COVID-19 has taken a relatively limited toll on the mental health of most people around the globe, according to a paper published today in the BMJ by a McGill University-led research team involving collaborators from McMaster University, the University of Toronto, and other institutions. The team reviewed data from 137 studies in various languages involving 134 cohorts of people from around the world. Most of the studies were from high or middle-income countries, and about 75% of participants were adults and 25% were children and adolescents between the ages of 10-19. To their surprise, the researchers found that despite the dramatic stories to the contrary, where ...

Exposure to low doses of ionising radiation is associated with a modestly increased excess risk of heart disease, finds an analysis of the latest evidence published by The BMJ today. The researchers say these findings “have implications for patients who undergo radiation exposure as part of their medical care, as well as policy makers involved in managing radiation risks to radiation workers and the public.” And a linked editorial suggests that these risks “should now be carefully considered in protection ...

Mental health among the general population has not changed by large amounts during the covid-19 pandemic compared with pre-pandemic levels, finds a study published by The BMJ today. Some specific groups, particularly women, appear to have been more negatively affected, but changes have been minimal to small, say the researchers. Many studies and media reports suggest that covid-19 has led to widespread decline in mental health, but inconsistencies in study quality and misinterpretation of cross-sectional data may ...

Children start to develop the basic skills that underlie map reading from the age of four – according to new research from the University of East Anglia. A new study published today reveals that they become able to use a scale model to find things in the real world. The study involved 175 two to five-year-olds and is the largest of its kind. The team say that this new spatial ability potentially lays the foundations for maths and science skills. Lead researcher Dr Martin Doherty, from UEA’s School of Psychology, said: “We wanted to find out when children can use scale models or maps ...

A review, conducted by CABI scientist Dr Marc Kenis suggests that the parasitoid Eiphosoma laphygmae is likely to be the best classical biological control from the Americas against the devastating fall armyworm pest. Dr Kenis, Head of Risk Analysis and Invasion Ecology based at CABI’s Swiss centre in Delémont, evaluated the prospects and constraints of a classical biological control programme to fight the fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda) using larval parasitoids which are considered the most suitable natural enemies ...

Modern living seems to have exacerbated the conditions of our gut. There is an escalating prevalence of irritable bowel syndrome and overactive bladder syndrome among individuals who do not exhibit signs of infectious maladies or other established ailments, but rather report experiencing sudden symptoms. Recently, a team of researchers from POSTECH and Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) have proposed a sensor to monitor overactive bladders.   The research team consisting of Professor Sung-Min Park and Young-Soo ...

Wildlife conservation efforts could suffer because toxic online rows about trophy hunting are becoming increasingly abusive, ecologists have warned. Scientists analysed hundreds of tweets about trophy hunting and found that 7% were abusive. This is a similar proportion to content on partisan topics on social media platforms known to highlight extreme viewpoints. The findings, by conservation scientists at the University of Reading and the University of Sheffield, are published today (9 March) in the journal ...

These are just some examples given by a leading data science expert who has analyzed the depths of systemic racism in AI and suggested the ways in which the biases can be confronted.   A pervasive threat   Artificial intelligence is a pervasive part of modern-day life and is used by vital institutions from banks to police forces.   But a growing mountain of evidence suggests that the AI used by these organizations can entrench systemic racism.   This can negatively impact Black and ethnic minority groups when applying ...

Aston University to support more women carve out a career in photonics Three new grants available for women from eligible countries across east Asia Scholarships will be based in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Aston University and the British Council are aiming to support more women carve out a career in photonics. The British Council is funding three grants for women who have recently completed a PhD or equivalent and are from eligible countries across east Asia. This scholarship programme aims to increase opportunities in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) for women.  According ...

Changing environmental conditions may threaten marine mammal populations by making it harder to find prey, and a new study shows how small, gradual reductions in prey could have profound implications for animal populations. The reproductive success of female elephant seals depends on their ability to find prey and put on weight during their months-long foraging migrations. Researchers at UC Santa Cruz studied the relationships between elephant seal behavioral strategies in the open ocean, weight gain, and lifetime success at producing pups. Their findings, published March 8 in Ecology Letters, reveal a sharp threshold in the relationship between ...

–EMBARGOED: NOT FOR RELEASE UNTIL 2:00 p.m. EST, WEDNESDAY, 08 MARCH 2023–   UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA   UCF Researcher Creates World’s First Energy-saving Paint – Inspired by Butterflies Instead of pigment-based colored paint, which requires artificially synthesized molecules, a UCF researcher has developed an alternative way to produce colored paint that is more natural, environmentally friendly and light weight. ORLANDO, March 8, 2023 — University of Central Florida researcher Debashis Chanda, a professor in UCF’s NanoScience Technology Center, has drawn inspiration from butterflies to create the first environmentally ...

SAN FRANCISCO, CA—March 8, 2023—When it comes to oxygen, you can have too much of a good thing. Breathing air that contains higher levels of oxygen than the usual 21 percent found in Earth’s atmosphere can cause organ damage, seizures, and even death in people and animals, particularly if it’s in excess of the body’s oxygen needs. Until now, however, scientists have mostly speculated about the mechanisms behind this phenomenon, known as oxygen toxicity, or hyperoxia. Now, researchers at Gladstone Institutes have discovered how excess oxygen changes a handful of proteins in our cells that ...

