By Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service BOZEMAN – Montana State University scientists say the frozen remnants of an ancient forest discovered 600 feet above the modern tree line on the Beartooth Plateau may portend possible changes for the alpine ecosystem if the climate continues to warm. A paper about the discovery was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It describes what scientists have learned by studying the remains of a mature whitebark pine forest ...

UTICA, N.Y. – Matthew Nystoriak, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical research and translational medicine at Masonic Medical Research Institute (MMRI), has uncovered groundbreaking insights into heart health in a recent study titled, Myocardial Hyperemia via Cardiomyocyte Catabolism of β-Hydroxybutyrate. The research highlights how a ketone body called β-hydroxybutyrate (3-OHB) — a molecule produced by the liver when breaking down fat — can enhance blood flow to the heart. According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, and ischemic heart disease, caused by insufficient blood and oxygen supply to the heart, as the number ...

SSA will be holding its annual meeting on 14-18 April 2025 at the Hilton Baltimore Inner Harbor Hotel in Baltimore, Maryland. The meeting attracts more than 800 scientists, engineers and policymakers for presentations and posters that cover the latest seismological research from around the globe. The meeting's topics are presented in 48 technical sessions, including topics such as earthquake forecasting, seismic hazard assessment, explosion forensics, exploring extraterrestrial ...

Doctors around the world may soon have access to a new tool that could better predict whether individual cancer patients will benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors — a type of immunotherapy — using only routine blood tests and clinical data. The artificial intelligence–based model, dubbed SCORPIO, was developed by a team of researchers from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) and the Tisch Cancer Institute at Mount Sinai. The model is not only cheaper and more accessible, it’s significantly better at predicting outcomes than the two current biomarkers approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), ...

1 in 4 U.S. veterans aged 60+ report having being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease at some point, with potential implications for their physical and mental health #### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000192 Article Title: Prevalence, correlates, and mental and physical health burden of cardiovascular disease in older U.S. military veterans Author Countries: United States Funding: The authors received no specific funding for this work. END ...

BUFFALO, N.Y. — Per- and polyfluorinated alkyl substances (PFAS) earn their “forever chemical” moniker by persisting in water, soil and even the human brain.  This unique ability to cross the blood-brain barrier and accumulate in brain tissue makes PFAS particularly concerning, but the underlying mechanism of their neurotoxicity needs to be studied further.  To that end, a new study by University at Buffalo researchers has identified 11 genes that may hold the key to understanding the brain's response to these pervasive chemicals commonly found in everyday items. These genes, some involved in processes vital for neuronal ...

The tiny particles that shed from clothing, packaging and other plastic products are winding up in the fish that people eat, according to a new study from Portland State researchers, highlighting a need for technologies and strategies to reduce microfiber pollution entering the environment. Building on previous research exploring the prevalence of microplastics in bivalves like Pacific oysters and razor clams, researchers in PSU’s Applied Coastal Ecology Lab — led by ...

Lead exposure is responsible for a range of human health impacts, with even relatively low levels impacting the cognitive development of children. DRI scientists have previously used atmospheric pollution records preserved in Arctic ice cores to identify periods of lead pollution throughout the Roman Empire, and now new research expands on this finding to identify how this pollution may have affected the European population. The study, published Jan. 6th in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), ...

A new archaeological study, conducted along the Jordan River banks south of northern Israel’s Hula Valley, offers a fresh perspective on the dietary habits of early humans, challenging conventional wisdom about prehistoric diets. The research reveals that ancient hunter-gatherers relied heavily on plant foods, particularly starchy plants, as a major energy source. The findings suggest that, contrary to popular belief, the diet of early hominids was not solely focused on animal protein, but rather, featured a diverse range of plant-based foods, including acorns, cereals, ...

NRG Oncology (NRG), a National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network (NCTN) group focused on improving outcomes for adults with cancer through multi-center clinical research, recently announced the creation of a new Theranostics Subcommittee, as well as two leadership role updates within the organization’s current committees. NRG established the Theranostics Subcommittee under the Imaging Committee and Radiation Oncology Committee umbrellas within the organization as theranostics is a medical field that combines diagnostic imaging and therapeutic interventions. The Theranostics Subcommittee will be focused on the following goals: building a more robust theranostics ...

A new Perspective article published in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasizes the critical role of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) in addressing the growing global burden of osteoporosis-related fractures, particularly hip fractures. The World Health Organization has identified osteoporosis as a major global health issue because it poses significant risks of disability and premature death. Osteoporosis-related fractures are a leading cause of disability and long-term care needs for older adults, with hip fractures being particularly devastating. The Perspective reports that within the first 12 months following a hip fracture, ...

Over 450 million years ago, plants began the epic transition from water to dry land. Among the first pioneers were the ancestors of humble hornworts, a group of small, unassuming plants that have persisted to this day. New research reveals insights into the genetic blueprints of hornworts, uncovering fascinating details about plant evolution and the early days of life on land. “We began by decoding the genomes of ten hornwort species, representing all known families within this unique plant group,” said Peter Schafran, a postdoctoral scientist at the Boyce Thompson Institute ...

Irvine, Calif., Jan. 6, 2025 — A research team from the University of California, Irvine has revealed a previously unknown mechanism that triggers an inflammatory immune response in cells when their DNA is damaged. This discovery deepens the understanding of a new type of cell signaling that may lead to more effective treatments for cancer.   The study, published online today in the journal Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, found that UV irradiation or certain chemotherapeutic drugs activate a specific response when cells are too damaged to be repaired correctly, preventing them from becoming cancerous.   “This discovery could have significant ...

