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The role of race and scientific trust on support for COVID-19 social distancing
Trust in science - but not trust in politicians or the media - significantly raises support across US racial groups for COVID-19 social distancing.
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COVID-19 pandemic linked to reduced access to gender-affirming care in 76 countries
A survey offered to transgender and nonbinary people across six continents and in thirteen languages shows that during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, many faced reduced access to gender-affirming resources, and this reduction was linked to poorer mental health. Brooke Jarrett of the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, and colleagues present the findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on July 9, 2021.
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Elevated warming, ozone have detrimental effects on plant roots, promote soil carbon loss
Two factors that play a key role in climate change - increased climate warming and elevated ozone levels - appear to have detrimental effects on soybean plant roots, their relationship with symbiotic microorganisms in the soil and the ways the plants sequester carbon.
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Scientists solve 40-year mystery over Jupiter's X-ray aurora
In a new study, published in Science Advances, researchers combined close-up observations of Jupiter's environment by NASA's satellite Juno, which is currently orbiting the planet, with simultaneous X-ray measurements from the European Space Agency's XMM-Newton observatory (which is in Earth's own orbit).
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Remote control for plants
Plant researchers have a potent new tool at disposal: In the journal Science Advances, a research team from Würzburg shows how to close the stomata of leaves using light pulses.
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New 3D printable phase-changing composites can regulate temperatures inside buildings
Changing climate patterns have left millions of people vulnerable to weather extremes. As temperature fluctuations become more commonplace around the world, conventional power-guzzling cooling and heating systems need a more innovative, energy-efficient alternative, and in turn, lessen the burden on already struggling power grids.
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Huge volcanic eruption disrupted climate but not human evolution
A massive volcanic eruption in Indonesia about 74,000 years ago likely caused severe climate disruption in many areas of the globe, but early human populations were sheltered from the worst effects, according to a Rutgers-led study.
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Genetics: Biosynthesis pathway of a new DNA nucleobase elucidated
DNA is composed of nucleobases represented by the letters A, T, G and C. But in a bacteriophage, another base, represented by the letter Z, exists. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS, in collaboration with the CEA, have now elucidated the biosynthesis pathway of this base. This work has been published in the April 30th, 2021 issue of Science.
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Dying cells protect their neighbors to maintain tissue integrity
To enable tissue renewal, human tissues constantly eliminate millions of cells, without jeopardizing tissue integrity, form and connectivity. The mechanisms involved in maintaining this integrity remain unknown. Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS reveal a new process which allows eliminated cells to temporarily protect their neighbors from cell death, thereby maintaining tissue integrity. The results of the research were published in the journal Developmental Cell on June 2, 2021.
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Sensitivity of the Delta variant to sera from convalescent and vaccinated individuals
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur (CNRS joint unit), in collaboration with Hopital Europeen Georges Pompidou (AP-HP), Orleans Regional Hospital and Strasbourg University Hospital, demonstrated that the Delta variant is less sensitive to neutralizing antibodies than the Alpha variant.Sera from people vaccinated with two doses of mRNA vaccine effectively neutralized the Delta variant. Sera from individuals who had received a single dose of specific vaccines were inactive or barely active against the Delta and Beta variants.
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Neonatal meningitis: the immaturity of microbiota and epithelial barriers implicated
In a mouse model, scientists from the Institut Pasteur, in collaboration with Inserm, Université de Paris and Necker-Enfants Malades Hospital (AP-HP) demonstrated that the immaturity of both the gut microbiota and epithelial barriers such as the gut and choroid plexus play a role in the susceptibility of newborn infants to bacterial meningitis caused by group B streptococcus (GBS). The findings were published in the journal Cell Reports on June 29, 2021
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Major revamp of SNAP could eliminate food insecurity in the US
Food insecurity is a major problem in the US, and it worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provides some relief, but millions of Americans still lack adequate access to healthy food. A new study from the University of Illinois proposes a potential solution.
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The incidence of COVID-19 in a Brazilian regional soccer league is one of the highest
Researchers analyzed almost 30,000 RT-PCR tests on swabs from 4,269 players in 2020: 11.7% turned out positive. The rate was the same as among front-line health workers.
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Anti-tumor agent from the intestine
Certain metabolites of bacteria from the intestine make immune cells more aggressive as a new study conducted by scientists from german universities in Würzburg and Marburg reveals. The findings could help improve cancer therapies.
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UCPH researchers prove powerhouse malfunction as the major cause of Parkinson's Disease
The major cause of Parkinson's Disease is a dysregulation of immune genes central for fighting against viruses, a new study reveals. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen show that this dysregulation leads to a malfunction in the cell's powerhouse, which cannot produce sufficient energy for neurons to stay alive, causing them to gradually die.
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Researchers examine burden of electronic health record on primary care clinicians
Primary care clinicians face a heavy administrative burden, spending significantly more time using the electronic health record (EHR) than their counterparts in other specialties.
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Changes in care delivery during COVID-19
What The Study Did: Researchers characterized clinical content of ambulatory care among office-based compared with telemedicine visits in the United States before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Disparities in vaccine acceptance among adults in China
What The Study Did: This survey study examined disparities in COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and approaches to improve vaccination rates among adults in China.
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Combining gamification, cash incentive increases veterans' exercise
Daily step counts increased by approximately 1,200 among veterans who were given goals and participated in game-like interventions with loss-framed cash rewards
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Tetanus toxin fragment may treat depression, Parkinson's disease and ALS
Researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona describe the mechanism through which a non-toxic derivative of the tetanus neurotoxin (Hc-TeTx) may serve to treat depression and neurodegenerative diseases, as has already been demonstrated in animal models.
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