Lakes on Greenland Ice Sheet can drain huge amounts of water, even in winter

Using satellite data to 'see in the dark', researchers have shown for the first time that lakes on the Greenland Ice Sheet drain during winter, a finding with implications for the speed at which the world's second-largest ice sheet flows to the ocean.

Mass COVID testing at UK universities is haphazard and unscientific, finds BMJ investigation

The costly rollout of asymptomatic screening for COVID-19 at UK universities has found very few positive cases following its launch in December as part of the Government's ambitious £100bn Moonshot programme, finds an investigation published by The BMJ today.

Governments and health leaders call for action on adolescent wellbeing

Governments and health leaders across the globe are today calling for urgent action on adolescent wellbeing.

Increased rates of organ damage after discharge from hospital with COVID-19

People discharged from hospital after COVID-19 appear to have increased rates of organ damage ("multiorgan dysfunction") compared with similar individuals in the general population, finds a study published by The BMJ today.

Adherence to UK's test, trace, and isolate system is low

Levels of adherence to the UK's test, trace, and isolate system and understanding of the main symptoms of COVID-19 are low, particularly among men, younger age groups, people with a dependent child in the home, key workers, and those experiencing greater financial hardship, finds an analysis of online survey data published by The BMJ today.

US, China consulted on safety as their crafts headed to Mars

As their respective spacecrafts headed to Mars, China and the U.S. held consultations earlier this year in a somewhat unusual series of exchanges between the rivals.

Japan's Hitachi acquires GlobalLogic for $9.6 billion

Hitachi Ltd. is buying U.S. digital engineering services company GlobalLogic Inc. for $9.6 billion, the Japanese industrial, electronic and construction conglomerate said Wednesday.

Researchers urge a closer examination of sunlight's efficacy in inactivating the SARS-CoV-2 virus

A year ago scientists everywhere were scrambling to get their minds around the SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus that caused the pandemic from which we are only now beginning to emerge. The world clung to every new development, every bit of science that could provide clues to managing life in the presence of this mysterious killer.

COVID-19-associated seizures may be common, linked to higher risk of death

COVID-19 can have damaging effects on multiple organs in the body, including the brain. A new study led by investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) indicates that some hospitalized patients with COVID-19 experience non-convulsive seizures, which may put them at a higher risk of dying. The findings are published in the Annals of Neurology.

Architecture of Eolian successions under icehouse and greenhouse conditions

Anthropogenic climate change is one of the foremost scientific and societal challenges. In part, our response to this global challenge requires an enhanced understanding of how the Earth's surface responds to episodes of climatic heating and cooling. As historical records extend back only a few hundred years, we must look back into the ancient rock record to see how the surface of the Earth has responded to shifts between icehouse (presence of ice at the Earth's poles) and greenhouse (no substantial ice at Earth's poles) climates in the past.

Heart attacks in young adults more deadly in those with systemic inflammatory disease

Heart attacks in young adults are twice as likely to be fatal in those with inflammatory conditions like psoriasis, lupus or rheumatoid arthritis. That's the finding of a study published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Lab-made hexagonal diamonds stiffer than natural diamonds

Nature's strongest material now has some stiff competition. For the first time, researchers have hard evidence that human-made hexagonal diamonds are stiffer than the common cubic diamonds found in nature and often used in jewelry.

Floating gardens as a way to keep farming despite climate change

Bangladesh's floating gardens, built to grow food during flood seasons, could offer a sustainable solution for parts of the world prone to flooding because of climate change, a new study has found.

Sounds like home: Murrelets choose breeding locations by eavesdropping on other murrelets

Oregon State University researchers broadcast marbled murrelet calls in mature forests and found that the threatened seabirds' choice of breeding locations is strongly influenced by whether they hear other murrelets in the area.

Study investigates non-verbal signs of resistance

A new study examining how people with severe and profound intellectual disabilities resist activities while in care recommends that institutions improve training to help carers better understand non-verbal cues, as well as offer greater flexibility to allow individual preferences to take priority over institutional schedules.

Preventive treatment reduces diabetic retinopathy complications

Early treatment with anti-VEGF injections slowed diabetic retinopathy in a clinical study from the DRCR Retina Network (DRCR.net). However, two years into the four-year study its effect on vision was similar to standard treatment, which usually begins at the onset of late disease. The intermediate findings published today in the JAMA Ophthalmology. The study was supported by the National Eye Institute (NEI), a part of the National Institutes of Health.

