Woods Hole, Mass.(Oct. 17, 2024)  — Scientists at the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) have been working for years to find out what types of plastics have the shortest and longest lifespans in the ocean, and what types of plastic products, like straws and food wrappers, most commonly contribute to plastic pollution. With more biodegradable materials being developed , like cellulose diacetate (CDA)—a plastic-like polymer derived from wood pulp—researchers are racing to ensure they can replace traditional plastics without causing harm to ocean ...

(October 17, 2024) - Philadelphia, PA - Rapid advancements across industries from healthcare, technology, finance and beyond present novel opportunities as well as challenges. As part of the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science’s (Penn Engineering) commitment to develop leading-edge solutions that provide a better future for all, the School is bringing together today renowned leaders in engineering, academia, industry and policy for a dialogue on responsibly shaping ...

With cardiovascular disease remaining a leading cause of death worldwide, a new study has highlighted strawberries as a natural and delicious way to support heart health and manage cholesterol. This research revealed significant health benefits associated with regular consumption of strawberries between (1 and 4 cups per day), particularly in improving cardiometabolic health. Conducted by researchers from the University of California, Davis and funded by the California Strawberry Commission, the literature review, published in the September 2024 issue of ...

Scientists have discovered toxic ‘Forever Chemicals’ present in samples of drinking water from around the world, a new study reveals.  Researchers found 10 ‘target’ PFAS (perfluoroalkyl substances) – chemicals which do not break down in nature – in tap and bottled water available for consumption in major cities in the UK and China. Perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA) and perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) were detected in over 99% of samples of bottled water sourced from 15 countries around the world.  They observed significant differences in PFAS concentrations between tap water samples from Birmingham, UK, and Shenzhen, China, with Chinese tap ...

Abdominal pain, diarrhea, and debilitating fatigue define the daily lives of millions of people worldwide who suffer from chronic bowel disease. Most of these individuals are diagnosed in their youth, and the disease’s progression can vary significantly, leaving patients uncertain about what the future holds. For some, ulcerative colitis is a manageable condition, while for others, it leads to frequent hospitalizations, complex medication regimens, and multiple surgeries. Now, researchers from the Center for ...

Australia is taking proactive steps to enhance the resilience of its telecommunications sector, according to a world-first report from The Australian National University (ANU). Several recent high-profile outages, contrasted with the near seamless shift to remote work during the pandemic, have shown how telecommunications resilience significantly impacts all Australians with stakes that are higher than ever before. Telecommunications underpins our lives from global commerce and emergency services to healthcare and national security and energy and transportation. Despite its ...

Research Highlights: Within 90 days after having an ischemic (clot-caused) stroke, about 5% of stroke survivors ages 65 and older were prescribed benzodiazepines (depressants that relieve anxiety, muscle spasms, produce sedation and reduce seizures) for the first time. More than half of the new prescriptions of benzodiazepines were written for a supply of 15 to 30 days, rather than the smaller number of pills for short-term, as-needed use.   The study also found that women were more likely than men to receive an initial prescription ...

Picture this: You’re shopping online for this week’s groceries. You try to pick healthy options based on the information provided by the online retailer. You can tell that the products you’re choosing are organic, non-GMO, or Fair Trade Certified. But in many cases, you can’t find the nutrition facts, ingredient list, or even a list of allergens. A new, comprehensive study of online grocery retailers shows this problem is pervasive, to the detriment of public health and safety in the ...

British techbio innovator Etcembly is teaming up with researchers and clinicians from the University of Surrey to launch a groundbreaking new study that could transform the future of cancer treatment. By analysing the immune cells of cancer survivors, this research is set to reveal untapped targets that could deliver the next generation of immunotherapies.   In recent years, treatments that harness a patient’s own immune system to fight cancer have become a key pillar of oncology. However, these drugs don’t work for all, and a wider range of novel immunotherapies is urgently needed.   T ...

After the recent pandemic, our use of disinfectants has increased, but are our efforts to create sterile urban environments backfiring? A new study published in the journal Microbiome has identified novel strains of microbes that have adapted to use the limited resources available in cities and shown that our everyday behaviour is changing the makeup of microorganisms in indoor environments. “Built environments offer distinct conditions that set them apart from natural and engineered habitats,” says Dr Xinzhao Tong, an assistant professor at Xi’an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU), China, and lead author ...

Cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBTI) delivered during pregnancy significantly reduces postpartum depressive symptoms in mothers, new research from UBC shows. Researchers from the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses investigated whether treating insomnia during pregnancy could alleviate symptoms of postpartum depression, which affects many new mothers. “Early intervention is crucial for infant and maternal mental health,” says Dr. Elizabeth Keys, an Assistant Professor in UBCO’s School of Nursing and study co-author. “Our research explores how addressing sleep problems, like insomnia, can lead to ...

Move more, quit smoking, lose weight: great resolutions, hard to keep. But does it get easier if there is a financial incentive in return? According to research by Radboud University and others, it can be an effective tool, although there are still some obstacles. They presented their findings this week in Economisch Statistische Berichten (ESB). Some lifestyle interventions are more effective than others, but in general, financial incentives are a ‘powerful tool to help reduce health inequalities in the Netherlands’, says Koen van der Swaluw of Radboud University. Despite knowing more and more about the effectiveness of financial incentives to promote ...

In an Imperial College London study, humans displayed sympathy towards and protected AI bots who were excluded from playtime. The researchers say the study, which used a virtual ball game, highlights humans' tendency to treat AI agents as social beings – an inclination that should be considered when designing AI bots. The study is published in Human Behavior and Emerging Technologies. Lead author Jianan Zhou, from Imperial’s Dyson School of Design Engineering, said: “This is a unique insight into how humans interact ...

