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UrduWhat we do to one part of our Earth system does not just add to what we do to other parts: “We found a dense network of interactions between the planetary boundaries,” says Johan Rockström, Director of the Potsdam Institute…
Month: December 2019
Climate change and penguin diversification
Analysis of population genomic datasets for 11 penguin species indicates that species that currently breed in areas within the limits of Antarctic sea ice during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM), 18,000-25,000 years ago, underwent near-simultaneous population expansions at the end…
Cold-flu interactions
In a study of 44,230 cases of respiratory illness tested for 11 respiratory viruses over 9 years, researchers examined the statistical evidence for interactions between respiratory viruses and found that competition with seasonal flu may explain why common cold infections…
Decoding mathematical mystery of interlocking shells
A mathematical model explains how geometry and mechanical forces combine to generate the interlocking shells of oysters and other bivalves, according to a study. The 2 sides of oyster shells and those of other bivalves fit together seamlessly, protecting the…
Drivers of mammal biodiversity
A study explores the influence of prehistoric climate and anthropogenic impacts on present-day mammal communities. Studies of biodiversity drivers have typically focused on recent climate and human impacts. However, there is evidence that paleoclimatic change and ancient human activities may…
Ether-based biofuel design and production
Researchers report the identification of a biomass-derived ether with favorable fuel properties using a priori computational screening and a high-yield catalytic process to continuously produce large quantities of the ether; when blended into petrodiesel, the ether exhibited improved ignition quality,…
Simple test could prevent fluoride-related disease
Method uses synthetic biology to detect dangerous levels of fluoride in drinking water
NOAA-NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite views New South Wales fires raging on
NOAA-NASA’s Suomi NPP satellite flew over the New South Wales fires in Australia on December 16, 2019 and found devastation from the ongoing fires. The New South Wales Rural Fire Service is reporting 96 fires are burning and to date…
New system transmits high-speed unrepeated signal over 520 kilometers
Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology have partnered up with engineers from Corning Inc., U.S., and T8, Russia, and developed a system for high-throughput data transfer over great distances without the need for signal repeating along the…
Chemists glimpse the fleeting ‘transition state’ of a reaction
New technique for observing reaction products offers insights into the chemical mechanisms that formed them
New health insurance insights
MIT economists analyze how patients and health care providers value Medicaid.
The uncertain role of natural gas in the transition to clean energy
MIT study finds that challenges in measuring and mitigating leakage of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas, prove pivotal
Opioid overdose risk factors for teens, college-aged youth same as adults
Diagnoses of mental health and substance use disorders associated with 3 times higher odds of overdose
Researchers make robots from self-folding kirigami materials
Researchers have demonstrated how kirigami-inspired techniques allow them to design thin sheets of material that automatically reconfigure into new two-dimensional (2D) shapes and three-dimensional (3D) structures in response to environmental stimuli. The researchers created a variety of robotic devices as…
Tiny shells reveal waters off California are acidifying twice as fast as the global ocean
In first-of-its-kind research, NOAA scientists and academic partners used 100 years of microscopic shells to show that the coastal waters off California are acidifying twice as fast as the global ocean average — with the seafood supply in the crosshairs.…
Carbon cocoons surround growing galaxies
ALMA spots earliest environment pollution in the universe
Standard of care chemoradiation for Stage III NSCLC is superior to two tested alternatives
NRG Oncology Trial shows that standard of care chemoradiation for Stage III non-small cell lung cancer is superior to two tested alternatives
Factors in managing coral reef fisheries
A study of 16 years of coral reef and fisheries management in Papua New Guinea finds that the rotational fisheries closure system increased fish biomass and improved catchability in closed fisheries, and that socially cohesive leadership, high levels of policy…
Strength of conviction won’t help to persuade when people disagree
If you disagree with someone, it might not make any difference how certain they say they are, as during disagreement your brain’s sensitivity to the strength of people’s beliefs is reduced, finds a study led by UCL and City, University…
Artificial intelligence may help scientists make spray-on solar cells
Artificial Intelligence may be just the thing to accelerate spray-on solar cell technology, which could revolutionize how consumers use energy. A research team at the University of Central Florida used Machine Learning, aka Artificial Intelligence to optimize the materials used…
NICE recommends Vifor Pharma’s Veltassa® (patiromer)
A positive final appraisal determination (FAD) for Veltassa® (patiromer) recommends patients in England have access to a new treatment option for treating hyperkalaemia (raised serum potassium levels) in adults 1 Hyperkalaemia is a serious condition, which has a negative impact…
Would a deep-Earth water cycle change our understanding of planetary evolution?
