Humans pass on more viruses to domestic and wild animals than we catch from them, according to a major new analysis of viral genomes by UCL researchers. For the new paper published in Nature Ecology & Evolution, the team analysed all publicly available viral genome sequences, to reconstruct where viruses have jumped from one host to infect another vertebrate species. Most emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases are caused by viruses circulating in animals. When these viruses cross over from animals into humans, a process known as zoonosis, they can cause disease outbreaks, epidemics and pandemics such as Ebola, flu or Covid-19. Given the enormous impact ...

Understanding the behavior of matter is crucial for advancing scientific fields like biology, chemistry, and materials science. X-ray crystallography has been instrumental in this pursuit, allowing scientists to determine molecular structures with precision. In traditional X-ray crystallography experiments, a single crystal is exposed to X-rays multiple times to obtain diffraction signals. This poses a problem, where the sample has its structure altered or damaged by X-ray exposure. In recent years, advances in technology have allowed for the development of “time-resolved serial femtosecond crystallography” (TR-SFX). In serial ...

More efficient use of phosphorus could see limited stocks of the important fertiliser last more than 500 years and boost global food production to feed growing populations. But these benefits will only happen if countries are less wasteful with how they use phosphorus, a study published today in Nature Food shows. Around 30-40 per cent of farm soils have over-applications of phosphorus, with European and North American countries over-applying the most. The global population is due to hit nearly 10 billion by 2050 and it is estimated that to feed ...

RICHLAND, Wash.— A commonplace chemical used in water treatment facilities has been repurposed for large-scale energy storage in a new battery design by researchers at the Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. The design provides a pathway to a safe, economical, water-based, flow battery made with Earth-abundant materials. It provides another pathway in the quest to incorporate intermittent energy sources such as wind and solar energy into the nation’s electric grid. The researchers report ...

Scientists from The Australian National University (ANU) have discovered a gene mutation is responsible for causing psoriasis – a chronic inflammatory skin disease that causes patients to develop red, scaly and itchy patches across their body. According to ANU researcher Dr Chelisa Cardinez, if two copies of this mutated gene (known as IKBKB) are present, patients with psoriasis may go on to develop psoriatic arthritis, leaving them with joint pain, stiffness and swelling. Thanks to the world-first discovery from ANU, scientists now know what causes the progression from a skin-only disease to a skin and joint disease. It’s hoped the findings will lead ...

In the United States, community health centers (CHCs) mainly serve historically marginalized populations. New research reveals that both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, females receiving care at rural CHCs were less likely to be up to date with cervical cancer screening than those in urban CHCs. Factors associated with these differences included the proportion of patients with limited English proficiency and low income, as well as area-level unemployment and primary care physician density. The findings are ...

ANN ARBOR, Mich. –   Many parents struggle deciding whether their middle or high school aged child should stay home from school if they don’t feel well, a new national poll suggests. Among top factors: how their adolescent or teen is behaving due to symptoms and if they can get through a school day, the risk that they’re contagious and whether the student will miss a test, presentation or after school activity. One in five parents also consider if their child needs a mental health day, according to the University of Michigan ...

Physicians in Canada, especially male physicians, are working fewer hours than they did 3 decades ago, and these long-term trends must be considered in workforce planning, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) https://www.cmaj.ca/lookup/doi/10.1503/cmaj.231166. "Canadian physicians' work hours, crucial for health care access and planning, have seen a long-term decline, especially among male and married physicians, suggesting a shift towards better work–life balance," said Dr. Boris Kralj, Department of Economics, Centre for Health Economics & Policy Analysis, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Using ...

Drugs, both legal and illegal, cause millions of cases of severe intoxication every year, leading to health complications and even fatalities. Often, they are also implicated in violent and sexual harassment crimes, as well as accidents. Obtaining detailed information about the drugs consumed by a criminal or victim is often challenging. Forensic professionals rely on drug screening techniques performed on biological samples, such as blood or saliva, to gather crucial evidence.   Today, various types of practical drug screening methods exist, each with their own unique advantages ...

Hundreds of studies are published each year on attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but more work is needed to ensure those findings improve lives. With input from expert stakeholders across the field, researchers at the Southern California Evidence Review Center, part of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, have synthesized the latest insights so that they can ultimately inform clinical practice. Broadly, they found that both medications and psychosocial treatments work for treating ADHD and that children with the condition can and do get better. “We have more research than ever on ADHD, but we need ...

Researchers at the University of Waterloo's Institute for Quantum Computing (IQC) have brought together two Nobel prize-winning research concepts to advance the field of quantum communication. Scientists can now efficiently produce nearly perfect entangled photon pairs from quantum dot sources. Entangled photons are particles of light that remain connected, even across large distances, and the 2022 Nobel Prize in Physics recognized experiments on this topic. Combining entanglement with quantum dots, a technology recognized with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, the IQC research team aimed to optimize the ...

By exploring attitudes in the USA, UK, Italy, South Africa, Mexico, and Poland – countries with different economies, cultures and political regimes (past and present) – the paper shows that, in all countries, right- compared to left-wing supporters evaluated the past more positively. The data reveal that, in part, this occurs because right-wing supporters are more nostalgic about tradition. While the right looked more favourably to the past, in the USA and Poland (and potentially in the UK too), the left was more ...

Scientists have successfully carried out pioneering fecal microbiota transplantations on Navy bottlenose dolphins that showed signs of gastrointestinal disease. One dolphin in particular who was outwardly ill was able to be taken off medication during the treatment course, with his appetite and energy returning to normal, according to the team at the National Marine Mammal Foundation. The project was carried out jointly between the NMMF, the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program and the Gilbert Lab at UCSD School of Medicine and Scripps Institution of Oceanography, and its findings were published in the Journal of ...

