167 articles from WEDNESDAY 17.5.2023

Air pollution particles trigger cellular defense mechanisms

The link between air pollution and lung disease has long been recognized. Now a new USC study reveals one biological process that may be behind that link—a discovery which could provide new insights on better ways to treat or prevent diseases related to pollution exposure.

Cycads: the primeval plants getting rarer – and harder to protect

Here before the dinosaurs, plants now face extinction due to illegal trade and vanishing tropical forestsCycads are the most threatened group of plants in the world. These ancient plants date back about 280m years, before the age of the dinosaurs, and they look primeval, with a rugged chunky trunk rising into a crown of stiff feathery leaves.They are disappearing as their tropical forest habitats...

Fauna return rapidly in planted eelgrass meadows, study shows

A study of eelgrass meadows planted by researchers from the University of Gothenburg shows that fauna return rapidly once the eelgrass has started to grow. Already after the second summer, the biodiversity in the planted meadow was almost the same as in old established eelgrass meadows.

'Moe' than just advertisement: Reflections on the use of anime characters for tourism promotion

In Japan, advertisements featuring anime characters are often used to sell goods and services. Marketing strategies that use anime characters exploit people's feelings toward them. The Japanese slang "moe," derived from the Japanese intransitive verb "moeru," meaning to sprout, has come to represent people's affection for anime characters, sometimes also called "moe characters."

Study finds weight gain early in life increases risk of prostate cancer death by 27%

Decades-long study involving over 250,000 Swedish men establishes strong link to risk of fatal prostate cancerMen who put on 2st (12.7kg) before turning 30 are 27% more likely to die from prostate cancer in old age than those who maintain their teenage weight, early research suggests.A decades-long study into more than 250,000 Swedish men indicated there was a strong link between men gaining...