Rainfall fluctuates more vigorously. Why? Scientists say it's because of us. Many people around the world have noticed that rainfall is becoming increasingly erratic. Intense downpours are occurring more frequently, while dry periods seem to last longer and become more severe. These changes have raised concerns and prompted scientists to investigate the links between climate change and these unpredictable rainfall patterns. A new study provides the first systematic observational evidence that human-induced climate change is making rainfall patterns more volatile globally. Published in the journal Science on July 26, a joint study by the Institute of Atmospheric Physics ...

In this Special Issue of Science, four Reviews and a Policy Forum explore the intersections of science, health, and policy related to the air we breathe, tackling topics including how air pollution is monitored, what impacts it has on human health, how those impacts are felt most by populations with fewer resources, and what changes we can make to the built environment to secure clean air.   In one Review, Wei Huang and colleagues discuss the new air quality guidelines from the World Health Organization (WHO) and related challenges ...

Anthropogenic climate warming has led to increased precipitation variability over much of the globe, according to a new study, which points to several hotspots for this trend. This effect is particularly prominent over Europe, Australia, and eastern North America, say the study’s authors, and is largely driven by increasing atmospheric moistening and decadal-scale changes in atmospheric circulation. As the climate warms, the atmosphere becomes more capable of holding moisture, leading to greater fluctuations between extreme precipitation events and wider swings between wet and dry episodes. Such amplified ...

Specific neurons in the brain’s zona incerta (ZI) play a crucial role in the early social interactions of an infant and its mother, building their bond and reducing stress, according to a new study in mice. Activation of the same neurons in adult mice increased anxiety- and fear-like responses, the study showed. In humans, as in other mammals, infants have an inborn tendency to form an attachment bond with their mothers or caregivers – a bond that plays a crucial role in the infant’s development. This bond helps newborns feel secure and serves as a safety net from which to explore their surroundings, learn, and develop crucial skills and behaviors. However, the neural mechanisms ...

Machine learning models can reliably inform clinicians about the disability progression of multiple sclerosis, according to a new study published this week in the open-access journal PLOS Digital Health by Edward De Brouwer of KU Leuven, Belgium, and colleagues. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive autoimmune disease that leads to severe disability over time through a complex pattern of progression, recovery, and relapse. Its global prevalence has increased by more than 30% over the last decade. ...

Novel human lung organoids can form lifelike models for tuberculosis infection, and might be used to test efficacy of anti-TB drugs. #### Article URL: http://journals.plos.org/plospathogens/article?id=10.1371/journal. ppat.1012295 Article Title: Advances in an In Vitro Tuberculosis Infection Model Using Human Lung Organoids for Host-Directed Therapies Author Countries: Republic of Korea Funding: This research was supported by the Korea National Institutes of Health (NIH) (No. 2021-ER2001-00) awarded to E.M.K., the Korea Institute of Toxicology, Republic of Korea (No. 1711195891) awarded to E.M.K., the Korea Environment Industry & Technology ...

Researchers at QuTech developed somersaulting spin qubits for universal quantum logic. This achievement may enable efficient control of large semiconductor qubit arrays. The research group published their demonstration of hopping spins in Nature Communications and their work on somersaulting spins in Science.  In 1998, Loss and DiVincenzo published the seminal work ‘quantum computation with quantum dots’. In their original work, hopping of spins was proposed as a basis for qubit logic, but an experimental implementation has remained lacking. After more than 20 years, experiments have caught up with theory. Researchers ...

Professor Morawska, director of THRIVE, from QUT’s School of School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences said the rapid global spread of Covid-19 had soon made it clear the world was unprepared to respond appropriately. “In the early days of the pandemic the World Health Organisation and many national health authorities claimed the virus was ‘not in the air’ but rather present in large quantities on surfaces. This led to a misconception about how the virus was transmitted,” ...

Crave that cup of coffee in the morning? Globally, consumers drink more than 2.2 billion cups daily. Someone grows all that joe: More than 100 million farmers worldwide produce coffee. Coffee beans consumed across the globe come from two species: Coffea arabica and Coffea canephora, also known as Robusta (or Conilon) coffee. Historically, coffee drinkers prefer Arabica beans for their specific flavor and aroma, said Felipe Ferrao, a University of Florida research assistant scientist in horticultural sciences. But by 2050, about 80% of Arabica production is predicted to decrease because of climate change. So, Ferrao and colleagues from France (RD2 Vision) and Brazil (Incaper ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test that can be done at home could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%, according to a new study published in JAMA Network Open. This is the first study to evaluate this tool’s effectiveness in specific racial groups. For this study, researchers at The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and the Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), and Kaiser Permanente evaluated data from nearly 11,000 patients who underwent at-home FIT (fecal immunochemical testing) among ...

Artificial intelligence (AI) is hot right now. Also hot: the data centers that power the technology. And keeping those centers cool requires a tremendous amount of energy. The problem is only going to grow as high-powered AI-based computers and devices become commonplace. That’s why University of Missouri researcher Chanwoo Park is devising a new type of cooling system that promises to dramatically reduce energy demands. “Cooling and chip manufacturing go hand-in-hand,” said Park, a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering in the Mizzou College of Engineering. “Without proper cooling, components overheat and fail. Energy-efficient data centers will be key ...

Scientists have discovered that electrical currents may make Natural Killer (NK) cells – our very own cancer-killing immune cells – even better killers, which could have significant implications for treating some cancers.  The scientists found that Tumour Treating Fields (TTF) in the laboratory (which mimic exposure of  brain tumours to electric currents via a simple hat worn by patients) evoked an even more deadly response from NK cells. They hope their promising findings may open the door to new combined therapies for people living with certain brain tumours, such as glioblastoma. Glioblastoma is an aggressive, common ...

