Curated News: PNAS

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Released: 27-Jan-2023 5:20 PM EST
A new way to identify stresses in complex fluids
Purdue University

Fluid dynamics researchers use many techniques to study turbulent flows like ocean currents, or the swirling atmosphere of other planets.

Released: 27-Jan-2023 3:55 PM EST
When Indigenous communities have legal land rights, this Brazilian forest benefits
University of Colorado Boulder

A University of Colorado Boulder-led study shows that between 1985 and 2019 in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest, deforestation decreased and reforestation increased on lands where Indigenous communities had been able to complete a legal process to receive formal recognition of their ancestral lands.

Released: 25-Jan-2023 7:25 PM EST
Shark and ray populations rebounding in Northwestern Atlantic
Simon Fraser University

Better fisheries management and conservation is effective at turning the tide on the shark and ray declines, according to a study from Simon Fraser University researchers.

Newswise:Video Embedded stunningly-detailed-blueprint-revealed-of-viral-genome-replication-machinery
VIDEO
Released: 24-Jan-2023 5:05 PM EST
Stunningly detailed blueprint revealed of viral genome replication machinery
Morgridge Institute for Research

Wisconsin virologists have outlined in atomic detail the intricate RNA replication machines that coronaviruses create inside infected cells, giving rise to potential new strategies to fight disease.

   
Newswise: Alaskan island wolves caused a deer population to plummet
Released: 24-Jan-2023 2:40 PM EST
Alaskan island wolves caused a deer population to plummet
Oregon State University

Wolves on an Alaskan island caused a deer population to plumet and switched to primarily eating sea otters in just a few years, a finding scientists at Oregon State University and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game believe is the first case of sea otters becoming the primary food source for a land-based predator.

Newswise: Asteroid findings from specks of space dust could save the planet
Released: 24-Jan-2023 2:40 PM EST
Asteroid findings from specks of space dust could save the planet
Curtin University

Curtin University-led research into the durability and age of an ancient asteroid made of rocky rubble and dust, revealed significant findings that could contribute to potentially saving the planet if one ever hurtled toward Earth.

Newswise: Host-Cell Factors Involved in COVID-19 Infections May Augur Improved Treatments
Released: 23-Jan-2023 4:00 PM EST
Host-Cell Factors Involved in COVID-19 Infections May Augur Improved Treatments
University of California San Diego

Researchers at University of California San Diego and UC Riverside have further elucidated the molecular pathway used by the SARS-CoV-2 virus to infect human lung cells, identifying a key host-cell player that may prove a new and enduring therapeutic target for treating COVID-19.

Released: 23-Jan-2023 3:35 PM EST
Can Elephants Save the Planet?
Saint Louis University

In findings published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), Saint Louis University researchers and colleagues report that elephants play a key role in creating forests which store more atmospheric carbon and maintaining the biodiversity of forests in Africa. If the already critically endangered elephants become extinct, rainforest of central and west Africa, the second largest rainforest on earth, would gradually lose between six and nine percent of their ability to capture atmospheric carbon, amplifying planetary warming.

Released: 19-Jan-2023 4:35 PM EST
High frequency brain wave patterns in the motor cortex can predict an upcoming movement
University of Chicago Medical Center

A new study has found high frequency propagating activity patterns in the motor cortex that contain details of upcoming movement — information that could lead to the development of better brain-machine interfaces.

Newswise:Video Embedded study-identifies-cause-for-excessive-folding-of-gyri-in-human-cerebral-cortex
VIDEO
Released: 18-Jan-2023 12:30 PM EST
Study Identifies Cause for Excessive Folding of Gyri in Human Cerebral Cortex
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego researchers identify mutation that causes excessive folding in human brain’s wrinkly cerebral cortex, resulting in diminished cognitive function.

Newswise: The Mechanism Of Cosmic Magnetic Fields Explored in the Laboratory
Released: 17-Jan-2023 4:40 PM EST
The Mechanism Of Cosmic Magnetic Fields Explored in the Laboratory
Department of Energy, Office of Science

Recent research shows that magnetic fields can spontaneously emerge in a plasma if the plasma has a temperature anisotropy. This mechanism is known as the Weibel instability. This new research is the first to unambiguously observe the Weibel instability in the laboratory. It offers a possible solution to the problem of the origin of the microgauss-level magnetic fields that permeate the galaxies.

Newswise: Leonardo da Vinci’s paradox cracked
Released: 17-Jan-2023 3:05 PM EST
Leonardo da Vinci’s paradox cracked
University of Seville

Prof. Miguel Ángel Herrada, from the University of Seville, and Prof. Jens G. Eggers, from the University of Bristol, have discovered a mechanism to explain the unstable movement of bubbles rising in water.

