Even in people with Parkinson's gene, coffee may be protective

Even for people with a gene mutation tied to Parkinson's disease, coffee consumption may be associated with a lower risk of actually developing the disease, according to a new study published in the September 30, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

'There's no place like home' for rehab after stroke

Stroke patients who get professional rehabilitation training in their homes through live video consultations may recover their motor skills better than those who do their rehab in person with a therapist at an outpatient rehabilitation facility, according to a study published in the September 30, 2020, online issue of Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Remote rehabilitation may also promote greater brain connectivity, the study said.

Clock running out before some airlines begin furloughs

Airline employees and executives made 11th-hour appeals Wednesday for Congress to approve billions more in federal aid to avert thousands of layoffs that are scheduled to start Thursday.

Mental health issues double the odds of dying with COVID-19, study finds

(HealthDay)—People suffering from a psychiatric disorder could be more than twice as likely to die if they become infected with COVID-19, a new study suggests.

Upgrading to an Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5? What to do with your old video game console

For video game fans, one of the most exciting times is when long-awaited next-generation consoles launch.

Microsoft says ransomware is fastest growing scam attempt

Hack attempts are on the rise—as always—with ransomware the most common now, according to Microsoft.

NASA confirms heavy rainfall, strengthening of tropical storm Marie

Tropical Storm Marie has formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean and NASA satellite data helped confirm the strengthening of the storm. In addition, using a NASA satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations, NASA estimated Marie's rainfall rates the provided more clues about intensification.

Does my child need a flu vaccination?

Influenza is a respiratory infection that can cause serious complications, particularly in young children. Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the flu and its complications. Even when the vaccine doesn't completely prevent the flu, it may reduce the risk of serious illness requiring hospitalization. Recent research shows that the vaccine significantly reduces the risk of dying of the flu for both children with an underlying medical condition and healthy children.

Q&A: Cystic fibrosis and COVID-19

DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My cousin has cystic fibrosis. After graduating from college last December, she moved across the country to take a new job. Now she lives with me. I have always been worried about her, but I am more concerned now that COVID-19 cases are rising in our area. Although I know coughing is common with her condition, every time I hear her cough, I worry it's COVID-19. Complicating the situation, since moving she has not found a health care provider who is comfortable treating cystic fibrosis. How can I help her remain well?

Disease-spreading ticks keep marching north as weather stays warmer

Ticks are among nature's most hardy survivors. They've been around for at least 100 million years and used to feast on dinosaur blood. Their bodies contain anti-freeze to help them survive cold weather and their two front legs have carbon dioxide and infrared sensors to help detect when a warm-blooded mammal is approaching. Tiny hairs on their legs increases friction and allows ticks to latch onto animals that brush by. And blacklegged ticks, which spread the most disease in the U.S., are notoriously un-picky eaters, happy to ingest the blood of numerous mammals and birds, making them perfect for spreading disease from one species to the next.

Arnhem Land Maliwawa rock art opens window to past

zStunning Arnhem Land rock art images including three rare depictions of bilbies and a dugong have been described by researchers in a new paper in Australian Archaeology this week.

Suffering from COVID-19 science overload? This team wades through the deluge so you don't have to

Remember early spring, when it felt like we were all plunged into a crash course in epidemiology, heads spinning with terms like "R-naught," "flatten the curve" and "herd immunity?" Every new nugget of data and scientific insight about the novel coronavirus was headline news, ricocheting from Twitter to technical journals to talking heads.

There's a giant 'Green Banana' off Florida's coast, and researchers have finally gotten to the bottom of it

If you haven't heard of the "Green Banana blue hole" you might imagine a tropical cocktail you can order in Key West, or a dessert you ordered after a night on Bourbon Street.

Network reveals large variations in shaking in LA basin after Ridgecrest earthquake

The 2019 Ridgecrest earthquake sequence has revealed areas of the Los Angeles basin where the amplification of shaking of high-rise buildings is greatest, according to a new report in Seismological Research Letters.

Voter reactions to #MeToo scandals: Sexism, not partisanship, has the largest impact

Sexist attitudes influence how politicians accused of sexual misconduct are viewed, even more than partisanship, according to a Dartmouth study. The findings are published in Research & Politics.

Developing the fastest and most sensitive graphene microwave bolometer

Bolometers are devices that measure the power of incident electromagnetic radiation thru the heating of materials, which exhibit a temperature-electric resistance dependence. These instruments are among the most sensitive detectors so far used for infrared radiation detection and are key tools for applications that range from advanced thermal imaging, night vision, infrared spectroscopy to observational astronomy, to name a few.

Polaris makes deal to bring EV to core ATV products

Polaris Inc. has signed a 10-year partnership agreement with Zero Motorcycles to help develop an electric vehicle option for each of its core product segments by 2025.

Microsoft demonstrates how to increase green energy one rooftop at a time

Solar panels being installed on the roofs of dozens of schools throughout Dublin, Ireland, reflect a novel front in the fight against global climate change, according to a senior software engineer and a sustainability lead at Microsoft.

Spain govt inks deal for partial lockdown across capital

The Spanish government said Wednesday it had reached an agreement to impose a partial lockdown on the entire city of Madrid where coronavirus cases are spreading like wildfire.

Google expected to launch new Pixel phones, Chromecast and smart speakers at event

Following recent product reveals from Roku, Amazon, Samsung and Apple, it's Google's turn on Wednesday, beginning at 2 p.m. ET.

As rats swarm California cities, Gov. Newsom bans popular poison to protect wildlife

California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill Tuesday that seeks to protect mountain lions and other wildlife from being poisoned by a popular form of pesticide.

E-commerce startup ShipBob gets $68 million to fund expansion

ShipBob, a Chicago-based e-commerce logistics company, raised $68 million to fund an expansion amid a pandemic-fueled boom in online shopping.

