Known as the ‘mother of Hubble,’ astronomer Nancy Roman dies at 93

Astronomer Nancy Roman, the “mother of Hubble,” has died.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2s4k4Wh

Community-based HIV testing effective in reaching undiagnosed populations, new study finds

(PATH) Results from a PATH-led evaluation study in Vietnam demonstrate that HIV testing by lay providers is an effective approach to reach people at risk of HIV who have never been tested or test infrequently. Key at-risk populations include people who inject drugs, men who have sex with men, female sex workers, and first-time HIV testers.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BTiM55

A new 'atlas' of genetic influences on osteoporosis

(McGill University) A ground-breaking new study led by researchers from the Lady Davis Institute (LDI) at the Jewish General Hospital (JGH) has succeeded in compiling an atlas of genetic factors associated with estimated bone mineral density (BMD), one of the most clinically relevant factors in diagnosing osteoporosis. The paper, published in Nature Genetics, identifies 518 genome-wide loci, of which 301 are newly discovered, that explain 20 percent of the genetic variance associated with osteoporosis.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EY0ofq

Macaques take turns while chattering

Japanese monkeys take turns while communicating. Adjusting response times while chattering, macaques intentionally pause like humans do when chatting.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2ViX7MA

The immune system's fountain of youth

(Weizmann Institute of Science) Helping the immune system clear away old cells in aging mice helped restore youthful characteristics.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2TkwWDs

Study points to increased risk of harm from cannabis across Europe

(University of Bath) A significant new study shows that cannabis potency has doubled across Europe in the past 11 years.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2VkrhPK

Get live updates on New Horizons’ flyby of a distant Kuiper Belt object

The New Horizons spacecraft is ready for the most distant close flyby of a rocky object in the solar system, a rocky body called MU69 or Ultima Thule.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2BMkFk6

American Journal of Nursing announces 2018 Book of the Year awards

(Wolters Kluwer Health) Wolters Kluwer, Health and the American Journal of Nursing (AJN) announced the 2018 winners of its annual AJN Book of the Year Awards honoring exceptional texts for advancing healthcare quality. The list of winners appears in the January 2019 issue of AJN, the 'leading voice of nursing since 1900.' AJN is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Ah7FTp

These are the most-read Science News stories of 2018

From male birth control to wombat poop, Science News online readers had a wide variety of favorite stories on our website.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2EWQoms

Adults with cerebral palsy at increased risk of depression, anxiety

(JAMA Network) While cerebral palsy is considered a pediatric condition because it develops and is diagnosed in early childhood, it is a lifelong condition with the majority of children living into adulthood. Little research exists on the mental health of adults with cerebral palsy. This study included 1,700 adults 18 years or older with cerebral palsy and 5,100 adults without cerebral palsy.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CBQTjt

Study examines development of physical aggression in children as they age

(JAMA Network) Children can exhibit physical aggression when they are very young but that behavior typically declines before and during elementary school. However, a small proportion of children have atypically high physical aggression problems into adolescence, which may put them at increased risk for violent crime, social maladjustment, and alcohol and drug abuse. This observational study of 2,223 boys and girls used information from mothers, teachers and the children to trace the development of physical aggression problems from infancy to adolescence.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2TjHumt

Could drinking alcohol be associated with better survival in patients after heart failure diagnosis?

(JAMA Network) Having seven or fewer alcoholic drinks a week was associated with increased survival in older adults with newly diagnosed heart failure compared with patients who abstained from alcohol after accounting for other potential mitigating factors. Conflicting data exist about an association between alcohol consumption and heart failure but not much is known about the safety of alcohol consumption in patients after a new diagnosis of heart failure.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CF8es5

Patient preferences for collecting sexual, gender identity information

(JAMA Network) Emergency department patients who are sexual or gender minorities reported greater satisfaction when information on sexual and gender identity was collected on forms during registration instead of by nurses who asked about it during the visit.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2TiI5or

Study details opioid poisoning deaths among children, teens over two decades

(JAMA Network) Nearly 9,000 children and adolescents died from opioid poisonings with prescription and illicit drugs between 1999 and 2016 based on an analysis of national data. The death rate almost tripled over that time to nearly 1 per 100,000 based on the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Prescription opioids were implicated in 73 percent of the deaths (6,561) and most of the deaths were unintentional (nearly 81 percent).

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2TfO0KG

Moderate drinking not harmful for older patients with heart failure

(Washington University School of Medicine) A new study suggests that people over age 65 who are newly diagnosed with heart failure can continue to drink moderate amounts of alcohol without worsening their condition. However, the findings do not suggest that nondrinkers should start imbibing after a heart failure diagnosis, the researchers emphasized.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CF8c3r

How 'Dry January' is the secret to better sleep, saving money and losing weight

(University of Sussex) New research shows that taking part in Dry January sees people regaining control of their drinking, having more energy, better skin and losing weight. They also report drinking less months later.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2VgdFF2

Systematic review of food addiction as measured with the Yale Food Addiction Scale

(Bentham Science Publishers) The aim of this paper was to review the clinical significance of food addiction diagnoses made with the Yale Food Addiction Scale (YFAS) and to discuss the results in light of the current debate on behavioral addictions.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Q5LiWd

NUS study: Older adults care about strangers' welfare in financial decision-making

(National University of Singapore) A study from the National University of Singapore found that older adults make the same financial decisions for themselves and others, while young adults take more risks when making financial decisions for others.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2AjrxWa

What will be the big science stories of 2019? Here are our predictions

From black hole insights to the future of self-driving cars to figuring out what it means to be human, 2019 will be a big year in science.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2SqqeM0

After naloxone, when can opioid overdose patients be safely discharged?

(University at Buffalo) Naloxone has saved thousands of lives. But can patients be safely discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) just an hour after they receive the medication that curtails drug overdoses? A UB study is the first to clinically assess the one-hour rule.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2VepnzS

Breaking down AGEs: Insight into how lifestyle drives ER-positive breast cancer

(Medical University of South Carolina) Consumption of processed foods high in sugar and fat increase levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs). Medical University of South Carolina researchers report that AGE levels are higher in patients with estrogen receptor (ER)-positive than ER-negative breast cancer. Addition of AGEs caused breast cancer cells, whose growth had previously been controlled by tamoxifen, to begin to grow again. This suggests that patients with high AGEs may be less likely to respond to tamoxifen treatment.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EPztl5

Reducing drinking could help with smoking cessation, research finds

(Oregon State University) New research has found that heavy drinkers who are trying to stop smoking may find that reducing their alcohol use can also help them quit their daily smoking habit. Heavy drinkers' nicotine metabolite ratio -- a biomarker that indicates how quickly a person's body metabolizes nicotine -- reduced as they cut back on their drinking.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2SqtN4Y

Contact with monkeys and apes puts populations at risk

(PLOS) Animal diseases that infect humans are a major threat to human health, and diseases often spillover to humans from nonhuman primates. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have carried out an extensive social sciences evaluation of how populations in Cameroon interact with nonhuman primates, pointing toward behaviors that could put people at risk of infection with new diseases.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QV7k36

A tilt of the head facilitates social engagement, researchers say

(University of California - Santa Cruz) Every time we look at a face, we take in a flood of information effortlessly: age, gender, race, expression, the direction of our subject's gaze, perhaps even their mood. How the brain does this is a mystery.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2RiCssU

Rerouting nerves during amputation reduces phantom limb pain before it starts

(MediaSource) Doctors have found that a surgery to reroute amputated nerves, called targeted muscle reinnervation, or TMR, can reduce or prevent phantom or residual limb pain from ever occurring in amputee patients who receive the procedure at the time of amputation.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2ERsKbh

Artificial intelligence is mastering a wider variety of jobs than ever before

In 2018, AI bested humans at following fauna, diagnosing disease, mapping the moon and more.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2rZh1Ps

How exercise reduces belly fat in humans

(Cell Press) Some of you may have made a New Year's resolution to hit the gym to tackle that annoying belly fat. But have you ever wondered how physical activity produces this desired effect? A signaling molecule called interleukin-6 plays a critical role in this process, researchers report December 27 in the journal Cell Metabolism.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BI2VWV

Better mouse model built to enable precision-medicine research for Alzheimer's

(NIH/National Institute on Aging) Incorporating genetic diversity into a mouse model of Alzheimer's disease resulted in greater overlap with the genetic, molecular and clinical features of this pervasive human disease, according to a study funded by the National Institute on Aging (NIA), part of the National Institutes of Health.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BF3cdg

Impact of a psycho-educational team in early breast cancer patients' coping strategies

(Bentham Science Publishers) The main purpose of the psycho-educational groups was to help women with breast cancer, learn how to cope with the physical, emotional, and lifestyle changes associated with cancer as well as with medical treatments that can be painful and traumatic. With this study, the researchers wanted to detect the effects that group action had on the women who participated in it.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Tf9Luq

Long-term memory encoding engram neurons are established by the transcriptional cycling

(Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Medical Science) Long-term memory (LTM) is formed by repetitive training trials with rest intervals and LTM formation requires transcription factors, including CREB and c-Fos. Miyashita et al. found that ERK activity is increased during rest intervals to induce transcriptional cycling between c-Fos and CREB in a subset of mushroom body neurons. Significantly, LTM is encoded in these mushroom body neurons, and blocking outputs from these neurons suppress recall of LTM whereas activating these neurons produces memory-associated behaviors.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CBZxie

