Eradicating smallpox: The global vaccination push that brought the world 'arm-to-arm'

As the roll-out of COVID vaccines proceeds, it's worth looking back on the challenges and successes of the early global spread of smallpox vaccination.

Tagged grass carp unknowingly betray their species

Michigan State University researchers are working with state and federal fishery agencies to help remove invasive grass carp from Lake Erie in a bid to limit its spread to the other Great Lakes.

Researchers use AI to predict risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Artificial intelligence could be used to predict who is at risk of developing type 2 diabetes—information that could be used to improve the lives of millions of Canadians.

Evaluating esophageal hypervigilance and symptom anxiety

Measuring levels of hypervigilance and symptom-specific anxiety may improve healthcare providers' understanding of patient outcomes for severe esophageal diseases and treatment strategies, according to a Northwestern Medicine study published in the journal Gastroenterology.

The 'moon wobble' will intensify coastal floods: Here's what that means for Australia

Extreme floods this month have been crippling cities worldwide. This week in China's Henan province, a year's worth of rain fell in just three days. Last week, catastrophic floods swept across western Germany and parts of Belgium. And at home, rain fell in Perth for 17 days straight, making it the city's wettest July in 20 years.

Buzz about thermoelectrics heats up with promising new magnesium-based materials

The landing of NASA's Perseverance rover was another leap forward not only for space exploration but also for the technology that's powering the craft on its years-long mission on Mars—a thermoelectric generator that turns heat into electricity.

Climate cataclysms set stage for key UN science report

On the heels of jaw-dropping heat and flooding across three continents, nearly 200 nations gather Monday to validate a critical UN climate science report 100 days ahead of a political summit charged with keeping Earth liveable.

Sydney outbreak a 'national emergency' as cases spike

Sydney's fast-growing coronavirus outbreak has become a "national emergency," state leaders said Friday, as Australia's largest city reported another record number of new infections.

Climate 'mysteries' still puzzle scientists, despite progress

What worries one of the world's leading climate scientists the most?

Conservationists urge Congo to reverse pay-to-poach decision

Environmentalists in the Democratic Republic of Congo on Thursday urged the government to reverse a move to tax rather than forbid poaching, saying the move endangered millions in conservation funds.

Deadly summer of extreme weather

Climate scientists have long warned of severe impacts on the near horizon, and the 21st century has seen more than a few natural disasters made worse or more likely by global warming.

Villagers flee fresh floods in central China as typhoon approaches

Villagers were evacuated over makeshift bridges Friday as floods submerged swathes of central China, following a historic deluge which claimed at least 33 lives, while an approaching typhoon threatened to dump more rain on the stricken area.

Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?

Should vaccinated people mask up with COVID-19 cases rising?

Bangkok closes public spaces as virus surges in Thailand

Thailand's already locked down capital shut parks and the few remaining public places available to residents Friday, as the country registered a new high of coronavirus infections.

Meet the Martian meteorite hunters

A team at the Natural History Museum (NHM), London is paving the way for future rovers to search for meteorites on Mars. The scientists are using the NHM's extensive meteorite collection to test the spectral instruments destined for the ExoMars rover Rosalind Franklin, and develop tools to identify meteorites on the surface of the red planet. The project is being presented today (23 July) at the virtual National Astronomy Meeting 2021.

Martian global dust storm ended winter early in the south

A dust storm that engulfed Mars in 2018 destroyed a vortex of cold air around the planet's south pole and brought an early spring to the hemisphere. By contrast, the storm caused only minor distortions to the polar vortex in the northern hemisphere and no dramatic seasonal changes. Dr. Paul Streeter of The Open University's Faculty of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics will present the work today (23 July) at the virtual National Astronomy Meeting (NAM 2021).

Shedding light on the dark side of firm lobbying

Researchers from George Mason University, University of Manitoba, Colorado State University, and Georgetown University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines an unintended customer consequence of lobbying, decreased customer satisfaction, and also explains marketing-focused efforts that can help prevent it.

Research suggests women over 65 be offered hereditary cancer genetic testing

A new study by Fergus Couch, Ph.D., of Mayo Clinic Cancer Center, along with collaborators from the CARRIERS consortium, suggests that most women with breast cancer diagnosed over 65 should be offered hereditary cancer genetic testing. The study was published Thursday, July 22, in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

Advanced bladder cancers respond to immunotherapy regardless of gene mutation status

A new study has demonstrated that patients with advanced bladder cancers whose tumors have a mutated FGFR3 gene respond to immunotherapy treatment in a manner that is similar to patients without that mutation, a discovery that runs counter to previous assumptions. This research, led by scientists at the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, has important implications for patients who have not been offered immunotherapy because of their genetic profiles.

Studies find combination chemotherapy beneficial and cost-effective in sub-Saharan Africa

Researchers at the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center demonstrated in a clinical trial in Malawi that a five-drug combination chemotherapy provided curative benefit compared to current standard-of care-therapy in people diagnosed with lymphoma, and now they have determined this option is also cost-effective. The economic finding appeared July 22, 2021, in Lancet Global Health.

New dietary treatment for epilepsy well tolerated and reduced seizures

The first clinical trial of a new dietary treatment for children and adults with severe forms of epilepsy, co-developed by UCL researchers and based on the ketogenic diet, has been successfully completed.

Perfecting collagen production in osteogenesis imperfecta

Most people can expect to break close to two bones in their lifetime, but those with osteogenesis imperfecta—also known as brittle bone disease—can break hundreds of bones before they even hit puberty. And while healthy bones can break from a hard fall or a bad car wreck, there may not be an apparent reason at all with brittle bone disease.

Southeastern US herbaria digitize three million specimens, now freely available online

A network of over 100 herbaria spread out across the southeastern United States recently completed the herculean task of fully digitizing more than three million specimens collected by botanists and naturalists over a span of 200 years. The project, which was funded by the National Science Foundation, is part of a larger, ongoing effort by natural history institutions worldwide to make their biological collections easily accessible to researchers studying broad patterns of evolution, extinction, range shifts, and climate change.