In this Special Issue of Science, three Reviews highlight how recent advances in the field of ancient DNA have greatly advanced our understanding of the evolutionary history of many plants and animals, including our own species. “This special issue examines the changing landscape of how ancient DNA (aDNA) is studied today, including previously untapped sources, improvements in technology, and ethical challenges, and what we’ve learned about ourselves though ancient DNA,” write Corinne Simonti and Madeleine ...

Wastewater release from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in Japan is expected to have negligible effects on people and the ocean, Jim Smith and colleagues report in a Perspective. The planned releases of radioactive wastewater, 350 million gallons of which has been stored at the site since the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that triggered the Fukushima plant’s meltdown, began in August 2023 and are expected to continue for perhaps the next 30 years. The second release is scheduled to start on October 5th. While the scheduled releases have sparked international concern, Smith et al. discuss the science behind the risks and ...

A fundamental discovery about the Fischer Tropsch process, a catalytic reaction used in industry to convert coal, natural gas or biomass to liquid fuels, could someday allow for more efficient fuel production. Washington State University researchers discovered previously unknown self-sustained oscillations in the Fischer Tropsch process. They found that unlike many catalytic reactions which have one steady state, this reaction periodically moves back and forth from a high to a low activity state. The discovery, reported in Science, means that these well-controlled oscillatory states might be used in the future to enhance the reaction rate and the yields of desired ...

University of Birmingham News Release STRICTLY EMBARGOED UNTIL 14.00 Thursday 5th October ET 2023/ 19.00 Thursday 5th October UK 2023 Researchers have identified a ‘guard mechanism’ for a protein which attacks microbes in infected cells, opening the possibility of new treatments for Toxoplasma, Chlamydia, Tuberculosis and even cancer. A study, led by the University of Birmingham and published today (5th October) in Science has discovered the lock and key mechanism that controls the attack protein GPB1. GBP1 is activated during ...

Researchers at Tulane University have shown for the first time that mothers are much less likely to transmit a common virus known to cause miscarriages and birth defects if they are exposed to the virus prior to becoming pregnant. The study marks a significant step toward the development of a vaccine that could protect mothers and their babies. Cytomegalovirus (CMV) is a common herpesvirus that most women contract unknowingly before reaching child-bearing age. It's usually harmless except during pregnancy when, if passed on to the developing fetus, it is a leading cause ...

Seoul, Korea - Researchers at the IBS Center for Quantum Nanoscience (QNS) at Ewha Womans University have accomplished a groundbreaking step forward in quantum information science. In partnership with teams from Japan, Spain, and the US, they created a novel electron-spin qubit platform, assembled atom-by-atom on a surface. This breakthrough was published in the journal Science on 2023/10/06. Unlike previous atomic quantum devices on surfaces where only a single qubit could be controlled, the researchers at QNS successfully demonstrated the ability to control multiple qubits simultaneously, enabling the application of single-, two-, and three-qubit gates. Qubits, ...

Francis Crick Institute press release Under strict embargo: 19:00hrs BST Thursday 5 October 2023 Peer reviewed Experimental study Animals   Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have shown that pregnancy hormones ‘rewire’ the brain to prepare mice for motherhood. Their findings, published today in Science, show that both oestrogen and progesterone act on a small population of neurons in the brain to switch on parental behaviour even before offspring arrive. These adaptations resulted in stronger and more selective responses to pups. It is well known that while virgin female rodents do not show much interaction with pups, ...

A person’s immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, depends on their previous exposure – and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimise vaccines in the future to provide broad protection. A new study has found that people differ in how vulnerable they are to different mutations in emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2. This is because the variant of SARS-CoV-2 a person was first exposed to determines how well their immune system responds to different parts of the virus, and how protected they are against other variants. It also means that the same COVID-19 ...

Scientists testing a new method of sequencing single cells have unexpectedly changed our understanding of the rules of genetics.  The genome of a protist has revealed a seemingly unique divergence in the DNA code signalling the end of a gene, suggesting the need for further research to better understand this group of diverse organisms. Dr Jamie McGowan, a postdoctoral scientist at the Earlham Institute, analysed the genome sequence of a microscopic organism - a protist – isolated from a freshwater pond at Oxford University Parks. The work was intended to test a DNA ...

TORONTO (5 October 2023) – Conscience, a game-changing non-profit venture focused on enabling drug discoveries for diseases that have received limited attention from the pharmaceutical industry, launched today with pioneering support from the Canadian government.   With CA$105.7 million in funding, including $49 million from the Canadian government and the engagement of industry, academia, government and patient advocacy groups, Conscience seeks to lead global drug discovery and development for emerging, rare or complex ...

In 1913, historian of science George Sarton created what has become the Isis Current Bibliography of the History of Science (IsisCB). For the last 110 years, the journal Isis has included a comprehensive survey of the recent work in the history of science and allied fields, first in each issue and later as a full yearly supplement. Now the basis of a free online search tool called IsisCB Explore, the IsisCB continues to serve as an indispensable reference for scholars and students. “Bibliographic ...

CLEVELAND—A pair of theoretical physicists are reporting that the same observations inspiring the hunt for a ninth planet might instead be evidence within the solar system of a modified law of gravity originally developed to understand the rotation of galaxies. Researchers Harsh Mathur,  a professor of physics at Case Western Reserve University, and Katherine Brown, an associate professor of physics at Hamilton College, made the assertion after studying the effect the Milky Way galaxy would have on objects in the outer solar system—if the laws of gravity were governed by a theory known as Modified ...

