Authentication and repatriation of a ceremonial shrunken head from the US to Ecuador

A ceremonial tsantsa—or shrunken head—was authenticated and repatriated to Ecuador in 2019, after it had been discovered amongst stored exhibits at Mercer University. The history of the artefact and the process of its authentication—which involved CT scans and assessment of 33 criteria such skin and hair features—are described in a study published in Heritage Science.

Identifying the rise of multi drug resistant E. coli

Antibiotic resistance in E. coli has been steadily increasing since the early 2000s despite attempts to control it, a new study suggests. In the biggest genomic survey of E. coli to date, that took more than 16 years in Norway, researchers have successfully tracked the spread of antibiotic resistant genes and have shown that these genes are being transferred between E. coli strains.

Small study shows heart damage after COVID-19 uncommon in college athletes

In a small study, researchers found college athletes who contracted COVID-19 rarely had cardiac complications. Most had mild COVID symptoms that did not require treatment, and in a small percentage of those with abnormal cardiac testing, there was no evidence of heart damage on special imaging tests. All athletes returned to sports without any health concerns, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation.

Undetected early heart damage raises risk of death in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Hospitalized COVID-19 patients with impaired first-phase ejection fraction were nearly 5 times more likely to die compared to patients with healthier measures of this early, often undetected sign of heart failure, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. First-phase ejection fraction is a measure of the left ventricular ejection fraction until the time of maximal ventricular contraction.

Managing children's weight, blood pressure and cholesterol protects brain function mid-life

Managing weight, blood pressure and cholesterol in children may help protect brain function in later life, according to new research published today in the American Heart Association's flagship journal Circulation. This is the first study to highlight that cardiovascular risk factors accumulated from childhood through mid-life may influence poor cognitive performance at midlife.

SpaceX to launch lunar mission paid with cryptocurrency Dogecoin

SpaceX will launch a satellite to the Moon next year funded entirely with the cryptocurrency Dogecoin, Canadian company Geometric Energy Corporation, which will lead the lunar mission, announced Sunday.

Using DNA for tiny tech: Generating DNA origami nanostructures through shape annealing

When it comes to creating nanotechnology, one cannot simply build it with their hands. Instead, researchers need something nano-sized that is able to self-assemble. DNA origami is a method of creating nano-sized shapes by folding strands of DNA. This can be used to manufacture nanomachines, sensors, and nanorobots for use in fields ranging from biophysics to physical computing.

Android users join the conversation: Clubhouse expands beyond Apple users in the US

Android users in the U.S. can now join the invite-only Clubhouse, more than a year after the social audio app debuted.

Amazon blocked 10 billion listings in counterfeit crackdown

Amazon, which has been under pressure from shoppers, brands and lawmakers to crack down on counterfeits on its site, said Monday that it blocked more than 10 billion suspected phony listings last year before any of their offerings could be sold.

'Vaccine tourists' fly from abroad for injections on US beach

A long line of people snaked across the sand of Miami Beach, Florida, as dozens of travelers from Latin America waited their turn at a pop-up coronavirus vaccination booth.

Major US pipeline struggles to reopen after ransomware attack

The US government declared a regional emergency Sunday as the largest fuel pipeline system in the United States remained largely shut down, two days after a major ransomware attack was detected.

Physicists observe modified energy landscapes at the intersection of 2D materials

In 1884, Edwin Abbott wrote the novel Flatland: A Romance in Many Dimensions as a satire of Victorian hierarchy. He imagined a world that existed only in two dimensions, where the beings are 2D geometric figures. The physics of such a world is somewhat akin to that of modern 2D materials, such as graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides, which include tungsten disulfide (WS2), tungsten diselenide (WSe2), molybdenum disulfide (MoS2) and molybdenum diselenide (MoSe2).

Britain set to ease COVID-19 lockdown, but huge India outbreak persists

Britain on Monday was set to announce a further easing of its coronavirus lockdown, joining several European nations in gradually reopening their economies, but India remained in the grip of a devastating outbreak.

Climate to ravage Kenya's tea production

Climate change is set to devastate Kenya's tea production as the world's largest exporter faces rising temperatures, erratic rainfall and insect infestations, according to analysis released on Monday.

What a buzz: saving Malaysia's bees, one nest at a time

Placing his bare hands into a swarm of thousands of bees, a Malaysian man uses his fingers to gently guide some of them into a rattan basket.

COVID jab maker BioNTech to build SE Asia manufacturing site

COVID jab maker BioNTech said Monday it would build a Southeast Asia headquarters and manufacturing site in Singapore to produce hundreds of millions of mRNA-based vaccines per year.

Cricket bats should be made from bamboo not willow, study finds

Bamboo cricket bats are stronger, offer a better 'sweet spot' and deliver more energy to the ball than those made from traditional willow, tests conducted by the University of Cambridge show. Bamboo could, the study argues, help cricket to expand faster in poorer parts of the world and make the sport more environmentally friendly.

Could wider use of gene reserves protect rare species?

UK landowners and conservationists welcome wider-spread use of Gene Conservation Units (GCUs) to help protect some of the rarest plants and insects, research at the University of York has shown.

Future-proofing mental health: Experts set out research roadmap to prioritise key areas

A group of UK academics are calling for targets for mental health in order to meet the healthcare challenges of the next decade.

Sharks in protected area attract illegal fishers

Thousands of sharks have been illegally caught in a Marine Protected Area (MPA) in the Indian Ocean, new research shows.

Body mass index during childhood linked with risk of anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa in later life

New research being presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) held online this year, suggests that among girls a low body mass index (BMI) during childhood indicates a higher risk of developing anorexia nervosa as young adults, whereas a high BMI or overweight in childhood indicates a higher risk of bulimia nervosa.

Combining BMI with body shape better predictor of cancer risk

New research being presented at The European Congress on Obesity (ECO) held online this year, suggests that a measure of body shape should be used alongside body mass index (BMI) to help determine the risk of obesity-related cancers.

Higher BMI, body fat, and larger waist and hips pose similar risk for 10 common cancers

Obesity increases the risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers, regardless of how it is measured, according to a study of more than 400,000 adults in the UK, being presented at The European Congress on Obesity (ECO) held online this year, with central fatness (larger waist and hips) and general obesity (body mass index [BMI] and body fat percentage) associated with similar estimates of cancer risk.

Higher BMI in childhood may help protect women against breast cancer in later life, both before and after the menopause

A study of more than 173,000 women in Denmark, presented at the European Congress on Obesity (ECO) held online this year, suggests that girls with a higher body mass index (BMI) during childhood are less likely than their peers with a lower BMI to develop breast cancer as adults, both before and after the menopause.

Research shows for the first time that protein complexes 'inflammasomes' are linked to obesity-related colon cancer

New research presented at this year's European Congress on Obesity (held online, 10-13 May) finds evidence that structures called inflammasomes (a part of the innate immune system that helps to regulate inflammation) could play an important role in the development of obesity-associated colon cancer. The study is by Dr. Victoria Catalán and Professor Gema Frühbeck, University Hospital Navarra and CIBEROBN, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Pamplona, Spain, and colleagues.