Curated News: PLOS

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Authors of a new paper recently published in the peer-review journal PLOS One have developed a new Bloom Severity Index and a new Respiratory Irritation Index for red tide blooms in the Gulf of Mexico — the first standardized and objective way to gauge how severe red tides are.

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Mirror Self-Recognition (MSR) is seen as evidence for self-awareness and passing the mark test, in which animals touch or scrape a mark placed on their body in a location that can only be indirectly viewed in a mirror, is used to determine the capacity of an animal for MSR.

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The SARS-CoV-2 virus is continuously evolving and structural changes to the virus may impact the efficacy of antibody therapies and vaccines. A study publishing February 17th in PLOS Pathogens by Anshumali Mittal at the University of Pittsburgh, USA and colleagues describes the structural and functional landscape of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and discuss the effects of mutations on the virus spike protein that may allow it to evade antibody responses.

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New studies emerge daily on the effect of the human microbiome on human health: colon cancer, ulcers, and cognitive conditions such as Alzheimer's disease have been associated with the communities of microbes that live in our bodies.

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The brain’s ability to clear a protein closely linked to Alzheimer’s disease is tied to our circadian cycle, according to research published in PLOS Genetics.

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A research survey of more than 1,100 people in the United States found that when COVID-19 testing wasn't available in their community, participants showed significantly greater intentions to engage in risky behavior, possibly leading to increased transmission of the virus. Testing availability appears to play an independent role in influencing behaviors facilitating COVID-19 transmission, even when controlling for a clinical diagnosis of the virus. Such findings shed light on the potential behavioral consequences associated with both the unavailability of tests and negative test results.

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A number of existing strains of SARS-CoV-2, as well as other future variants that could arise, have the potential to escape the immune system’s cytotoxic T cell response in some portion of the population. That’s the conclusion of a new modeling study publishing February 10th in PLOS Computational Biology.

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New research by University of Oregon biologists has found that the intestines help regulate the gut’s acidity, which helps keep their bacterial communities in balance. Microbiologist Karen Guillemin and neuroscientist Judith Eisen will publish their findings February 1 in the journal PLOS Pathogens. In the study, they used a common heartburn medication in zebrafish to alter gut acidity and change microbial communities. Scientists have known for years that gut bacteria are important for digestive health. And other studies have demonstrated a strong connection between the gut and the brain. The new work links those two mostly distinct areas of research together.

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Asymptomatic COVID-19 cases are the bane of computer modelers’ existences--they throw off the modeling data to an unknown degree. You can’t measure what you can’t detect, right? A new approach from Los Alamos National Laboratory’s Theoretical Division, however, explores using historic epidemic data from eight different countries to estimate the transmission rate and fraction of under-reported cases.

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A new model, available as an online calculator, estimates the impact of dietary changes on life expectancy.

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In a world first discovery, a team of researchers led by the University of South Australia have uncovered that blossom bats play a unique role in the pollination of the Fijian Dillenia biflora trees.

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A region crossing the folded surface of the top of the brain, called the dorsal precentral gyrus, plays an essential role in how people use the sound of their voices to control how they want the words to sound, a new study shows.

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A new commentary in the inaugural issue of PLOS Climate by two researchers, including Stony Brook University’s Professor Kevin A. Reed, calls for developed nations to direct resources toward operationalizing extreme weather events and impact attribution.

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High-resolution modeling suggests significant loss of locations that protect against thermal stress.

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A new article published today in PLOS ONE by a Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)’s Institute of Archaeology team and colleagues focused on the remains of a previously submerged fisher-hunter-gatherer camp on the shores of the Sea of Galilee from around 23,000 years ago.

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George Washington University researchers have developed a blood test that quickly detects if someone has COVID-19 and predicts how severely the immune system will react to the infection, according to a new study coming out today in PLOS One. The findings could one day lead to a powerful tool to help doctors determine the best treatment plan for people with COVID-19.