Substantial quantities of water could be present farther into the mantle than previously thought possible
Developing next-generation biologic pacemakers
Stem cells originally found in fat converted to pacemaker-like cells
NSF awards UIC $1.5 million for new data science institute
Institute poised to push the boundaries of data science theory
Children allergic to cow’s milk smaller and lighter
Children who are allergic to cow’s milk are smaller and weigh less than peers who have allergies to peanuts or tree nuts, and these findings persist into early adolescence. The results from the longitudinal study – believed to be the…
New heat model may help electronic devices last longer
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — A University of Illinois-based team of engineers has found that the model currently used to predict heat loss in a common semiconductor material does not apply in all situations. By testing the thermal properties of gallium nitride…
Creating a nanoscale on-off switch for heat
Polymer thermal regulator transforms from conductor to insulator and back again
Paper: Cultural variables influence consumer demand for private-label brands
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — New research co-written by a University of Illinois expert in consumer behavior and global marketing explores why certain segments of consumers prefer national or global brands over their less-pricey private-label equivalents, and the managerial and marketing implications…
Celebrated ancient Egyptian woman physician likely never existed, says researcher
Merit Ptah is often called the first woman doctor, CU Anschutz researcher calls it a case of mistaken identity
What happens to gold nanoparticles in cells?
Gold nanoparticles, which are supposed to be stable in biological environments, can be degraded inside cells. This research conducted by teams from the CNRS, l’Université de Paris, Sorbonne Université, and l’Université de Strasbourg will be published in PNAS on December…
Bristol discovery reveals tractionless motion is possible
In an article published in Physical Review Letters , Bristol scientists have answered the fundamental question: “Is it possible to move without exerting force on the environment?”, by describing the tractionless self-propulsion of active matter. Understanding how cells move autonomously…
Change of shifts at the north pole
As the second leg of the 1-year-long MOSAiC expedition begins, participants review the mission so far
Home hospital reduces costs, improves care
First randomized controlled trial of home hospital model in the US reports improvements in outcomes meaningful to health systems and patients — sets stage for transformation of acute care delivery
Math equation predicts and detects liver cancer
UC San Diego researchers pinpoint moment when healthy liver cells become cancerous
Nightly sleep disturbance linked to daily risk of migraines
Sleep fragmentation predicted migraine risk a day later while sleep duration and low sleep quality were not associated with risk of migraines
Study finds African Americans with cancer at higher risk for blood clots
New tools needed to integrate race as a risk factor
The fate of the ocean
Biological oceanographer breaks down the linkages between human impacts on the ocean and their effects on human systems
The function of new microRNAs are identified in Salmonella and Shigella infections
Discovering them merited their discoverers a Nobel Prize in the 1990s. MicroRNAs are small RNA molecules that do not code for proteins, however, they take care of an essential function: they act as regulators in gene expression, and so they…
How mysterious circular DNA causes cancer in children
First map of circular DNA in childhood cancer
Research brief: New methods promise to speed up development of new plant varieties
A University of Minnesota research team recently developed new methods that will make it significantly faster to produce gene-edited plants. They hope to alleviate a long-standing bottleneck in gene editing and, in the process, make it easier and faster to…
The Digital Cell
Cell Biology as a Data Science
Cancer Prevention and Control Research Network produces supplemental issue of Preventive Medicine
Issue highlights highlighting disparities in cancer prevention and control
Survey shows link between psychological safety and use of infection prevention practices
Arlington, Va., December 16, 2019 – Hospitals reporting high levels of psychological safety are more likely to have comprehensive infection prevention and control (IPC) programs, according to the results of a survey appearing in the American Journal of Infection Control…
Limiting the loss of nature
With only about half of Earth’s terrestrial surface remaining as natural vegetation, a University of Queensland-led team has proposed an international goal to halt its continued loss. The team, led by Professor Martine Maron, examined how a global goal of…
Leafcutter ants accelerate the cutting and transport of leaves during stormy weather
A study by researchers at the University of São Paulo’s Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture (ESALQ-USP) in Brazil shows that leafcutter ants are capable of predicting adverse weather by sensing changes in atmospheric pressure.
The sympathetic nervous system can inhibit the defense cells in autoimmune disease
Using an experimental model of multiple sclerosis, the scientists found that the sympathetic nervous system can limit the generation of effector responses by inhibiting the action of the cells that attack an antigen taken as a threat by the immune system
Radiation breaks connections in the brain
One of the potentially life-altering side effects that patients experience after cranial radiotherapy for brain cancer is cognitive impairment. Researchers now believe that they have pinpointed why this occurs and these findings could point the way for new therapies to…
New ‘netherworldly’ freshwater fish named for Thai conservation visionary
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — At first glance, Garra surinbinnani looks like a stout, brown minnow with the face of a boxer who’s gone one too many rounds. But the deep gash in its forehead studded with blue spikes is a natural…
3D print a piece of Mars for the holidays
There’s a galaxy of gifts out there for space nerds. Researchers at The University of Texas at Austin may have just the thing to set your present apart: a model of Jezero Crater, the landing site of NASA’s upcoming Mars…
Nilotinib appears safe in Parkinson’s trial; drug thought to allow dopamine replenishment
WASHINGTON – A clinical trial investigating the repurposed cancer drug nilotinib in people with Parkinson’s disease finds that it is reasonably safe and well tolerated. Researchers also report finding an increase in dopamine, the chemical lost as a result of…