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Declining deer population likely due to natural regulation
Scientists have shown that the population of the Yakushima sika deer has declined due to natural factors, suggesting that the population can be regulated without culling.
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Mind the nanogap: Fast and sensitive oxygen gas sensors
Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have designed and produced novel nanogap gas sensors through a reliable and scalable fabrication strategy. The gap between electrodes, which can be as small as 20 nm, allows for sensing oxygen with an unprecedented response time at relatively low temperatures, especially compared with microgap sensors. Their results pave the way towards general gas-sensing platforms for biomedical, industrial, and environmental applications.
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Scientists identify protein that activates plant response to nitrogen deficiency
Researchers at Nagoya University, Japan, have identified a plant enzyme that is key to activating a nitrate uptake mechanism in response to nitrogen starvation. This finding explains how plants meet their needs in challenging environments, opening doors to improving agriculture in such environments.
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Suitable thread type and stitch density for Ghanaian public basic school uniforms
Seam performance of two sewing thread brands and three stitch densities in a selected suitable fabric for Ghanaian public basic school uniforms were evaluated with the aim of finding a suitable thread brand and stitch density for quality public basic school uniforms. The performance properties tested were strength, efficiency and elongation.
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Ethnically diverse research identifies more genetic markers linked to diabetes
By ensuring ethnic diversity in a largescale genetic study, an international team of researchers, including a University of Massachusetts Amherst genetic epidemiologist, has identified more regions of the genome linked to type 2 diabetes-related traits.
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Unraveling DNA packaging
Researchers at Kanazawa University report in the Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters how high-speed atomic force microscopy can be used for studying DNA wrapping processes. The technique enables visualizing the dynamics of DNA-protein interactions, which in certain cases resembles the motion of inchworms.
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Diabetes remission diet also lowers blood pressure and reduces need for medication
New research published in Diabetologia has shown that if people achieve and maintain substantial weight loss to manage their type 2 diabetes, many can also effectively control their high blood pressure and stop or cut down on their anti-hypertensive medication.
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Study suggests tai chi can mirror healthy benefits of conventional exercise
A new study shows that tai chi mirrors the beneficial effects of conventional exercise by reducing waist circumference in middle-aged and older adults with central obesity.
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Tai chi about equal to conventional exercise for reducing belly fat in middle aged and older adults
A randomized controlled trial found that tai chi is about as effective as conventional exercise for reducing waist circumference in middle-aged and older adults with central obesity. Central obesity, or weight carried around the midsection, is a major manifestation of metabolic syndrome and a common health problem in this cohort. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
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Emotional regulation technique may be effective in disrupting compulsive cocaine addiction
An emotion regulation strategy known as cognitive reappraisal helped reduce the typically heightened and habitual attention to drug-related cues and contexts in cocaine-addicted individuals, a study by Mount Sinai researchers has found
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Using fossil plant molecules to track down the Green Sahara
Researchers have developed a new concept to explain the phenomenon known as Green Sahara. They demonstrate that a permanent vegetation cover in the Sahara was only possible under two overlapping rainy seasons. Dr. Enno Schefuß of MARUM - Center for Marine Environmental Sciences of the University of Bremen, Dr. Rachid Cheddadi of the University of Montpellier, and their colleagues have now published their study in the journal PNAS.
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Newly discovered African 'climate seesaw' drove human evolution
A scientific consortium led by Dr Stefanie Kaboth-Bahr of the University of Potsdam has found that ancient El Niño-like weather patterns were the primary drivers of environmental change in sub-Saharan Africa over the last 620 thousand years - the critical timeframe for the evolution of our species. The group found that these ancient weather patterns had more profound impacts in sub-Saharan Africa than glacial-interglacial cycles more commonly linked to human evolution.
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Researchers report reference genome for maize B chromosome
Dr. HAN Fangpu's group from Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, together with their collaborators, reported a reference sequence for the supernumerary B chromosome in maize.
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Duetting songbirds 'mute' the musical mind of their partner to stay in sync
Researchers say that the auditory feedback exchanged between wrens during their opera-like duets momentarily inhibits motor circuits used for singing in the listening partner, which helps link the pair's brains and coordinate turn-taking for a seemingly telepathic performance. The study also offers fresh insight into how humans and other cooperative animals use sensory cues to act in concert with one another.
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Extreme CO2 greenhouse effect heated up the young Earth
Although sun radiation was relatively low, the temperature on the young Earth was warm. An international team of geoscientists has found important clues that high levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere were responsible for these high temperatures. It only got cooler with the beginning of plate tectonics, as the CO2 was gradually captured and stored on the emerging continents.
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New 'Swiss Army knife' cleans up water pollution
Phosphate Elimination and Recovery Lightweight (PEARL) membrane, a porous nanocomposite substrate, selectively sequesters up to 99% of phosphate ions from polluted water. Tunable membrane will address other environmental challenges through incorporation of specific nanomaterials. New tech meets need for sustainable, scalable and cost-effective solution that works outside the lab.
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Overconfidence in news judgement
Individuals who falsely believe they are able to identify false news are more likely to fall victim to it.
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Brain activity reveals when white lies are selfish
You may think a little white lie about a bad haircut is strictly for your friend's benefit, but your brain activity says otherwise. Distinct activity patterns in the prefrontal cortex reveal when a white lie has selfish motives, according to new research published in JNeurosci.
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Lundquist investigators in global study expanding genomic research of different ancestries
The Lundquist Institute announced that its investigators contributed data from several studies, including data on Hispanics, African-Americans and East Asians, to the international MAGIC collaboration, composed of more than 400 global academics, who conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis led by the University of Exeter. Now published in Nature Genetics, their findings demonstrate that expanding research into different ancestries yields more and better results, as well as ultimately benefitting global patient care.
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Scientists discover a new genetic form of ALS in children
In a study of 11 medical-mystery patients, an international team of researchers led by scientists at the National Institutes of Health and the Uniformed Services University (USU) discovered a new and unique form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Unlike most cases of ALS, the disease began attacking these patients during childhood, worsened more slowly than usual, and was linked to a gene, called SPTLC1, that is part of the body's fat production system.
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