By isolating and sequencing DNA in compacted hairs collected from the teeth of two Tsavo lion museum specimens from the 1890s, researchers have found that the historic lions from Kenya preyed on a variety of species, including humans, giraffes, and wildebeests. These so-called “Tsavo Man-Eaters” are estimated to have killed at least dozens of people, including those working along the Kenya-Uganda Railway in the late 1890’s. The findings appear in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on October 11. “As ...

Promising findings by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine and collaborating institutions could lead to the development of a non-invasive stool test and a new therapy for endometriosis, a painful condition that affects nearly 200 million women worldwide. The study appeared in the journal Med. “Endometriosis develops when lining inside the womb grows outside its normal location, for instance attached to surrounding intestine or the membrane lining the abdominal cavity. This typically causes bleeding, pain, inflammation and infertility,” said corresponding author Dr. Rama Kommagani, associate professor in the Department of Pathology ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of the U.S. population during the COVID-19 public health emergency, excess mortality occurred in all racial and ethnic groups, with disparities affecting several minoritized populations. The greatest relative increases occurred in populations ages 25 to 64. Documented differences deviated from pre-pandemic disparities. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Jeremy Samuel Faust, MD, MS, email jsfaust@bwh.harvard.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.38918) Editor’s ...

Delft scientists discover how innate immunity envelops bacteria The protein GBP1 is a vital component of our body’s natural defence against pathogens. This substance fights against bacteria and parasites by enveloping them in a protein coat, but how the substance manages to do this has remained unknown until now. Researchers from Delft University of Technology have now unravelled how this protein operates. This new knowledge, published in Nature Structural & Molecular Biology, could aid in the development of medications ...

[Vienna, October 11, 2024] – A new article highlights a critical issue in the One Health approach—an emerging global framework for tackling complex health challenges at the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health. In the article in The Lancet Planetary Health, scientists Amélie Desvars-Larrive and Fariba Karimi from the Complexity Science Hub (CSH) point out that One Health's current framework fails to explicitly address workforce diversity. According to Desvars-Larrive and Karimi, ...

October 11, 2024 – Genome Research (https://genome.org) publishes a special issue highlighting novel advances in computational biology. In collaboration with the International Conference on Research in Computational Molecular Biology (RECOMB), Genome Research publishes a collection of 20 computational methods and their applications in genomics including spatial, single-cell, and long-read sequencing. These include algorithmic innovations in genomic variation analysis, privacy-preserving algorithms, DNA structural properties, cancer genomics, ...

The research team led by Dr. Daeho Kim and Dr. Jong Hwan Park at the Nano Hybrid Technology Research Center of the Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a groundbreaking process technology that enables for ultrafast, 30-second preparation of hard carbon anodes for sodium-ion batteries using microwave induction heating. One of the next-generation secondary batteries, the sodium-ion battery uses sodium (Na) in lieu of the current mainstay, lithium (Li). Sodium, the main component of salt, is more than a thousand times more abundant than lithium and is easier to extract and refine. Furthermore, its lower reactivity compared ...

Astronomers have used the NASA/ESA James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the ‘inside-out’ growth of a galaxy in the early universe, only 700 million years after the Big Bang. This galaxy is one hundred times smaller than the Milky Way, but is surprisingly mature for so early in the universe. Like a large city, this galaxy has a dense collection of stars at its core but becomes less dense in the galactic ‘suburbs’. And like a large city, this galaxy is starting to sprawl, with star formation accelerating in the outskirts. This is the earliest-ever detection of inside-out galactic growth. ...

Scientists have identified a protein that blocks the activity of bone-forming cells (osteoblasts) by stopping them from maturing during the journey to sites of bone formation, a new study has found.   In a paper published in Communications Biology today (Friday 11 October 2024), a team of researchers led by Dr Amy Naylor and Professor Roy Bicknell along with their team including Dr Georgiana Neag from the University of Birmingham have found that protein CLEC14A, which is found on blood vessel cells called endothelial ...

A classical way to image nanoscale structures in cells is with high-powered, expensive super-resolution microscopes. As an alternative, MIT researchers have developed a way to expand tissue before imaging it — a technique that allows them to achieve nanoscale resolution with a conventional light microscope. In the newest version of this technique, the researchers have made it possible to expand tissue 20-fold in a single step. This simple, inexpensive method could pave the way for nearly any biology lab to perform nanoscale imaging. “This democratizes imaging,” says Laura Kiessling, the Novartis Professor ...

Novel magnetic nanodiscs could provide a much less invasive way of stimulating parts of the brain, paving the way for stimulation therapies without implants or genetic modification, MIT researchers report.  The scientists envision that the tiny discs, which are about 250 nanometers across (about 1/500 the width of a human hair), would be injected directly into the desired location in the brain. From there, they could be activated at any time simply by applying a magnetic field outside the body. The new particles could quickly find applications in biomedical research, and eventually, after sufficient testing, ...

When something draws us in like a magnet, we take a closer look. When magnets draw in physicists, they take a quantum look. Scientists from Osaka Metropolitan University and the University of Tokyo have successfully used light to visualize tiny magnetic regions, known as magnetic domains, in a specialized quantum material. Moreover, they successfully manipulated these regions by the application of an electric field. Their findings offer new insights into the complex behavior of magnetic materials at the quantum level, paving the way for future technological advances. Most of us are familiar with magnets that stick to metal surfaces. But what about those that do not? Among ...

