217 articles from THURSDAY 3.10.2019

Identifying a gene for canine night blindness

Researchers have identified the gene mutation responsible for a form of night blindness in dogs. Strategies to treat this condition, which affects a layer of neurons just below the primary photoreceptor cells, could also inform treatment of other diseases that rely on targeting this cell type.

Nasa invites bids from firms to build lunar lander for 2024 mission

Artemis project aims to create a ‘sustained’ human presence on the moon by 2028There can be no doubt that Nasa is serious about trying to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.Even though the Artemis programme has yet to be fully funded, Nasa has issued a call to US companies for a lunar landing spacecraft that will place the first woman and the next man on the moon’s surface. The call has...

NASA-Created Map Saves $1.2 Million in Staff Time

A NASA-created map that consolidated 26 different post-fire data sets can now do in minutes what used to take federal, state and local agencies 800 hours to compile. In 2018, a record year for fires, that saved those agencies the equivalent of more than $1.2 million dollars in staff time. The RECOVER website map showing how users can select various data sets; in this case, fire-affected...

Mounting brain organoid research reignites ethical debate

As research involving the transplantation of human 'mini-brains' -- known as brain organoids -- into animals to study disease continues to expand, so do the ethical debates around the practice. A new article seeks to clarify the abilities of brain organoids and suggests an ethical framework that better defines and contextualizes these organoids and establishes thresholds for their use.

Ibrutinib linked to high blood pressure and other heart problems, study suggests

Over half of people prescribed the targeted blood cancer-fighting drug ibrutinib developed new or worsened high blood pressure within six months of starting the medication. The analysis is also the first to tie ibrutinib-related hypertension to a heightened risk of heart problems, particularly atrial fibrillation. Moreover, the association of ibrutinib with cardiovascular complications remained...

New neurodevelopmental syndrome and NKAP gene

Researchers have identified a gene mutation that causes developmental delay, intellectual disability, behavioral abnormalities and musculoskeletal problems in children. The newly diagnosed condition, called NKAP-related syndrome, arises from mutations in the NKAP gene, which plays a key role in human development.

Why the language-ready brain is so complex

Scientists argue for a new model of language, involving the interaction of multiple brain networks. This model is much more complex than the classical neurobiological model of language, which was largely based on single-word processing.

Populations of UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted since 1970

Quarter of mammals and nearly half of birds assessed are at risk of extinction, says State of Nature reportPopulations of the UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted by an average of 60% since 1970, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date.The State of Nature report also found that the area inhabited by officially designated “priority species” has shrunk by 27%. The species...

Scientists observe mysterious cosmic web directly for first time

Observations reveal cluster of galaxies about 12bn light years away linked by gas filamentsThe cosmic web, a vast, mysterious structure that links up far-flung galaxies, has been observed directly for the first time.The observations reveal that an ancient cluster of galaxies about 12bn light years away in the constellation of Aquarius are linked together by a network of faint gas filaments. The...

Implanted memories teach birds a song

A father holds up his newborn, their faces only inches apart, and slowly repeats the syllables "da" and "dee." After months of hearing these sounds, the baby begins to babble and gradually "da da da" is refined to the word "Daddy."

How the influenza virus achieves efficient viral RNA replication

New insights on how subunits of the influenza virus polymerase co-evolve to ensure efficient viral RNA replication are provided by a study published October 3 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Nadia Naffakh of the Institut Pasteur, and colleagues. As the authors note, the findings could lead to novel strategies for antiviral drug development.

Researchers outline policy approaches to transform fire management

Wildfires are natural hazards that are becoming more intense and extensive with climate change. Scientists have previously described what major transformations should take place to contend with these fires, including the need to adapt to more fire on the landscape, change the way communities are designed, allow for more prescribed fire and thin fuels like brush and smaller trees.

Scientists discover interaction between good and bad fungi that drives forest biodiversity

Scientists have long understood that forest biodiversity is driven in part by something called rare-species advantage—that is, an individual tree has a better chance of survival if there are only a few other trees of the same species around. As a result, when the number of trees of any given species rises, survival rates among individual trees of that species drop. Scientists agree that...

Massive filaments fuel the growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes

An international group of scientists led by the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research has used observations from the Multi Unit Spectroscopic Explorer (MUSE) at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile and the Suprime-Cam at the Subaru telescope to make detailed observations of the filaments of gas connecting galaxies in a large, distant proto-cluster in the early universe.