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Secret garden: Drug-resistant pathogen strains meet and evolve on plant bulbs

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Just when we thought it was safe to go to the local garden center, researchers from Japan have discovered that fungicide-resistant strains of a nasty pathogen have been getting up to no good among the tulip bulbs.

In a study published in August in Environmental Microbiology researchers from the University of Tsukuba and Chiba University have revealed that plant bulbs harboring a potentially lethal pathogen also make the perfect lab for evolving fungicide-resistant strains.

The risk associated with fungal infections is increasing, with occurrences of pulmonary aspergillosis (PA), a deadly fungal infection caused by the human pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus, rising globally. Of particular concern are influenza-related PA and Covid-19-related PA, the case numbers of which are growing quickly. [Read more…] about Secret garden: Drug-resistant pathogen strains meet and evolve on plant bulbs

Study shows tiger sharks have social preferences for one another

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Scientists at the University of Miami Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (UM) and the Institute of Zoology at the Zoological Society London (ZSL) found that tiger sharks, often considered a solitary nomadic species, are social creatures, having preferences for one another.

A first of its kind, the study also evaluated if exposure of the tiger shark to baited dive tourism impacted their social behavior.

The study was conducted at a site named Tiger Beach, located off the north-west side of Little Bahama bank in the Bahamas. The area is known for hosting shark diving encounters, where the sharks are attracted with chum and often fed in front of dive tourists. [Read more…] about Study shows tiger sharks have social preferences for one another

New study suggests falcons have natural ‘eye makeup’ to improve hunting ability

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Dark “eyeliner” feathers of peregrine falcons act as sun shields to improve the birds’ hunting ability, a new scientific study suggests.

Scientists have long speculated that falcons’ eye markings improve their ability to target fast-moving prey, like pigeons and doves, in bright sunlight. Now research suggests these markings have evolved according to the climate; the sunnier the bird’s habitat, the larger and darker are the tell-tale dark ‘sun-shade’ feathers.

The distinctive dark stripes directly beneath the peregrine falcon’s eyes, called the malar stripe or ‘moustache’, likely reduce sunlight glare and confer a competitive advantage during high-speed chases. It’s an evolutionary trait mimicked by some top athletes who smear dark makeup below their eyes to help them spot fast-moving balls in competitive sports. [Read more…] about New study suggests falcons have natural ‘eye makeup’ to improve hunting ability

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  • New study suggests falcons have natural 'eye makeup' to improve hunting ability
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    New study suggests falcons have natural 'eye makeup' to improve hunting abilityDark “eyeliner” feathers of peregrine falcons act as sun shields to improve the birds' hunting ability, a new scientific study suggests. Scientists have long speculated that falcons' eye markings improve their ability to target fast-moving prey, like pigeons and doves, in bright sunlight. Now research suggests these markings have evolved…
    Tags: peregrine, malar, study, falcons, dark, stripe, sunlight, bird, solar, hypothesis

Eating more plant foods may lower heart disease risk in young adults, older women

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Eating more nutritious, plant-based foods is heart-healthy at any age, according to two research studies published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American Heart Association.

In two separate studies analyzing different measures of healthy plant food consumption, researchers found that both young adults and postmenopausal women had fewer heart attacks and were less likely to develop cardiovascular disease when they ate more healthy plant foods.

The American Heart Association Diet and Lifestyle Recommendations suggest an overall healthy dietary pattern that emphasizes a variety of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy products, skinless poultry and fish, nuts and legumes and non-tropical vegetable oils. It also advises limited consumption of saturated fat, trans fat, sodium, red meat, sweets and sugary drinks. [Read more…] about Eating more plant foods may lower heart disease risk in young adults, older women

