermatological Diseases Research Group at the Hospital del Mar Medical Research Institute, published in the journal Life Science Alliance, these cells stop consuming glucose so that they can survive by using LDL cholesterol molecules, the ...

Although cable locks – commonly distributed to prevent firearm injury and death – are included in many legal firearm purchases, research shows firearm owners rarely prefer or use these devices. But a Rutgers study published in Injury Epidemiology found that gun owners who were told about cable locks at the time they purchased the firearm were more than twice as likely to use locking devices than those who weren’t told about cable locks when they made these purchases. “Simply placing a cable lock in a bag when somebody purchases a firearm likely has minimal impact, but a simple discussion mentioning that a lock was included may make enough of an ...

One in ten early deaths could be prevented if everyone managed at least half the recommended level of physical activity, say a team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge. In a study published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the researchers say that 11 minutes a day (75 minutes a week) of moderate-intensity physical activity – such as a brisk walk – would be sufficient to lower the risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke and a number of cancers. Cardiovascular diseases – such as heart disease and stroke – are the leading cause of death globally, ...

The Pink-throated Brilliant hummingbird, Heliodoxa gularis, has, unsurprisingly, a brilliant pink throat. So does its cousin, the Rufous-webbed Brilliant hummingbird, Heliodoxa branickii. When scientists found a Heliodoxa hummingbird with a glittering gold throat, they thought they might have found a new species. DNA revealed a different story: the gold-throated bird was a never-before-documented hybrid of the two pink-throated species. John Bates, the senior author of a new study in the journal Royal Society Open Science reporting on the hybrid, first encountered the unusual bird while doing fieldwork in Peru’s Cordillera ...

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB), one of the most common forms of dementia, has no cure. Previous studies suggested that gut bacteria, the microorganisms that live in the human digestive tract, play a role in Parkinson’s disease, another neurodegenerative disorder, but the bacteria involved in DLB had not been identified. Now, a group led by researchers at the Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine in Japan has identified three bacteria involved in DLB: Collinsella, Ruminococcus, and Bifidobacterium. Their findings, reported in npj Parkinson's ...

Greater numbers of Bison in Yellowstone National Park may come at a cost to the biological diversity of the important streamside habitats of the Park according to a new report in the journal Ecosphere Bison influences on composition and diversity of riparian plant communities in Yellowstone National Park.  Riparian areas (streamside zones) form the interface between terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems and are hotspots of biodiversity and productivity in the public lands of the Western USA.  The study findings are that ...

For those on keto or paleo diets, this may be tough to swallow. A new study from Tulane University which compared popular diets on both nutritional quality and environmental impact found that the keto and paleo diets, as eaten by American adults, scored among the lowest on overall nutrition quality and were among the highest on carbon emissions. The keto diet, which prioritizes high amounts of fat and low amounts of carbs, was estimated to generate almost 3 kg of carbon dioxide for every ...

Southern right whales adjusted their foraging grounds over the past 30 years as climate change altered where prey could be found, according to a University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau scientist. Dr Emma Carroll, of the School of Biological Sciences, was senior author of a paper which used data gleaned from contemporary whale skin samples along with whaling records stretching back to 1792. Over the past three decades, the whales increased their use of mid-latitude foraging grounds in the south Atlantic and southwest Indian oceans in the late summer and autumn, according to Carroll and dozens of collaborators including lead author Solène Derville, of Oregon State University. The ...

Long COVID is associated with reduced brain oxygen levels, worse performance on cognitive tests and increased psychiatric symptoms such as depression and anxiety, according to new research studying the impacts of the disease.   Researchers from the University of Waterloo combined the results of two new parallel studies: a laboratory study involving cognitive testing and imaging of oxygen levels in the brain, and a national population survey of Canadians in 2021 and 2022.  The laboratory study found that individuals who had experienced symptomatic COVID-19 illness performed worse on two computer tasks. One is measuring inhibition and another impulsive decision-making. ...

Stars are formed by molecular gas and dust coalescing in space. These molecular gases are so dilute and cold that they are invisible to the human eye, but they do emit faint radio waves that can be observed by radio telescopes. Observing from Earth, a lot of matter lies ahead and behind these molecular clouds and these overlapping features make it difficult to determine their distance and physical properties such as size and mass. So, even though our Galaxy, the Milky Way, is the only galaxy close ...

Conventional mechanics of materials books treat elastic deformations of solids through one-dimensional models for extension of rods, torsion of shafts and bending of beams. In functional materials, elastic, thermal, electric and magnetic fields interact. A systematic treatment of these fields and their interactions for one-dimensional models of extension, torsion and bending of beams in addition to the underlying three-dimensional theory is presented in new book, Mechanics of Functional Materials, by Professor of Mechanical and Materials ...

