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| Do ‘behavioral psychedelics’ help patients make lasting, positive change? Posted: 16 Mar 2022 02:33 PM PDT Psychedelics may find new, legitimate roles in treatment for anxiety, depression, stress disorders, addiction, and other mental and behavioral health problems. But ensuring they do requires developing rigorous, standardized methods to study and apply the results, according to a new report. |
| Novel theory of entropy may solve materials design issues Posted: 16 Mar 2022 02:33 PM PDT A challenge in materials design is that in both natural and humanmade materials, volume sometimes decreases, or increases, with increasing temperature. While there are mechanical explanations for this phenomenon for some specific materials, a general understanding of why this sometimes happens remains lacking. |
| Trial testing cocoa flavanol supplement shows promise for reducing cardiovascular risk Posted: 16 Mar 2022 02:33 PM PDT The first large-scale trial to test the long-term effects of a cocoa flavanol supplement to prevent cardiovascular disease offers promising signals that cocoa flavanols could have protective cardiovascular effects. |
| Even with statins, high triglycerides may increase risk of second stroke Posted: 16 Mar 2022 02:33 PM PDT Stroke can have many causes. An atherothrombotic stroke is caused by a clot that forms from plaques that build up within blood vessels in the brain. A new study suggests that people who have this type of stroke who also have higher levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in their blood may have a higher risk of having another stroke or other cardiovascular problems one year later, compared to people who had a stroke but have lower triglyceride levels. The study found an association even when people were taking statin drugs meant to lower triglycerides and protect against heart attack and stroke. |
| Researchers find direct links between deforestation and reduced dietary quality Posted: 16 Mar 2022 02:32 PM PDT Current policies for guaranteeing food security emphasize the importance of farmland, but forests play critical roles as well. Forested areas can help communities that rely on wild foods to diversify their diets and meet their nutritional needs, according to researchers who found direct links between deforestation and reduced fruit and vegetable consumption in rural Tanzania. |
| Exposure to phthalates — the 'everywhere chemical' — may increase children’s cancer risk Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:58 AM PDT New research has linked phthalates, commonly called the 'everywhere chemical,' to higher incidence of specific childhood cancers. |
| Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:58 AM PDT A research team has discovered novel metabolic mechanisms that contribute to how ovarian cancer escapes from immune attack, and how combination therapies can exploit these pathways to improve ovarian cancer treatment. |
| Toxin-producing yeast strains in gut fuel IBD Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:58 AM PDT Individual Candida albicans yeast strains in the human gut are as different from each other as the humans that carry them, and some C. albicans strains may damage the gut of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), according to a new study. The findings suggest a possible way to tailor treatments to individual patients in the future. |
| Study finds association between cigarette tax and reduced infant deaths Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:58 AM PDT Raising taxes on tobacco is associated with a reduction in neonatal and infant mortality, according to an analysis of 159 countries. |
| ACC issues clinical guidance on cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19 Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT The American College of Cardiology has issued an expert consensus decision pathway for the evaluation and management of adults with key cardiovascular consequences of COVID-19. The document discusses myocarditis and other types of myocardial involvement, patient-centered approaches for long COVID and guidance on resumption of exercise following COVID-19. |
| Effects of ancient carbon releases suggest possible scenarios for future climate Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT A massive release of greenhouse gases, likely triggered by volcanic activity, caused a period of extreme global warming known as the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM) about 56 million years ago. A new study now confirms that the PETM was preceded by a smaller episode of warming and ocean acidification caused by a shorter burst of carbon emissions. The short-lived precursor event represents what might happen if current emissions can be shut down quickly, while the much more extreme global warming of the PETM shows the consequences of continuing to release carbon into the atmosphere at the current rate. |
| 3D matrix ultrasound accurately identifies cardiovascular injury in healthy individuals Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT A study shows that 3D ultrasound incorporating new matrix technology is reliable, accurate, and faster than previous methods for the assessment of plaque volume in the carotid and femoral arteries. |
| BirdBot is energy-efficient thanks to nature as a model Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT A team of scientists has constructed a robot leg that, like its natural model, is very energy efficient. BirdBot benefits from a foot-leg coupling through a network of muscles and tendons that extends across multiple joints. In this way, BirdBot needs fewer motors than previous legged robots and could, theoretically, scale to large size. |
| Largest ever psychedelics study maps changes of conscious awareness to neurotransmitter systems Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT In the world's largest study on psychedelics and the brain, a team of researchers have shown how drug-induced changes in subjective awareness are anatomically rooted in specific neurotransmitter receptor systems. |
| A possible new COVID-19 vaccine could be accessible for more of the world Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT A new protein subunit vaccine may offer an inexpensive, easy-to-store, and effective alternative to RNA vaccines for COVID-19. |