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  • People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percent
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    People who eat a plant-based dinner could reduce their risk of heart disease by 10 percentPeople who eat too many refined carbs and fatty meats for dinner have a higher risk of heart disease than those who eat a similar diet for breakfast, according to a nationwide study published in the Endocrine Society's Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. Cardiovascular diseases like congestive heart failure,…
    Tags: heart, risk, disease, study, diet, health
  • One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart disease
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    One cup of leafy green vegetables a day lowers risk of heart diseaseNew Edith Cowan University (ECU) research has found that by eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables each day people can significantly reduce their risk of heart disease. The study investigated whether people who regularly ate higher quantities of nitrate-rich vegetables, such as leafy greens and beetroot, had lower blood…
    Tags: disease, heart, risk, study, cardiovascular, health
  • Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffee
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    Déjà brew? Another shot for lovers of coffeeLong black, espresso, or latte, whatever your coffee preference, drink too much and you could be in hot water, especially when it comes to heart health. In a world first genetic study, researchers from the Australian Centre for Precision Health at the University of South Australia found that that long-term,…
    Tags: health, risk, heart, disease
  • Go (over) easy on the eggs: ‘Egg-cess’ consumption linked to diabetes
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    Go (over) easy on the eggs: ‘Egg-cess’ consumption linked to diabetesScrambled, poached or boiled, eggs are a popular breakfast food the world over. Yet the health benefits of the humble egg might not be all they're cracked up to be as new research from the University of South Australia shows that excess egg consumption can increase your risk of diabetes.…
    Tags: risk, health, adults, diet
  • Drinking any type of coffee associated with reduced risk of chronic liver disease
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    Drinking any type of coffee associated with reduced risk of chronic liver diseaseDrinking coffee that is caffeinated (ground or instant) or decaffeinated is associated with a reduced risk of developing chronic liver disease and related liver conditions, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Public Health. Researchers at the Universities of Southampton and Edinburgh, UK, found that drinking…
    Tags: disease, risk, study, participants, health

Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth

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An international research team has retraced the astonishing lifetime journey of an Arctic woolly mammoth, which covered enough of the Alaska landscape during its 28 years to almost circle the Earth twice.

Scientists gathered unprecedented details of its life through analysis of a 17,000-year-old fossil from the University of Alaska Museum of the North. By generating and studying isotopic data in the mammoth’s tusk, they were able to match its movements and diet with isotopic maps of the region.

Few details have been known about the lives and movements of woolly mammoths, and the study offers the first evidence that they traveled vast distances. An outline of the mammoth’s life is detailed in the new issue of the journal Science. [Read more…] about Study takes unprecedented peek into life of 17,000-year-old mammoth

Magnetic patterns hidden in meteorites reveal early Solar System dynamics

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Researchers have developed a novel technique to investigate the dynamics of the early Solar System by analyzing magnetites in meteorites utilizing the wave nature of electrons.

Within meteorites, the magnetic fields associated with the particles that make up the object can act as a historical record. By analyzing such magnetic fields, scientists can deduce the probable events that affected the object and reconstruct a time-lapse of what events occurred on the meteorite and when.

“Primitive meteorites are time capsules of primordial materials formed at the beginning of our Solar System,” said Yuki Kimura, an associate professor at the Institute of Low Temperature Science at Hokkaido University in Japan who led the study. “To understand the physical and chemical history of the Solar System, it is crucial to analyze various types of meteorites with different origins.” [Read more…] about Magnetic patterns hidden in meteorites reveal early Solar System dynamics

Exotic matter is in our sights

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Physicists have created a new way to observe details about the structure and composition of materials that improves upon previous methods.

Conventional spectroscopy changes the frequency of light shining on a sample over time to reveal details about them.

The new technique, Rabi-oscillation spectroscopy, does not need to explore a wide frequency range so can operate much more quickly. This method could be used to interrogate our best theories of matter in order to form a better understanding of the material universe. [Read more…] about Exotic matter is in our sights

Light therapy helps burn injuries heal faster by triggering growth protein

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Light therapy may accelerate the healing of burns, according to a University at Buffalo-led study.

The research, published in Scientific Reports, found that photobiomodulation therapy – a form of low-dose light therapy capable of relieving pain and promoting healing and tissue regeneration – sped up recovery from burns and reduced inflammation in mice by activating endogenous TGF‐beta 1, a protein that controls cell growth and division.

