**Strictly embargoed until 01:01 (BST) Wednesday 26 April 2023** Astronomers solve the 60-year mystery of quasars – the most powerful objects in the Universe First discovered 60 years ago, quasars can shine as brightly as a trillion stars packed into a volume the size of our Solar System, but until now it has remained a mystery what could trigger such powerful activity By observing 48 galaxies that host quasars and comparing them to over 100 non-quasar galaxies, scientists discovered that the phenomenon is ignited by galaxies colliding When two galaxies collide, gravitational forces ...

Social media is fuelling eating disorders among female athletes who feel they must achieve the ‘ideal’ body, according to experts. Dr Kathryn Vidlock and Catherine Liggett, who have both competed in collegiate athletics, and dietician Andrew Dole warn that nutrition ‘myths’ posted by fitness influencers, exercise-related ‘fitspiration’ images on Instagram, and photoshopping are having a direct impact on sportswomen. Their new book Spring Forward: Balanced Eating, Exercise, and Body Image in ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — People may appreciate online apps that provide advice on health and fitness, but they seem to draw the line when those apps use their social media networks for data, according to researchers. In a study, users showed a strong preference for fitness recommendations that were personalized for them based on their self-reported preferences. They also liked systems that allowed users to choose among different recommendation approaches, which made them feel more in control. “As big data gives people new opportunities to personalize their health and fitness routines, it also calls into question how ...

(SACRAMENTO, Calif.) — One in five adults in California, or an estimated 6.5 million people, are concerned that someone they know, usually a friend or family member, is at risk of harming themselves or others, according to new research published in Preventive Medicine. Alcohol and substance misuse, a history of violence, and firearm access were common reasons for concerns about potential violence. Of the people perceived to be at risk for harming others, an estimated 19% were said to have access to firearms. For those perceived to be at risk of harming themselves, that number was approximately 11%. Amanda J. Aubel, a research data analyst at the UC Davis Violence Prevention Research ...

At least half of all autistic children experience some form of aggression, such as hitting, kicking or name-calling, while their parents are tasked with helping them cope and integrate socially. Yet the prevalence and characterization of aggressive behaviors across autistic development are poorly understood. To address this knowledge gap, researchers in the Family and Community Intervention Lab at the University of Arkansas compared autistic children to non-autistic children on different types of aggressive behaviors over three ...

Registration is now open for the 12th annual International Space Station Research and Development Conference (ISSRDC), July 31-August 3, 2023, at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Seattle, Washington.    ISSRDC brings together leaders from the commercial sector, U.S. government agencies, and academic communities to foster innovation and discovery onboard the International Space Station (ISS). ISSRDC 2023 will showcase how the space station continues to provide a valuable platform for research ...

More than 50 tests span cognition, motor, sensation and emotion to assess a wide range of diseases ‘The problem in clinical care today is nobody has time for long tests for everything’ Earlier version of app now used by 3,000 researchers globally (e.g. COVID ‘brain fog’) CHICAGO --- An iPad app developed at Northwestern Medicine that helps measure specific aspects of cognitive, motor, sensory and emotional function in five minutes or less is now available for doctors to screen people ages 3 to 85+ for a wide range of neurological diseases and syndromes. Using the NIH Toolbox® V3 iPad App, ...

Public health outreach efforts often strive to overcome communication barriers by using interpretation and translation to present information to communities in their native language. However, bilingual people from cultural backgrounds in which mental health is a particularly taboo topic may be more likely to support treatment when they hear information in their second language, said Leigh H. Grant (University of Chicago) about her findings in Clinical Psychological Science.  Chinese speakers with English as second language “were consistently ...

Researchers from Prof. Steve Sibener's group have captured the first atomic-scale images of tin on niobium during the growth process of the next generation of particle accelerators, Nb3Sn. The study, published in the Journal of Physical Chemistry C, reveals the potential for greater control over the growth of superconducting Nb3Sn films, which could significantly reduce the cost and size of cryogenic infrastructure required for superconducting technology. Superconducting accelerator facilities, such as those used for X-ray free-electron laser radiation, rely on niobium superconducting ...

