Massive volcanic eruptions on the Indian peninsula have long been proposed as an alternative cause for the demise of the dinosaurs. This phase of active volcanism took place in a period just before the Earth was struck by a meteorite, 66 million years ago. The effect of these volcanic eruptions on the Earth’s climate has been topic of fierce scientific debates for decades. Now, climate scientists from Utrecht University and the University of Manchester show that, while the volcanism caused a temporary cold period, the effects had already worn off thousands of years before the meteorite impacted. The scientists therefore conclude that the meteorite impact was the ...

A common over-the-counter ingredient in many cough syrups may have a greater purpose for people suffering from lung fibrosis that is related to any number of serious health conditions.  Scientists from EMBL Heidelberg were part of a collaborative effort to discover an effective treatment for lung fibrosis and found that the best candidate may be one that is already available as a cough medicine around the world, dextromethorphan. The study was recently published in Science Translational Medicine and showed how dextromethorphan can impede ...

Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine have shown that a systemic approach to eliminating inefficiencies in surgical residency programs can reduce unnecessary work hours in the general residency program at UC San Diego. The approach—based on Lean methodology—can also positively impact the training and overall well-being of surgery residents. The results are published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). “Our study shows ...

Research from Radboud university medical center shows that the lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people's immune response to microorganisms. During the lockdown, inflammation level in the body was low, but afterwards, the immune system reacted more intensely to viruses and bacteria. The results are now published in Frontiers of Immunology. In this study, the researchers examined the effects of various health measures introduced during the pandemic, such as lockdowns and vaccinations. The study was conducted in a large cohort of people living with HIV, as well as in healthy individuals. The researchers ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Smoking cessation medications are safe and effective for people with depression Individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD) are more likely to smoke, leading to higher risks of nicotine addiction and early death from tobacco-related illnesses. To identify the best treatments for quitting, researchers led by George ...

Scientists have spotted a massive black hole in the early universe that is ‘napping’ after stuffing itself with too much food. Like a bear gorging itself on salmon before hibernating for the winter, or a much-needed nap after Christmas dinner, this black hole has overeaten to the point that it is lying dormant in its host galaxy. An international team of astronomers, led by the University of Cambridge, used the NASA/ESA/CSA James Webb Space Telescope to detect this black hole in the early universe, just 800 million years after the Big Bang. The black hole is huge – ...

Much like plants in a thriving forest, certain cells in the brain create a nurturing environment, enhancing the health and resilience of their neighbors, while others promote stress and damage, akin to a noxious weed in an ecosystem. A new study published in Nature on December 18, 2024, reveals these interactions playing out across the lifespan. It suggests local cellular interactions may profoundly influence brain aging — and offers fresh insights into how we might slow or even reverse the process. “What was exciting to us was finding that some cells have a pro-aging effect on neighboring cells while others appear to have a rejuvenating effect on their neighbors,” ...

The electronics industry is approaching a limit to the number of transistors that can be packed onto the surface of a computer chip. So, chip manufacturers are looking to build up rather than out.  Instead of squeezing ever-smaller transistors onto a single surface, the industry is aiming to stack multiple surfaces of transistors and semiconducting elements — akin to turning a ranch house into a high-rise. Such multilayered chips could handle exponentially more data and carry out many more complex functions than today’s electronics.  A significant hurdle, however, is the platform on which chips are built. Today, bulky ...

MIT physicists have created a new and long-lasting magnetic state in a material, using only light.  In a study that will appear in Nature, the researchers report using a terahertz laser — a light source that oscillates more than a trillion times per second — to directly stimulate atoms in an antiferromagnetic material. The laser’s oscillations are tuned to the natural vibrations among the material’s atoms, in a way that shifts the balance of atomic spins toward a new magnetic state.  The results provide a new way to control and switch antiferromagnetic materials, which are of interest for their potential ...

About The Study: Compared with 2000-2022, the number of union petitions with physicians in the bargaining units filed and certified increased in 2023 through May 2024. Organizing efforts were motivated by concerns about working conditions, physicians’ autonomy, and voice in management, and the quality of patient care.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Kevin Schulman, MD, email kevin.schulman@stanford.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at ...

About The Study: The 2024 long COVID research index for adults builds on the 2023 index with additional data and symptoms to help researchers classify symptomatic long COVID and its symptom subtypes. Continued future refinement of the index will be needed as the understanding of long COVID evolves.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Leora I. Horwitz, MD, MHS, email leora.horwitz@nyulangone.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.24184) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including ...

Scientists at the Francis Crick Institute have generated human stem cell models1 which, for the first time, contain notochord – a tissue in the developing embryo that acts like a navigation system, directing cells where to build the spine and nervous system (the trunk). The work, published today in Nature, marks a significant step forward in our ability to study how the human body takes shape during early development. The notochord, a rod-shaped tissue, is a crucial part of the scaffold of the developing body. ...

In spring 1495, the Italian campaign of Charles VIII of France was interrupted by an intense outbreak of an apparently unknown illness – a disease of high mortality that quickly engulfed the whole of Europe and left its survivors with life changing impairments to their bodies and minds. This documented epidemic is now interpreted to be the first historical account of syphilis. The origin of syphilis is the subject of a decades-long debate. The late 15th century outbreak occurred shortly after the return of Columbus and his crew from their early expeditions to the Americas, which led some to believe that ...