Decellularized spinach serves as an edible platform for laboratory-grown meat

Spinach, a cost-efficient and environmentally friendly scaffold, provided an edible platform upon which a team of researchers led by a Boston College engineer has grown meat cells, an advance that may accelerate the development of cultured meat, according to a new report in the advance online edition of the journal Food BioScience.

'Mop up' malaria vaccine advances to trials in people

University of Florida researcher Rhoel Dinglasan, Ph.D., was awarded $6 million today by the Global Health Innovative Technology Fund to test a new malaria vaccine in people. The process leading to a phase 1 clinical trial begins this April.

Dementia and COVID: What families and physicians should know

Early in the pandemic, neurologists expressed concern that COVID-19 patients with dementia may be at higher risk for complications and mortality.

Scientists discover new genetic disease that delays brain development in children

Scientists have discovered a new genetic disease, which causes some children's brains to develop abnormally, resulting in delayed intellectual development and often early onset cataracts.

Human hiking trails custom built for sauntering grizzlies

In the run up to hibernation, grizzly bears go on a colossal binge, consuming as many calories as possible to get them through the long winter. Yet, little was known about how much energy the massive mammals use as they shamble around their rugged territories. "Moving across the landscape in search of food can be a huge energetic expense for some animals," Carnahan says. Fortunately, the Washington State University Bear Research, Education and Conservation Center (WSU BREC), where Carnahan is based, is home to 11 bears, including four that formerly lived in Yellowstone National Park, so he and Charles Robbins (also at WSU BREC) decided to measure the animals' metabolic rates as they sauntered on the flat, and up and down gradients to find out how much energy they use on a daily basis. The team publishes their discovery that grizzly bears prefer to walk on shallow paths to save energy in Journal of Experimental Biology, explaining why the animals often appear on human hiking trails.

New research shows risk of COVID-19 from aerosols to healthcare workers

New research published in Anaesthesia (a journal of the Association of Anaesthetists) challenges the guidance that special aerosol precautions are only needed when using oxygen therapies for COVID-19 patients, and raises concerns about safety of staff and patients on hospital wards, if they are not protected from infectious aerosols.

Experimental treatment offers hope of fertility for early menopausal women

Menopause typically signals the end of a woman's ability to become pregnant. However, in a small new study, a novel approach of administering platelet-rich plasma and gonadotropins near the ovarian follicles is showing promise in restoring ovarian function. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

Urban squirrels, how much are we disturbing you?

Human disturbance in urban environments makes some squirrels fail, but others perform better in novel problem-solving.

Scientists show technology can save people from shark bites

With shark bites increasing in countries like Australia—scientists say the use of personal electronic deterrents is an effective way to prevent future deaths and injuries which could save the lives of up to 1063 Australians along the coastline over the next 50 years.

The 'one who causes fear'—new meat-eating predator discovered

Research published today in the peer-reviewed Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology describes a newly discovered species of dinosaur—named the 'one who causes fear', or Llukalkan aliocranianus.

Widespread facemask use is vital to suppress the pandemic as lockdown lifts, say scientists

A new mathematical model suggests that the easing of lockdown must be accompanied by wider and more effective use of control measures such as facemasks even with vaccination, in order to suppress COVID-19 more quickly and reduce the likelihood of another lockdown.

Scientists discover unique Cornish 'falgae'

Red algae that grow in Cornwall's Fal Estuary are genetically unique, new research shows.

Cuba begins testing 2nd COVID-19 vaccine on health care workers

Cuba began vaccinating tens of thousands of health care workers with a second COVID-19 vaccine on Monday, even though it has yet to complete clinical trials.

Father and son find nearly all grocery produce is uncontaminated by COVID-19

In the early days of the pandemic, Vishal Shah painstakingly disinfected all of his family's produce from the grocery store with a disinfectant before bringing it into their West Chester house to reduce the risk of contracting COVID-19.

Zuckerberg confirms Instagram for kids plans at Congressional hearing on misinformation

During his contentious testimony with Congress members, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg confirmed the platform's plans to create an Instagram for kids.

The curious case of northeast Brazil's cross-breeding sea turtles

Sea turtles have been around since dinosaurs roamed the Earth, stretching back about 110 million years. Yet now their existence is at risk, with six of today's seven species classified as threatened or endangered.

