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Textbook story of how humans populated America is 'biologically unviable,' study finds

The established theory about the route by which Ice Age peoples first reached the present-day United States has been challenged by an unprecedented study which concludes that their supposed entry route was "biologically unviable".

The first people to reach the Americas crossed via an ancient land bridge between Siberia and Alaska but then, according to conventional wisdom, had to wait until two huge ice sheets that covered what is now Canada started to recede, creating the so-called "ice-free corridor" which enabled them to move south.

Stanford researchers devise method for bone marrow transplants without using chemotherapy

Blood stem cell transplantation, widely known as bone marrow transplantation, is a powerful technique that potentially can provide a lifelong cure for a variety of diseases. But the procedure is so toxic that it is currently used to treat only the most critical cases.

Increased risk suicide death associated with hospitalization for infection

Being hospitalized with infection was associated with an increased risk of suicide death and the highest risk of suicide was among those individuals with hepatitis and HIV or AIDS, according to a study published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

While psychological predictors of suicide have been studied extensively, less attention has been paid to the effect of biological factors, such as infection.

In a race for Cheetos, magpies win, but crows steal

Black-billed magpies and American crows, both members of the clever corvid family of birds, have adapted comfortably to life in urban and suburban communities. In Jackson Hole, Wyoming, the two species often nest nearby each other in backyards and parks. Nesting near their much larger crow cousins affords magpies a margin of extra safety from a common enemy--ravens, an even larger corvid species.

Is depression in parents, grandparents linked to grandchildren's depression?

Having both parents and grandparents with major depressive disorder (MDD) was associated with higher risk of MDD for grandchildren, which could help identify those who may benefit from early intervention, according to a study published online by JAMA Psychiatry.

It is well known that having depressed parents increases children's risk of psychiatric disorders. There are no published studies of depression examining three generations with grandchildren in the age of risk for depression and with direct interviews of all family members.

Syracuse University researchers confirm marine animals live longer at high latitudes

Researchers in the Department of Earth Sciences have shown that high-latitude bivalves live longer and grow slower than those in the tropics. Their findings are the subject of an article in the "Proceedings of the Royal Society B" (The Royal Society, 2016).

David Moss, a Ph.D. student in the Earth sciences department, located in the College of Arts and Sciences, is the article's lead author.

Low risk of developing persistent opioid use after major surgery

In a study published online by JAMA Surgery, Hance A. Clarke, M.D., Ph.D., F.R.C.P.C., of Toronto Western Hospital, Toronto, Canada, and colleagues measured rates of ongoing opioid use up to 1 year after major surgery.

Exposure to opioids is largely unavoidable after major surgery because they are routinely used to treat postoperative pain. Nonetheless, continued long-term opioid use has negative health consequences including opioid dependence. There are limited data on the risk of previously opioid-naive individuals developing persistent postoperative opioid use.

Preoperative factors associated with long-term weight loss after gastric bypass surgery

In a study published online by JAMA Surgery, Michelle R. Lent, Ph.D., of the Geisinger Clinic, Danville, Pa., and colleagues evaluated the association between preoperative clinical factors and long-term weight loss after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).

Study: Paying terrorist kidnappers doesn't pay off for countries

Paying ransoms to terrorist kidnappers may encourage more abductions and worsen the situation for others, according to new research from UT Dallas.

Countries that negotiated with terrorists to release hostages faced up to 87 percent more kidnappings than those that did not pay ransoms, according to the research, which was recently published in the European Journal of Political Economy.

Fusobacteria use a special sugar-binding protein to bind to colon tumors

Boston, MA - Some bacteria, called fusobacteria, commonly found in the mouth, use a sugar-binding protein to stick to developing colorectal polyps and cancers, according to a new study by researchers from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Dental Medicine. While certain fusobacteria have previously been shown to worsen colorectal cancer in animals by the Garrett Lab at Harvard Chan School, this study is the first to demonstrate how they may get to and stick to developing tumors.

Cancer drug for mums-to-be may curb baby girls' future fertility

Chemotherapy treatment during pregnancy may affect the future fertility of unborn baby girls, a study suggests.

Researchers have found that a drug called etoposide can damage the development of mouse ovary tissue grown in the lab.

The drug affects specialised cells called germ cells, which give rise to eggs. Further research is needed to assess whether the drug has similar effects on human tissue.

Experts say their findings may mean that affected baby girls should be warned in later life that they may undergo an early menopause.

Discovery of key component of HIV virus yields new drug target

Scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge and University College London have discovered an essential feature of the HIV virus that it uses to infect cells whilst avoiding detection by the immune system. This discovery, published in Nature, presents a new drug target and the opportunity to re-evaluate existing treatments for HIV to improve their efficacy.

Frozen embryos more effective than fresh in women with polycystic ovary syndrome

Women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who receive frozen embryos during in vitro fertilization have safer and more successful pregnancies than those who get fresh embryos, according to the results of a recent collaboration between Penn State College of Medicine and Chinese researchers.

New gene linked to inherited lung disease via disrupted telomerase

Johns Hopkins researchers say they have identified a new disease gene that, when mutated, appears to increase the risk in a small number of people of developing emphysema and a lung-scarring condition known as pulmonary fibrosis.

The affected gene, NAF1, joins a handful of genes in which mutations increase the risk of certain disorders linked to malfunctioning, shortened telomeres -- the protective "caps" or ends of chromosomes.

Huge potential: Bone marrow transplants - without using chemotherapy (!)

Scientists have devised a way to destroy blood stem cells in mice without using chemotherapy or radiotherapy, both of which have toxic side effects.

Blood stem cell transplantation, widely known as bone marrow transplantation, is a powerful technique that potentially can provide a lifelong cure for a variety of diseases. But the procedure is so toxic that it is currently used to treat only the most critical cases.