New study shows link between secondhand smoke and cardiac arrhythmia

(University of California - Davis Health) Continuous indoor exposure to secondhand tobacco smoke triggers changes in the heart's electrical activity, known as cardiac alternans, that can predict cardiac arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death, a new study from UC Davis Health researchers shows. The authors believe the study, conducted in mice, suggests that secondhand smoke exposure alters cells that regulate how the heart beats.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Tf9Kqm

50 years ago, astronauts orbited the moon for the first time

Fifty years ago, astronauts went to the moon and back for the first time.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2rV6GUm

Online mirrors: Video bloggers and viewers share emotions

(Society for Personality and Social Psychology) Examining over 2,000 video blogs, or vlogs on YouTube, researchers from Tilburg University found we mirror the emotions of those we see online and seek out people who share our emotions.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2GHXFbG

Kicking, yelling during sleep? Study finds risk factors for violent sleep disorder

(American Academy of Neurology) Taking antidepressants for depression, having post-traumatic stress disorder or anxiety diagnosed by a doctor are risk factors for a disruptive and sometimes violent sleep disorder called rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder, according to a study published in the Dec. 26, 2018, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study also found men are more likely to have the disorder.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QOsdx3

Study yields new insight on how memory works

(Veterans Affairs Research Communications) Two Veterans Affairs researchers have explored how memory is tied to the hippocampus, with findings that will expand scientists' understanding of how memory works and ideally aid in detection, prevention, and treatment of memory disorders.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2RmaLzi

Opioid use and misuse following treatment for head and neck cancer

(University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus) Six months after treatment ended, 7 percent of patients remained on opioid pain medications.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BHCrop

Buzzed flies reveal important step to intoxication

(Scripps Research Institute) The alcohol in beverages acts much like an anesthetic. It creates a hyper 'buzzed' feeling first, and then sedation. But how? It turns out there is an important intermediate step that wasn't previously known.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CARG4n

Post-natal depression in dads linked to depression in their teenage daughters

(University of Cambridge) Fathers as well as mothers can experience post-natal depression -- and it is linked to emotional problems for their teenage daughters, new research has found.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QNX9gV

Losing neurons can sometimes not be that bad

(Champalimaud Centre for the Unknown) Current thinking about Alzheimer's disease is that neuronal cell death in the brain is to blame for the cognitive havoc caused by the disease. But a new study suggests that neuronal death in Alzheimer's may actually be a protective reaction against the disease. This could lead to a complete rethinking of therapeutical approaches to Alzheimer's.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QOlK56

Novel biomarkers & therapeutic targets for atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases

(Bentham Science Publishers) In this review, the researchers describe the analytical techniques and workflow used in untargeted metabolomics. They also identify several case studies that highlight the use of untargeted metabolomics in cardiovascular research.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Skm0Wo

What influences a person's psychological boundaries?

(National Research University Higher School of Economics) Professor Sofya Nartova-Bochaver of the Higher School of economics and colleagues from universities in Armenia and China conducted a comparative analysis of the psychological boundaries of individuals living in different countries. The results indicate that age and sex play a greater role in the formation of those boundaries than culture does.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2AghxNe

News releases about health, Earth science and social sciences make up EurekAlert!'s 2018 trending news list

(EurekAlert!) Health news occupied six of the 10 most-viewed news releases on EurekAlert! in 2018. The most popular news release, 'Study: Lead and other toxic metals found in e-cigarette 'vapors,'' submitted by Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health received 337,013 views.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2V9OKTG

2018 was a busy year in space

This year, some missions started exploring the cosmos, while others were winding down.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2AfW7A7

Research shows biases against immigrants with non-anglicized names

(Society for Personality and Social Psychology) Using variations of the 'trolley-dilemma' where people choose who to save or not save others in a hypothetical situation, social psychologists show that for certain groups, under certain conditions in a hypothetical scenario, having an anglicized name means you're more likely to be saved than if you kept your original Asian or Arab name.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2SlT7t1

Hotter days will boost Chinese residential electric use

(Duke University) A new study from Duke University and Fudan University in China is the first to estimate how much Chinese residential electricity consumption would increase due to climate change. It's a lot. By the end of the 21st century, each degree Celsius increase in global mean surface temperature (GMST) would raise average Chinese residential electricity use by about 9 percent. Peak electricity use will rise 36 percent for every increased degree Celsius.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2AeRfeh

New global migration estimates show rates steady since 1990, high return migration

(University of Washington) Two University of Washington scientists have unveiled a new statistical method for estimating migration flows between countries. Using the so-called pseudo-Bayes approach, they show that rates of migration are higher than previously thought, but also relatively stable, fluctuating between 1.1 and 1.3 percent of global population from 1990 to 2015. In addition, since 1990 approximately 45 percent of migrants have returned to their home countries, a much higher estimate than other methods.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Agmshs

Brain activity predicts fear of pain

(Society for Neuroscience) Researchers applied a machine learning technique that could potentially translate patterns of activity in fear-processing brain regions into scores on questionnaires used to assess a patient's fear of pain. This neuroscientific approach, reported in eNeuro, may help reconcile self-reported emotions and their neural underpinnings.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2ELtNJ0

How socioeconomic status shapes developing brains

(Society for Neuroscience) The relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and brain anatomy is mostly stable from childhood to early adulthood, according to a longitudinal neuroimaging study of more than 600 healthy young people published in JNeurosci. This finding suggests interventions designed to mitigate the influence of low SES on brain and mental health may be most beneficial for children younger than age five.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EH6dwR

Regulation of feeding behavior and energy metabolism by galanin-like peptide (GALP)

(Bentham Science Publishers) Galanin-like peptide (GALP) is composed of 60 amino acid residues and its sequence is highly homologous across species. GALP is produced in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus and has diverse physiological effects such as the regulation of feeding, energy metabolism, and reproductive behavior. In this review article, the researchers summarize their recent research focusing on the mechanism whereby GALP regulates feeding and energy metabolism.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2RdgkAa

Paramedics can safely evaluate psychiatric patients' medical condition in the field

(University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences) Patients with psychiatric emergencies on involuntary holds are often taken to traditional hospital emergency departments, where they can spend hours to days in an emergency department bed waiting for access to specialized psychiatric personnel. New research finds that paramedics can use a screening process to determine whether to medically clear patients experiencing psychiatric emergencies before transporting them directly to a stand-alone psychiatric emergency service facility, thus getting them to the treatment they need sooner.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Ske8E8

Study examines primary drivers of increased hospitalizations of homeless individuals

(Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center) A new study led by investigators from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) and Brigham and Women's Hospital examines patterns, causes and outcomes of acute hospitalizations between 2007 and 2013 for homeless individuals and non-homeless control groups in three populous and diverse U.S. states: Florida, California and Massachusetts.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BJRwpR

Surfer's ear points to ancient pearl divers in Panama

(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) Surfer's ear, associated with cold weather and water sports, led a bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian in Panama to suspect that ancient shoreline residents were diving for pearls in an area of cold-water upwelling.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology http://bit.ly/2Bx7d3h

Surfer's ear points to ancient pearl divers in Panama

(Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute) Surfer's ear, associated with cold weather and water sports, led a bioarchaeologist at the Smithsonian in Panama to suspect that ancient shoreline residents were diving for pearls in an area of cold-water upwelling.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2Bx7d3h

Insilico to present on aging biomarkers at Longevity Therapeutics Summit 2019 in San Francisco

(InSilico Medicine, Inc.) Ageing is a complex process that has been observed in all biological systems at every level of organization. Recent studies suggest that a set of biomarkers constitutes the most effective means of assessing the health status. The presentation will cover the development of comprehensive and robust biomarkers of ageing using deep learning and blood biochemistry, transcriptomics, and even imaging data, to be able to track the effectiveness of the various interventions we are developing.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2GyP9M3

People with schizophrenia experience emotion differently from others, 'body maps' show

(Vanderbilt University) Vanderbilt University researchers are working to understand how people with schizophrenia experience emotion through their bodies.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EH33cD

CWRU researcher awarded nearly $1 million from the DOD to study prostate cancer drug resistance

(Case Western Reserve University) Sanjay Gupta, PhD, will receive $962,000 over three years to investigate drug resistance mechanisms in prostate cancer. The funding is part of the Department of Defense's Idea Award program, that aims to improve quality of life by decreasing the impact of cancer on active duty service members and their communities. Gupta will use the award and clinically-approved drugs to develop a safe, efficacious, and cost-effective combination therapy for castrate-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC).

