ANN ARBOR—Shortly after an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, life for non-avian dinosaurs ended, but the evolutionary story for the early ancestors of birds began. The fossil record tells us that the early ancestors of living birds began their evolutionary journey just after the mass extinction event caused by the asteroid, but researchers weren't sure how they would see that story reflected in bird genomes. Now, a University of Michigan study has identified important changes in birds' genomes sparked by the mass extinction, called the end-Cretaceous mass extinction event, ultimately contributing to ...

An international research team led by the University of Vienna has succeeded in developing a new version of RNA building blocks with higher chemical reactivity and photosensitivity. This can significantly reduce the production time of RNA chips used in biotechnological and medical research. The chemical synthesis of these chips is now twice as fast and seven times more efficient. The results of the research were recently published in the prestigious journal Science Advances. The emergence and approval of RNA-based medical products, such as mRNA vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic, has brought the RNA molecule ...

In a new study, marine biologists from Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego and Arizona State University are providing a first-of-its-kind glimpse into coral “bleaching” responses to stress, using imaging technology to pinpoint coral survival rates following multiple bleaching events off the island of Maui. Their findings were published July 31 in the journal PLOS ONE. Using a time series of coral reef 3D models from Maui, a team of researchers led by Scripps Oceanography’s Smith Lab tracked the bleaching response of 1,832 coral colonies from 2014 to ...

White Western women have lower body appreciation and experience greater pressure from the media to be thin compared to Black Nigerian and Chinese women across all ages, according to new research. The study, carried out by psychologists at Durham University (UK), and published in PLOS ONE, explored the impacts of age and sociocultural pressures on body appreciation (feelings of positivity and pride about one’s body) amongst White Western, Black Nigerian and Chinese women. Whilst all three groups had relatively stable body appreciation across ages, there were significant cultural differences. White ...

Clues to future sea level rise have been revealed by the first detailed maps of the underside of a floating ice shelf in Antarctica. An international research team - including scientists from the University of East Anglia (UEA) - deployed an unmanned submersible beneath the Dotson Ice Shelf in West Antarctica. The underwater vehicle, ‘Ran’, was programmed to dive into the cavity of the 350metre-thick ice shelf and scan the ice above it with an advanced sonar. Over 27 days, the submarine travelled more than 1000 kilometres back and forth under the shelf, reaching 17 kilometres into the cavity. An ice shelf is a mass of glacial ice, fed from land by tributary glaciers, that ...

An artificial intelligence program created explanations of heart test results that were in most cases accurate, relevant, and easy to understand by patients, a new study finds. The study addressed the echocardiogram (echo), which uses sound waves to create pictures of blood flowing through the heart’s chambers and valves. Echo reports include machine-generated numerical measures of function, as well as comments from the interpreting cardiologist on the heart’s size, the pressure in its vessels, and tissue thickness, which can signal the presence of disease. In the form typically generated by doctors, the reports are difficult for ...

The lightning-fast development of COVID-19 vaccines just months after the virus appeared was a triumph of modern science and saved millions of lives. But for all the good they did in reducing illnesses and deaths, the shots were unable to end the pandemic because of one notable weakness: They couldn’t stop the spread of the virus. A new study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that next-generation vaccines that target the virus’s points of entry — the nose and mouth — may be able to do what traditional shots cannot: contain the spread of respiratory infections and prevent transmission. ...

A recent Supreme Court decision to block a federal rule curbing interstate air pollution further complicates efforts to reduce emissions and adds to an already disproportionate burden on “downwind” states, according to researchers at the University of Notre Dame. “Toxic air pollution is really not as well known by the general public as you would hope, given its impact on human health,” said Paola Crippa, assistant professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and Earth Sciences. ...

As Earth continues to warm, sea levels have risen at an accelerating rate – from 1.4 millimeters a year to 3.6 millimeters a year between 2000 and 2015. Flooding will inevitably worsen, particularly in low-lying coastal regions, where more than a billion people are estimated to live. Solutions are needed to protect homes, property and groundwater from flooding and the intrusion of saltwater. Seawalls and similar infrastructure are obvious options to protect against flooding. In fact, cities such as New York and San Franciso have already thrashed out potential plans with the Army Corps of Engineers that will heavily rely ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – People who both vape and smoke are four times more likely to develop lung cancer than people who just smoke, according to new study published by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) and College of Public Health. These findings were consistent across gender and race. This is the first study to provide evidence that smoking in combination with vaping increases the risk for cancer compared to smoking alone. Researchers ...

A team of international scientists has unveiled a surprising discovery in molecular physics, revealing unexpected symmetry-breaking dynamics in ionized carbon dioxide dimers. Published in Nature Communications, the study provides new insights into the structural changes that occur when these molecular clusters are exposed to extreme ultraviolet (EUV) radiation. An international team of scientists, led by Profs. Daniel Strasser and Roi Baer from The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, has made an important discovery in molecular physics, revealing unexpected symmetry-breaking dynamics in ionized carbon dioxide dimers. Published in Nature Communications, ...

Karen Della Corte, BYU nutrition and dietetics professor, recently authored a new study, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, that developed a national glycemic index (GI) and glycemic load (GL) database to offer insights into the evolving quality of carbohydrates consumed in the United States, something that hadn’t been done previously. The GI is a scale used by public health researchers to categorize the quality of the carbohydrates. High-GI foods like white flour and sugar cereals cause a “sugar rush” that can negatively impact metabolic health. ...

