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New index relies on pigs to demonstrate protein quality for humans

Nearly a decade ago, the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) developed a new index to assess protein quality in foods. The goal, writ large, was to address food security for the world's most vulnerable populations, creating more accurate tools for food assistance programs seeking to provide balanced nutrition.

24 Sep 2020

Farmers' knowledge and high-tech breeding can help find climate-resilient crops

In a review paper published in Frontiers in Plant Science, scientists urge the importance of combining the knowledge harbored by farmers of diverse crop varieties - which is often overlooked by scientists - with high-tech breeding done in laboratories.

24 Sep 2020

Combining two tools could increase understanding of carbon dioxide uptake by plants

How much carbon dioxide, a pivotal greenhouse gas behind global warming, is absorbed by plants on land? It's a deceptively complicated question, so a Rutgers-led group of scientists recommends combining two cutting-edge tools to help answer the crucial climate change-related question.

24 Sep 2020

Biomarker for diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases identified in the eye

A new study led by Boston Medical Center researchers indicates a well-known biomarker that serves as a marker for earlier diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases is now detectable in the eye.

24 Sep 2020

Study reveals over 20% of Americans suffer from food shortage

More than 18 percent of U.S. adults do not know whether they will have enough to eat from day to day, and the numbers are worse for Hispanics, Blacks, people with obesity, and women, a new report shows.

24 Sep 2020

A new formula to make safe fermented milk products

A research project headed by the Technical University of Denmark, DTU, has come up with the formula for a freeze-dried starter culture that African camel milk farmers can use to make safe, fermented milk products.

24 Sep 2020

Making healthy, environmentally friendly protein from the air

Increasing environmental challenges have led scientists to rethink how protein can be produced. Traditional processes require a lot of space on land or sea, resulting in a high carbon footprint and reduced resources.

24 Sep 2020

Genome duplications play a major role in the development and evolution of plants

Genome duplications play a major role in the development of forms and structures of plant organisms and their changes across long periods of evolution.

24 Sep 2020

Study shows how climate change may affect different ecosystems

To understand how climate change may affect different ecosystems, 27 researchers from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana and Puerto Rico, among other countries, conducted experiments in seven different locations involving the aquatic environment in the tank (centrally-located water-holding cup) of bromeliads, a habitat for insect larvae and other small organisms.

24 Sep 2020

Wildfire smoke more hazardous than other types of air pollution for asthma patients

For people who suffer from asthma, wildfire smoke is more hazardous than other types of air pollution, according to a new study from the Desert Research Institute (DRI), the Renown Institute for Health Innovation (Renown IHI) and the Washoe County Health District (WCHD).

24 Sep 2020

T-cell-based vaccine strategy provides broader protection against influenza

As Americans begin pulling up their sleeves for an annual flu vaccine, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided new insights into an alternative vaccine approach that provides broader protection against seasonal influenza.

24 Sep 2020

New data shows immunotherapy is beneficial for patients with gastric, esophageal cancers

New data presented at ESMO 2020 have shown that immunotherapy is beneficial for patients with gastric and esophageal cancers who currently have poor survival. (1-3)

24 Sep 2020

Climate change is a risk accelerator for several aspects of economy and society

It could be worth up to 8% of GDP per capita, exacerbate the differences between north and south, between society's rich and poor, as well as affect a number of Italy's strategic sectors: climate change is a risk accelerator for many aspects of both the economy and society.

24 Sep 2020

New interactive tool finds toxins lurking in drinking water

Exposure to hydraulic fracturing fluid in drinking water has been shown to increase the risk of respiratory problems, premature births, congenital heart defects, and other medical problems.

24 Sep 2020

Research finds air pollution particles in the placentas of women

Pollution particles, including metals, have been found in the placentas of fifteen women in London, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London.

24 Sep 2020

Genetic data reveals link between obesity-related genes and rheumatoid arthritis

An analysis of genetic data collected from more than 850,000 individuals of European ancestry has found a link between obesity-related genes and rheumatoid arthritis.

24 Sep 2020

Ecologists use satellite images to track global tundra ecosystems

As Arctic summers warm, Earth's northern landscapes are changing. Using satellite images to track global tundra ecosystems over decades, a team of researchers finds the region has become greener as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.

24 Sep 2020

Researchers identify a driver of drug resistance in some cancers

Patients with BRCA1/2 mutations are at higher risk for breast, ovarian and prostate cancers that can be aggressive when they develop - and, in many cases, resistant to lifesaving drugs.

24 Sep 2020

Dry forest margins may be resilient to climate change under low‐severity fire

A warming climate and more frequent wildfires do not necessarily mean the western United States will see the forest loss that many scientists expect.

24 Sep 2020

New research initiative to model species' range shifts in response to climate change

In response to a changing climate, populations of plants and animals move to more hospitable locations. Predicting where species will end up, and how New England farmers and rural communities need to plan and adapt accordingly is the focus of a new interdisciplinary research initiative led by the University of Maine.

24 Sep 2020