According to a study conducted by two biologists at the University of California, San Diego, Argentine ants in Southern California need wet soil to live and breed. So residents plagued by indoor infestations of the pesky little critters may find relief by simply shutting off or substantially limiting the use of their outdoor irrigation.
The scientists report in the March 30 issue of the Journal of Animal Ecology that they were able within a matter of weeks to increase the abunda
Physicians with more experience are better able to detect a third heart sound that is an indicator of heart disease, according to a study on stethoscope accuracy in cardiac patients at UCSF Medical Center.
Greater experience in auscultation– listening to body sounds with a stethoscope– provides better outcomes in detecting pathologic heart disorders, underscoring the importance of skilled instruction in the use of a stethoscope, the researchers said. Their findings appear in
A rare frog that lives in rushing streams and waterfalls in east-central China is able to make itself heard above the roar of flowing water by communicating ultrasonically, scientists reported March 16 in the journal Nature. Attributes that enable the frog to hear ultrasounds are made possible by the presence of an ear canal, which most other frogs don’t have.
“Our research points out an elegant and novel solution to the problem of communication in high levels of background noise
As the population ages, arthritis will become more prevalent. It would be helpful to know more about the causes and treatments of cartilage wear.
Michael Furey, Virginia Tech professor emeritus of mechanical and biomedical engineering, recently conducted the first study of wear in human cartilage. Furey will report his research and results at the 231st American Chemical Society National Meeting in Atlanta March 26-30.
Furey has been studying lubrication and wear of
Data shows condom use and awareness programs are helping to slow infection rates
A University of Toronto Indo-Canadian study reports a remarkable one-third decline in new HIV infections in the worst hit regions of India, indicating that with condom use and awareness programs, the country’s AIDS epidemic is far from hopeless.
The study, which appears online in the Lancet’s March 30 issue, tracked HIV prevalence among young women attending pregnancy or antena
Even preschoolers approach the world much like scientists: They are convinced that perplexing and unpredictable events can be explained, according to an MIT brain researcher’s study in the April issue of Child Development.
The way kids play and explore suggests that children believe cause-and-effect relationships in the world are governed by fundamental laws rather than by mysterious forces, said Laura E. Schulz, assistant professor of cognitive science and co-author of
Stem cells can repair damaged spinal tissue and help restore function in rats with spinal cord injuries, according to a new study. The findings may eventually lead to insights that result in new treatments for humans with spinal cord injuries.
Michael Fehlings, MD, PhD, and his colleagues at the Krembil Neuroscience Center at Toronto Western Research Institute and the University of Toronto also identified a critical window during which stem cell transplants may be effective, say
A recently completed economic study of timber demand projections for the next two decades in southeast Alaska explains four alternatives describing how the forest products industry could develop. The peer-reviewed study now in process of being published, Timber Products Output and Timber Harvests in Alaska: Projections for 2005-25, was prepared by Pacific Northwest Research Station scientists Allen Brackley, Thomas Rojas, and Richard Haynes.
“The projections of future demand are repre
Promising results prompt second human clinical study
Grape seed extract lowered the blood pressure of patients who participated in a UC Davis study of the benefits of the supplement on people with high blood pressure.
Conducted by UC Davis cardiovascular researchers, the study was the first human clinical trial to assess the effect of grape seed extract on people with metabolic syndrome, a combination of risk factors that increase the risk for heart disease, includi
The paradox of choice has been well-documented, but a new study from the forthcoming issue of the Journal of Consumer Research offers an explanation of the hierarchical consumer choices that lead to dissatisfaction with an overwhelming number of options – and how we can overcome these shopping crises.
“This research examines consumer choice as a decision process that comprises two different stages: selecting an assortment and, subsequently, selecting a particular option from that assort
Ultrasound and algae can be used together as tools to clean mercury from contaminated sediment, according to an Ohio State University study.
This research could one day lead to a ship-borne device that cleans toxic metals from waterways without harming fish or other wildlife, said Linda K. Weavers, the John C. Geupel Chair in Civil Engineering at Ohio State.
Doctoral student Ziqi He described the group’s latest results in a poster session March 27 at the American Ch
Research released this week supports the House of Commons vote to make all workplaces smoke free, including pubs and bars.
A team of researchers visited 64 pubs across the north west of England. They measured air quality using a portable monitor for at least 30 minutes in an area of the pub where smoking was allowed. They found very poor air quality with high levels of particles (PM2.5), particularly in pubs serving more deprived populations. These particles are breathed into the
Scientists make progress toward understanding mysteries surrounding animals that live in the dark recesses of the oceans
The largest habitats on Earth are located in the vast, dark plains at the bottom of the ocean. Yet because of their remoteness, many aspects of this mostly unexplored world remain mysterious. New research led by Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California, San Diego, has produced a rare insight into animal populations in the deep sea
Western ideal of a perfect figure is having a negative effect on Chinese boys and girls, USC study finds.
Chinese teens who think of themselves as fat, even if they were normal or underweight, are at a greater risk for depression and school-related stress, a new USC study has found.
Girls who said they were overweight reported an overall grade point average of 3.06 versus 3.20 for other girls, according to the study of nearly 7,000 middle- and high-school students in se
People with Eczema may benefit from finding
Scientists supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), have identified a defect in the immune response of people with the skin condition atopic dermatitis that puts them at risk of developing serious complications following smallpox vaccination. Led by Donald Y.M. Leung, M.D., Ph.D., of the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver, the
Increase in Vitamin E tied to reduction in utero deaths, but faster rates of cancer onset
Manipulating the in utero environment may alter the onset of cancers that appear later in the lives of mammals, according to a new University of Toronto study published in the journal Carcinogenesis.
“We know that cancer-causing agents can travel across the placenta and harm the developing embryo or fetus,” says Professor Peter Wells of the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy. “This stu
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