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2CrdrTZ

Americans are sleeping less than they were 13 years ago

A survey suggests that nearly one-third of American adults are sleeping fewer than 6 hours a night, and minority groups are most affected.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2ReGC4Y

How kindergartens serve as 'gendergartens'

(National Research University Higher School of Economics) Sociologists at the Higher School of Economics showed that preschool education has its own hidden curriculum: kindergarten teachers transmit social norms to children, including conservative ideas of femininity and masculinity. Girls are expected to have 'proper' character and behavior, to be obedient and pretty, take an interest in music and dance, and to like the color pink.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BwIX1j

Millions of Google searches for sexual harassment, assault since #MeToo

(JAMA Network) An estimated 40 to 54 million Google searches for sexual harassment and assault were recorded in the United States in the eight months after public accusations against film producer Harvey Weinstein and the ensuing #MeToo movement. Searches related to reporting and preventing such actions also were up based on the results of a study that monitored and analyzed search activity.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QM2mWs

Study analyzes clinical trials of medications to control knee osteoarthritis pain

(JAMA Network) Managing osteoarthritis requires long-term treatment for symptoms such as pain and changes in joint structure that can lead to disability. This study analyzed the combined results of 47 randomized clinical trials that lasted at least 12 months for 33 drug interventions and 22,000 patients with knee osteoarthritis.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2ByhHj1

Is program to reduce hospital readmissions associated with a change in patient deaths?

(JAMA Network) The Hospital Readmissions Reduction Program (HRRP) was created under the Affordable Care Act and hospitals face financial penalties for higher-than-expected 30-day readmission rates for patients with heart failure, heart attack and pneumonia. Lower hospital readmission rates for those conditions have been associated with the program but it was unclear if the program was associated with a change in patient deaths.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QM1HEs

Study looks at ED visits to examine opioid prescribing in pediatric patients

(JAMA Network) Opioids for pain management in pediatric patients are sometimes necessary but their use has raised concerns about the effects of opioids and later abuse. This analysis examined opioid prescribing rates using information from the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey from 2006 to 2015 on more than 69,000 emergency department visits for patients younger than 18. Prescribing rates decreased from 8.2 percent in 2006-2010 to 6.3 percent in 2011-2015.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BAcdUT

These 2018 findings could be big news — if they turn out to be true

Discoveries about fossils, the Big Bang and more could shake up the scientific world – if they turn out to be true.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2EHq7Zn

Research highlights what helps people live well with dementia

(University of Exeter) Psychological aspects, such as optimism, self-esteem, loneliness and depression were closely linked to ability to optimise quality of life and wellbeing in both people with dementia and carers. Experience in other areas of life influences psychological well-being and perceptions of living well. Physical health and fitness was important for both groups. For both carers and people with dementia social activity and interaction also ranked highly.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2rPGvOX

Interpreting emotions: A matter of confidence

(Université de Genève) We are exposed to the facial expressions of the people. But do we interpret them correctly? And do we trust our own judgment? This trust is essential for avoiding potentially dangerous situations. Researchers from UNIGE have been testing how confident we feel when judging other people's emotions, and what areas of the brain are used. These results demonstrate that beliefs of our own emotional interpretation stem directly from the experiences stored in our memory.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2BwCROC

Why Hong Kong, Japan and Iceland are the best countries for human development

(Bocconi University) Since its introduction in 1990, UN's Human Development Index has contributed to a better understanding of development, but has its flaws. Bocconi University's Simone Ghislandi and colleagues developed a new index that takes into account only the inequality-adjusted life expectancy at birth: at life expectancy parity, a country with many disadvantaged people dying young and many rich people dying old is considered worse off than a country with all the population living about the same age.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2QHHOhQ

Female penises evolved twice in bark lice

(Hokkaido University) In a group of bark lice, a penis has evolved twice -- in the females. In their nutrient-scarce environment, 'seminal gifts' are an incentive for females to force mating, leading to the co-evolution of female penises and male vaginas.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EEWmIR

A subtle strategy to spend more responsibly

(Society for Consumer Psychology) Couples who spend from joint accounts are more likely to spend their money on utilitarian purchases rather than pleasurable items.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EB58GM

Heroes and villains influence what you buy

(Society for Consumer Psychology) The findings from a new study show that consumers are influenced to buy certain products based on the heroes or villains shown on the labels.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EGNi6f

Women tell women's history in Oxford Handbook

(University of California - Davis) Oxford University Press asked two UC Davis scholars, both associate professors of history in the College of Letters and Science, to create the first women's history handbook.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2rRmR53

Is the US a tinderbox ready to ignite?

(University of Chicago Press Journals) What is the tipping point at which tolerance for hardship and injustice turns into civic discontent in the form of street demonstrations, and how it might be closer than it seems.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2EKsB9e

When a brand is like a secret lover

(Society for Consumer Psychology) Consumers who hide the fact that they use certain brands can increase in individual's connection to the brand.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2rNAann

Pterosaurs may have been covered in fur and primitive feathers

A new study provides evidence of plumelike structures in ancient flying reptiles.

from Latest Headlines | Science News http://bit.ly/2Cr8f2H

College binge drinkers are posting while drunk, 'addicted' to social media

(Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs) College students who binge drink are frequently posting on social media while intoxicated and show signs of social media "addiction," according to a new study.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2LvoNcu

Researchers detect age-related differences in DNA from blood

(Brown University) The DNA markers from the blood of healthy centenarians are more similar to those of people in their 20s than people in their 70s.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science http://bit.ly/2ReAv0s

Police interactions linked to increased risk of client violence for female sex workers

(Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) The more abusive interactions street-based female sex workers (FSWs) have with police, the higher their risk of violence at the hands of clients, a new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2GyAVea

How decorating for Christmas sends people to the ER

A study takes a stab at quantifying Christmas-related mishaps.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2rQ6PbW

Hold the fries! How calorie content makes you rethink food choices

(Dartmouth College) Seeing pictures of food with calorie information not only makes food less appetizing but it also appears to change the way your brain responds to the food, according to a Dartmouth-led study published in PLOS ONE. When food images appeared with the calorie content, the brain showed decreased activation of the reward system and increased activation in the control system. In other words, foods that you might otherwise be inclined to eat became less desirable once the calorie content was displayed.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2BxVdic

ACA ruling risks future stability of care as we age, AGS

(American Geriatrics Society) As it has since 2016, the American Geriatrics Society (AGS) again expressed concern for the future stability of high-quality, person-centered, and affordable health care should bipartisan collaboration falter following a federal court ruling last Friday, which jeopardizes important gains under the Affordable Care Act (ACA).

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2LrjLhr

The long-range ties that bind and the social wormholes that connect them

(American Association for the Advancement of Science) The social ties that connect us with those at the distant fringes of our social networks can sometimes be nearly as powerful as the ties shared within a small circle of friends, according to a new study's surprising findings.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2rLEN17

Leprosy declines in Morocco after implementation of preventive drug

(PLOS) Since 2012, the number of cases of leprosy in Morocco has declined by more than 16 percent per year. That change can be attributed to the implementation, beginning in 2012, of single dose rifampicin as a preventive to spread leprosy through households, researchers report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases this week.

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More plants survived the world’s greatest mass extinction than thought

Fossil plants from Jordan reveal more plant lineages that made it through the Great Dying roughly 252 million years ago.

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Urine drug testing may be important in early phases of addiction treatment

(Boston Medical Center) A new study performed by Boston Medical Center shows that urine drug testing can be a useful tool to treat patients with opioid use disorder in a primary care setting.

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New pathways for implementing universal suicide risk screening in healthcare settings

(NIH/National Institute of Mental Health) In 2016 alone, more than 6,000 youth in the United States under the age of 25 died by suicide. Now a report, authored in part by researchers at the NIMH, provides guidance on how to implement universal suicide risk screening of youth in medical settings. The report describes a way for hospitals to address the rising suicide rate in a way that is flexible and mindful of limited resources.

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This blog is dead. Long live the blog.

Blogs are synonymous with the early internet. But what is a blog, and what has it become? A blog is a platform. And this one, Scicurious, is now gone.

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For gait transitions, stability often trumps energy savings

(University of Chicago Medical Center) Working with nine animal models, researchers find a preference for stability over energy conservation during speed-related gait transitions.

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How is big data impacting sports analytics?

(Mary Ann Liebert, Inc./Genetic Engineering News) Sports in all its forms, from Major League Baseball to Fantasy Football is driven by and produces huge amounts of data, and advanced data mining and machine learning techniques are now having a major impact on sports data analytics.

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The #MeToo movement shook up workplace policies in science

In the #MeToo era, the scientific community is confronting its own sexual harassment problems and looking to research for solutions.

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Pay-it-forward model increases STD testing among gay men in China

(University of North Carolina Health Care) Chinese gay men who were offered a free STD test and then asked to donate to the testing of another man were 48 percent more likely to get tested than men offered the standard of care, UNC researchers found. Learn how this approach could be applied for testing of other diseases.

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Insilico to present latest advances in deep learning for biomarker development at 2019 PMWC

(InSilico Medicine, Inc.) Aging is a complex process observed in all biological systems and organizations. Recent studies suggest that a set of biomarkers, rather than an individual biomarker, constitute the most effective means of assessing the health status. Alex Zhavoronkov will present 'Biomarkers of Aging' at the 2019 PMWC Conference. He will share the latest development of comprehensive and robust aging biomarkers using deep learning, blood biochemistry, transcriptomics, and even imaging data, which is able to track the effectiveness of the various interventions that Insilico is developing.

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How sperm stem cells maintain their number

(National Institutes of Natural Sciences) Researchers including Asstistant Professor Yu Kitadate and Professor Shosei Yoshida (developmental biologists at the National Institute for Basic Biology in Japan) and Professor Benjamin Simons (a theoretical physicist at the University of Cambridge in the UK) have revealed a novel mechanism for stem cell number control.

