The formation of relationships within violent US Islamist extremist groups is highly driven by mutual contacts and the tendency for people to bond with others similar to themselves, according to new research. Anina Schwarzenbach, formally of Harvard University and the University of Maryland (currently affiliated with the University of Bern) and Michael Jensen of the University of Maryland present these findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on June 5, 2024. Prior research on social structures within extremist networks have primarily ...

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Online news consumers tend to click on simpler headlines that use more common words and more readable writing, a new study finds.   Researchers evaluated more than 30,000 real-world field experiments from the Washington Post and the online news site Upworthy to see how readers reacted to headlines of varying complexity.   In addition, a follow-up experiment showed that average readers paid more attention to simpler headlines and processed them more deeply – unlike journalists, who paid just as much attention to complex headlines.   The results show ...

June 5, 2024 (Cambridge, MA) - Cirrus Therapeutics, the University of Bristol, and London’s Global University Institute of Ophthalmology have discovered a revolutionary treatment for age-related macular degeneration (AMD), the leading cause of vision loss among older adults. Featured on the cover of the journal Science Translational Medicine, this breakthrough research reveals that boosting a specific protein, IRAK-M, in retinal cells could offer a new and highly effective therapy for AMD. AMD ...

EAST LANSING, Mich. – The competition for online attention in today’s news environment is fierce. High-quality news from credible sources must compete for attention with misinformation and a rapidly increasing amount of partisan content. How can a news organization stand out as a reputable and trustworthy outlet while driving readers to its site? The answer is simple: literally. According to research from Michigan State University, news readers engage more with simple writing, suggesting journalists ...

UCLA scientists have identified a protein that plays a critical role in regulating human blood stem cell self-renewal by helping them sense and interpret signals from their environment. The study, published in Nature, brings researchers one step closer to developing methods to expand blood stem cells in a lab dish, which could make life-saving transplants of these cells more available and increase the safety of blood stem cell-based treatments, such as gene therapies. Blood stem cells, also known as hematopoietic stem cells, have the ability to make copies of themselves via a process called ...

Dr. Raffaele Teperino, head of the "Environmental Epigenetics" research group at Helmholtz Munich, along with his research team, has examined the impact of paternal diet on children's health – specifically, the influence of diet before conception. The researchers focused on special small RNA molecules in sperm, known as mitochondrial tRNA fragments (mt-tsRNAs, see background). These RNAs play a key role in the inheritance of health traits by regulating gene expression. For their study, the researchers used data from the LIFE Child cohort, which includes information from over 3,000 families. The analyses showed ...

A new study uncovers the intricate molecular mechanisms that regulate leaf senescence in apple plants, focusing on the crucial role of the E3 ligase enzyme, MdPUB23, and its interaction with the ABI5 protein. This research provides valuable insights into how plants manage stress responses and maintain growth, offering potential applications in improving crop yield and stress resistance. Leaf senescence is a vital phase in the life cycle of plants, impacting overall plant health and yield. Abscisic acid (ABA) ...

Researchers in Italy have unveiled the first successful application of commercial drones combined with artificial intelligence (AI) to monitor the invasive agricultural pest, Halyomorpha halys, commonly known as the brown marmorated stink bug. This research, published in the SCI journal Pest Management Science, marks a significant advancement in the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for automated monitoring of invasive species. Halyomorpha halys is notorious for its extensive damage to orchard crops across North America and southern Europe. In Italy, this invasive pest caused an ...

Recent research has uncovered the genetic mechanisms behind sea lavender's (Limonium bicolor) salt tolerance by studying basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors. Identifying 187 bHLH  genes, the study highlights their roles in salt gland development and stress responses. CRISPR-Cas9 validation demonstrated specific bHLH genes' critical role in enhancing salt tolerance, paving the way for future applications in crop improvement and saline soil management. Basic helix–loop–helix (bHLH) transcription factors are essential for various plant processes, including ...

Six faculty members from The University of Texas at Arlington received more than $3.23 million in awards as part of the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Faculty Early Career Development Program. Called CAREER, these awards are considered the NSF’s most prestigious for early-career faculty and are given to those who have the potential to serve as academic role models in research and education. Between 2017 and 2022, UTA received nine CAREER awards; in 2023, it received six. Vice President of research and innovation Kate C. Miller called this “a true testament to the world-class research teams we’re assembling here in Arlington.” “CAREER ...

Some children with autism experience profound, lifelong difficulties like developmental delay, social struggles and even the inability to speak. Others experience more mild symptoms that improve with time. The disparity in outcomes has been a mystery to scientists, until now. A new study, published in Molecular Autism by researchers at University of California San Diego, is the first to shed light on the matter. Among its findings: The biological basis for these two subtypes of autism develops in utero. Researchers ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights showcases the latest breakthroughs in cancer care, research and prevention. These advances are made possible through seamless collaboration between MD Anderson’s world-leading clinicians and scientists, bringing discoveries from the lab to the clinic and back. Recent developments at MD Anderson offer insights into a lower-intensity therapy combination for older patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a novel T cell therapy for patients with bone marrow failure syndromes, a proof-of-concept study using MRI to detect metabolic changes inside tumors, a molecular target to overcome treatment resistance ...

-With images- A new study has revealed alarming gaps in the implementation of conservation interventions for thousands of the world's most threatened species. The research, published in the journal Nature, shows that most terrestrial plant and animal species at risk of extinction from threats like habitat loss, over-exploitation for trade, and invasive species are not receiving the appropriate types of conservation efforts needed to protect them. The study findings suggest that there is a serious mismatch between the ...

