Eurekalert

A massive genome-wide association study (GWAS) of genetic and health records of 1.2 million people from four separate data banks has identified 178 gene variants linked to major depression, a disorder that will affect one of every five people during their lifetimes.

For the first time, MIT chemists have determined the structure of the complex that forms when N2 binds to an iron-sulfur cluster, offering clues as to how microbes use nitrogenase enzymes to convert atmospheric dinitrogen into ammonia.

What The Study Did: In this study of 1,597 Big Ten athletes who had comprehensive cardiac screening, including cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging, after COVID-19 infection, 37 athletes (2.3%) were diagnosed with clinical and subclinical myocarditis. Researchers report CMR screening increased detection of myocarditis, a leading cause of sudden death in competitive athletes.

What The Study Did: This survey study of adults living Michigan during the COVID-19 pandemic examines associations between race/ethnicity, medical mistrust within racial/ethnic groups and willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials or to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.

What The Study Did: The findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis indicate that enhanced personal protective equipment is associated with low rates of SARS-CoV-2 transmission during tracheostomy.

Since the 1960s, the Jebel Sahaba cemetery (Nile Valley, present-day Sudan) has become the emblem of organised warfare during prehistory. Re-analysis of the data, however, argues for a succession of smaller conflicts. Competition for resources is probably one of the causes of the conflicts witnessed in this cemetery.

New research led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES) at CU Boulder shows that a relaxation in the thick aggregate of icebergs floating at the glacier-ocean boundary of the Jakobshavn Isbræ occurs up to an hour before calving events. This finding may help scientists better understand future sea-level rise scenarios and could also help them predict when major episodes of calving are about to occur.

Reanalysis of the prehistoric cemetery Jebel Sahaba (Sudan), one of the earliest sites showing human warfare (13,400 years ago), suggests that hunter-fisher-gatherers engaged in repeated, smaller conflicts. The findings are published in Scientific Reports.

During the first lockdown people were a good 40 percent less active, as shown by an international study led by Goethe University Frankfurt. Psychological well-being sank as well; the portion of people at potential risk for depression tripled. The authors fear long-term consequences and urge that this be taken into account going forward.

With the expansion of oxygen-depleted waters in the oceans due to climate change, some species of foraminifera (forams, a type of protist or single-celled eukaryote) that thrive in those conditions could be big winners, biologically speaking.

What does quark-gluon plasma - the hot soup of elementary particles formed a few microseconds after the Big Bang - have in common with tap water? Scientists say it's the way it flows.

This spectacular image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope shows the trailing arms of NGC 2276, a spiral galaxy 120 million light-years away in the constellation of Cepheus. At first glance, the delicate tracery of bright spiral arms and dark dust lanes resembles countless other spiral galaxies. A closer look reveals a strangely lopsided galaxy shaped by gravitational interaction and intense star formation.

An innovative study uses the anesthetics propofol and isoflurane in humans to study the patterns of reemerging consciousness and cognitive function after anesthesia.

New insights into the ability of DNA to overcome harmful genetic changes have been discovered by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Lausanne and their collaborators.

Normal cells usually have multiple solutions for fixing problems that may arise. But cancer cells may "put all their eggs in one basket," getting rid of all backup plans and depending on just one solution. CSHL Professor Christopher Vakoc's lab discovered that a particular type of blood cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, came to depend on a single DNA repair method. They developed a drug that shut down the remaining pathway in lab-grown cells.

Neuroscientists from Synapsy have demonstrated that lactate, a molecule produced during exercise, has an antidepressant effect in mice. Yet it can also counter the inhibition of the survival and proliferation of new neurons, a loss seen in patients suffering from depression. Furthermore, they pinpointed NADH derived from the metabolism of lactate, as a vital mechanistic component. These findings should lead to an improvement in the way depression is treated in the future.

Lead paint and leaded gasoline have been banned for decades, but unsafe levels of lead remain in some urban soils, a Duke University study finds. The researchers mapped soil lead concentrations along 25 miles of streets in Durham, N.C. Though contamination generally has declined since the 1970s, soil collected near houses predating 1978 still averaged 649 milligrams of lead per kilogram of soil, well above the 400 mg/kg threshold associated with health risks to children.

Families with a child with ADHD can benefit from family-based mindfulness training, a study of Radboud university medical center, University of Amsterdam and Karakter shows. The researchers found that while symptoms of the children with ADHD decreased after mindfulness training, on average this effect was small. However, the mindfulness training had a positive impact on mindful parenting, symptoms and well-being of the parents, in the short and longer term after training.

Threads of superheated gas and magnetic fields are weaving a tapestry of energy at the center of the Milky Way galaxy. A new image of this new cosmic masterpiece was made using a giant mosaic of data from NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and the MeerKAT radio telescope in South Africa.

Social media sites - especially Instagram - have revolutionized the way plastic surgeons market their practice. These platforms allow surgeons to post testimonials, educational videos, and before-and-after photos. This information can help to guide patients in making decisions about whether to undergo cosmetic surgery and which plastic surgeon to choose, based on factors like the surgeon's experience and results achieved.