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Gene protection for COVID-19 identified
A genetic link has been discovered explaining why some people catch Covid but don't get sick. The gene is found three times as often in people who are asymptomatic. This is the first clear evidence of genetic resistance because the study compared severely affected people with an asymptomatic COVID group and used next generation sequencing to focus in detail and at scale on the HLA genes which are packed together on chromosome 6.
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Geostationary Earth Orbit Hyperspectral Infrared Radiance data improve local severe storm forecasts proofed by using a new Hybrid OSSE method
Scientists are developing data assimilation methods for Numerical Weather Prediction models that will increase the quality of initialization data from satellites. The Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE) is designed to use data assimilation to investigate the potential impact of future atmospheric observing systems. Traditional OSSE processes require significant effort to compute, simulate, and calibrate information, then assimilate the data to produce a forecast. Therefore, model meteorologists are working to make this process more efficient.
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Self-excising designer proteins report isoform expression
Our proteome is much bigger than our genome because one gene produces several variants of proteins called protein isoforms, whose disbalance is implicated in many diseases. A new bioengineered reporter system developed at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the Technical University of Munich now allows for the first time to follow protein isoform expression over time in live cells. The method helps to decipher the underlying regulatory mechanisms and enables screening for potential molecular interventions.
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Multisensory facilitation near the body in all directions
Researchers at Toyohashi University of Technology, Keio University, and the University of Tokyo investigated audio-tactile multisensory integration near the body using touch detection with task-irrelevant approaching and receding sounds in all directions: front, rear, left, and right. They found that the tactile stimulus was detected faster near the body space than far from it when a sound approached from any direction. Thus, peripersonal representations exist with approaching sound, irrespective of direction.
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Ten-fold increase in carbon offset cost predicted
The cost of offsetting corporate carbon emissions needs to increase ten-fold to drive meaningful climate action, says a landmark report by Trove Research and UCL.
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Most Californians unaware of law to prevent gun violence but would support using it
A new study shows that two-thirds of Californians don't know about a law designed to prevent a person at risk of hurting themselves or others from possessing or purchasing firearms or ammunition. More than 80% of survey participants were supportive once they read about this law.
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Public awareness, willingness to use gun violence restraining orders
This survey study in California assesses what the public knows about extreme risk protection orders and if people are willing to use them to prevent firearm-related harm, both in general and when a family member is at risk, and if not, why not. The orders temporarily suspend firearm and ammunition access by individuals a judge has deemed to be at substantial risk of harming themselves or others.
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ADHD medications associated with reduced risk of suicidality in certain children
ADHD medications may lower suicide risk in children with hyperactivity, oppositional defiance and other behavioral disorders, according to new research from the Lifespan Brain Institute (LiBI) of Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) and the University of Pennsylvania. The findings, published today in JAMA Network Open, address a significant knowledge gap in childhood suicide risk and could inform suicide prevention strategies at a time when suicide among children is on the rise.
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Songbirds can control single vocal muscle fibers when singing
Singing is crucial for the recognition, sex life and speciation of songbirds. New research published in Current Biology shows songbirds have extremely high-resolution control over their vocal output and can even control single muscle fibers.
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Don't like your greens? Blame it on Brassica domestication
Delicious to some, but a bitter bane to others' taste buds, vegetables like broccoli rabe, bok choy and turnips are a dinner staple -- and picky eater conflict -- around the world. It all likely started in the mountains near present-day Afghanistan, where humans first domesticated turnips 3,500 to 6,000 years ago, according to a new study recently published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.
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Corals tell Arabian Sea story of global warming
Coral insights into 1,000 years of seasonal changes in the Arabian Sea warn of significant impacts caused by global warming.
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Structural uniqueness of the green- and red-light sensing photosensor in cyanobacteria
Certain cyanobacteria can change the absorbing light colors for photosynthesis using a green- and red-light sensing photosensor protein. A Japanese research group revealed the unique conformation of the bilin chromophore and the unique protein structure that potentially functions as a proton transfer route to bilin. They also demonstrated that RcaE undergoes protonation and deprotonation of the bilin chromophore during the green and red photoconversion.
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How do bad kidneys lead to heart disease? Broken cellular clocks provide new clues
Kyushu University researchers find that one of the causes of CKD induced heart failures is the over expression of G protein-coupled receptor 68 in monocytes. Monocyte disruption was caused by the activation of the Clock gene, the key regulator of circadian rhythm via the increased level of vitamin A in the body resulting from kidney dysfunction.
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Giving brown fat a boost to fight type 2 diabetes
Increasing a protein concentrated in brown fat appears to lower blood sugar, promote insulin sensitivity, and protect against fatty liver disease by remodeling white fat to a healthier state, a new study led by UT Southwestern scientists suggests. The finding, published online in Nature Communications, could eventually lead to new solutions for patients with diabetes and related conditions.
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MLB 'FEVER' -- improved elbow MRI view for Major League Baseball pitchers
According to a pilot study published in ARRS' American Journal of Roentgenology, the flexed elbow valgus external rotation (FEVER) view can improve MRI evaluation of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in Major League Baseball pitchers. The increased joint space width confirms elbow valgus stress with FEVER view. Diagnostic confidence increased, and additional UCLs were identified as abnormal.
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Underground storage of carbon captured directly from air -- green and economical
Conventional carbon capture is limited by high transportation costs and the need for intensive purification. Membrane-based direct air capture is a promising alternative because capture and storage can be performed at the same remote sites, and low CO2 purity is acceptable for geological storage because the impurities are not hazardous. Molecular dynamics simulations of geological storage of CO2-N2-O2 mixtures from direct air capture demonstrated that this approach is both environmentally acceptable and economically viable.
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NTU scientists establish new records of Singapore's sea-level history
Climate scientists at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU, Singapore) have extended the known record of Singapore's sea-level to almost 10,000 years ago, providing a more robust dataset to aid future predictions of sea-level rise.
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Most US adults may lack knowledge about palliative care
The majority of surveyed Americans had an inadequate understanding of palliative care, and frequency of health care utilization was one determinant of knowledge.
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Lessons from the last pandemic point the way toward universal flu vaccines
A new study from the University of Chicago and Scripps Research Institute shows that during the last great pandemic--2009's H1N1 influenza pandemic--people developed strong, effective immune responses to stable, conserved parts of the virus.
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Technique inspired by lace making could someday weave structures in space
Princeton University researchers have twisted flexible strips into a wide array of shapes called bigon rings. The technique could help create structures that change shape in response to changing conditions.
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