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Social Science11 Nov 2024

New research uncovers how Barred Owls interact with urban areas and why it matters

Baton Rouge, November 4, 2024 – Novel research just published in the American Ornithological Society journal, Ornithological Applications, has revealed noteworthy insights into how Barred Owls (Strix varia) interact with urban environments, with implications for both wildlife conservation and urban planning. This study, conducted by a team of biologists from Louisiana State University and other institutions, highlights the connection between owl habitat selection and an urban landscape, underscoring the ...

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Social Science11 Nov 2024

50 years of survey data confirm African elephant decline

Habitat loss and poaching have driven dramatic declines in African elephants, but it is challenging to measure their numbers and monitor changes across the entire continent. A new study has analyzed 53 years of population survey data and found large-scale declines in most populations of both species of African elephants. From 1964-2016, forest elephant populations decreased on average by 90%, and savanna elephant populations fell on average by 70%. In combination, populations declined by 77% on average. The study compiled survey data from 475 sites in 37 countries, making it the most comprehensive assessment of African elephants to date. Declines ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Swirling polar vortices likely exist on the Sun, new research finds

EMBARGOED: Until 3 p.m. ET on Monday, Nov. 11, 2024 Contacts: Laura Snider, NSF NCAR and UCAR Manager of Science Communications lsnider@ucar.edu 303-827-1502 David Hosansky, NSF NCAR and UCAR Manager of Media Relations hosansky@ucar.edu 720-470-2073 Like the Earth, the Sun likely has swirling polar vortices, according to new research led by the U.S. National Science Foundation National Center for Atmospheric Research (NSF NCAR). But unlike on Earth, the formation and evolution of these vortices ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Protein degradation strategy offers new hope in cancer therapy

RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- In drug discovery, targeted protein degradation is a method that selectively eliminates disease-causing proteins. A University of California, Riverside team of scientists has used a novel approach to identify protein degraders that target Pin1, a protein involved in pancreatic cancer development. The team reports today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that it has designed agents that not only bind tightly to Pin1 but are designed to cause its destabilization and cellular ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Mental fatigue leads to loss of self-control by putting brain areas to sleep

Prolonged mental fatigue can wear down brain areas crucial for the individual ability to self-control, and cause people to behave more aggressively. In a new multidisciplinary study published in the PNAS, a group of researchers from neuroscience and economics at the IMT School of Advanced Studies Lucca links the debated concept of "ego depletion", that is to say the diminution of willpower caused by previous exploitation of it, to physical changes in the areas that govern executive functions in the brain. In particular, the ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Was ‘Snowball Earth’ a global event? New study delivers best proof yet

Geologists have uncovered strong evidence from Colorado that massive glaciers covered Earth down to the equator hundreds of millions of years ago, transforming the planet into an icicle floating in space. The study, led by the University of Colorado Boulder, is a coup for proponents of a long-standing theory known as Snowball Earth. It posits that from about 720 to 635 million years ago, and for reasons that are still unclear, a runaway chain of events radically altered the planet’s climate. Temperatures plummeted, and ice sheets that may have been several miles thick crept over every inch of Earth’s surface. “This study presents the first physical evidence ...

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Environment11 Nov 2024

Scientists issue call to action underlining importance of microbial solutions to tackle climate crisis

Ahead of COP29, Applied Microbiology International (AMI) has partnered with leading global scientific organisations to issue a unified call to action, spotlighting microbial solutions as pivotal in combating climate change. In a strategic publication, released in multiple high-impact scientific journals at once, the joint paper advocates for the establishment of a global science-driven climate task force. This initiative aims to expedite the deployment of microbiome technologies, providing stakeholders worldwide with access to effective and immediate solutions. Signatories of the paper, ‘Microbial solutions must be deployed against the climate catastrophe’ ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Ochsner Transplant Institute among site collaborators in New England Journal of Medicine HIV-to-HIV kidney transplant study

NEW ORLEANS – The Ochsner Transplant Institute served as one of 26 U.S. transplant centers collaborating in an HIV-to-HIV kidney transplant study published by The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The article, Safety of Kidney Transplantation from Donors with HIV, details findings supporting HIV-to-HIV kidney transplants as safe and just as effective as those using organs from donors without HIV. Human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known as HIV, attacks cells in the body that fight infection and there is currently no known cure. In the U.S.,1.2 million people are living with HIV. According to the National ...

