Tech
Chocolate-producing cacao trees that are resistant to a major pathogen were identified by an international team of plant geneticists. The findings point the way for plant breeders to develop trees that are tolerant of the disease.
RICHMOND, Va. (Dec. 5, 2019) -- Patients with nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), a chronic liver disease and a leading cause for liver transplantation in the U.S., currently lack an approved drug therapy, but this may soon change. A large Phase III clinical trial designed in collaboration with Virginia Commonwealth University is the first to demonstrate the safety and effectiveness of an oral medication to treat the disease.
On average, countries implemented just under half of the 18 non-communicable disease (NCD) policies recommended by WHO in 2017, and implementation is slowly improving over time.
NCDs include cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and chronic respiratory disease and are responsible for 73% of all global deaths.
The application of all 18 policies increased except for those targeting alcohol and physical activity.
Dec. 6, 2019 - Reductions in air pollution yielded fast and dramatic impacts on health-outcomes, as well as decreases in all-cause morbidity, according to findings in "Health Benefits of Air Pollution Reduction," new research published in the American Thoracic Society's journal, Annals of the American Thoracic Society.
Tokyo, Japan - Researchers at The University of Tokyo introduced a new physical model that predicts the dynamics of glassy materials based solely on their local degree of atomic structural order. Using computer simulations, they showed how this theory greatly improves our understanding of how glassy liquids become more viscous on cooling. This work has many potential applications in manufacturing, especially for special glass production in labware and electronic touchscreen devices.
Scientists are homing in on what a healthy human microbiome looks like, mapping the normal bacteria that live in and on the healthy human body. But what about a healthy plant microbiome?
Is there even such a thing as a healthy plant microbiome in today's agricultural fields, with acres of identical plants assaulted by pesticides and herbicides and hyped up on fertilizer?
Researchers of Siberian Federal University took part in a global project to collect, systematize and universalize data on the composition of forests in all climatic zones and on all continents of the planet.
The herb St John's Wort Hypericum perforatum has a long history as a medicinal plant. Greek physicians of the first century, such as Hippocrates and Pliny, recommended it as a diuretic and as a cure for snakebites, amongst other uses. In the Middle Ages, it was used in magic potions to ward off evil spirits, whilst Paracelsus in the 16th century found it useful for the alleviation of pain and the treatment of melancholy. In more recent times, St. John's Wort has been recognised for its applications in cancer therapy, due to the plant's bioactive compound hypericin.
Plants that can "bounce back" after disturbances like ploughing, flooding or drought are the most likely to be "invasive" if they're moved to new parts of the world, scientists say.
Invasive plants cause harm to people, industry, livestock, wildlife and natural ecosystems worldwide - but predicting which plants could become invasive is very difficult.
A team of scientists from across Europe, led by the University of Exeter, developed and analysed a global database of plant life cycles to tackle this puzzle.
Researchers have developed the 'FrogPhone', a novel device which allows scientists to call up a frog survey site and monitor them in the wild. The FrogPhone is the world's first solar-powered remote survey device that relays environmental data to the observer via text messages, whilst conducting real-time remote acoustic surveys over the phone. These findings are presented in the British Ecological Society Journal Methods in Ecology and Evolution today.
Colorado is taking a critical step to protect low-income women during their pregnancy through incentive-based smoking cessation interventions. A new study from the Colorado School of Public Health at the Anschutz Medical Campus shows a significant reduction in infant morbidity due to the program.
The study, published in Public Health Nursing, examines the results of the interventions provided by the Baby & Me Tobacco Free program (BMTF) throughout Colorado.
Just a year ago, the National Science Foundation-funded Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory, or LIGO, was picking up whispers of gravitational waves every month or so. Now, a new addition to the system is enabling the instruments to detect these ripples in space-time nearly every week.
Bats face many threats - from habitat loss and climate change to emerging diseases, such as white-nose syndrome. But it appears that wildfire is not among those threats, suggests a study from the University of California, Davis, published today in the journal Scientific Reports. It found that bats in the Sierra Nevada appear to be well-adapted to wildfire.
ROCHESTER, Minn. -- High-intensity group workout classes are increasingly popular at fitness centers. While research has shown that these workouts can have cardiovascular and other benefits, few studies have been conducted on whether they lead to more injuries.
A Mayo Clinic study that closely tracked 100 participants in a six-week high-intensity functional training program showed a statistically insignificant increase in the rate of injury, compared with less intensive workouts.
Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous malignancy in the United States and is responsible for many male deaths. The development of prostate carcinogenesis is initially androgen-dependent.