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Gut-brain connection signals worms to alter behavior while eating

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) MIT neuroscientists have discovered how neurons in the digestive tract of the worm C. elegans signal the brain to slow down when it encounters an area of plentiful food.

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Convincing evidence that type 2 diabetes is a cause of erectile dysfunction

(University of Exeter) Evidence that type 2 diabetes is a cause of erectile dysfunction has been found in a large-scale genomic analysis.

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Memory and cognition problems affect recovery in rehabilitation facilities

(American Geriatrics Society) Recently, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) added new ways to measure patients' abilities to perform their daily routines in nursing facilities and other after-care settings. Studies have not examined how skilled nursing care residents who have cognitive difficulties perform on the new self-care and mobility measurements. Researchers designed a new study to fill that knowledge gap. The study was published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

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Photographs, the past and the present

(University of Turku) In the volume edited by Olli Kleemola and Silja Pitkänen, 'Photographs and History: Interpreting Past and Present through Photographs,' 10 researchers from humanities and social sciences examine how historical and contemporary photographs can be analyzed, what questions such analysis can answer to, and what kind of knowledge it can produce.

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Changing communities may affect the success of Iceland's evacuation guidelines

(Springer) Icelanders generally responded well to evacuation guidelines when the volcano Eyjafjallajökull erupted in 2010 and caused widespread disruption to international travel. However, since then the demography, economy and political structure of Iceland have changed. For example, tourism has become especially important in South Iceland in the past few years.

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Researchers study epigenetic reprogramming in HIV-associated heart disease

(George Washington University) Researchers from the George Washington University received more than $3.1 million from the National Institutes of Health to investigate the causes of cardiovascular disease in HIV-infected patients

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NUS study: In response to heat, the more affluent use air-conditioners; low-income households use water

(National University of Singapore) An NUS study has revealed that Singapore households from different socioeconomic groups vary significantly in their use of water and electricity for the relief of heat. The findings suggest that water provides heat relief for lower-income households while demand for electricity increases among the more affluent, likely through the use of air-conditioning, when temperatures rise. Results from the study could provide insights on how other urban populations in tropical Asian cities will respond as incomes rise and the climate warms.

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Swedish mining policy in transformation: Actors, controversies, possible worlds

(Linköping University) Sweden is once again a leading mining nation -- but at what cost? In a new book, researchers from Linköping University analyze the transformation of Swedish mining policy, and the many conflicts the policy has caused. Mining is, according to the authors, today's great environmental issue at the local level, and the state must take greater responsibility.

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Better understanding of dog body language could make interactions safer

(University of Lincoln) A better understanding of the way dogs communicate distress could be the first step in reducing the risk of dog bites for both children and adults, a new study has found.

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Madrid is the autonomous community that spends the most on the Spanish Christmas Lottery

(Universidad Carlos III de Madrid) The people of Madrid spend close to 470 million euros on the Spanish Christmas Lottery, approximately 20 percent of the total. This is one of the figures highlighted by the 'Yearbook of Gambling in Spain,' a report recently presented by Universidad Carlos III de Madrid and CODERE.

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Age is more than just a number: Machine learning may predict if you're in for a healthy old age

(Salk Institute) A collaborative team at the Salk Institute analyzed skin cells from the very young to the very old and looked for molecular signatures that can be predictive of age. By applying machine-learning algorithms to these biomarkers, they were able to predict a person's actual age with less than eight years error, on average.

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Australian study into how seals react to boats prompts new ecotourism regulations

(Pensoft Publishers) Unable to differentiate between a predator and a tourist boat, seals react as soon as they sense a potential threat. The closer a vessel approaches, the more likely it is for the animals to rush to the water and the greater the risk of a stampede or predation in the sea. To inform management guidelines, researchers observed a colony on Kanowna Island, Bass Strait. Their study is published in the open-access journal Nature Conservation.

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Certain moral values may lead to more prejudice, discrimination

(American Psychological Association) People who value following purity rules over caring for others are more likely to view gay and transgender people as less human, which leads to more prejudice and support for discriminatory public policies, according to a new study published by the American Psychological Association.

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Performance enhancer: Sports compression stockings a winning advantage

(James Cook University) A scientist from James Cook University in Australia has found sports compression stockings are so effective they might be considered performance enhancers for soccer players.

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The battle over new nerve cells in adult brains intensifies

It’s not yet time to abandon the idea that adult human brains make new nerve cells.

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The joy of giving lasts longer than the joy of getting

(Association for Psychological Science) The happiness we feel after a particular event or activity diminishes each time we experience that event, a phenomenon known as hedonic adaptation. But giving to others may be the exception to this rule, according to research forthcoming in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science.

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Building a sustainable future, one brick at a time

(King's College London) An international team of scientists, led by King's College London, have developed a thermogalvanic brick that generates electricity as long as the two faces of the brick are at different temperatures.

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New study reveals 'startling' risk of stroke

(Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation) Globally, one in four people over age 25 is at risk for stroke during their lifetime, according to a new scientific study.Researchers found a nearly five-fold difference in lifetime stroke risk worldwide, with the highest risk in East Asia and Central and Eastern Europe, and lowest in sub-Saharan Africa. The lifetime stroke risk for 25-year-olds in 2016 ranged from 8 percent to 39 percent, depending on where they live; people in China have the highest risk.

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FAU Brain Institute Fellows receive $1.1 million from Florida Department of Health

(Florida Atlantic University) In Florida, there are more than 540,000 people living with Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most recognized form of dementia. Research fellows from the Florida Atlantic University Brain Institute -- one of the university's four research pillars -- have received a total of $1,137,227 from the Florida Department of Health's Ed and Ethel Moore Alzheimer's Disease Research Program, which supports research leading to the prevention and possible cure for AD as well as better prevention, diagnosis, and treatment.

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New memory study first to use intracranial recordings

(Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) Research led by Wayne State University is first memory study to use intracranial recordings to better understand how maturation of the prefrontal cortex drives memory development.

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Study finds dinosaurs battled overheating with nasal air-conditioning

(New York Institute of Technology) Researchers have long wondered how gigantic, heavily armored dinosaurs, such as the club-tailed ankylosaurs that lived in sweltering climates, avoided overheating. Now, as seen in the December 19 issue of PLOS ONE, researchers, led by a paleontologist from New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine at Arkansas State University (NYITCOM at A-State), have posed a new theory.

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Invasive asexual midges may upset Antarctica’s delicate moss banks

Fast-multiplying insects with earthworm powers have invaded Antarctica, and scientists are worried about how their waste could affect the continent.

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Study offers new view of how cartels work

(Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Less data-sharing among firms can actually lead to more collusion, economists find.

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Prisoners who are sanctioned more are more likely to re-offend

(Crime and Justice Research Alliance) A new longitudinal study that sought to determine the effect of these sanctions on recidivism found that prisoners who had greater exposure to formal sanctions were more likely to re-offend 1, 2, and 3 years after release; formal sanctions involve punishment for misconduct after a rules infraction board finds an inmate guilty.

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IASLC successfully pilots early lung imaging confederation project

(International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer) Evidence proves that screening saves lives, with screening for breast, colon, prostate and cervical cancers, for example, being accepted in many parts of the world as a routine part of medical care. While generally caught in the later stages, lung cancer survival curves show that the has much better outcomes when it is caught early, so developing a lung cancer screening protocol could lead to dramatic improvements in patient care and ultimately reductions in mortality.

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Mortality rates rising for Gens X and Y too

(Duke University) Declining life expectancies in the US include Gen X and Y Americans, in addition to the older Baby Boomers. But the causes of premature mortality vary by race, gender and ethnicity, according to a new study from Duke University. The researchers examined data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mortality Multiple Cause Files for the years 1990-2016.

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Major international project aims to identify causes of dementia

(Center for Genomic Regulation) European scientists have launched a research program, which aims to identify common causes of dementia in Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease and Down Syndrome. The project brings together basic and clinical expertise of internationally recognized groups with complementary core competencies from clinical trials to neurobiology.

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Returning indigenous remains to their ancestral lands, thanks to ancient DNA

(American Association for the Advancement of Science) Genomic analyses can reveal the geographic origins of indigenous Aboriginal Australian remains currently held in museums, a new study reports. Critically, this could allow these remains to be returned to their original communities -- a result Aboriginal Australians have fought to achieve for decades. According to the authors, their study has significant implications.

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Ankylosaurs likely regulated body temperature with elaborate nasal passages

(PLOS) Ankylosaurs likely regulated their body temperature with convoluted nasal passages that acted as heat exchangers between air and body, according to a study published Dec. 19, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Jason Bourke from Ohio University, USA, and colleagues.

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Drugs of abuse: Identifying the addiction circuit

(Université de Genève) What happens in the brain of a compulsive drug user? Neurobiologists at UNIGE have discovered that the brain circuit connecting the decision-making region to the reward system is stronger in compulsive animals. The researchers also found that by decreasing the activity of this circuit, compulsive mice were able to regain control and that conversely, by stimulating the connection a mouse that initially remained in control became addicted.

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Intellectual curiosity and confidence help children take on math and reading

(University of Texas at Austin) Children's personalities may influence how they perform in math and reading, according to a study by psychology researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

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Austerity results in 'social murder' according to new research

(Lancaster University) The consequence of austerity in the social security system -- severe cuts to benefits and the 'ratcheting up' of conditions attached to benefits -- is 'social murder', according to new research by Lancaster University.