The past decade has seen a significant increase in marijuana use among U.S. college students. This increase has coincided with notable changes in national and local cannabis laws and policies, and perceptions of the associated drug’s risk over the same period. However, cannabis use by students continues to be a public health challenge throughout the country. Universities have long relied on education programs to address these risks; however, many of these programs have limitations and fail to consider some of the modern risk factors ...

NEW YORK, NY (October 5, 2023) – Researchers have used CRISPR gene editing, stem cells and human neurons to study the impact of a gene that is commonly mutated in autism. This new study, published today in The American Journal of Human Genetics, ties mutations in the gene CHD8 with a broad spectrum of molecular and cellular defects in human cortical neurons.  Autism is a highly heritable disorder with a recent increase in incidence — approximately 1 in 40 children in the US are diagnosed with autism. Over the past decade, sequencing studies have found many ...

Check the comments section of many social media and digital news platforms, and you’re likely to find a cesspool of insults, threats and even harassment. In fact, a Pew Research Center survey found that 41% of American adults have personally experienced online harassment, and one in five adults say they’ve been harassed online for their political views. But researchers at BYU and Duke University say derisive online conversations don’t have to be the norm. A joint paper between the two universities found that artificial intelligence can be used to improve conversation quality and promote civil dialogue in online ...

With a myriad of external pressures and challenges facing hospitals and health systems today, it is more important now than ever to mitigate internal risks. Unprofessional behavior, which negatively impacts patient care, retention, and team dynamics, is a legal, financial, and cultural risk that many health systems are now looking to address head-on. Peer-reviewed research consistently shows unprofessional behavior in health systems can be reduced by 85% through implementing the right tools and processes.   The Vanderbilt ...

TikTok and other short-form video platforms are booming in popularity — for entertainment and for sharing information, including health information. Researchers are currently examining the effects of social media videos, and among them is Ciera Kirkpatrick, assistant professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Kirkpatrick, who studies the intersection of communication and health, recently turned her scientific eye toward TikTok. In a newly published article, Kirkpatrick and co-author LaRissa Lawrie, a doctoral ...

Three years ago, as part of the public health messaging in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization launched the "Wear A Mask" campaign on social media. However, despite their benefits to public health, mask-wearing quickly became a highly politicized and divisive issue across the globe. But the campaign gained impressive traction after World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus issued the following tweet on X, the social media platform known at the time as Twitter, on August 21, 2020, thanking BTS, a South Korean K-pop group, for supporting the mask-wearing public ...

In art, the negative space in a painting can be just as important as the painting itself. Something similar is true in insulating materials, where the empty spaces left behind by missing electrons play a crucial role in determining the material's properties. When a negatively charged electron is excited by light, it leaves behind a positive hole. Because the hole and the electron are oppositely charged, they are attracted to each other and form a bond. The resulting pair, which is short lived, is known as an exciton [pronounced exit-tawn].    Excitons are a key part of many technologies, including solar panels, photodetectors and sensors, as well as light-emitting ...

The American College of Cardiology has announced Julie Damp, MD, FACC, as the next vice chair of the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session. Damp will serve as vice chair for ACC.25 and ACC.26 and transition to chair for ACC.27 and ACC.28. "ACC Annual Scientific Session is an incredibly impactful learning experience for cardiovascular care providers globally,” Damp said. “I am truly honored and excited to have the opportunity to work with the ACC team to provide effective and innovative education that impacts the care of our patients and expands the reach of cardiovascular science." Damp is a professor of medicine in cardiovascular medicine ...

A new study may offer a strategy that mitigates negative side effects associated with intravenous injection of nanoparticles commonly used in medicine.   The study was published today in Nature Nanotechnology. “Nanotechnology’s main advantage over conventional medical treatments is its ability to more precisely target tissues, such as cancer cells targeted by chemotherapy. However, when nanoparticles are injected, they can activate part of the immune system called complement,” said senior author Dmitri Simberg, Ph.D., professor of Nanomedicine and Nanosafety at the University of Colorado Skaggs School of Pharmacy ...

A technology being studied to curb climate change – one that could be put in place in one or two decades if work on the technology began now – would affect food productivity in parts of planet Earth in dramatically different ways, benefiting some areas, and adversely affecting others, according to projections prepared by a Rutgers-led team of scientists. Writing in the journal, Nature Food, the scientists described the results of computer models simulating varying climate scenarios and their impacts over time on the production of the world’s four major food crops: ...

About The Study: In this study of 4,070 insured adults with diabetes, disparities in poor glycemic control persisted despite adjustment for social, health care, and behavioral factors. Research is needed to identify the barriers contributing to poor control even in populations with access to care.  Authors: Sandra S. Albrecht, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health in New York, is the corresponding author.  To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.36307) Editor’s Note: Please see the article ...

About The Study: This study of 26.9 million individuals in four Canadian provinces found that cannabis legalization with restrictions was not associated with an increase in hospitalizations due to cannabis but commercialization was. The findings suggest that commercialization of cannabis may be associated with increases in cannabis-related health harms, including cannabis-induced psychosis.  Authors: Daniel T. Myran, M.D., M.P.H., of the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, is the corresponding author.  To ...

About The Study: In a representative sample of emergency department chest radiographs, results suggest that the generative artificial intelligence (AI) model produced reports of similar clinical accuracy and textual quality to radiologist reports while providing higher textual quality than teleradiologist reports. Implementation of the model in the clinical workflow could enable timely alerts to life-threatening pathology while aiding imaging interpretation and documentation.  Authors: Mozziyar Etemadi, M.D., Ph.D., of Northwestern Medicine ...