202 articles from MONDAY 4.1.2021
Risk of extinction cascades from freshwater mussels to a bitterling fish
Reproduction of native and invasive bitterling fishes and their hybridisation was studied in Japan. We collected mussels in which these bitterlings lay their eggs, kept them in aquaria, collected eggs/larvae ejected from mussels, and genotyped them. We found that hybrids occurred when local mussel density was low. The rapid decline of the host mussels and artificial introduction of an invasive...
Risk of substance use disorder among patients with autism
Researchers used health insurance data from Taiwan to investigate the risk of substance use disorder among patients with autism spectrum disorder and its associations with risk of death.
Scientists develop new approach to understanding massive volcanic eruptions
An international volcanology team has created a first-of-its kind tool that can aid scientists in understanding past explosive eruptions that shaped the earth and improve the way of estimating hazards of future eruptions.
Scientists discover how mother-of-pearl self-assembles into a perfect structure
In a new study published in Nature Physics, researchers from the B CUBE - Center for Molecular Bioengineering at TU Dresden and European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) in Grenoble describe, for the first time, that structural defects in self-assembling nacre attract and cancel each other out, eventually leading to a perfect periodic structure.
Scientists reach limit of multi-parameter quantum measurement with zero trade-off
Real-life applications like magnetometry or quantum gyroscope typically involve precise measurement on multiple parameters. How to achieve the ultimate precision limits simultaneously is a long sought-after grail in the field.
Scientists seek faster route to treat depression
The Brazilian research group used epigenetic modulators to try to 'erase' the damage done by stress to neuroplasticity. The study showed that acute intervention in epigenetic mechanisms produces antidepressant-like effects more rapidly than conventional drugs.
Scrambled supersolids
Supersolids are fluid and solid at the same time. Physicists from Innsbruck and Geneva have for the first time investigated what happens when such a state is brought out of balance. They discovered a soft form of a solid of high interest for science. As the researchers led by Francesca Ferlaino and Thierry Giamarchi report in Nature Physics, they were also able to reverse the process and restore...
Severe sepsis predicted by common protein
A sugar-binding protein could fuel terrible inflammation and worsen sepsis, a disease that kills more than 270,000 people every year in the US alone, reports a team of researchers led by immunologists at UConn Health.
Single-cell analysis of metastatic gastric cancer finds diverse tumor cell populations associated with patient outcomes
Researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center who profiled more than 45,000 individual cells from patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis (PC), a specific form of metastatic gastric cancer, defined the extensive cellular heterogeneity and identified two distinct subtypes correlated with patient survival.
State laws promoting flu vaccination for hospital workers may help prevent deaths from flu and pneum
Research suggests that state laws promoting influenza vaccination for hospital workers can be effective in preventing deaths from pneumonia and influenza, particularly among the elderly. Findings from a quasi-experimental observational study are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Study explains why patients with cancer spread to the liver have worse outcomes
A new study finds that tumors in the liver siphon off critical immune cells, rendering immunotherapy ineffective. But coupling immunotherapy with radiotherapy to the liver in mice restored the immune cell function and led to better outcomes.
Study of 50,000 people finds brown fat may protect against numerous chronic diseases
By far the largest of its kind in humans, the study confirms and expands the health benefits of brown fat suggested by previous research.
Study resolves long-running controversy over critical step in gene silencing
Researchers have identified a molecular "address" that explains how the cancer-related protein PRC2 binds to RNA to silence genes. The study resolves a longstanding debate about the contradictory behavior between PRC2 and RNA. The findings could have important implications for development of drugs to treat cancer and other diseases.
Subscriptions to satellite alerts linked to decreased deforestation in Africa
Deforestation dropped by 18 percent in two years in African countries where organizations subscribed to receive warnings from a new service using satellites to detect decreases in forest cover in the tropics.
Super surfaces
Assembling tiny chips into unique programmable surfaces, Princeton researchers have created a key component toward unlocking a communications band that promises to dramatically increase the amount data wireless systems can transmit.
Supercapacitors challenge batteries
A team working with Roland Fischer, Professor of Inorganic and Metal-Organic Chemistry at the Technical University Munich (TUM) has developed a highly efficient supercapacitor. The basis of the energy storage device is a novel, powerful and also sustainable graphene hybrid material that has comparable performance data to currently utilized batteries.
Surprising news: drylands are not getting drier
Columbia Engineering study is the first to show the importance of long-term soil moisture changes and associated soil moisture-atmosphere feedbacks in future predictions of water availability in drylands. The researchers identified a long-term soil moisture regulation of atmospheric circulation and moisture transport that largely ameliorates the potential decline of future water availability in...
Sweetened beverage sales bounced back quickly after Cook County tax repealed
Following the repeal of the short-lived Cook County, Illinois Sweetened Beverage Tax, sales of sweetened beverages went right back to where they were before the tax went into place, according to a new study.
The true cost of chemotherapy
New research reveals the non-healthcare costs of chemotherapy for breast cancer patients.It includes the cost of lost productivity, work absence, and 'out-of-pocket' personal costs such as paying for transport and parking for treatment, the cost of wigs and new bras, and over the counter medications.The research team say that better targeting of treatment could help avoid placing unnecessary costs...
Traditional stereotypes about masculinity may help explain support for Trump
American politicians have long been expected to uphold a certain veneer: powerful, influential and never vulnerable. New Penn State research has found that these idealized forms of masculinity may also help explain support for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election and in the days leading up to the 2020 election.
Uncovering how plants see blue light
Plants can perceive and react to light across a wide spectrum. New research from the UC Davis College of Biological Sciences shows how plants can respond to blue light in particular by revealing the structure of cryptochrome-2, the molecule that reacts to blue light.
Using artificial intelligence to find new uses for existing medications
Scientists have developed a machine-learning method that crunches massive amounts of data to help determine which existing medications could improve outcomes in diseases for which they are not prescribed.
Using solar energy and agriculture to limit climate change, assist rural communities
Co-developing land for both solar photovoltaic power and agriculture could provide 20% of total electricity generation in the United States with an investment of less than 1% of the annual US budget, a new paper by Oregon State University researchers found.
Vaping combined with smoking is likely as harmful as smoking cigarettes alone
People who smoked traditional cigarettes in addition to using e-cigarettes experienced health effects as harmful as those who smoked cigarettes exclusively; those effects are associated with a higher risk for cardiovascular disease and death.In a large data analysis of more than 7,100 U.S. adults, researchers examined the association of cigarette and e-cigarette use with inflammation and oxidative...
Why do males have to wait for 'round 2'? The reason may be different from what we think
New study refutes dominant theory claiming the hormone prolactin induces the male post-ejaculatory refractory period.