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Estrogen, antibiotics persisted in dairy farm waste after advanced treatment, study finds

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- When University at Buffalo chemists began studying waste disposal at a dairy farm in New York State, they thought that the farm's advanced system for processing manure would help remove estrogens and antibiotics from the excrement.

Instead, the scientists found that the chemicals largely persisted in the treated materials, which are typically reused as fertilizer and animal bedding on the farm.

Iowa State statistician organizes symposium to discuss stronger science behind forensics

AMES, Iowa - The forensic evidence presented in courtrooms needs to be backed by more statistical and scientific study, said the organizer of a symposium on the forensic sciences.

"A lot of science hasn't been brought to bear in forensics," said Alicia Carriquiry, an Iowa State University statistician, Distinguished Professor in Liberal Arts and Sciences and director of the new Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE) based at Iowa State.

Clues about human migration to Imperial Rome uncovered in 2,000-year-old cemetery

Isotope analysis of 2000-year-old skeletons buried in Imperial Rome reveal some were migrants from the Alps or North Africa, according to a study published February 10, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Kristina Killgrove from University of West Florida, USA, and Janet Montgomery from Durham University, UK.

Inhibitory control may affect physical problem solving in pet dogs

Inhibitory control may be an indicator of a dog's ability to solve a problem, according to a study published February 10, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Corsin Müller from the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and colleagues.

US tuberculosis cases drop almost 20 percent among foreign-born entrants from 2007-2011

The reasons behind a 19% drop in US tuberculosis (TB) cases among foreign-born people between 2007-2011 vary depending on the person's country of origin and when they entered the U.S., according to a study published February 10, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Dr. Brian Baker from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and colleagues.

Baby's breath: A new way to study neonatal lung disease

Investigators at The Saban Research Institute of Children's Hospital Los Angeles have created a novel model for studying a lung disorder of newborn babies. Their study, published in PLOS ONE on February 10, describes the first model that allows investigators to consider the chronic effects of developmental lung disease.

Nanoparticle reduces targeted cancer drug's toxicity

In one of the first efforts to date to apply nanotechnology to targeted cancer therapeutics, researchers have created a nanoparticle formulation of a cancer drug that is both effective and nontoxic -- qualities harder to achieve with the free drug. Their nanoparticle creation releases the potent but toxic targeted cancer drug directly to tumors, while sparing healthy tissue. The findings in rodents with human tumors have helped launch clinical trials of the nanoparticle-encapsulated version of the drug, which are currently underway.

Research finds new target in search for why statin drugs sometimes cause problems for some patients

Research by the University of Warwick, the University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire NHS Trust (UHCW), and Tangent Reprofiling Limited, has discovered that statin drugs interact with a gap junction protein called GJC3 that releases ATP, a major signaling molecule for inflammation in the body. This discovery provides a significant new target in the search for why statin drugs can sometimes cause harmful effects such as muscle toxicity in some patients.

Research findings could lead to new treatments for chronic inflammatory pain

New research uncovers a cascade of reactions within nerve cells that relay sensations of pain associated with inflammation. The findings, which are published in the British Journal of Pharmacology, indicate that drugs designed to curb this pathway may help relieve inflammatory pain in sufferers.

Forget butterflies and bees, box like an ant: Study measures speed of trap-jaw ant boxing

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Boxer Muhammad Ali famously declared his intent to "float like a butterfly and sting like a bee," but perhaps boxers should look to another type of insect for inspiration: the trap-jaw ant.

In a new study, entomologists at the University of Illinois and North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences measured the speed at which different species of trap-jaw ants strike one another during antenna-boxing bouts. Understanding such fights for dominance within ant colonies can shed light on ant behavior and sociology.

Global scientific community commits to sharing data on Zika

Leading global health bodies including academic journals, NGOs, research funders and institutes,have committed to sharing data and results relevant to the current Zika crisis and future publichealth emergencies as rapidly and openly as possible.

New method opens crystal clear views of biomolecules

This news release is available in German.

A new method furthers understanding of evolutionary genetics

Since Darwin, evolutionary biologists have been fascinated by how different organisms are from one another. The ultimate goal is to understand how mutations in DNA, the genetic blueprint, shape the growth and behavior of animals, plants, and microbes around us. Standard research tools have been available for some time to study the genetics of closely related individuals--for example, the variation of lactose intolerance between humans. But understanding differences between long-separated species has remained a challenge.

Plankton carries carbon to safe resting spot, ocean study reveals

COLUMBUS - The ocean's power to rein in carbon and protect the environment is vast but not well-understood.

But now, an international team of scientists has begun to illuminate how the ocean plucks carbon from the atmosphere, where it contributes to global warming, and shuttles it to the bottom of the sea.

The new study establishes the important role of plankton networks in removing carbon from the atmosphere and depositing it deep in the ocean. And it opens up opportunities for caring for the ocean in ways that encourage it to absorb more carbon.

New hope in global race to beat malaria parasite's deadly new resistance

Scientists have made a major breakthrough in the global search for a new drug to beat the malaria parasite's growing resistance to first-defence treatments.

The deadly mosquito-borne malaria parasite kills around 450,000 children every year. Resistance to the world's most effective antimalarial drug, artemisinin, has developed in South-East Asia, with fears it will soon reach Africa. The artemisinin resistant species has spread to six countries in five years.