Molecular reporters expose the allies of the brain tumor

Glioblastoma is the most common malignant brain tumor in adults. Roughly five in every 100,000 people develop this type of cancer each year. The diagnosis amounts to a death sentence: Even after surgical resection followed by radiation and chemotherapy, the glioblastoma will kill the patient in a few months. This is because the tumor invariably returns after treatment, and in a more aggressive form than before.

Caspian crisis: Sinking sea levels threaten biodiversity, economy and regional stability

Coastal nations are rightly worried about sea level rise, but in the countries around the Caspian Sea, over 100 million people are facing the opposite problem: an enormous drop in sea level. Technically, this sea is a land-locked lake, but it is the largest on the planet (371.000 km2), and quite salty. Since the '90s, the water level has been dropping a few centimeters every year. This drop will accelerate during the upcoming decades, according to scientists from the German universities of Gießen and Bremen, together with Dutch geologist Frank Wesselingh.

Genetic engineering without unwanted side effects helps fight parasites

Modified CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing scissors are enabling researchers at the University of Zurich to make alterations to the genetic material of single-cell organisms that are indistinguishable from natural mutations. This method makes it possible to develop a harmless experimental live vaccine for the widespread parasite Toxoplasma gondii.

Mexico to start COVID-19 vaccinations on Thursday: govt

Mexico will begin COVID-19 immunizations on Thursday, a day after the country receives its first batch of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccines, Undersecretary of Health Hugo Lopez-Gatell said.

Are two phases of quarantine better than one?

New research into this question shows that the second wave of an epidemic is very different if a population has a homogenous distribution of contacts, compared to the scenario of subpopulations with diverse number of contacts.

Pandemic sends US single mothers into poverty

When the coronavirus pandemic shuttered restaurants in California, Aleida Ramirez lost her job as a waitress, plunging her—along with many other single mothers—into a vicious cycle of poverty, unpaid bills and reliance on food banks.

Montreal offers 'light therapy' in pandemic winter

In the heart of downtown Montreal, residents of a city battered by months of dealing with the coronavirus pandemic can now indulge in a little seasonal "light therapy".

California health system buckling under COVID-19 pandemic

California's health care system is buckling under the strain of the nation's largest coronavirus outbreak and may fracture in weeks if people ignore holiday social distancing, health officials warned as the number of people needing beds and specialized care soared to previously unimagined levels.

Virus hunters delve into Gabon forest in search for next threat

The scene looks like something out of a science fiction movie, or maybe some dystopian TV series.

Sydney eases virus restrictions for Christmas

Sydney on Wednesday eased lockdown restrictions for Christmas after Australia's largest city reported a second day of new coronavirus cases in the single digits.

Japan's renewable energy sector seeks carbon-neutral windfall

Japan needs to boost renewable energy by reforming outdated policies on land use and the national grid if it is to meet a new goal of carbon neutrality by 2050, industry players and experts say.

After months of calm, Thailand challenged by virus outbreak

After managing against the odds to keep the coronavirus largely in check for most of the year, Thailand has suddenly found itself challenged by an expanding outbreak among migrant workers on the doorstep of the capital, Bangkok.

Musk: Apple CEO didn't take meeting about buying Tesla

Tesla CEO Elon Musk says he once considered selling the electric car maker to Apple, but the iPhone maker's CEO blew off the meeting.

Pandemic reaches Antarctica, last untouched continent

The pandemic has finally reached every continent on Earth.

Lava lake forms as Hawaii volcano erupts after 2-year break

Lava was rising more than 3 feet (1 meter) per hour in the deep crater of a Hawaii volcano that began erupting over the weekend after a two-year break, scientists said Tuesday.

How the American child welfare system lost its way

Black children are removed from their families at much greater rates than any other race or ethnicity in this country. At the same time the sheer number of all child abuse investigations in the US is staggering: experts estimate that by age 18 one out of three children has been the subject of a child protective services investigation. Yet, many of these investigations and removals are unjustified and stem from a misguided policy shift that began in the late 1960s, says University of Rochester health policy historian and physician Mical Raz.

Delicious and disease-free: scientists attempting new citrus varieties

UC Riverside scientists are betting an ancient solution will solve citrus growers' biggest problem by breeding new fruits with natural resistance to a deadly tree disease.

New mammogram measures of breast cancer risk could revolutionise screening

World-first techniques for predicting breast cancer risk from mammograms that were developed in Melbourne could revolutionise breast screening by allowing it to be tailored to women at minimal extra cost.

Highest levels of microplastics found in molluscs, new study says

Mussels, oysters and scallops have the highest levels of microplastic contamination among seafood, a new study reveals.

Study finds patients with kidney failure are ready and willing to use mobile health

In a survey of adults with kidney failure who were receiving dialysis treatments, most patients were proficient in mobile health and willing to use it. The findings come from an analysis that will appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.

COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need to share precious intensive care bed resources across Europe

New research shows that a majority of European anaesthesiologists and intensive care specialists believe that precious intensive care (ICU) capacity should be shared between nations during international emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing countries with excess capacity to help those that are being overwhelmed at any particular moment.

Survival of the thickest: Big brains make mammal populations less dense

Mammals with big brains tend to be less abundant in local areas than those with smaller brains, new research has shown.