Everyone has a past. That includes the millions of species of insects, arachnids, and nematode worms that make up a major animal group called the Ecdysozoa. Until recently, details about this group’s most distant past have been elusive. But a UC Riverside-led team has now identified the oldest known ecdysozoan in the fossil record and the only one from the Precambrian period. Their discovery of Uncus dzaugisi, a worm-like creature rarely over a few centimeters in length, is described in a paper published today in Current ...

Anyone who has ever tried to get rid of a few extra kilos knows the frustration: the weight drops initially, only to be back within a matter of weeks – the yo-yo effect has struck. Researchers at ETH Zurich have now been able to show that this is all down to epigenetics. Epigenetics is the part of genetics that’s based not on the sequence of genetic building blocks but on small yet characteristic chemical markers on these building blocks. The sequence of building blocks has evolved over a long period of time; we all inherit them from our parents. Epigenetic markers, on the other hand, are more dynamic: environmental factors, our eating habits and the condition of our body ...

LOS ANGELES — New research published in JAMA Network Open from USC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of Keck Medicine of USC, suggests that among all cancer survivors, male adolescents and young adults (AYA) have the highest rate of death by suicide.  The study also reports that the number of suicide deaths in the AYA male cancer survivor group (ages 15-39) increased three-fold during the 21-year-study period. In 2021, one in 65 deaths among the group was attributed to suicide. Suicide deaths have also increased for other cancer ...

Achalasia is primarily caused by the degeneration of the myenteric plexus in the esophageal wall, leading to impaired relaxation of the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) and loss of esophageal peristalsis. Although the exact etiology is not fully understood, it is believed to involve autoimmune mechanisms and viral infections. Key pathological features include the absence of peristalsis, LES hypertonicity, and symptoms such as dysphagia and regurgitation. In this condition, the esophagus fails to contract and move food toward the stomach, while the LES ...

2024 marks an important milestone with the publication of a comprehensive review in Chemical Reviews on electron density-based methods. The review, authored by an international team, was spearheaded by leading researchers from Institute of Science Tokyo (Sergei Manzhos and Manabu Ihara of the Ihara-Manzhos lab) and included collaborators from Canada (Paul Ayers of McMaster University and Cherif Matta of Mount Saint Vincent University), China (Samantha Jenkins of Hunan Normal University), and the USA (Michele Pavanello from Rutgers University). The project also saw significant contributions from young researchers, Daniel Koch from ...

Researchers from Peking University have conducted an in-depth study on the epidemic status, secular trends, and risk factors of 15 common neonatal infectious diseases across low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) from 1990 to 2019. The study, published in Health Data Science, provides a comprehensive overview of the changes in incidence and mortality rates, identifying key trends and potential areas for targeted public health interventions to improve neonatal health outcomes. Neonatal infectious diseases remain a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in LMICs, where newborns are particularly vulnerable to infections due to underdeveloped immune systems ...

Citizen scientists in Japan enabled researchers to learn why May 2024’s aurora appeared a magenta color over the country. This effort in extending research beyond academies and laboratories has greater consequence for humanity than explaining pretty lights Around the world, the historic geomagnetic superstorm of late spring 2024 inspired millions of non-scientists around the world—many armed with highly sensitive smartphone cameras—to take a fantastic, unprecedented number of images of the aurora it produced. In ...

University of Queensland researchers have developed a new class of oral painkillers to suppress chronic abdominal pain that is based on the peptide hormone oxytocin that drives childbirth contractions. Associate Professor Markus Muttenthaler from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience led a team that has changed the chemical structure of oxytocin to make it gut-stable after earlier work revealed the hormone could treat abdominal pain. Dr Muttenthaler said there was an urgent need for new ...

(Toronto, November 18, 2024) A recent study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research introduced the EDAI framework, a comprehensive guideline designed to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) principles throughout the artificial intelligence (AI) lifecycle. Led by Dr Samira Abbasgholizadeh-Rahimi, PhD, the Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in AI and Advanced Digital Primary Health Care,  the research addresses a significant gap in current AI development and implementation practices in health and oral health care, which often overlook critical EDI factors. With EDAI, AI ...

Black holes are one of the most enigmatic stellar objects. While best known for swallowing up their surroundings into a gravity pit from which nothing can escape, they can also shoot off powerful jets of charged particles, leading to explosive bursts of gamma rays that can release more energy in mere seconds than our sun will emit in its entire lifetime. For such a spectacular event to occur, a black hole needs to carry a powerful magnetic field. Where this magnetism comes from, however, has been a long-standing ...

Fampridine is currently used to improve walking ability in multiple sclerosis. A new study shows that it could also help individuals with reduced working memory, as seen in mental health conditions like schizophrenia or depression. Remembering a code for long enough to type it in; holding a conversation and reacting appropriately to what is being said: in everyday situations like these, we use our working memory. It allows a memory to be actively retained for a few seconds. Certain conditions, such as schizophrenia ...

Cambridge, MA (November 18, 2024) – Today the MIT Press is releasing a workshop report on what additional information is needed to ensure that open access publication benefits research, entitled "Access to Science & Scholarship 2024: Building an Evidence Base to Support the Future of Open Research Policy." The report is the outcome of a workshop funded by the National Science Foundation and held at the D.C. headquarters of the American Association for the Advancement of Science on September 20, 2024. The implementation of open access has resulted in consolidation of the publishing industry, an explosion in unreviewed articles, and new costs that may be hard ...