Comcast commits $1 billion to help close the digital divide as Americans increasingly rely on the internet

Comcast Corp. plans to spend $1 billion over the next decade to help low-income Americans connect to the internet, company officials said Wednesday.

Ecuador policeman held over 185 baby tortoises in suitcase

An Ecuadorian policeman has been arrested after airport officials in the Galapagos Islands discovered 185 baby giant tortoises stuffed in a suitcase to be trafficked, prosecutors said Monday.

In Tunis, flamingos wade past waste in key Africa wetlands

Hundreds of flamingos wade past waste in the murky waters of the vast Sijoumi lagoon, a critical wetland in the heart of Tunisia's capital threatened by overexpansion.

Disney+ has a $1 price increase taking effect Friday

It's official: Starting Friday, you'll be paying more for your Disney+ streaming subscription.

Amazon faces new lawsuit alleging it fixed book prices

A proposed class-action lawsuit from a Seattle firm has added to the swarm of antitrust scrutiny gathering around Amazon.

Airport crowds, airline ticket sales show travel recovering

Evidence is mounting that Americans are eager to drive or fly somewhere after being mostly cooped up at home for a year.

VW plans brand-name change to 'Voltswagen' in US

Volkswagen plans to change its brand name in the United States to "Voltswagen" as its shifts its production increasingly toward electric vehicles and tries to distance itself from an emissions cheating scandal.

Maternal exposure to chemicals linked to autistic-like behaviours in children

A new study by Simon Fraser University's Faculty of Health Sciences researchers—published today in the American Journal of Epidemiology—found correlations between increased expressions of autistic-like behaviors in pre-school aged children to gestational exposure to select environmental toxicants, including metals, pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), phthalates, and bisphenol-A (BPA).

The truth about Christ lies in contradiction, philosopher finds

While the quest to explain how Christ can be both fully human and fully divine enjoys a long, fascinating history, Jc Beall, the O'Neill Family Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame, believes that the quest should end.

When parole, probation officers choose empathy, returns to jail decline

Heavy caseloads, job stress and biases can strain relations between parole and probation officers and their clients, upping offenders' likelihood of landing back behind bars.

New research finds majority of children with autism may be 'doing well'

One of the biggest longitudinal research studies of its kind in the world led by The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) suggests that positive outcomes for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are more common than previously thought.

Your neighborhood may influence your COVID-19 risk

Markers of the pandemic's impact—testing rates, positivity ratio (cases among total tests), case rates by overall population and deaths—are clustered in neighborhoods, with low-income and predominantly minority communities experiencing worse outcomes than wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods. The findings, part of the first research to look at comprehensive neighborhood-level data from March through September 2020 from three large U.S. cities—Chicago, New York and Philadelphia—were published today in Annals of Internal Medicine by researchers from Drexel University's Dornsife School of Public Health.

Scientists identify molecular pathway that helps moving cells avoid aimless wandering

Working with fruit flies, scientists at Johns Hopkins Medicine say they have identified a new molecular pathway that helps steer moving cells in specific directions. The set of interconnected proteins and enzymes in the pathway act as steering and rudder components that drive cells toward an "intended" rather than random destination, they say.

Algorithm-generated music recommendations may be least accurate for hard rock listeners

Listeners of high-energy music such as hard rock and hip-hop may be given less accurate music recommendations by music recommender systems than listeners of other non-mainstream music, according to research published in the open access journal EPJ Data Science.

Researchers discover how animals grow their pointy body parts

An interdisciplinary team at Monash University discovered a new universal rule of biological growth that explains surprising similarities in the shapes of sharp structures across the tree of life, including teeth, horns, claws, beaks, animal shells, and even the thorns and prickles of plants.

Physical inactivity is responsible for up to 8% of non-communicable diseases and deaths worldwide

The health implications of physical inactivity are truly a global issue with physical inactivity responsible for up to 8% of non-communicable diseases and deaths across the world, finds research published online in British Journal of Sports Medicine.

Fewer people sought medical help for severe asthma attacks during the COVID-19 pandemic

Fewer patients with severe attacks were seen by their GP or admitted to hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic, and fewer were admitted to hospital for pneumonia, influenza and chronic lung diseases, show findings from three papers published online in the journal Thorax.

Type of glaucoma linked to increased risk of cognitive impairment

A type of glaucoma called normal-tension glaucoma is associated with an increased risk of cognitive impairment and possibly dementia, finds research published online in the British Journal of Ophthalmology.