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Microbes in cow stomachs can break down plastic
Bacteria found in cow stomachs can be used to digest polyesters used in textiles, packaging, and compostable bags, according to a new study by the open access publisher Frontiers. Plastic is notoriously hard to break down, but microbial communities living inside the digestive system of animals are a promising but understudied source of novel enzymes that could do the trick. The new findings present a sustainable option for reducing plastic waste and litter, co-opting the great metabolic diversity of microbes.
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Same dance, different species: How natural selection drives common behavior of lizards
A surprising study by UNSW on the behaviour of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study in Ecology Letters documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and the Draco lizard species in Southeast Asia, have solved the challenge of communicating with one another to defend territories and attract mates.
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Color and flavor -- pigments play a role in creating tasty tomatoes
Researchers from University of Tsukuba and University of Florida have found that pigments controlling the color of tomatoes also play a role in determining their flavor. By analyzing the pigment profiles of 157 different tomato varieties, the team showed that fruit with high chlorophyll levels had a higher sugar content, and that the carotenoid, prolycopene, is associated with an abundance of aroma compounds. Understanding how growing conditions influence pigment profiles could improve the flavor of tomatoes.
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IU researchers pioneering noninvasive technique for neurological conditions
Indiana University School of Medicine researchers are developing a new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and more.
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Diversity in leadership essential to engage minority-ethnic medical students with academia
Minority-ethnic medical students must have more role-models in senior leadership positions if they are to engage with academia. This is one of the conclusions drawn by a group of medical students writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine about the drivers and barriers to engaging with academia.
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Large-scale drug analysis reveals potential new COVID-19 antivirals
Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute and University of Dundee have screened thousands of drug and chemical molecules and identified a range of potential antivirals that could be developed into new treatments for COVID-19 or in preparation for future coronavirus outbreaks.
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Autistic individuals more likely to use recreational drugs to self-medicate
While autistic individuals are less likely to use substances, those who do so are more likely to self-medicate for their mental health symptoms, according to new research from the University of Cambridge and published today in The Lancet Psychiatry.
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UCLA scientists say COVID-19 test offers solution for population-wide testing
In an article appearing in Nature Biomedical Engineering, a team of scientists from the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and UCLA School of Engineering report real-world results on SwabSeq, a high-throughput testing platform that uses sequencing to test thousands of samples at a time to detect COVID-19. They were able to perform more than 80,000 tests in less than two months, with the test showing extremely high sensitivity and specificity.
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Don't worry, the kids are cool if you cash in on their inheritance
Cash in on the kids' inheritance and spend up big on the retirement plans - that's the message coming from the University of South Australia as new research reveals that older people are keen to spend their well-earned savings, rather than passing them on to their kids.
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Vaccines grown in eggs induce antibody response against an egg-associated glycan
Researchers have found that viral vaccines grown in eggs, such as the H1N1 flu vaccine, produce an antibody response against a sugar molecule found in eggs, which could have implications for the effectiveness of these vaccines.
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Skin in the game: Transformative approach uses the human body to recharge smartwatches
As smart watches are increasingly able to monitor the vital signs of health, including what's going on when we sleep, a problem has emerged: those wearable, wireless devices are often disconnected from our body overnight, being charged at the bedside.
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Rethinking plastics
In a new issue of Science, devoted to the plastics problem, University of Delaware researchers LaShanda Korley and Thomas Epps, III, join collaborators in calling for new approaches to plastics design, production and use, with the goal of keeping plastics out of landfills and waterways, reusing the valuable resources they represent indefinitely in a "circular" plastics economy.
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Earth's cryosphere shrinking by 87,000 square kilometers per year
A new study in AGU's journal Earth's Future reports the first global assessment of the extent of snow and ice cover on Earth's surface--a critical factor cooling the planet through reflected sunlight--and its response to warming temperatures.
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Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines prime T cells to fight SARS-CoV-2 variants
Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have found that T cells from people who have recovered from COVID-19 or received the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines are still able to recognize several concerning SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Researchers identify brain circuit for spirituality
A new study led by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital takes a new approach to mapping spirituality and religiosity and finds that spiritual acceptance can be localized to a specific brain circuit.
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UMaine-led study: Imaging spectroscopy can predict water stress in wild blueberry fields
Imaging spectroscopy can help predict water stress in wild blueberry barrens, according to a University of Maine-led study. Researchers deployed a drone with a spectrometer to photograph wild blueberry fields, then process the images to measure reflected light spectra from plants for properties that would help them estimate water potential. Incorporating data from the images into models allowed them predict water stress in the fields.
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Low-income patients may be less likely to receive medical assistance in dying
In Canada, low-income hospital patients under palliative care are less likely to receive medical assistance in dying compared to those who are high income.
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How long can a person live? The 21st century may see a record-breaker
A new University of Washington study calculates the probability of living past age 110, which, though rare, likely will increase this century.
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Cleaner air has boosted US corn and soybean yields, Stanford-led research shows
The analysis estimates pollution reductions between 1999 and 2019 contributed to about 20 percent of the increase in corn and soybean yield gains during that period - an amount worth about $5 billion per year.
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Mayo Clinic study suggests patients with lung cancer be screened for MET oncogene
Research by investigators at Mayo Clinic Cancer Center suggests that physicians should screen patients with lung cancer for MET amplification/overexpression before determining a treatment strategy. Their findings are published Cancer Discovery, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.
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