Salmonella and E. coli are well-known bacteria that cause food poisoning, but less understood are species of Providencia, another causative agent of serious symptoms. Providencia rustigianii, isolated from pediatric gastroenteritis patients, has now undergone whole genome sequencing by a research team led by Osaka Metropolitan University Professor Shinji Yamasaki of the Graduate School of Veterinary Science and the Osaka International Research Center for Infectious Diseases. Members of the team had previously reported that P. rustigianii carries a cytolethal distending toxin virulence gene on its plasmid. Elimination of this gene did not ...

A new study published in the scientific journal Addiction has found that people with opioid or alcohol use disorder (OUD, AUD) who take Ozempic or similar medications to treat diabetic/weight-related conditions appear to have a 40% lower rate of opioid overdose and a 50% lower rate of alcohol intoxication than people with OUD and AUD who do not take Ozempic or similar medications.  Ozempic is one of several medications, called glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists or GLP-1 RAs, that are prescribed to treat diabetes, obesity, and other weight-related medical conditions. The medications interact with ...

Artificial nests can boost the breeding success of endangered African penguins, but different designs are more effective at different colonies according to a new study by an international team of researchers from South Africa and the UK. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society journal, Ecological Solutions and Evidence. A new study, led by researchers at Nelson Mandela University, which monitored the breeding success of African penguins for 12 years across South Africa has found that artificial ...

Arlington, Va. — October 17, 2024 — A new paper published today in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC) describes efforts at a major children’s hospital to assess and fulfill its staffing needs for infection prevention and control, highlighting the challenges of allocating sufficient resources to this important role. Infection preventionists (IPs) at Boston Children’s Hospital found that conventional methods for calculating the number of staff for these roles do not accurately reflect the current needs of healthcare systems or the specific needs of a pediatric ...

A new study has raised questions about current approaches to predicting the risk of vessel strikes on whales.   Led by researchers at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland, an international team of scientists compared eight models currently in place to assess and forecast the risk of ships colliding with whales. The study reveals notable inconsistencies in the results across the different models.  Most reports of vessel collisions involve large whales but all species can be affected. Globally, strikes are under-reported and can often go undetected, particularly when they involve large vessels. Collisions can result in animals being injured or killed, and vessels ...

New research has revealed that the connection between per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, and kidney damage may be tied to dysregulation of the gut microbiome, which is made up of bacteria and other microorganisms that live in the digestive tract. PFAS are manufactured chemicals used in a wide range of products, including everything from furniture to food packaging. They are often called “forever chemicals” because once they accumulate in the environment or the human body, they take a very long ...

Soil is essential for life and plays a crucial role in Earth's ecosystem, providing support for plant roots and hosting countless microorganisms. In a warming world, it is important to understand how soil hydrothermal conditions, particularly dry-hot extremes, have changed already and how they will respond to further warming. In a study published in PNAS, researchers led by Prof. ZHANG Yunlin from the Nanjing Institute of Geography and Limnology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, along with collaborators from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) and Bangor University, have quantified global soil compound drought-heatwave (SCDHW) ...

The Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) and France’s National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) have signed an agreement to establish the International Research Laboratory “Eco-Evo-Devo of Coral Reef Fish Life Cycle” (IRL EARLY). The ceremony took place on October 7 at the STS Forum in Kyoto, Japan. Since life began in our oceans, it has diversified into a wide variety of different organisms. However, the true extent of marine diversity remains unknown, as do many species and their ecologies. Investigating the biological mechanisms of marine life can not only provide a deeper understanding of the life cycles and evolution of these organisms, it ...

  A unique group of life science professionals and advocates has come together to launch the Minoritised Life Scientists Future Forum, the first major conference in Europe dedicated to supporting and showcasing the contributions of marginalised and underrepresented communities in the life sciences. Taking place at the ICC Birmingham from 31 March to 2 April 2025, the Future Forum will offer over 200 hours of inspiring talks, workshops, and mentoring sessions. The event is designed for life scientists at all career stages from undergraduate students to early-career ...

In an era where viral outbreaks can escalate into global pandemics with alarming speed, the ability to quickly develop new vaccines has become crucial. However, the speed of vaccine production is limited because the mRNA used in it is partly chemically synthesized and partly synthesized using enzymes, a relatively slow process.   A team of researchers from Nagoya University in Japan has successfully developed an innovative synthesis technology capable of producing high purity, fully chemically ...

Over 200 leading doctors, professional bodies and charities are urging the chancellor to use the budget on 30 October to invest in creating a smoke free UK as quickly as possible, and make the tobacco industry pay. In an open letter published by The BMJ today, they warn that unless smoking is addressed, there is no prospect of delivering on Labour’s manifesto commitment to halve the gap in healthy life expectancy between the richest and poorest regions. The rationale for investing to end the tobacco epidemic could not be stronger, they explain. The annual cost of smoking to individuals, public ...

Potential fathers with type 2 diabetes can be reassured that taking the drug metformin is not associated with birth defects in their offspring, concludes a large study of more than 3 million pregnancies published by The BMJ today.  The researchers say the findings show that metformin can continue to be considered a suitable drug for managing blood sugar levels in men with type 2 diabetes who plan on having children. Metformin is widely used to treat type 2 diabetes in men of reproductive age, but a recent Danish study reported a link between metformin use by fathers-to-be and an increased ...