З ГЕОІНФОРМАТИКИ ТА СТАЛОГО РОЗВИТКУ
Medical researchers are advising caution when treating blood pressure in some older people -- after results from a study contrasted with recent advice from the US, based on the SPRINT trial, to attempt to aggressively lower blood pressure in all adults to targets of 120mmHg.
X-rays helped scientists to look under the bonnet of two common bacteria that opportunistically infect people, so as to better understand the mechanics involved. The blueprints may be used to design new drugs, which are badly needed.
In the middle of the Chilean Atacama desert, a team of astronomers are monitoring millions of celestial bodies. In 2013, the team was surprised when they discovered, in the course of their survey, stars that pulsated much faster than expected. In the following years, the team studied these stars in more detail and concluded that they had stumbled upon a new class of variable star.
By combining two advanced microscope techniques scientists have managed to obtain new information about the ravaging mode of operation applied by malaria parasites when attacking their victims. This information can be utilized when designing new medication to more effectively fight malaria -- a disease claiming over 400,000 lives each year, a majority of whom are infants.
Unlike locusts and many other flying insects, cicadas don't soar through the air with the greatest of ease. Now in a study shows that certain chemical components in the insect's wings could explain why.
A significant development in understanding the brain: Scientists have, for the first time ever described the mushroom body connectome within the brain of fly larvae (Drosophila melanogaster) -- the circuit diagram of nerve cells.
Because gamma hydroxybutyric acid (GHB), commonly known as a 'date rape drug' is rapidly absorbed and metabolized by the body, it's difficult for law enforcement to tell if someone has been given GHB. Now, scientists report that they have identified a potential biomarker that might lead to tests to detect the compound that could be performed much later than current ones.
In laboratory-grown bacterial communities, the co-administration of probiotic Lactobacillus reuteri and glycerol selectively killed C. difficile.
Through a five-year observational study, researchers found that women with increased levels of cadmium -- a metal commonly found in foods such as kidneys, liver and shellfish as well as tobacco -- also had an increased risk of endometrial cancer. It's an observation the researchers hope could lead to new treatments or interventions to prevent the fourth most common cancer in women.
As the hullabaloo surrounding the Aug. 21 total eclipse of the sun swells by the day, an expert says a petroglyph in New Mexico's Chaco Canyon may represent a total eclipse that occurred there a thousand years ago.