US subsidies boost the expected profits and development of new oil and gas fields

Researchers at the Stockholm Environment Institute (Somerville and Seattle, U.S.) and Earth Track, Inc. (Cambridge, MA, U.S.) examined 16 subsidies and environmental regulatory exemptions, providing one of the first estimates of how government subsidies will affect investment decisions for new gas fields in the coming decade. Their results are published on 29 July 2021 in the IOP Publishing journal, Environmental Research Letters.

Diabetes patients in high-deductible health plans 28% more likely to skip their medications due to cost: study

For Americans with diabetes, being enrolled in a high-deductible health plan (HDHP) substantially increases the risk of not taking prescribed medications due to cost, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School that was published today in the Journal of General Internal Medicine. HDHPs, which now account for half of all commercial health insurance plans, require patients to pay for all care out of pocket until a plan's deductible is reached. Only after the deductible is reached (typically $1,300 for an individual and $2,600 for a family) does insurance begin to cover medical costs.

Study: Adding color to your plate may lower risk of cognitive decline

A new study shows that people who eat a diet that includes at least half a serving per day of foods high in flavonoids like strawberries, oranges, peppers and apples may have a 20% lower risk of cognitive decline. The research is published in the July 28, 2021, online issue of Neurology. The study looked at several types of flavonoids, and found that flavones and anthocyanins may have the most protective effect.

Metabolic syndrome linked to increased risk of second stroke, death

People with larger waistlines, high blood pressure and other risk factors that make up metabolic syndrome may be at higher risk for having a second stroke and even dying than people who do not have metabolic syndrome, according to a meta-analysis published in the July 28, 2021, online issue of Neurology.

Spin-sonics: Acoustic wave gets the electrons spinning

Researchers have detected the rolling movement of a nano-acoustic wave predicted by the famous physicist and Nobel prize winner Lord Rayleigh in 1885. This phenomenon can find applications in acoustic quantum technologies or in so-called "phononic" components, which are used to control the propagation of acoustic waves.

Officials in Tokyo alarmed as cases hit record highs

Japanese officials sounded the alarm Thursday after Tokyo reported record-breaking coronavirus cases for two straight days with the Olympics well underway.

Europe on vacation, but vaccinations not taking a break

Europe's famed summer holiday season is in full swing, but efforts to inoculate people against the coronavirus are not taking a break.

UNESCO awards Gabon's Ivindo park World Heritage status

Gabon's Ivindo National Park was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on Wednesday in recognition of the nation's success in defending biodiversity and challenging climate change.

Delta variant drives virus spread to three China provinces

China Thursday reported small coronavirus outbreaks driven by the Delta variant in three provinces as a cluster linked to an eastern airport spreads despite mass testing and a vaccination drive.

'We need more people': Exhausted firefighters battle Siberia blazes

As thick clouds of smoke billow across the vast Siberian region of Yakutia, Yegor Zakharov and his team are racing to stop its smouldering forests from burning even more.

Waste pickers fear for future at Senegalese mega dump

Scores of pickers move along a raised platform of rubbish, scooping up pieces of plastic with iron hooks, alongside cattle and hundreds of egrets also scouring the trash.

8.2 magnitude earthquake off Alaskan peninsula, tsunami warning

An 8.2 magnitude earthquake struck off the Alaskan peninsula late Wednesday, the United States Geological Survey said, prompting a tsunami warning.

FDA allows automatic 'generic' swap for brand-name insulin

U.S. regulators took action Wednesday that will make it easier to get a cheaper, near-copy of a brand-name insulin at the drugstore.

US extends expiration dates on J&J COVID vaccine to 6 months

Federal health regulators on Wednesday again extended the expiration dates on Johnson & Johnson's COVID-19 vaccine, providing health workers with six more weeks to use millions of doses of the shot.

New study reveals serious long-term complications in youth-onset type 2 diabetes

Phil Zeitler, MD, Ph.D., has been treating youth with type 2 diabetes for more than 20 years. He and a team of researchers published a paper today on the TODAY2 study in the New England Journal of Medicine on the long-term complications of type 2 diabetes. (TODAY stands for Treatment Options for type 2 Diabetes in Adolescents and Youth. The first phase of the study took place from 2004—2011; phase two from 2011—2020. Both studies involved more than 550 participants from across the country.)

Understanding macro level influences on strategic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic

A new study suggests that the effectiveness of countries' strategic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic may be adversely affected by the limitations of current tools used to measure the barriers and facilitators to courses of action.

Has the billion dollar crusade to eradicate polio come to an end?

The polio juggernaut, which has skidded past eradication deadline after deadline, seems to have finally run out of fuel, suggests an investigation published by The BMJ today.

Eliminating RNA-binding protein improves survival in aggressive leukemia

Removing a protein that is often overexpressed in a rare and aggressive subtype of leukemia can help to slow the cancer's development and significantly increase the likelihood of survival, according to a study in mice led by scientists at the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Measuring conservation in a way that counts

A new study raises questions on whether current conservation science and policy for protected areas could be saving more biodiversity—with political and economic expediency often having taken precedence in the past.

Consortium identifies more genetic markers for inherited testicular cancer

A meta-analysis of nearly 200,000 men revealed 22 new genetic locations that could be susceptible to inherited testicular germ cell tumors (TGCT)—a 40 percent increase in the number of regions known to be associated with the cancer. The new findings, published online in Nature Communications, could help doctors understand which men are at the highest risk of developing the disease and signal them to screen those patients.

Researchers identify powerful tool for analyzing large patient datasets

Immunology and bioinformatics researchers from The University of Queensland have identified a powerful tool for analysing large patient datasets. Their work could lead to better patient stratification, and the precise and quicker adoption of targeted therapies.

Warning over start of commercial-scale deep-sea mining

Deep-sea mining in international waters could begin in two years—but researchers say this is unnecessary and could cause irreversible damage to marine ecosystems.

Study highlights urgent need to build vaccine confidence within racial and ethnic minority communities

Promoting health equity in immunization rates for the new vaccines against COVID-19 during the pandemic is critical, as individuals from racial and ethnic minority groups and adults living in low-income communities are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, as well as influenza and other vaccine-preventable diseases, according to investigators. Concerted efforts are urgently needed to achieve equity in immunization rates, reports a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.