New Study Doubles the Estimate of Bird Species in the World
American Museum of Natural HistoryNumber of avian species soars to 18,000
Number of avian species soars to 18,000
Extinctions related to climate change have already happened in hundreds of plant and animal species around the world. New research, publishing on December 8th in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, shows that local extinctions have already occurred in 47% of the 976 plant and animal species studied.
Simon Fraser University researchers have found that high-resolution brain scans, coupled with computational analysis, could play a critical role in helping to detect concussions that conventional scans might miss.
Until now, a pathogen’s ability to move through the body has been overlooked as a possible trigger of immune response, but new research from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine found that motility will indeed alarm the host and activate an immune response.
Evidence preserved in the internal skeletal structure of the world-famous fossil, Lucy, suggests the ancient human species frequently climbed trees, according to a new analysis by scientists from The Johns Hopkins University and The University of Texas at Austin.
Australopithecus afarensis arm bones were strong relative to leg bones; walking gait was likely inefficient
New research by mathematics Professor Richard Bertram has successfully reactivated oscillations in insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells — one of the first necessary steps to resurrecting the dormant cells and restoring the production of insulin.
Researchers at Indiana University's Biocomplexity Institute have developed a virtual model of the human liver to better understand how the organ metabolizes acetaminophen, a common non-prescription painkiller and fever-reducer used in over-the-counter drugs such as Tylenol. The software could be used to help reduce the risk of liver failure and overdose death in this and other drugs.
UCLA study looks at theta burst stimulation as intervention in problem behaviors
A laboratory study of four animal species and their microbiota finds that each species hosts a unique community of microbes that can significantly improve its health and fitness.
Mental disorders and physical diseases frequently go hand in hand. For the first time, psychologists at the University of Basel and Ruhr University Bochum have identified temporal patterns in young people: arthritis and diseases of the digestive system are more common after depression, while anxiety disorders tend to be followed by skin diseases.
While some people rely more on reason and evidence than others when deciding on their beliefs, a new report suggests people can also come to see a reliance on reason and evidence as a moral issue – to see the rationality of another's beliefs as indicative of their morality.
Where’s the best place to start when retracing the life of a person who lived 4,000 years ago? Turns out, it’s simple -- you start at the beginning.
Mice with healthy immune systems could provide new insights into Zika virus pathology and treatment.
New Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health-led research suggests that some workers at industrial hog production facilities are not only carrying livestock-associated, antibiotic-resistant bacteria in their noses, but may also be developing skin infections from these bacteria.
Major forest die-offs due to drought, heat and beetle infestations or deforestation could have consequences far beyond the local landscape. Wiping out an entire forest can have significant effects on global climate patterns and alter vegetation on the other side of the world.
A program that brings live fish into K-12 classrooms to teach the fundamentals of biology not only helps students learn, but improves their attitudes about science, a study finds.
The use of smartphones enhances self-reporting of weather incidents, school attendance, illness, and other aspects of daily life in rural areas, a team of researchers has found. Its pilot study indicates that such technologies have the potential to transform data collection in these regions, providing near-real-time windows into the development of markets, the spread of diseases, and the diffusion of ideas and innovations.
Researchers at University of California San Diego School of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine and the Omni-Net Birth Defects Prevention Program in Ukraine have identified a blood test that may help predict how severely a baby will be affected by alcohol exposure during pregnancy.
Larger populations allowed humans to shed weakly deleterious gene variants that were widespread in Neanderthals.
A Northwestern University study of the collaboration patterns sheds light on how the experiences of STEM female and male faculty vary. Researchers have found that female faculty (in six different disciplines) have as many collaborators, or co-authors, as male faculty and that female faculty tend to return to the same collaborators a little less than males. But they also found that females are underrepresented in large teams in genomics (a subdiscipline of molecular biology), which could indicate a negative cultural milieu.
Three low-carb meals within 24 hours lowers post-meal insulin resistance by more than 30 percent, but high-carb meals sustain insulin resistance, a condition that leads to high blood pressure, prediabetes and diabetes, according to a University of Michigan study.
While positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbians have increased over recent decades, a new study led by researchers at IU’s Center for Sexual Health Promotion shows attitudes toward bisexual men and women are relatively neutral, if not ambivalent.
Cornell University researchers have confirmed a genetic link between mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed on from the mother, and some forms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
Scientists have identified for the first time the region in the brain responsible for the “placebo effect” in pain relief, when a fake treatment actually results in substantial reduction of pain, according to new research from Northwestern Medicine and the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC). Pinpointing the sweet spot of the pain killing placebo effect could result in the design of more personalized medicine for the 100 million Americans with chronic pain.
