September 2019 – Page 47 – PossibleThreat Articles

Faults' hot streaks and slumps could change earthquake hazard assessments

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Climate, Earth Science, Earthquakes, Geochemistry, Geology, Natural Disasters, Tsunamis, Weather

For more than a century, a guiding principle in seismology has been that earthquakes recur at semi-regular intervals according to a 'seismic cycle.' In this model, strain that gradually accumulates along a locked fault is completely released in a large earthquake. Recently, however, seismologists have realized that earthquakes often occur in clusters separated by gaps, and one research group now argues that the probability of a tremor's recurrence depends upon whether a cluster is ongoing — or over.

News Science

Do the costs of cancer drugs receive enough attention?

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Cancer, Colon Cancer, Diseases and Conditions, Leukemia, Lung Cancer, Personalized Medicine, Pharmaceuticals, Pharmacology

A recent analysis from Canada found that information on health-related quality of life is often not collected for investigational cancer drugs or used to calculate the balance of costs and benefits of these drugs when they are submitted for reimbursement.

News Science

Fat mass index, not BMI, associated with cardiovascular events in people with diabetes

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Diabetes, Diet and Weight Loss, Diseases and Conditions, Fitness, Heart Disease, Obesity, Personalized Medicine, Triglycerides

In people with diabetes, fat mass index, not body mass index (BMI), is associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events, according to new research.

News Science

DNA is held together by hydrophobic forces

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Biochemistry Research, Biology, Biotechnology, Diseases and Conditions, Forensics, Genes, Genetics, Human Biology

Researchers have disproved the prevailing theory of how DNA binds itself. It is not, as is generally believed, hydrogen bonds which bind together the 2 sides of the DNA structure. Instead, water is the key. The discovery opens doors for new understanding in research in medicine and life sciences.

News Science

US pediatric heart transplant waitlist policy change falls short of intended benefits

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Birth Defects, Children's Health, Cholesterol, Diseases and Conditions, Heart Disease, Stroke Prevention, Today's Healthcare, Vioxx

In March 2016, the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network revised its criteria for prioritizing children awaiting heart transplantation in the US with the intention of reducing the number of deaths on the waitlist, but a new study suggests unintended consequences.

News Science

Researchers perform thousands of mutations to understand amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Alzheimer's Research, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Chronic Illness, Diseases and Conditions, Healthy Aging, Immune System, Multiple Sclerosis Research, Nervous System

Researchers have used a technique called high-throughput mutagenesis to study Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), with unexpected results. Results showed that aggregation of TDP-43 is not harmful but actually protects cells, changing our understanding of ALS and opening the door to radically new therapeutic approaches.

News Science

Surrogate-reared sea otters helped restore threatened population

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Endangered Animals, Fish, Fisheries, Geography, Global Warming, Marine Biology, Oceanography, Weather

The population of threatened southern sea otters in Elkhorn Slough, an estuary in Central California, has made a significant comeback as a result of Monterey Bay Aquarium's Sea Otter Program. A newly-published study documents 15 years of research showing how the program helped restore the population in the coastal estuary.

News Science

Daily rainfall over Sumatra linked to larger atmospheric phenomenon

September 23, 2019 0 Comments Acid Rain, Atmosphere, Earth Science, Earthquakes, Environmental Issues, Pollution, Water, Weather

Atmospheric scientists reveal details of the connection between a larger atmospheric phenomenon, termed the Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO), and the daily patterns of rainfall in the Maritime Continent.

News Science