Eurekalert


The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Updated: 3 years 9 months ago
Asthma attacks plummeted among Black and hispanic/latinx individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic
Asthma attacks account for almost 50 percent of the cost of asthma care which totals $80 billion each year in the United States. Asthma is more severe in Black and Hispanic/Latinx patients, with double the rates of attacks and hospitalizations as the general population.
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By age 10, retinoblastoma patients' learning and life skills rebound
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital researchers studied how retinoblastoma survivors fared years later at home and at school.
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Researchers speed identification of DNA regions that regulate gene expression
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital scientists have developed a highly efficient method to address a major challenge in biology--identifying the genetic 'switches' that regulate gene expression.
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In a cell-eat-cell world calcium ions activate 'eat-me' signal in necrotic cells
Researchers discovered what activates the 'eat-me' signal that prompts the elimination of necrotic cells.
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Healthy young adults who had COVID-19 may have long-term impact on blood vessels and heart health
New research published in Experimental Physiology highlight the possible long term health impacts of COVID-19 on young, relatively healthy adults who were not hospitalized and who only had minor symptoms due to the virus.
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Physicists describe new type of aurora
The famed northern and southern lights have been studied for millennia, but they still hold secrets. In a new study, physicists led by the University of Iowa describe a new phenomenon they call "diffuse auroral erasers," in which patches of the background glow are blotted out, then suddenly intensify and reappear.
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Physicists find a novel way to switch antiferromagnetism on and off
MIT physicists have found a novel way to switch antiferromagnetism on and off, which could lead to faster, more secure memory storage.
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Blocking viruses' exit strategy
The Marburg virus, a relative of Ebola, likewise causes a dangerous and often fatal disease. In a study co-led by the University of Pennsylvania's Ronald Harty, an experimental antiviral drug, which prevents the virus from exiting host cells and spreading to new cells, showed promising results. The researchers are also encouraged by similarities in the drug's response against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
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New boost in quantum technologies
In an international collaboration, researchers at the University of Stuttgart were able to detect quantum bits in two-dimensional materials for the first time. Nature Materials covers this in its May 6, 2021 issue.
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The COVID-19 pandemic: Even mild disease impacts mental health
A significant level of symptoms of depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress may follow COVID-19 independent of any previous psychiatric diagnoses. Exposure to increased symptomatic levels of COVID-19 may be associated with psychiatric symptoms after the acute phase of the disease. This is the largest study to evaluate depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress symptoms in tandem among patients who had mild COVID-19 disease. The findings shed light on a significant subpopulation at risk for mental symptoms.
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Research breakthrough in the fight against cancer
A team of researchers at the Center for Bioactive Delivery at the University of Massachusetts Amherst's Institute for Applied Life Sciences has engineered a nanoparticle that has the potential to revolutionize disease treatment, including for cancer.
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India's polio vaccination provides valuable insights for mass vaccination campaigns
As India urgently scales up its vaccination campaign for the COVID-19 virus, a new study which examined the country's successful program to eliminate polio provides guidance on how this and future mass immunization campaigns can be successful, especially in vaccinating hard to reach groups.
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Archaeal enzyme that produces membrane lipids is spectacularly promiscuous
Cells of all life forms are surrounded by a membrane that is made of phospholipids. One of these are the cardiolipins. When studying the enzyme that is responsible for producing cardiolipins in archaea (single-cell organisms that constitute a separate domain of life), biochemists at the University of Groningen made a surprising discovery. A single archaeal enzyme can produce a spectacular range of natural and non-natural cardiolipins, as well as other phospholipids.
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In the Alps, climate change affects biodiversity
A team of ecologists has published a review that quantifies seasonal changes and elevational movements of more than 2,000 species of plants, animals and fungi that live in the Alps. This review shows that species have shifted their life cycles earlier during the season and their distribution higher along the elevational gradient, but that the average velocity of range shift, which varies from species to species, is often lagging behind the velocity of climate change.
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Not so wicked after all?
Although the fairy tale of the wicked stepmother is a tale as old as time, the effects of blending children with their new stepfamilies may not be as grim as once thought.In fact, new research shows that stepparents are not at a disadvantage compared to their peers from single-parent households and actually experience better outcomes than their halfsiblings -- good news for the more than 113 million Americans that are part of a steprelationship.
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The origin of reproductive organs
Early in fetal development, a mass of cells known as the bipotential gonad has the possibility of giving rise either to ovaries or testes, reproductive organs that contribute to many of the characteristics that define a person's sex. In a new study, the University of Pennsylvania's Kotaro Sasaki and colleagues pinpoint the origins of that precursor gland.
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UChicago Medicine's ED maintains HIV screening despite pandemic interruptions
A new report in JAMA Internal Medicine demonstrates how incorporating blood tests for HIV into standard COVID-19 screening in the emergency department allowed UChicago Medicine to maintain HIV screening volume during the pandemic.
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FAST detects 3D spin-velocity alignment in a pulsar
Based on sensitive FAST observations toward the supernova remnant S147, a research team led by LI Di from NAOC has found the first evidence for 3D spin-velocity alignment in a pulsar. This finding helps reveal the mystery regarding the origin of pulsar spins. It also demonstrates the potential of FAST to make major contribution to further our understanding of neutron stars.
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Discovery of genetic drivers linked to progression in Parkinson's disease
A new study from the Brigham uncovers the genetic architecture of progression and prognosis, identifying five genetic locations (loci) associated with progression. The team also developed the first risk score for predicting progression of PD over time to dementia, a major determinant of quality of life.
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Temperature explains why aquatic life more diverse near equator
New research from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Yale University and Stanford University suggests that temperature can largely explain why the greatest variety of aquatic life resides in the tropics -- but also why it has not always and, amid record-fast global warming, soon may not again.
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