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Science News Archive April 2023 - Page 20


Page 20 of 37

Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County’s Dr. Luis Chiappe co-authors paper on relationship between feathered dinosaurs and beetles

Researchers from Natural History Museums of Los Angeles County have discovered evidence of a symbiotic relationship between Cretaceous dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles. The study found that the beetles fed on the feathers of theropod dinosaurs during the Early Cretaceous period, approximately 105 million years ago.

SourceNatural History Museum of Los Angeles County·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateApr 17, 2023

Managing stress with food and alcohol consumption connected with faster lifelong weight gain

A 30-year follow-up study by the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare found that eating as a means of stress management is correlated with higher body weight, while alcohol consumption is associated with higher weight in middle age. Stress-induced eating is more common among women due to cultural pressures to reduce weight.

SourceFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare·JournalPsychology and Health·TypeObservational study·DateApr 17, 2023

What previous bird flu outbreaks teach us

Researchers studied H7N9 epidemic waves in China from 2013 to 2017, analyzing gene sequences to build phylogenetic trees. They found the virus likely circulated in poultry for months before being detected, and suggest continuous monitoring of animal health is crucial

SourceETH Zurich·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 17, 2023

Fossils reveal the long-term relationship between feathered dinosaurs and feather-feeding beetles

The study found fossils of beetle larvae in intimate contact with dinosaur feathers, suggesting a symbiotic relationship where the beetles fed on the feathers. The discovery provides insight into coevolution between vertebrates and arthropods over 500 million years, revealing rare evidence of their interaction.

SourceUniversity of Oxford·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 17, 2023

Emotion-focused therapy for bipolar disorder targets the amygdala

A new study found that emotion-focused therapy increased activation and connectivity of the amygdala in patients with bipolar disorder, leading to improved emotion processing. In contrast, cognitive-behavioral therapy showed increased activation of brain regions related to social function but not altered amygdala activity.

SourceElsevier·JournalBiological Psychiatry Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateApr 17, 2023

Carbon ‘bank’ at risk of failure: Scientists trying to determine what will happen to massive carbon stores as rainforests dry out

Scientists warn that tropical forests' capacity to act as a carbon sink is declining due to persistent drought. The study found that soil nutrients play a significant role in carbon storage and release, contradicting previous models. Researchers are urging action to address emissions and increase carbon sequestration initiatives.

SourceColorado State University·JournalGlobal Biogeochemical Cycles·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 17, 2023

KAIST team develops highly-sensitive wearable piezoelectric blood pressure sensor for continuous health monitoring

A KAIST research team has developed a highly sensitive, wearable piezoelectric blood pressure sensor for continuous health monitoring. The sensor's accuracy meets international standards, with errors within ±5 mmHg and a standard deviation under 8 mmHg for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

SourceThe Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST)·JournalAdvanced Materials·TypeMeta-analysis·DateApr 17, 2023

JNM publishes appropriate use criteria for lymphoscintigraphy in sentinel node mapping and lymphedema/lipedema

The Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging has issued new appropriate use criteria (AUC) for lymphoscintigraphy in sentinel node mapping and lymphedema/lipedema. The AUC covers four clinical categories of cancer, including breast cancer, skin cancer, and others, and addresses pediatric considerations.

SourceSociety of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging·JournalJournal of Nuclear Medicine·DateApr 17, 2023

Facile synthesis of high-performance perovskite oxides for acid–base catalysis

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology developed a simple sol-gel method to synthesize highly pure bifunctional solid acid-base catalysts with desirable properties. The new method produces SrTiO3 nanoparticles with high surface area, showing 10 times higher catalytic activity than commercially available titanates.

SourceTokyo Institute of Technology·JournalACS Applied Materials & Interfaces·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 17, 2023

Counting the cost of sunshine: Finding a better metric to measure human ecological footprints

Researchers develop 'Human Appropriation of Net Primary Production' (HANNP) metric to accurately estimate human impacts on the earth's systems. This new approach starts at the source, measuring the total biomass produced through photosynthesis and comparing it to what humans have appropriated for their own use.

