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Ray of hope for magazines in digital era

There is a ray of hope for magazines that do it right.

While print media continue to suffer at the hands of their online counterparts, new research from the University of Toronto Scarborough finds that print magazines with companion websites are able to attract more advertising dollars.

Trees grow faster and store more carbon as they age

Trees put on weight faster and faster as they grow older, according to a new study in the journal Nature. The finding that most trees' growth accelerates as they age suggests that large, old trees may play an unexpectedly dynamic role in removing carbon from the atmosphere.

Oldest trees are growing faster, storing more carbon as they age

CORVALLIS, Ore. – In a finding that overturns the conventional view that large old trees are unproductive, scientists have determined that for most species, the biggest trees increase their growth rates and sequester more carbon as they age.

Research advancements made in diabetes-induced blindness

LOS ANGELES (January 15, 2014) – Investigators at the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute have identified new molecular abnormalities in the diabetic cornea that could contribute to eye problems in affected patients. With this new knowledge, investigators aim to accelerate the process of healing and repair in damaged corneas to ultimately reverse the effects of diabetes-induced eye complications.

Alaskan caribou and ptarmigan migrations recorded

In the February issue of BioScience, biologists describe the first-of-a-kind recording of caribou and ptarmigan migrations made with 14 automated cameras positioned in the northern foothills of the Brooks Range, Alaska. By analyzing some 40,000 images of the tundra landscape, Ken D. Tape of the University of Alaska and David D. Gustine of the US Geological Survey documented the northern spring migrations of both species.

New strategy emerges for fighting drug-resistant malaria

Malaria is one of the most deadly infectious diseases in the world today, claiming the lives of over half a million people every year, and the recent emergence of parasites resistant to current treatments threatens to undermine efforts to control the disease. Researchers are now onto a new strategy to defeat drug-resistant strains of the parasite. Their report appears in the journal ACS Chemical Biology.

Diabetes blood glucose targets are risk free, research shows

Diabetes research led by the University of Exeter Medical School has underlined the importance of people with diabetes achieving their blood sugar goals, to reduce the risk of complications.

The team analysed people with a specific genetic change (Glucokinase Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young, or MODY), which means they have elevated blood glucose levels from birth. These higher levels mimic guidelines issued to people with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.

Ants protect acacia plants against pathogens

The biological term "symbiosis" refers to what economists and politicians usually call a win-win situation: a relationship between two partners which is beneficial to both. The mutualistic association between acacia plants and the ants that live on them is an excellent example: The plants provide food and accommodation in the form of food bodies and nectar as well as hollow thorns which can be used as nests. The ants return this favor by protecting the plants against herbivores.

Discovery of an early predictor of increased diabetes risk

Montréal, January 15, 2014 – A Montréal research team led by Jennifer Estall at the IRCM discovered that a protein found in muscle tissue may contribute to the development of type 2 diabetes later in life. The study's results, published in today's printed edition of the scientific journal American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism, indicate that the protein could be a promising early predictor of increased diabetes risk.

Coral reefs in Palau surprisingly resistant to naturally acidified waters

Ocean researchers working on the coral reefs of Palau in 2011 and 2012 made two unexpected discoveries that could provide insight into corals' resistance and resilience to ocean acidification, and aid in the creation of a plan to protect them.

The team collected water samples at nine points along a transect that stretched from the open ocean, across the barrier reef, into the lagoon and then into the bays and inlets around the Rock Islands of Palau, in the western Pacific Ocean. With each location they found that the seawater became increasingly acidic as they moved toward land.

First comprehensive test to detect genetic modification in food

As the abundance of genetically modified (GM) foods continues to grow, so does the demand for monitoring and labeling them. The genes of GM plants used for food are tweaked to make them more healthful or pest-resistant, but some consumers are wary of such changes. To help inform shoppers and enforce regulations, scientists are reporting in ACS' journal Analytical Chemistry the first comprehensive method to detect genetic modifications in one convenient, accurate test.

Finally, a way to authenticate premium chocolate

For some people, nothing can top a morsel of luxuriously rich, premium chocolate. But until now, other than depending on their taste buds, chocolate connoisseurs had no way of knowing whether they were getting what they paid for. In ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, scientists are reporting, for the first time, a method to authenticate the varietal purity and origin of cacao beans, the source of chocolate's main ingredient, cocoa.

Take a stand and be active to reduce chronic disease, make aging easier, research finds

MANHATTAN, KAN. -- People who decrease sitting time and increase physical activity have a lower risk of chronic disease, according to Kansas State University research.

Even standing throughout the day -- instead of sitting for hours at a time -- can improve health and quality of life while reducing the risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, breast cancer and colon cancer, among others.

Don't just sit there! Prolonged sitting linked to early mortality in women

ITHACA, N.Y. – A woman's body at rest will remain at rest – and that means health woes for older women.

Leukemia: mode of action of a targeted treatment clarified

This action model could be activated in other types of cancers.