Eurekalert

Food producers can use a mathematical model developed at the National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, to ensure their products do not cause botulism. It is the most comprehensive model of its kind.

This is the main finding of a study by the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia and Universitat Oberta de Catalunya, which warns of increased inequalities amongst this group, already vulnerable before lockdown

A team of scientists from NUI Galway have published a new study showing that Noble False Widow spiders can deliver a bite that requires hospitalisation.The threat posed by the Noble False Widow spider has been debated among spider and healthcare specialists for many years. This new study, published in the international medical journal Clinical Toxicology, confirms that some bite victims experience symptoms very similar to the true black widow spiders and some severe cases require hospitalisation.

The parents of children with rare diseases face exceptional circumstances which influence their role as parents.

Scientists at NTU Singapore have developed a new biomaterial made entirely from discarded bullfrog skin and fish scales that could help in bone repair. The scientists believe the biomaterial is a promising alternative to the current standard practice of using a patient's own tissues, which requires additional surgery for bone extraction. At the same time, the production of this biomaterial tackles the problem of aquaculture waste.

Empa and ETH Zurich researchers are playing with shape-engineered nanoscale building blocks that are up to 100-times larger than atoms and ions. Although these nano "Lego bricks" interact with each other with forces vastly different and much weaker than those holding atoms and ions together, they form crystals all by themselves, the structures of which resemble the ones of natural minerals. Thesesuperlattices exhibit unique properties such as superfluorescence - and may well usher in a new era in materials science.

Men aged 65 and over should monitor their sleep patterns and seek medical advice after a warning from Flinders University experts that disrupted slumber can be linked to cognitive dysfunction. In a new article published in the Journal of Sleep Research, the Australian research group studied a group of 477 middle-aged and older men's attention and processing speed in relation to their sleep.

The Menetries' tiger moth (Arctia menetriesii) is one of the rarest, most poorly studied Palaearctic moth species. Researcher Evgeny Koshkin of the Institute of Water and Ecology Problems of the Far Eastern branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences documented the species' biology under laboratory conditions and described its immature stages in the open-access, peer-reviewed scientific journal Nota Lepidopterologica. For the first time, detailed photographs of all developmental stages of this species have been published.

Researchers from UTSA, the University of Central Florida (UCF), the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and SRI International have developed a new method that improves how artificial intelligence learns to see.

A research group at the University of Córdoba evaluated the commercial mixture formulated in a laboratory and the tank-based mixture of two herbicides to determine which method is more effective in terms of weed control and environmental impact

A new fungus strain bred at Washington State University could provide a chemical-free method for eradicating mites that kill honey bees. Varroa destructor mites play a large role in Colony Collapse Disorder, which destroys thousands of bee colonies every year.

Oysters' exposure to plastics is concerning, particularly because these materials can accumulate and release metals which are then absorbed by the molluscs. According to a recent study published in the journal Chemosphere, the combined presence of nanoplastics and arsenic affects the biological functions of oysters.

For decades, wealthy nations have transported plastic trash, and its environmental problems, to poorer countries, but researchers have found a potential bright side to this seemingly unequal trade: plastic waste may provide an economic boon for the lower-income countries. Researchers analyzed 11 years of data on the global plastics trade against economic measures for 85 countries. They found plastic waste import was associated with growth in GDP per capita in lower-income countries.

Researchers have mapped in fine detail the genetic changes malaria parasites go through as they prepare to infect people.

Adults with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) were more than three times as likely as those without the disorder to have an ischemic stroke later in life. Adults with OCD should maintain a healthy lifestyle, including not smoking, exercising, and managing a healthy weight, to help prevent stroke.Health care professionals should closely monitor patients with OCD for increased risk of ischemic stroke.

A digital tool that will make it cheaper, safer and faster to develop new medicines is being rolled out by scientists from the University of Bath in the UK.

Nearly three years after the Trump administration's "Zero Tolerance" policy went into effect, more than 445 children remain separated from their families, largely due to insufficient identifying paperwork and U.S. immigration officials' failures to plan, track and reunite separated families.

Urgent investment in new tools is needed to address major global losses of wheat crops which cost £22 billion per year.

If a ban were introduced on the sale of new petrol and diesel cars, and they were replaced by electric cars, the result would be a great reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. That is the finding of new research from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, looking at emissions from the entire life cycle - from manufacture of electric cars and batteries, to electricity used for operation.

A new study has found that online news tools can be a useful strategy for reaching broad and diverse populations during emerging outbreaks, providing a quick and easy way to capture data on what is happening in the community at large rather than people hospitalized with the disease. "Capturing COVID-like Symptoms At-Scale using Banner Ads: A Novel Survey Methodology Pilot using an Online News Platform" is published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR).