178 articles from MONDAY 2.12.2019
Study identifies brain networks that play crucial role in suicide risk
An international team of researchers has identified key networks within the brain they say interact to increase the risk that an individual will think about -- or attempt -- suicide. In an article published today in Molecular Psychiatry, the researchers say their review of existing literature highlights how little research has been done into one of the world's major killers, particularly among the...
Study shows link between precipitation, climate zone and invasive cancer rates in the US
In a new study, researchers provide conclusive evidence of a statistical relationship between the incidence rates of invasive cancer in a given area in the US and the amount of precipitation and climate type (which combines the temperature and moisture level in an area).
Sustaining roads with grape and agricultural waste
The US spends $5 billion a year to repair damages to road infrastructure from winter snow and ice control operations and the use of traditional deicers. A team of researchers at WSU is developing a more sustainable solution using grape skins and other agricultural waste.
Sweet potato uses a single odor to warn its neighbors of insect attack
A single volatile substance can be sufficient to induce a defense response in sweet potatoes to herbivores. Researchers have identified this substance and shown that the mechanism is not only limited to the attacked plant itself but also alerts unaffected neighboring plants to defend themselves against attackers. This response is specific and not observed in every sweet potato cultivar. The...
Taste-related protein provides target for drugs to treat neurological disorders
Understanding how the brain processes sweet, bitter and umami tastes may one day help researchers design more effective drugs for neurological disorders. Van Andel Institute scientists have for the first time revealed the near atomic-level structure of a calcium homeostasis modulator (CALHM), a type of protein that plays critical roles in processing taste stimuli and mitigating toxicity in brain...
Testing barley's salt tolerance is a numbers game
Factors influencing the tolerance of barley to saline soils have been uncovered using an advanced robust statistical technique.
The impact of molecular rotation on a peculiar isotope effect on water hydrogen bonds
Quantum nature of hydrogen bonds in water manifests itself in peculiar physicochemical isotope effects: while deuteration often elongates and weakens hydrogen bonds of typical hydrogen-bonded systems composed of bulky constituent molecules, it elongates but strengthens hydrogen bonds of water molecular aggregates. The origin of this unique isotope effect of water molecules remains to be elucidated...
Tiny woodlands are more important than previously thought
Small woodlands in farmland have more benefits for humans per area, compared to large forests according to a new study. The small woodlands, sometimes even smaller than a football field, can easily go unnoticed in agricultural landscapes. Yet, these small forest remnants can store more carbon in the topsoil layer, are more suitable for hunting activities and host fewer ticks than large forests.
When laser beams meet plasma: New data addresses gap in fusion research
Rochester scientists at the Laboratory for Laser Energetics and their colleagues in California and France have directly demonstrated for the first time how laser beams modify the conditions of a plasma, addressing one of the challenges in the longstanding quest to achieve fusion.
Astronomers find stellar black hole so large it shouldn't exist
Just because there's a picture of a black hole doesn't mean astronomers have figured out how they work. Chinese-led researchers have detected a stellar black hole in the Milky Way with a mass so large that it breaks current stellar evolution models. LB-1, a black hole 15,000 light-years away, has a mass 70 times greater than that of the Sun -- previous estimates suggested that no stellar...
East Vancouver's urban salmon stream sees no returning fish in 3 years
Biologists are sounding the alarm over one of Vancouver's few salmon-bearing...
Chennai: Children play as 'toxic' foam blankets Indian beach
The foam is said to be caused by pollutants in sewage mixing with sea water and frothed by waves.
Touted as world's largest avalanche-detection system, $3M Rogers Pass network faces first big snow test
What the Canadian government trumpets as the most extensive avalanche detection network in the world is expected to be put to the test any day now — with the first big dump of...
Sperm whale dies with 100kg 'litter ball' in its stomach
Fishing nets and rope were among the debris found inside the whale which stranded on the Isle of Harris.
Climate change: Critical year for climate change starts in Madrid
Delegates from almost 200 countries meet in the Spanish capital on Monday.
Time to embrace disabilities in development research
Governments and development actors must address disabilities in development research, writes Ruth Douglas.
Time to embrace disabilities in development research
Governments and development actors must address disabilities in development research, writes Ruth Douglas.
Facts & Figures: Disabilities in developing countries
Stigma and varying definitions obscure the true scale of disability and its challenges in lower-income countries, writes Inga Vesper.
Countries ‘let off the hook’ by lack of disabilities data
Lack of research into the effectiveness of services for people with disabilities is fuelling government inaction, leaving many in poverty, writes Ruth Douglas.
In plain sight: reframing eye health to improve world vision
Fresh perspectives and low-cost technologies are key to tackling visual impairment, writes Gareth Willmer.
In plain sight: reframing eye health to improve world vision
Fresh perspectives and low-cost technologies are key to tackling visual impairment, writes Gareth Willmer.
Prosthetics designers harness AI to assist India’s amputees
Innovative prosthetics designed using artificial-intelligence (AI)-based software are a ‘life saver’ for Indian amputees, writes Ranjit Devraj.
Q&A: Towards a world with access for all
People with disabilities must be at the heart of research into inclusion and accessibility, says Brazilian researcher Jessica Norberto Rocha.
Climate defenders: Taking wind power to another level
Henrik Stiesdal has been thinking about wind turbines since he was a teenager.
Paving the way to inclusion for Egypt’s disabled
An award-winning mobile phone app promotes access for people with disabilities in Egypt, but attitudes are harder to change, writes Hazem Badr.