Culture

SMU Office of Research & Tech Transfer - Can you imagine a world without personalised Spotify playlists, curated social media feeds, or recommended cat videos on the sidebars of YouTube? These modern-day conveniences, which were made possible by artificial intelligence (AI), also present a scary proposition - that the machines could end up knowing more about us than we ourselves do.

AMES, Iowa - The Earth of 3.2 billion years ago was a "water world" of submerged continents, geologists say after analyzing oxygen isotope data from ancient ocean crust that's now exposed on land in Australia.

And that could have major implications on the origin of life.

SMU Office of Research & Tech Transfer - In the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) 10-K annual report filing for its financial year ending July 31, 2008, American jewellery retailer Zale Corporation ('Zales') mentioned the words 'advertising' or 'advertisement' 17 times. A year later, those same words showed up more than twice as often at 41 times.

Researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden have analysed all cell types in the human ovary and found that the hotly debated so-called egg stem cells do not exist. The results, published in Nature Communications, open the way for research on improved methods of treating involuntary childlessness.

The researchers used single-cell analysis to study more than 24,000 cells collected from ovarian cortex samples of 21 patients. They also analysed cells collected from the ovarian medulla, allowing them to present a complete cell map of the human ovary.

Want to learn to code? Put down the math book. Practice those communication skills instead.

An improved mobile phone app will help identify women who need special treatments at the right time and reduce emotional and financial burden on families and the NHS.

(San Antonio, TX -- March 2, 2020) The physical and mental sensations we associate with feeling sick are a natural biological response to inflammation within the body. However, the strength and severity of these sensations go beyond biology and may be affected by gender, ethnicity and various social norms we've all internalized. These are the latest research findings, according to social scientists at UTSA, who have discovered a link between a person's culture and how one classifies being ill.

It becomes annoyingly easy to knock over a shampoo bottle when it's nearly empty. This is an easily observed and curiosity-provoking phenomenon that, according to Lehigh University physics professor Jerome Licini, yields insights into center-of-mass and impacts.

MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (March 2, 2020)-- Using more than 30 years of earth satellite images, scientists at Tufts University and the non-profit conservation organization Defenders of Wildlife have discovered that habitat loss for imperiled species in the U.S. over this period was more than twice as great on non-protected private lands than on federally protected lands.

The threat to insects and other small creatures from rainforest clearance and the consequences for the environment in tropical regions are recognised. What has not been studied so far is whether, and how, the oil palm plantations are able to sustain the populations of tiny below-ground animals that work to keep the soil healthy. In a new study led by the University of Göttingen, scientists have discovered high levels of biological activity in regions above ground level that may serve as oases for soil organisms.

Innovative, Indigenous-led health care partnerships and cultural healing practices have shown improved health outcomes and access to care, and have become important features of the medical landscape in Canada, according to a new analysis in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Indigenous-led heath care partnerships incorporate traditional Indigenous knowledge as key in their approach to treatment and healing for Indigenous patients.

A practice article provides 5 things to know on how drugs can interact with cannabinoids in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

1. The antifungal drug ketoconazole was shown to nearly double cannabinoid levels. Similar effects might be seen with commonly used drugs, such as macrolide antibiotics, increasing the chance of cannabinoid-related adverse effects.

2. Cannabinoids can affect levels of other drugs, increasing levels and the risk of adverse effects.

Cases of potentially deadly brain damage as a result of stroke could be reduced after new research identified a pathway in the brain that causes swelling, and which responds to an innovative treatment.

Research led by the University of Exeter, and published in Nature Communications, has discovered how a malfunction in the way key proteins are transported within the brain after a stroke can lead to swelling, which can cause severe damage.

Researchers from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have made a new contribution to the ongoing search into the possibility of life on Titan, Saturn's largest moon. Using quantum mechanical calculations, they have shown that azotosomes, a proposed alternative to cell membranes, could not form under the conditions there. Their research is published in the journal Science Advances.

MINNEAPOLIS - Older people who experience daytime sleepiness may be at risk of developing new medical conditions, including diabetes, cancer and high blood pressure, according to a preliminary study released today that will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 72nd Annual Meeting in Toronto, Canada, April 25 to May 1, 2020.

The condition called hypersomnolence is defined as excessive daytime sleepiness even after having seven or more hours of sleep. It can be debilitating for some people, affecting the way that they perform at work and in other daily activities.