A new study in animal models shows that the presence of a cancer tumor alone can lead to cardiac damage, and suggests the culprits are molecules called free radicals interacting with specific cells in the heart. Tumors in mice and fruit flies led to varying degrees of cardiac dysfunction – particularly a decrease in the […]

Scientists have found a new chemical process to turn a stinky, toxic gas into a clean-burning fuel. The process, detailed recently in the American Chemical Society journal ACS Sustainable Chemical Engineering, turns hydrogen sulfide – more commonly called “sewer gas” – into hydrogen fuel. Hydrogen sulfide is emitted from manure piles and sewer pipes and is […]

The most devastating tornadoes are often preceded by a cloudy plume of ice and water vapor billowing above a severe thunderstorm. New research reveals the mechanism for these plumes could be tied to “hydraulic jumps” – a phenomenon Leonardo Da Vinci observed more than 500 years ago. When a cloudy plume of ice and water […]

Previous fires may hold the key to predicting and reducing the severity of future wildfires in the western United States as fire activity continues to increase, according to researchers from Penn State and the U.S. Forest Service. “We have a good understanding of how fire used to interact with dry, forested landscapes before we implemented […]

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a leading cause of disabilities, affecting nearly 52 million Americans. It has been estimated that more than 80% of individuals older than 55 years have some X-ray-based evidence of the disease. “OA develops when the smooth cushion between bones, the cartilage, breaks down. Progressively, joints become painful, swollen and hard to move,” […]

Students who received eyeglasses through a school-based program scored higher on reading and math tests, Johns Hopkins researchers from the Wilmer Eye Institute and School of Education found in the largest clinical study of the impact of glasses on education ever conducted in the United States. The students who struggled the most academically showed the […]

The 2021 Ig Nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to a group of researchers who analysed the odours emitted by cinema-goers to try to determine the levels of violence, sex, antisocial behaviour, drug use and bad language in the films they were watching. The team behind the work were presented with their award by […]

Scientists in the UK have made a metal–organic framework out of chicken eggshells and a compound that can be reclaimed from plastic bottles. MOFs are porous crystalline materials that consist of metal centres connected by organic linkers. Calcium-based MOFs have performed well in studies evaluating their ability to separate mixtures of noble gases and alkane […]

Stay-at-home and physical distancing orders during the COVID-19 pandemic have led to increased stress, anxiety, depression, and boredom, and reports suggest that some people may be consuming more alcohol as a coping mechanism. A recent study supported by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism now reveals changes in patterns of alcohol and marijuana […]

The steady near-equalization in patterns of alcohol use and misuse between women and men over the last decade has revealed women’s greater risks for alcohol-related consequences. A 2015 National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA)-led analysis of annual data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health found that differences in measures such as current […]