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The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Updated: 3 years 1 month ago

WVU researchers find disparities for COVID-19 testing and positivity rates

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Specifically, the researchers determined communities with a higher Black population had testing rates six times lower than the state average, which they argue could potentially obscure prevalence estimates. They also found that areas associated with food insecurity had higher levels of testing and a higher rate of positivity.
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A gentler strategy for avoiding childhood dental decay

May 18 2021 - 00:05
By targeting the bonds between bacteria and yeast that can form a sticky dental plaque, a new therapeutic strategy could help wash away the build-up while sparing oral tissues, according to a new study by a team from the University of Pennsylvania.
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A new theory for what's happening in the brain when something looks familiar

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Research from University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist Nicole Rust and colleagues presents a new theory for what's happening in the brain when something looks familiar. The work brings the field one step closer to understanding how memory functions. Long-term, it could have implications for treating diseases like Alzheimer's.
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Bone marrow disorder nearly 10-times more common in those with venom allergy

May 18 2021 - 00:05
In the largest US study of venom allergy and mastocytosis prevalence, Michigan Medicine researchers found that people with venom allergy are nearly 10 times more likely to suffer the bone marrow disorder that causes higher risk of fatal reactions. They also found that elevated levels of tryptase, a chemical secreted by allergy cells, may predict if a person is at higher risk for reaction to immunotherapy.
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Ancient Australian Aboriginal memory tool superior to 'memory palace' learning

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Australian scientists have compared an ancient Greek technique of memorising data to an even older technique from Aboriginal culture, using students in a rural medical school.
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San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance study finds topography is key factor in where Andean bears mothers make their dens

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A new study led by Russ Van Horn, Ph.D., takes the most detailed look yet at the dens of this species. Van Horn, a population sustainability scientist, leads San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Andean bear conservation program. He was joined by colleagues from the University of British Columbia's Department of Forest and Conservation Sciences and the Spectacled Bear Conservation Society. The study's findings may aid conservation planners in locating den sites or guiding management for suitable bear habitat.
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What happens in the brain when we imagine the future?

May 18 2021 - 00:05
What happens in the brain when people think about the future? Research from University of Pennsylvania neuroscientist Joseph Kable finds that two sub-networks play a role. One focuses on creating the new event. Another evaluates whether that event is positive or negative.
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Bipolar order: A straightforward technique to have more control over organic thin films

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) combine bipolar electrochemistry with a 1980s technique called electrolytic micelle disruption to produce patterned organic thin films. Their approach involves wirelessly inducing a desired potential distribution on a plate in an electrolytic cell to control the 'popping' of bubble-like micelles, which release their cargo to automatically form a film. Customized thin films produced with this inexpensive strategy could unlock applications in sophisticated biosensor systems and optoelectronics.
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Scientists discover five new species of listeria, improving food safety

May 18 2021 - 00:05
While examining the prevalence of listeria in agricultural soil, Cornell University food scientists have stumbled upon five previously unknown and novel relatives of the bacteria.
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Ancient horse DNA reveals gene flow between Eurasian and North American horses

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A new study of ancient DNA from horse fossils found in North America and Eurasia shows that horse populations on the two continents remained connected through the Bering Land Bridge, moving back and forth and interbreeding multiple times over hundreds of thousands of years.
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Novel simulation method predicts blood flow conditions behind von Willebrand disease

May 18 2021 - 00:05
For the first time, researchers can quantitatively predict blood flow conditions that likely cause pathological behavior of the human blood protein von Willebrand factor. Predictions from this new method of simulation, developed at Lehigh University, can be used to optimize the design of left ventricular assist devices used in heart failure patients. It could also improve diagnosis and treatment of von Willebrand disease, the most common inherited bleeding disorder in the U.S. (per CDC).
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Study finds potential causality between blood clot factors and migraine with aura

May 18 2021 - 00:05
In a new study from Brigham and Women's Hospital, researchers used a technique in genetic analysis termed Mendelian randomization to examine 12 coagulation measures, uncovering four that are associated with migraine susceptibility
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Salk scientists reveal role of genetic switch in pigmentation and melanoma

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A Salk study published on May 18, 2021, in the journal Cell Reports reveals new insights about a protein called CRTC3, a genetic switch that could potentially be targeted to develop new treatments for melanoma by keeping the switch turned off.
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New model for infectious disease could better predict future pandemics

May 18 2021 - 00:05
In the midst of a devastating global pandemic of wildlife origin and with future spillovers imminent as humans continue to come into closer contact with wildlife, infectious-disease models that consider the full ecological and anthropological contexts of disease transmission are critical to the health of all life. Existing models are limited in their ability to predict disease emergence, since they rarely consider the dynamics of the hosts and ecosystems from which pandemics emerge.
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Study shows racial differences in personal care product use, may lead to health inequities

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A large survey of women in California shows significant racial and ethnic differences in the types of personal care products women use on a daily basis. Because many personal care products contain endocrine disrupting chemicals (EDCs) like parabens and phthalates that interfere with the body's hormones, the findings could shed light on how different products influence women's exposures to harmful chemicals that contribute to health inequities.
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New peanut has a wild past and domesticated present

May 18 2021 - 00:05
The wild relatives of modern peanut plants have the ability to withstand disease in ways that peanut plants can't. Researchers at the University of Georgia have been homing in on the genetics of those wild relatives to make use of the advantageous ancient genes.
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Nanofiber filter captures almost 100% of coronavirus aerosols

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A filter made from polymer nanothreads blew three kinds of commercial masks out of the water by capturing 99.9% of coronavirus aerosols in an experiment. The study compared the effectiveness of surgical and cotton masks, a neck gaiter, and electrospun nanofiber membranes. The cotton mask and neck gaiter only removed about 45%-73% of the aerosols. The surgical mask did much better, removing 98% of coronavirus aerosols. But the nanofiber filter removed almost all.
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New research will allow convenient investigation of human innate immune response to viral infections

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) report the formation of human cells containing a green fluorescent protein or GFP (one of the most important proteins in biology and fluorescence imaging) genetically fused with two interferon stimulated genes (ISGs), namely Viperin and ISG15. This new creation makes these cells highly valuable reagents for reporting innate immune responses to viral infections, including those caused by coronaviruses.
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Global food security: Climate change adaptation requires new cultivars

May 18 2021 - 00:05
Climate change induced yield reductions can be compensated by cultivar adaptation and global production can even be increased.
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Combining immunotherapies against cancer

May 18 2021 - 00:05
A new cancer vaccine could boost the positive effects of existing immunotherapy drugs, improving the success rate of treatments from 20% to 75% of cases, according to a new study by immunologists from the University of Konstanz.
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