Boston, MA – The Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public Health will launch April 26 at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. The Center was created with a $25 million gift from an anonymous donor, one of the largest single donations to the School. The Center’s mission is to empower people around the globe to live with purpose, equanimity, and joy through the practice of mindfulness; pursue evidence-based approaches to improve health and well-being through mindfulness; and educate and train the public in mindfulness. Two primary areas of emphasis will be nutrition and the environment. “We are thrilled to host this groundbreaking ...

For 30% to 40% of lymphoma patients who receive CAR T therapy, the treatment is a godsend. Typically given to lymphoma patients for whom other treatments have proven ineffective, CAR T therapy involves removing immune cells from the body via a blood draw, reengineering them to become better cancer fighters, then reintroducing them to the bloodstream, where they seek out and destroy cancer cells.  For 60% to 70% of lymphoma patients who receive CAR T therapy, however, the treatment doesn’t work, and the cancer comes back — typically within ...

ARLINGTON, Va., April 25, 2023 — A new clinical guideline from the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) and European Society for Radiotherapy & Oncology (ESTRO) provides guidance on the use of definitive local therapy—including radiation and surgery—to treat patients with oligometastatic non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). The guideline is published in Practical Radiation Oncology. The guideline emphasizes the need for a multidisciplinary team approach to guide treatment decisions for oligometastatic disease, a description for cancer that reaches a state in which the patient has a small number of metastases in addition to a primary tumor. ...

Ithaca, NY—What's good for the Black-backed Woodpecker is good for restoration of burned California forests. The birds' unique relationship with fire underpins the latest research into improved post-fire management. A study published in Ecological Applications describes a new tool that factors how fires burn into forest management decisions and turns science into action for wildlife conservation. "Wildfire is like a 10,000-piece puzzle, and climate change is rearranging the pieces," said lead author Andrew Stillman with the Cornell Atkinson Center for Sustainability and the Cornell Lab of Ornithology. "Gigantic, severe fires ...

Researchers at National Jewish Health found that a subset of children suffering recurring fevers as a result of long COVID-19, benefited from a daily medication treatment commonly used for gout and periodic fever syndrome. Using the drug Colchicine, researchers saw rapid improvement not only in their fevers but also with other long COVID symptoms such as brain fog, fatigue, and achiness. The case study was just published in Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, (JACI: In Practice). Long COVID is defined as persistent symptoms lasting ...

East Hanover, NJ – April 25, 2023 – New data shows that Hispanics with disabilities in the United States rebounded to historic levels in the labor force following the first 12-month period of the COVID-19 pandemic. While the disparity between their non-Hispanic white counterparts remains, their recovery has narrowed this gap and surpassed that of their black/African American counterparts, according to experts speaking during last Friday’s nTIDE Deeper Dive Lunch & Learn Webinar. To further improve employment opportunities ...

In the majority of cases, graft failure after heart transplantation is attributable to abnormalities like severe coronary artery disease. As donors with extended criteria like advanced age and pre-existing heart conditions become eligible for heart transplantation, careful screening for congenital abnormalities has become crucial. Invasive coronary angiography is an essential screening tool that can detect coronary artery disease (CAD), a condition characterized by cholesterol deposits in the heart's arteries. However, logistical challenges limit utility so it’s used for fewer than a third of donors who are at risk of developing CAD. To overcome this limitation, a new heart ...

-- JOINT PRESS RELEASE OF FORSCHUNGSZENTRUM JÜLICH AND JOHANNES GUTENBERG UNIVERSITY MAINZ -- SynDLP could be a bacterial ancestor of eukaryotic membrane proteins The cells of living organisms are equipped with proteins that are involved in the shaping and remodeling of cellular membranes, thereby performing important tasks. The cell membrane encloses the cell interior, but is constantly remodeled, for example, due to membrane budding, invagination, or fusion processes. This also involves various proteins that were long assumed to be present exclusively or predominantly in higher organisms. ...

