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Medicine 2023-09-13

DNA breakthrough detects genetic diversity of invasive fish

ITHACA, N.Y. – Ecologists have demonstrated that the genetic material that species shed into their environments can reveal not only the presence of the species but also a broad range of information about the genetics of whole populations — information that can help scientists trace the source of a new invasive population as well as prevent further invasion. The advancement in environmental DNA (eDNA) also opens new possibilities for protecting endangered and vulnerable species. “For the benefit of biodiversity conservation, we’re ...
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Stone age artists carved detailed human and animal tracks in rock art in Namibia
Science 2023-09-13

Stone age artists carved detailed human and animal tracks in rock art in Namibia

During the Later Stone Age in what is now Namibia, rock artists imbued so much detail into their engravings of human and animal prints that current-day Indigenous trackers could identify which animals’ prints they were depicting, as well as the animals’ general age and sex. Andreas Pastoors of Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg, Germany, and colleagues report these findings in a new study published September 13 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE. Engravings of animal tracks and human footprints appear in numerous ...
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High rates of depression and anxiety in people who use both tobacco and cannabis
Science 2023-09-13

High rates of depression and anxiety in people who use both tobacco and cannabis

People who use both tobacco and cannabis are more likely to report anxiety and depression than those who used tobacco only or those who used neither substance, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Nhung Nguyen of the University of California, San Francisco, USA, and colleagues. Tobacco and cannabis are among the most commonly used substances worldwide, and their co-use has been on the rise amid the expanding legalization of cannabis. In the new study, the researchers analyzed data on the substance use and mental health of 53,843 US adults who participated in online surveys as part of the COVID-19 Citizens Health Study, which ...
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Europeans may be more willing to help Ukrainian refugees than those from Syria or Somalia in part because they consider Ukrainians less threatening
Science 2023-09-13

Europeans may be more willing to help Ukrainian refugees than those from Syria or Somalia in part because they consider Ukrainians less threatening

Europeans may be more willing to help Ukrainian refugees than those from Syria or Somalia in part because they consider Ukrainians less threatening ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290335 Article Title: Emotions, perceived threat, prejudice, and attitudes towards helping Ukrainian, Syrian, and Somali asylum seekers Author Countries: UK Funding: The author received no specific funding for this work. END ...
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Wikipedia charts the history of science, per study analyzing evolution of CRISPR-related articles
Science 2023-09-13

Wikipedia charts the history of science, per study analyzing evolution of CRISPR-related articles

Wikipedia charts the history of science, per study analyzing evolution of CRISPR-related articles ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290827 Article Title: Wikipedia as a tool for contemporary history of science: A case study on CRISPR Author Countries: France, Israel Funding: Thanks to the Bettencourt Schueller Foundation long term partnership, this work was partly supported by the LPI Research Fellowship, Université de Paris, INSERM U1284, to RAv and OB. RAv’s work was supported in part at the Technion by a fellowship of "The Israel Academy of Science and Humanities”. In either ...
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Jail admissions even for minor court debt are common, per analysis of US county-level data from Texas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma
Science 2023-09-13

Jail admissions even for minor court debt are common, per analysis of US county-level data from Texas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma

Jail admissions even for minor court debt are common, per analysis of US county-level data from Texas, Wisconsin and Oklahoma ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290397 Article Title: Forgotten but not gone: A multi-state analysis of modern-day debt imprisonment Author Countries: USA Funding: This study was supported by a grant from Arnold Ventures (https://www.arnoldventures.org). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, ...
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The California rush hour is spreading and easing with reduced peak congestion following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from 3,500 traffic sensors
Medicine 2023-09-13

The California rush hour is spreading and easing with reduced peak congestion following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from 3,500 traffic sensors

The California rush hour is spreading and easing with reduced peak congestion following the COVID-19 pandemic, according to data from 3,500 traffic sensors ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290534 Article Title: Rush hour-and-a-half: Traffic is spreading out post-lockdown Author Countries: USA Funding: SZ: This work was supported in part by an NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Award DGE 2040434. MWBC received no specific funding for this work. The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, ...
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Battery-free robots use origami to change shape in mid-air
Technology 2023-09-13

Battery-free robots use origami to change shape in mid-air

Researchers at the University of Washington have developed small robotic devices that can change how they move through the air by "snapping" into a folded position during their descent. When these "microfliers" are dropped from a drone, they use a Miura-ori origami fold to switch from tumbling and dispersing outward through the air to dropping straight to the ground. To spread out the fliers, the researchers control the timing of each device's transition using a few methods: an onboard pressure ...
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Owners of cats on vegan diets report healthier pets than owners of meat-eating cats
Medicine 2023-09-13

Owners of cats on vegan diets report healthier pets than owners of meat-eating cats