| What regulates the 'glue' needed for nerve repair? Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT Researchers have identified a molecule essential for regulating the repair of injured nerves, which could help people recover from nerve damage. |
| A potential new target for cancer immunotherapies Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT Tumors can use an enzyme called ART1 to thwart antitumor immune cells, making the enzyme a promising new target for immunity-boosting cancer treatments, according to a new study. |
| U.S. fires four times larger, three times more frequent since 2000 Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:57 AM PDT Fires have gotten larger, more frequent and more widespread across the United States since 2000, according to a new article. The research shows that large fires have not only become more common, they are also spreading into new areas, impacting land that previously did not burn. |
| Losartan is not effective in reducing COVID-19 lung injuries, researchers find Posted: 16 Mar 2022 11:55 AM PDT Research found that a common blood pressure medication -- losartan -- is not effective in reducing lung injury in patients with COVID-19. |
| Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PDT In what they call surprise findings, scientists report that -- unlike fruit flies -- mosquitoes' odor sensing nerve cells shut down when those cells are forced to produce odor-related proteins, or receptors, on the surface of the cell. This 'expression' process apparently makes the bugs able to ignore common insect repellents. |
| Researchers may have unlocked the blood-brain barrier Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PDT The brain is composed of billions of neurons -- vulnerable cells that require a protective environment to function properly. This delicate environment is protected by 400 miles of specialized vasculature designed to limit which substances come into contact with the brain. This blood-brain barrier is essential for protecting the organ from toxins and pathogens. But it also blocks the passage of therapeutic drugs. |
| Discovery uncovers a new leaf for Redwoods Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PDT Redwood trees have two types of leaves, one to make food and the other to absorb water, found a new study. It's the first study to estimate whole-crown water absorption in a large, mature tree. The findings can help scientists monitor redwoods' adaptability amid a changing climate and deepens our understanding of the resilience of these massive trees. |
| Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have found a way to improve the ability of catalysts made from metal-metal oxides to convert non-edible plants, such as wood, grass and corn stover into renewable fuels, chemicals and plastics. Metal oxide catalysts are central to reactions for upgrading petrochemicals, fine chemicals, pharmaceuticals and biomass. |
| Cheaper, more efficient ways to capture carbon Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:27 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new tool that could lead to more efficient and cheaper technologies for capturing heat-trapping gases from the atmosphere and converting them into beneficial substances, like fuel or building materials. |
| Programming the immune system to supercharge cancer cell therapies Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:26 AM PDT Scientists have developed a genetic screening platform to identify genes that can enhance immune cells to make them more persistent and increase their ability to eradicate tumor cells. |
| What's the prevailing opinion on social media? Look at the flocks, says researcher Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:26 AM PDT A communication researcher has developed a framework for measuring the slippery concept of social media public opinion. Murmuration identifies meaningful groups of social media actors based on the 'who-follows-whom' relationship. The actors attract like-minded followers to form 'flocks,' which serve as the units of analysis. As opinions form and shift in response to external events, the flocks' unfolding opinions move like the fluid murmuration of airborne starlings. |
| Burst of rapid cell motion in 3D tumor model Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:26 AM PDT Biological processes such as wound healing and cancer cell invasion rely on the collective and coordinated motion of living cells. A little understood aspect that influences these processes is the pressure differences within and between different parts of the body. Researchers designed model tumor systems using cervical cancer cells in collagen matrices to investigate whether pressure differences can push cancer cells into their surroundings. Upon embedding the model tumors into a soft matrix, an increased pressure led to a sudden burst of rapid and coordinated cellular motion that sprayed outwards from the tumor. |
| Pivotal technique harnesses cutting-edge AI capabilities to model and map the natural environment Posted: 16 Mar 2022 10:26 AM PDT Scientists have developed a pioneering new technique that harnesses the cutting-edge capabilities of AI to model and map the natural environment in intricate detail. |
| Molecular imaging uncovers effects of COVID-19 on the brain Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT A significant number of COVID-19 neurological complications -- such as fatigue, headache, and cognitive impairment--are ultimately reversible, according to new research. The comprehensive literature review of molecular imaging findings sheds light on how COVID-19 affects the brain and identifies important implications for other neurological conditions, like Parkinson's disease or Alzheimer's disease. |
| Tiny battery-free devices float in the wind like dandelion seeds Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Inspired by how dandelions use the wind to distribute their seeds, a team has developed a tiny sensor-carrying device that can be blown by the wind as it tumbles toward the ground. |
| New acoustic fabric converts audible sounds into electrical signals Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new acoustic fabric converts audible sounds into electrical signals. They designed a fabric that works like a microphone, converting sound first into mechanical vibrations, then into electrical signals, similarly to how our ears hear. |
