CLEVELAND, Ohio (Dec 18, 2024)–A woman’s sex drive may diminish with age—partially because of problems with genitourinary symptoms during the menopause transition. Yet, some older women maintain very active sex lives. Why? A new study suggests that one difference could be sexual identity, with nonheterosexual women more likely to report better sexual functioning, despite menopause. Results of the study are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. An estimated 25% to 85% of postmenopausal women report challenges ...

Researchers at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa recently discovered that a virus, FloV-SA2, encodes one of the proteins needed to make ribosomes, the central engines in all cells that translate genetic information into proteins, the building blocks of life. This is the first eukaryotic virus (a virus that infects eukaryotes, such as plants, animals, fungi) found to encode such a protein.  Viruses are packets of genetic material surrounded by a protein coating. They replicate by getting inside of a cell where they take over the cell’s replication machinery and direct it to make more viruses. ...

In higher plants and green algae, Photosystem II (PSII) usually combines with Light Harvesting Complex II (LHCII) to form the PSII-LHCII supercomplex. Under low-light conditions, the PSII-LHCII supercomplexes are organized laterally into higher-order PSII-LHCII megacomplexes and semi-crystalline arrays to optimize photosynthetic efficiency. A recent collaborative study has deciphered the cryo-EM structure of the spinach type I PSII-LHCII megacomplex, providing insights into the principles of higher-order ...

The Keck School of Medicine of USC has joined the Ryght Research Network, a global network of academic institutions, community practices and health care systems that uses generative artificial intelligence to make clinical trials more efficient. As the network’s first academic site in the United States, the Keck School of Medicine will leverage the collaboration to offer more clinical trials to more patients and to build new AI tools that safely speed up the process of developing medical treatments. Ryght AI’s ...

A team of University of Melbourne researchers from the Caruso Nanoengineering Group has created an innovative drug delivery system with outstanding potential to improve drug development. The team has pioneered a drug delivery system that is a coordination network composed of only metal ions and biomolecules, known as metal–biomolecule network (MBN). This system eliminates the need for complicated drug ‘carriers’, making it potentially more useful in a range of applications. The research has been published in Science Advances and was led by Melbourne Laureate Professor and NHMRC Leadership Fellow Frank Caruso, from the Department of ...

Drinking a small or moderate amount of wine may lower the risk of serious cardiovascular disease in people at a higher risk who are following a Mediterranean diet, according to research published in the European Heart Journal [1] today (Wednesday).   Previous studies on the effects of wine on cardiovascular health have produced inconsistent results. This may be in part because research often relies on people reporting how much wine they drink. Instead, in the new study, researchers measured the amount of a chemical, called tartaric acid, in participants’ urine. Researchers say this is an “objective and reliable measure” of wine consumption.   The ...

Apes orphaned by the illegal trade in bushmeat and pets can overcome trauma and develop social abilities like those of their mother-reared peers. A new study led by Durham University, UK, looked at the effects of rehabilitation by the world’s only bonobo sanctuary on the social and emotional development of orphaned bonobo apes across a 10-year period. Bonobos are our closest living relatives, along with chimpanzees, and are only found in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The early life trauma of maternal loss and the deprivation from being captured by humans can have long lasting negative effects on bonobos’ social abilities. Researchers wanted to see what impact rehabilitation ...

Researchers at Tohoku University's Institute for Materials Research and New Industry Creation Hatchery Center have made a breakthrough in a multi-material 3D printing technique, demonstrating the process for creating a lightweight yet durable automobile part. The process of metal 3D printing involves building objects by depositing metals layer by layer, using heat to bind them together. The precision of 3D printing allows for the production of unique, highly customizable shapes that often create less wasteful byproducts than traditional manufacturing ...

Reston, VA (December 17, 2024)—A new molecular imaging agent can accurately identify a crucial biomarker found among many different types of cancer. Precise visualization of the trophoblast cell surface antigen 2 (Trop2) biomarker can provide physicians with valuable insights for diagnosis, development of a personalized treatment plan, and response assessment. This research was published in the December issue of The Journal of Nuclear Medicine. Trop2 has garnered interest among cancer researchers recently due to the significant role it plays in cell self-renewal, proliferation, ...

A new material for high density data storage can be erased and recycled in a more efficient and sustainable way, providing a potential alternative to hard disk drives, solid-state drives and flash memory in future. The low-cost polymer stores data as ‘dents’, making a miniscule code in patterns, with the indents just nanometers in size – promising to store more data than typical hard disk drives. The new Flinders University Chalker Lab polymer, which can have the information in it wiped in seconds by short bursts of heat and be reused several times, is described in a major new ...

Another advance has been made by experts in nano-scale chemistry to propel further development of sustainable and efficient generation of hydrogen from water using solar power. In a new international collaborative study – led by Flinders University with collaborators in South Australia, the US and Germany – experts have identified a novel solar cell process to potentially use in future technologies for photocatalytic water splitting in green hydrogen production.  Combined with a catalyst – developed by US research led by Professor Paul Maggard – for water splitting, the study found the new class of kinetically stable ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Hiking by yourself deep in a forest and similar episodes of intense solitude are not as likely to restore energy and enhance social connectedness as less complete forms of solitude, such as reading in a café or listening to Spotify while commuting, research by Oregon State University suggests. The findings are important because of solitude’s role in building connectedness, a key factor in a person’s overall health picture. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strong social ties are linked with a longer lifespan, better mental health and a lower risk of serious illness, including heart ...