SourceS.J. & Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources, Utah State University·JournalEcological Indicators·TypeData/statistical analysis·DateApr 17, 2023

ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2023

The ESMO Breast Cancer Congress 2023 will feature presentations on the latest clinical data on breast cancer treatments, including new drugs and technologies such as antibody drug conjugates and checkpoint inhibitors. The congress will also explore personalized therapeutic approaches for better outcomes in triple-negative breast cancer.

Brain images just got 64 million times sharper

Researchers at Duke University have successfully improved the resolution of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), capturing images of a mouse brain with unprecedented sharpness. The breakthrough allows for the visualization of microscopic details within the brain, enabling new insights into neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's an...

SourceDuke University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·TypeImaging analysis·DateApr 17, 2023

Scientists create powerful, most-accurate tools to research deadliest blood cancer, study says

Researchers at The Mount Sinai Hospital have created versatile disease models of acute myeloid leukemia (AML), allowing for accurate study of the cancer's progression and response to drugs. These models, derived from induced pluripotent stem cells, can mimic different stages of AML and are nearly identical to those found in patients.

Come health or high water

Researchers are studying the impact of climate change on basement pathogens, moisture, and air quality in urban environments, focusing on Black Americans in Pittsburgh. The study aims to document conditions and understand the link between weather events and cumulative health impacts for residents across the adult lifespan.

Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on mortality in people with intellectual disabilities extended beyond deaths from COVID itself

A recent study found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly increased mortality rates among people with intellectual disabilities, with a disparity of five times higher than in the general population. This increase was not limited to COVID-19-related deaths but also affected other conditions such as cancer and mental health disorders.

New details of Tully monster revealed

Researchers use 3D imaging technology to study Tully monsters and reject vertebrate hypothesis, but uncertainty remains about its exact classification as an invertebrate chordate or protostome. The study sheds light on the challenges of piecing together Earth's evolutionary history and highlights the importance of Mazon Creek fossils.

SourceUniversity of Tokyo·JournalPalaeontology·TypeImaging analysis·DateApr 16, 2023

Crowdsourcing can help researchers assess efficacy of Parkinson’s treatment, research finds

Researchers found that crowdsourced listeners can accurately assess voice quality for people with Parkinson's disease, supporting the use of crowdsourcing to evaluate speech samples. The study replicated a previous finding that intensive voice and articulation therapies improve voice quality.

SourceNew York University·JournalJournal of Speech Language and Hearing Research·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 16, 2023

Metagenomic sequencing outperforms conventional tests to identify antimicrobial resistance in bloodstream infections

Rapid metagenomics can provide accurate results within just 6 hours of knowing bacteria are growing in a blood sample, allowing for effective treatment 18-42 hours earlier than conventional laboratory tests. Metagenomic sequencing has the potential to save lives and better manage the use of antibiotics by rapidly identifying antimicrob...

A new breakthrough in Alzheimer disease research - visualizing reactive astrocyte-neuron interaction

Researchers developed a new imaging technique that visualizes the interaction between reactive astrocytes and neurons in the brain, revealing a potential breakthrough in Alzheimer's disease diagnosis and treatment. The study found that acetate promotes reactive astrogliosis, leading to dementia, and offers a new target for AD treatment.

SourceInstitute for Basic Science·JournalBrain·TypeExperimental study·DateApr 16, 2023

SWOG S1512 trial sees high response rate to pembrolizumab in patients with unresectable desmoplastic melanoma

A recent clinical trial found that nearly 90% of patients with unresectable desmoplastic melanoma responded to treatment with pembrolizumab. The immunotherapy drug showed impressive results in both treatable and inoperable cases, suggesting a promising treatment option for this rare form of skin cancer.

SourceSWOG Cancer Research Network·TypeRandomized controlled/clinical trial·DateApr 16, 2023