341 articles from THURSDAY 13.8.2020
Review: Consequences of systemic racism in urban environments
Even as studies have shown that the uneven distribution of urban heat islands, urban tree canopy cover, and urban environmental hazards, for example, are strongly dictated by structural racism and classism in cities, relatively few studies have addressed the varied contributions of social factors like race to ecological heterogeneity in cities.
Scientists sound the alarm: Lockdowns may escalate the obesity epidemic
Emotional stress, economic anxiety, physical inactivity and social distance - locking down society to combat COVID-19 creates psychosocial insecurity that leads to obesity, warn three Danish researchers. Counter measures are needed if we are to keep the public both metabolically healthy and safe from the coronavirus
Seasonal flu vaccinations don't 'stick' long-term in bone marrow
Seasonal flu vaccination does increase the number of antibody-producing cells specific for flu in the bone marrow. However, most of the newly generated cells are lost within one year, Emory researchers found.
Sex, flies and videotape
Researchers discover key behaviour that triggers the transition from courtship to mating in fruit flies.
Single-cell analysis provides new insights into mitochondrial diseases
Investigators led by a team at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have made discoveries at the single cell level to uncover new details concerning mitochondrial diseases-- inherited disorders that interfere with energy production in the body and currently have no cure.
Smoking strongly linked to women's lower take up of cancer screening services
Smoking is strongly linked to lower use of cancer screening services by women, and more advanced disease once cancer is diagnosed, reveals research published in the online journal BMJ Open.
Snowshoe hare carcasses feed more then the usual suspects, study shows
What do lynx, flying squirrels, ravens, and wolverines have in common? They will all scavenge from snowshoe hare carcasses under the right conditions, according to a new study by University of Alberta ecologists. And they're not alone. In fact, researchers documented 24 different species feeding from snowshoe hare carcasses in Canada's northern boreal forest.
Spread of monsoon circulation changes explains uncertainty in global land monsoon precipitation projection
A new study emphasizes the importance of reliable prediction of circulation changes, to ensure that future projections of global land monsoon are suitable for use by policy makers.
Strianassa lerayi anker, new shrimp species from Panama's Coiba national park
Last year's expedition, part of the project to compare microbiomes of animals in the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, resulted in the discovery of several new animal genera and a species of mud shrimp named for STRI and post-doctoral fellow, Matt Leray
Strict diet explains metabolic effect of gastric bypass surgery
In many studies, bariatric surgery has been highlighted as an almost magical method for weight loss and reversing type 2 diabetes. One question that has remained largely unanswered is how the effect of surgery differs from the effects of a strict low-calorie diet. This question has now been examined by researchers at Lund University in Sweden in a study published in the journal Diabetes.
Study finds cancer mapping may solve puzzle of regional disease links
New statistical analysis finds cancer mapping may help question regional disease links.
Study focuses on a different kind of liquid biopsy to detect cancer
In a study published August 13, 2020, in Cell by a team of collaborators from Memorial Sloan Kettering and Weill Cornell Medicine, researchers report that tiny packages of materials released by tumors, called EVPs (extracellular vesicles and particles), may serve as biomarkers for detecting a number of different types of cancer in the early stages.
Study suggests new potential approach against fatal childhood brain cancer
In mouse models of DIPG, a fatal childhood brain cancer, simultaneously attacking two metabolic pathways led to significant improvements in survival.
Study: Medical marijuana associated with fewer hospitalizations for individuals with SCD
Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) who receive medical marijuana to treat pain may require fewer visits to the hospital, according to a new study in Blood Advances. Adults with SCD who requested and obtained medical marijuana were admitted to the hospital less frequently than those who did not obtain it.
Studying how skin cancer starts
New research by Ortiz-RodrÃguez and mentor Carlos Crespo, a professor and lead researcher in the The Crespo Group lab, reveals for perhaps the first time how quickly certain pre-cancerous lesions can form on the DNA of our skin when exposed to sunlight.
Sufficiently distant parks and public services facilitate older adults' physical activity
Outdoor mobility facilitating parks, walking trails, and public services at greater distances increased physical activity, according to a study conducted at the Faculty of Sport and Health Sciences of the University of Jyväskylä.
Sustainable nylon production made possible by bacteria discovery
Scientists have developed a sustainable method of making one of the most valuable industrial chemicals in the world - known as adipic acid -- which is a key component of the material.
Syphilis may have spread through Europe before Columbus
Columbus brought syphilis to Europe -- or did he? A recent study conducted at the University of Zurich now indicates that Europeans could already have been infected with this sexually transmitted disease before the 15th century. In addition, researchers have discovered a hitherto unknown pathogen causing a related disease. The predecessor of syphilis and its related diseases could be over 2,500...
Systemic racism has consequences for all life in cities
Social inequalities, specifically racism and classism, are impacting the biodiversity, evolutionary shifts and ecological health of plants and animals in our cities. That's the main finding of a review paper published Aug. 13 in Science led by the University of Washington, with co-authors at the University of California, Berkeley, and University of Michigan.
Task force examines role of mobile health technology in COVID-19 pandemic
An international task force, including two University of Massachusetts Amherst computer scientists, concludes in new research that mobile health (mHealth) technologies are a viable option to monitor COVID-19 patients at home and predict which ones will need medical intervention.
The behavior of therapeutic antibodies in immunotherapy
Since the late 1990s, immunotherapy has been the frontline treatment against lymphomas where synthetic antibodies are used to stop the proliferation of cancerous white blood cells. However, in the more than 20 years since their use began, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this therapy are still little understood. For the first time, scientists from the CNRS, Institut Pasteur and Université...
The larynx has evolved more rapidly in primates
The larynx is larger, more variable in size, and has undergone faster rates of evolution in primates than in carnivores, according to a study published August 11, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Daniel Bowling of Stanford University, W. Tecumseh Fitch of the University of Vienna, and colleagues.
To understand the machinery of life, this scientist breaks it on purpose
By tinkering with some of life's oldest components, astrobiologists hope to find clues about how life emerged. In a recent paper, a group led by Betül Kaçar at the University of Arizona report an unexpected discovery, hinting at an effect that prevents organisms from ever reaching evolutionary perfection.
UCalgary researchers discover the microbiome's role in attacking cancerous tumours
University of Calgary researchers have discovered which gut bacteria help our immune system battle cancerous tumours and how they do it. The discovery may provide a new understanding of why immunotherapy, a treatment for cancer that helps amplify immune response, works in some cases, but not others. The findings, published in Science, show combining immunotherapy with specific microbial therapy...
UChicago scientists discover way to make quantum states last 10,000 times longer
A team of scientists at the University of Chicago's Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering announced the discovery of a simple modification that allows quantum systems to stay operational--or 'coherent'--10,000 times longer than before.