Newswise: Ancient chimaeras were suction feeders, not shell crushers, new research shows
Released: 17-Jan-2023 1:20 PM EST
Ancient chimaeras were suction feeders, not shell crushers, new research shows
University of Birmingham

A rare three-dimensional fossil of an ancient chimaera has revealed new clues about the diversity of these creatures in the Carboniferous period, some 300 million years ago.

Released: 16-Jan-2023 3:30 PM EST
How the last 12,000 years have shaped what humans are today
Ohio State University

While humans have been evolving for millions of years, the past 12,000 years have been among the most dynamic and impactful for the way we live today, according to an anthropologist who organized a special journal feature on the topic. Our modern world all started with the advent of agriculture, said Clark Spencer Larsen, professor of anthropology.

   
Newswise: Researchers Create Smaller, Cheaper Flow Batteries for Clean Energy
Released: 13-Jan-2023 1:10 PM EST
Researchers Create Smaller, Cheaper Flow Batteries for Clean Energy
Georgia Institute of Technology

Flow batteries offer a solution. Electrolytes flow through electrochemical cells from storage tanks in this rechargeable battery. The existing flow battery technologies cost more than $200/kilowatt hour and are too expensive for practical application, but Liu’s lab in the School of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering (ChBE) developed a more compact flow battery cell configuration that reduces the size of the cell by 75%, and correspondingly reduces the size and cost of the entire flow battery. The work could revolutionize how everything from major commercial buildings to residential homes are powered.

Newswise: LJI scientists solve the mystery of why OGT enzyme is critical for cell survival
Released: 12-Jan-2023 1:10 PM EST
LJI scientists solve the mystery of why OGT enzyme is critical for cell survival
La Jolla Institute for Immunology

LA JOLLA, CA — Researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have at last uncovered how an enzyme called O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) keeps cells healthy. Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, reveals a key aspect of cellular biology and may lead to important medical advances.

   
Released: 10-Jan-2023 1:35 PM EST
Children near airports may be exposed to dangerous levels of lead
Oxford University Press

A new paper in PNAS Nexus, published by Oxford University Press, finds that children living near one California airport have higher lead levels in their blood.

Newswise: Discovery of metabolic switch could lead to targeted treatment of obesity, cancer
Released: 10-Jan-2023 1:00 PM EST
Discovery of metabolic switch could lead to targeted treatment of obesity, cancer
Iowa State University

Iowa State University researchers have discovered how to modify the function of an enzyme crucial to fat production in fruit flies, which could lead to more effective treatments of cancer and childhood obesity in humans.

Newswise: Climate ‘presses’ and ‘pulses’ impact Magellanic penguins — a marine predator — with guidance for conservationists
Released: 9-Jan-2023 3:45 PM EST
Climate ‘presses’ and ‘pulses’ impact Magellanic penguins — a marine predator — with guidance for conservationists
University of Washington

Researchers have discovered how short- and long-term climate trends have impacted Magellanic penguins — a migratory marine predator — over nearly four decades. Though individual events impacted penguins in a variety of ways, both were equally important for the future survival of this population.

Newswise: Warming oceans have decimated marine parasites — but that’s not a good thing
5-Jan-2023 7:30 PM EST
Warming oceans have decimated marine parasites — but that’s not a good thing
University of Washington

Save the ... parasites? Analyzing 140 years of parasite abundance in fish shows dramatic declines, especially in parasites that rely on three or more host species. The decline is linked to warming ocean temperatures. Parasitic species might be in real danger, researchers warn -- and that means not just fewer worms, but losses for the entire ecosystem.

Released: 5-Jan-2023 1:55 PM EST
Researchers Shed Light on How Exercise Preserves Physical Fitness During Aging
Joslin Diabetes Center

Researchers investigated the role of one cellular mechanism in improving physical fitness by exercise training and identified one anti-aging intervention that delayed the declines that occur with aging in the model organism.

Released: 4-Jan-2023 6:55 PM EST
Nature conservation needs to incorporate the human approach
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona

An international study led by the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) stresses the need to apply a biocultural approach in nature conservation programs.

Newswise: Incurable liver disease may prove curable
Released: 4-Jan-2023 4:00 PM EST
Incurable liver disease may prove curable
Sanford Burnham Prebys

Research has shown for the first time that the effects of Alagille syndrome, an incurable genetic disorder that affects the liver, could be reversed with a single drug. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, has the potential to transform treatment for this rare disease and may also have implications for more common diseases.

Newswise: Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness
Released: 4-Jan-2023 3:35 PM EST
Lab-grown retinal eye cells make successful connections, open door for clinical trials to treat blindness
University of Wisconsin–Madison

Retinal cells grown from stem cells can reach out and connect with neighbors, according to a new study, completing a “handshake” that may show the cells are ready for trials in humans with degenerative eye disorders.Over a decade ago, researchers from the University of Wisconsin–Madison developed a way to grow organized clusters of cells, called organoids, that resemble the retina, the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the eye.