Being a teenager is hard, confusing — and crucially important. Scientists studying teenage socializing have found that teenaged friendships could lay essential foundations for wellbeing in later life, and that not just the kinds of friendships teenagers experience but the timing of those friendships is critical.   “A teen’s perception of how broadly socially accepted they are by their peers in early adolescence is particularly influential in predicting adult wellbeing,” said Emily Shah of the University of Arkansas, first author of the article in Frontiers in Developmental Psychology. “Conversely, in late adolescence, the quality of their more ...

Hawaii could soon be welcoming a new distillery after a postgraduate student at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University won a prestigious entrepreneurial award. Canadian student Ethan Wang, 42, wants to open a new distillery on Hawaii’s scenic volcanic island of Maui and said he was in “total shock” after winning cash and support from an industry membership organisation to help make his idea happen. The award, called the Worshipful Company of Distillers’ Entrepreneurship Award, is designed to help students apply their science in the real world and is run jointly by Heriot-Watt’s respected International Centre for Brewing and Distilling and The Worshipful Company ...

Trinity researchers find ‘natural killer’ cells that live in the lung are ready for a sugar rush  Trinity College Dublin researchers, based at St James’s Hospital have provided important insights into the behaviour and metabolic function of a previously largely unknown, but crucial ‘natural killer’ (NK) immune cell resident in the lungs.  Their findings, published today [Thursday, 10th October 2024] in the journal: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) provide ...

University of California San Diego and University of California Berkeley researchers have been awarded up to $7 million from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health (ARPA-H) to conduct research under the PROTECT project — Pro/Prebiotic Regulation for Optimized Treatment and Eradication of Clinical Threats. The project targets pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and potentially Staphylococcus aureus, which pose significant health risks for individuals with cystic fibrosis and those dependent on respirators. PROTECT co-principal investigators are ...

Breakdancers may be at risk of developing a condition caused by repeatedly doing a cardinal move of their practice and performance—the headspin—warn doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports.   Dubbed the ‘headspin hole,’ or ‘breakdance bulge,’ the condition is unique to breakdancers, and appears as a protruding lump on the scalp, often accompanied by hair loss and tenderness.  Breakdancers are particularly prone to injuries because of the complexities and physical demands of the moves, note the authors. Sprains, strains, and tendinitis are particularly common. Head and brain injuries, including subdural haematomas (pooling ...

Patients shouldn’t rely on AI powered search engines and chatbots to always give them  accurate and safe information on drugs, conclude researchers in the journal BMJ Quality & Safety, after finding a considerable number of answers were wrong or potentially harmful. What’s more, the complexity of the answers provided might make it difficult for patients to fully understand them without a degree level education, add the researchers. In February 2023, search engines underwent a significant shift thanks to the introduction ...

DALLAS, October 10, 2024 — Across the United States, more than 90% of stroke patients have some form of disability as a result and more than 11% experience a second stroke within a year. This risk weighs particularly heavily on people living in rural areas, who may face challenges accessing health care. The American Heart Association, with support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, has committed $4.7 million in Minnesota and $5.05 million in South Dakota to strengthen the full spectrum of stroke care across ...

HOUSTON, October 10, 2024  —  Former University of Georgia and University of Miami football coach   Mark Richt has been named the recipient of the American Heart Association’s 2025 Paul 'Bear' Bryant Heart of a Champion Award presented by Houston (Texas) based-St. Luke’s Health, honoring his exceptional contributions to college football and the community while supporting the Association’s relentless pursuit of a world of longer, healthier lives for everyone everywhere. The Heart of a Champion Award recognizes individuals whose notable contributions ...

Researchers at UTHealth Houston have been awarded an $8.1 million grant by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to examine skeletal stem cells as potential drivers of craniofacial bone diseases and deformities. The study is led by Noriaki Ono, DDS, PhD, associate professor of orthodontics, and diagnostic and biomedical sciences at UTHealth Houston School of Dentistry. Bones in the craniofacial region are highly susceptible to diseases because of the demands of chewing, breathing, and swallowing, which can impact bone growth and regeneration. In previous research, Ono identified a type ...

About 20% of children as young as age 3 have an identified mental health problem Can mark the beginning of a negatively spiraling mental health course as children grow Poor mental health in toddlers can be reversed if addressed early CHICAGO --- Northwestern University has launched a new Mental Health, Earlier Center at the Institute for Innovations in Developmental Sciences (DevSci), thanks to an $11.7 million award from the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) of the National Institutes of Health. Co-led by researchers at the Spencer Fox Eccles School of Medicine at the University of Utah, the center will address ...

There’s history, glitz, and glamor surrounding the awarding of Michelin stars to restaurants, but new research shows there can be a downside to achieving even the highest industry rankings. In a study published in Strategic Management Journal, Daniel B. Sands of University College London found that restaurants that received a Michelin star were more likely to close in subsequent years. The study helps to explain how third-party evaluators' reviews, ratings, and rankings can help or hurt the creation and capture of value, and underscores the importance of solidifying key ...

As strains of pathogens resistant to frontline antibiotics become more common worldwide, clinicians are more often turning to combination treatments that degrade this resistance as a first treatment option. One might expect, then, that antibiotic-resistant pathogens might evolve to adapt to this approach. Previous studies, however, have resulted in contradictory conclusions about how likely that is. In a new study published on September 27 in Nature Communications, researchers from Duke University have discovered the mechanism behind these discrepancies — the ...

Self-harm remains neglected worldwide, with at least 14 million episodes yearly. A new Lancet Commission, led by University of Bristol researchers, urges policy action on societal drivers and health services’ response to this pressing issue. The report, involving an international team of experts, is published today [9 October]. Self-harm is not a psychiatric diagnosis; it is a behaviour shaped by society, culture, and individual factors. The social determinants of health, particularly poverty, heavily influence the distribution of self-harm within communities. This new report highlights that at ...