Monthly Archives: June 2018

In 1870, parts of a fossilized bird were found in Kansas and then described by the American paleontologist Othniel Marsh. This new bird, dubbed Ichthyornis dispar, was one of the first fossil birds found in North America, and there was something special about it. It was recognized as a scientifically important specimen due to the teeth found along its bottom jaw – something modern birds lack but were present in their dinosaur ancestors. However, the parts of the skull found in the 1870 specimen were extremely fragmented and not much could be reconstructed from the early specimens. The true significance of Ichthyornis’ skull would not become apparent until the discovery of a more complete skull – something that would not happen for over another 130 years. Recently, a student in Kansas discovered one of the most complete skull of Ichthyornis ever found. This finding would help scientists more clearly understand…

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HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication used for HIV prevention, and should be used by people who are routinely in danger of acquiring HIV (for example, those who have an HIV positive partner, or those who inject drugs). In the United States, about 200,000 women are candidates for PrEP, although only 50,000 of them have initiated this preventative option. Stigma against this prevention method is one reason why women potentially are not starting this medication, but this stigma has not been adequately studied among women. To look at stigma against PrEP and how that can affect women starting this medication, researchers from the Northeastern United States recruited HIV negative, sexually active adult women who recently started care at Connecticut Planned Parenthood centers. This study had two purposes: first, to look at how common stigma against PrEP was among these women, including stereotypes against people who use it and how…

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HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a medication used for HIV prevention, and should be used by people who are routinely in danger of acquiring HIV (for example, those who have an HIV positive partner, or those who inject drugs). In the United States, about 200,000 women are candidates for PrEP, although only 50,000 of them have initiated this preventative option. Stigma against this prevention method is one reason why women potentially are not starting this medication, but this stigma has not been adequately studied among women. To look at stigma against PrEP and how that can affect women starting this medication, researchers from the Northeastern United States recruited HIV negative, sexually active adult women who recently started care at Connecticut Planned Parenthood centers. This study had two purposes: first, to look at how common stigma against PrEP was among these women, including stereotypes against people who use it and how…

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Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) may be the future of aquaculture. Compared to traditional farms that only grow one species, IMTA farms produce multiple edible products and provide increased sustainability. These integrated systems use the waste products from one species to grow another, and often the lowest trophic organism (usually algae/seaweed) then becomes feed for one of the other species. IMTA systems therefore create less waste and have reduced food costs than a system growing just one of the species would. All farms except those growing algae or nitrogen-fixing plants will generate waste that contains nitrogen which can lead to an enrichment in nitrogen in the water around the farm. When excess nitrogen enters the ocean from farms, it can stimulate a huge increase in algae, which then dies and depletes the oxygen in the water, stressing or killing other aquatic life. The researchers in this experiment tested how successful an…

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Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture (IMTA) may be the future of aquaculture. Compared to traditional farms that only grow one species, IMTA farms produce multiple edible products and provide increased sustainability. These integrated systems use the waste products from one species to grow another, and often the lowest trophic organism (usually algae/seaweed) then becomes feed for one of the other species. IMTA systems therefore create less waste and have reduced food costs than a system growing just one of the species would. All farms except those growing algae or nitrogen-fixing plants will generate waste that contains nitrogen which can lead to an enrichment in nitrogen in the water around the farm. When excess nitrogen enters the ocean from farms, it can stimulate a huge increase in algae, which then dies and depletes the oxygen in the water, stressing or killing other aquatic life.   The researchers in this experiment tested how successful…

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Think back to your childhood, and there’s one thing many of us had in common: LEGOs. In fact, I challenge you to find someone who has never played with LEGO bricks in their lifetime. From houses to spaceships, the possibilities are seemingly endless with these colorful bricks. Now, think of your favorite LEGO creation, and imagine it miniaturized 4 million times, Magic School Bus style. That is what researchers at Harvard University have accomplished. Instead of using plastic pieces, Peng Yin’s team of scientists created bricks out of the building blocks of life: DNA. DNA, you may remember from high school science classes, are the molecules that make up our genetic code. You may wonder what the purpose of these nanoscopic DNA sculptures are. Why spend time creating tiny, ‘invisible’ Teddy bears? Although the shapes created in the current study were for proof-of-concept purposes, it opens up many possibilities for…

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The more we know about how pathogenic bacteria arrive to and colonize our bodies, the better we can take measures to help our immune system combat them. While most bacteria that we coexist with are beneficial to us or at the very least, neutral, our body is constantly battling against microorganisms that may harms us. In many infections, bacteria are distributed in clumps, or “aggregates”. The size of aggregates and their distance from each other can impact the development of an infection. The aggregate strategic map is also modified by cell-to-cell communication among bacteria. This communication can be within the aggregate, or between aggregates. Communication happens to coordinate an action, much like school of fish; when bacteria sense that they have a quorum (i.e., that their colony is big enough), they release a chemical signal that is “seen” by everyone in the group and which triggers a group response. Scientists…

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