Hormone replacement therapy has long been controversial. While some studies suggest that it lowers the risk of osteoporosis and improves some aspects of heart health, others link it to higher risk of cancer and stroke.
A new imaging study by investigators at Cedars-Sinai suggests that women using hormone replacement therapy to relieve menopause symptoms face a lower risk of death and show lower levels of atherosclerosis — plaque buildup in the heart's arteries — than women who do not use horm...
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University of Maryland have used modified wood as a unique architecture for the negative electrode of a lithium metal battery, seeking to prevent some of the key factors that lead to battery failur
Inspired by the structure of wood, engineers at the University of Maryland have used modified wood as a unique architecture for the negative electrode of a lithium metal battery, seeking to prevent some of the key factors that lead to battery failure.
Lithium ion shuttling in rechargeable batteries provides energy to power phones, laptops, and even light bulbs. When the battery is charged, the lithium metal expands; and when it is discharged, the lithium metal deflates. This rapid c...
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VU University Amsterdam research suggest older the population becomes, the more significant a problem heart failure will be for society because of stiffening of the muscle wall of the left ventricle
The older the population becomes, the more significant a problem heart failure will be for society. In Western European countries, heart failure is now the leading cause of hospital admissions. Until now, it has always been thought to result from a reduction in the capacity of the heart to contract. However, this explanation has recently become the subject of some doubt, because in more than 50% of cases of heart failure, no such reduction occurs.
The heart failure detected in these patie...
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‘Universitat Rovira i Virgili’ Spain, research suggest consuming saturated animal fats increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes
Consuming saturated animal fats increases the risk of Type 2 diabetes
Consuming saturated animal fats is associated with a higher risk of Type 2 diabetes. In particular, the consumption of butter, which is rich in saturated fatty acids and trans fats, has been related to a high risk of suffering from this disease. In contrast, the consumption of whole fat yoghurt is associated with a lower risk. These are the findings of study on more than 3,000 men and women aged between 50 and 80 who are ...
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DARPA explores approaches to store and process vast amounts of data using encoded molecules
As the complexity and volume of global digital data grows, so too does the need for more capable and compact means of processing and storing data. To address this challenge, DARPA has announced its Molecular Informatics program, which seeks a new paradigm for data storage, retrieval, and processing. Instead of relying on the binary digital logic of computers based on the Von Neumann architecture, Molecular Informatics aims to investigate and exploit the wide range of structural characteristics a...
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Emmanuel College researchers have developed mathematical argument for stable families or stable friendships
Emmanuel College scientists, Martin Nowak and Ben Allen (Researcher) developed an algorithm to predict whether a social structure is likely to favor cooperation. Their findings suggest strong pairwise relationships, rather than loose scattered networks, are more favorable for cooperation.
Professor Allen and his collaborators have derived a condition for when cooperative behaviors will be able to spread across a network via natural selection. Using mathematical modeling, they have found that ...
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Purdue University study shows that the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes can live inside the tissue of romaine lettuce, suggesting that conventional post-harvest sanitization practices might not be sufficient to kill the potentially lethal pathogen.
A Purdue University study shows that the bacteria Listeria monocytogenes can live inside the tissue of romaine lettuce, suggesting that conventional post-harvest sanitization practices might not be sufficient to kill the potentially lethal pathogen.
Research led by Amanda Deering, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Food Science, showed that the bacteria could live within lettuce in every stage of the plant growth process, residing inside the plant tissue. L. monocytogenes can gai...
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University of Helsinki’s Swedish School of Social Science Study suggests right-leaning politicians are more highly rewarded for attractive looks than Left-leaning politicians.
In politics, Right-leaning politicians are in general physically more attractive, but in academia it is the other way around. A new study conducted at the Swedish School of Social Science at the University of Helsinki argues that Right-leaning politicians are more highly rewarded for attractive looks than Left-leaning politicians.
Previous research by Berggren, Jordahl and Poutvaara (2015) shows that in elections run in Australia, the European Union, Finland and the United States, Right-lea...
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University of California has developed ‘Glass Brain’ that provides real-time insights into the brain activity visually
What goes on inside your brain as you solve a really hard math problem, or watch a really funny movie? In the past, researchers might have measured electrical brain activity or scanned a patient’s head to find out. Now, neuroscientists are teaming up with software companies to create a “glass brain” – special software that lets a person see their thoughts as they think them.
University of California has developed 'Glass Brain' that provides real-time insights into the brain activity visually.
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Boston University professor found glassfrogs show surprising diversity of parental strategies
As far as housing goes, an egg is a pretty good place for a frog embryo. It offers physical protection and it keeps its inhabitant from drying out.
But like many homes with great curb appeal, eggs aren’t always the ideal dwelling. For some frog eggs, being packed in a gelatinous mass, or “clutch,” can limit the supply of oxygen. Eggs can be swept away by floods or killed by fungal pathogens, and they make a nice lunch for predators like snakes and wasps. Faced with such peril, it might seem t...
