Could ancient bones suggest Santa was real?
Was St Nicholas, the fourth century saint who inspired the iconography of Santa Claus, a legend or was he a real person?New Oxford University research has revealed that bones long venerated as relics of the saint, do in fact date from the right historical period.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoo-cab120517.php
Poll: At least one-fourth of Asian Americans report workplace, housing discrimination
This report is part of a series titled 'Discrimination in America.' The series is based on a survey conducted for National Public Radio, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. While many surveys have explored Americans's beliefs about discrimination, this survey asks people about their own personal experiences with discrimination.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/htcs-pal120517.php
First DNA sequence from a single mitochondria
DNA sequences between mitochondria within a single cell are vastly different, found researchers in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. This knowledge will help to better illuminate the underlying mechanisms of many disorders that start with accumulated mutations in individual mitochondria and provide clues about how patients might respond to specific therapies.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uops-fds120517.php
UTA researchers show that sexual harassment on the job still carries large impact
Two University of Texas at Arlington researchers have revisited workplace sexual harassment issues after the initial study was done nearly 20 years ago.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uota-urs120517.php
Dahl's toad-headed turtle threatened by fragmented habitat, shrinking populations
A recent study published in Conservation Genetics by researchers from the Universidad de los Andes, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society), and the Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA) shows that the Dahl's Toad-headed Turtle (Mesoclemmys dahli), a rare reptile found only in Colombia, is threatened with extinction due to alarmingly small and fragmented populations and high levels of inbreeding.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/wcs-dtt120517.php
Weight loss and risk of death: Rheumatoid arthritis findings may have wider implications
Researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital evaluated the effect of rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis on weight change and how this subsequently affects mortality risk. Their results suggest that the findings from previous studies regarding lower weight being associated with higher mortality may not be directly related to RA and instead reflect a more generalized phenomenon.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/bawh-wla120517.php
Mitochondrial protein in cardiac muscle cells linked to heart failure, study finds
Reducing a protein found in the mitochondria of cardiac muscle cells initiates cardiac dysfunction and heart failure, a finding that could provide insight for new treatments for cardiovascular diseases, a study led by Georgia State University has shown.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/gsu-mpi120517.php
NASA telescope studies quirky comet 45P
When comet 45P zipped past Earth early in 2017, researchers observing from NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility, or IRTF, in Hawai'i gave the long-time trekker a thorough astronomical checkup. The results help fill in crucial details about ices in Jupiter-family comets and reveal that quirky 45P doesn't quite match any comet studied so far.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nsfc-nts120517.php
Good news from trio of phase one Zika vaccine trials
More than 90 percent of study volunteers in the 3 trials who received the investigational vaccine demonstrated an immune response to Zika virus.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/slu-gnf120517.php
Catalyzing carbon dioxide
Scientists at the Rowland Institute at Harvard have developed a system that uses renewable electricity to electrochemically transform carbon dioxide into carbon monoxide -- a key commodity used in any number of industrial processes.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/hu-ccd120517.php
Lithium in water associated with slower rate of Alzheimer's disease deaths
Trace elements of lithium in drinking water can slow death rates from Alzheimer's disease,Brock University research has found.Rates of diabetes and obesity, which are important risk factors for Alzheimer's disease, alsodecrease if there is a particular amount of lithium in the water, says the study, publishedrecently in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/ip-liw120517.php
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/