| How the brain encodes social rank and 'winning mindset' Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Researchers have made inroads into understanding how the mammalian brain encodes social rank and uses this information to shape behaviors. In mice engaged in a competition, the team discovered, patterns of brain activity differ depending on the social rank of the opposing animal. Moreover, the scientists could use brain readouts to accurately predict which animal would win a food reward -- the victor was not always the more socially dominant animal, but the one more engaged in a 'winning mindset.' |
| For accuracy, brain studies of complex behavior require thousands of people Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Scientists rely on brain-wide association studies to measure brain structure and function -- using brain scans -- and link them to mental illness and other complex behaviors. But a new study shows that most published brain-wide association studies are performed with too few participants to yield reliable findings. |
| Discovery of an immune escape mechanism promoting Listeria infection of the central nervous system Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Some 'hypervirulent' strains of Listeria monocytogenes have a greater capacity to infect the central nervous system. Scientists have discovered a mechanism that enables cells infected with Listeria monocytogenes to escape immune responses. This mechanism provides infected cells circulating in the blood with a higher probability of adhering to and infecting cells of cerebral vessels, thereby enabling bacteria to cross the blood-brain barrier and infect the brain. |
| Toward a quantum computer that calculates molecular energy Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Researchers have developed an algorithm that uses the most quantum bits to date to calculate ground state energy, the lowest-energy state in a quantum mechanical system. The discovery could make it easier to design new materials. |
| How inland and coastal waterways influence climate Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Most global carbon-budgeting efforts assume a linear flow of water from the land to the sea, which ignores the complex interplay between streams, rivers, lakes, groundwater, estuaries, mangroves and more. Climate scientists now detail how carbon is stored and transported through the intricacy of inland and coastal waterways. The work has significant implications for enforcing the carbon calculations that are part of international climate accords. |
| Increased tree cover in savannas provides limited benefit in climate fight Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT One proposed strategy in the fight against climate change is to increase tree cover in the world's savannas, either through the planting of new trees or fire suppression, to increase the uptake of atmospheric carbon dioxide. However, a new study of African savannas suggests this approach is far less effective than previously estimated. "Increasing tree cover in savannas, whether via afforestation or fire suppression, is unlikely to yield the substantial gains in ecosystem carbon storage that have been advertised," said Carla Staver, associate professor of ecology and evolutionary biology in Yale's Faculty of Arts and Sciences, associate director of the Yale Institute for Biospheric Studies, and senior author of the new study. |
| How gut microbes work to tame intestinal inflammation Posted: 16 Mar 2022 09:08 AM PDT Bile acids, well known for their role in dissolving fats and vitamins, are also important players in gut immunity and inflammation because they regulate the activity of key immune cells linked to a range of inflammatory bowel conditions, such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, according to new research. |
| 'Self-driving' lab speeds up research, synthesis of energy materials Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Researchers have developed and demonstrated a 'self-driving lab' that uses artificial intelligence and fluidic systems to advance our understanding of metal halide perovskite nanocrystals. This self-driving lab can also be used to investigate a broad array of other semiconductor and metallic nanomaterials. |
| New flow battery stores power in simple organic compound Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT The intermittent supply of green electricity requires large-scale storage to keep our power grids stable. Since normal batteries do not scale very well, the idea of using flow batteries, which store electricity in a fluid is attractive. Scientists have designed a flow battery electrolyte that is cheaper and is based on an organic compound, rather than a metal. |
| Longer, more intense allergy seasons could result from climate change Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Allergy seasons are likely to become longer and grow more intense as a result of increasing temperatures caused by humanmade climate change, according to new research. |
| AI to predict antidepressant outcomes in youth Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Researchers have taken the first step in using artificial intelligence (AI) to predict early outcomes with antidepressants in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder. |
| Climate change considerably threatens Europe's beech forests Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Beech forests in Europe are severely threatened by climate change, particularly in southern European countries, but also in central Europe. Models project severe beech growth declines over the next 70 years -- ranging from 20 percent to perhaps more than 50 percent depending on the climate change scenario and the region in question. |
| Getting bacteria and yeast to talk to each other, thanks to a 'nanotranslator' Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Cells communicate with one another in the language of chemistry, but those from different kingdoms, such as bacteria and yeast, speak dialects virtually unintelligible to the other. By learning how microbes 'talk,' researchers hope to one day manipulate their behavior to protect against disease, for example. Efforts like this are in their infancy, but researchers now describe the first system that enables two unrelated organisms to communicate. |