In a survey of cat owners, those who fed their cats vegan diets tended to report better health outcomes for their pets than those who provided meat-based diets, though the differences were not statistically significant. Andrew Knight of the University of Winchester, UK, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 13. Many pet foods contain cooked meat as the primary protein source, but a growing number of available products use alternative protein sources, such as plants or fungi. Some veterinary professionals ...
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Wolves and dogs appear to remember where people hid food
Science 2023-09-13

Wolves and dogs appear to remember where people hid food

In a study involving several wolves and dogs, both animals performed better at finding hidden food if they had observed the food being hidden by a person—suggesting that they remembered where the food was, and did not rely solely on scent to find it. Sebastian Vetter of the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austria, and colleagues present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 13. Many species transmit important information through social learning, where one individual learns by observing ...
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A trained detection dog found sea turtle nests in Florida more accurately and efficiently than humans, indicating potential for dog-assisted nest monitoring
Science 2023-09-13

A trained detection dog found sea turtle nests in Florida more accurately and efficiently than humans, indicating potential for dog-assisted nest monitoring

A trained detection dog found sea turtle nests in Florida more accurately and efficiently than humans, indicating potential for dog-assisted nest monitoring ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0290740 Article Title: Use of a scent-detection dog for sea turtle nest monitoring of three sea turtle species in Florida Author Countries: USA Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...
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Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded
Space 2023-09-13

Six of nine planetary boundaries now exceeded

A new study updates the planetary boundary framework and shows human activities are increasingly impacting the planet and, thereby, increasing the risk of triggering dramatic changes in overall Earth conditions. For over 3 billion years, the interaction between life (represented by the planetary boundary, Biosphere Integrity) and climate have controlled the overall environmental conditions on Earth. Human activities, for example replacing nature with other land uses, changing the amount of water in rivers and in soil, the introduction of synthetic chemicals to the open environment, and the emission of greenhouse gases to the atmosphere ...
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Medicine 2023-09-13

University secures £2.66M to develop personalized cancer treatment

University of Liverpool researchers have secured £2.66m Medical Research Council funding to clinically test a novel immunotherapeutic strategy for non-small cell lung cancer – one of the most deadly cancers. Professor Christian Ottensmeier, and Professor Natalia Savelyeva from the Institute of Systems, Molecular and Integrative Biology are collaborating with industry partner Genomics England and working closely with Touchlight Genetics Ltd to develop a vaccine therapy for patients with non-small cell lung cancer who have not had sufficient benefit from standard immunotherapy. Non-small ...
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Science 2023-09-13

Natural compound found in plants inhibits deadly fungi

A new study finds that a natural compound found in many plants inhibits the growth of drug-resistant Candida fungi — including its most virulent species, Candida auris, an emerging global health threat. The journal ACS Infectious Diseases published the discovery led by scientists at Emory University. Laboratory-dish experiments showed that the natural compound, a water-soluble tannin known as PGG, blocks 90% of the growth in four different species of Candida fungi. The researchers also discovered how PGG inhibits the growth: It grabs up iron molecules, essentially starving the fungi of an essential nutrient.   By starving the fungi rather than attacking ...
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Study reveals why cancer may spread to the spine
Medicine 2023-09-13

Study reveals why cancer may spread to the spine

The vertebral bones that form the spine are derived from a distinct type of stem cell that secretes a protein favoring tumor metastases, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The discovery opens up a new line of research on spinal disorders, helps explain why solid tumors so often spread to the spine, and could lead to new orthopedic and cancer treatments. In the study, published Sept. 13 in Nature, the researchers discovered that vertebral bone is derived from ...
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Engineering 2023-09-13

Research empirically shows structural discrimination negatively impacts LGB youth and adults

“This study provides evidence that supports the belief of researchers and advocates that national policies protecting the human rights of lesbian, gay and bisexual people have an impact on individual development,” University of Delaware Assistant Professor Eric K. Layland said. “For LGB people, many of these identity and social milestones occur during the critical developmental period of adolescence. Results of this study add to other research showing protective policy can benefit LGB health by ...
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UTHealth Houston study: Unruptured brain aneurysms may be missed in routine clinical care, but AI-powered algorithm can help
Medicine 2023-09-13

UTHealth Houston study: Unruptured brain aneurysms may be missed in routine clinical care, but AI-powered algorithm can help

Unruptured cerebral aneurysms of sizes and locations that require attention may be frequently missed in routine clinical care, but a machine learning algorithm could minimize missed care opportunities, according to a new study from UTHealth Houston. The research, published today in Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology, was led by senior author Sunil A. Sheth, MD, associate professor in the Department of Neurology with McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, as well as co-first authors Hyun Woo Kim, MD, vascular and interventional neurology fellow at UTHealth Houston, and ...
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Environment 2023-09-13