If they exist, intermediate-mass black holes likely devour wayward stars like a messy toddler — taking a few bites and then flinging the remains across the galaxy — a new Northwestern University-led study has found. In new 3D computer simulations, astrophysicists modeled black holes of varying masses and then hurled stars (about the size of our sun) past them to see what might happen.  When a star approaches an intermediate-mass black hole, it initially gets caught in the black hole’s orbit, the researchers discovered. After that, the black hole begins its lengthy and violent meal. Every time the star makes a lap, the black hole takes a bite — ...

Dungeness crab fishermen are at high risk for on-the-job injury, but having a metal bar to bang crab pots against as they harvest can help them prevent injury, an Oregon State University study found. The study sought to determine whether the fishermen-designed “banger bar” actually improves worker safety aboard crab vessels. The metal bar is installed atop the crab-sorting table and makes it easier for fishermen to empty the crab pots they haul up from the ocean floor, but there is no industry standard on whether crabbers install one or how they ...

1. Introduction While the pathophysiology of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is not fully understood, it has been traditionally linked to a reduction in the dopamine available to brain regions involved in motor control (Alexander, 2004, Brooks, 2010, Fahn, 2008, Meder et al., 2019, Obeso et al., 2017, Poewe et al., 2017). It is important to note that much of what is known about the neural bases of motor deficits in PD is based on task-based functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies showing abnormal motor-related blood oxygen ...

Lutz Grossmann is on a scientific mission to create tasty, animal-free protein that has a low carbon footprint and is produced without relying on agricultural land – a usual and progressively stressed source of the global food supply.  “The increasing global population and a changing climate increase the pressure on our food and protein supply coming from these natural habitats,” says Grossmann, an assistant professor of food science at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.  “By 2050, we need ...

CAMBRIDGE, MA — MIT engineers have designed a new nanoparticle sensor that could enable early diagnosis of cancer with a simple urine test. The sensors, which can detect many different cancerous proteins, could also be used to distinguish the type of a tumor or how it is responding to treatment. The nanoparticles are designed so that when they encounter a tumor, they shed short sequences of DNA that are excreted in the urine. Analyzing these DNA “barcodes” can reveal distinguishing features of a particular patient’s tumor. The researchers designed their test so that it can be performed using a strip of paper, ...

99% of the world's population breathes air that exceeds the limits recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO). This scenario is exacerbated in urban areas where more than 50% of the world's population is concentrated. To mitigate the problem of air pollution, considered by the WHO to be the main environmental risk factor for health worldwide, it is crucial to have more reliable and accurate data on the concentration of air pollutants in our cities, especially nitrogen dioxide (NO2) because of its harmful effects on ...

Humans and horses have enjoyed a strong working relationship for nearly 10,000 years — a partnership that transformed how food was produced, people were transported and even how wars were fought and won. Today, we look to horses for companionship, recreation and as teammates in competitive activities like racing, dressage and showing. Can these age-old interactions between people and their horses teach us something about building robots designed to improve our lives? Researchers with the University of Florida say yes. “There are no fundamental guiding principles ...

Doctors often use tongue depressors when peering in a patient’s mouth and throat. But what if that flat wooden spatula could actively evaluate the patient’s health? That’s the premise of an ecofriendly disposable sensor, reported in ACS’ Analytical Chemistry, that can check levels of glucose and other biomarkers in saliva. Researchers say the easy-to-produce device could someday help doctors assess a range of conditions. Wood is a renewable, biodegradable, natural material that is widely available at low cost, which makes it attractive for researchers who design electronics and sensors. However, this is challenging because the material isn’t good ...