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Environment11 Nov 2024

Scientists call for global action on microbial climate solutions

Washington, D.C. — Nov. 11, 2024 — Today, leaders from scientific societies, institutions and publishing bodies issued an urgent call for the global community and governments to take immediate and decisive emergency climate action. This appeal is made through an editorial published in mSystems, released on the opening day of the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29). Key contributors to this initiative include Virginia Miller, past president of the American Society for Microbiology (ASM); Jack Gilbert, Editor-in-Chief of mSystems; and Jay Lennon, ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

New antibody could be promising cancer treatment

Researchers at Uppsala University and KTH Royal Institute of Technology have developed a new form of precision medicine, an antibody, with the potential to treat several types of cancer. Researchers have managed to combine three different functions in the antibody, which together strongly amplify the effect of T cells on the cancer tumour. The study has been published in Nature Communications. Researchers have developed a unique type of antibody that both targets and delivers a drug package via the antibody itself, while simultaneously activating the immune system (“3-in-1 design”) for personalised immunotherapy treatments. “We ...

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Energy11 Nov 2024

The public implications of private substitutes for electric grid reliability

Climate change events have, in recent years, placed increasing strain on public electrical grids in the United States. In response to this vulnerability, some consumers are turning to private alternatives to the electric utility, like generators and batteries. A new paper in the Journal of the Association of Environmental and Resource Economists studies who adopts these private alternatives and how adoption responds to grid failures. The paper also studies how public electric grid reliability may change due to this proliferation and how these changes will affect the wellbeing of all households. In ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Religiosity, spirituality, and meaning-making generally associated with lower suicidality

November 11, 2024 — All aspects of religiosity, spirituality, and meaning-making (R/S/M) relate to suicidality in people with a psychiatric diagnosis or a recent suicide attempt, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis published in Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer. "Protective dimensions seemed to exert relatively stable effects across different religions and life views," Bart van den Brink, MD, PhD, of the Department of ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Eife studying legal surveillance as social determinant of health

Erin Eife, Assistant Professor, Criminology, Law and Society, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), received funding for the project: “Surveillance as a Social Determinant of Health: Understanding the Impact of Pending Charges on Health Outcomes.” Eife will conduct this research under the advisement of Evan Lowder, Associate Professor, Criminology, Law and Society, College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CHSS), and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein, Associate Professor in the Department of Population Health Sciences at Duke University. Eife aims to produce knowledge about ...

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Engineering11 Nov 2024

Newly developed 100Gbps data transfer system for accelerating Open Science through industry-university collaboration in Japan

Tokyo & Osaka, Japan – Osaka University and NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) are moving forward with efforts to realize a data infrastructure supporting Open Science. In 2021, The Joint Research Laboratory for Integrated Infrastructure of High Performance Computing and Data Analysis was established within the D3 Center, Osaka University (Director: Professor Susumu Date*1) by Osaka University and NEC. The result of the Joint Research Laboratory will be showcased at the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis (SC24) scheduled ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Navigating bias in AI-driven cancer detection

“As we eagerly adopt Al models, we need to take a moment to think about the potential biases that they may contain.” BUFFALO, NY - November 11, 2024 – A new editorial was published in Oncotarget's Volume 15 on November 7, 2024, titled “ Beyond the hype: Navigating bias in AI-driven cancer detection.” In this editorial, researchers from the Mayo Clinic emphasize the need to address potential biases in Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools used for cancer detection to ensure fair and equitable healthcare. Authors Yashbir Singh, Heenaben Patel, Diana V. Vera-Garcia, Quincy A. Hathaway, ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Research shows stress about personal finances may make leaders abusive in workplace

New research from Colorado State University shows that workplace leaders who are financially stressed are more likely to be abusive toward their subordinates – particularly if the leader is a man. The findings, published in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, provide insight into leader behavior due to a common source of stress. The research was led by Assistant Professor Keaton Fletcher in the Department of Psychology in partnership with Associate Professor Trevor Spoelma in the Anderson School of Management at the University ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Holistic approach of nutrients and traditional natural medicines for human health

