Doctors still reluctant to prescribe medical cannabis: study

Ontario doctors are still hesitant to prescribe medical cannabis to patients suffering long-term pain 20 years after it was first introduced, says a new study carried out at McMaster University.

Crop rotations with beans and peas offer more sustainable and nutritious food production

Growing more legumes, like beans and lentils, is potentially a more sustainable and nutritious approach to European agriculture, shows a new study in Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems. This study presents some of the first holistic evidence that adding legumes to traditional crop rotations (typically including barley, wheat and rapeseed) offers significant environmental benefits as well as increased nutritional value for humans and livestock.

One in four parents give youth sports low rankings for enforcement of COVID-19 guidelines

For young athletes, the new normal on soccer fields and basketball courts means temperature checks before practice, wearing masks through games and a sparse in-person fan base.

E-cigarettes with a cigarette-like level of nicotine are effective in reducing smoking

E-cigarettes that deliver a cigarette-like amount of nicotine are associated with reduced smoking and reduced exposure to the major tobacco-related pulmonary carcinogen, NNAL, even with concurrent smoking, according to a new study led by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University and Penn State College of Medicine in Hershey, Pennsylvania.

Resilience against replay attacks in computer systems

From power grids and telecommunications to water supply and financial systems, digital data controls the infrastructure systems on which society relies. These complex, multi-tier systems depend on layered communications to accomplish their tasks—yet every point of contact becomes a potential target, every path of information a potential weak spot for malicious actors to attack.

How do we know if an asteroid headed our way is dangerous?

There are a lot of things that pose a threat to our planet—climate change, natural disasters, and solar flares, for example. But one threat in particular often captures public imagination, finding itself popularised in books and films and regularly generating alarming headlines: asteroids.

Another way 'good' cholesterol is good: combatting inflammation

Testing how well "good" cholesterol particles reduce inflammation may help predict who is at heightened risk to develop cardiovascular disease caused by narrowed arteries, according to research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

Conservationists may be unintentionally spreading pathogens between threatened animal populations

Moving endangered species to new locations is often used as part of species conservation strategies, and can help to restore degraded ecosystems. But scientists say there is a high risk that these relocations are accidentally spreading diseases and parasites.

Researchers discover new way to starve brain tumors

Scientists from Queen Mary University of London, funded by the charity Brain Tumor Research, have found a new way to starve cancerous brain tumor cells of energy in order to prevent further growth.

Making music from spider webs

Spiders are master builders, expertly weaving strands of silk into intricate 3D webs that serve as the spider's home and hunting ground. If humans could enter the spider's world, they could learn about web construction, arachnid behavior and more. Today, scientists report that they have translated the structure of a web into music, which could have applications ranging from better 3D printers to cross-species communication and otherworldly musical compositions.

CPR training offered to just over half of surveyed ON high school students despite mandated training

Just over half of surveyed Ontario high schools reported providing CPR and AED training to students despite being mandated by the province to provide training for the lifesaving technique, according to a new study by Unity Health Toronto researchers.

A pint and a haircut: UK eases some virus curbs in England

Britain took another tentative step towards the resumption of normal life on Monday as pubs and restaurants were allowed to partially reopen, in a major easing of coronavirus restrictions.

Five things to know about Gagarin's journey to space

Sixty years ago on Monday cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first person in space, securing victory for Moscow in its race with Washington and marking a new chapter in the history of space exploration.

Germany COVID-19 infections pass 3 million: official

The number of COVID-19 infections in Germany has crossed the three million mark, according to figures published Monday by the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre.

Alibaba shares soar as it plays down hit from record $2.78 bn fine

Shares in tech giant Alibaba surged nine percent Monday as the ecommerce titan reassured investors that a record $2.78 billion antitrust fine imposed by China would have little impact on its operations.

Bangladesh shuts down offices, transport amid pandemic surge

Bangladesh authorities on Monday ordered an eight-day closure of all offices and international and domestic transport, as coronavirus cases hit a new high.

India overtakes Brazil as second worst-hit COVID-19 country

India on Monday overtook Brazil as the country with the second-highest number of coronavirus infections, as it reported a new daily record of more than 168,000 cases.

Small but quick: Bhutan vaccinates 93% of adults in 16 days

When plotted on a graph, the curve of Bhutan's COVID-19 vaccination drive shoots upwards from the very first day, crossing Israel, United States, Bahrain and other countries known for vaccinating people rapidly.

Unusual treatment shows promise for kids with brain tumors

For decades, a deadly type of childhood cancer has eluded science's best tools. Now doctors have made progress with an unusual treatment: Dripping millions of copies of a virus directly into kids' brains to infect their tumors and spur an immune system attack.

Tokyo adopts tougher virus rules, starts vaccinating elders

Tokyo adopted tougher measures against the coronavirus Monday as it struggles to curb the rapid spread of a more contagious variant ahead of the Olympics in a country where less than 1% of people have been vaccinated.

SKorea's Moon says EV battery settlement 'very meaningful'

South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday welcomed a decision by two South Korean electric vehicle battery makers to settle a long-running intellectual property dispute that had threatened thousands of American jobs and President Joe Biden's environmental policies.

Soviet cosmonaut made pioneering spaceflight 60 years ago

Crushed into the pilot's seat by heavy G-forces, Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin saw flames outside his spacecraft and prepared to die. His voice broke the tense silence at ground control: "I'm burning. Goodbye, comrades."

Study finds rapid evolution in foxgloves pollinated by hummingbirds

Researchers have found common foxgloves brought to the Americas have rapidly evolved to change flower length in the presence of a new pollinator group, hummingbirds. The findings are published in the British Ecological Society's Journal of Ecology.

Shift in diet allowed gray wolves to survive ice-age extinction

Gray wolves are among the largest predators to have survived the extinction at the end of the last ice age around11,700 years ago. Today, they can be found roaming Yukon's boreal forest and tundra, with caribou and moose as their main sources of food.

Those who view TV and social media as trustworthy sources of COVID news—less informed

People who trust television and Facebook to provide them with accurate news about the coronavirus pandemic are less knowledgeable about COVID-19, according to a new study, which assessed people's knowledge of the virus in the earliest stages of the pandemic.

Workplace study during pandemic finds managers should talk less, listen more

Workplace communication often took a back seat this past year, as employees and employers rushed to work remotely, struggled with technology barriers and adjusted to physical distancing. But the pandemic has resulted in valuable lessons for communicating on the job, according to a Baylor University study.

Study shows tanning bed ban would reduce skin cancer rates in minors and cut healthcare costs

A recent study indicates that a U.S. ban on the use of tanning beds among minors would prevent thousands of cases of melanoma in adolescents and would save millions of dollars in healthcare costs. The findings are published early online in Cancer, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.