| Wax-coated sand keeps soil wet longer, improves crop yields in arid regions Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Dry, hot regions are difficult places to grow plants because the soil dries out quickly. As a result, farmers in arid and semi-arid regions irrigate their fields with buried networks of irrigation tubing and cover the ground with plastic sheets. But plastic sheets are expensive and create waste. Now, researchers have developed a simple, biodegradable ground cover -- wax-coated sand -- which keeps soil wet and increases crop yields. |
| Nuclear reactor power levels can be monitored using seismic and acoustic data Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Seismic and acoustic data recorded 50 meters away from a research nuclear reactor could predict whether the reactor was in an on or off state with 98% accuracy, according to a new study. |
| Ancient ice reveals scores of gigantic volcanic eruptions Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:50 AM PDT Ice cores drilled in Antarctica and Greenland have revealed gigantic volcanic eruptions during the last ice age. Sixty-nine of these were larger than any eruption in modern history. According to the physicists behind the research, these eruptions can teach us about our planet's sensitivity to climate change. |
| Complex pathways influence time delay in ionization of molecules Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:49 AM PDT Study shows how the mechanism of photoionization can be used to gain insights into complex molecular potentials. |
| Those with facial scars rate their own appearance more critically than surgeons and strangers Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:49 AM PDT Patients who undergo facial surgery think their surgical scars look worse than surgeons and independent observers do, according to a new study. |
| Scientists discover how to 3D print testicular cells Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:49 AM PDT Scientists have 3D printed human testicular cells and identified promising early signs of sperm-producing capabilities. The researchers hope the technique will one day offer a solution for people living with presently untreatable forms of male infertility. |
| Stem cell-derived retinal patch is shown to survive two years post-implantation Posted: 16 Mar 2022 08:49 AM PDT A retinal stem cell patch continues to make progress in its bid to secure approval from the Food and Drug Administration. The latest milestone? Results finding that after two years, not only can the implant survive, but also it does not elicit clinically detectable inflammation or signs of immune rejection, even without long-term immunosuppression. |
| Type 1 diabetes can be predicted with epigenetic changes Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:04 AM PDT Children who develop type 1 diabetes show epigenetic changes in the cells of their immune system before the antibodies of the disease are detected in their blood. The findings of two new studies offer new opportunities to identify the children with the genetic risk for developing diabetes very early on. |
| Alzheimer’s pathology, not cognitive decline, drives neuropsychiatric symptoms Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:04 AM PDT Alzheimer's disease (AD) eventually leads to severe cognitive decline, but most affected individuals also develop distressing neuropsychiatric symptoms. These earlier effects may be more subtle and are not well understood; it remains unclear whether they arise directly from AD pathology or secondarily as psychological reactions due to the cognitive deficits. Now, a new study examines the connections between biomarkers of AD's hallmark neuropathology, cognition, and other neuropsychiatric symptoms. |
| World’s vulnerable are being polluted in their own homes as they cook Posted: 16 Mar 2022 07:04 AM PDT Three-quarters of kitchens in low-income homes across 12 major global cities are heavily polluted by cooking emissions, according to new research. |
| Bacterial enzyme makes new type of biodegradable polymer Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT Strings of sugars called polysaccharides are the most abundant biopolymers on Earth. Because of their versatile and environmentally friendly properties, these molecules could eventually replace some plastics. Now, researchers have identified a previously unknown bacterial enzyme that can make a new type of polysaccharide, which is similar to the biopolymer chitin. The new molecule is biodegradable and could be useful for drug delivery, tissue engineering and other biomedical applications. |
| How grasshopper mouths resemble those of mammals Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT Palaeobiologists have identified startling similarities between the mouths of grasshoppers and mammal teeth. |
| Antelope, a Gulf region cultural icon, gets another chance at survival Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT The DNA of a vulnerable species, the iconic Arabian Oryx, has been decoded. An international team undertook this project to help ensure the survival of the species, by using the genetic data to inform breeding programs. |
| Birds of prey populations across Europe suppressed by lead poisoning from gun ammunition Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT Poisoning caused by preying on or scavenging animals shot by hunters using lead ammunition has left the populations of many raptors – or birds of prey – far smaller than they should be, according to the first study to calculate these impacts across Europe. |
| Excess sugar consumption costs Canada’s health-care system $5 billion each year, study finds Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT Researchers peg the economic burden of excessive sugar consumption in Canada at $5 billion a year, thanks to the direct and indirect costs related to 16 chronic diseases. The researchers call on governments to use taxation, subsidies, education and other measures to encourage healthier eating habits, saying it is 'an area of urgent need for action' in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. |
| Mechanism underlying Alzheimer-like damage in the brain of patients with Down Syndrome elucidated Posted: 16 Mar 2022 06:17 AM PDT Precisely why Alzheimer-like changes -- marked by the build-up of harmful amyloid and tau proteins -- occur in the brain in Down syndrome has been unclear. But now, in new research, scientists show that reduced efficiency of a key protein transport system is partly to blame. |
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