Most (83%) suicide deaths were among men Firearms were the most frequently used weapon (59%) Among those who died by suicide, 20% had been diagnosed with depression; only 14.1% of them were receiving treatment CHICAGO --- Nearly 20% of suicides in Illinois between 2020 and 2021 were among people 65 years and older, according to recently released data from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The suicides disproportionately affected white men between the ages of 65 and 74 years, with ...

Scientists for decades have attempted to learn more about the complex and mysterious chain of events by which tiny droplets in clouds grow large enough to begin falling toward the ground. Better understanding this process, known as the “rain formation bottleneck,” is fundamental to improving computer model simulations of weather and climate and ultimately generating better forecasts.   Now a research team led by scientists at the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR) ...

PHILADELPHIA – There are many important reasons for keeping cuts and sores clean, but new research from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania shows that a certain bug, Alcaligenes faecalis (A. faecalis), can facilitate healing of hard-to-treat wounds among people with diabetes. While there are many studies done on potentially harmful bacteria in wounds, the researchers discovered that A. faecalis, a bacterium found in many types of chronic wounds, actually boosts healing of diabetic wounds. The researchers found that the beneficial bacterium can promote ...

A sustainable source for clean energy may lie in old soda cans and seawater.  MIT engineers have found that when the aluminum in soda cans is exposed in its pure form and mixed with seawater, the solution bubbles up and naturally produces hydrogen — a gas that can be subsequently used to power an engine or fuel cell without generating carbon emissions. What’s more, this simple reaction can be sped up by adding a common stimulant: caffeine.  In a study appearing today in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, the researchers show they can produce hydrogen gas by dropping pretreated, pebble-sized aluminum pellets into a beaker ...

In a rigorous medical records study covering tens of thousands of patients, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers conclude that some patients with preoperative anemia have better outcomes if they get iron infusions before surgery rather than standard red blood cell transfusions. The findings, published July 22 in Anesthesia & Analgesia, contribute to mounting evidence that such iron infusions, which boost the production of a person’s own red blood cells, are better than relying on someone else’s blood. “Anemia ...

A new method to measure the continuous spectrum of light, developed in the lab of University of Houston professor of electrical and computer engineering Jiming Bao, is set to improve thermal imaging and infrared thermography, techniques used to measure and visualize temperature distributions without direct contact with the subject being photographed.   Because they are highly sensitive, thermal cameras and infrared thermometers measure temperature accurately from a distance, making them versatile and valuable tools in many fields from the military to medical diagnostics. They detect infrared radiation, ...

An experimental cancer drug could make thinking easier for individuals with Rett syndrome, a rare disorder linked to autism, according to new research from the University of California San Diego — a discovery that could lead to therapies for patients with other neurological conditions. The findings, published July 25 in Stem Cell Reports, highlight the role of microglia — a type of white blood cell found in the central nervous system — in the formation of the human brain. While such cells have been better studied in neurodegenerative disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Researchers at Oregon State University have developed a material that shows a remarkable ability to convert sunlight and water into clean energy. A collaboration led by Kyriakos Stylianou of the OSU College of Science created a photocatalyst that enables the high-speed, high-efficiency production of hydrogen, used in fuel cells for cars as well as in the manufacture of many chemicals including ammonia, in the refining of metals and in making plastics. The findings represent a potential new tool to use against greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, said Stylianou, whose research focuses ...

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — Testing weapons and components in a lab-controlled environment has always been at the center of Sandia National Laboratories’ mission. Since the U.S. stopped underground explosives tests on weapons in the early 1990s, Sandia has developed other methods to conduct experiments that mimic the range of environments a weapons unit might experience. A newly developed method is getting better results, with fewer tests, in less time. “Our job in the laboratory is to simulate the environment and lifetime of stress ...

Digital Science, a technology company serving stakeholders across the research ecosystem, is pleased to share the news that Midwestern University has successfully launched a new faculty profiles portal powered by Symplectic Elements. Midwestern has been utilizing Symplectic Elements as its Research Information Management System since 2019, and has made the decision to expand its use by adding public profiles. The faculty profiles repurpose the comprehensive data already within Elements to populate enhanced profiles, including biographical information as ...

MND is a devastating disease affecting the motor neurones in the brain and spinal cord, leading to progressive muscle weakness and paralysis. Despite decades of research, several scientific challenges continue to impede the development of effective therapies for the thousands of people living with MND in the UK. The MND Research Data Catalyst is a new initiative led by HDR UK and DPUK, with the UK Dementia Research Institute (UK DRI) and in partnership with the MND research community, to accelerate the discovery of new diagnostics, treatments and support better care for MND patients. This will be achieved by harnessing the UK’s trustworthy, large-scale health ...

A study conducted through a mobile screening unit in Madrid, Spain from 2017 to 2023 and published in Eurosurveillance found that active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection decreased from 23% to 6% in that period among people who use drugs (PWUD) that visited the unit. The study found that the use of intravenous drugs was the most significant risk factor for infection among PWUD. It confirmed that HCV screening and treatment programmes targeting this at-risk population are effective and can help achieve the World Health Organization goal of HCV elimination as public health threat by 2030. Study participants and methods Participants were recruited in ‘hotspots’ ...

In 2016, President-elect Donald Trump vowed to deport thousands of immigrants. His anti-immigration message vilified foreign-born people living in the U.S. as criminals and rapists. Besides making good on many harsh, immigration-related promises, the years after his election stoked the anxieties of millions of people.  Now, with Trump once again in contention for the White House, a new study from the University of California, Berkeley, reveals the surprising — and potentially lifelong — association between those early Trump years and the health of society's newest citizens.  In ...