316 articles from TUESDAY 2.2.2021

Survival tip: Start at normal weight and slowly add pounds

People who start adulthood with a body mass index (BMI) in the normal range and move later in life to being overweight - but never obese - tend to live the longest, a new study suggests. Adults in this category lived longer than even those whose BMI stayed in the normal range throughout their life. Those who started adulthood as obese and continued to add weight had the highest mortality rate.

Taking the fear out of driver education

New drivers ages 15-25 cause nearly 1/2 of the 1 million+ road deaths worldwide. A new study in Risk Analysis suggests that driver ed programs use of fear-based messaging doesn't reduce risky driving and may even lead young drivers to take more chances.

Temperature, humidity, wind predict second wave of pandemic

The "second wave" of the coronavirus pandemic has placed much blame on a lack of appropriate safety measures. However, due to the impacts of weather, research suggests two outbreaks per year are inevitable. Though face masks, travel restrictions, and social distancing guidelines help slow the number of new infections in the short term, the lack of climate effects incorporated into epidemiological...

The benefits of reading outdoors

Investigators demonstrate that image luminance has opposite effects on the contrast sensitivity of cortical pathways signaling lights than darks. It impairs luminance discrimination for the brightest stimuli of the scene while improving it for the darkest stimuli, a mechanism that is needed toefficiently sample natural scenes.

The Lancet: Study reports preliminary efficacy and safety results from interim analysis of Russian COVID-19 phase 3 vaccine trial

An interim analysis of data from the phase 3 trial of the COVID-19 vaccine from Russia (Gam-COVID-Vac) suggests that a two-dose regimen of the adenovirus-based vaccine offers 91.6% efficacy against symptomatic COVID-19. The preliminary findings, published in The Lancet, are based on analysis of data from nearly 20,000 participants, three-quarters of whom received the vaccine and one quarter...

The new normal: How businesses in China are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic

The effect of the Covid-19 pandemic can be clearly felt in the marketplace. This has been an unprecedented existential crisis for individuals and organizations alike across the globe. To ensure communities and corporations emerge unscathed, leaders need to effectively respond to these trying times. The latest edition of the Frontiers of Business Research in China offers six practical perspectives...

The secrets of 3000 galaxies laid bare

The complex mechanics determining how galaxies spin, grow, cluster and die have been revealed following the release of all the data gathered during a massive seven-year Australian-led astronomy research project.

Tiny 3D structures enhance solar cell efficiency

A new method for constructing special solar cells could significantly increase their efficiency. Not only are the cells made up of thin layers, they also consist of specifically arranged nanoblocks. This has been shown in a new study by an international research team led by the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU), which was published in the scientific journal "Nano Letters".

Tracking cells with omnidirectional visible laser particles

Microlaser particles have emerged as unique optical probes for single-cell tacking. However, due to inherent directionality of laser emission, cell tracking with laser particles suffers from frequent loss of cell traces. Recently, scientists in Harvard Medical School and Peking University placed omnidirectional visible laser particles into live cells, and demonstrated continuous spatial tracking...

UBC study highlights the best style and fabrics for COVID-19 face masks

In the race to stop the spread of COVID-19, a three-layer cloth mask that fits well can effectively filter COVID particles, says a group of UBC researchers.After testing several different mask styles and 41 types of fabrics, they found that a mask consisting of two layers of low-thread-count quilting cotton plus a three-ply dried baby wipe filter was as effective as a commercial non-surgical mask...

USPSTF recommends against screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in general population

The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommends against screening for asymptomatic carotid artery stenosis in the general adult population. Carotid artery stenosis is the narrowing of arteries that supply blood to the brain. This recommendation applies to adults without a history of transient ischemic attack, stroke or other neurologic signs or symptoms related to the carotid...

Venus flytraps found to produce magnetic fields

The Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula) is a carnivorous plant that encloses its prey using modified leaves as a trap. During this process, electrical signals known as action potentials trigger the closure of the leaf lobes. An interdisciplinary team of scientists has now shown that these electrical signals generate measurable magnetic fields.

Warmer climate may make new mutations more harmful

A warmer global climate can cause mutations to have more severe consequences for the health of organisms through their detrimental effect on protein function. This may have major repercussions on organisms' ability to adapt to, and survive in, the altered habitats of the future. This is shown in a new Uppsala University research study now published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the...