About The Study: In this cohort of 1,500 children, across demographic subgroups, the trajectory of cardiovascular health (CVH) scores began to decline at approximately age 10, associated with health behaviors rather than health factors. Statistically significant (albeit small) differences in CVH trajectory parameters by sociodemographic characteristics were also identified. This study provides insight into the trajectory of CVH early in life, which may contribute to CVH disparities in adulthood, and identified modifiable ...

About The Study: This study found that Black children and adolescents were suspected to have experienced child abuse at higher rates than children and adolescents of other racial and ethnic backgrounds. More research is necessary to understand the origins of these disparities to reduce them in child abuse identification. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Norah E. Liang, MD, email nliang@stanford.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website ...

Key Takeaways: A new study led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute sheds light on the trajectory of cardiovascular health (CVH) early in life, which may contribute to CVH disparities in adulthood. Across demographic subgroups, CVH scores begin to decline at approximately 10 years of age and appear driven by health behaviors rather than health factors. Key health behaviors to target for improving early-life CVH include better sleep, healthier diet, and reducing smoking. Boston, MA — Cardiovascular ...

Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing at age 28 and was deaf by age 44. While the cause of his hearing loss remains a topic of scientific debate and ongoing revision, one thing is clear: Despite his hearing loss, Beethoven never ceased to compose music, likely because he was able to sense the vibrations of musical instruments and “hear” music through the sense of touch, researchers believe. Now a study by Harvard Medical School researchers could help explain what enabled Beethoven, ...

We are thrilled to announce that our esteemed academic journal, iEnergy, has been officially included in the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) by Web of Science, a leading global provider of scientific and scholarly research information. All articles published by iEnergy since its establishment in 2022 will be included in ESCI. And it will receive the first impact factor in 2025. About iEnergy: iEnergy is a quarterly journal launched on March 2022. It has published 3 volumes (11 issues), in total 124 papers. Authors come from 21 countries, including ...

In the midst of the ongoing global biodiversity crisis, even the smallest habitats like ponds demand our attention. Fragmentation of these habitats—driven by human activities like urbanization, agriculture, and land-use changes—poses a significant threat to biodiversity. Often overlooked in conservation efforts, ponds serve as vital ecological hotspots, supporting diverse species and sustaining essential ecosystem processes. These waterbodies are home to various microbial communities that, despite their tiny size play an indispensable role in ecosystem functioning, acting ...

(Toronto, December 18, 2024) A study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research has found that open-world video games can significantly improve relaxation and mental well-being among postgraduate students. Open-world games, known for their expansive environments and player autonomy, offer a form of cognitive escapism that helps players disconnect from daily stressors and enhance their mood. The study, a collaboration between researchers from Imperial College London, United Kingdom, and the University of Graz, Austria, used a mixed methods approach: they combined survey data from 609 players and in-depth interviews of 32 players. Popular titles like The ...

A study of more than 26,000 white dwarf stars has confirmed a long-predicted but elusive effect in these ultra-dense, dying stars: Hotter white dwarfs are slightly puffier than cooler ones, even when they have the same mass. The findings bring scientists one step closer to using these stellar objects as natural laboratories to probe the effects of extreme gravity and hunt for exotic dark matter particles. Details about the research, led by Johns Hopkins University, are published in The Astrophysical Journal. “White dwarfs are one of the best characterized stars that we can work with ...

There are over three billion specimens and cultural objects housed in natural history collections around the world—things like fossils, dried plants, and pinned insects. Close to forty million of them are at the Field Museum in Chicago, mostly behind the scenes in a vast library documenting life on Earth. These collections are used by scientists at the museum and around the world to explore what lived where and when and how living things have changed over time.  However, much of the information about these collections is hard to access, ...

Patients will be better able to benefit from innovations in medical artificial intelligence (AI) if a new set of internationally-agreed recommendations are followed.   A new set of recommendations published in The Lancet Digital Health and NEJM AI aims to help improve the way datasets are used to build Artificial intelligence (AI) health technologies and reduce the risk of potential AI bias.    Innovative medical AI technologies may improve diagnosis and treatment for patients, however some studies have shown that medical AI can be biased, meaning that it works well for some people and not for others. This means some individuals and communities may be ‘left ...

The Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC), a pioneering worldwide initiative seeking to cure Alzheimer’s disease and improve brain health, today announced they will work with Janssen Research & Development, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, and Beckman Coulter Diagnostics, two leading pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies, to advance the assay validation of blood-based biomarkers (BBMs) for Alzheimer’s disease for global use in diverse populations. DAC, via its Global Cohorts Program, has enabled ...

Dr. Jwa Eunjin and her research team at the Korea Institute of Energy Research (KIER) have achieved a significant breakthrough in clean energy technology. The team has successfully enhanced a crucial component of a bio-electrochemical cell, enabling more efficient hydrogen production from microorganisms found in waste. This advancement resolves longstanding power loss challenges in conventional processes, offering a transformative pathway toward large-scale, cost-effective hydrogen production. Biogas, a renewable ...