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Northeastern University research found that, for some species sex of fish is determined by access to food
Imagine if your sex was determined not at birth, but by the amount of food available in the early stages of your life. That if you had access to a wider range of choices you'd increase the chance of becoming one gender over the other.
And that if you were well fed and ate when the slightest hunger struck, your likelihood of becoming female would increase.
While not a possibility for humans, this does appear to be the case for a particular species of fish that is – and has been – imperiling...
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University of Maryland-based Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) physicists have created a new crystal using a chain of atomic ions, these new time crystals have atoms follow a repeating pattern, but in time rather than space
A team of researchers led by physicists at the University of Maryland-based Joint Quantum Institute (JQI) have created the world’s first time crystal using a chain of atomic ions.
Crystals such as ice or diamond are made of atoms arranged in a repeating pattern in space. These new time crystals have atoms follow a repeating pattern, but in time rather than space. The UMD-led team’s creation brings to life the exotic idea that it might be possible to create such time crystals that was prop...
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University of Maryland study has found that fruit flies genetically coded to take frequent naps had the strongest resistance to both a fungal infection and bacteria
University of Maryland study has found that fruit flies genetically coded to take frequent naps had the strongest resistance to both a fungal infection and bacteria that the World Health Organization says is one of the world’s most dangerous superbugs for humans.
Researchers study the common fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, because these tiny flies provide a great model system for studying issues important to human health. More than 70 percent of human disease-causing genes have a correspo...
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Tufts University research were able to graft eyes onto tails of the Blind tadpoles and it was able to learn visually.
Blind tadpoles learn visually after researchers graft eyes onto tails and treat them with neurotransmitter drugs
Blind tadpoles were able to process visual information from eyes grafted onto their tails after being treated with a small molecule neurotransmitter drug that augmented innervation, integration, and function of the transplanted organs, according to a paper published online today by researchers at the Allen Discovery Center at Tufts University in npj Regenerative Medicine, a Nature Re...
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Creighton University research suggest increasing vitamin D levels may lower risk for developing cancer
Increasing vitamin D levels may lower risk for developing cancer, according to a study conducted by Creighton University with cooperation from the University of California San Diego. The results of the study were released today in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is a randomized clinical trial of the effects of vitamin D supplementation on all types of cancer combined.
The four-year study included 2,303 healthy postme...
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KTH Royal Institute Of Technology Researchers Tests Show How Trucks Can Reuse Engine Heat For Power
A 195-year-old discovery is behind a new system that will save vehicles hundreds of litres of fuel and reduce their carbon emissions by as much as 2 to 3 tonnes per year.
Working with automotive manufacturer Scania, researchers from KTH Royal Institute of Technology have been testing semi trucks equipped with a system that converts exhaust heat into power — through a process called thermoelectric generation (TEG). The voltage produced by the system can power the truck and reduce...
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UC Davis researchers have shown that combining high-intensity focused ultrasound with two immunotherapies (a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and TLR9 agonist) can produce excellent response rates in mouse models of epithelial cancer.
UC Davis researchers have shown that combining high-intensity focused ultrasound with two immunotherapies (a PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor and TLR9 agonist) can produce excellent response rates in mouse models of epithelial cancer. They also found that, for the combination to be effective, immunotherapies must come first.
Kathy Ferrara
“These combination protocols can achieve a complete response in a large fraction of solid tumors,” said Katherine Ferrara, professor of the UC Davis Department of ...
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University of Tokyo researchers have demonstrated that babies not yet able to speak affirm protective behavior defending the weak from the strong, suggesting that such tendencies are inherent in humans.
University of Tokyo researchers have demonstrated that babies not yet able to speak affirm protective behavior defending the weak from the strong, suggesting that such tendencies are inherent in humans.
Whether an infant understands and affirms third-party interventions protecting victims from aggressors is considered a fundamental human characteristic involving morality, justice, and highly social behavior benefiting society. Interventions by a third party to protect those under attack are g...
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Binghamton University research shows brain activity can be used to predict reading success up to two years in advance
By measuring brainwaves, it is possible to predict what a child’s reading level will be years in advance, according to research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Binghamton University researchers Sarah Laszlo and Mallory Stites measured the brain activity of children and then compared it to their report cards, their vocabulary and other signs of reading success two years later, as part of the National Science Foundation-funded Reading Brain Project. Laszlo and Stites...
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NYU research suggest brain size in primates can be predicted by diet.
Brain size in primates is predicted by diet, an analysis by a team of New York University anthropologists indicates. These results call into question “the social brain hypothesis,” which has posited that humans and other primates are big-brained due to factors pertaining to sociality.
The findings, which appear in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, reinforce the notion that both human and non-human primate brain evolution may be driven by differences in feeding rather than in socializa...
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Oxford and Harvard Research shows plants have evolved sophisticated perceptual abilities that allow them to monitor and respond to a wide range of changing biotic and abiotic conditions.
