There has been no shortage of discourse surrounding racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal justice system. In fact, the need to address these inequities have emerged as a central tenet of most viable criminal justice reform efforts. However, missing…
Planetary collisions can drop the internal pressures in planets
Researchers present a new paradigm for understanding how pressures in planets evolve
The argument for sexual selection in bacteria
The evolutionary pressure to pass on DNA can produce behavior that otherwise makes no sense in a struggle to survive. Rams bash heads in fights over females; peacocks grow elaborate tail feathers that attract mates and predators alike. Sexual selection…
Story tips from the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory, September 2019
Computing–Assessing veteran suicide risk In collaboration with the Department of Veterans Affairs, a team at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has expanded a VA-developed predictive computing model to identify veterans at risk of suicide and sped it up to run 300…
Natural ways of cooling cities
Urban heat islands are a phenomenon where the temperature in a city is noticeably higher than in the surrounding rural area. When combined with the sort of heatwave that hit many parts of Europe at the beginning of July, urban…
Potential vaccine treats and prevents deadly streptococcal toxic shock
A new vaccine developed by Griffith University Institute for Glycomics researchers has the potential to treat and prevent toxic shock caused by invasive streptococcal disease, which kills more than 160,000 people every year. “Streptococcal toxic shock syndrome is an acute…
Georgetown tobacco control expert outlines motivations of Altria-Juul deal
WASHINGTON — The pending deal for Altria to purchase 35% of Juul Labs should serve as a “wake-up call” for the careful monitoring of competition in the nicotine delivery market, and for evaluating how regulations and policies impact cigarette and…
Genetic factors influencing adult obesity take effect in early childhood
Body mass index (BMI) in infants, children and adults is influenced by different genetic factors that change as we age, according to a major new study. An international consortium of researchers, led by scientists at Imperial College London, the University…
Putting a price on carbon pollution alone unlikely to help reach climate goals
Imperial researchers show that carbon taxes alone cannot reduce emissions enough to reach the Paris Agreement targets. The Paris Agreement, signed in 2015, requires nations to collectively limit global warming to 2°C by 2100, and to pursue efforts to limit…
Protein tangles linked with dementia seen in patients after single head injury
Scientists have visualised for the first time protein ‘tangles’ associated with dementia in the brai
Johns Hopkins launches Center For Psychedelic Research
Researchers to use psychedelics to study the mind and identify therapies for diseases such as addict
Comparing opioid prescription fills after surgery across countries
Bottom Line: Higher proportions of patients in the United States and Canada filled opioid prescriptions after surgery compared with Sweden. This analysis examined differences in rates of opioid prescriptions filled after low-risk surgical procedures (laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder or…
Has racial/ethnic representation changed among US medical students?
Bottom Line: This analysis reports black, Hispanic and American Indian or Alaska Native students remain underrepresented in allopathic medical schools when compared with the U.S. population, despite new diversity accreditation guidelines. The study used self-reported data on race/ethnicity and sex…
Is childhood criminal justice exposure associated with risk of poor adult mental health?
Bottom Line: A childhood history of both personal involvement in the juvenile justice system and parental incarceration was associated with a greater likelihood of depression, anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder in young adulthood compared to peers without those experiences in…
Kids in neighbourhoods with larger households less likely to be killed in house fires
There is safety in numbers. That’s one of the key findings of a study published today in CMAJ Open that found a child’s risk of death or injury in a residential fire was greatly reduced in neighbourhoods with larger than…
Psychiatric disorders may be linked to unnecessary oophorectomies
New study identifies multiple mental health conditions associated with an increased risk of unnecess
Livestock bones help date the earliest spread of millet grains outside China
You are what you eat — and sometimes what animals eat — so much so that clues from ancient animal bones can be used to determine how and when humans began growing certain crops in earnest. New research from Washington…
WVU engineer developing ‘critical’ rare earth elements from coal waste
West Virginia University mining engineers are developing a method to create a self-supply of rare earth elements in the United States from coal waste. “Rare earth elements are critical to the high-tech industry and to national defense, but we heavily…
Why do some people stop breathing after seizures?