Newswise: Dry eye disease alters how the eye’s cornea heals itself after injury
29-Dec-2022 3:15 PM EST
Dry eye disease alters how the eye’s cornea heals itself after injury
Washington University in St. Louis

Studying mice, researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found that proteins made by stem cells to help regenerate the cornea may become new targets for treating and preventing injuries to the cornea related to dry eye disease. When eyes are dry, the cornea is more susceptible to injury.

Newswise: Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age
Released: 28-Dec-2022 8:20 PM EST
Bering Land Bridge formed surprisingly late during last ice age
Princeton University

A new study shows that the Bering Land Bridge, the strip of land that once connected Asia to Alaska, emerged far later during the last ice age than previously thought.

   
Newswise: Slime for the climate, delivered by brown algae
Released: 27-Dec-2022 7:55 PM EST
Slime for the climate, delivered by brown algae
Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology

Brown algae are true wonder plants when it comes to absorbing carbon dioxide from the air.

Newswise: Spontaneous baby movements have purpose
Released: 27-Dec-2022 7:50 PM EST
Spontaneous baby movements have purpose
University of Tokyo

Spontaneous, random baby movements aid development of their sensorimotor system, according to new research led by the University of Tokyo.

Released: 27-Dec-2022 7:45 PM EST
Females on average perform better than males on a ‘theory of mind’ test across 57 countries
University of Cambridge

Females, on average, are better than males at putting themselves in others’ shoes and imagining what the other person is thinking or feeling, suggests a new study of over 300,000 people in 57 countries.

Released: 19-Dec-2022 4:25 PM EST
A New Way to Make Asthma Drugs Last Longer
Thomas Jefferson University

New research into making asthma and COPD medication more potent could also improve how long they work in patients who need frequent doses

Not for public release

This news release is embargoed until 19-Dec-2022 3:00 PM EST Released to reporters: 19-Dec-2022 9:30 AM EST

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Released: 8-Dec-2022 3:20 PM EST
FSU research links common sweetener with anxiety
Florida State University

Florida State University College of Medicine researchers have linked aspartame, an artificial sweetener found in nearly 5,000 diet foods and drinks, to anxiety-like behavior in mice. Along with producing anxiety in the mice who consumed aspartame, the effects extended up to two generations from the males exposed to the sweetener.

Newswise: Ground-breaking new method for multi-cancer early detection
Released: 7-Dec-2022 11:50 AM EST
Ground-breaking new method for multi-cancer early detection
Chalmers University of Technology

When cancer is detected at an early stage, the rates of survival increase drastically, but today only a few cancer types are screened for.

Released: 5-Dec-2022 3:15 PM EST
New blood test can detect ‘toxic’ protein years before Alzheimer’s symptoms emerge, study shows
University of Washington

Researchers can detect small "toxic" aggregates of a particular protein in the blood of individuals with Alzheimer's disease and in individuals who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the time the blood sample was taken, but who developed it at a later date.

Newswise: Whole Ecosystem Warming Stimulates Methane Production from Plant Metabolites in Peatlands
Released: 2-Dec-2022 2:20 PM EST
Whole Ecosystem Warming Stimulates Methane Production from Plant Metabolites in Peatlands
Department of Energy, Office of Science

While peatlands have historically stored massive amounts of soil carbon, warming is expected to enhance decomposition, leading to a positive climate change feedback effect. This study experimentally warmed peatlands in northern Minnesota and observed increased methane production relative to carbon dioxide release. This methane release process is likely to amplify global climate warming.

Released: 30-Nov-2022 12:30 PM EST
Researchers identify a new marker related to the dysfunction of the glymphatic system
University of Barcelona

A new study led by researchers from the University of Barcelona shows that wasteosomes —structures that act as containers for brain waste products— indicate a malfunction of the glymphatic system, a recently discovered system that is an important brain-cleaning mechanism.

Newswise: To track disease-carrying mosquitoes, researchers tag them with DNA barcodes
Released: 29-Nov-2022 7:50 PM EST
To track disease-carrying mosquitoes, researchers tag them with DNA barcodes
Colorado State University

West Nile, Zika, dengue and malaria are all diseases spread by bites from infected mosquitoes.

Released: 28-Nov-2022 3:25 PM EST
Study finds that big rains bring big algae blooms… eventually
University of Wisconsin–Madison

In the lake-rich regions of the world, algae blooms are a growing problem. Not only are the floating green scums a nuisance for anyone hoping to enjoy the water, they can turn toxic and threaten public health.The main driver behind these blooms is phosphorus, an element used widely in agriculture to fertilize crops, that can run from the land and into lakes — especially during heavy rains.

