ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


No more finger pricks: A continuous glucose monitor benefits patients with diabetes in more ways than one

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 02:03 PM PDT

A 15-center study of 175 patients with poorly controlled type 2 diabetes found that continuous glucose monitoring, compared to blood glucose meter monitoring, or finger pricking, significantly decreased their hemoglobin A1C over eight months.

What happens to marine life when oxygen is scarce?

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 01:58 PM PDT

In September of 2017, marine biologists were conducting an experiment in Bocas del Toro, off the Caribbean coast of Panama. After sitting on a quiet, warm open ocean, they snorkeled down to find a peculiar layer of murky, foul-smelling water about 10 feet below the surface, with brittle stars and sea urchins, which are usually in hiding, perching on the tops of coral. This observation prompted a collaborative study analyzing what this foggy water layer is caused by, and the impact it has on life at the bottom of the seafloor.

Scientists model 'true prevalence' of COVID-19 throughout pandemic

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 12:28 PM PDT

Scientists have developed a statistical framework that incorporates key COVID-19 data -- such as case counts and deaths due to COVID-19 -- to model the true prevalence of this disease in the United States and individual states. Their approach projects that in the U.S. as many as 60 percent of COVID-19 cases went undetected as of March 7, 2021, the last date for which the dataset they employed is available.

Supernova's 'fizzled' gamma-ray burst

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 11:48 AM PDT

On Aug. 26, 2020, NASA's Fermi Gamma-ray Space Telescope detected a pulse of high-energy radiation that had been racing toward Earth for nearly half the present age of the universe. Lasting only about a second, it turned out to be one for the record books -- the shortest gamma-ray burst (GRB) caused by the death of a massive star ever seen.

Hubble finds evidence of water vapor at Jupiter's moon Ganymede

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 10:21 AM PDT

Astronomers have uncovered evidence of water vapor in the atmosphere of Jupiter's moon Ganymede. This water vapor forms when ice from the moon's surface sublimates -- that is, turns from solid to gas. Astronomers re-examined Hubble observations from the last two decades to find this evidence of water vapor.

Second COVID-19 mRNA vaccine dose found safe following allergic reactions to first dose

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:39 AM PDT

A new study reports that among individuals who had an allergic reaction to their first mRNA COVID-19 vaccine dose, all who went on to receive a second dose tolerated it. Even some who experienced anaphylaxis following the first dose tolerated the second dose.

Brain's 'memory center' needed to recognize image sequences but not single sights

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:39 AM PDT

The visual cortex stores and remembers individual images, but when they are grouped into a sequence, mice can't recognize that without guidance from the hippocampus, according to a new study.

Plant root-associated bacteria preferentially colonize their native host-plant roots

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:39 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that bacteria from the plant microbiota are adapted to their host species. They show how root-associated bacteria have a competitive advantage when colonizing their native host, which allows them to invade an already established microbiota.

Improving air quality reduces dementia risk, multiple studies suggest

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 08:39 AM PDT

Improving air quality may improve cognitive function and reduce dementia risk, according to several recent studies.

Extreme heat, dry summers main cause of tree death in Colorado's subalpine forests

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:21 AM PDT

Even in the absence of bark beetle outbreaks and wildfire, trees in Colorado subalpine forests are dying at increasing rates from warmer and drier summer conditions, found recent research.

Meeting global climate targets will lead to 8 million more energy jobs worldwide by 2050

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:21 AM PDT

Researchers created a global dataset of job footprints in 50 countries and used a model to investigate how trying to meet the Paris Agreement global climate target of staying well below 2°C would affect energy sector jobs. They found that action to reach said target would increase net jobs by about 8 million by 2050, primarily due to gains in the solar and wind industries.

Function of sex chromosomes in turtles

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:21 AM PDT

A new study sheds light on how organisms have evolved to address imbalances in sex chromosomes. The study looks at a species of softshell turtle, but the results could help to illuminate an important evolutionary process in many species. The research centers on a process known as sex chromosome dosage compensation.

Two types of blood pressure meds prevent heart events equally, but side effects differ

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:21 AM PDT

In an analysis of almost 3 million patients taking a single high blood pressure medication for the first time, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) were as good as angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors at preventing cardiovascular events linked to hypertension, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure. 51 possible side effects and safety concerns were examined: The patients taking ARBs were found to be significantly less likely to develop tissue swelling, cough, pancreas inflammation and bleeding in the digestive tract.

Juicy past of favorite Okinawan fruit revealed

Posted: 26 Jul 2021 07:21 AM PDT

A genetic analysis of fruit in the mandarin family has unraveled a complex journey from the mountainous region of southern China to the markets of Okinawa.