Culture
The use of alcohol and tobacco is closely linked to several diseases, and is a contributing factor in many deaths.
A recent study using data from 1.2 million people has now been published in the journal Nature Genetics. Several research groups around the world are involved, among them a group from the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) and the K.G. Jebsen Center for Genetic Epidemiology.
The remarkable properties of a recently-discovered squid protein could revolutionize materials in a way that would be unattainable with conventional plastic, finds a review published in Frontiers in Chemistry. Originating in the ringed teeth of a squid's predatory arms, this protein can be processed into fibers and films with applications ranging from 'smart' clothes for health monitoring, to self-healing recyclable fabrics that reduce microplastic pollution.
One of the largest field experiments ever conducted is providing the best evidence yet in support of a key Darwinian theory--that interactions between species are stronger toward the tropics and at lower elevations.
An international research team used a simple experiment that mimics how plants and animals interact with each other--leaving seeds out for 24 hours to see how many are consumed by animals. Seven thousand seed beds were deployed across a huge geographic area, with 70 sites cutting across 18 mountains from Alaska to the Equator.
Why do zebras have stripes? A study published in PLOS ONE today [Wednesday 20 February] takes us another step closer to answering this puzzling question and to understanding how stripes actually work.
The evolution of the zebra's two-tone coat has intrigued scientists for over 150 years. Many theories have been proposed, including avoiding predators, better heat regulation and a social function, yet there is still no agreement between scientists.
More than 87% of golden snub-nosed monkey infants evaluated in a five-year field study were nursed by females other than their mothers - a phenomenon called allomaternal nursing. This is the first evidence of allomaternal nursing in an Old World nonhuman primate, the study's authors say. It occurred predominantly among relatives and was usually reciprocal; around 90% of mothers nursed another female's baby if that female had previously nursed their own.
Researchers have discovered that food allergies are associated with distinct abnormalities in seemingly-healthy skin in pediatric patients with atopic dermatitis (AD), a common skin disorder. The surprising findings represent one of the most comprehensive skin-related assessments of AD patients to date, and hint that treatments for AD and food allergy should focus on improving the function of the skin barrier. Atopic dermatitis is an inflammatory skin disorder that affects nearly 20% of children worldwide, and one-third of AD patients also have food and respiratory allergies.
Salt apparently affects allergic immune reactions. A team working with Prof. Christina Zielinski at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) has demonstrated in cell cultures that salt leads to the formation of Th2 cells. These immune cells are active in allergic conditions such as atopic dermatitis. The team also detected elevated salt concentrations in the skin of patients.
Researchers in Japan think they have found an answer to the fundamental biological question of how individual cells know which way to position themselves within a complex, multicellular body. Depending on a cell's purpose in the larger structure, contact or diffuse chemical signals direct it to its final destination.
Cervical cancer could potentially be eliminated as a major public health problem in 149 out of 181 countries by 2100.
In high-income countries including the USA, Finland, the UK, and Canada, cervical cancer is predicted to be eliminated as a public health problem within 25-40 years.
The connection between bird diet and skull shape is surprisingly weak for most species according to a new study led by UCL and the Natural History Museum, rewriting our understanding of how ecosystems influence evolution.
Charles Darwin's 19th century observations of finches on the Galápagos Islands concluded that bird speciation was primarily influenced by ecosystem; the way a bird forages and eats forms its skull shape and drives evolutionary change.
Is evolution predictable? What are the mechanisms that allow different fish to respond to the same environmental challenge in slightly different ways? When the same jaw bones and muscles change to produce the same feeding behaviour, are the morphologies of these fish that evolved independently from one another modified in an identical way? What is the genetic basis for this kind of convergence? These are some of the questions that Dr C.
As many as half of all patients who undergo cardiac surgery may experience delirium, a form of acute confusion that can result in disorientation, impaired memory, delusions, and abrupt changes in mood and behavior, including aggression.
PHILADELPHIA - Patients taking diuretics are often at risk for low potassium levels, which can put patients at an increased risk of death from cardiac arrhythmias or other causes. But researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania found that taking prescription potassium supplements can reduce these patients' risk by nearly 10 percent as daily outdoor temperatures increase--a time when patients may be at highest risk due to loss of potassium while sweating. These findings are detailed in a study published today in BMJ Open.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Israel's targeting of agricultural, water and energy infrastructures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has had dire impacts on human welfare and livelihoods in both locations, a new report by researchers at Duke University and the University of New Hampshire shows.
The report is based on an original database that identifies 982 incidents between 2006 and 2017 in which Israeli forces, agencies or settlers damaged, destroyed, disabled or restricted access to sites and structures that provided food, clean water and other essential services to Palestinians.
Climate change is shifting the energy in the atmosphere that fuels summertime weather, which may lead to stronger thunderstorms and more stagnant conditions for midlatitude regions of the Northern Hemisphere, including North America, Europe, and Asia, a new MIT study finds.