Newswise:Video Embedded the-swimming-habits-of-gelatinous-animals-are-inspiring-underwater-vehicle-design
VIDEO
22-Nov-2022 6:05 PM EST
The swimming habits of gelatinous animals are inspiring underwater vehicle design
University of Oregon

Two different swimming styles of a marine animal related to jellyfish let the animal prioritize speed or energy efficiency, depending on its current needs, a team of University of Oregon researchers found. The UO team, led by marine biologist Kelly Sutherland and postdoctoral researcher Kevin Du Clos, report their findings in a paper published Nov. 28 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Newswise: Americans Would Rather Harm Their Own Political Cause than Help an Opposing One
Released: 28-Nov-2022 12:00 PM EST
Americans Would Rather Harm Their Own Political Cause than Help an Opposing One
University of California San Diego

Both Democrats and Republicans would rather take away funding from their political party than give money to the other party, reveals a new University of California San Diego Rady School of Management study. The research also assesses people’s preferences regarding two other contentious issues—gun rights and reproductive rights—and finds the same result: people would rather hurt the cause they believe in than support one they oppose.

Newswise: Parsing the Genetic Drivers of Head and Neck Cancers
Released: 17-Nov-2022 4:05 PM EST
Parsing the Genetic Drivers of Head and Neck Cancers
University of California San Diego

UC San Diego researchers expand and deepen understanding of how genetic aberrations fuel human papilloma virus-negative head and neck cancers and, potentially, provide paths to further refinement and improvement of immune checkpoint inhibitors for HPV-negative head and neck cancers.

Released: 16-Nov-2022 7:30 PM EST
Got the sniffles? Here's how to make the right decision around family gatherings
University of Colorado Boulder

With what some are calling a “tripledemic” of COVID-19, the influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, soaring in many parts of the country, the holiday season will come with some tough decisions again this year.

   
Newswise: Copper a clue in the fight against cancer
Released: 10-Nov-2022 1:25 PM EST
Copper a clue in the fight against cancer
Chalmers University of Technology

For cancer cells to grow and spread around the human body, they need proteins that bind copper ions.

Released: 9-Nov-2022 3:05 PM EST
Fertilizers change how bumblebees ‘see’ flowers
Oxford University Press

A new paper in PNAS Nexus, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that chemicals used in agriculture, like fertilizers and pesticides, can change the way bees ‘see’ a flower, and that this reduces the number of bees visiting a flower.

Newswise: Fertilisers Limit Pollination by Changing How Bumblebees Sense Flowers
7-Nov-2022 9:40 AM EST
Fertilisers Limit Pollination by Changing How Bumblebees Sense Flowers
University of Bristol

Pollinators are less likely to land on flowers sprayed with fertilisers or pesticides as they can detect electric field changes around the flower, researchers at the University of Bristol have found.

Newswise: Experiment unveils Berry curvature mechanism for linear positive magnetoresistance
Released: 8-Nov-2022 7:35 PM EST
Experiment unveils Berry curvature mechanism for linear positive magnetoresistance
Chinese Academy of Sciences

A research group lead by Prof. LIU Enke from the Institute of Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) has established a physical model of Berry-curvature-dominated linear positive magnetoresistance (LPMR), providing experimental evidence for this mechanism.

Newswise: Novel atlas shows vast urban infrastructure divide between Global South and Global North
Released: 8-Nov-2022 4:25 PM EST
Novel atlas shows vast urban infrastructure divide between Global South and Global North
Iowa State University

New data from an international research team adds another dimension – literally – to understanding the economic and environmental impacts of how cities are built. Using satellite mapping, researchers measured the height of built-up infrastructure in urban areas across the globe, which could improve projections of energy use and emissions and inform city planning and economic development efforts, including progression toward the United Nations sustainable development goals.

Newswise: Study Shows When Society Worries About Covid Concerns About Climate Change Subside
Released: 18-Oct-2022 3:30 PM EDT
Study Shows When Society Worries About Covid Concerns About Climate Change Subside
Stony Brook University

In a study that analyzed nearly 19 million publicly available tweets from 2019 to 2021, researchers found consistently that as the number of Covid-19 cases and deaths increased, fewer tweets about climate change -- another urgent global issue -- occurred.

13-Oct-2022 10:35 AM EDT
Targeting Enzyme Could Alleviate Muscle Wasting for Cancer Patients
University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Targeting a specific enzyme in the muscle could help cancer patients preserve muscle mass and potentially prolong their survival, according to research from UTHealth Houston.

Released: 13-Oct-2022 12:30 AM EDT
Researchers develop system for generating oxygen within cells
Massachusetts General Hospital

With a newly developed technology, scientists can engineer cells to produce oxygen on demand in response to an added chemical



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