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UMass Lowell professor receives national award

(University of Massachusetts Lowell) UMass Lowell's Jill Portnoy recently received a national award recognizing her groundbreaking research in the field of criminology.

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Study links nutrients in blood to better brain connectivity, cognition in older adults

(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) A new study links higher levels of several key nutrients in the blood with more efficient brain connectivity and performance on cognitive tests in older adults.

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Social animals have more parasite infections but lower infection-related costs

(University of Georgia) Animals living in large groups tend to have more parasites than less social animals do, but according to a new study in Proceedings of the Royal Society B, they may also be better protected from the negative effects of those parasites.

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Brain confetti -- why our sense of smell declines in old age

(Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health) As mammals age, their sense of smell deteriorates. In a study published in the journal 'Cell Reports', an interdisciplinary research team at Helmholtz Zentrum München and the University Medical Centre Mainz investigated why this is the case. For their study, the researchers tracked the development of stem cells in the brains of mice using what are known as confetti reporters. They then analysed the complex data obtained using intelligent algorithms.

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What are you looking at? How attention affects decision-making

(Ohio State University) Scientists using eye-tracking technology have found that what we look at helps guide our decisions when faced with two visible choices, such as snack food options. But it is not as easy as saying we simply choose what we look at the most, the research found. Instead, our gaze amplifies our desire for choices we already like.

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Are the late Stephen Hawking's religious beliefs typical of U.K. scientists?

(Rice University) The late Stephen Hawking famously didn't believe in God. Neither does the renowned Richard Dawkins. But is that typical for U.K. scientists?

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UNH researchers find lasting impact of concussions on young adults

(University of New Hampshire) Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have found that young adults who experienced repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), or concussions, can experience persistent cognitive changes as well as altered brain activity.

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To assemble a Top 10 list, Science News starts in June

Editor in Chief Nancy Shute discusses creating Science News' annual Top 10 science stories of the year.

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Mice lack stem cells in the heart needed for self-repair

Adult mice hearts have no stem cells, a study finds. The same may be true for people, and that’s not welcome news for those who’ve had a heart attack.

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Study finds gaba cells help fight alcoholism

(National Research University Higher School of Economics) Scientists of the Higher School of Economics, Indiana University, and École normale supérieure clarified how alcohol influences the dopamine and inhibitory cells in the midbrain that are involved in the reward system and the formation of dependency on addictive drugs. The results of the study were published in the article 'Dynamical ventral tegmental area circuit mechanisms of alcohol-dependent dopamine release'.

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New research reveals why people really use food banks

(University of Bath) Study suggests people's use of them is often more complex and more positive than is presented.

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Does political party trump ideology?

(Brigham Young University) With party and ideology so closely intertwined, the question has in the past been nearly impossible to pin down, but a new study shows that a person's policy positions are quite malleable when told that leaders of their political party support a different position.

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The sugar that makes up DNA could be made in space

Deoxyribose, the sugar of DNA, was created in a lab simulating ice in space.

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E-cigarettes caught fire among teens

High schoolers’ use of e-cigarettes shot up from 2017 to 2018, and public health officials are concerned that a new generation is at risk for nicotine addiction.

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Studies aim to improve cognition, reduce weight gain in schizophrenia

(Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) Aerobic exercise can improve the size and function of the brain, and now investigators want to know if it can also improve cognitive function in patients with schizophrenia who struggle with memory and attention problems.

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Powder could help cut CO2 emissions

(University of Waterloo) Scientists at the University of Waterloo have created a powder that can capture CO2 from factories and power plants.The powder, created in the lab of Zhongwei Chen, a chemical engineering professor at Waterloo, can filter and remove CO2 at facilities powered by fossil fuels before it is released into the atmosphere and is twice as efficient as conventional methods.

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Flu is serious for pregnant women and others at high risk

(Infectious Diseases Society of America) Those at high-risk for flu complications such as hospitalization and death -- including pregnant women -- should be tested and treated as soon as possible, suggest new influenza guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).

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New study demonstrates effectiveness and safety of vaginal estrogen

(The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)) Despite its proven effectiveness in treating the genital symptoms of menopause, low-dose vaginal estrogen therapy remains underused largely because of misperceptions regarding its safety. However, a new study that followed women from the Nurses' Health Study demonstrates that its use is not associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease or cancer. Results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

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Study highlights the effects of social class microaggressions on individuals

(Wiley) Although overt expressions of hostility are considered to be ill-mannered and undesirable behaviors, covert discrimination and degradation continue to be directed at individuals, communicating that recipients are less than dominant culture individuals, that they do not belong, and that their realities are invalid. These hostilities are known as microaggressions. A new Counselor Education & Supervision study explored doctoral-level counseling students' encounters with social class microaggressions (SCMs) during counselor education training.

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Do personality traits of compulsive users of social media overlap with problem drinking?

(Wiley) A study published in the Australian Journal of Psychology found certain similarities and differences in personality traits when comparing compulsive use of social media with problematic or risky alcohol use.

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Dancing may help older women maintain the ability to perform daily tasks

(Wiley) A new study published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports examined the potential effects of 16 different exercise types for reducing disability for activities of daily living (ADL) in older women.

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Mind-body exercises may improve cognitive function as adults age

(Wiley) Mind-body exercises -- especially tai chi and dance mind-body exercise -- are beneficial for improving global cognition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency, and learning in older adults. The findings come from a meta-analysis of all relevant published studies. The Journal of the American Geriatrics Society analysis included 32 randomized controlled trials with 3,624 older adults with or without cognitive impairment.

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Food insecurity linked with binge-eating disorder and obesity

(Wiley) Food insecurity -- difficulty affording enough food to support regular, balanced meals -- was associated with increased likelihoods of binge-eating disorder and obesity in a recent International Journal of Eating Disorders study.

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Alcoholic beverages are frequently considered migraine triggers

(Wiley) In a European Journal of Neurology study of 2,197 patients who experience migraines, alcoholic beverages were reported as a trigger by 35.6 percent of participants.

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Aggressive behavior brings emotional pain to the sadist

(Society for Personality and Social Psychology) Sadists derive pleasure or enjoyment from another person's pain, yet new research shows that sadistic behavior ultimately deprives the sadists of happiness.

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Exposure to cannabis alters the genetic profile of sperm

(Duke University Medical Center) New research from Duke Health suggests men in their child-bearing years should consider how THC could impact their sperm and possibly the children they conceive during periods when they've been using the drug.Much like previous research that has shown tobacco smoke, pesticides, flame retardants and even obesity can alter sperm, the Duke research shows THC also affects epigenetics, triggering structural and regulatory changes in the DNA of users' sperm.

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When 'alien' insects attack Antartica

(British Ecological Society) Of the known alien (non-native) species found in Antarctica, a non-biting species of midge currently presents one of the highest risks to terrestrial ecosystems, researchers have found.

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Wearable sweat sensor pioneer issued key device patent

(CincyTech) Eccrine Systems, Inc., an advanced sweat sensor company, today announced that a key patent, US10136831, has been issued to Dr. Jason Heikenfeld, Co-Founder & CSO, and prominent University of Cincinnati researcher. The company holds exclusive rights to the UC patent. The patented invention covers the use of on-body sweat devices that are capable of electronically correlating two or more measurements of an analyte with the time at which the analyte emerged in newly excreted sweat.

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Red wolf DNA found in mysterious Texas canines

(Princeton University) Princeton biologists Bridgett vonHoldt and Elizabeth Heppenheimer discovered that a mysterious group of canines spotted on Galveston Island, Texas, share DNA with both coyotes and a captive breeding group of red wolves from North Carolina. The animals also have unique genetic material that may represent genes that had been lost in the small population of wolves that began the captive breeding program in the 1970s.

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Tennessee's agri-forestry industrial complex remains strong

(University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture) Despite a year wrought with international trade conflicts, research from the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture indicates overall strength in the state's agri-forestry industrial complex.

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Today's children reach bone maturity earlier, study reveals

(University of Missouri-Columbia) Children born in the most recent century have bones that reach full maturity earlier -- by nearly 10 months in girls and nearly seven months in boys -- according to a new study from the University of Missouri School of Medicine.

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Bennu and Ryugu look like spinning tops and scientists want to know why

The first high-resolution images of Bennu confirm that the asteroid looks very similar to the asteroid Ryugu.

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Serious loneliness spans the adult lifespan but there is a silver lining

(University of California - San Diego) Moderate to severe loneliness can persist across adult lifespans, but UC San Diego School of Medicine researchers found it is particularly acute in three age periods: late-20s, mid-50s and late-80s. Wisdom proved a protective factor.

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FSU researcher: Unfair treatment by police linked to physiological impacts among black men

(Florida State University) In a new study published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior, FSU researchers found a strong link between unfair treatment by police and telomere length, a biological indicator of psychological stress.

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Biologists identify promising drug for ALS treatment

(University of Alberta) A new drug could significantly slow the progression of ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists. Current treatments slow progression of the degenerative disease by only a few months, and these findings could revolutionize the treatment of patients suffering from ALS, extending and improving quality of life.

