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.

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-amazon-sand-forests-birds-evolutionary.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-complex-tools-evolved.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-analysis-refutes-dinosaurs-decline-asteroid.html

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 is it like to take part in a vaccine trial?

A key facet of the global mad scramble by Pfizer, Moderna and other pharma groups to develop a viable coronavirus vaccine is the recruitment of tens of thousands of volunteers willing to participate in clinical trials.

Depression screening tools in patients with kidney failure

A recent analysis examines research on the use of depression screening tools in patients with kidney failure. The results appear in an upcoming issue of CJASN.

Turkey imposes weekend curfews to fight virus

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday announced weekend curfews and ordered restaurants to switch to takeout service only to fight rising coronavirus infections and growing deaths.

States tightening anti-virus restrictions amid case surge

The deadly rise in COVID-19 cases across the U.S. is forcing state and local officials to adjust their blueprints for fighting the virus, with Republican governors adopting mask mandates—skeptically, in at least one case—and schools scrapping plans to reopen classrooms.

Orcas blamed for disappearance of S.Africa great white sharks

Killer whales are suspected to be behind the disappearance of great white sharks off Cape Town's coast over the last few years, according to a report published by South Africa's government on Tuesday.

Brand New Book by Janis Allen - "From Boo-Hiss to Bravo: Behavior-Based Scorecards People Will Use and Like"

Designing and implementing scorecards can seem very complicated and intimidating, but this book breaks the process down into six, doable steps that make scorecards feel easy and fun. [PR.com]

Volunteers still needed to test variety of COVID-19 vaccines

Two COVID-19 vaccines might be nearing the finish line, but scientists caution it's critical that enough people volunteer to help finish studying other candidates in the U.S. and around the world.

Bad cabling blamed for failed launch of European satellites

Arianespace said Tuesday that wrong cabling was likely to blame for the failed launch of a rocket that was meant to lift two European satellites into orbit.

BA, American Airlines plan voluntary COVID-19 testing plan

British Airways said Tuesday that it will start testing passengers flying from the U.S. to London's Heathrow Airport for COVID-19 in an effort to persuade the British government it should scrap rules requiring most international travelers to quarantine for 14 days.

Dutch virus restrictions to be eased amid falling infections

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte eased his country's coronavirus measures Tuesday amid falling infection rates, allowing public venues including cinemas, museums and libraries to reopen—with limitations on how many people can visit—after a two-week closure.

'Vanished' or 'hidden' prostate cancer? Men with negative biopsies during active surveillance have good outcomes

Can early-stage prostate cancer "vanish" during follow-up? More likely the cancer is just "hidden"—either way, negative biopsies during active surveillance for prostate cancer are associated with excellent long-term outcomes, reports a study in The Journal of Urology, an Official Journal of the American Urological Association (AUA).

Pre-recorded audio messages help improve outcomes for patients with heart failure

Patients who are hospitalized with heart failure can reduce their odds of requiring re-hospitalization, a heart transplant or death by repeatedly reviewing recorded audio messages about self-care at home, according to late breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.

Algorithm-driven digital program helped lower patients' cholesterol, blood pressure

Using a remotely-delivered, algorithm-driven program for disease management, patients experienced significant improvement in cholesterol and blood pressure levels, according to late-breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020. The manuscript of this study is simultaneously published today in Circulation, the American Heart Association's flagship journal.

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.

Michael Terence Publishing Announce the Release of "Sonny’s Circus Dream" by Jen Malone

Michael Terence Publishing is excited to announce the release of Sonny’s Circus Dream – a children’s book written by Jen Malone and illustrated by Tom Burchell. [PR.com]

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.

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-henderson-island-fossils-reveal-polynesian.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-quantum-tunneling-limits-self-powered-sensors.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-geographic-shift-social-mobility.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-pesticides-commonly-flea-treatments-pets.html

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.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-11-agricultural-declining-crops-livestock-production.html

A Handwritten "Thank You" from the CEO? At Vitamin Delivery Startup TurningLeafVITA Every Order Counts.

Putting a personal touch on each order is something that TurningLeafVITA.com founder, Dr. Nina Everson, takes seriously. New customers are often surprised to find a handwritten thank you note included with their vitamin order. [PR.com]

Preemie System Wins German Design Award for Its Preemie Sensor in the Category of Medical, Rehabilitation and Health Care

Preemie sensor is a small, portable device created for neonatologists, nurses, and human milk bank professionals to analyse milk for its nutritional value, spoilage and safety. [PR.com]

"Beware the Temptation to do Popular Workouts - Exercising the Wise Way" is the Latest Video Raman Kuppuswamy, the Content Creator and YouTuber Has Released

Raman Kuppuswamy, a content creator as well as YouTuber, says he has released yet another video entitled "Beware the Temptation to Do Popular Workouts - Exercising the Wise Way" on his YouTube channel "Cordially Yours - Health & Fitness." Raman expresses his anguish that people are unwisely opting for popular workouts that may not suit them and this causes pains and injuries to them. He has created this video to caution [PR.com]

Millionaire Life Strategy Offers the Perfect Gift to Kickstart 2021

The Millionaire Life Strategy™ LinkedIn as a Sales Page training is a game-changer for entrepreneurs and tech gurus wanting to launch a business or take theirs to the next level. How to convert a free tool into a client attracting generator and build your business and brand. [PR.com]