Military-connected youth that show elevated risk for suicidal ideation and suicide plans exhibit lower rates of gun-carrying, according to new research from emergency medicine faculty at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The analysis, published in JAMA Network Open July 31 by members of the CU Center for Combat Medicine and Battlefield (COMBAT) Researchand Firearm Injury Prevention Initiative (FIPI), offers promising insight for potentially reducing gun-carrying among youths with recent suicidal ideation or plans. Researchers are also interested in how relevant strategies in military communities ...

PULLMAN, Wash. — A lesser-known cannabinoid that is gaining in popularity Cannabigerol (CBG) effectively reduced anxiety in a clinical trial without the intoxication typically associated with whole plant cannabis. It may even have some memory enhancing effects, according to a new study in Scientific Reports. For the study, Carrie Cuttler, an associate professor of psychology at Washington State University, and colleagues conducted the first human clinical trial investigating the acute effects of CBG on anxiety, stress and mood. The research revealed that 20 mg of hemp-derived CBG significantly reduced feelings of anxiety at 20, ...

CLEVELAND — University Hospitals (UH) has received numerous American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke quality achievement awards for ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the U.S. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so ...

The 2024 Summer Olympics are in full swing. One of the marquee events is of course the marathon, a grueling test of fitness and athleticism.  When it comes to endurance running, humans are among the very top mammals in their athletic prowess. While we may not be the best sprinters in the animal kingdom, we can run steadily for long distances, even in hot weather. Our locomotor muscles are dominated by slow-twitch, fatigue-resistant fibers and our unique ability to sweat allows our bodies to effectively dissipate heat. Humans are so good at endurance running, it seems we were born to do it. But why? A theory of endurance In ...

Many people enrolled in Medicaid who require psychiatric care have difficulty accessing clinicians in a timely manner despite the higher need in this population, according to a study by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine. The results published July 31 in JAMA found that few psychiatrists and other mental health professionals who are listed as accepting new patients enrolled in Medicaid are actually reachable and have appointments available. In cases when appointments could be made, wait times sometimes extended up to six months. The research was conducted by first author Dr. Diksha Brahmbhatt (M.D. ’24), who is now a resident physician at Brigham and Women’s ...

New research led by scientists at the Smithsonian proposes a plan to safeguard Earth’s imperiled biodiversity by cryogenically preserving biological material on the moon. The moon’s permanently shadowed craters are cold enough for cryogenic preservation without the need for electricity or liquid nitrogen, according to the researchers.  The paper, published today in BioScience and written in collaboration with researchers from the Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation ...

Researchers at Xiamen University have made a significant advancement in cancer treatment by developing a novel class of X-ray-sensitizers (XSs) that could revolutionize radiotherapy. Published in Engineering, their groundbreaking study highlights how specific organic pharmaceutical drug intermediates, derived from thioxanthone (TX), can be activated by low-dose X-rays to efficiently generate singlet oxygen for targeted cancer therapy. Traditional radiotherapy, a cornerstone in cancer treatment, often involves high doses of radiation (typically over 50 Gy), which can lead ...

Most self-service interactive devices — kiosks, ATMs and other digital interfaces — don't measure up to the accessibility needs of Canadians who report to have a disability, a new study has found.  In partnership with the CSA Group (Canadian Standards Association), University of Waterloo researchers interviewed people with lived experiences of disability and received an overwhelming consensus that most self-serve devices have little to no accessibility features or they have trouble finding ...

A new study led by researchers at Durham University have uncovered an incredibly rare and detailed fossil, named Youti yuanshi, that gives a peek inside one of the earliest ancestors of modern insects, spiders, crabs and centipedes.   This fossil dates back over 520 million years to the Cambrian period, when the major animal groups we know today were first evolving.   This fossil belongs to a group called the euarthropods, which includes modern insects, spiders and crabs. What makes this fossil so special ...

The general anesthetic propofol may hold the keys to developing new treatment strategies for epilepsy and other neurological disorders, according to a study led by researchers at Weill Cornell Medicine and Sweden’s Linköping University. In their study, published July 31 in Nature, the researchers determined the high-resolution structural details of how propofol inhibits the activity of HCN1, an ion channel protein found on many types of neurons. Drug developers consider inhibiting HCN1 a promising strategy for treating neurologic disorders including epilepsy and chronic pain. The researchers also found, to their surprise, that when HCN1 contains ...

About The Study: The results of this survey study of U.S. adults suggest that trust in physicians and hospitals decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. As lower levels of trust were associated with lesser likelihood of pursuing vaccination, restoring trust may represent a public health imperative.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Roy H. Perlis, MD, MSc, email rperlis@mgh.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24984) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this comparative effectiveness study of state firearm policies, the joint effect estimates of combinations of firearm laws were calculated, showing that restrictive firearm policies were associated with substantial reductions in firearm mortality. Although policymakers would benefit from knowing the effects of individual policies, the estimated changes in firearm mortality following implementation of individual policies were often small and uncertain.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding ...

About The Study: Sugar-sweetened beverage excise taxes were associated with lower body mass index percentile among youth in this cohort study. Policymakers should consider implementing sugar-sweetened beverage excise taxes to prevent or reduce youth overweight and obesity and, ultimately, chronic disease, particularly among children younger than 12 years.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Deborah Rohm Young, PhD, email deborah.r.young@kp.org. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.24822) Editor’s ...