New study finds that serotonin may provide a clue
ASNC announces multisocietal cardiac amyloidosis consensus
The American Society of Nuclear Cardiology (ASNC) publishes ‘Expert Consensus Recommendations For Mu
Snack tax may be more effective than a sugary drink tax to tackle obesity
Effect was double that seen for similar price increase on sugar sweetened drinks
Vegetarian and pescetarian diets linked to lower risk of coronary heart disease
But vegetarians may have higher risk of stroke than meat eaters
Brain circuit connects feeding and mood in response to stress
Many people have experienced stressful situations that trigger a particular mood and also change certain feelings toward food. An international team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine looked into the possibility of crosstalk between eating and mood and…
E-cigarettes disrupt lung function and raise risk of infection
A study led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine raises health concerns about the use of electronic cigarettes. Published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation , the work shows that chronic exposure to e-cigarette vapors disrupts normal lung function…
Genome mining reveals novel production pathway for promising malaria treatment
Microbes are well-known among biologists as master engineers of useful small molecules, and there are many tricks of their trade. When researchers at the University of Illinois took a closer look at how a known microbe makes a known so-called…
Healthiest lifestyle linked to 75% reduction in diabetes risk, and a reduced risk of cardiovascular
People with the healthiest lifestyle have a 75% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than those with the least healthy lifestyle, according to a new study in Diabetologia (the journal of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes). Amongst…
Negotiation: A three-step solution to affordable prescription drugs
Harvard University and George Mason University professors’ — Drs. Richard G. Frank and Len M. Nicho
Henry Ford Cancer Institute first-in-Michigan, second-in-world to complete SLITT
DETROIT – Henry Ford Cancer Institute is the first-in-Michigan and second-in-the-world to complete an innovative cancer treatment known as Spinal Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy (SLITT), which destroys cancer cells that are adjacent to the spine without the need for open…
New research offers solution to reduce organ shortage crisis
Two-part method could increase organ availability by 13% and add 18 years to patient life expectancy
LSU Health New Orleans awarded $13.6 million for expanded cancer clinical trials network
New Orleans, LA – LSU Health New Orleans has been awarded a $13.6 million grant by the National Cancer Institute to expand its successful statewide clinical trials network with a special emphasis on minority and underserved cancer patients. Principal Investigator…
Pharmacists in the ER speed delivery of coagulation drug to bleeding patients
MAYWOOD, IL – Millions of patients take blood thinners such as Coumadin to prevent blood clots that can cause strokes. But when such patients come to the emergency department (ED) with life-threatening bleeding, they may require a drug that counteracts…
New insights on brain connections that are disrupted in patients with coma
BOSTON–Millions of people worldwide suffer from traumatic brain injury each year, and in some severe cases, injured individuals arrive at the hospital in a coma. New research led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) sheds light on which connections…
A tech intervention to tame tuberculosis
An interactive program using mobile phones helps more patients conclude treatment successfully
Ancient animal species: Fossils dating back 550 million years among first animal trails
In a remarkable evolutionary discovery, a team of scientists co-led by a Virginia Tech geoscientist has discovered what could be among the first trails made by animals on the surface of the Earth roughly a half-billion years ago. Shuhai Xiao,…
New mathematical model can improve radiation therapy of brain tumours
Researchers have developed a new model to optimize radiation therapy and significantly increase the number of tumour cells killed during treatment. The new mathematical model, outlined in a recent study led by a University of Waterloo student, can use information…
Scientists invented how to improve steel properties by 100 times
A breakthrough method of ion implantation makes stainless steel more wear resistant by 100 times
Dresden creates ground-breaking interface between technology and medicine
Representatives of the Else Kröner-Fresenius Foundation (EKFS), TU Dresden and the University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus Dresden signed the contract for the Else Kröner-Fresenius Center for Digital Health Dresden in the presence of the State Ministers for Research and Economics…
Transport proteins provide key to improve infant formula
Researchers identify and functionally describe key transport proteins, which contribute to creating
Why transporters really matter for cell factories
Scientists discover the secret behind some protein transporters’ superiority
£11.2 million grant to improve battery technology for electric vehicles
A new research consortium led by Professor Saiful Islam at the University of Bath has been awarded £11.2 million by the Faraday Institution to explore and develop new materials for next-generation lithium batteries that can be used for electric vehicles.…
CU School of Medicine researcher makes key finding related to pre-mRNA splicing
AURORA, Colo. (Sept. 4, 2019) – A new study led by scientists from the University of Colorado School of Medicine offers insight into the mechanism of a key cellular process. The study focuses on the pre-mRNA (precursor-messenger RNA) splicing process…
How do social networks shape political decision-making?
Researchers say science can explain — and improve — group decision-making
Paper: As an act of self-disclosure, workplace creativity can be risky business
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — It’s increasingly common for managers to direct employees to “be creative” during office brainstorming sessions. But should employees acquiesce to that managerial edict? According to a new paper from a U. of I. expert in work behaviors…
Study of extracellular vesicles could enable individualized immunotherapy
LAWRENCE — Extracellular vesicles, particularly exosomes, are nanoscale sacs produced by human cells that carry critical molecular messages between cells, like biological emails. A researcher at the University of Kansas has just earned a five-year, $1.89 million National Institutes of…
U of M researcher awarded $3.9 million NIH grant for CMV vaccine studies
MINNEAPOLIS, MN- September 4, 2019 – Nationally, about one baby in 100 is born with cytomegalovirus (CMV), the most common infection that causes birth defects and disabilities in babies in the United States. As National Immunization Awareness Month draws to…
Artificial intelligence used to recognize primate faces in the wild
Scientists at the University of Oxford have developed new artificial intelligence software to recognise and track the faces of individual chimpanzees in the wild. The new software will allow researchers and wildlife conservationists to significantly cut back on time and…
‘Information gerrymandering’ poses a threat to democratic decision making, both online and off
Electoral gerrymandering, in which political districts are drawn to favor one party, has attracted renewed attention of late. The centuries-old practice operates to bias the outcome of elections. Now researchers led by Penn biologist Joshua B. Plotkin and the University…
Minority students still underrepresented in medical schools
While numbers of black and Hispanic physicians have increased, Penn study shows the physician workfo
Benefits of cognitive behavioural therapy for IBS continue 2 years after treatment
Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common gastrointestinal disorder affecting 10 – 20 per cent of people. Abdominal pain, bloating and altered bowel habit significantly affect patient’s quality of life and can force them to take days off work. Previous…
Space dragons: Researchers observe energy consumption in quasars
Quasars are the Universe’s brightest beacons; shining with magnitudes more luminosity than entire galaxies and the stars they contain. In the center of this light, at the heart of a quasar, researchers think, is an all-consuming black hole. Researchers, for…