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Study suggests shifts in Afghan attitudes towards increased education and delayed marriage

(Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health) In Afghanistan's most underdeveloped regions, attitudes towards education and child marriage appear to have changed significantly since the overthrow of the Taliban government in 2002, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

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Criminal history strong indicator for future violent crime

(Iowa State University) New research shows offenders convicted of a violent crime or other serious felonies will likely commit the same crime again. For example, a prior homicide conviction increased the likelihood by 1,467 percent. Researchers say the findings illustrate the need to consider an offender's entire criminal history during sentencing or when considering parole.

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Trial may uncover new diagnostics and treatment option for cardiovascular disease

(Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) A Wayne State University research team, in collaboration with Arterez, LLC, a Michigan-based biopharmaceutical company, has commenced a clinical study to identify the 'fingerprint' and diagnostic accuracy of Arterez' seven patent-pending glycocalyx biomarkers in relation to arterial disease, specifically hypertension and heart failure. The collaboration aims to help address the rising number of deaths from cardiovascular disease.

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Low-income, rural kids at higher risk for second- or third-hand smoke exposure

(Penn State) Infants and toddlers in low-income, rural areas may be at higher risk for second- and third-hand smoke than previously reported, according to new Penn State-led research.

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Dive-bombing for love: Male hummingbirds dazzle females with a highly synchronized display

(Princeton University) Male Broad-tailed Hummingbirds perform dramatic aerial courtship dives to impress females. In a new study, scientists have shown that diving males closely time key events to produce a burst of signals for the viewer. They synchronize maximal horizontal speed, loud noises generated with their tail feathers, and a display of their iridescent throat-patch (gorget), performed in a mere 300 milliseconds -- roughly the duration of a human blink.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2UTtpxG

Prostate cancer scoring method may underestimate mortality risk in black men

(Dana-Farber Cancer Institute) Black men diagnosed with prostate cancer classified as low risk may actually have a more-aggressive form of the disease that is more likely to be fatal than in nonblack men placed in the same prognostic category, a new study suggests.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PMYMWT

Opioids vs. placebo, nonopioid alternatives for chronic noncancer pain

(JAMA Network) An estimated 50 million adults in the United States were living with chronic noncancer pain in 2016 and many of them were prescribed opioid medications, even though a clinical benefit is uncertain. This study combined the results of 96 randomized clinical trials with about 26,000 participants to compare opioids with placebo and nonopioid alternative pain medications for the treatment of chronic noncancer pain.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2GoMHaH

29 joint research projects for Berlin and Oxford

(Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin) The research partnership between the University of Oxford and the four Berlin partners -- Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin -- is picking up speed: all five institutions have now approved 29 research projects, in which scientists from Berlin and Oxford jointly pursue research issues. The Berlin partners and the University of Oxford are funding the projects with 450,000 euros. The projects will start on January 1, 2019.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology https://ift.tt/2UUVa8L

29 joint research projects for Berlin and Oxford

(Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin) The research partnership between the University of Oxford and the four Berlin partners -- Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Technische Universität Berlin, and Charité -- Universitätsmedizin Berlin -- is picking up speed: all five institutions have now approved 29 research projects, in which scientists from Berlin and Oxford jointly pursue research issues. The Berlin partners and the University of Oxford are funding the projects with 450,000 euros. The projects will start on January 1, 2019.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2UUVa8L

Amphetamine use, abuse and dependence claim lines increased over 3,000 percent in 10 years

(FAIR Health) The period from 2007 to 2017 marks the time from just before and since the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (Mental Health Parity Act). That law required most group health plans that cover physical and behavioral health to provide the same level of coverage for behavioral services as for medical and surgical services. FAIR Health data show that private insurance claim lines for behavioral health diagnoses increased 320 percent overall from 2007 to 2017.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PM3yDX

Brain health not affected by major heart surgery

(Elsevier) Patients who undergo heart surgery do not experience major memory changes--either better or worse--when compared with those who have a much less invasive, catheter-based procedure, according to a study published online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2CkV8Qg

Weight change in middle-aged and elderly Singaporean Chinese linked to increased mortality risk

(Duke-NUS Medical School) The Singapore Chinese Health Study has shown that both moderate-to-large weight gain and weight loss in mid-life and old age were associated with increased risk of all-cause mortality, and particularly for cardiovascular disease mortality.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2CkV2Io

Peering into Little Foot's 3.67 million-year-old brain

(University of the Witwatersrand) MicroCT scans of the Australopithecus fossil known as Little Foot shows that the brain of this ancient human relative was small and shows features that are similar to our own brain and others that are closer to our ancestor shared with living chimpanzees.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S7L7LT

Reduce energy costs and social isolation to support older adults in extreme weather

(University of Warwick) The cost of heating and cooling the home, and increasing social isolation are significant factors in health risk of older adults during extreme weather, according to a new study by the University of Warwick.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2SX2jUC

Research into mental health first aid in the workplace prompts new guidance

(University of Nottingham) Research by the University of Nottingham into how businesses use employees to support colleagues with mental health issues have prompted new guidance for bosses.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2UUV9ld

Peering into Little Foot's 3.67 million-year-old brain

(University of the Witwatersrand) MicroCT scans of the Australopithecus fossil known as Little Foot shows that the brain of this ancient human relative was small and shows features that are similar to our own brain and others that are closer to our ancestor shared with living chimpanzees.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology https://ift.tt/2S7L7LT

Flowers originated 50 million years earlier than previously thought

(Chinese Academy of Sciences Headquarters) Scientists from the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology reported that analysis of fossil specimens of a flower called Nanjinganthus from the Early Jurassic (more than 174 million years ago) suggests that flowers originated 50 million years earlier than previously thought.

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Ancient Japanese pottery includes an estimated 500 maize weevils

(Kumamoto University) Researchers have discovered an ancient Japanese pottery vessel from the late Jomon period (4500-3300 BP) with an estimated 500 maize weevils incorporated into its design. The vessel was discovered in February 2016 from ruins in Hokkaido, Japan. This extremely rare discovery provides clues on the cultivation and distribution of chestnuts, food in the Jomon era, and the spirituality of ancient Japanese people.

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New Horizons gears up for its close encounter with Ultima Thule

On January 1, the New Horizons spacecraft will fly by Ultima Thule, the first small Kuiper Belt object ever to get a close visitor.

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HPV discovery raises hope for new cervical cancer treatments

(University of Virginia Health System) Researchers have made a discovery about human papillomavirus (HPV) that could lead to new treatments for cervical cancer and other cancers caused by the virus, the most common sexually transmitted disease.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2Cjn1Iy

Study of traditional medicine finds high use in Sub-Saharan Africa despite modern medicine

(University of Technology Sydney) Researchers who have undertaken the first systematic review of into the use of traditional, complementary and alternative medicines (TCAM) in Sub-Saharan Africa found its use is significant and not just because of a lack of resources or access to 'conventional medicine'.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2A3FtUi

Ancient Japanese pottery includes an estimated 500 maize weevils

(Kumamoto University) Researchers have discovered an ancient Japanese pottery vessel from the late Jomon period (4500-3300 BP) with an estimated 500 maize weevils incorporated into its design. The vessel was discovered in February 2016 from ruins in Hokkaido, Japan. This extremely rare discovery provides clues on the cultivation and distribution of chestnuts, food in the Jomon era, and the spirituality of ancient Japanese people.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S6y5yb

Get a warrant: researchers demand better DNA protections

(University of Queensland) New laws are required to control access to medical genetic data by law enforcement agencies, an analysis by University of Queensland researchers has found.The academics from biology, policy and law say a Genetic Data Protection Act is needed to maintain public trust in medical genetics.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2STn7Mz

Editorial: Stop allowing beliefs to get in the way of treating opioid use disorder

(Boston Medical Center) Patients face unnecessary barriers to evidence-based treatment from government regulations as well as providers' own beliefs that are not grounded in science, researchers from the Grayken Center for Addiction at Boston Medical Center (BMC) said in an Annals of Internal Medicine editorial.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2CiZTtQ

Wound care revolution: Put away your rulers and reach for your phone

(McGill University Health Centre) Monitoring a wound is critical, especially in diabetic patients, whose lack of sensation due to nerve damage can lead to infection of a lesion and, ultimately, amputation. New research from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University shows that the use of a new app, called Swift Skin and Wound™, which accurately measures and charts the progression of skin wounds, could potentially have a significant impact on clinical management and patient outcomes.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2ErYjqZ

Erosion has erased most of Earth’s impact craters. Here are the survivors

Earth’s largest known impact crater measures 160 kilometers in diameter. The newest, yet to be confirmed, stretches a still-whopping 31 kilometers.

