Hong Kong’s marine ecosystem over the last 100 years
The skyscrapers and urban development that have made Hong Kong the “Pearl” have also generated pollutants that affect the marine species that live in Hong Kong’s coastal waters. On-going climate change and dams along the Pearl River have also altered these coastal ecosystems. However, it is largely unknown in what ways they are altered, because […]
Bird communities threatened by urbanization
Urbanization is one of the most drastic forms of land-use change, and its negative consequences on biodiversity have been studied extensively in temperate countries such as Germany. However, less research has been conducted in tropical regions from the Global South, where most of the ongoing and future urbanization hotspots are located, and little is known […]
U.S. Open Offering Tennis Players Access To Mental Health Pros
NEW YORK (AP) — Players at the U.S. Open will have access to licensed mental health providers and quiet rooms as part of an initiative announced Tuesday by the U.S. Tennis Association. The USTA said it seeks to “ensure that a comprehensive and holistic approach will be taken with all aspects of player health, including […]
‘Words Can Mean Life or Death’: What We Heard This Week
“Words have consequences and during a public health emergency like COVID-19, those words can mean life or death for patients.” — Joe Knickrehm, vice president of communications for the Federation of State Medical Boards, on their statement that physicians who spread COVID misinformation could face disciplinary action. “Our plan is to protect the American people […]
Gut bacteria and flavonoid-rich foods are linked and improve blood pressure levels
Flavonoid-rich foods, including berries, apples, pears and wine, appear to have a positive effect on blood pressure levels, an association that is partially explained by characteristics of the gut microbiome, according to new research published today in Hypertension, an American Heart Association journal. “Our gut microbiome plays a key role in metabolizing flavonoids to enhance […]
Immigrants to Canada may have lower rate of stroke than long-term residents
Immigrants to Canada have a 33% lower rate of stroke than long-term residents, according to a study published in the August 18, 2021, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. “Other studies have shown that immigrants tend to have better health than long-term residents, which is thought to be […]
Humans managed shellfish and their predators for millennia
Due to their protected status, sea otter populations have rebounded across the Pacific Northwest Coast following their near elimination during the historic maritime fur trade. But the recovery of these shellfish predators and the federal laws now protecting them challenge local Indigenous communities who hold constitutionally protected rights to harvest those same shellfish but who […]
Nanocluster discovery will protect precious metals
Scientists have created a new type of catalyst that will lead to new, sustainable ways of making and using molecules and protect the supply of precious metals. A research team from the University of Nottingham have designed a new type of catalyst that combines features that are previously thought to be mutually exclusive and developed […]
Targeting mitochondria shows promise in treating obesity: Molecule that changes the shape of mitochondria corrects obesity
A team of University of California, Irvine, scientists have discovered a novel pharmacological approach to attenuate the mitochondrial dysfunction that drives diet-induced obesity. The results of their study were published recently in the journal, EMBO Molecular Medicine. Consuming a high-fat diet can lead to obesity and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and fatty liver. Palmitate, […]
Climate change will transform cooling effects of volcanic eruptions
Researchers have shown that human-caused climate change will have important consequences for how volcanic gases interact with the atmosphere. The researchers, from the University of Cambridge and the UK Met Office, say that large-magnitude eruptions will have greater effects as the climate continues to warm. However, the cooling effects of small- and medium-sized eruptions could […]