Deafness-causing protein deficiency makes brain rewire itself, research suggests

The brains of people with congenital deafness may be rewiring themselves in ways that affect how those people learn, suggesting a need to develop new teaching techniques tailored toward those who have never been able to hear.

Green roofs improve the urban environment – so why don't all buildings have them?

Rooftops covered with grass, vegetable gardens and lush foliage are now a common sight in many cities around the world. More and more private companies and city authorities are investing in green roofs, drawn to their wide-ranging benefits which include savings on energy costs, mitigating the risk from floods, creating habitats for urban wildlife, tackling air pollution and urban heat and even producing food.

Online data mining adds to the picture of vaping-related lung disease

Severe lung disease related to vaping has been surging across the U.S., with the eighth death confirmed last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. A brief report in the New England Journal of Medicine suggests that online data-mining tools can supplement traditional public health surveillance and help officials stay ahead of this sudden epidemic.

Scientists observe a single quantum vibration under ordinary conditions

When a guitar string is plucked, it vibrates as any vibrating object would, rising and falling like a wave, as the laws of classical physics predict. But under the laws of quantum mechanics, which describe the way physics works at the atomic scale, vibrations should behave not only as waves, but also as particles. The same guitar string, when observed at a quantum level, should vibrate as individual units of energy known as phonons.

Shapeshifting receptors may explain mysterious drug failures

For sugar to taste sweet and for coffee to be stimulating, or even for light to be seen, first they all need to land on a G protein-coupled receptor. Ubiquitous and diverse, these receptors are a cell's chemical detection system: they sense substances in the surroundings and initiate intracellular pathways that underlie virtually all physiological processes—from taste and vision to hormonal regulation and neuronal communication. Nearly a third of all therapeutic drugs act by binding to these cell-surface receptors.

Successful ocean-monitoring satellite mission ends

The Jason-2/Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM), the third in a U.S.-European series of satellite missions designed to measure sea surface height, successfully ended its science mission on Oct. 1. NASA and its mission partners made the decision to end the mission after detecting deterioration in the spacecraft's power system.

Health disparities, strong social support among state's LGBTQ community

LGBTQ individuals in Washington state have higher rates of disability and poorer mental health than their heterosexual counterparts, according to a study released Oct. 4 by the University of Washington.

Young adults of South Asian descent face higher risk of prediabetes, diabetes: study

Compared to long-term residents, immigrants to Canada have a 40 percent higher risk of developing prediabetes, which is an early predictor of an individual's likelihood of developing Type 2 diabetes and associated illnesses, like heart disease.

Physicists shine light on properties of potential solar cell material

Research led by University of Texas at Dallas physicists has altered the understanding of the fundamental properties of perovskite crystals, a class of materials with great potential as solar cells and light emitters.

Extreme solar storms may be more frequent than previously thought

Researchers propose in a new study why an extreme solar storm in 1859 was so damaging to Earth's magnetic field. They compared the storm with other extreme storms in history, suggesting this storm is not likely unique.

One-dimensional objects morph into new dimensions

A line is the shortest distance between two points, but "A-line," a 4-D printing system developed at Carnegie Mellon University, takes a more circuitous route. One-dimensional, "line"-shaped plastic structures produced with the A-line system can bend, fold and twist themselves into predetermined shapes when triggered by heat.

Trio win Nobel Medicine Prize for work on cells, oxygen

US researchers William Kaelin and Gregg Semenza and Britain's Peter Ratcliffe on Monday shared the Nobel Medicine Prize for discoveries on how cells sense and adapt to oxygen availability, the Nobel Assembly said.

More energy means more effects—in proton collisions

The higher the collision energy of particles, the more interesting the physics. Scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow have found further confirmation of this assumption, this time, in the high energy collision of protons with protons or lead nuclei.

GM strike negotiations take 'turn for the worse': union

Negotiations to resolve a three-week-old strike at General Motors for better pay, benefits and job security have taken "a turn for the worse," a top negotiator with the United Autoworkers Union said Sunday.

In Brazil, Amazon fires threaten millenary rock paintings

Ancient rock paintings in Brazil's Monte Alegre park are being threatened by some of the fires burning in the Amazon region.

Nobel season opens with Medicine Prize

The announcement of the Nobel Medicine Prize on Monday opens an unusual 2019 Nobel season in which two literature laureates will be crowned after a scandal postponed last year's award, amid speculation Greta Thunberg could nab the prestigious Peace Prize.

Cancer patients who exercise have less heart damage from chemotherapy

Patients with cancer should receive a tailored exercise prescription to protect their heart, reports a paper published today in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).

Study provides insights on treatment and prognosis of male breast cancer

A recent analysis reveals that treatment of male breast cancer has evolved over the years. In addition, certain patient-, tumor-, and treatment-related factors are linked with better survival. The findings are published early online in CANCER, a peer-reviewed journal of the American Cancer Society.

OTC medications commonly used in cases of attempted suicide by self-poisoning in youth

A new study from Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center found rates of suicide attempts by self-poisoning among youth and adolescents are higher in rural communities, higher during the academic school year and involve common medications found in many households.

A Canadian essential medicines list must be evidence-based

An essential medicines list in Canada should be evidence-based and independent of conflicting interests, found a study of decision-makers and policy-makers that is published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Computer kidney sheds light on proper hydration

A new computer kidney developed at the University of Waterloo could tell researchers more about the impacts of medicines taken by people who don't drink enough water.