Body

Nesting birds time their escape from an approaching predator depending on how well camouflaged their eggs and their own bodies are, researchers from the University of Exeter and the University of Cambridge have discovered.

This is the first study to show that the camouflage of an animal or that of its offspring can explain the variation in risk-taking behaviour when approached by a predator.

(Boston) -- Pinpointing the type of bacteria that are at the root of an infection in clinical samples removed from living tissues, such as blood, urine or joint fluids, to quickly identify the best anti-microbial therapy still poses a formidable challenge. The standard method of culturing can take days to reveal pathogens, and they often fail to bring them to light altogether.

By watching brightly glowing HIV-infected immune cells move within mice, researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have shown how infected immune cells latch onto an uninfected sister cell to directly transmit newly minted viral particles. These interactions allow HIV to spread efficiently between these immune cells, known as CD4+ helper T cells.

By immersing glass particles in a fluid, researchers at MIT's Media Lab and Harvard University are exploring a new mechanism for modifying an optical device's diffusivity, or the extent to which it scatters light.

In its current form, the new diffuser could be used to calibrate a wide range of imaging systems, but the researchers believe that their mechanism could ultimately lead to holographic video screens or to tunable optical devices with applications in imaging, sensing, and photography.

Although surgery can prolong the lives of patients with an aggressive type of cancer called malignant pleural mesothelioma, many patients avoid the operation for fear it will degrade their quality of life.

But a study led by a Loyola Medicine thoracic surgeon has found just the opposite: Patients who underwent an operation called pleurectomy and decortication (PD) generally reported their quality of life improved after surgery.

Griffith University researchers are part of an international team of scientists that has announced the discovery of ancestors of Homo floresiensis - the enigmatic species of pygmy-like humans discovered more than a decade ago on the Indonesian island of Flores.

A review of current physical employment standards, that act as a call to action for more research and standardization in industry, is now available. New tenets proposed for physical employment standards include improving age- and sex-neutrality and point to areas that require more research such as the implications of the nutritional health and hydration of the worker, protective clothing, and load carriage.

The mosquitoes known as Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus transmit arboviruses that are increasing threats to human health in the Americas, particularly dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. Therefore, accurate and up-to-date information for the geographical ranges of these mosquitoes have been urgently needed to guide surveillance and enhance control capacity for these mosquitoes.

Charlotte, N.C., June 9, 2016 - A study of emergency department (ED) patients with symptoms of gonorrhea or chlamydia found that three in four patients who were treated with antibiotics actually tested negative for these sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), according to a new study presented at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Charlotte, N.C., June 9, 2016 - Can you use the "ick factor" to get healthcare workers to clean their hands more often? Yes, according to a new study being presented on June 11 at the 43rd Annual Conference of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).

Although mankind has been using silk for millennia, many aspects of its properties and molecular structure remain unknown. Now, a new study from the RIKEN Center for Sustainable Resource Science (CSRS) in Japan reveals that amino acid sequences are key determinants of the material properties of silk fibers. The work was performed by CSRS scientists in an international collaboration with Beihang University, Indian Institute of Technology Guwahati and Chulalongkorn University.

In a recent development, scientists at the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research report that damage to DNA can be induced by ultrashort pulses of high intensity laser light. Published in Scientific Reports, these findings have important implications in clinical conditions, especially in reducing collateral damage to tissues surrounding the real target of conventional radiotherapy.

Patients with late-stage, non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) who have surgery have better survival rates than those who don't, but fewer of these patients are undergoing surgery, UC Davis researchers have found.

Published today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery, the study raises an important question: Why aren't more patients evaluated for surgery as part of a comprehensive treatment regimen for the world's deadliest cancer?

People with cancer are often told by their doctors approximately how long they have to live, and how well they will respond to treatments, but what if there were a way to improve the accuracy of doctors' predictions?

Newcastle University scientists have discovered a new essential sequence within bacterial genomes required for DNA replication - the second ever to be discovered and the first for 30 years.

Publishing today in Nature, the Newcastle team describe how they identified the new site and determined the mechanism by which it promotes DNA duplication.

The "DnaA-trio" is described as a core element of bacterial replication origins and represents a significant advance for scientific understanding.