A new canine sleep study could serve as a baseline for research on chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction in dogs, potentially improving detection and treatment of these conditions. «The study was necessary because research on dogs and sleep has outpaced our basic knowledge about what a ‘normal’ sleep/wake cycle looks like,» says Margaret Gruen, assistant…

A new study provides evidence that construction workers, in particular, are at high risk of inadvertently tracking a host of other toxic metals into their homes. The study identifies and measures the highest number of metals —30— in construction workers’ homes, to date. Take-home exposures — toxic contaminants that are unintentionally brought from the workplace…

Researchers have some good news for the well-meaning masses who place bird feeders in their yards: The small songbirds who visit the feeders seem unlikely to develop an unhealthy reliance on them. «There’s still much we don’t know about how intentional feeding might induce changes in wild bird populations, but our study suggests that putting…

Compost and compost-enriched soils may contain high concentrations of A. fumigatus spores, a new study has found. In the study, which was lead author Jennifer Shelton’s Ph.D. thesis, she and her collaborators found that compost and compost-enriched soils contain high concentrations of A. fumigatus spores. «The research suggests that handling compost presents a public health…

Previous studies have revealed a link between hot tea drinking and risk of esophageal cancer, but until now, no study has examined this association using prospectively and objectively measured tea drinking temperature. A new study achieved this by following 50,045 individuals aged 40 to 75 years for a median of 10 years. During follow-up, 317…

When flu season peaks after mid-winter, tens of thousands of influenza cases and hundreds of deaths can likely be avoided if older adults wait until October to get their flu immunization. The protection offered by the flu vaccine wanes as the season progresses, a previous study has shown, which indicates that waiting until closer to…

Citizen science sampling of dust in outdoor and indoor surfaces led to the identification of building features that contribute to the prevalence of yeasts and molds in daycare centers. This information is important to understand environmental factors contributing to the alarming rise of respiratory chronic diseases in children. «This information is important to understand the…

New research tested how open monitoring meditation altered brain activity in a way that suggests increased error recognition. The research, published in Brain Sciences, tested how open monitoring meditation — or, meditation that focuses awareness on feelings, thoughts or sensations as they unfold in one’s mind and body — altered brain activity in a way…

A team of researchers has recently discovered that fear plays an important, unrecognized role in the underdevelopment, and increased vulnerability, of backyard songbirds. Scientists have long known that urban songbirds face a host of increased challenges, from habitat loss to altered food sources and a larger population of predators, such as skunks, rats, squirrels and,…

Low concentrations of air pollution that are within federal safety limits were linked with an increased risk of death among elderly people, including vulnerable subgroups. Tens of thousands of deaths over a 17-year period could be attributed to small increases in annual air pollution concentrations. The study will be published October 7, 2021, in The…