January 6, 2025 — Loneliness is a key driver in the maintenance of borderline personality disorder (BPD), Harvard researchers argue. Thus, many patients cite increased social connection as a primary treatment goal. In the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer, Lois W. Choi-Kain, MD, MEd, DFAPA, of Harvard’s McLean Hospital, and colleagues call for BPD treatment to extend beyond exclusive therapeutic relationships to help patients build durable connections with others in the community. "Any support in building small connections can provide some relief from loneliness and work against cycles of dependency, ...

BUFFALO, NY- January 6, 2025 – We are pleased to announce that Dr. Marco Demaria, a leading expert in aging and cellular senescence, has joined Aging (Aging-US) as Editor-in-Chief, effective January 1, 2025. Dr. Demaria will work alongside an esteemed Editorial Board. Dr. Demaria has an impressive background in aging research. He earned his PhD in Molecular Medicine from the University of Torino, Italy. In 2010, he joined the laboratory of Aging Founding Editor, the late Dr. Judith Campisi, at the Buck Institute for Research on Aging. There ...

A varied diet rich in vegetables is known to be healthy for one’s well-being. Excessive consumption of meat, especially red meat, can lead to chronic and cardiovascular diseases. That is also because what we eat shapes the gut microbiome. At the same time, excluding certain foods, such as dairy or animal products, is not necessarily a general solution to achieve microbial balance. But can we find out which food products determine differences in the gut microbiome? Starting from this question, a group of researchers analyzed biological samples from 21,561 individuals (vegans, vegetarians and omnivores) living in the ...

A new study from researchers at the Gerald J. and Dorothy R. Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, which published in Nature Medicine on January 6, estimates that 2.2 million new cases of type 2 diabetes and 1.2 million new cases of cardiovascular disease occur each year globally due to consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages. In developing countries, the case count is particularly sobering. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the study found that sugar-sweetened beverages contributed to more than 21% of all new diabetes cases. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they contributed to nearly 24% of new diabetes cases and more than 11% of new cases of cardiovascular ...

About The Study: This systematic review and meta-analysis found inverse associations and a dose-response association between fluoride measurements in urine and drinking water and children’s IQ across the large multi-country epidemiological literature. There were limited data and uncertainty in the dose-response association between fluoride exposure and children’s IQ when fluoride exposure was estimated by drinking water alone at concentrations less than 1.5 mg/L. These findings may inform future comprehensive public health risk-benefit assessments of fluoride exposures. Corresponding ...

About The Study: This cross-sectional study’s analysis underscores a public health crisis of substance use disorder. The prevalence of substance use disorder surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, yet the receipt of treatment declined initially as health care services were disrupted. Treatment rates began to recover in 2022, likely due to reopened treatment programs and increased telehealth use. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Milap C. Nahata, PharmD, MS, email nahata.1@osu.edu. To access ...

Embargoed for release: Monday, Jan. 6, 2025, 11:00 AM ET Key points: Less than 0.1% of U.S. adolescents were transgender and gender diverse (TGD) and prescribed puberty blockers or gender-affirming hormones in a study of private insurance claims representing 5.1 million patients ages eight to 17. No TGD patients under age 12 received hormones. According to the researchers, the findings counter a growing concern among policymakers that gender-affirming care is frequently over-prescribed to children. Boston, MA—Puberty blockers and gender-affirming hormones are rarely prescribed to U.S. transgender and gender diverse (TGD) adolescents, according to a new study from researchers ...

About The Study: This longitudinal cohort study suggests that early-life infection burden may continue throughout childhood and is associated with later antibiotic treatments independent of social and environmental risk factors. These findings are important for prognosis and follow-up of children experiencing a high burden of common infections in early life.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nicklas Brustad, MD, PhD, email nicklas.brustad@dbac.dk. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.53284) Editor’s ...

Key Takeaways: A new study in JAMA Internal Medicine led by the Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute examined whether doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxyPEP) was associated with declines in bacterial sexually transmitted infections in routine care. The study represents the largest cohort of doxyPEP recipients reported globally to date. Findings showed doxyPEP was associated with a 79% reduction in chlamydia, 80% reduction in syphilis, and 12% reduction in gonorrhea. Boston, MA — A new study has found that rates of chlamydia and syphilis plummet among people prescribed doxycycline for sexually transmitted ...

Billions of years ago, in the frigid outer reaches of our solar system, two icy worlds collided. Rather than destroying each other in a cosmic catastrophe, they spun together like a celestial snowman, finally separating while remaining forever linked in orbit. This is how Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, originated, according to a new University of Arizona study that challenges decades of scientific assumptions. A study led by Adeene Denton, a NASA postdoctoral fellow who conducted the research at the U of A Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, has revealed this unexpected "kiss and capture" mechanism, which could help scientists better ...

Introducing Annotatability—a powerful new framework to address a major challenge in biological research by examining how artificial neural networks learn to label genomic data. Genomic datasets often contain vast amounts of annotated samples, but many of these samples are annotated either incorrectly or ambiguously. Borrowing from recent advances in the fields of natural language processing and computer vision, the team used artificial neural networks (ANNs) in a non-conventional way: instead of merely using the ANNs to make predictions, the group inspected the difficulty with which they learned to label ...

Tropical forests, often referred to as the "lungs of the Earth," are essential for sustaining life on our planet. They provide clean air, water, and unparalleled biodiversity. While deforestation due to slash-and-burn agriculture, mining, and logging remains the most recognized threat, less visible but equally dangerous forces are at work. A new study reveals that nutrient enrichment – driven by human activities such as agriculture and fossil fuel combustion – poses a significant risk to the delicate dynamics of tropical forests. The research, conducted by an international team of scientists ...