'Dead zone' reduced by Hurricane Barry but still 8th largest

This year's Gulf of Mexico "dead zone" is the eighth largest on record, but Hurricane Barry reduced its size from an expected near record, the scientist who has measured it since 1985 said Thursday.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/dead-zone-reduced-by-hurricane-barry-but-still-8th-largest

Speeding up drug discovery for brain diseases

A research team led by Whitehead Institute scientists has identified 30 distinct chemical compounds—20 of which are drugs undergoing clinical trial or have already been approved by the FDA—that boost the protein production activity of a critical gene in the brain and improve symptoms of Rett syndrome, a rare neurodevelopmental condition that often provokes autism-like behaviors in patients. The new study, conducted in human cells and mice, helps illuminate the biology of an important gene, called KCC2, which is implicated in a variety of brain diseases, including autism, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and depression. The researchers' findings, published in the July 31 online issue of Science Translational Medicine, could help spur the development of new treatments for a host of devastating brain disorders.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/speeding-up-drug-discovery-for-brain-diseases

Biologist searches remote South Pacific island for slime molds

Norfolk Island is an isolated island in the South Pacific located between New Zealand and Australia. The island is quite small, with a total area of only about 14 square miles. Norfolk Island is known for two things. First, it is the native habitat for a tree known as the Norfolk Island pine, which is widely planted throughout subtropical and tropical areas of the world. Second, the descendants of the Tahitians and the mutineers from the HMS Bounty (from the famous incident referred to as "mutiny on the Bounty") were resettled on Norfolk Island from Pitcairn Island in 1856.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/biologist-searches-remote-south-pacific-island-for-slime-molds

Cat causes carnage in rare seabird colony

Ph.D. student Claire Greenwell from Murdoch University's Harry Butler Institute helped to establish the successful Fairy Tern colony in Mandurah, South-Western Australia, resulting in a thriving colony containing 111 nests by late November 2018.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/cat-causes-carnage-in-rare-seabird-colony

Novel catalysis approach reduces carbon dioxide to methane

A growing number of scientists are looking for fast, cost-effective ways to convert carbon dioxide gas into valuable chemicals and fuels.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/novel-catalysis-approach-reduces-carbon-dioxide-to-methane

Solar eclipse provides unique opportunity to study atmospheric waves

Witnessing one total solar eclipse—the one that swept across the continental U.S. in 2017—wasn't enough for Montana State University senior Jaxen Godfrey. But when she flew to Chile in July to experience another, it wasn't just for the thrill. It was to continue studying an elusive atmospheric phenomenon.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/solar-eclipse-provides-unique-opportunity-to-study-atmospheric-waves

Researchers develop cleaner, greener fertiliser

Research from The Australian National University (ANU) has produced a method that transforms waste into a new fertiliser.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-develop-cleaner-greener-fertiliser

Review calls for better care in our dying days

A new paper from The Australian National University (ANU) highlighting failings with palliative care and how we are cared for when we die.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/review-calls-for-better-care-in-our-dying-days

Why intercountry adoption needs a rethink

Associate Professor Sonja Van Wichelen, sociologist and leader of the Biohumanity FutureFix research project in the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences made the call in a paper published in the latest issue of Law and Society Review.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/why-intercountry-adoption-needs-a-rethink

Chromosome structure inspires intricate works of art

A collaboration between a Virginia Tech entomology professor, art professor, and computer science professor working in biophysics has resulted in the creation of stunning works of art that can help researchers and the public better understand the function of DNA and chromosomes in many important cellular processes.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/chromosome-structure-inspires-intricate-works-of-art

Male black widow spiders piggyback on the work of their rivals to find female mates faster

A new University of Toronto study finds male black widow spiders will hijack silk trails left by rival males in their search for a potential mate.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/male-black-widow-spiders-piggyback-on-the-work-of-their-rivals-to-find-female-mates-faster

Slow start for blue-green algae on Alberta lakes

There have been fewer health advisories than usual about blue-green algae in Alberta lakes this past summer but that doesn't mean the problem is going away, explained a University of Alberta biologist.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/slow-start-for-blue-green-algae-on-alberta-lakes

'Virtual teams' can overcome barriers to thrive, study finds

Employees working in 'virtual teams' can overcome performance difficulties to work effectively if they have positive feedback, social support and job autonomy in their tasks and jobs, new research involving Curtin University has found.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/virtual-teams-can-overcome-barriers-to-thrive-study-finds