FAIRFAX, Va. (March 1, 2023)—A minimally invasive treatment that injects allograft disc tissue into the spine to relieve pain associated with degenerative disc disease provides significant improvement in pain and function over a sustained period, according to new research to be presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix. The treatment, known as viable disc allograft supplementation, injects specialized cells and fluid into a patient’s damaged disc. The cells ...

FAIRFAX, Va. (March 1, 2023)—Prostate artery embolization (PAE) provides long-term effectiveness in treating urinary symptoms from an enlarged prostate gland, according to new research to be presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix. In the largest long-term North American study, 1,000 patients who underwent PAE reported significant sustained relief, up to six years, from lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) or urinary retention due to benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH). BPH is the most common benign condition in men, affecting more than 50 percent of men over age 60. The ...

FAIRFAX, Va. (March 1, 2023) — Genicular nerve radiofrequency ablation is a minimally invasive treatment for knee pain due to osteoarthritis of the knee, and can significantly reduce pain, especially for adults who are 50 and older, according to new research to be presented at the Society of Interventional Radiology Annual Scientific Meeting in Phoenix. This is the first time a study has examined patient demographics, prior surgical history and other clinical characteristics that may predict the level of pain reduction after treatment. “We ...

A new study has shown that sexting was associated with depression, anxiety, sleep problems, and compulsive sexual behaviors. The study is published in the peer-reviewed journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking. Click here to read the article now. Sexting is defined as sending a sexually explicit image of oneself over text messaging. Sexting can include sending only, receiving only or “reciprocal” (sending and receiving) use of messages.  Nicholas C. Borgogna PhD, from Texas Tech University, and coauthors, found that participants who had only ever sent (but not received) sexts reported more depression, anxiety, and sleep problems than the other groups. They ...

Washington, February 28, 2023—Janelle Scott, professor and the Birgeneau Distinguished Chair in Educational Disparities at the University of California, Berkeley, in the School of Education, has been voted president-elect of the American Educational Research Association (AERA). Scott joins the AERA Council in 2023–2024 as president-elect. Her presidency begins at the conclusion of the association’s 2024 Annual Meeting. Scott served as the 2019–2022 AERA Division L Vice President and as an AERA Council and Executive Board member. She is an AERA Fellow and received the AERA Committee on ...

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter have repeatedly been the subject of negative news coverage. As a result, the positive aspects associated with digital platforms have been overlooked. In light of this, a recent study has explored the social media activity of a carefully selected group of individuals who use the microblogging platform Twitter. The authors, Dr. Roman Lietz from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU) and Dr. Fergal Lenehan from the Friedrich Schiller University of Jena, observe that socially engaged Twitter users share unexpected similarities despite their different backgrounds. "These digital cosmopolitans share similar ...

NEWPORT, Ore. – A new study of New Zealand blue whales’ vocalizations indicates the whales are present year-round in the South Taranaki Bight and their behavior is influenced by environmental conditions in the region. The findings are a significant advancement in researchers’ understanding of the habitat use and behavior of this population of blue whales, which Oregon State University researchers first identified as genetically distinct from other blue whale populations less than a decade ago.   “We ...

  ·  When scientists reduce level of a gene, brain activity and behavior return to normal in mice ·  Approach could be used more broadly in other neurodevelopmental disorders ·  Neurodevelopmental disorders affect 10 million people in U.S. CHICAGO --- Northwestern Medicine scientists have identified the cause of a genetic subtype of autism and schizophrenia that results in social deficits and seizures in mice and humans.  Scientists have discovered a key feature of this ...

Americans are drinking more caffeinated beverages than ever before, but Rutgers researchers found one group that tops the charts in caffeine consumption: adult smokers with mental illness.   In a study published online ahead of print in the January issue of the journal Psychiatry Research, Jill M. Williams, director of the division of addiction psychiatry at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, found not only do adult smokers with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia drink the most caffeine, they are at the highest risk of negative health ...

An on-going, worldwide shortage of bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) means that many patients with a common and serious type of bladder cancer have limited access to this effective standard of care treatment. But, for the first time in almost 50 years, there appears to be a viable treatment alternative.  A new study from the University of Iowa finds that a safe, inexpensive combo-chemotherapy is better tolerated than BCG and is better at preventing high-grade cancer recurrence in patients with non-muscle invasive ...

Whether it’s Flo from Progressive or the Geico gecko, the average TV viewer may not give much thought to commercials outside of whether they’re entertaining or not. However, there is a rather complex science behind what commercials you see and when you see them. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Sebastian Souyris, an assistant professor of supply chain and analytics who holds the Dean R. Wellington ’83 Teaching Professorship in Management at the Lally School of Management, along with his ...