AGU press contact:   Liza Lester, +1 (202) 777-7494, news@agu.org (UTC-5 hours)  Researcher contact:  Victoria Donovan, University of Florida, victoria.donovan@ufl.edu (UTC-5 hours) WASHINGTON — The eastern U.S. has more trees and shrubs than three decades ago. This growth, driven by processes such as tree and understory infilling in unmanaged forests, is helping fuel wildfires, contributing to changing fire regimes in the eastern half of the country, according to a new study. Some parts of the eastern and southeastern United States have experienced a tenfold increase ...

Isolated atoms in free space radiate energy at their own individual pace. However, atoms in an optical cavity interact with the photons bouncing back and forth from the cavity mirrors, and by doing so, they coordinate their photon emission and radiate collectively, all in sync. This enhanced light emission before all the atoms reach the ground state is known as superradiance. Interestingly, if an external laser is used to excite the atoms inside the cavity moderately, the absorption of light by the atoms and the collective emission can ...

Women opting for a medical abortion at home are often advised that the procedure is likely to be no more painful than period cramps, suggest the results of a survey, carried out by the British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS), and published online in the journal BMJ Sexual & Reproductive Health.   This leaves many women unprepared for the intensity of the pain they experience, with some survey respondents saying they would have chosen a different option, had they known. More realistic and patient centred information needs to be provided to enable women to make ...

Cumulative exposure to air pollution over several years is linked to a heightened risk of admission to hospital for mental/behavioural and physical illness, finds Scottish research published in the open access journal BMJ Open.   Stricter environmental restrictions are needed to curb the impact on secondary care, conclude the researchers. Previously published research on the health effects of long term exposure to ambient air pollution has tended to emphasise deaths rather than hospital admissions, and physical, rather than mental, ill ...

In a groundbreaking study published this week in The Journal of Physiology, biologists at the Marine Mammal Research Program (MMRP) at the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB) used drone imagery to advance understanding of how lactating humpback whales and their calves fare as they traverse the Pacific Ocean. Recent declines in North Pacific humpback whale reproduction and survival of calves highlight an urgent need to understand how mother-calf pairs expend energy across their migratory ...

SEATTLE, WASH.—December 17, 2024—The Allen Institute today announced the appointment of Julie Harris as the new Vice President of The Paul G. Allen Frontiers Group. Harris was previously Executive Vice President of Research Management at the Cure Alzheimer’s Fund where she oversaw the funding strategy and research priorities for a ~$29 million grant portfolio in support of the most promising science and scientists working to end the burden of Alzheimer’s disease.  Between 2011 and 2020 Harris worked at the Allen Institute for Brain Science as ...

Downloadable assets for media use: https://uoregon.canto.com/b/MSHJ8 EUGENE, Ore. — Dec. 18, 2024 — After a meal of questionable seafood or a few sips of contaminated water, bad bacteria can send your digestive tract into overdrive. Your intestines spasm and contract, efficiently expelling everything in the gut — poop and bacteria alike. A new study from the University of Oregon shows how one kind of bacteria, Vibrio cholerae, triggers those painful contractions by activating the immune system. The research also finds a more general explanation for how the gut rids itself of unwanted intruders, which could also help scientists ...

Huntsman Cancer Institute at the University of Utah (the U) has joined other institutions in an innovative clinical trials program designed to match patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) and myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) with a clinical trial specifically designed for the genetic signature of their disease. Sponsored by the National Cancer Institute (NCI), the myeloMATCH program aims to improve precision medicine, the use of therapies ...

It’s well established that urban tree cover provides numerous environmental and psychological benefits to city dwellers. Urban trees may also bolster education outcomes and their loss could disproportionately affect students from low-income families, according to new research by University of Utah social scientists. Economics professor Alberto Garcia looked at changes in school attendance and standardized test scores at schools in the Chicago metropolitan region over the decade after a non-native ...

A new study offers hope for people who are blind or have low vision (pBLV) through an innovative navigation system that was tested using virtual reality. The system, which combines vibrational and sound feedback, aims to help users navigate complex real-world environments more safely and effectively. The research from NYU Tandon School of Engineering, published in JMIR Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology, advances work from John-Ross Rizzo, Maurizio Porfiri and colleagues toward developing a first-of-its-kind ...

LA JOLLA, CA—Microgravity is known to alter the muscles, bones, the immune system and cogni­tion, but little is known about its specific impact on the brain. To discover how brain cells respond to microgravity, Scripps Research scientists, in collaboration with the New York Stem Cell Foundation, sent tiny clumps of stem-cell derived brain cells called “organoids” to the International Space Station (ISS). Surprisingly, the organoids were still healthy when they returned from orbit a month later, but the cells had matured faster compared ...

Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have been awarded $7.5 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to investigate a form of dementia caused by cerebral small vessel disease, the second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease. The grant funds the Vascular Contributions to Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (VCID) Center, which is a National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke “Center Without Walls” initiative that will coordinate researchers at six sites across ...

New Haven, Conn. — Could complex beliefs like paranoia have roots in something as basic as vision? A new Yale study finds evidence that they might. When completing a visual perception task, in which participants had to identify whether one moving dot was chasing another moving dot, those with greater tendencies toward paranoid thinking (believing others intend them harm) and teleological thinking (ascribing excessive meaning and purpose to events) performed worse than their counterparts, the study found. Those individuals more often — and confidently — claimed one dot was chasing the other when it wasn’t. The findings, published Dec. 17 in ...