Scientists report they have extracted a compound with powerful antibacterial properties from the skin of farmed African catfish. Although additional testing is necessary to prove the compound is safe and effective for use as future antibiotic, the researchers say it could one day represent a potent new tool against antimicrobial-resistant bacteria such as extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL) producing E. coli.   Hedmon Okella is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Davis, and led the project.   “The global public health threat due to antimicrobial resistance ...

A new study examining cholesteryl esters suggests that periods of prolonged inactivity may affect people differently depending on their age. Cholesteryl esters — which consist of cholesterol molecules bonded with fatty acids — store and transport cholesterol throughout the body.   As people get older, their risk of being hospitalized or bedridden increases. These long periods of inactivity come with a host of negative health effects such as reduced insulin function and loss of lean muscle, bone mass and strength. Scientists are working to better understand the biology involved in these changes so that ...

A newly developed compound is showing promise in animal studies as a more effective treatment for human schistosomiasis, an understudied tropical disease caused by parasitic worms. The spread of schistosomiasis, a disease responsible for nearly 12,000 deaths globally each year, has been documented in 78 nations.   Although schistosomiasis transmission tends to occur in tropical and subtropical areas, climate change could shift it into new areas such as southern Europe. There is currently no vaccine available for the disease, which comes with severe clinical symptoms. The drug praziquantel is used for treatment. However, resistant mutations ...

New research conducted in mice offers insights into what’s going on at the molecular level that could cause people with diabetes to develop Alzheimer’s disease.   The study adds to a growing body of research on the links between Type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease, which some scientists have called “Type 3 diabetes.” The findings suggest that it should be possible to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s by keeping diabetes well controlled or avoiding it in the first place, according to researchers.   Narendra Kumar, an associate professor at Texas A&M University in College ...

A new way to classify tuberculosis (TB) that aims to improve focus on the early stages of the disease has been presented by an international team involving researchers at UCL. The new framework, published in The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, seeks to replace the approach of the last half century of defining TB as either active (i.e., causing illness and potentially infectious to others) or latent (being infected with the bacterium that causes TB [M tuberculosis] but feeling well and not infectious to others) – an approach researchers say is limiting progress in eradicating the disease. Of ...

**Note: the release below is a special early release from the European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024, Barcelona, Spain, 27-30 April). Please credit the congress if you use this story** A study of two large European patient cohorts has found that for every 10% increase in butyrate-producing bacteria in a patient’s gut, the risk of hospitalisation for any infection falls by between 14 and 25% across two large national cohorts. The study will be presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ECCMID 2024) in Barcelona, Spain (27-30 April) and is by ...

Research led by Macquarie University sheds new light on how concentrations of metals used in renewable energy technologies can be transported from deep within the Earth's interior mantle by low temperature, carbon-rich melts.  The findings published this week in the journal Science Advances may assist global efforts to find these valuable raw materials.   An international team led by Dr Isra Ezad, a postdoctoral research fellow from Macquarie University’s School of Natural Sciences, carried out high pressure ...

A new study in the peer-reviewed journal Diabetes Technology & Therapeutics (DTT) evaluated the use of tirzepatide in overweight/obese adults with type 1 diabetes. Click here to read the article now. Tirzepatide is approved for managing type 2 diabetes. It improves glucose control, facilitates weight loss, and improves cardiovascular disease outcomes. Satish Garg, MD, from the University of Colorado Denver, and coauthors, compared a group of adults with type 1 diabetes who were prescribed tirzepatide (off-label) to a control group of adults with ...

It’s one of life’s most defining moments—that crucial step in embryonic development, when an indistinct ball of cells rearranges itself into the orderly three-layered structure that sets the stage for all to come. Known as gastrulation, this crucial process unfolds in the third week of human development. “Gastrulation is the origin of our own individualization, the emergence of our axis,” says Rockefeller’s Ali Brivanlou. “It is the first moment that separates our heads from our behinds.” Observing the molecular underpinnings of this pivotal event would go a long way toward helping scientists prevent miscarriages and developmental ...

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Arachnophobia can make humans flee at the sight of a brown recluse, black widow or even a daddy long legs, but animal predators of spiders know no such fear. That’s why, paleobiologist George Poinar Jr. explains, some spider species have developed the defense of deception. They masquerade as a much less desirable prey – ants – and Poinar’s recent paper in Historical Biology presents an early record of an ant-mimicking spider in fossilized resin. “Ants are particularly good creatures for spiders to pretend to be – many animals ...

In cases of Alzheimer’s disease, it’s common for a spouse to take on the role of caregiver. Research led by the University of California, Davis, suggests that patients can also support their caretakers, and that reciprocated care has mutual benefits. A new paper published in the journal Aging and Mental Health highlights that couples coping with dementia can navigate the challenges with greater resilience and well-being by working together and supporting each other. “We know that dementia is degenerative, there’s no way back, and spousal caregivers typically ...

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- Physicist Nathaniel Gabor at the University of California, Riverside, has been awarded a $7.5M grant from the Department of Defense, or DoD, to develop a Multidisciplinary University Research Initiatives, or MURI, center on campus. Called QuVET for the Center for Quantum Vibronics in Energy and Time, the center’s co-principal investigators are leading scientists at UCR, Caltech, MIT, and Columbia University.  “Vibronic,” a portmanteau of vibrational and electronic, refers to transitions between molecular energy states. ...