(Boston)—Firearm-related injury remains a significant burden in the U.S. with more than 45,000 people dying from these injuries in 2020. Suicides continue to account for the majority of all gun deaths. The number of homicides due to gun violence decreased between 1990 and 2010, but the last decade has seen an uptick. Homicides now make up 45% of all gun-related deaths, and Black and other minorities are overrepresented among firearm homicide victims. Moreover, there has been a stark increase in incarcerated populations in the U.S since the 1980s largely due to differential drug sentencing, ...

The human genome contains about 23,000 genes, but only a fraction of those genes are turned on inside a cell at any given time. The complex network of regulatory elements that controls gene expression includes regions of the genome called enhancers, which are often located far from the genes that they regulate.  This distance can make it difficult to map the complex interactions between genes and enhancers. To overcome that, MIT researchers have invented a new technique that allows them to observe the timing of gene and enhancer activation in a cell. When a gene is turned on around the same time as a particular enhancer, it strongly suggests the enhancer ...

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute, working with UCL and Imperial College London, have discovered a new biological pathway that is a principal driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and related conditions, and which can be targeted using existing drugs. About 5% of the world’s population, and one in ten people in the UK1, are currently affected by an autoimmune disease, such as IBD, the umbrella term for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. These diseases are also becoming more common, with over half a million people living with IBD in the UK as of 2022, nearly double the 300,000 previously estimated2. Despite increasing prevalence, current treatments do not ...

LA JOLLA (June 5, 2024)—Bacteria, parasites, viruses—the immune system tackles them all. At the front line of the human immune response are cells called macrophages, which are responsible for correctly identifying intruders and then directing how the entire immune system responds. Researchers at the Salk Institute have now discovered a molecular mechanism that helps macrophages mount a coordinated response tailored to a specific immune challenge. Activating macrophages requires the work of three versions of a protein complex called SWI/SNF: cBAF, ncBAF, and PBAF. Scientists already knew these variants had slightly different structures, but ...

Why Do 1 in 10 Americans Get Eczema? Is it Too Much Salt?  UCSF Study finds that changes in daily salt intake may explain eczema flares.  A high sodium diet may increase the risk of eczema, according to researchers at UC San Francisco (UCSF), who found that eating just one extra gram of sodium per day – the amount in a Big Mac – increases the likelihood of flares by 22%.     Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, is a chronic disease that causes dry, itchy skin. It’s one of ...

When Twitter banned more than 70,000 traffickers of false information from its platform in the wake of the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, the impact went beyond the silencing of those users. A study co-authored by UC Riverside public policy and political science scholars published in the journal Nature on Wednesday, June 5, found that the crackdown by Twitter (now called X after it was acquired by billionaire Elon Musk in late 2022) also significantly reduced the number of misinformation posts by users who stayed on the platform but had been following those who were kicked off. Additionally, the study found that many of the misinformation ...

One in six patients in primary care reported cannabis use, with 35% of those using at levels indicating moderate- to high-risk for cannabis use disorder, new UCLA research finds. The findings, to be published June 5 in JAMA Network Open, suggest that most patients reported using cannabis for symptom management, despite identifying as recreational users, indicating the need for routine cannabis screening.   Currently few healthcare systems offer this screening in primary care settings. “Patients may not tell their primary care providers about their cannabis use, and their doctors ...

In a study published in Cell, a research team led by ZHANG Yong'e and WANG Haoyi from the Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has characterized the diversity of DNA transposons and expanded the genome engineering toolbox. "Our systematic and comparative framework complements conventional case studies in elucidating basic biology and strengthening applied biology," said Prof. ZHANG, corresponding author of the study. Since the first discovery of transposons by Barbara McClintock in the 1940s, scientists ...

Antibiotic treatment prior to surgical repair of a pediatric elbow fracture does not reduce the risk for post-operative infection, according to new findings from a team of researchers and surgeons from the University of Missouri School of Medicine.  A humerus bone fracture near the elbow is a common injury among children who fall. The typical surgical approach for repairing pediatric elbow fractures is a procedure called closed reduction percutaneous pinning (CRPP). It involves inserting pins or wires through the skin to promote stability and healing of the bone. CRPP is a minimally invasive, safe and effective ...

Healthcare providers should watch out for new and highly contagious forms of ringworm or jock itch, which are emerging as a potential public health threat, according to a pair of reports. In the first of the studies, experts at NYU Langone Health who focus on the spread of contagious rashes document the first reported U.S. case of a sexually transmitted fungal infection that can take months to clear up even with treatment. In the second report, NYU Langone physicians partnered with authorities at the New York State ...

A team of material scientists led by Jiang Li from Shanghai Institute of Ceramics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, in Shanghai, China recently reported (Tb1-xYx)3Al5O12 magneto-optical ceramics with high optical quality. The optical transmittance, microstructure, Verdet constant, and thermal conductivity of (Tb1-xYx)3Al5O12 with different Y content were investigated in detail. It was found that Y2O3 can suppress the secondary phase and improve the optical quality of TAG ceramics. As optical quality occupies one ...

Since the brittle characteristics of porous ceramics, high mechanical strength is the most important prerequisite among the fundamental requirements especially when used as the supports. Particle grading strategy has been intensively extended in the preparation of porous ceramics to improve the mechanical strength. Unfortunately, this usually accompanies with the notable sacrifice in porosity. The trade-off between the mechanical strength and porosity is well recognized in the field of porous ceramics, and attempts have been increasingly devoted to overcome the issue. Recently, a research team ...