ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Study of threatened desert tortoises offers new conservation strategy
• Study revealing the secret behind a key cellular process refutes biology textbooks
• Understanding traditional Chinese medicine can help protect species
• World's largest inventory of known plant species
• Scientists develop new gene therapy for eye disease
• Satellite images confirm uneven impact of climate change
• Aim to exceed weekly recommended physical activity level to offset health harms of prolonged sitting
• Early birth linked to greater risk of hospital visits during childhood
• Obesity is not only the individual's responsibility
• Exploring links between infant vocabulary size and vocal interactions with caregivers
• Quantum nanodiamonds may help detect disease earlier
• New insights on health effects of long-duration space flight
• New wheat and barley genomes will help feed the world
• New insights into how the CRISPR immune system evolved
• Scientists design model to predict cellular drug targets against COVID-19
• New plant-based gel to fast-track 'mini-organs' growth, improve cancer treatment
• Research shows bariatric surgery may reduce severity of COVID-19 in patients with obesity
• SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not appear to increase transmissibility
• How dolphins avoid 'the bends'

Study of threatened desert tortoises offers new conservation strategy Posted: 27 Nov 2020 05:54 AM PST A new study supports a new conservation strategy. Climate change increasingly makes relocating threatened species necessary, despite the frequently low success rate. The study found tortoises with lots of genetic variation were much more likely to survive after their relocation. The research supports this fast, inexpensive conservation tool, and upends the conventional wisdom suggesting that tortoises from areas moved from close by would fare best.

Study revealing the secret behind a key cellular process refutes biology textbooks Posted: 27 Nov 2020 05:54 AM PST New research has identified and described a cellular process that, despite what textbooks say, has remained elusive to scientists until now -- precisely how the copying of genetic material that, once started, is properly turned off.

Understanding traditional Chinese medicine can help protect species Posted: 26 Nov 2020 05:59 AM PST Demystifying traditional Chinese medicine for conservationists could be the key to better protecting endangered species like pangolins, tigers and rhino, according to researchers. Efforts to shift entrenched values and beliefs about Chinese medicine are not achieving conservation gains in the short term.

World's largest inventory of known plant species Posted: 26 Nov 2020 05:59 AM PST Researchers have compiled the world's most comprehensive list of known plant species. It contains 1,315,562 names of vascular plants, thus extending the number by some 70,000 - equivalent to about 20%. The researchers have also succeeded in clarifying 181,000 hitherto unclear species names.

Scientists develop new gene therapy for eye disease Posted: 26 Nov 2020 05:59 AM PST Scientists have developed a new gene therapy approach that offers promise for one day treating an eye disease that leads to a progressive loss of vision and affects thousands of people across the globe. The study also has implications for a much wider suite of neurological disorders associated with aging.

Satellite images confirm uneven impact of climate change Posted: 26 Nov 2020 05:59 AM PST Researchers have been following vegetation trends across the planet's driest areas using satellite imagery from recent decades. They have identified a troubling trend: Too little vegetation is sprouting up from rainwater in developing nations, whereas things are headed in the opposite direction in wealthier ones. As a result, the future could see food shortages and growing numbers of climate refugees.

Aim to exceed weekly recommended physical activity level to offset health harms of prolonged sitting Posted: 25 Nov 2020 04:07 PM PST The health harms associated with prolonged sitting can be offset by exceeding weekly recommended physical activity levels, says the World Health Organization (WHO) in new global guidelines on physical activity and sedentary behavior.

Early birth linked to greater risk of hospital visits during childhood Posted: 25 Nov 2020 04:07 PM PST Being born early (before 37 weeks' gestation) is associated with a higher risk of hospital admission throughout childhood than being born at full term (40 weeks' gestation), finds a new study.

Obesity is not only the individual's responsibility Posted: 25 Nov 2020 12:48 PM PST Analysis of survey results has revealed that in women, obesity is linked to various social and economic factors. In addition, this study is the first in Japan to illuminate the connection between abuse during childhood and obesity in adulthood. These results highlight the importance of taking these factors into account when implementing policies to tackle obesity.

Exploring links between infant vocabulary size and vocal interactions with caregivers Posted: 25 Nov 2020 12:48 PM PST Analysis of recordings from infants' homes reveals that certain types of vocal interactions between adults and infants are associated with a larger infant vocabulary.

Quantum nanodiamonds may help detect disease earlier Posted: 25 Nov 2020 10:51 AM PST The quantum sensing abilities of nanodiamonds can be used to improve the sensitivity of paper-based diagnostic tests, potentially allowing for earlier detection of diseases such as HIV, according to a new study.

New insights on health effects of long-duration space flight Posted: 25 Nov 2020 08:44 AM PST Among the new findings, the research team found that chronic oxidative stress during spaceflight contributed to the telomere elongation they observed. They also found that astronauts had shorter telomeres after spaceflight than they did before.

New wheat and barley genomes will help feed the world Posted: 25 Nov 2020 08:43 AM PST Scientists have unlocked a new genetic variation in wheat and barley - a major boost for the global effort in breeding higher-yielding wheat and barley varieties.

New insights into how the CRISPR immune system evolved Posted: 25 Nov 2020 08:43 AM PST Although CRISPR-Cas has found many uses in biotechnology and medicine, it originates in nature, where it functions as a microbial immune system. Scientists shed new light on how CRISPR-Cas emerged early during the development of life on Earth, as well as how this immune system is constantly adapting to new challenges.

Scientists design model to predict cellular drug targets against COVID-19 Posted: 25 Nov 2020 07:43 AM PST A computational model of a human lung cell has been used to understand how SARS-CoV-2 draws on human host cell metabolism to reproduce. This study helps understand how the virus uses the host to survive, and enable drug predictions for treating the virus to be made.

New plant-based gel to fast-track 'mini-organs' growth, improve cancer treatment Posted: 25 Nov 2020 06:15 AM PST Researchers have created the world's first bioactive plant-based nanocellulose hydrogel to support organoid growth for biomedical applications. This includes cancer development and treatment.

Research shows bariatric surgery may reduce severity of COVID-19 in patients with obesity Posted: 25 Nov 2020 06:15 AM PST A new study shows that among patients who have obesity and who tested positive for COVID-19, a past history of bariatric surgery was significantly associated with a lower risk of hospital and intensive care unit admission.

SARS-CoV-2 mutations do not appear to increase transmissibility Posted: 25 Nov 2020 06:14 AM PST None of the mutations currently documented in the SARS-CoV-2 virus appear to increase its transmissibility in humans, according to a new study.

How dolphins avoid 'the bends' Posted: 25 Nov 2020 06:14 AM PST New evidence indicates that dolphins are able to consciously slow down their heart rates when preparing to dive, and can even adjust their heart rates according to the length of their intended dive. This allows them to conserve oxygen and adjust their body to the changing pressure as they dive, therefore avoiding issues such as ''the bends''.

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