California wildfires are huge this year, but not deadliest

With months still to go in California's fire season, the state has already shattered records for the amount of land scorched in a single year—more than 4 million acres to date, with one blaze alone surpassing the 1 million acre mark. Five of the 10 largest wildfires in state history have occurred since August.

Panel to announce 2020 Nobel Prize for physics

The 2020 Nobel Prize for physics is being announced Tuesday, an award that has in the past honored discoveries about the tiniest of particles and the vast mysteries of outer space.

Telehealth trains parents to improve behavior skills of children with autism

Training parents of children with autism spectrum disorder virtually about early behavioral intervention is an accessible and effective approach during the coronavirus pandemic or in other instances when in-person instruction is not possible, according to a Rutgers researcher.

Advancing multiprincipal alloys: Researchers explore new domains of compositionally complex metals

The most significant advances in human civilization are marked by the progression of the materials that humans use. The Stone Age gave way to the Bronze Age, which in turn gave way to the Iron Age. New materials disrupt the technologies of the time, improving life and the human condition.

'Like a fishing net,' nanonet collapses to trap drug molecules

Northwestern University researchers are casting a net for nanoparticles.

Individual suicide risk can be dramatically altered by social 'sameness,' study finds

Similarities among individuals living in the same communities can dramatically change their risk of dying by suicide, according to a new study by Indiana University researchers.

How Hispanic and Asian populations influence US food culture

Media and academics often equate assimilation with the process of immigrants becoming more similar to U.S.-born populations over time and across generations, says University of Arizona researcher Christina Diaz.

Black and Hispanic people more likely to live in high-risk flood zones, study finds

Black and Hispanic people and people with low incomes are more likely to live in areas at high risk of flooding from natural disasters than white and Asian people, according to a new study led by the University of Arizona.

NASA imagery reveals Tropical Storm Gamma battered by wind shear

NASA's Terra satellite obtained visible imagery of Tropical Storm Gamma being battered by outside winds in the south central Gulf of Mexico. Over the weekend of Oct. 3 and 4, Gamma tracked over Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula.

Lopinavir-ritonavir is not an effective treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19

The drug combination lopinavir-ritonavir is not an effective treatment for patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19, according to the results of a randomised controlled trial published in The Lancet.

Novel testing platform designed for breast cancer cells

A Purdue University team has developed a novel testing platform to evaluate how breast cancer cells respond to the recurrent stretching that occurs in the lungs during breathing. The technology is designed to better understand the effects that the local tissue has on metastatic breast cancer to study how metastases grow in a new tissue.

Seeking ancient rainforests through modern mammal diets

Closed-canopy rainforests are a vital part of the Earth's modern ecosystems, but tropical plants don't preserve well in the fossil record so it is difficult to tell how long these habitats have existed and where rainforests might have once grown. Instead, scientists look to the diets of extinct animals, which lock evidence of the vegetation they ate into their teeth. A new study led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History finds that the paradigm used to identify closed-canopy rainforests through dietary signatures needs to be reassessed. The findings are published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

NASA infrared imagery reveals wind shear displacing Marie's strongest storms

NASA's Aqua satellite provided an infrared view of Tropical Storm Marie that revealed the effects of outside winds battering the storm.

Modest increases in physician productivity can offset the cost of medical scribes

Requirements for electronic health records are greater now than ever, and that burden is exacerbating the problem of physician burnout. However, there might be a solution: the medical scribe.

COVID-19 transmission rebounds quickly after physical distancing rules are relaxed

Across the U.S., the relaxation of statewide physical distancing measures that are designed to control the COVID-19 pandemic frequently resulted in an immediate reversal of public health gains against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes the disease, researchers from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and colleagues reported.

As pandemic affects children's health, programs that work are still underused

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has caused widespread harm to the health and well-being of already vulnerable children and adolescents in the U.S., particularly those in low-income households and children of color. Nevertheless, evidence-based programs known to reverse the negative effects of poverty are being widely neglected, according to a new report in Health Affairs. Such programs include basic income supports, other family supports, and universal health care structured to meet family needs. A combination of these interventions could substantially reduce the risks children face from poverty and early adversity, say the authors.

Excess folic acid during pregnancy harms brain development of mice

A UC Davis MIND Institute study of pregnant mice found that high amounts of folic acid during pregnancy harmed the brain development of embryos. Researchers say the findings indicate that more investigation is needed about the best recommended dosage for pregnant women.

Study defines risk factors for unemployment in working people with multiple sclerosis

Lauren Strober, Ph.D., at Kessler Foundation recently published results of the first prospective study of employment and multiple sclerosis (MS). Dr. Strober compared two groups of individuals with MS—those 'at risk' and 'not at risk' for unemployment, examining the influences of multiple factors on the likelihood of staying in the workplace. The article, "Determinants of unemployment in multiple sclerosis (MS): The role of disease measures, person-specific factors, and engagement in positive health-related behaviors" was epublished on September 2, 2020 by Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders.

Early referral to physical therapy improves function and other symptoms of back pain with sciatica

Starting physical therapy right away, rather than taking the usual watch and wait approach, helps to improve function and other outcomes for patients experiencing recent-onset back pain with sciatica (pain that radiates into the leg). Findings from a randomized controlled trial are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Social media postings linked to hate crimes

A new paper in the Journal of the European Economic Association, published by Oxford University Press, explores the connection between social media and hate crimes. The researchers combined methods from applied microeconomics with text analysis tools to investigate how negative rhetoric about refugees on social media may have contributed to hate crimes against refugees in Germany between 2015 and 2017.