Salmonella has a unique characteristic that allows the bacteria to penetrate through cell barriers and replicate inside its host. Now, scientists at the Cancer Research Center and the University of Missouri have developed a non-toxic strain of Salmonella to penetrate and target cancer cells. Results from this study could lead to promising new treatments that actively target and control the spread of cancer.
Upper Paleolithic humans may have hunted cave lions for their pelts, perhaps contributing to their extinction, according to a study published October 26, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marián Cueto from the Universidad de Cantabria, Spain, and colleagues.
Upper Paleolithic humans may have hunted cave lions for their pelts, perhaps contributing to their extinction, according to a study published October 26, 2016 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Marián Cueto from the Universidad de Cantabria, Spain, and colleagues.
Th17 cells, a type of white blood cells, protects against the Trypansoma cruzi parasite, which is spread by kissing bugs and causes Chagas disease.
UAB doctors say stroke prevention treatments are not one-size-fits-all, and treatment options can be individualized using this hierarchical ranking.
Patients with disseminated advanced cancer who undergo surgery are far more likely to endure long hospital stays and readmissions, referrals to extended care facilities and death, UC Davis researchers have found.
A study of patient electronic medical records and genome sequences from adults with age-related hearing impairment by researchers at UC San Francisco and Kaiser Permanente Northern California, identified two genetic variations linked to the hearing disorder.
Scientists at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the Great Lakes Bioenergy Research Center (GLBRC) have found a way to nearly double the efficiency with which a commonly used industrial yeast strain converts plant sugars to biofuel. The newly engineered “super yeast” could boost the economics of making ethanol, specialty biofuels and bioproducts.
A new study led by corresponding author Dr. Laura Reed suggests that a device called the TreadWheel can be used to study the benefits of exercise on Drosophila — fruit flies.
A rare variant in the TM2D3 gene linked to increased risk and earlier onset of Alzheimer’s disease.
Modern European cities and medieval cities share a population-density-to-area relationship, a new paper concludes – the latest research to find regularities in human settlement patterns across space and time.
People who retain a particular bacterium in their gut after a bout of food poisoning may be at an increased risk of developing Crohn’s disease later in life, according to a new study led by researchers at McMaster University.
Watching each other helps these social insects learn to pull strings for a sugar water reward.
A team of Michigan State University researchers has found that consuming an omega-3 fatty acid called DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, can stop a known trigger of lupus and potentially other autoimmune disorders.
Ancient artifacts found at an archeological site in Argentina suggest that humans occupied South America earlier than previously thought.
Ancient artifacts found at an archeological site in Argentina suggest that humans occupied South America earlier than previously thought.
Current methods to control epilepsy are not only inefficient but haven’t improved in more than 150 years when the first anticonvulsant drug was developed. Researchers have opened up the possibilities for rapid drug screens to treat seizures in the near future by developing the smallest whole-animal electroconvulsive seizure model using a microscopic nematode worm.
University of Sydney researchers have confirmed widespread bias in industry-funded research into artificial sweeteners, which is potentially misleading millions by overstating their health benefits.
University of Sydney researchers have confirmed widespread bias in industry-funded research into artificial sweeteners, which is potentially misleading millions by overstating their health benefits.
Stimulating the brain via electricity or other means may help ease symptoms of various neurological and psychiatric disorders, with the method already used to treat conditions from epilepsy to depression. But what really happens when doctors zap the brain?
Trophy hunters can play an important role in lion conservation, researchers from the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology have shown.
Trophy hunters can play an important role in lion conservation, researchers from the University’s Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology have shown.
A team's finding that CRISPR-Cas9 is a reliable method for multi-gene editing of this particular plant species was published in PLOS ONE on Sept. 13.
Over 100 million women are on hormonal contraceptives. All of them contain some form of progesterone, either alone or in combination with estrogen. A study published on Sept. 15th in PLOS Pathogens reports that treatment with progesterone protects female mice against the consequences of influenza infection by reducing inflammation and improving pulmonary function, primarily through upregulation of amphiregulin in lung cells.
Over 100 million women are on hormonal contraceptives. All of them contain some form of progesterone, either alone or in combination with estrogen. A study published on Sept. 15th in PLOS Pathogens reports that treatment with progesterone protects female mice against the consequences of influenza infection by reducing inflammation and improving pulmonary function, primarily through upregulation of amphiregulin in lung cells.