Leveraging one of the world’s oldest biological experiments – which began in 1929 – researchers have uncovered how a major crop, barley, was shaped by both agricultural pressures and its changing natural environment. The results underscore the power of long-term studies in understanding the dynamics of adaptive evolution. The survival of cultivated plants after their dispersal across different environments is a classic example of rapid adaptive evolution. For example, barley, an important neolithic crop, spread widely after domestication over 10,000 years ago to become a staple source of nutrition for humans and livestock throughout Europe, Asia, and Northern ...

New atmospheric particles form when stratospheric air intrudes into the troposphere below, according to a new study, revealing a previously unrecognized mechanism for new particle formation (NPF) in the upper troposphere. The finding suggests that NPF in these regions aloft occurs frequently and over large geographic regions, representing an important source of particles in the free troposphere. Aerosol particles smaller than one micron in diameter are abundant in the troposphere, the lowest layer of ...

Researchers from The University of Queensland have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness. The research, led by Professor Ulrike Kappler from UQ’s School of Chemical and Molecular Biosciences, studied the virulence mechanisms of Haemophilus influenzae, a bacterium that plays a significant role in worsening respiratory tract infections. “These bacteria are especially damaging to vulnerable groups, such as those with cystic fibrosis, asthma, the elderly, ...

Have you ever placed the palm of your left hand on the back of your right hand, in such a way that all fingers point in the same direction? If you have, then you probably know that your left thumb will not touch its right counterpart. Neither rotations nor translations nor their combinations can turn a left hand into a right hand and vice versa. This feature is called chirality. Scientists at the University of Konstanz have now succeeded to imprint such a three-dimensional chirality onto the wave function of a single electron. They used laser light to shape the electron’s matter wave into left-handed or right-handed coils ...

Engineers at the University of California San Diego have trained a humanoid robot to effortlessly learn and perform a variety of expressive movements, including simple dance routines and gestures like waving, high-fiving and hugging, all while maintaining a steady gait on diverse terrains. The enhanced expressiveness and agility of this humanoid robot pave the way for improving human-robot interactions in settings such as factory assembly lines, hospitals and homes, where robots could safely operate alongside humans or even replace them in hazardous environments like laboratories or disaster sites. “Through expressive and more human-like ...

New research from the University of Ottawa (uOttawa) has provided a complicated glance into young women’s responses to interpersonal conflict, with retaliation often the answer to rejection and perceived social exclusion by other females. The study, published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, highlights the complicated nature of women’s interpersonal relationships by examining the stress arising from rejection, and if the personal characteristics of those imposing the rejection influences ...

Early findings from a small clinical trial provide evidence that a new cellular immunotherapy approach may be effective in treating metastatic solid tumors. In the trial, researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) genetically engineered normal white blood cells, known as lymphocytes, from each patient to produce receptors that recognize and attack their specific cancer cells. These initial findings are from people with metastatic colorectal cancer who had already undergone multiple earlier treatments. The personalized immunotherapy shrank tumors in several patients and was able to keep the tumors from regrowing for up to seven months. ...

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted daily life and has raised concerns about its impact on children’s well-being. A new study from the NIH Environmental influences on Child Health Outcomes Program (ECHO) sheds light on how a neighborhood’s physical and social environment influenced a child’s well-being before and during the pandemic. According to an analysis of ECHO Cohort data, the neighborhood environment was less likely to be associated with child well-being during the ...

(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — Birds migrating. Your cat, returning home from a day of roaming. Bees taking pollen to their hives. You, finding yourself back home without actually remembering the drive from work. Animal navigation is a fundamental behavior, so innate that most of the time we don’t notice that we’re doing it. And yet, so many times a day we (and the animals around us) unerringly find our ways to our target locations whether they be old haunts or new venues, from different directions and even in the dark. How do we do it? That’s the question UC Santa Barbara neurobiologist Sung Soo Kim seeks to ...

CLEVELAND AND NAIROBI — July 11, 2024 — Today, the American Journal of Human Genetics published a perspective piece on the need for an equitable and inclusive future for DNA and ancient DNA (aDNA) research in Africa. The paper, coauthored by an international team of 36 scientists from Africa, North America, Asia, Australia, and Europe, was led by Dr. Elizabeth (Ebeth) Sawchuk of the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and Dr. Kendra Sirak of Harvard University. DNA from ancient and living African peoples is critical for researchers studying our species’ evolution and population ...

Cooperative hunting, resource sharing, and using the same signals to communicate the same information—these are all examples of cultural sharing that have been observed between distinct animal species. In an opinion piece published June 19 in the journal Trends in Ecology & Evolution, researchers introduce the term “co-culture” to describe cultural sharing between animal species. These relationships are mutual and go beyond one species watching and mimicking another species’ behavior—in co-cultures, both species influence each other in substantial ways. “Co-culture challenges the notion ...

As container ships the size of city blocks cross the oceans to deliver cargo, their huge diesel engines emit large quantities of air pollutants that drive climate change and have human health impacts. It has been estimated that maritime shipping accounts for almost 3 percent of global carbon dioxide emissions and the industry’s negative impacts on air quality cause about 100,000 premature deaths each year. Decarbonizing shipping to reduce these detrimental effects is a goal of the International Maritime Organization, ...