Electrifying vehicles in Chicago would save lives, reduce pollution inequities

If the Chicago region replaced 30% of all on-road combustion-engine vehicles — including motorcycles, passenger cars and trucks, buses, refuse trucks and short- and long-haul trucks — with electric versions, it would annually save more than 1,000 lives and over $10 billion, according to a new Northwestern University study. The new study, which simulates air quality at a neighborhood scale, also found that areas with predominantly Black, Hispanic and Latinx residents would benefit most. The study underscores the potential of electric vehicles (EVs) to improve ...
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Noted experts present detailed evidence on the impact of environmental issues on cardiovascular health
Medicine 2023-09-13

Noted experts present detailed evidence on the impact of environmental issues on cardiovascular health

Philadelphia, September 13, 2023 – There is already robust evidence that people living with cardiovascular disease are disproportionately affected by poor air quality and extreme temperatures, in large part due to climate change, the greatest threat to human health of the 21st century. In this special theme issue of the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, noted experts comprehensively review how climate change occurs and increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and provide practical tips on how to become a climate-smart cardiovascular healthcare provider. Not long ago, climate change was a fringe topic deemed only ...
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Western researchers use AI to predict recovery after serious brain injury
Medicine 2023-09-13

Western researchers use AI to predict recovery after serious brain injury

Two graduate students from Western University have developed a ground-breaking method for predicting which intensive care unit (ICU) patients will survive a severe brain injury.   Matthew Kolisnyk and Karnig Kazazian combined functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) with state-of-the art machine learning techniques to tackle one of the most complex issues in critical care. Whether it is the result of a stroke, cardiac arrest or traumatic brain injury, lives can forever be changed by a serious brain injury. When patients are admitted to the ICU, families are faced with tremendous uncertainty. Will my loved one recover? Are they aware of what is going on? Will they ever be the same ...
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Flu: Interferon-gamma from T follicular helper cells is required to create lung-resident memory B cells
Medicine 2023-09-13

Flu: Interferon-gamma from T follicular helper cells is required to create lung-resident memory B cells

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – During a bout of influenza, B cells interact with other immune cells and then take different paths to defend the body. One path is the B cells that differentiate into antibody producing cells. Another path is the B cells that differentiate into lung-resident memory B cells, or lung-BRMs, that are critical for pulmonary immunity. Unlike antibody-producing B cells that help fight the current infection, the long-lived, non-circulating lung-BRMs migrate to the lungs from draining lymph nodes. ...
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Three University of Oklahoma faculty receive National Institutes of Health funding to maximize their research
Medicine 2023-09-13

Three University of Oklahoma faculty receive National Institutes of Health funding to maximize their research

For the first time in one year, three faculty at the University of Oklahoma have received Maximizing Investigators’ Research Awards from the National Institutes of Health. The recipients are Gallogly College of Engineering faculty Vivek Bajpai, Ph.D., John R. Clegg, Ph.D., and Stefan Wilhelm, Ph.D. The highly competitive five-year, $1,866,485 grants will support their ambitious research programs without the need to recompete for funding throughout the duration of their awards.   Bajpai, an assistant professor in the School of Sustainable Chemical, Biological and Materials Engineering, will lead the project, “Epigenetic and Transcriptional ...
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UNIST, DGIST, and POSTECH consortium selected for 2023 ITRC Project in ‘Quantum ICT’ sector!
Technology 2023-09-13

UNIST, DGIST, and POSTECH consortium selected for 2023 ITRC Project in ‘Quantum ICT’ sector!

The consortium, comprising of UNIST, DGIST, and POSTECH has been chosen for the esteemed 2023 University ICT Research Center Project (ITRC) by the Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT). This prestigious selection recognizes their expertise in the ‘Quantum Information and Communication Technologies‘ sector. The consortium aims to develop advanced quantum technologies while nurturing exceptional master’s and doctorate-level talents. With a total funding amounting to 8.25 billion won—7.5 billion won from government subsidies—the project spans eight years. The kick-off meeting held at UNIST on August ...
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Human emmisions drive changes in north Atlantic ocean temperatures, west African rainfall, hurricanes
Environment 2023-09-13

Human emmisions drive changes in north Atlantic ocean temperatures, west African rainfall, hurricanes

A new climate study led by scientists at the University Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science found that temperature fluctuations in the tropical Atlantic Ocean temperature is largely driven by human-induced aerosol emissions, impacting rainfall in West Africa’s Sahel region and hurricane formation in the Atlantic. The findings, published in the journal Nature, comes in a year when several hurricanes, including Hurricane Idalia, formed within days of each other over the tropical Atlantic. “Our ...
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WVU engineers study how to pull carbon out of building air to make methanol
Technology 2023-09-13

WVU engineers study how to pull carbon out of building air to make methanol

Researchers at West Virginia University have taken the first steps toward developing technology that can capture carbon dioxide in the air and use it for eco-friendly manufacturing of methanol. The process they have begun modeling — which involves pulling air from buildings — could increase the sustainable supply of methanol, one of the world’s most extensively used raw materials, while removing a planet-warming greenhouse gas from the atmosphere. Project lead Xingbo Liu, who serves as professor, associate dean for research and chair of engineering ...
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