Earth
In the dermis skin layer, the same bacteria are found across age and gender. This has been shown by researchers from the University of Copenhagen in a new study which has studied skin samples from knees and hips. The researchers hope it is a step in the direction of a better understanding of why skin disorders occur.
The bacterial microbiome on the skin has been compared to a fingerprint: Unique to each person. This does indeed apply to the epidermis, the outer layer of skin. But further down, in the layer of skin called dermis, we are all alike and have the same bacteria.
Parabens are used as preservatives in cosmetics. If pregnant women use cosmetics containing parabens that remain on the skin for protracted periods, this may have consequences for their child's subsequent weight development. This is demonstrated in a study published in the journal Nature Communications by researchers from the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) in collaboration with colleagues from Leipzig University, Charité University Hospital in Berlin and the Berlin Institute of Health (BIH).
Without their keen sense of smell, mosquitoes wouldn't get very far. They rely on this sense to find a host to bite and spots to lay eggs. And without that sense of smell, mosquitoes could not locate their dominant source of food: nectar from flowers.
Aircraft contrails - the white streaks aircraft leave in the sky - could be as bad for the climate as their carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Now, new Imperial College London-led research has found that flight altitude changes of just 2000 feet could lessen their effect.
Many children who suffer fingertip injuries have been abused, according to a Rutgers study. The researchers found that children who had a documented history of abuse or neglect were 23 percent more likely to suffer a fingertip injury before age 12.
The study, published in Journal of Hand Surgery Global Online, is the first to look at the link between children's fingertip injures and abuse or neglect.
A new approach to compensate for the impact of development may be an effective alternative to biodiversity offsetting - and help nations achieve international biodiversity targets.
University of Queensland scientists say target-based ecological compensation provides greater certainty and clarity, while ensuring the management of impacts from projects like new mines, roads or housing estates directly contributes to broader conservation goals.
UQ's Dr Jeremy Simmonds said most countries in the world have or are developing policies on biodiversity offsetting.
Polar bears are spending more time on land than they did in the 1990s due to reduced sea ice, new University of Washington-led research shows. Bears in Baffin Bay are getting thinner and adult females are having fewer cubs than when sea ice was more available.
The new study, recently published in Ecological Applications, includes satellite tracking and visual monitoring of polar bears in the 1990s compared with more recent years.
Invasive species are non-native ones that are introduced into a new habitat and are able to adapt to it, displacing indigenous species or causing them to go extinct. This threat is increased by the fact that people and things are constantly moving all over the world, and this is one of the main causes of biodiversity worldwide. Though it is uninhabited, Antarctica is not free from this problem.
Numerous questions remain unanswered as to how the planet's species will respond to climate change. A new paper in the journal Frontiers in Physiology suggests that at least one species of marsupial "mice" may struggle to adapt to a warming world.
The study found that changes in ambient temperatures experienced during the development and growth of yellow-footed antechinus (Antechinus flavipes) can influence their behavioral and physiological traits.
The foot-and-mouth-disease virus is helping scientists to tackle a common cancer with the worst survival rate - pancreatic cancer.
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have identified a peptide, or protein fragment, taken from the foot-and-mouth-disease virus that targets another protein, called ΑvΒ6 (alpha-v-beta-6). This protein is found at high levels on the surface of the majority of pancreatic cancer cells.
Too much time sitting still - sedentary behaviour - is linked to an increased risk of depressive symptoms in adolescents, finds a new UCL-led study.
The Lancet Psychiatry study found that an additional 60 minutes of light activity (such as walking or doing chores) daily at age 12 was associated with a 10% reduction in depressive symptoms at age 18.
Mass melting of the West Antarctic Ice Sheet was a major cause of high sea levels during a period known as the Last Interglacial (129,000-116,000 years ago), an international team of scientists led by UNSW's Chris Turney has found. The research was published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).
The extreme ice loss caused a multi-metre rise in global mean sea levels - and it took less than 2°C of ocean warming for it to occur.
ITHACA, N.Y. - New Cornell University research shows that traditional physics labs, which strive to reinforce the concepts students learn in lecture courses, can actually have a negative impact on students. At the same time, nontraditional, inquiry-based labs that encourage experimentation can improve student performance and engagement without lowering exam scores.
Sorghum crops in areas where the agricultural parasite striga, also known as witchweed, is common are more likely to have genetic adaptations to help them resist the parasite, according to new research led by Penn State scientists. Changes to the LGS1 gene affect some of the crop's hormones, making it harder for parasites to find in the soil, at least in some regions. The changes, however, may come at a cost, affecting photosynthesis-related systems and perhaps growth.
In the field of cancer research, the idea that scientists can disrupt cancer growth by changing the environment in which cancerous cells divide is growing in popularity. The primary way researchers have tested this theory is to conduct experiments using animals.
Smitha Rao's cell scaffolding research aims to replace animal testing in cancer research with electrospun synthetics.