Body

Scientists have calculated, for the first time, the extent to which agricultural emissions must be reduced to meet the new climate agreement's plan to limit warming to 2°C in 2100.

(Boston)--Parents who smoke are more likely to quit smoking after receiving motivational smoking cessation counseling following a "teachable moment" (TM) such as witnessing their child experience an asthma attack.

The study, which appears in the journal Addiction, also found that in-home counseling visits, including feedback on their child's second hand smoke exposure (SHSe) and counseling phone calls improved the likelihood of smoking cessation and less SHSe.

Grocery stores and cafeterias successfully nudge selection of target foods, but can this same strategy be used to encourage food pantry clients to select target healthful foods? In a new study published in the Journal of Public Health, Auburn University and Cornell University researchers found that product placement and packaging had a significant impact on what clients selected in a New York State food pantry.

Researchers at King's College London have found no significant link between eating the evening meal after 8pm and excess weight in children, according to a paper published this month in the British Journal of Nutrition.

Previous evidence suggested that the timing of food intake can have a significant impact on circadian rhythms (i.e. the body's internal daily clock) and therefore on metabolic processes within the body, potentially leading to an increased risk of being overweight or obese.

Earthworms are the engineers behind the 75,000 km2, densely packed, regularly spaced, and mound-patterned landscapes, called surales, in the South American seasonal tropical wetlands, according to a study published May 11, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Anne Zangerlé from Technische Universität Braunschweig, Germany, Delphine Renard from McGill University, Canada, and colleagues.

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. -- The discovery of stone tools alongside mastodon bones in a Florida river shows that humans settled the southeastern United States as much as 1,500 years earlier than scientists previously believed, according to a research team led by a Florida State University professor.

This site on the Aucilla River -- about 45 minutes from Tallahassee -- is now the oldest known site of human life in the southeastern United States. It dates back 14,550 years.

Only a few days ago, the press (especially in English-speaking countries) enthusiastically announced the publication of a study that described in great detail the genetics of breast cancer, a discovery that according to many marks a breakthrough in the battle against this cancer. This kind of news confirms the impression that in the near future the war against cancer will be fought on the battlefields of genetics. Italy too, is working on this front.

Unique sections of coral DNA can indicate a higher tolerance to environmental stress, researchers have revealed for the first time.

The findings could act as a guide for novel reef restoration and management programs including selective breeding for corals and assisted migration to boost populations of more stress-tolerant corals.

Researchers at Tohoku University have discovered that the calcium ion influx into cells, which can control the various cell activities, can be enhanced by the short-lived reactive species generated in the atmospheric pressure plasma.

This breakthrough is expected to contribute significantly to plasma medicine research - specifically, the elucidation of the mechanisms of plasma treatment for gene transfection, cancer therapy, blood coagulation and wound healing.

Researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) have found possums in New Zealand prefer to eat leaves high in available protein, giving authorities new evidence to help them limit possum damage to New Zealand's forests.

Possums are considered a pest in New Zealand, where the government spends tens of millions of dollars each year to eradicate them. Possums are protected as a native species in Australia.

Maternal stress and depression during pregnancy may activate certain protective mechanisms in babies. Psychologists from the University of Basel together with international colleagues report that certain epigenetic adaptations in newborns suggest this conclusion. Their results have been published in the journal Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience.

A new experimental and clinical study from Lund University in Sweden shows that the sleep hormone melatonin impairs insulin secretion in people with a common gene variant. "This could explain why the risk of type 2 diabetes is greater among, for instance, overnight workers or people with sleeping disorders", says Professor Hindrik Mulder who is responsible for the study.

An illegal trade in marine turtles is continuing despite legislation and conservation awareness campaigns, a pioneering study has shown.

The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Exeter in the Cape Verde islands, 500 km off the West Coast of Africa, and one of the world's leading nesting sites for the protected loggerhead species, found that the biological impact of the trade has been previously underestimated and that turtles are still being harvested and consumed.

The numbers are staggering: more than 40 % is the lifetime risk of developing cancer in the U.S., with only 66 % survival-rates 5 years after diagnosis, for all types of cancer. Trends suggest that in 2015, over 1.6 million new cases were diagnosed in the U.S., with over 580,000 deaths in consequence.

A unique and pioneering study of the ancient and modern DNA of the 'ship of the desert' -- the single humped camel or dromedary -- has shed new light on how its use by human societies has shaped its genetic diversity.