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Blocking a key protein found in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes—the principal vector for malaria transmission to humans in Africa—could thwart infection with malaria parasites and thus prevent them from transmitting the parasites to humans, according to a study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Taking the emotional temperature of your co-workers is easier when you spend your days in an office. Bursts of laughter, uncomfortable body language and flashes of anger are easy to see when you sit across the table from your co-worker.

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For the first time, University of Utah Health scientists have shown that artificial intelligence could lead to better ways to predict the onset and course of cardiovascular disease.

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New pose estimation software has the potential to help neurologists and their patients capture important clinical data using simple tools such as smartphones and tablets, according to a study by Johns Hopkins Medicine...

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Modeled on the annual surveillance tool that the CDC and public health departments have used for the past 35 years for new mothers called PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System), PRAMS for Dads for the first time provides data on the unique needs of new fathers.

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The U.S. pandemic lockdown in 2020 caused a $2.3 trillion economic downturn and split the nation politically, and now some European nations are locking down again as Omicron surges through the global population.

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A study led by UC Davis has found significant gut bacteria profile differences between Black and white women, even after accounting for their insulin sensitivity status.

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A new nationwide study led by Penn State College of Medicine found that women with obesity and unexplained infertility who lost weight prior to starting infertility treatments did not have a greater chance of having a healthy baby than those who did not lose weight prior to starting therapy.

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Levels of 14 proteins in the blood of critically ill COVID-19 patients are associated with survival

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n a first-of-its-kind study comparing hundreds of millions of social media posts about online health topics, a team of researchers found that posts about COVID-19 were less likely to contain misinformation than posts about other health topics.

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New UCLA-led research in mice suggests that adding a certain type of tomato concentrate to the diet can reduce the intestinal inflammation that is associated with HIV. Left untreated, intestinal inflammation can accelerate arterial disease, which in turn can lead to heart attack and stroke.

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UC San Diego biologists have developed a method for genetic inheritance control in male mice, an achievement that advances new laboratory models in an array of research pursuits, from investigations of human disease to therapeutic drug design to invasive species removal.

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Researchers have come up with a computer model that mirrors the way misinformation spreads in real life. The work might provide insight on how to protect people from the current contagion of misinformation that threatens public health and the health of democracy.

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Oxytocin’s role in regulating and influencing social behavior is well known. Numerous ongoing clinical trials are focusing on the levels of the hormone in the brain but now a Florida State University research team has found evidence that oxytocin receptors outside of the brain may play an important role in shaping social behavior.

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A research team led by University of California, Irvine has discovered new neural circuits that regulate spatial learning and memory in the brain’s hippocampal formation. The team identified novel functional roles of new circuit connections between the venal CA1 region and dorsal CA3 regions of the hippocampus and demonstrated that genetic inactivation of this projection impairs object-related spatial learning and memory, but does not modulate anxiety-related behaviors.

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A study led by Stony Brook University researchers discovered that a readily available method using dry ovens can be used to disinfect N95s for reuse, in settings where new masks may not be available. Their findings are published in PLOS ONE.

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The COVID-19 pandemic has tested our psychological limits. Some have been more affected than others by the stress of potential illness and the confusion of constantly changing health information and new restrictions.

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New research finds that Arctic krill have a biological response to changes in light. When it is lightest in the Arctic polar night, usually around the middle of the day known as midday twilight, the krill know to swim down to the bottom in order to hide from predators. When it is darkest in the Arctic polar night, that’s when they swim to the surface in search of bioluminescent food.

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Researchers at the University of Notre Dame discovered a new type of cell in the heart that may help regulate heart rate, and could be an important key in understanding certain types of congenital heart defects and other diseases that involve the heart.

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Iowa State University researchers were part of a team evaluating possible strategies the CDC could have recommended last winter for COVID-19 vaccine rollouts.

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Disulfiram, a treatment for alcoholism, may cut severe SARS-CoV-2 infection, reduce likelihood of dying from COVID-19