A team of researchers has made strides in understanding the formation of massif-type anorthosites, enigmatic rocks that only formed during the middle part of Earth’s history. These plagioclase-rich igneous rock formations, which can cover areas as large as 42,000 square kilometers and host titanium ore deposits, have puzzled scientists for decades due to conflicting theories about their origins. A new study published in Science Advances on Aug. 14 highlights the intricate connections between Earth’s evolving ...

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is launching the Institute for Risk Management and Insurance Innovation, a new interdisciplinary research and innovation hub that will leverage the expertise of faculty and students from various disciplines across campus to address complex challenges in risk management and insurance. “The institute will address the financial risks arising from a growing number of threats to our state and beyond, ranging from extreme weather to cybersecurity,” explains Vice Chancellor for Research Penny Gordon-Larsen. “UNC-Chapel Hill is a world leader in translating extreme environmental events into financial risk and now seeks to expand ...

A new Roundtable Discussion in the peer-reviewed journal Autism in Adulthood explores how the two fields of positive psychology and autism might integrate and benefit each other, and the autism community at large. Click here to read the Roundtable. The Roundtable was co-moderated by Patricia Wright, PhD, MPH who is the Executive Director of Proof Positive: Autism Wellbeing Alliance, an organization committed to integrating autism services and the field of positive psychology and Rachel Moseley, ...

Irvine, Calif., Aug. 14, 2024 — University of California, Irvine scientists recently discovered a one-dimensional nanoscale material whose color changes as temperature changes. The team’s results appeared in Advanced Materials.    “We found that we can make really small and sensitive thermometers,” said Maxx Arguilla, UC Irvine professor of chemistry whose research group led the study. “It’s one of the most applied and translatable works to come out of our lab.”     Arguilla ...

Understanding why the popularity of organised events steeped in themes of death, disaster and suffering, such as the well-known Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), Jack the Ripper Walking Tours and Remembrance Sunday, could be key to a deeper understanding of society, say researchers from the University of Surrey. In a study published by Annals of Tourism Research, researchers introduce a comprehensive framework to analyse these events, drawing from fields as diverse as thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), dark tourism, and collective memory ...

A collaboration between researchers from Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) and Portland State University (PSU) aims to help unlock the vast potential of floating offshore windfarms in the United States by improving understanding of wind-wave-turbine interactions, which if not accounted for properly, can greatly reduce the power output of a group of wind turbines. The project combines developing a new computational method for enhancing the accuracy of Large Eddy Simulations (LES) – a mathematical computer model that depicts the wind field within floating offshore windfarms, with advanced experimental ...

NEW ORLEANS, La. – Twelve Ochsner Health owned and affiliated hospitals are among the more than 3,000 nationwide that participate in the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) and other programs to improve outcomes for Americans who experience heart disease or stroke. Heart disease and stroke are the No. 1 and No. 5 causes of death in the United States, respectively. These health crises require swift and proven treatment to ensure the best outcomes for patients. The American Heart Association, celebrating 100 years of work to advance health and hope for everyone, everywhere, ...

An analysis of 12 years of data collected from over 500 hospitals in 25 different states shows that weather, geographic location, and urban or rural location all appear to influence hospitalizations for waterborne infectious diseases, according to a study published August 7, 2024 in the open-access journal PLOS Water by Victoria Lynch and Jeffrey Shaman from Columbia University. Waterborne infectious diseases caused by bacteria, parasites, and viruses still affect over 7,000,000 people annually in the United States. Lynch and Shaman analyzed potential links between weather and hospitalizations for waterborne ...

Older age, female sex, irregular heart rhythms, and daily activity levels can help to predict how much Alzheimer’s Disease patients’ cognitive function will decline, and how much they will depend on their caregivers over the next two years. The results suggest new ways to predict cognitive decline in patients, and that caregivers need to be considered in treatment plans. 'Liane Kaufmann from the Ernst von Bergmann Clinic in Potsdam, Germany, Josef Marksteiner from the General Hospital in Hall, Austria, and colleagues present these findings in the open access journal PLOS ...

A new study suggests that the use of gender-sensitive language in the title of job advertisements may influence the level of interest demonstrated by female potential applicants. Dominik Hetjens of Technische Universität Dresden, Germany, and Stefan Hartmann of Heinrich-Heine-Universität Düsseldorf, Germany, present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on August 14, 2024. German is one of many languages in which every noun is grammatically masculine, feminine, or neutral. For instance, ...

"We have discovered a muscle-brain pathway that controls the eagerness to train more when we exercise," explains Guadalupe Sabio, a researcher at the Spanish National Cancer Research Center (CNIO). One of the proteins identified activates the area of the brain that controls movement. Obese patients have lower blood levels of this protein. This result suggest it may be possible to develop drugs for people specially in need of the benefits that come from exercise, but are reluctant to do it. The ...

Nitrogenases are among the most geochemically important enzymes on Earth, providing all forms of life with bioavailable nitrogen in the form of ammonia (NH3). Some nitrogenases can also directly convert CO2 into hydrocarbon chains, making them an exciting target for the development of biotechnological processes. A team of researchers in Marburg, Germany, led by Max Planck scientist Johannes Rebelein, has now provided a comprehensive insight into the substrate specificity and preferences of nitrogenase. Their results challenge the current understanding of nitrogenases and highlight their potential for sustainable bioproduction. Nitrogen is one of the main building blocks ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — U.S. firms that use cloud computing services are more likely to export their products and services, according to a new study by researchers at Penn State and the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The team said the findings were stronger for firms located outside of large cities and demonstrate the need for expanded availability of the high-speed internet required for cloud computing to support economic development. The study, which also found that cloud-using firms exported goods and services even more than exporting firms ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Parent size and the conditions in which actively spawning adults lived are the most influential factors affecting growth of Lake Erie walleye, a new study has found. The findings surprised the scientists, who expected recent temperatures and food availability to have the highest impact on walleye growth. Cold winters and more sizable mothers were associated with faster growth in 3- to 5-year-old walleye offspring, the analysis showed, suggesting that warmer winters that come with ...