The findings may impact therapeutic treatments for burn injuries, which affect more than 6 million people worldwide each year, says lead investigator Praveen Arany, DDS, PhD, assistant professor of oral biology in the UB School of Dental Medicine. [Read more…] about Light therapy helps burn injuries heal faster by triggering growth protein

Rise in childhood short-sightedness may be linked to pandemic, suggests Hong Kong study

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The increase in cases of myopia (myopia) in children in Hong Kong may be associated with a significant decrease in the amount of time they were able to spend outdoors and a sharp increase in screen time during a coronavirus pandemic. I have. NS British Journal of Offtalmology..

By September 2020, researchers said more than 180 countries had closed schools and universities, affecting 1 billion learners, or 80% of the world’s students, to control the coronavirus march. Says.

Children are particularly severely affected, outdoor activities are restricted or banned, and socializing is severely restricted. Hong Kong is also one of the most densely populated cities in the world, with most residents living in small, high-rise apartments with little outdoor space. [Read more…] about Rise in childhood short-sightedness may be linked to pandemic, suggests Hong Kong study

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  • Kids who sleep with their pet still get a good night's rest: Concordia research
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    Kids who sleep with their pet still get a good night's rest: Concordia researchThere is a long-held belief that having your pet sleep on the bed is a bad idea. Aside from taking up space, noisy scratching, or triggering allergies, the most common assertion averred that your furry companion would disrupt your sleep. A new study published in the journal Sleep Health tells…
    Tags: children, news, health
  • Top educational apps for children might not be as beneficial as promised
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    Top educational apps for children might not be as beneficial as promisedLog on to any app store, and parents will find hundreds of options for children that claim to be educational. But new research suggests these apps might not be as beneficial to children as they seem. A new study analyzed some of the most downloaded educational apps for kids using…
    Tags: children, study, researchers, news
  • Covid-19 kept our parks busy, but not everyone ventured outside
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    Covid-19 kept our parks busy, but not everyone ventured outsidePublic use of parks and reserves increased only slightly during last year's Covid-19 national lockdown despite gyms and sports facilities shutting down, a University of Queensland study found. UQ School of Biological Sciences PhD candidate Violeta Berdejo-Espinola surveyed 1000 people in Brisbane, measuring their use of urban green space and…
    Tags: time, health, covid, news
  • Urban crime fell by over a third around the world during COVID-19 shutdowns, study suggests
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    Urban crime fell by over a third around the world during COVID-19 shutdowns, study suggestsA team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge and University of Utrecht examined trends in daily crime counts before and after COVID-19 restrictions were implemented in major metropolitan areas such as Barcelona, Chicago, Sao Paulo, Tel Aviv, Brisbane and London. While both stringency of lockdowns and the resulting…
    Tags: covid, study, researchers, news
  • Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’
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    Physical distancing policies ‘not enough to protect lower-income people’A new Boston University School of Public Health study of the first four months of America's coronavirus epidemic, published in the journal Nature Human Behaviour, shows that physical distancing (also called "social distancing") policies had little effect on lower income people still needing to leave their homes to go to work…
    Tags: covid, study, health, news

Can East Asian monsoon enhancement induce global cooling?

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The study of the orogenic effects of the Tibetan Plateau uplift on global climate during the Cenozoic has focused almost exclusively on the India-Asia collision zone, the Himalayas.

The strong erosion in the Himalayas was assumed to be a primary driver of Cenozoic atmospheric CO2 decline and global cooling predominantly through accelerating silicate chemical weathering in the India-Asia collision zone or through effective burial of organic carbon in the nearby Bengal Fan in South Asia.

However, the size of the India-Asia collision and the associated closure of the Tethys Ocean had a prominent effect on the reorganization of the climatic patterns beyond the collision zone. [Read more…] about Can East Asian monsoon enhancement induce global cooling?

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  • Climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years reconciled
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    Climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years reconciledPredictions of future climate change require a clear and nuanced understanding of Earth's past climate. In a study published today in Science Advances, University of Hawai'i (UH) at Mānoa oceanographers fully reconciled climate and carbon cycle trends of the past 50 million years--solving a controversy debated in the scientific literature for…
    Tags: carbon, cycle, climate, ocean, weathering, global, cenozoic, study, science