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Mysteries of the primrose unraveled

(University of East Anglia) Plant scientists at the University of East Anglia have succeeded in unraveling the complete genome sequence of the common primrose -- the plant whose reproductive biology captivated the Victorian naturalist Charles Darwin.The research team has identified, for the first time, the landscape of genes which operate within the primrose's two different flowering forms that are involved in the reproductive process. This adds fresh insight to a puzzle that scientists have been grappling with for over 150 years.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PJWRST

Using endangered barbary macaques as photo props could negatively impact Moroccan tourism

(British Ecological Society) Wild animals are increasingly exploited for entertainment and photo opportunities. A new study highlights that tourists in Morocco object to the use of barbary macaques as photo props, raising concerns about the animal's welfare and risk to human health. The findings are presented today at the British Ecological Society annual conference in Birmingham.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2A3wAd2

Study: Children of problem drinkers more likely to marry someone with a drinking problem

(Virginia Commonwealth University) Children of parents who have alcohol use disorder are more likely to get married under the age of 25, less likely to get married later in life, and more likely to marry a person who has alcohol use disorder themselves, according to a new study by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Lund University in Sweden.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2LleAzn

New study finds that surgeons under stress make more mistakes in the operating room

(Data Science Institute at Columbia) A new study reveals that during stressful moments in the operating room, surgeons make up to 66 percent more mistakes on patients. Using a technology that captured the electrical activity of a surgeon's heart, researchers found that during intervals of short-term stress, which can be triggered by a negative thought or a loud noise in the operating room, surgeons are much more prone to make mistakes that can cause bleeding, torn tissue, or burns.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S7XZBM

How a personality trait puts you at risk for cybercrime

(Michigan State University) Impulse online shopping, downloading music and compulsive email use are all signs of a certain personality trait that make you a target for malware attacks. New research from Michigan State University examines the behaviors -- both obvious and subtle -- that lead someone to fall victim to cybercrime involving Trojans, viruses, and malware.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2CimN4l

5TONIC Lab becomes key European 5G project test site

(IMDEA Networks Institute) The 5TONIC co-creation laboratory in Madrid has been confirmed as one of only four European test beds responsible for creating and testing proof-of-concept demonstrations for the EU-backed 5G-Transformer project.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2A2v6jo

These sound waves can levitate and move particles in new ways

A new machine that levitates objects using sound waves can manipulate several particles at once.

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Depression, anxiety may take same toll on health as smoking and obesity

(University of California - San Francisco) An annual physical typically involves a weight check and questions about unhealthy habits like smoking, but a new study from UC San Francisco suggests health care providers may be overlooking a critical question: Are you depressed or anxious?

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2SRfJBe

Baboon sexes differ in how social status gets 'under the skin'

(Duke University) A growing body of evidence shows that those at the bottom of the socioeconomic ladder are more likely to die prematurely than those at the top. The pattern isn't unique to humans: Across many animals, the lower an individual's social status, the worse their health. But new research in baboons suggests that the nature of the status-health relationship depends on whether an individual has to fight for status, or it's given to them.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S6h2MR

Lifespan extension at low temperatures is genetically controlled, study suggests

(Marine Biological Laboratory) A new study from the Marine Biological Laboratory indicates that lifespan extension at lower temperatures is not just a matter of turning down the thermostat. Rather, the extent to which temperature affects lifespan depends on an individual's genes.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2BtG415

India's right to information act provides lessons on government transparency

(University of Arizona) Journalists are often assumed to be the biggest utilizers of freedom-of-information legislation, but new UA-led research found that collaborations between journalists, social activists and civil-society organizations were essential to the success of creating a right-to-information agenda in India.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2QGGBYk

Understanding food's carbon footprint

(Duke University) Researchers asked more than 1,000 participants in a nationally-representative sample to rate the energy used -- and the greenhouse gas emitted -- by the production of one serving of 19 different kinds of food, and by using one of 18 different appliances for one hour. Participants underestimated the environmental impacts of appliances and food production, but they underestimated the impacts of food significantly more than those of appliances.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PKet11

Early postpartum opioids linked with persistent usage

(Vanderbilt University Medical Center) Vanderbilt researchers have published findings indicating that regardless of whether a woman delivers a child by cesarean section or by vaginal birth, if they fill prescriptions for opioid pain medications early in the postpartum period, they are at increased risk of developing persistent opioid use.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PKerGr

Natalie Joseph, M.D., M.P.H., recognized for contributions to HPV vaccination

(Boston Medical Center) Natalie Joseph, M.D., M.P.H., a pediatrician and adolescent medicine specialist at Boston Medical Center (BMC), has been named Massachusetts' 'HPV Vaccine Is Cancer Prevention Champion' for outstanding efforts to protect adolescents from cancers caused by HPV.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2BqXlZ2

Drivers who can 'bid' for parking spaces may improve parking options around the world

(American Friends of Tel Aviv University) Tel Aviv University researchers have developed a parking algorithm that allows drivers to 'bid' for a curbside spot in urban areas. A smartphone app that uses the algorithm can offer a practical solution to the problem of bottleneck parking in low supply areas and empty lots outside the immediate sphere of demand.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2QDCD2w

One type of brain cell may invite Alzheimer's

(Ohio State University) Researchers found that excitatory neurons -- those that are more likely to trigger an action (as opposed to inhibitory neurons, which are less likely to prompt neural activity) -- are more vulnerable to accumulations of abnormal tau protein, which is increasingly being implicated in Alzheimer's disease.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2rIm0nw

Tumor ‘organoids’ may speed cancer treatment

Growing mini tumors in a lab dish, researchers can screen compounds to find promising combinations for treating rare cancers.

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End-of-life care quality remains a problem -- nurses may be a solution

(University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing) A new study from the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing's Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research (CHOPR) describes the quality of end of life care in nearly 500 US hospitals, utilizing nearly 13,000 bedside nurses as informants of quality. The study has been published online first. It will also be in a future issue of the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EA4IBq

A fire-breathing dragon helps fight ember attacks on thatched-roof buildings

(National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) A NIST researcher and his Japanese colleague conducted a special fire test to learn how to protect steep thatched-roof farmhouses that emerged more than 250 years ago to ruggedly withstand Central Japan's heavy winter snowfalls.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EteJQ5

One-third of Americans consider living abroad

(University of Kent) Approximately one-third of all US-born US citizens living in the US are considering leaving to live abroad.Drawing on data collected in 2014, researchers Dr. Amanda Klekowski von Koppenfels from the University of Kent's Brussels School of International Studies, and Dr. Helen Marrow of Tufts University, USA, identified the reasons for this as: exploration (87.4 percent); retirement (50.8 percent); leaving a bad or disappointing situation in the US (49.0 percent); and working (48.3 percent).

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EzXL34

Passive exposure alone can enhance the learning of foreign speech sounds

(University of Jyväskylä - Jyväskylän yliopisto) Ability to understand and subsequently speak a new language requires the ability to accurately discriminate speech sounds of a given language. When we start to learn a new language the differences between speech sounds can be very difficult to perceive. With enough active practice the ability to discriminate the speech sounds enhances.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2rDLYbC

Plain packaging sparked tobacco price rises, new study finds

(University of Stirling) The introduction of plain tobacco packaging led to an increase in the price of leading products, according to new research from the University of Stirling.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2rHIdSp

Study makes significant findings related to traumatic brain injury

(U.S. Army Research Laboratory) Traumatic brain injury, or TBI, is often referred to as the 'invisible injury' -- while on the surface everything seems normal with brain structure, symptoms may present themselves in the behavior of the injured and cannot be explained.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2rF2ath

Radicals aren't good at knowing when they're wrong

(University College London) People who hold radical political views -- at either end of the political spectrum -- aren't as good as moderates at knowing when they're wrong, even about something unrelated to politics, finds a new UCL study.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EteJzz

Measuring speed of mental replay of movies gives new insight into accessing memories

(University of Birmingham) Researchers have discovered that 'fully detailed' memories are stored in the brain, but people access this information at different speeds and levels of detail, with people accessing memories 'forward' that is recalling older information first.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EAx2mZ

Using light to stop itch

(European Molecular Biology Laboratory) Itch is easily one of the most annoying sensations. For chronic skin diseases like eczema, it's a major symptom. Although it gives temporary relief, scratching only makes things worse because it can cause skin damage, additional inflammation and even more itch. EMBL researchers have now found a way to stop itch with light in mice. Nature Biomedical Engineering publishes their results on Dec. 17, 2018.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EpOiKR

Gently stroking babies before medical procedures may reduce pain processing

(Cell Press) Researchers found that gently stroking a baby seems to reduce activity in the infant brain associated with painful experiences. Their results, appearing Dec. 17 in the journal Current Biology, suggest that lightly brushing an infant at a certain speed -- of approximately 3 centimeters per second -- could provide effective pain relief before clinically necessary medical procedures.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EyYFwP

Higher average potency cannabis may increase risk for first disorder symptom

(Iowa State University) States do not regulate the potency of recreational cannabis, even though THC levels have increased significantly. Now new research shows higher average potency cannabis at first use increases the risk for the first symptom of cannabis use disorder.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2EoKr0K

Satellite data exposes looting

(University of Bern) Globally archaeological heritage is under threat by looting. The destruction of archaeological sites obliterates the basis for our understanding of ancient cultures and we lose our shared human past. Research at University of Bern shows that satellite data provide a mean to monitor the destruction of archaeological sites. It is now possible to understand activities by looters in remote regions and take measures to protect the sites.

from EurekAlert! - Archaeology https://ift.tt/2GpFasg

Boys with good motor skills excel at problem-solving, too

(University of Eastern Finland) Boys with good motor skills are better problem-solvers than their less skillful peers, a new study from Finland shows. In contrast to previous studies, the researchers found no association between aerobic fitness or overweight and obesity with cognitive function in boys. The results are based on the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study conducted at the University of Eastern Finland, and they were published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2GoTscR