Scientists investigating Alzheimer’s disease have determined the structure of molecules within a human brain for the very first time.   Published today in Nature, the study describes how scientists used cryo-electron tomography, guided by fluorescence microscopy, to explore deep inside an Alzheimer’s disease donor brain.  This gave 3-dimensional maps in which they could observe proteins, the molecular building blocks of life a million-times smaller than a grain of rice, within the brain.  The study zoomed in on two proteins that cause dementia– ‘β-amyloid’, a protein that forms microscopic ...

EL PASO, Texas (July 11, 2024) – Researchers at The University of Texas at El Paso have made significant inroads in understanding how nanoplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) — commonly known as forever chemicals — disrupt biomolecular structure and function. The work shows that the compounds can alter proteins found in human breast milk and infant formulas — potentially causing developmental issues downstream. Nanoplastics and forever chemicals are manmade compounds present throughout the environment; a series of recent studies have linked them to numerous ...

What is the structure of a particular molecule? And how do molecules interact with each other? Researchers interested in those questions frequently use nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy to find answers. In NMR, a powerful external magnetic field is employed to align the spins of atomic nuclei, which are then induced to rotate by an oscillating weak magnetic field generated by coils. A change in voltage as a result can be converted to measurable frequencies. Based on this, researchers can identify the molecular structures while also revealing ...

A new report shows that research projects at The University of Texas at Arlington contributed one quarter of a billion dollars—$226.4 million, to be exact—to the national economy through 797 vendor contracts and subcontracts between 2018 and 2022. Of those contracts, 111 were from small businesses and 87 from minority- or woman-owned businesses. “Research coming from UT Arlington faculty and students not only helps solve some of society’s most vexing problems, but it is also an important economic driver for business development,” said Kate C. Miller, vice president for research and innovation at UTA. “This report makes clear that UTA research ...

The great promise of bacteriophages is that they naturally destroy bacteria, often in situations where antibiotics fail. Until now, though, there has been no way to access them quickly and efficiently, especially in emergency cases of antibiotic resistant infections. Researchers at McMaster University, working with a colleague from Université Laval, have developed a simple new way to store, identify, and share phages, making them more accessible to patients who need them. “Bacteriophages ...

HOUSTON ― The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center’s Research Highlights provides a glimpse into recent basic, translational and clinical cancer research from MD Anderson experts. 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 mechanisms regulating metabolic programming and cellular senescence, ...

Ann Arbor, July 11, 2024 – Investigators analyzing the potential cognitive effects of antidiabetic medications in records of more than 1.5 million patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) found risks of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) were significantly lower in patients treated with metformin and sodium glucose co-transporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2i) compared to other antidiabetic drugs. Their results appear in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier. T2DM has become ...

An international research team has assembled the genome and 3D chromosomal structures of a 52,000-year-old woolly mammoth—the first time such a feat has been achieved for any ancient DNA sample. The fossilized chromosomes, which are around a million times longer than most ancient DNA fragments, provide insight into how the mammoth’s genome was organized within its living cells and which genes were active within the skin tissue from which the DNA was extracted. This unprecedented level of structural detail was retained because ...

An increased amount of thick sea ice flowing south from the Arctic Ocean shortened the ice-free shipping season in several parts of the Northwest Passage between 2007 and 2021, according to an analysis in Communications Earth & Environment. The authors suggest this could mean the Northwest Passage is unlikely to become a viable alternative to traditional shipping routes, despite previous hopes that it may become viable due to global warming. The Northwest Passage (NWP) is a commercial shipping route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans that runs through the Arctic Circle north of North America. Through the Canadian ...

DURHAM, N.C. – Certain state gun laws are associated with decreased suicide rates for children under age 18, but the laws have little influence on homicide rates, according to a study from Duke Health researchers examining the relationship between gun laws and child deaths.   Since 2020, firearms rank as the leading cause of death among U.S. children ages 1-18, raising the need for research to help guide prevention efforts.   “Our analysis of suicide and homicide mortality data from ...

About The Study: Substance use treatment facilities reported significant gaps in provision of effective treatments for opioid use disorder (OUD). More than one-third of facilities did not offer medications for OUD (MOUD) and less than half offered multiple MOUD types, limiting MOUD treatment options for patients and clinicians.   Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Tae Woo Park, M.D., M.Sc., email parkt4@upmc.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/  (doi:10.1001/jama.2024.11913) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of U.S. children, nicotine absorption was much lower in children who were exposed to secondhand vapor versus secondhand smoke, but higher than in those exposed to neither. These findings suggest that switching from smoking to vaping indoors may substantially reduce, but not eliminate, children’s secondhand exposure to nicotine and other noxious substances.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Harry Tattan-Birch, Ph.D., email h.tattan-birch@ucl.ac.uk. To ...

About The Study: This comparative effectiveness research study demonstrated that self-fit over-the-counter hearing aids can offer comparable long-term benefits to audiologist-fit hearing aids for individuals with mild to moderate hearing loss.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Karina C. De Sousa, Ph.D., email karina.swanepoel@up.ac.za. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamaoto.2024.1825) Editor’s Note: Please ...