In recent years, there has been a rising interest in combining traditional natural medicines with essential nutrients to foster a holistic approach to human health. The focus on integrating both elements reflects an understanding of health that transcends the simple absence of disease, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. This review highlights how traditional medicine systems, such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), and other indigenous practices worldwide, can be harmonized with nutritional science to form a comprehensive healthcare approach. Such a combination has the potential to improve disease prevention and enhance overall ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Study: Online E-cigarette retailers fail to comply with sale regulations

Online e-cigarette retailers are not consistently adhering to laws aimed at preventing the sale of vaping products to minors, including regulations on age verification, shipping methods and flavor restrictions, report researchers at the Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at University of California San Diego. In a study published online on Nov. 11, 2024 in JAMA, researchers asked 16 people to purchase flavored vape products online and have them delivered to their homes in the County of San Diego, ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Prevalence of adverse childhood experiences in child population samples

About The Study: In this study, adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), which include abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction, were prevalent among children with notable disparities across participant demographic characteristics and contexts. As principal antecedent threats to child and adolescent well-being that can affect later life prospects, ACEs represent a pressing global social issue. Effective early identification and prevention strategies, including targeted co-designed community interventions, can reduce the prevalence of ACEs and mitigate their severe effects, thereby minimizing the harmful health consequences of childhood adversity in future generations. Corresponding ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Asthma and memory function in children

About The Study: In this cohort study, asthma was associated with memory difficulties in children, which may be more severe if asthma onset is earlier in childhood and may extend to executive function abilities. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Nicholas J. Christopher-Hayes, MA, email nchristopherhayes@ucdavis.edu. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.42803) Editor’s Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, conflict of ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Asthma may place children at risk of memory difficulties, new research finds

Asthma is associated with memory difficulties in children, and early onset of asthma may exacerbate memory deficits, according to a new study from the University of California, Davis. The study, the first of its kind to connect asthma to memory deficits in children, was published in Nov. 5 in JAMA Network Open. “This study underscores the importance of looking at asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulty in children. We are becoming increasingly aware that chronic diseases, not only asthma but also diabetes, heart disease and others may place children at increased risk of cognitive difficulties,” said lead author Simona Ghetti, a professor of psychology ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Age related health decline a predictor of future dementia risk

An international study led by a University of Queensland researcher has found frailty increases a person’s risk of dementia, but early intervention may be the key to prevention. Dr David Ward from the Centre for Health Services Research tracked the data of nearly 30,000 participants of 4 longitudinal studies in the United Kingdom and the United States, enabling researchers to detect changes in people’s health and function 20 years before they were diagnosed with dementia. “The accumulation of age-related conditions is indicative of increasing frailty, which we found accelerates up to 9 years prior to a dementia diagnosis,” Dr Ward said. “Our ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

First-in-human universal gene therapy for blood disorder

Diamond-Blackfan anemia (DBA) is potentially life-threatening condition that can cause severe anemia and other abnormalities. It’s a rare genetic blood disorder that occurs when the bone marrow fails to make red blood cells. Currently the only cure is a stem cell transplant, but this is only a viable option for select patients. Otherwise, children with DBA require lifelong follow-up care to manage symptoms, such as steroids and blood transfusions. New data publishing 11/11 in Cell Stem Cell provides strong support for the first-in-human universal gene therapy trial for DBA through regulated GATA1 expression. Notably, it’s ...

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Medicine11 Nov 2024

Study: Older adult prostate cancer patients are increasingly being overtreated

Increasing percentages of some older U.S. men with intermediate-risk and high-risk prostate cancers are undergoing treatments that carry risks of side effects that can significantly reduce the quality of life without extending life, according to a new study led by Cedars-Sinai. This trend is problematic because these men may not have life expectancies that would allow them to receive the benefits of more aggressive treatments. The research findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA Internal Medicine. Prostate cancer is the second-most common cancer in the U.S., exceeded ...

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Science11 Nov 2024

Experiences of discrimination linked to postpartum weight retention

PITTSBURGH, November 11, 2024 – Researchers have been unable to explain why after giving birth, Black patients are two to three times as likely to retain or gain additional weight compared to their white counterparts, even when pre-pregnancy weight and gestational-weight trajectories are comparable. A first-of-its-kind study by University of Pittsburgh epidemiologists points to the stress of lived experiences with racism and gender-based discrimination as a possible explanation. The study was reported today in the American Journal of Epidemiology. Since postpartum weight retention is associated with increased cardiovascular risk and other negative health outcomes that persist ...

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