-
Getting to the core of a more nutritious apple
A new platform housing data from over 100 apple varieties could shave years off of the breeding process and enable data-driven assessments of how to boost the health benefits of America’s favorite fruit. This new analysis platform developed by a team of Ohio State University scientists combines the genetics behind specific traits and information on…
-
Preventing pandemics costs far less than controlling them
An analysis by epidemiologists, economists, ecologists and biologists at 21 institutions finds we could reduce the risks of future pandemics by investing as little as 1/20th of the losses incurred so far from COVID into conservation measures designed to stem the spread of zoonotic viruses from wildlife to humans in the first place. This includes…
-
Managing global climate change — and local conditions — key to coral reefs’ survival
According to a new study, what’s key to coral reefs surviving climate-driven heatwaves and subsequent bleaching is managing global climate change — and local conditions. The widespread decline is fueled in part by climate-driven heat waves that are warming the world’s oceans and leading to what’s known as coral bleaching, the breakdown of the mutually…
-
Research on large storm waves could help lessen their impact on coasts
An international team of researchers has analyzed months of data of large nearshore waves to provide new insights that could help improve the designs of a variety of coastal structures from seaports to seawalls to better withstand destructive waves. Now, an international team of researchers has analyzed months of data of large nearshore waves to…
-
How to make the healthiest coffee
What’s the healthiest way to make a fresh cup of coffee? A new study examining links between coffee brewing methods and risks of heart attacks and death has concluded that filtered brew is safest. The first study to examine links between coffee brewing methods and risks of heart attacks and death has concluded that filtered…
-
New findings to boost barley yields at higher temperatures
Researchers have identified a novel mechanism in barley plants, which could help crop growers achieve high yields as temperatures rise. With grain production highly sensitive to changing environmental conditions, rising temperatures are known to reduce the number of seeds that can be produced on each plant. One solution is to increase the number of flowers…
-
The surprises of color evolution
Nature is full of color. For flowers, displaying color is primarily a means to attract pollinators. Insects use their color vision not only to locate the right flowers to feed on but also to find mates. The evolutionary interaction between insects and plants has created complex dependencies that can have surprising outcomes. Bees and other…
-
Bartonella bacteria found in hemangiosarcoma tumors from dogs
Researchers have found a very high prevalence of Bartonella bacteria in tumors and tissues — but not blood samples — taken from dogs with hemangiosarcoma, a cancer of the blood vessels. Hemangiosarcoma (HSA) is an aggressive, deadly cancer that arises from cells lining the blood vessels. It is responsible for two-thirds of all heart or…
-
Footprints from site a at Laetoli, Tanzania, are from early humans, not bears
The oldest unequivocal evidence of upright walking in the human lineage are footprints discovered at Laetoli, Tanzania in 1978, by paleontologist Mary Leakey and her team. The bipedal trackways date to 3.7 million years ago. Another set of mysterious footprints was partially excavated at nearby Site A in 1976 but dismissed as possibly being made…
-
Cellular receptors identified for eastern equine encephalitis
A new study has identified a set of cellular receptors for at least three related alphaviruses shared across mosquitoes, humans, and animals that host the virus. Going a step further, the researchers tested a «decoy» molecule that successfully prevented infection and slowed disease progression in a series of experiments in cells and animal models, an…