Culture
Reston, VA (Embargoed until 4:30 p.m. EDT, Saturday, June 12, 2021)--Positron emission tomography (PET) using a 68Ga-labeled fibroblast activation protein inhibitor (FAPI) can noninvasively identify and monitor pulmonary fibrosis, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021 Annual Meeting. By binding to activated fibroblasts present in affected lungs, FAPI-PET allows for direct imaging of the disease process.
The raucous calls of tree hyraxes -- small, herbivorous mammals -- reverberate through the night in the forests of West and Central Africa, but their sound differs depending on the location.
Tree hyraxes living between the Volta and Niger rivers make a barking call that is distinct from the shrieking vocalizations of hyraxes inhabiting other regions of the African forest zone.
Correction 6/18/21: The original version of this article stated that polymerase theta was the first mammalian polymerase with the ability to transcribe RNA into DNA. In fact, other polymerases have been shown to perform this function, albeit with much lower efficiency than HIV reverse transcriptase. The article has been corrected and we regret the error.
BOSTON - Vitamin D deficiency strongly exaggerates the craving for and effects of opioids, potentially increasing the risk for dependence and addiction, according to a new study led by researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). These findings, published in Science Advances, suggest that addressing the common problem of vitamin D deficiency with inexpensive supplements could play a part in combating the ongoing scourge of opioid addiction.
The term "doomscrolling" describes the act of endlessly scrolling through bad news on social media and reading every worrisome tidbit that pops up, a habit that unfortunately seems to have become common during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The biology of our brains may play a role in that. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified specific areas and cells in the brain that become active when an individual is faced with the choice to learn or hide from information about an unwanted aversive event the individual likely has no power to prevent.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine used an artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm to sift through terabytes of gene expression data -- which genes are "on" or "off" during infection -- to look for shared patterns in patients with past pandemic viral infections, including SARS, MERS and swine flu.
For centuries, scientists, aeronautic designers and adventure-seekers have sought to replicate the qualities that allow birds to fly, namely wing-structure and balance. However, without an external mechanism such as a hot air balloon or airplane, humans have remained earth-bound, unable to use their own bodies to propel themselves into the stratosphere.
What The Study Did: Researchers examined the associations between Medicare Advantage star ratings, which are created using data from all enrollees in a plan, and disparities in care for racial/ethnic minorities and enrollees with lower income and less education.
Authors: David J. Meyers, Ph.D., M.P.H., of the Brown University School of Public Health in Providence, Rhode Island, is the corresponding author.
Reston, VA (Embargoed until 6:15 p.m. EDT, Friday, June 11, 2021)--An advanced artificial intelligence technique known as deep learning can predict major adverse cardiac events more accurately than current standard imaging protocols, according to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2021 Annual Meeting.
What The Study Did: Editorial team composition by gender, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation was assessed at 25 leading medical and scientific journals in this survey study.
Authors: James W. Salazar, M.D., M.A.S., of the University of California San Francisco, is the corresponding author.
To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/
(doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.2363)
The Fenton reaction is a chemical transition involving hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and the ferrous (iron) ion, which acts as a catalyst. This process is used to destroy hazardous contaminants in wastewater through oxidation. In the atmosphere, a similar reaction, or "Fenton-like" reaction, occurs continuously with ferric oxalate([Fe(III)(C2O4)3]3-) and aerosols suspended in the air. This is the most frequent chemical reaction that occurs in the atmosphere.
When is a weed not a weed?
Can native plants be weeds?
Sweet pittosporum (Pittosporum undulatum) was once a well-behaved tree growing in gullies from Gippsland in Victoria up to Brisbane in Queensland.
But it is now a major problem, leading to an almost complete suppression of native vegetation where it has invaded. Programs to clear it have successfully allowed indigenous plants to return, and within 15 years, with moderate follow up, treated sites are well on the way to successful restoration.
Astronomers from University of Warwick and University of Exeter modelling the future of unusual planetary system found a solar system of planets that will 'pinball' off one another
Today, the system consists of four massive planets locked in a perfect rhythm
Study shows that this perfect rhythm is likely to hold for 3 billion years - but the death of its sun will cause a chain reaction and set the interplanetary pinball game in motion
IPBES/IPCC: Tackling the biodiversity and climate crises together, and their combined social impacts
BONN, 10 June - Unprecedented changes in climate and biodiversity, driven by human activities, have combined and increasingly threaten nature, human lives, livelihoods and well-being around the world. Biodiversity loss and climate change are both driven by human economic activities and mutually reinforce each other. Neither will be successfully resolved unless both are tackled together.
This is the message of a workshop report, published today by 50 of the world's leading biodiversity and climate experts.
Curtin University researchers have helped uncover the four billion year old story of a lunar sample brought from the Moon to Earth, by the manned Apollo 17 mission more than 50 years ago.
The global research collaboration, involving scientists from the UK, Canada, Sweden and Australia, aimed to analyse the ancient rock sample through a modern lens to find out its age, which crater it came from and its geological trajectory.