The migration of the monarch butterfly is one of the wonders of the natural world. Each autumn, a new generation of monarch butterflies is born in the northern United States and southern Canada. Hundreds of millions of these butterflies then fly to the mountains of Central Mexico, between 4,000km and 4,800km away. There, they overwinter in forests of the sacred fir Abies religiosa at high altitudes. Without these sacred firs, the monarchs couldn’t survive their grueling migration. But under global warming, these forests are predicted to slowly ...

Rapid synthesis of high-entropy alloy nanoparticles (HEA NPs) offers a new opportunity to develop functional materials in various applications. Although some methods have successfully produced HEA NPs, these methods generally require rigorous conditions such as high pressure, high temperature, restricted atmosphere and limited substrates, which impede practical viability.   In a new paper published in Light: Science & Applications, a team of scientists, led by Professor Zhu Liu from the Research Centre for Laser Extreme Manufacturing, Ningbo Institute of Materials Technology and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, have developed ...

Fuel cells and metal-air batteries are considered the future of clean energy technology, but they rely on one critical reaction—the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR)—to convert energy efficiently. Traditionally, platinum (Pt) and its alloys have been the go-to catalysts for this process due to their high activity, but they come with significant drawbacks, such as high cost and poor stability. Now, a team of researchers led by Yuan Zhao from Jinling Institute of Technology (China) may have found a promising solution. Their ...

Hamilton, ON, Oct. 17, 2024 – McMaster University researchers have discovered a previously unknown cell-protecting function of a protein, which could open new avenues for treating age-related diseases and lead to healthier aging overall.   The team has found that a class of protective proteins known as MANF plays a role in the process that keep cells efficient and working well.   The findings appear in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.    Our ...

A new University of Maryland-led discovery could spur the development of new and improved treatments for Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome (HGPS), a rare genetic disorder with no known cure that causes accelerated aging in children. Published in the journal Aging Cell on October 18, 2024, in collaboration with researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Duke University, the study identified a protein linked to the cardiovascular health of animal models with progeria ...

By Dylan Walsh for UC Berkeley Haas In the U.S., demand for in vitro fertilization (IVF) increased almost 140% between 2004 and 2018. Among other things, this trend suggests a business opportunity; in that same span of time the market share of for-profit chain clinics grew from 5% to 20%, with chains now performing over 40% of IVF treatment cycles nationwide. “Chain organizations are very common in hotels and restaurants,” says Ambar La Forgia, an assistant professor at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. “But when it comes to healthcare, because it hasn’t ...

A new UC Davis MIND Institute study offers critical insights into Rett syndrome, a rare genetic condition that affects mostly girls. The research reveals how this condition affects males and females differently, with symptoms progression linked to changes in gene responses in brain cells. Rett syndrome is caused by mutations of the MECP2 gene located on the X chromosome. Children with Rett initially show typical development before symptoms start. The symptoms vary widely. They include loss of hand function, breathing difficulties and seizures that affect the child’s ability to speak, walk, and eat. Rett is less common in males, ...

A multi-state study, published in The Lancet, is one of the first real world data analyses of the effectiveness of the RSV -- short for respiratory syncytial virus -- vaccine. VISION Network researchers report that across the board these vaccines were highly effective in older adults, even those with immunocompromising conditions, during the 2023-24 respiratory disease season, the first season after RSV vaccine approval in the U.S. RSV vaccination provided approximately 80 percent protection against severe disease and hospitalization, Intensive Care Unit admission and death due to a respiratory infection as well as similar protection against less severe disease in adults ...

To forgive is to move on and set a foundation for a brighter future. In the workplace, forgiveness makes for healthier and more effective workgroups, especially when co-worker transgressions are minor and the need for effective collaboration is essential.  One's sense of masculinity, however, can impede an ability to forgive, a study led by UC Riverside associate professor of management Michael Haselhuhn has found.  The more men are concerned about appearing masculine, the less likely they will forgive a co-worker for a transgression such as missing an important meeting, ...

Research led by the University of Oxford has found that oceanographic connectivity (the movement and exchange of water between different parts of the ocean) is a key influence for fish abundance across the Western Indian Ocean (WIO). The findings have been published today in the ICES Journal of Marine Sciences. Connectivity particularly impacted herbivorous reef fish groups, which are most critical to coral reef resilience, providing evidence that decision-makers should incorporate connectivity into how they prioritise conservation areas. The study also revealed that, alongside oceanographic connectivity, sea surface temperature ...

The Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL) in Woods Hole, Mass., has long been a magnet for scientific talent, as partly evidenced by the long list of Nobel laureates affiliated with the lab since 1929. Last week, the MBL was proud to add two new scientists to this list, which now includes 63 names: * Gary Ruvkin, former co-director of the MBL Biology of Aging course, was co-recipient with Victor Ambros of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (for the discovery of microRNA and its role in gene regulation). here. * John Hopfield, former faculty in the MBL Methods in Computational Neuroscience ...

Consuming more ultra-processed foods — from diet sodas to packaged crackers to certain cereals and yogurts — is closely linked with higher blood sugar levels in people with Type 2 diabetes, a team of researchers in nutritional sciences, kinesiology and health education at The University of Texas at Austin have found. In a paper recently published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the team describes how — even more than just the presence of sugar and salt in the diet — having more ultra-processed ...