Quebec, CA, November 18, 2024 – A new study published in the The Journal of Nutrition, found that substituting two tablespoons of pure maple syrup for refined sugars reduced several cardiometabolic risk factors in humans.  It was the first placebo-controlled clinical trial exploring potential health benefits of maple syrup in humans. “We know from decades of research that maple syrup is more than just sugar. It contains over 100 natural compounds, including polyphenols, that are known to prevent disease in part through their anti-inflammatory ...

MINNEAPOLIS / ST. PAUL (11/18/2024) — A new study by researchers at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) found that specific insecticides, called neonicotinoids, were found at high concentrations in some ground and surface water sources that could affect drinking water. Individuals relying on shallow groundwater or natural springs for drinking water have a higher risk of contamination from these insecticides compared to those getting their drinking water from deep groundwater wells. ...

The €500,000 Einstein Foundation Award for Promoting Quality in Research honors researchers and institutions whose work helps to fundamentally advance the quality and robustness of research findings. The award is bestowed jointly with the QUEST Center for Responsible Research, Berlin Institute of Health (BIH) at Charité. „The Einstein Foundation Award seeks to amplify the importance of quality and accountability in research, particularly as science plays a critical role in addressing global challenges,“ explains Martin Rennert, Chair of the Einstein Foundation’s Executive Board. ...

Mitochondrial diseases are among the most prevalent hereditary metabolic disorders, known to occur in one out every 5000 births. Single nucleotide variations, indels, and structural variations are known to cause these disorders. While many arise from single nucleotide variations, indels, or structural variants, some forms are also triggered by repeat expansions in nuclear genes affecting mitochondrial function, which can result in severe mitochondrial dysfunction. These diseases often impact the central nervous system (CNS), and mitochondrial encephalopathies represent a subset characterized by prominent ...

Minuscule particles of plastic are not only bad for the environment. A study led from Umeå University, Sweden, has shown that the so-called nanoplastics which enter the body also can impair the effect of antibiotic treatment. The results also indicate that the nanoplastics may lead to the development of antibiotic resistance. Even the indoor air in our homes contains high levels of nanoplastics from, among other things, nylon, which is particularly problematic. "The results are alarming considering how common nanoplastics are and because effective antibiotics for many can be the difference between life and death," says Lukas Kenner, ...

How can scientists across climate science, medical and psychological topics foster the public’s trust in them and their science? Show that they are intellectually humble. Those are some of the findings of two intellectually humble University of Pittsburgh scientists and their co-authors, using five separate studies totaling 2,034 participants in research published Nov. 18 in Nature Human Behaviour. “Research has shown that having intellectual humility — which is an awareness that one’s knowledge or beliefs might be incomplete or wrong — is associated with engaging in more effortful and less biased information processing,” said Jonah Koetke, ...

A promising daily tablet is effective at increasing height and improving proportional limb growth in children with achondroplasia, the most common form of dwarfism, according to a new study. And the findings could spare these children from needing to have a daily injection to boost growth. The phase II study, led by Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, found the drug infigratinib, an investigational product, was safe and effective in treating children with achondroplasia aged 3-11 ...

Mediterranean Sea dropped during the Messinian Salinity Crisis – a major geological event that transformed the Mediterranean into a gigantic salt basin between 5.97 and 5.33 million years ago2. Until now, the process by which a million cubic kilometres of salt accumulated in the Mediterranean basin over such a short period of time remained unknown. Thanks to analysis of the chlorine isotopes3 contained in salt extracted from the Mediterranean seabed, scientists have been able to identify the ...

A new study, focused on a remote region of the Peruvian Andes where the waters of the Amazon originate, carries lessons for hydropower operators and farming communities worldwide: collaborating on sustainable land management is the best decision they can make for the long-term viability of their businesses and livelihoods. It also opens opportunities for restoration of degraded ecosystems. Research from the Stanford-based Natural Capital Project (NatCap) in Communications - Earth & the Environment integrates hydropower operations with ...

Researchers from the Champalimaud Foundation shed light on the puzzling relationship between dopamine and rest tremor in Parkinson’s disease, finding that preserved dopamine in certain brain regions may actually contribute to tremor symptoms, challenging common beliefs. Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurological disorder known for its characteristic motor symptoms: tremor, rigidity, and slowness of movement. Among these, rest tremor—a shaking that occurs when muscles are relaxed—is one of the most recognisable yet least understood. A new study from the Champalimaud ...

New York, NY [November 18, 2024]—A study by researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai has identified strategies for using large language models (LLMs), a type of artificial intelligence (AI), in health systems while maintaining cost efficiency and performance. The findings, published in the November 18 online issue of npj Digital Medicine [DOI: 10.1038/s41746-024-01315-1], provide insights into how health systems can leverage advanced AI tools to automate tasks efficiently, saving time and reducing operational costs while ensuring these models remain ...

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) have developed an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to help speed up the process of matching potential volunteers to relevant clinical research trials listed on ClinicalTrials.gov. A study published in Nature Communications found that the AI algorithm, called TrialGPT, could successfully identify relevant clinical trials for which a person is eligible and provide a summary that clearly explains how that person meets the criteria for study enrollment. The researchers ...

As an undergraduate student at Zhejiang University in eastern China, Greg Liu went with some of his classmates on a university-sponsored trip to tour a host of chemical industries within the area. The tour gave students pursuing degrees in chemical engineering an opportunity to learn more about the manufacturing and production processes of chemicals within China at the time. Liu realized that day exactly what he wanted to do for a career – find ways to alleviate or stop the industry from polluting the environment. “I realized that this was not going to be the sustainable way of our future. Pollution ...