Body | Page 694 | Science Codex

Fish out of water are more common than thought

Fish have evolved the ability to live on land many times, challenging the perception that this extreme lifestyle shift was likely to have been a rare occurrence in ancient times, new UNSW Australia research shows.

"A fish out of water might seem an extraordinary thing, but in fact it is quite a common phenomenon," says study first author and UNSW evolutionary ecologist Dr Terry Ord. "Amphibious behaviour has evolved repeatedly in a wide diversity of present day fish, and the move onto land does not appear to be as difficult as has been presumed."

Hibernation study yields insights about organ protection

Novel adaptations discovered in hibernating animals may reveal ways to mitigate injuries associated with strokes, heart attacks and organ transplants, according to researchers at the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Duke University.

They described the adaptations in a paper published in the June issue of the journal Anesthesiology.

Early arrival gives bluebirds an edge in keeping nest sites

Finders, keepers: Mountain Bluebirds are more likely to defend nest cavities against competition from other birds such as swallows if they get there first, but climate change may disrupt the migratory timing that lets them beat their rivals to the punch, according to new research in The Auk: Ornithological Advances.

Cosmopolitan snow algae accelerate the melting of Arctic glaciers

The role of red pigmented snow algae in melting Arctic glaciers has been strongly underestimated, suggests a study to be published in NATURE Communications on June 22. White areas covered with snow and ice reflect sunlight; the effect is called albedo. It has been known for quite some time that red pigmented snow algae blooming on icy surfaces darken the surface which in turn leads to less albedo and a higher uptake of heat.

Landmark study gives clearest picture of genetic causes of bowel cancer

A landmark study has given the most detailed picture yet of the genetics of bowel cancer - the UK's fourth most common cancer.

The study examined all the genes from more than 1,000 people with bowel cancer and is the largest of its type ever conducted.

A team led by scientists at The Institute of Cancer Research, London, uncovered five new potential genes which, when mutated, appeared to cause bowel cancer in a very low proportion of cases.

Plastic debris and policy

PENSACOLA, Fla.--Captain Charles Moore introduced the world to the "Great Pacific Garbage Patch" in the mid-1990s. Since then, there has been increasing interest from scientists, the public and policy makers regarding plastic debris in the environment. A focus article in the July issue of the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry's journal, Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry, outlines the current research, identifies research gaps on plastic debris and reviews some of the weight of evidence regarding contamination, fate and effects of the material.

Healthy aging benefits may be associated with walnut consumption, according to research

Folsom, Calif., (June 22, 2016) - A new study published in the Journal of Nutrition suggests that consuming 1-2 servings of walnuts per week (1/4 cup per serving) was associated with reduced risk of developing impairments in physical function, which helps enable older women to maintain independence throughout the aging process. (1)

How hair helped the mouse outlive T-Rex

T. rex is considered the most ferocious creature in the prehistoric jungle, but mammal-like reptiles outlived the scary beast - and a new study shows it may have been due to something as simple as growing hair.

Diabetes raises risk of heart attack death by 50 percent

Having diabetes increases the risk of dying from the effects of a heart attack by around 50 per cent, according to a widespread study.

Researchers at the University of Leeds tracked 700,000 people who had been admitted to hospital with a heart attack between January 2003 and June 2013.

Of these, 121,000 had diabetes.

After stripping out the effects of age, sex, any other illnesses and differences in the emergency medical treatment received, the team found stark differences in survival rates.

Soft decoupling of organic molecules on metal

An international team has discovered an elegant way to decouple organic nanosheets grown on metal surfaces. After iodine intercalation, measurements at the synchrotron source BESSY II of Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin showed that a network of organic molecules behaved almost as it was free-standing. The strong influence of the metal on the network was reduced. This opens up new ways to transfer organic nanostructures from metal surfaces onto more suitable substrates for molecular electronics. The results have been published in Angewandte Chemie.

Childhood antibiotic treatments reduce diversity and stability of intestinal microbiota

The DIABIMMUNE project followed the development of 39 Finnish infants from birth to the age of three. Half of the children received 9-15 antibiotic treatments during the research period, and the other half did not receive any such treatments. Stool samples were collected from the children monthly between the ages of 2 and 36 months, for a total of 1069 samples. The study involved researchers from Aalto University, the University of Helsinki, Helsinki University Hospital and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard.

Bees are more productive in the city than in surrounding regions

Bees pollinate plants more frequently in the city than in the country even though they are more often infected with parasites, a factor which can shorten their lifespans. These were the findings of a study conducted by Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) in conjunction with the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig and the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ). The findings were recently published in Proceedings of the Royal Society B.

The absence of a single protein spurs muscle aging in mice

One of the alterations that most affects the quality of life of the elderly is muscle wastage and the resulting loss of strength, a condition known as sarcopenia. At about 55 years old, people begin to lose muscle mass, this loss continues into old age, at which point it becomes critical. The underlying causes of sarcopenia are unknown and thus no treatment is available for this condition.

Impulsive children raised in caring families drink less during adolescence

MONTRÉAL, June 22, 2016 - Years of research have shown that impulsivity in childhood is among the individual vulnerabilities leading to substance abuse, delinquency, as well as aggressive and antisocial behavior in adolescence and adulthood. Yet researchers from the CHU Sainte-Justine Mother-child Research Hospital and University of Montreal have discovered a reversal of this trend for those children when raised in a less coercive environment. "According to our results, labelling impulsive children as "vulnerable" should be reconsidered.

New radiotherapy regime for prostate cancer could save NHS tens of millions per year

New radiotherapy regime for prostate cancer could save NHS tens of millions per year

A shorter course of prostate cancer radiotherapy, involving fewer hospital visits and higher individual doses of radiotherapy, is as effective as the current standard treatment for both survival and quality of life, a major new study reports.

Researchers leading the 14-year trial - published in The Lancet Oncology today (Monday) - believe the new treatment schedule would be more convenient for patients and could save the NHS tens of millions of pounds per year.