Hoboken, N.J. October 17, 2024 – When natural disasters strike, social networks like Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter) can be powerful tools for public communication—but often, rescue workers and government officials struggle to make themselves heard above the general hubbub.  In fact, new research from the Stevens Institute of Technology shows, during four recent major hurricanes, important public safety messaging was drowned out by more trivial social content—including people tweeting about pets, sharing human-interest stories, or bickering about politics. That’s a big problem for officials working to understand where help is needed ...

With time being of the essence for patients facing one of cancer's most dire complications, UCLA researchers are working to create a new test to detect cancer’s spread to the central nervous system on the same day as the doctor’s visit. When cancer spreads from its primary site, such as the lungs or breast, to the brain or spine, there are well-established methods of treating it. However, when these metastases spread to the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), a condition known as leptomeningeal disease (LMD), median survival drops to around four ...

URBANA, Ill. — The foundation for healthy eating behavior starts in infancy. Young children learn to regulate their appetite through a combination of biological, psychological, and sociological factors. In a new paper, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign propose a model that explores these factors and their interactions, providing guidelines for better understanding childhood appetite self-regulation. “When we talk about obesity, the common advice is often to just eat less and exercise more. That’s a simplistic recommendation, which almost makes it seem ...

CHICAGO, IL – October 17, 2024 – The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (STS) announces the release of two new risk calculators to inform physician-patient decision-making in thoracic surgery. Engineered using contemporary data from the STS General Thoracic Surgery Database, these interactive tools provide surgeons with accurate, preoperative risk estimations for outcomes of esophagectomy for cancer and pulmonary resection for lung cancer. The mobile-friendly risk calculators allow surgeons and multidisciplinary ...

FAPESP representatives visited the headquarters of Italy’s Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR) in Bologna on October 16th to sign a new work plan that will enable the implementation of a cooperation agreement signed by the institutions in December 2023. The aim is to enable joint funding of research projects in the following areas: Cultures, Inmaterial Heritage, Interdisciplinary Networks; Agri-food and Sustainable Development; Technology and Innovation; and Health and the Environment. Researcher mobility and ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Scientists don't just want their results to be published; they want them to be published in the most influential journal they can find. This focus on a high 'impact factor' is driven by their concerns about promotion and tenure, but it may be overlooking the important role that smaller publications can play in the advancement of their science. A new paper, “Role of low-impact-factor journals in conservation implementation,” appearing Oct. 17 in the journal Conservation ...

In its first three years of operation, Medicaid’s primary care-focused Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) in Massachusetts showed “no clear evidence of success” in improving asthma care for children, according to research led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and UMass Chan Medical School-Baystate Health. The study, published recently in JAMA Pediatrics, compared the asthma care of Medicaid-insured children affiliated with a Medicaid ACO to that of children with private insurance. Senior author Dr. Sarah Goff, a practicing pediatrician and internist ...

FOR MORE INFORMATION Michael San Filippo Senior Media Relations Manager American Veterinary Medical Association Cell/Text: 847-732-6194 msanfilippo@avma.org   New study sheds light on lily toxicity in cats; outpatient treatment may be viable option   (SCHAUMBURG, Illinois) October 17, 2024—A study published recently in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) has revealed new insights into the treatment of cats exposed to toxic lilies, offering hope for pet owners facing this common household hazard. The study (“Prevalence of acute kidney ...

Scientists hope that quantum computing will help them study complex phenomena that have so far proven challenging for current computers – including the properties of new and exotic materials. But despite the hype surrounding each new claim of “quantum supremacy”, there is no easy way to say when quantum computers and quantum algorithms have a clear and practical advantage over classical ones.  A large collaboration led by Giuseppe Carleo, a physicist at the Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL) in Lausane and the member of the National Center for Competence in Research NCCR MARVEL, has now ...

If you’ve ever struggled to reduce your carb intake, ancient DNA might be to blame. It has long been known that humans carry multiple copies of a gene that allows us to begin breaking down complex carbohydrate starch in the mouth, providing the first step in metabolizing starchy foods like bread and pasta. However, it has been notoriously difficult for researchers to determine how and when the number of these genes expanded. Now a new study led by The University of Buffalo (UB) and The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) showcases how early duplications of this ...

The biosynthetic pathway of specific steroidal compounds in nightshade plants (such as potatoes, tomatoes and eggplants) starts with cholesterol. Several studies have investigated the enzymes involved in the formation of steroidal glycoalkaloids. Although the genes responsible for producing the scaffolds of steroidal specialized metabolites are known, successfully reconstituting of these compounds in other plants has not yet been achieved. The project group ‘Specialized Steroid Metabolism in Plants’ in the Department of Natural Product Biosynthesis, led by Prashant Sonawane, who is now Assistant ...

A major new study reveals that carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from forest fires have surged by 60% globally since 2001, and almost tripled in some of the most climate-sensitive northern boreal forests.  The study, led by the University of East Anglia (UEA) and published today in Science, grouped areas of the world into ‘pyromes’ - regions where forest fire patterns are affected by similar environmental, human, and climatic controls - revealing the key factors driving recent increases in forest fire activity.  It is one of the first studies to look globally at the differences between forest ...

A new study shows that an artificial intelligence (AI) tool can help people with different views find common ground by more effectively summarizing the collective opinion of the group than humans. By producing statements that convey the majority opinion, while incorporating the minority’s perspective, the AI produced outputs that participants preferred—and that they rated as more informative, clear, and unbiased, compared to those written by human mediators. Human society is enriched by a plurality of viewpoints, but agreement is a prerequisite for people to act collectively. ...