Decades-old pollutants melting out of Himalayan glaciers

Melting Himalayan glaciers are releasing decades of accumulated pollutants into downstream ecosystems, according to a new study.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/decades-old-pollutants-melting-out-of-himalayan-glaciers

Data on alcohol-related incidents show positive trends

Dartmouth has released its latest data on the number of alcohol-related incidents involving undergraduates on campus. The new information, which tracks incidents through the 2018-2019 academic year, is available on the Student Wellness Center website.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/data-on-alcohol-related-incidents-show-positive-trends

LightSail 2 spacecraft successfully demonstrates flight by light

Years of computer simulations. Countless ground tests. They've all led up to now. The Planetary Society's crowdfunded LightSail 2 spacecraft is successfully raising its orbit solely on the power of sunlight.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/lightsail-2-spacecraft-successfully-demonstrates-flight-by-light

Precision editing of gut bacteria reduces cancer in mice

UT Southwestern researchers have shown that precision editing of the bacterial populations in the gut reduces inflammation-associated colorectal cancer in mice.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/precision-editing-of-gut-bacteria-reduces-cancer-in-mice

Research cruise explores carbon cycle in deep ocean in Atlantic

A University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science-led research cruise leaves for the deep Atlantic Ocean 50 miles southeast of Bermuda on Monday for a week of science at sea aboard the 171-foot R/V Atlantic Explorer. Scientists will be sampling the depths of the ocean and analyzing bacterial diversity and function to better understand the marine carbon cycle in the ocean.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/research-cruise-explores-carbon-cycle-in-deep-ocean-in-atlantic

Researchers show how side hit to the head could damage brain, lead to concussion

Play contact sports for any length of time and at one point or another you're probably going to have your 'bell rung' by a powerful blow to the head from a hard hit or fall. Rising awareness of the severe, abiding repercussions of strong impacts to the head—concussions, mild traumatic brain injury, neurological disorders—have led scientists to focus on what exactly happens inside a skull during a big hit.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/researchers-show-how-side-hit-to-the-head-could-damage-brain-lead-to-concussion

Poor methodology reporting makes radiation oncology studies impossible to replicate

Nearly 80 percent of radiation oncology studies funded by the National Institutes of Health involve investigating the effects that radiation has on tumor cells and healthy tissue in pre-clinical settings, such as experiments done in cell cultures or mice. A majority of these radiation biology studies, however, have serious flaws in how their irradiation methodology is described, which makes them very difficult to replicate, according to a new finding from the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/poor-methodology-reporting-makes-radiation-oncology-studies-impossible-to-replicate

Sustained police effort explains higher arrests for gun murders

The primary reason gun fatalities result in arrests more frequently than nonfatal shootings is police devote more time and resources to the fatal cases, a new study by scholars at Duke and Northeastern universities finds.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/sustained-police-effort-explains-higher-arrests-for-gun-murders

Black male educators sound alarm regarding lack of diversity in P-12 classrooms

A diverse and inclusive education workforce can play a critical role in ensuring that students receive a robust, quality educational experience. While students of color comprise more than half of P-12 classroom populations in the United States, overcoming the shortage of educators of color has been a decades-long dilemma for U.S. schools.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/black-male-educators-sound-alarm-regarding-lack-of-diversity-in-p-12-classrooms

Human trafficking victims' unlikeliness to report crimes tied to police officers' bias

Police are increasingly called on to combat crimes related to sex and labor trafficking. A new study sought to determine how the victims of these crimes are served by police. Based on researchers' review of human trafficking investigations and interviews with police and service providers in three communities in Northeast, West, and South United States, the study concluded that victims of human trafficking often do not trust the police and rarely seek their assistance. The study also found that these views are due in part to victims' beliefs that police are not trained adequately and hold biases and stereotypes about them. The authors offer recommendations to improve police responses to these victims.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/human-trafficking-victims-unlikeliness-to-report-crimes-tied-to-police-officers-bias

Hidden chemistry in flowers shown to kill cancer cells

Researchers at the University of Birmingham have shown that it's possible to produce a compound with anti-cancer properties directly from feverfew—a common flowering garden plant.

source https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-news-blog/hidden-chemistry-in-flowers-shown-to-kill-cancer-cells