New research confirms that drastic changes in ocean salinity from, for example, severe freshwater flooding, as recently experienced off the coast of north-east Queensland from abnormal monsoonal conditions, provoke a similar stress response in corals as extreme heating, resulting in “freshwater bleaching” and if unabated, coral death. Researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence for…
Steroids are used for treating various diseases such as allergic disorders, but they occasionally cause adverse effects, such as steroid diabetes and other metabolic disturbances. Since steroids act throughout the body, how these adverse effects are caused and by which organ are not well understood. Researchers at Osaka University focused on glucocorticoid receptors (GRs), the…
Research shedding light on the internal “plumbing” of volcanoes may help scientists better understand volcanic eruptions and unrest. The University of Queensland-led study analysed crystals in Italy’s famous Mount Etna to reveal how quickly magma moves to the surface. Dr Teresa Ubide, from UQ’s School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, said the research would provide…
Aging promotes lung function decline and increases susceptibility to diseases of the respiratory tract. In order to understand these effects in detail, researchers analyzed the aging process in the lung at single-cell level using AI approaches. The lung is a highly complex organ in which a great number of very different cells have to work…
Making people more aware of their own internal body signals, such as heartbeat or breathing rate, could promote positive body image, according to new research published in the journal Body Image. Researchers from Anglia Ruskin University recruited a sample of 646 adults and found that there were statistically significant relationships between people’s interoceptive awareness —…
An infant born with a relatively simple heart defect is far more likely to develop heart problems as an adult, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine have discovered. The risk is so great that someone born with a heart defect who has a heart-healthy lifestyle is twice as likely to develop heart problems…
Studies of health effects of alcohol consumption may underestimate the risks of imbibing, particularly for younger people, according to a new study in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs. The research demonstrates that although cohort studies — the type of observational investigations typically used to study health benefits and risks — sometimes show…
Children who are maltreated often develop problems complying with directions and expectations of parents and other authority figures. Lack of compliance can lead to other problems, including difficulty regulating anger and academic troubles. A new study tested a home-visiting intervention for parents of children referred to Child Protective Services (CPS). The study found that children…
A robotic rover deployed in the most Mars-like environment on Earth, the Atacama Desert in Chile, has successfully recovered subsurface soil samples during a trial mission to find signs of life. The samples contained unusual and highly specialized microbes that were distributed in patches, which researchers linked to the limited water availability, scarce nutrients and…
The Indigenous Peoples of British Columbia have been harvesting shellfish from specially-constructed clam gardens for at least 3500 years, according to a study released February 27, 2019 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Nicole Smith of the Hakai Institute, Dana Lepofsky of Simon Fraser University, and colleagues. This research offers new methods for tracking…