Culture
For the first time, a team of astronomers has observed several pairs of galaxies in the final stages of merging together into single, larger galaxies. Peering through thick walls of gas and dust surrounding the merging galaxies' messy cores, the research team captured pairs of supermassive black holes--each of which once occupied the center of one of the two original smaller galaxies--drawing closer together before they coalescence into one giant black hole.
The human genome has its own proofreaders and editors, and their handiwork is not as haphazard as once thought.
Observations by ALMA and data from the MUSE spectrograph on ESO's VLT have revealed a colossal fountain of molecular gas powered by a black hole in the brightest galaxy of the Abell 2597 cluster -- the full galactic cycle of inflow and outflow powering this vast cosmic fountain has never before been observed in one system.
What started as Ninad Oak's side project turned out into something much larger, his doctorate thesis.
"The project started as my qualifying exam that I proposed at the end of my first year of graduate school," said Oak, a graduate student in molecular and human genetics in Dr. Sharon E. Plon's lab. "This was an off topic qualifying exam at the time, meaning the lab had not worked on this topic before."
A University of Kent study into post partum depression found the odds of developing this condition increased by 79% when mothers had baby boys compared to baby girls.
Overall the researchers identified that women who give birth to males are 71-79% more likely to develop post partum depression. Furthermore, women whose births had complications were 174% more likely to experience post partum compared to those women who had no complications.
EUGENE, Ore. -- Nov. 6, 2018 -- Researchers at the University of Oregon have identified a novel protein secreted by a common gut bacterium in zebrafish that reduces inflammation in the gut and delays death by septic shock.
By examining how the protein, Aeromonas immune modulator (AimA), mutually benefits both the bacteria and their larval zebrafish hosts, the research team's experiments shed light on how animals and their resident microbes negotiate a moderated level of inflammatory response.
Hypotrichosis simplex leads to progressive hair loss already in childhood. A team of researchers led by human geneticists at the University Hospital of Bonn has now deciphered a new gene that is responsible for this rare form of hair loss. Changes in the LSS gene lead to impairment of an important enzyme that has a crucial function in cholesterol metabolism. The scientists now present their findings in the renowned journal the American Journal of Human Genetics.
Scientists at Scripps Research have made a surprising discovery in their mission to understand how cells stay healthy, uncovering an important connection between a cell's sugar metabolism and its antioxidant response, one of the cell's key mechanisms to protect itself from oxidative stress and other damaging agents.
Adults who sleep just six hours per night -- as opposed to eight -- may have a higher chance of being dehydrated, according to a study by Penn State.
These findings suggest that those who don't feel well after a night of poor sleep may want to consider dehydration -- not simply poor sleep -- as a cause, and drink more water.
Results of the study are published in the journal SLEEP on Nov. 5.
SAN DIEGO -- Studies that link breakdowns in the brain's blood vessels to Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia were presented today at Neuroscience 2018, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health. Molecules that signal damage in these systems could aid in earlier detection of these diseases and inform more effective interventions.
People are more prejudiced against women leaders than the statistics might indicate. This could be because participants in surveys investigating attitudes towards men and women in leadership positions may not answer honestly unless they are guaranteed confidentiality of their answers. These are the findings of a new study by Adrian Hoffmann and Jochen Musch of the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf in Germany, which is published in Springer's journal Sex Roles.
How did words or the rain sound inside the Mosque of Cordoba in the time of Abd al-Rahman I? Today, thanks to virtual simulation tools, it is possible to know the sound filed of spaces that no longer exist. This field of work is known as "Acoustic Archaeology" by some researchers. Working in this field, researchers from the Higher Technical School of Architecture at the University of Seville have carried out a study in which they have determined the variation of the acoustic parameters, such as reverberation, clarity or definition of the Mosque of Seville currently.
SAN DIEGO -- Some 80,000 Americans are incarcerated in solitary confinement on any given day, a practice that has been deemed cruel and unusual punishment by the United Nations Committee on Torture. Those in solitary confinement typically have no physical contact and little interaction with others. This extreme isolation can be damaging and may cause or worsen depression, anxiety, and other mental illness.
SAN DIEGO -- Neuroscientists are developing a clearer picture than ever before of how the animal brain processes social information, from status and competitive advantage in a group to the calls and vocalizations of peers. New studies in mice and marmosets help us understand a range of disorders defined by deficits in social function and identify mechanisms that could also operate in the human brain. The research is presented today at Neuroscience 2018, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience and the world's largest source of emerging news about brain science and health.
Glasgow, UK: The rate of men dying from malignant melanoma has risen in populations around the world, while in some countries the rates are steady or falling for women, according to research presented at the 2018 NCRI Cancer Conference.
Researchers studied worldwide data on deaths gathered by the World Health Organisation, focusing on 33 countries with the most reliable data. They found that melanoma death rates in men were rising in all but one country.