Tuesday 3 September 2019

Buying many smart home devices leaves people dissatisfied with the technology, research shows

The more smart devices such as Amazon Echo that people add to their homes, the less happy they are with the technology, new research shows.

In the largest study of its kind, no evidence that testosterone reduces cognitive empathy

It's long been known that autism is far more prevalent in males than in females. What hasn't been understood is why.

Restaurants and cafes are failing to make people with dementia feel welcome, research says

Some restaurants and cafes are failing people with dementia because of loud noise, confusing signs and impatient staff, new research says.

Managers rated as highly emotionally intelligent are more ineffective and unpopular, research shows

Managers who are rated as highly emotionally intelligent are more unpopular and ineffective than those who are less so, new research shows.

Many top chefs started their careers later in life and after a chance event, research says

Many top chefs started their careers later in life and often as a result of a chance event, new research says.

Tropical sea snake uses its head to 'breathe'

Humans use a snorkel and fish have gills. Now researchers have found a sea snake which uses a complex system of blood vessels in its head to draw in extra oxygen when it dives and swims underwater.

Women entrepreneurs are less likely to quit their business than men are, research says

Women entrepreneurs are less likely to quit their business than men are, new research shows.

Unhappy mothers talk more to their baby boys, study finds

Mothers who are dissatisfied with their male partners spend more time talking to their infants—but only if the child is a boy, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Cambridge.

Share your goals—but be careful whom you tell

If you want to achieve a goal, make sure you share your objective with the right person.

Fetching water increases risk of childhood death

Water fetching is associated with poor health outcomes for women and children, including a higher risk of death—according to new research from the University of East Anglia.

Self-monitoring solution in mobile app can help uncontrolled asthma

A study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet shows that a treatment-adjustment algorithm based on lung function and symptoms in a mobile phone is useful for managing uncontrolled asthma. For fuss-free measuring of lung function, the phone connects to a wireless spirometer, and the app can register respiratory symptoms and provide visual feedback on treatment. The study is published in the highly respected European Respiratory Journal.

Future-proofing cereals for climate change drought conditions

Scientists at Heriot-Watt University have identified a gene responsible for drought resistance in barley which, it is believed, could help future-proof the cereals industry to increasingly dry conditions as climate change gathers pace.

Genes reveal kinship between three victims of Mongol army in 1238 massacre

Researchers from the Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology and the Russian Academy of Sciences Institute of Archaeology have used DNA testing to prove close genetic kinship between three individuals buried in a mass grave following the capture of the Russian city Yaroslavl by Batu Khan's Mongol army in 1238. This confirms the hypothesis made by archaeologists and anthropologists after studying the remains of 15 persons interred on a historic estate.

Research into Parkinson's disease: Binding-protein prevents fibril proliferation

Protein aggregates have been observed in the nerve tissue of patients with Parkinson's disease which consist of individual components (monomers) of the protein α-synuclein which assemble into what are referred to as amyloid fibrils. Similar deposits are also found in the case of other neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's. Researchers are looking for approaches to prevent fibril formation and potentially cure the diseases.

Plagiarism and inclusivity highlighted in new study into arts, humanities and social sciences

A new study looking at the issues arising in publication ethics that journal editors face within the arts, humanities and social sciences has highlighted that detecting plagiarism in papers submitted to a journal is the most serious issue they tackle, something which over half of editors reported encountering.

Rice reactor turns greenhouse gas into pure liquid fuel

A common greenhouse gas could be repurposed in an efficient and environmentally friendly way with an electrolyzer that uses renewable electricity to produce pure liquid fuels.

Natural 'breakdown' of chemicals may guard against lung damage in 9/11 first responders

The presence of chemicals made as the body breaks down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates can predict whether Sept. 11, 2001 first responders exposed to toxic dust at the World Trade Center site subsequently develop lung disease, a new study finds.

CVD leading cause of death worldwide, but cancer rising cause in rich countries

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the major cause of death among middle-aged adults around the world; however, in high-income countries deaths from cancer have become twice as frequent as those from CVD.

Study finds most risks for heart attacks, strokes, deaths around world could be improved

More than 70 per cent of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and deaths around the world may be attributed to a small number of common but modifiable risk factors.

Europe's oldest lake traces 1.36 million years of climate

By analysing sediment cores from the bed of Europe's oldest lake, an international team of scientists has created a detailed climate history of the north-central Mediterranean stretching back 1.36 million years—and revealed the climate mechanism that has driven winter rainfall in the region.

Huawei denies US allegations of technology theft

Beleaguered Chinese telecom giant Huawei on Tuesday denied accusations reported in the Wall Street Journal that it stole technology from a Portuguese inventor, accusing him of "taking advantage of the current geopolitical situation."

Deadly Dorian pounds relentlessly at desperate Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian came to a catastrophic daylong halt over the northwest Bahamas, flooding the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama with walls of water that lapped into the second floors of buildings, trapped people in attics and drowned the Grand Bahama airport under 6 feet of water. At least five people died and 21 injured people were airlifted to the capital by the U.S. Coast Guard, Bahamas officials said.

NYC health officials say measles outbreak has ended

A measles outbreak concentrated in Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in New York City is over, meaning an emergency order mandating vaccines will be lifted, health officials said Tuesday.

Increased body weight in adolescent boys linked with heart attack before 65

A study in nearly 1.7 million 18-year-old boys has found that higher body mass index (BMI) is linked with greater risk of a heart attack before 65 years of age. The research is presented today at ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology.

It is never too late to start statins for clogged leg arteries

Statins are linked with reduced mortality in patients with peripheral arterial disease, even when started late after diagnosis, reports a study presented today at ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology. Patients who stop the drug are at similar risk to those who never start. The research shows the importance of starting and adhering to lifelong medication, preferably at a high dose.

Extracting clean fuel from sunlight

Securing enough energy to meet human needs is one of the greatest challenges society has ever faced. Previously reliable sources—oil, gas and coal—are degrading air quality, devastating land and ocean and altering the fragile balance of the global climate, through the release of CO2 and other greenhouse gases. Meanwhile, earth's rapidly industrializing population is projected to reach 10 billion by 2050. Clean alternatives are a matter of urgent necessity.

Overweight kids actually eat less right after stressful events

People often react to stress by binging on sweets or fattening comfort foods, cravings fueled by the appetite-stimulating stress hormone cortisol.

Fat-absorbing XX chromosomes raise heart disease risk in women

New research at the University of Kentucky has confirmed that the presence of XX sex chromosomes increases the amount of fat circulating in the blood, which leads to narrowing of the arteries and ultimately a higher risk of heart attacks and coronary artery disease.

Poor diet causes blindness in a young 'fussy eater'

A poor diet caused a young patient's blindness, according to a case report published in Annals of Internal Medicine. According to the authors, nutritional optic neuropathy should be considered in any patient with unexplained vision symptoms and poor diet, regardless of BMI.