Strong committed relationships can buffer military suicides

(Michigan State University) Can being in a strong committed relationship reduce the risk of suicide? Researchers at Michigan State University believe so, especially among members of the National Guard.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S4tBYT

UTA civil engineer named fellow of UK Institution of Civil Engineers

(University of Texas at Arlington) Anand Puppala, associate dean for research for The University of Texas at Arlington College of Engineering and a professor of civil engineering, has been named a fellow of the United Kingdom's Institution of Civil Engineers.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2QVlZe7

Hen harriers and red grouse: Finding common ground in a persistent conflict

(British Ecological Society) A conflict between those working to conserve numbers of hen harriers and those maintaining commercial shooting of red grouse in the English uplands has existed for decades with little sign of progress. Drawing on work conducted in psychology, a new study published today in the journal People and Nature investigated the underlying values that hunters and conservationists hold that make it so hard to find shared solutions.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S8flP4

Unrelated events are linked in memory when they happen close together

(Association for Psychological Science) When two events occur within a brief window of time they become linked in memory, such that calling forth memory of one helps retrieve memory for the other event, according to research published in Psychological Science. This happens even when temporal proximity is the only feature that the two events share.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2QXWhp9

New study will track how trade wars affect the Midwest

(Ohio State University) A team of researchers is studying the effect a global trade war could have on Midwestern farming, land-use, water and energy.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2UT7x5A

Looking on bright side may reduce anxiety, especially when money is tight

(American Psychological Association) Trying to find something good in a bad situation appears to be particularly effective in reducing anxiety the less money a person makes, possibly because people with low incomes have less control over their environment, according to research published by the American Psychological Association.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2GoxiqX

Driving heart health

(Wayne State University - Office of the Vice President for Research) Wayne State University will collaborate with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services on a nationwide effort to prevent and manage cardiovascular health and diabetes.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2BnuWmA

Top 10 stories of 2018: Climate change, gene-edited babies, hidden craters and more

2018 was a year all about impact — on the planet, on solving crimes, on mosquito populations, on reversing paralysis, and more.

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Half a degree stole the climate spotlight in 2018

Climate attribution studies and new data on global warming targets put climate change in the spotlight this year.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2GojbBZ

News of the first gene-edited babies ignited a firestorm

A researcher in China announced he created two babies using CRISPR. Many scientists questioned the study’s ethics and medical necessity.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2rFGkWj

Crime solvers embraced genetic genealogy

DNA searches of a public genealogy database are closing cases and opening privacy concerns.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2LkwAtR

Neutrino discovery launched a new type of astronomy

Particles associated with a blazar kick-start the field of neutrino astronomy.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2QyRfQB

Greenland crater renewed the debate over an ancient climate mystery

Scientists disagree on what a possible crater found under Greenland’s ice means for the Younger Dryas impact hypothesis.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2CfKo5K

Humans wiped out mosquitoes (in one small lab test)

An early lab test of exterminating a much-hated mosquito raises hopes, but is it really such a great idea?

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2SR2CQD

Drinking studies muddied the waters around the safety of alcohol use

Studies claiming that alcohol in even small amounts is dangerous weren’t designed to address risks of moderate drinking.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2CiwHmw

A buried lake on Mars excited and baffled scientists

Planetary scientists are still trying to explain how a lake could have formed beneath a kilometer and a half of Martian ice.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2SVk6eM

Zapping the spinal cord helped paralyzed people learn to move again

A handful of people paralyzed from spinal cord injuries have learned to walk again.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2QULg8f

Human smarts got a surprisingly early start

Human ingenuity began on treks across Asia and in fluctuating African habitats.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2QAMZ35

Boston Harbor cleanup was economically justifiable, finds new study

(Frontiers) A first-of-its-kind retrospective study finds that environmental cleanup projects are economically viable. The economic evaluation analysis estimates that Boston Harbor -- once dubbed America's filthiest harbor -- is now worth between $30 and $100 billion in ecosystem services. The study demonstrates that the post-cleanup value of healthy ecosystems and their associated benefits to society should be considered when evaluating options for coastal areas.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2PCkvRf

One in 4 parents not prepared for 'parenting hangovers' this holiday season

(Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan) A quarter of parents of young children who drink alcohol on special occasions do not think about limiting how much they drink or whether they'll be able to take care of their child the next day, according to a new national poll.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2CgvY5B

Study finds increasing use, and misuse, of benzodiazepines

(American Psychiatric Association) More than one in eight US adults (12.6 percent) used benzodiazepines in the past year, up from previous reports. Misuse of the prescription drugs accounted for more than 17 percent of overall use, according to a study published online today in Psychiatric Services in Advance.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2zWargX

Medical emergency department visits can indicate increased suicide risk among teens and young adults

(Elsevier) A new study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine provides detailed insights on the increased risk of self-directed violence that patients aged 15-29 years visiting the emergency department (ED) for medical complaints subsequently experience. This underscores the importance of EDs in suicide prevention. The broad number of physical health conditions associated with an increased risk of self-directed violence may serve to support expanded or broader screening among teens and young adults.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2A0Nl8O

Front and center: Food labels have effects on consumption and product formulation

(Tufts University, Health Sciences Campus) A new Food-PRICE systematic review and meta-analysis led by researchers at Tufts assessed the effectiveness of food package and menu labeling in interventional studies and found that these approaches can impact consumer and industry behavior for some targets, but not others.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2S6khDM

Patients with heart failure have lower risk of death, hospital admission if seen by physician in first 7 days after emergency department discharge

(Canadian Medical Association Journal) For patients who receive emergency department care for heart failure, early follow-up by a physician within seven days after emergency department discharge is associated with lower rates of death or admissions to hospital, according to research published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2zZbE6X

Teens using vaping devices in record numbers

(NIH/National Institute on Drug Abuse) America's teens report a dramatic increase in their use of vaping devices in just a single year, with 37.3 percent of 12th graders reporting 'any vaping' in the past 12 months, compared to just 27.8 percent in 2017. These findings come from the 2018 Monitoring the Future survey of a nationally representative sample of eighth, 10th and 12th graders in schools nationwide, funded by a NIDA grant to the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2A0NhG6

Sometimes a failure to replicate a study isn’t a failure at all

Ego depletion is one of the most well-known concepts in social psychology. A recent study can’t confirm an old one showing it exists. Who is right? Probably everyone.

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Treatment shown to improve the odds against bone marrow cancer

(Newcastle University) Hope has emerged for patients with a serious type of bone marrow cancer as new research into a therapeutic drug has revealed improved outcomes and survival rates.

from EurekAlert! - Social and Behavioral Science https://ift.tt/2UKYAen

Counting the breaths of wild porpoises reveals their revved-up metabolism

A new method tracks harbor porpoises’ breathing to collect rare information on the energy needs of the marine mammals.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2CerKeO

New research may upend what we know about how tornadoes form

New data on the birth of tornadoes suggest that the twisters don’t form from the top down.

from Latest Headlines | Science News https://ift.tt/2PEkOLa

Two UTA researchers elected fellows of National Academy of Inventors

(University of Texas at Arlington) Two leading University of Texas at Arlington faculty have been named fellows of the National Academy of Inventors, bringing the total number of UTA fellows to 14, the highest number for a Texas university.The 2018 class includes Provost Teik C. Lim, also a professor of mechanical engineering, and L.K. Mestha, an affiliated adjunct professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering.

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Levels of gene-expression-regulating enzyme altered in brains of people with schizophrenia

(Massachusetts General Hospital) A study using a PET scan tracer developed at the Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging at Massachusetts General Hospital has identified, for the first time, epigenetic differences between the brains of living individuals with schizophrenia and those of unaffected study participants.

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Endangered northern bettongs aren’t picky truffle eaters

Without the northern bettong, the variety of Australia’s truffle-producing fungi could take a hit, a new study finds.

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Self-perception and reality seem to line-up when it comes to judging our own personality

(University of Toronto) When it comes to personality, it turns out your peers probably think the same way about you as you do about yourself

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International academic 'Santa survey' shows children stop believing in Father Christmas aged 8

(University of Exeter) It's that time of year when children look forward to a stocking full of presents -- but the first international academic 'Santa survey' shows many adults also wish they still believed in Father Christmas and some had felt betrayed when they discovered the truth.

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Open science and data initiative announced for neurofibromatosis

(Children's Tumor Foundation ) The Children's Tumor Foundation, together with the Neurofibromatosis Therapeutic Acceleration Program and Sage Bionetworks, has announced the first-ever open data portal for scientific research results in the field of neurofibromatosis (NF). The NF Data Portal marks the major first milestone in all three organizations' commitment to the development of the larger NF Open Science Initiative (NF-OSI), which draws experts from across research disciplines and disease areas in order to develop treatments for NF.

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Is early physical therapy associated with less opioid use in patients with musculoskeletal pain?

(JAMA Network) The use of early physical therapy in a study of nearly 89,000 US adults with musculoskeletal pain of the shoulder, neck, knee and low back was associated with a lower likelihood of subsequent opioid use in an analysis of health insurance claims from 2007 to 2015. For patients who did use opioids, early physical therapy was associated with reduced opioid use for shoulder, knee and low back pain but not neck pain.

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