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM) has selected Texas Tech University as one of nine university and industry-led projects to split $44.5 million in federal funding to advance commercial-scale carbon capture, transport and storage across the U.S. With an award just over $6.2 million, Texas Tech intends to implement and accelerate the equitable and environmentally responsible deployment of storage-based carbon management projects in the Permian Basin. The team will provide technical and engagement support for stakeholders to develop a framework ...

Digital wallets — like Apple Pay, Google Pay and PayPal — are projected to be used by more than 5.3 billion people by 2026. While these wallets promote increased security over traditional payment methods, reliance on outdated authentication methods and prioritizing convenience over security leaves digital wallets vulnerable, according to new research led by computer engineers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  “What we have discovered is [that] these digital wallets are not secure,” says Taqi Raza, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering and an author on the paper. “The main reason is that they have unconditional trust between ...

INDIANAPOLIS – Indiana University School of Medicine researchers have made significant progress in understanding how cells communicate during inflammation. The study, recently published in PNAS, was conducted over a period of five years and focused on the molecules that enable cells to function during inflammation, particularly in the central nervous system where diseases like multiple sclerosis occur. “Communication is key in any relationship, even at the level of cells that cause disease,” said Mark Kaplan, PhD, chair of the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the IU ...

Physicists at Purdue are throwing the world’s smallest disco party.  The disco ball itself is a fluorescent nanodiamond, which they have levitated and spun at incredibly high speeds. The fluorescent diamond emits and scatters multicolor lights in different directions as it rotates. The party continues as they study the effects of fast rotation on the spin qubits within their system and are able to observe the Berry phase. The team, led by Tongcang Li, professor of Physics and Astronomy and Electrical and Computer Engineering at Purdue University, published their results ...

The churning of the upper ocean in the tropics of Atlantic Ocean plays a crucial role in shaping long-term climate patterns across the world, a new study has found.  Researchers have discovered that changes in the ocean's mixed layer - the topmost section where wind and waves blend warm surface waters with cooler depths - are the primary force behind a climate phenomenon known as Atlantic Multidecadal Variability (AMV) in the tropics. The AMV has far-reaching effects on global climate. It influences weather patterns from North America to Europe and Africa, affecting everything from hurricane ...

The Association for Psychological Science (APS) and Sage announce the launch of Advances in Psychological Science Open, a fully open access journal that will publish high-quality empirical, technical, theoretical, and review articles, across the full range of areas and topics in psychological science. The journal will accept submissions in a variety of formats, including long-form articles and short reports, and APS is encouraging scientists to submit integrative and interdisciplinary research articles. “APS is always working to identify new ways to catalyze advances in psychological science,” said APS CEO Robert Gropp. “We are excited to announce ...

In the wake of the $51 million funding announcement from the Economic Development Administration, momentum is tangible for the Illinois Fermentation and Agriculture Biomanufacturing (iFAB) Tech Hub. Today marks the beginning of a new collaboration to replace fossil fuel-derived petrochemicals with zero-emission alternatives produced through precision fermentation.  Industrial Microbes (iMicrobes) is partnering with the iFAB Tech Hub’s Integrated Bioprocessing Research Laboratory at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign to harness microbes to produce acrylic acid, a versatile chemical ...

India's plans to scale up fracking operations without robust regulations could spell disaster for the country's finely balanced water security, according to research from the University of Surrey.  India is positioning shale gas as a key transitional energy source and has announced 56 fracking projects across six states. Despite the promise of energy independence, Surrey’s study raises alarm bells about the country's preparedness to handle the unique water risks posed by fracking.  Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, involves injecting high-pressure fluid into shale ...

New York, August 14 2024 – A study published in the journal iSCIENCE has uncovered significant findings related to the early sensorimotor features and cognitive abilities of toddlers who are later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The research, led by Kristina Denisova, a professor of Psychology and Neuroscience at the CUNY Graduate Center and Queens College, takes an important step toward better understanding ASD so that more precise, individually tailored interventions can be developed. Autism Spectrum Disorder, typically diagnosed around the ages of 4 to ...

Breast cancer remains a significant health concern worldwide, with diverse molecular subtypes that necessitate personalized therapeutic approaches. Recent advances have highlighted the importance of molecular signatures in guiding breast cancer treatment. Among these, the phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate 3-kinase catalytic subunit alpha (PIK3CA) gene mutation has emerged as a crucial factor in determining the efficacy of targeted therapies, particularly in advanced breast cancer. This review explores the role of PIK3CA mutation detection in breast cancer and its implications for personalized treatment strategies. Breast Cancer Heterogeneity Breast ...

About The Study: This repeated cross-sectional study found that state COVID-19 vaccine mandates for health care workers (HCWs) were associated with increased vaccine uptake among HCWs, especially among younger HCWs and those in states with no test-out option. These findings suggest the potential for vaccine mandates to further promote vaccinations in an already highly vaccinated HCW population, especially when no test-out option is in place.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Charles Stoecker, ...