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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

Plankton have a genome like no other

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
The weird and wonderful genome of dinoflagellates looks nothing like other eukaryotic genomes.
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New Geology articles published online ahead of print in April

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Thirty-one new articles were published online ahead of print for Geology in April. Topics include shocked zircon from the Chicxulub impact crater; the Holocene Sonoran Desert; the architecture of the Congo Basin; the southern Death Valley fault; missing water from the Qiangtang Basin; sulfide inclusions in diamonds; how Himalayan collision stems from subduction; ghost-dune hollows; and the history of the Larsen C Ice Shelf. These Geology articles are online at https://geology.geoscienceworld.org/content/early/recent.
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Hubble watches how a giant planet grows

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
NASA's Hubble Space Telescope is giving astronomers a rare look at a Jupiter-sized, still-forming planet that is feeding off material surrounding a young star.
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Lightning and subvisible discharges produce molecules that clean the atmosphere

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Lightning bolts break apart nitrogen and oxygen molecules in the atmosphere and create reactive chemicals that affect greenhouse gases. Now, a team of atmospheric chemists and lightning scientists have found that lightning bolts and, surprisingly, subvisible discharges that cannot be seen by cameras or the naked eye produce extreme amounts of the hydroxyl radical -- OH -- and hydroperoxyl radical -- HO2.
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Considerable gap in evidence around whether portable air filters reduce the incidence of COVID-19

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
There is an important absence of evidence regarding the effectiveness of a potentially cost-efficient intervention to prevent indoor transmission of respiratory infections, including COVID-19, warns a study by researchers at the University of Bristol.
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Multi-drug resistant infection about to evolve within cystic fibrosis patients

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Scientists have been able to track how a multi-drug resistant organism is able to evolve and spread widely among cystic fibrosis patients - showing that it can evolve rapidly within an individual during chronic infection. The researchers say their findings highlight the need to treat patients with Mycobacterium abscessus infection immediately, counter to current medical practice.
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Study shows how meningitis-causing bacteria may sense fever to avoid immune killing

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have discovered a mechanism through which meningitis-causing bacteria can evade our immune system. In laboratory tests, they found that Streptococcus pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae respond to increasing temperatures by producing safeguards that keep them from getting killed. This may prime their defenses against our immune system and increase their chances of survival, the researchers say. The findings are published in the journal PLoS Pathogens.
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Study reveals extent of human impact on the world's plant-life

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Research has shed new light on the impact of humans on Earth's biodiversity. The findings suggest that the rate of change in an ecosystem's plant-life increases significantly during the years following human settlement, with the most dramatic changes occurring in locations settled in the last 1500 years.
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Eastern and Western house mice took parallel evolutionary paths after colonizing US

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Parallel evolution is common, but do different animal populations evolve in similar ways and alter the same genes to adapt to similar environmental conditions? UC Berkeley researchers tested this in two U.S. populations of house mice. They found independent evolution of a heavier body and larger nests as Eastern and Western populations invaded northern habitats after introduction from Europe. Many of the same genes changed allele frequency along with the increase in body mass.
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Two studies demonstrate new PCI approaches offer benefits to patients and physicians

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Two studies related to percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) evaluating the use of risk-avoidance strategies and robotic-assisted technology, respectively, are being presented as late-breaking clinical science at SCAI 2021 Scientific Sessions. An analysis of strategically avoiding high-risk PCI cases indicates systematic risk-avoidance does not improve, and may worsen, the quality of hospital PCI programs. A study of a robotic-assisted PCI shows the technology is safe, effective and lessens radiation and procedure-related injuries for physicians.
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Study reveals need for equitable access of minimally invasive heart procedure

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
An analysis of growth patterns in transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) programs across United States hospitals is being presented as late-breaking clinical science at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography& Interventions (SCAI) 2021 Scientific Sessions. The findings indicate that TAVR hospital programs are predominately located in metropolitan areas serving patients with higher socioeconomic status, potentially contributing to the disparities in cardiac care.
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Study: ISCHEMIA trial represents small fraction of patients undergoing intervention

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Results from a new study find a broad range of patients who typically undergo revascularization for stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD) in the U.S. did not meet enrollment criteria for the ISCHEMIA trial. The data, which was presented today as late-breaking clinical science at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2021 Scientific Sessions, demonstrates a minority of SIHD patients referred for coronary intervention in contemporary practice clearly resemble those enrolled in the ISCHEMIA trial.
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Fish have been swallowing microplastics since the 1950s

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers examined the guts of freshwater fish preserved in museum collections; they found that fish have been swallowing microplastics since the 1950s and that the concentration of microplastics in their guts has increased over time.
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Lateral flow testing should not be used as a green light for activities

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
The United Kingdom government plans to implement mass scale population testing for SARS-CoV-2 infection using Lateral Flow Devices (LFDs), yet the devices' sensitivity is unknown. A study published in the open access journal PLOS Biology by Alan McNally at University of Birmingham, UK, and colleagues suggests while LFDs are highly effective in identifying SARS-CoV-2 in individuals with high quantities of viral RNA present on the test swab, they are inaccurate at diagnosing infections in individuals with lower viral loads.
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How long is a day on Venus? Scientists crack mysteries of our closest neighbor

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
New observations of Venus from Earth reveal some of Venus's most basic properties, including the precise length of a day on Venus, the tilt of its axis and the size of its core.
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High vaccination rate is key to course of COVID-19 pandemic, modeling shows

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
The Mayo Clinic data scientists who developed highly accurate computer modeling to predict trends for COVID-19 cases nationwide have new research that shows how important a high rate of vaccination is to reducing case numbers and controlling the pandemic.
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Combining solar panels and lamb grazing increases land productivity, study finds

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Land productivity could be greatly increased by combining sheep grazing and solar energy production on the same land, according to new research by Oregon State University scientists.
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Wearable glucose monitors shed light on progression of Type 2 diabetes in Hispanic adults

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
Researchers have shown wearable devices that continuously monitor blood sugar provide new insights into the progression of Type 2 diabetes among at-risk Hispanic/Latino adults.
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Six out of every 10 teachers believe that changing the design of the classroom is key to improving learning

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
6 out of every 10 teachers say that changing the design of the classroom is key to improving learning. This was the result of a recent study conducted by researchers of the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC) in which 847 preschool, primary and secondary school teachers from 40 Spanish schools participated.
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More stringent public health measures associated with lower COVID-19 cases, deaths

Apr 29 2021 - 00:04
New research published in the American Journal of Emergency Medicine found that in the State of Florida, and also at the local level in Miami-Dade County, higher stringency efforts during the first two months of the pandemic kept overall transmission numbers low.
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