New technique maps large-scale impacts of fire-induced permafrost thaw in Alaska

About 40 percent of interior Alaska is underlain by ice-rich permafrost—permanently frozen grounds made up of soil, gravel and sand—bound together by ice. Certain conditions, such as climate warming, have intensified tundra wildfires which have profound implications for permafrost thaw.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/new-technique-maps-large-scale-impacts-of-fire-induced-permafrost-thaw-in-alaska

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From glacier ice, a wealth of scientific data

Perched next to a river near a glacier's edge in Greenland, Penn biogeochemist Jon Hawkings and Jack Murphy, senior research coordinator in Hawkings' lab, scooped up samples of frigid meltwater, careful to seal the bottles quickly to minimize any chance of contamination. The two spent nearly a month in Greenland this past summer. The fieldwork, while scenic, isn't glamorous. "You're standing in front of a massive glacier submerging your hands in zero degrees Celsius water; it's freezing and windy and dusty," Murphy says. "We have to get creative to get clean samples."

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/from-glacier-ice-a-wealth-of-scientific-data

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Researchers identify new molecular mechanism key to planarian regeneration

Planaria are freshwater flatworms that have become a key model for studying regeneration and stem cells, as they can regenerate any part of the body, even the head. But how does the animal know what part of its body is missing and what kind of tissue it needs to regenerate?

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/researchers-identify-new-molecular-mechanism-key-to-planarian-regeneration

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Chinese astronomers discover an isolated dark dwarf galaxy

Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST), Chinese astronomers have detected a new galaxy, which received designation FAST J0139+4328. The newfound galaxy is isolated, has a relatively low stellar mass, and is dominated by dark matter. The discovery was detailed in a paper published February 6 on the arXiv pre-print server.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/chinese-astronomers-discover-an-isolated-dark-dwarf-galaxy

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New report exposes steep declines in data science skills among fourth- and eighth-graders across America

A new report from the Data Science 4 Everyone coalition reveals that data literacy skills among fourth and eighth-grade students have declined significantly over the last decade even as these skills have become increasingly essential in our modern, data-driven society.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-science-news/new-report-exposes-steep-declines-in-data-science-skills-among-fourth-and-eighth-graders-across-america

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Nearly half of children on Medicaid lack outpatient follow-up within a month after emergency care for mental health

Only 56% of Medicaid-enrolled children received any outpatient follow-up within 30 days after discharge from the Emergency Department (ED) for a mental health concern, according to a large study published in the journal Pediatrics. Rates of timely follow-up among Black children were particularly low, with 10% fewer receiving an outpatient mental health appointment within 30 days compared to white children.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/nearly-half-of-children-on-medicaid-lack-outpatient-follow-up-within-a-month-after-emergency-care-for-mental-health

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Study: Pregnant women on ADHD medications shouldn't worry about pediatric neurodevelopmental disorders

Women around the world who have taken medication to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) during their pregnancy can now breathe a sigh of relief. There are no differences in rates of neurodevelopmental disorders between children who were exposed and those who were unexposed to stimulant medication in-utero, according to new research conducted by research conducted by the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York and Aarhus University in Denmark and published February 9 in Molecular Psychiatry.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/study-pregnant-women-on-adhd-medications-shouldnt-worry-about-pediatric-neurodevelopmental-disorders

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Lowering blood pressure after clot removal may not be safe, should be individualized

Using blood pressure medications to lower the top number of blood pressure readings (systolic blood pressure) may not be safe or effective among people who have an acute ischemic stroke and undergo a successful mechanical clot removal.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/lowering-blood-pressure-after-clot-removal-may-not-be-safe-should-be-individualized

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Teens aren't small adults: Rethinking surgical treatment of adolescent clavicle fracture

Until about 15 years ago, most clavicle fractures were allowed to heal with minimal medical intervention. That changed after a 2007 study reported better shoulder function after plate-fixation surgery. Although the study participants were adults, the rate of surgical treatment subsequently increased across all age groups.

https://www.lifetechnology.com/blogs/life-technology-medical-news/teens-arent-small-adults-rethinking-surgical-treatment-of-adolescent-clavicle-fracture

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Radish seeds, meats and cheeses launched to space station

A space station cargo ship rocketed into orbit Friday carrying a 360-degree camera for spacewalking, radish seeds for growing and a smorgasbord of fancy meats and cheeses for feasting.

Subsidized cars help low-income families economically, socially

For one low-income woman, not having a car meant long commutes on public transit with her children in tow, sometimes slogging through cold or inclement weather. But after buying a subsidized car through a Maryland-based nonprofit, she was able to move to a home located farther from bus stops, send her children to better schools and reach less expensive medical services.

Antarctic Peninsula at warmest in decades: study

The year 2020 is the hottest in the Antarctic Peninsula in the past three decades, a study by the University of Santiago de Chile out Friday found.

Nobel Prizes and COVID-19: Slow, basic science may pay off

While the world wants flashy quick fixes for everything, especially massive threats like the coronavirus and global warming, next week's Nobel Prizes remind us that in science, slow and steady pays off.

India virus deaths pass 100,000

Deaths from the novel coronavirus in India passed 100,000 on Saturday, official data showed as the pandemic continued to rage across the world's second most populous country.

'Hi, this is the army': In Spain, troops tackle track-and-trace

"Hi, this is the army: you're going to have to quarantine."

Risk of heart disease in breast cancer patients can be predicted from routine scans

Automated analysis of breast cancer patients' routine scans can predict which women have a greater than one in four risk of going on to develop cardiovascular disease, according to research presented at the 12th European Breast Cancer Conference.

Face masks unlikely to cause over-exposure to CO2, even in patients with lung disease

New research findings contradict statements linking wearing face masks to carbon dioxide poisoning by trapping CO2. During the COVID-19 pandemic the wearing of face masks has become a highly political issue with some individuals falsely claiming that wearing face masks may be putting people's health at risk. The study published in the Annals of the American Thoracic Society shows otherwise.

Scientists reboot 50 years of plant advice to solve one of nature's biggest challenges

Scientists from the University of Portsmouth and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, have come up with a formula to help plant breeders and farmers around the world grow crops in a more sustainable way.

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.