WASHINGTON, DC (June 1, 2016)--Nearly 17 million women and children (mostly girls) in 24 sub-Saharan African countries are responsible for hauling water long distances to their homes, a task that takes them more than 30 minutes per trip, according to a study published today in the journal PLOS ONE.
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Ornithologists have long wondered why some birds carry more fat than they need to fuel their migration, and a new study in The Auk: Ornithological Advances provides the answer: Leftover fuel from spring migration gives female birds a reproductive boost when they reach their breeding grounds.
WASHINGTON -- Despite the prevalence of workplace wellness efforts, only one-third of American workers say they regularly participate in the health promotion programs provided by their employer, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association.
Additionally, less than half of working Americans (44 percent*) say the climate in their organization supports employee well-being, and 1 in 3 reports being chronically stressed on the job. The APA survey suggests a key part of the solution is senior leadership support.
In a colonial orb-weaving spider, Cyrtophora citricola, females often eat the males after mating, but it is often the males that choose their mates, according a study published June 1, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Eric Yip from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel, and colleagues.
The imperial dominance of the ancient Wari Empire at the Huaca Pucllana site in Lima, Peru, was likely not achieved through population replacement, according to a study published June 1, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Guido Valverde from the University of Adelaide, Australia, and colleagues.
The same gene that enables tropical butterflies to mimic each other's bright and colourful patterning also caused British moths to turn black amid the grime of the industrial revolution, researchers have found.
Writing in the journal Nature, a team of researchers led by academics at the Universities of Cambridge and Sheffield, report that a fast-evolving gene known as "cortex" appears to play a critical role in dictating the colours and patterns on butterfly wings.
JUPITER, FL - June 1, 2016 - In an important new study with implications for the treatment of dozens of incurable diseases, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) have for the first time created a drug candidate that attacks and neutralizes the RNA structure that causes an incurable progressive, inherited disease involving a gradual loss of control over body movement.
A University of York conservationist who put out a call for schools to name a new species of tropical tree has found a winner. Following competitive fundraising totalling nearly £4000, Askham Bryan College, UK pipped the Iringa International School, Tanzania to the post. Coming a close third in the competition were 1st Sherburn Rainbows and Brownies, also from the UK.
An approach that could reduce the chances of drugs failing during the later stages of clinical trials has been demonstrated by a collaboration between the University of Cambridge and pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
The technique involves identifying genetic variants that mimic the action of a drug on its intended target and then checking in large patient cohorts whether these variants are associated with risk of other conditions, such as cardiovascular disease.
The variant of a gene encoding a drug target for a popular antidiabetic therapy is protective against heart disease, a common safety concern with antidiabetic medications, a new study shows. The study, which involved harnessing the genomic data of more than 50,000 people, suggests that drugs that target this gene are not necessarily associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular risk, as has been thought.
While using marijuana for as long as 20 years was associated with periodontal disease, it was not associated with some other physical health problems in early midlife at age 38, according to an article published online by JAMA Psychiatry.
Policymakers, health care professionals and the public want to know whether recreational cannabis use is associated with physical health problems later in life after major policy changes in the U.S.
Researchers in the Cockrell School of Engineering at The University of Texas at Austin have discovered a correlation between aging and the effectiveness of T-cells, a type of immune cell programmed to fight or kill a threat. The researchers found that older people have T-cells that are less effective at fending off the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
Scientists from The Cleveland Museum of Natural History have pioneered a new method to identify praying mantises. They described a new species of leaf-dwelling mantis by establishing a female genitalia character system. Male genitalia characters have historically been a standard in classifying insect species. The research is the first formal study to use female genital structures to delimit a new species of praying mantis.
In humans and in animals, the correct position of tissues, organs and appendages is essential. Two body axes (the head-tail and the back-belly axes) usually define this position by generating a coordinate system, which supplies each cell in the body with its precise address. Thus, for example, the vertebrate central nervous system is always located on the back, and the intestinal tract on the belly of the animal.
Pancreatic cancer is regarded as the cancer type with the lowest survival rates. Fewer than seven in 100 patients survive the first five years after diagnosis. Clinicians attribute this devastating prognosis to two circumstances: Pancreatic cancers often do not cause any signs or symptoms and by the time they are detected they have already reached a very advanced stage in most cases. In addition, they spread outside the pancreas very early.