Researchers describe first-ever hybrid bird species from the Amazon
A team of U of T Scarborough researchers have described the first known hybrid bird species to be found in the Amazon rainforest. Through a series of genetic and other tests the team have revealed that the golden-crowned manakin -- first discovered in Brazil in 1957 but not seen again until 2002 - is in fact a hybrid species.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uot-rdf122217.php
Cleaner air, longer lives
New study from MIT researchers shows Clean Air Act is likely responsible for dramatic decline in atmospheric organic aerosol.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/miot-cal122117.php
New hope for stopping an understudied heart disease in its tracks
Thanks, in part, to pigs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Arlington Agricultural Research Station, scientists now are catching up on understanding the roots of calcific aortic valve disease (CAVD).
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uow-nhf122117.php
A classic Darwinian ecological hypothesis holds up -- with a twist
New University of Colorado Boulder-led research shows that a long-held hypothesis about the factors that govern species ranges largely holds true, but may be the result of a previously underappreciated ecological mechanism.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoca-acd122017.php
Blood pressure control best achieved with a multilevel, multicomponent approach
Current clinical guidelines recommend lower blood pressure targets for the general population, yet control remains elusive for most. A new study suggests that patients with hypertension can best achieve blood pressure control with a multilevel, multicomponent approach that includes physician- and non-physician-led interventions. The findings from a comparative effectiveness review are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/acop-bpc121917.php
UCI scientists identify hidden genetic variation that helps drive evolution
Identifying complex mutations in the structure of an organism's genome has been difficult. But in a new study published online in Nature Genetics, a research team led by J.J. Emerson, assistant professor of ecology & evolutionary biology at the Ayala School of Biological Sciences, applies new methods of genome analysis to identify these complex mutations with unprecedented resolution.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoc--usi122217.php
Study identifies new loci associated with asthma enriched in epigenetic marks
An international study led by scientists from Inserm and Paris Diderot University (France), the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus (USA), the University of Chicago (USA) and the National Heart and Lung Institute (UK) together with researchers of the Trans-National Asthma Genetics Consortium (TAGC) has discovered five new regions of the genome that increase the risk of asthma. This study was published Friday, Dec. 22, in the journal Nature Genetics.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/uoca-sin122217.php
Deep brain stimulation: Improving outcomes in the treatment of movement disorders
For the first time, researchers from Charité have shown that, in patients with a type of movement disorder known as dystonia, a particular pattern of brain activity is linked to both the severity of symptoms and the clinical outcomes achieved through deep brain stimulation. Results from this study, which has been published in the journal Annals of Neurology*, may help to improve the way in which treatment is adapted to an individual patients needs.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/c-ub-dbs122217.php
NASA captures Tropical Depression Kai-Tak's final bow
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Malay Peninsula and infrared imagery showed Tropical Depression Kai-Tak dissipating in the Gulf of Thailand under strong vertical wind shear.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nsfc-nct122217.php
NASA sees second Tropical soaking in Southern Philippines
NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the Philippines and infrared imagery showed that Tropical Storm Tembin contained strong thunderstorms with heavy rainmaking potential as it moved across Mindanao in the southern part of the country. The southern Philippines recently experienced a soaking from what is now Tropical Depression Kai-Tak.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/nsfc-nss122217.php
Preterm infants have narrowed upper airways, which may explain higher obstructive sleep apnea risk
A multidisciplinary team used MRI to determine that the risk factors that lead to obstructive sleep apena are confined to the uppermost airway and do not appear to be explained by enlarged adenoids and tonsils.
Source: https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2017-12/cnhs-pih122217.php
Source: http://www.eurekalert.org/