Plants, like other organisms, are facing multiple mechanical constraints generated both in their tissues and by the surrounding environments. They need to sense and adapt to these forces throughout their lifetimes. To do so, different mechanisms devoted to force transduction have emerged. Here we focus on fascinating proteins: the mechanosensitive (MS) channels. Mechanosensing in plants has been described for centuries but the molecular identification of MS channels occurred only recently
All o...
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Nagasaki University research suggest night-time urination can be reduced by cutting salt in the diet
A group of researchers from Nagasaki University, led by Dr Matsuo Tomohiro, has studied salt intake in a group of 321 men and women who had a high salt intake and had problems sleeping -- Japanese people tend to have a higher than average salt intake. The patients were given guidance and support to reduce salt consumption. They were followed for 12 weeks, and salt consumption measured biochemically.
223 members of the group were able to reduce their salt intake from 10.7 gm per day to 8.0 gm/...
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University of Michigan research on how the word ‘you’ helps us deal with negative experiences
To cope with negative experiences or to share an insight, people often use the word "you" rather than "I."
"You" is an overlooked word that people use to express norms and rules, new University of Michigan research found.
Researchers conducted nine experiments with nearly 2,500 people to understand why people curiously use "you" not only to refer to specific others, but also to reflect on their own experiences.
"It's something we all do as a way to explain how things work and to find me...
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UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, SYDNEY have identified a critical step in the molecular process that allows cells to repair damaged DNA. Anti-ageing pill could be possible one day.
UNSW researchers have identified a critical step in the molecular process that allows cells to repair damaged DNA – and it could mean big things for the future of anti-ageing drugs, childhood cancer survivors and even astronauts.
Professor David Sinclair (front) and Dr Lindsay Wu (far left) with the UNSW research team. Photo: Britta Campion
UNSW researchers have made a discovery that could lead to a revolutionary drug that actually reverses ageing, improves DNA repa...
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‘The Scripps Research Institute’ researchers have identified Piezo2 channel in sensory neurons that generates a message about lung volume change, which when is lacking shows severe respiratory distress that leads to death
A protein originally discovered at The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) appears to be involved in how the body controls breathing, according to a new study led by scientists at TSRI and Harvard Medical School. The study, published in Nature, shows how the Piezo2 protein, previously shown to be the principal sensor of touch and proprioception, also plays a critical role in sensing lung expansion.
“The discoveries here could provide important clues on how to treat patients with respiratory dis...
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Purdue University student has developed hands-free alternative for crutch for people with foot injury.
Individuals with lower leg injuries could soon be saying goodbye to traditional crutches with the development of a hands-free alternative that is more comfortable and potentially more effective. The device, developed by Purdue University graduates, could provide ergonomic and natural movement and transmit real-time recovery data to physicians.
“Six and a half million people in the U.S. today use devices such as wheelchairs, walkers, crutches and canes. Traditional crutches are the most common...
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University of Alabama is developing new peptide to combat a disorder that causes heart attacks at early age
Researchers at the University of Alabama at Birmingham are developing and testing a new peptide that they hope will lead to better treatment options for familial hypercholesterolemia.
FH is a genetic condition that results from the body’s inability to clear low-density lipoprotein (LDL), or bad cholesterol, from the blood. This results in startlingly high cholesterol levels. There are two forms of FH: heterozygous FH (HeFH) and homozygous HoFH, which is the most serious type of FH. If untreat...
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NASA has developed a Carbon Nanotube Sensors for Gas Detection
A nanosensor technology has been developed using nanostructures: single walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs), combined with a silicon-based microfabrication and micromachining process. This technology provides a sensor array that can accommodate different nanostructures for specific applications with the advantages of high sensitivity, low power consumption, compactness, high yield and low cost.
BenefitNanotechnology based chemical sensors can provide high sensitivity, low power and low cost p...
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North Carolina State University have developed a technique that uses light to get two-dimensional (2-D) plastic sheets to curve into three-dimensional (3-D) structures, such as spheres, tubes or bowls.
Researchers at North Carolina State University have developed a technique that uses light to get two-dimensional (2-D) plastic sheets to curve into three-dimensional (3-D) structures, such as spheres, tubes or bowls.
The advance builds on earlier work by the same research team, which focused on self-folding 3-D structures. The key advance here is that rather than having the plastic fold along sharp lines – into polygonal shapes such as cubes or pyramids – the plastics bend and curve.
Res...
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Seoul National University research demonstrated natural technique to increase egg production in chickens
A research team led by Professors Doman Kim and Tae Sub Park of the Graduate School of International Agricultural Technology found that chicken feed including naturally fermented buckwheat increases the production of eggs by over 8%. The researchers used Rhizopus – a fungus causing the group of infections referred to as zygomycosis and usually found in decaying breads, fruits, and vegetables - to ferment the buckwheat. The team found that chickens eating the buckwheat feed laid more and larger e...
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