In the Amazon's 'sand forests,' birds play by different evolutionary rules

Picture the Amazon. You're thinking lush rainforests teeming with animals, right? It turns out, the Amazon Basin contains other less-famous ecosystems that have been under-studied by biologists for years, including patches of habitat growing on white sands. Scientists are starting to turn their attention to these "sand forests" and the animals that live there. In a new study, researchers examined birds from the region and found that unlike birds in the dense rainforest, the white sand birds travel from one habitat patch to another and interbreed. It's a characteristic that could change the way conservationists protect the sand forest birds.

Teaching and complex tools 'evolved together'

The human ability to teach and our use of complex tools may have evolved together, according to new research.

New analysis refutes claim that dinosaurs were in decline before asteroid hit

A new study from researchers at the University of Bath and Natural History Museum looking at the diversity of dinosaurs shows that they were not in decline at the time of their extinction by an asteroid hit 66 million years ago.

Breakthrough in childhood brain cancer will save lives

A scientific breakthrough has enabled experts to predict relapse in a common childhood cancer and means doctors can tailor treatment for each individual child and improve prognosis.

What does COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness mean?

What does COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness mean?

California governor imposes new restrictions in pandemic

California Gov. Gavin Newsom said he was pulling the "emergency brake" Monday on reopening the state's economy as coronavirus cases surge at the fastest rate since the start of the outbreak.

Airbnb details years of losses ahead of planned IPO

Airbnb was losing money even before the pandemic struck and cut its revenue by almost a third, the home-sharing company revealed in documents filed Monday ahead of a planned initial public offering of its stock.

Huawei selling Honor phone brand in face of US sanctions

Chinese tech giant Huawei is selling its budget-price Honor smartphone brand in an effort to rescue the struggling business from damaging U.S. sanctions imposed on its parent company.

Tesla will be added to the benchmark S&P 500 index Dec. 21

Tesla will be added to the S&P 500 index on Dec. 21. Based on its market value Monday, the electric car maker would be one of the top 10 companies in the benchmark index upon entry.

China positions rocket ahead of ambitious lunar mission

China on Tuesday moved a massive rocket into place in preparation for launching a mission to bring back materials from the moon for the first time in four decades.

Astronauts board ISS from SpaceX's 'Resilience'

Four astronauts carried into orbit by a SpaceX Crew Dragon boarded the International Space Station on Tuesday, the first of what NASA hopes will be many routine missions ending US reliance on Russian rockets.

Henderson island fossils reveal new Polynesian sandpiper species

Fossil bones collected in the early 1990s on Henderson Island, part of the Pitcairn Group, have revealed a new species of Polynesian sandpiper.

Quantum tunneling pushes the limits of self-powered sensors

Shantanu Chakrabartty's laboratory has been working to create sensors that can run on the least amount of energy. His lab has been so successful at building smaller and more efficient sensors, that they've run into a roadblock in the form of a fundamental law of physics.

Teeth grinding and facial pain increase due to coronavirus stress and anxiety

The stress and anxiety experienced by the general population during Israel's first lockdown brought about a significant rise in orofacial and jaw pain, as well as jaw-clenching in the daytime and teeth-grinding at night, according to a new study from Tel Aviv University (TAU).

A change of heart—new drug for HCM reduces heart mass

For the first time, a medication has impacted heart muscle thickness and function for patients with the most common inherited heart condition, rather than simply addressing their symptoms.

SCORED and SOLOIST trials add to evidence for treating diabetes with SGLT2 inhibitors

Less than a decade ago, the Food and Drug Administration approved drugs for treating type 2 diabetes in an entirely new way. Since that time, evidence in favor of the use of sodium/glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors has been mounting, with studies showing better blood glucose control, cardiovascular benefits, weight loss and more for patients with diabetes taking SGLT2 inhibitors. Now, two large clinical trials, conducted by investigators at Brigham and Women's Hospital and sponsored by Lexicon Pharmaceuticals, add new evidence about the benefits for patients with diabetes and chronic kidney disease as well as those with diabetes and recent worsening heart failure. In these two paired trials, teams of investigators led by Brigham cardiologist Deepak L. Bhatt, MD, MPH, evaluated sotagliflozin, a drug that inhibits SGLT2 and SGLT1. Results of the trials are both published in The New England Journal of Medicine and presented by Bhatt simultaneously at the Late-Breaking Clinical Trial Sessions of the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions.

Study shows geographic shift in U.S. social mobility

Dylan Connor's father worked as a house painter while his mother tended to their home and family, one that included six boys. Neither of his parents finished high school, but they built a future for their children that included their success. This may sound like a story made in America.

Cannabinoids may help limit secondary damage of TBIs

In the hours and days after a traumatic brain injury, inflammation inside the brain can accelerate to the point that more brain damage occurs, says a scientist working to better understand the acceleration and whether interventions like cannabinoids can improve patient outcomes.

Pesticides commonly used as flea treatments for pets are contaminating English rivers

Researchers at the University of Sussex have found widespread contamination of English rivers with two neurotoxic pesticides commonly used in veterinary flea products: fipronil and the neonicotinoid imidacloprid. The concentrations found often far exceeded accepted safe limits.

Trial shows drug effective in 96% of patients with recurrent pericarditis

Cleveland Clinic researchers leading a global clinical trial have found that rilonacept, an FDA approved drug for other inflammatory diseases, resolved acute pericarditis episodes and reduced risk of pericarditis recurrence. The study was published today in the New England Journal of Medicine and presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions.

Changes to the brain's reward system may drive overeating in mice

A combination of innate differences and diet-induced changes to the reward system may predispose some mice to overeat, according to research recently published in JNeurosci.

Exercised over nothing: Masks don't impair lung function during physical activity

Wearing a facemask helps limit the spread of COVID-19 by reducing respiratory droplets and aerosols spewed into the air when people breathe, talk, laugh, sneeze or cough. But the physical barrier created by masks has prompted concerns that they might impair the cardiopulmonary system by making it harder to breathe, by altering the flow of inhaled oxygen and exhaled carbon dioxide and by increasing dyspnea—a medical term that describe shortness of breath or difficulty breathing, especially during physical activity.

US agricultural water use declining for most crops and livestock production

Climate change and a growing world population require efficient use of natural resources. Water is a crucial component in food production, and water management strategies are needed to support worldwide changes in food consumption and dietary patterns.

People who purchased firearms during pandemic more likely to be suicidal

People who purchase a firearm during the pandemic are more likely to be suicidal than other firearm owners, according to a Rutgers study.