Excessive iron absorption by tumor cells in the digestive tract is known to play a major role in driving colorectal cancer – the third most prevalent and third leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S. In a new study published in the journal Advanced Science, University of New Mexico researchers describe the part played by the transferrin receptor (TFRC) gene in the growth of colorectal cancer tumors. Iron is absorbed into intestinal cells both from the bloodstream and from iron-rich foods, such as red meat, said Xiang Xue, PhD, assistant professor ...

While the crowds swarm around Old Faithful to wait for its next eruption, a little pool just north of Yellowstone National Park’s most famous geyser is quietly showing off its own unique activity, also at more-or-less regular showtimes. Instead of erupting in a towering geyser, though, Doublet Pool cranks up the bass every 20 to 30 minutes by thumping. The water vibrates and the ground shakes. Doublet Pool’s regular thumping is more than just an interesting tourist attraction. A new study led by University of Utah researchers shows that the ...

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Americans likely are receiving smaller tax refunds than they have in recent years, and most people will not be going out to spend this money, according to the February 2023 Consumer Food Insights Report. This month’s report also looks more closely at religious demographics and includes new data on frozen food preferences. The survey-based report out of Purdue University’s Center for Food Demand Analysis and Sustainability assesses food spending, ...

A global dataset of ocean plastic pollution between 1979 and 2019 reveals a rapid and unprecedented increase in ocean plastics since 2005, according to a study published March 8, 2023 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marcus Eriksen from The 5 Gyres Institute, USA, and colleagues.  Understanding plastic accumulation in the oceans to date could provide a critical baseline to help address this form of pollution. Previous studies have focused primarily on northern-hemisphere oceans near the world’s most industrialized nations, ...

A new analysis of crime statistics near hundreds of places of worship in Washington, D.C., shows that these sites are associated with higher levels of violent and property crime—even after accounting for other factors commonly linked with crime. James Wo of the University of Iowa, U.S., presents these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on March 8, 2023. Prior research has established that places of worship foster social ties and community actions for the common good, suggesting that these sites would reduce crime in their neighborhoods. However, few studies have addressed the hypothesized ...

For educational attainment, it's more helpful to grow up in an affluent neighborhood than it is harmful to grow up in a poor one, per 23-year large Netherlands cohort study ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281928 Article Title: Neighbourhood effects on educational attainment. What matters more: Exposure to poverty or exposure to affluence? Author Countries: The Netherlands, UK Funding: The research leading to these results has received funding from the European Research Council (https://erc.europa.eu/) ...

After 6 months of disrupted schooling during COVID-19, German students scored substantially lower on intelligence tests than comparative earlier cohorts, with the gap persisting after 16 months ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281779 Article Title: Students’ intelligence test results after six and sixteen months of irregular schooling due to the COVID-19 pandemic Author Countries: Germany Funding: The study was supported by a grant awarded to M.B. by the Research Fund of ...

Participants in psychology studies are more likely than average to exhibit symptoms of personality disorders, potentially skewing the findings of such research ### Article URL:  https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0281046 Article Title: Self-selection biases in psychological studies: Personality and affective disorders are prevalent among participants Author Countries: Poland, Spain, Italy Funding: To conduct Face-to-Face Studies IK was supported by grants 2017/01/X/HS6/02022 from the National Center of Science ...

New study finds obstacles can trap rolling microparticles in fluid Through simulations and experiments, physicists attribute the trapping effect to stagnant pockets of fluid, created by hydrodynamics Random motions of the molecules within the fluid then ‘kick’ the microroller into a stagnant pocket, effectively trapping it Size of the obstacle also controls how easy it is to trap a microroller and how long it remains trapped EVANSTON, Ill. — When physicists steered a tiny microparticle toward a cylindrical obstacle, they expected one of two outcomes to occur. The particle would either collide into the ...

Scientists from the Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute (TBSI) have shed new light on ageing processes in the brain. By linking the increased presence of specialised immune cells to conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury for the first time, they have unearthed a possible new target for therapies aimed at treating age-related neurological diseases. The research, which benefited from a collaboration with experts at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and focused ...

Research in animal models has demonstrated that stem-cell derived heart tissues have promising potential for therapeutic applications to treat cardiac disease. But before such therapies are viable and safe for use in humans, scientists must first precisely understand on the cellular and molecular levels which factors are necessary for implanted stem-cell derived heart cells to properly grow and integrate in three dimensions within surrounding tissue. New findings from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) make it possible ...

Coffee is important to the economies of coffee producing regions. A study published in PLOS Climate by Doug Richardson at CSIRO Oceans & Atmosphere, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia and colleagues suggests that climate change may significantly affect land where coffee is cultivated. Coffee plants are sensitive to climate variability and change. However, the impact of synchronous climate hazards occurring in multiple areas important for coffee production is unknown. In order to better understand how large-scale climate modes such as El Niño ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Their popularity makes celebrities easy to spot. Strangers, however, can also get mistaken for celebrities, resulting in cases of false “celebrity sightings.” In attempting to explain the contradiction, a University of California, Riverside, study reports that celebrity faces are remembered more precisely but less accurately. Precision, in this context, refers to how memories for a particular face resemble each other over repeated memory retrievals, which can be likened to the clustering of arrows on a target in archery. Accuracy measures ...