6 dolphins found dead in 'historic' stranding in Alabama after Hurricane Sally

Six dolphins were found dead in an Alabama marsh last week in what experts call an "historic mass stranding."

Dinosaur feather study debunked: Overwhelming evidence supports Jurassic fossil does belong to Archaeopteryx

A new study provides substantial evidence that the first fossil feather ever to be discovered does belong to the iconic Archaeopteryx, a bird-like dinosaur named in Germany on this day in 1861. This debunks a recent theory that the fossil feather originated from a different species.

Australia approves major new fossil fuel projects

Australia has approved two major new fossil fuel projects that proponents in the climate change-vulnerable nation say will create badly needed jobs despite growing concerns over emissions.

Green shoots: Rooftop farming takes off in Singapore

On the rooftop of a Singapore shopping mall, a sprawling patch of eggplants, rosemary, bananas and papayas stand in colourful contrast to the grey skyscrapers of the city-state's business district.

Belgium coronavirus death toll passes 10,000

Belgium, one of the European countries hardest hit by the coronavirus, on Wednesday reported its death toll from the pandemic had surpassed 10,000.

Even before pandemic struck, more US adults were uninsured

About 2.5 million more working-age Americans were uninsured last year, even before the coronavirus pandemic struck, according to a government report issued Wednesday.

Walmart looks to airports as inspiration of new store layout

Walmart is getting inspiration from the airport terminal as it revamps the layout and signage of its stores to speed up shopping and better cater to smartphone-armed customers.

Virus-hit Shell says cutting up to 9,000 jobs by 2022

Energy major Shell unleashed Wednesday a major restructuring to combat plunging oil prices driven by the coronavirus pandemic, warning it will also spark more asset writedowns in the third quarter.

Baby boom at Taipei Zoo lightens pandemic blues

Taiwan's largest zoo has celebrated a flurry of births in recent months—including pandas and pangolins—in a welcome boost during a visitor slump due to the coronavirus.

Germany puts first auto boss on trial over 'dieselgate' fraud

Five years after "dieselgate" emissions cheating revelations rocked the car industry, ex-Audi CEO Rupert Stadler on Wednesday became the first top executive to stand trial in Germany.

Predator-prey interaction study reveals more food does not always mean more consumption

Scientists at the NOAA Northeast Fisheries Science Center have developed an unusually rich picture of who is eating whom off the Northeastern United States. The findings, published recently in Fish and Fisheries, provide a close look at fish feeding habits for 17 fish species, predators, and their prey.

Counties with persistent poverty rates experience higher rates of cancer deaths

Residents of counties that experience persistent poverty face a disproportionately high risk of cancer mortality, according to a study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research.

New technologies link treatments to the patients who need them the most

Many of South Carolina's nicotine addiction researchers are in Charleston. But many of the smokers who need to quit live elsewhere in the state.

UM171 molecule saves another life

In a world first, a young man suffering from severe aplastic anemia who could not be helped by standard treatments has been given a life-saving blood transplant with the made-in-Canada UM171 molecule.

Drug found to correct gene defect that causes immune-driven gut leakiness

A team of researchers led by biomedical scientist Declan F. McCole at the University of California, Riverside, has found that the drug tofacitinib, also called Xeljanz and approved by the FDA to treat rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis, can repair permeability defects in the intestine.

Two pesticides approved for use in US harmful to bees

A previously banned insecticide, which was approved for agricultural use last year in the United States, is harmful for bees and other beneficial insects that are crucial for agriculture, and a second pesticide in widespread use also harms these insects. That is according to a new analysis from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

Chronically understudied, fences hold grave ecological threats

Fences are one of humanity's most frequent landscape alterations, with their combined length exceeding even that of roads by an order of magnitude. Despite their ubiquity, they have received far less research scrutiny than many human-built structures. Writing in BioScience , Alex McIntuff, who was at the University of California (UC), Berkeley, at the time of this research and is now with UC Santa Barbara, and a global team characterize the current state of fence research and generate a typology to guide future efforts.

Landmark clinical trial shows effectiveness of oral antibiotics in treating cystic fibrosis condition

A major national study led by experts from Bristol and Nottingham has found that oral antibiotics are just as effective as intravenous antibiotics in killing a common germ that causes dangerous complications in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.

Scientists find one-two punch for preclinical cancer models

A one-two punch of changing gene expression, then deploying immune checkpoint inhibitors, shows promise in battling one of the most treatment-resistant types of cancer in preclinical models, according to a new publication including authors from the Hackensack Meridian Center for Discovery and Innovation (CDI).

210 scientists highlight state of plants and fungi in Plants, People, Planet special issue

The Special Issue, 'Protecting and sustainably using the world's plants and fungi', brings together the research—from 210 scientists across 42 countries—behind the 2020 State of the World's Plants and Fungi report, also released today by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Two studies show how older breast cancer patients can be treated more effectively

Women with breast cancer who are aged older than 70 years are sometimes not offered surgery, chemotherapy or radiotherapy because doctors believe their patients will not be able to tolerate these treatments and will derive little benefit from them. These decisions may contribute to worse breast cancer survival rates for older women than for younger ones, although many older women will not benefit from more aggressive treatments and so may avoid harm from over-treatment.

Wasp egg-laying organ inspires new tool to reduce trauma in minimally invasive surgery

A new tissue-transport device which was inspired by the egg-laying organs of parasitic wasps could greatly advance the field of minimally invasive surgery (MIS), according to a new study in Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology. The prototype, developed by researchers at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, could allow MIS techniques to be used in previously hard-to-reach areas of the body and vastly reduce the trauma from surgery, and therefore recovery time, of patients.