197 articles from WEDNESDAY 4.9.2019

Natural ways of cooling cities

Scientists have been researching the effect of precipitation and population size on rising temperatures in cities compared with the surrounding countryside. They have found that more green spaces can help to lower temperatures in urban zones -- but not everywhere.

Artificial intelligence used to recognize primate faces in the wild

Scientists have developed new artificial intelligence software to recognize and track the faces of individual chimpanzees in the wild. The new software will allow researchers and wildlife conservationists to significantly cut back on time and resources spent analyzing video footage, according to the new article.

Patients in the US and Canada are likely to receive opioids after surgery

Patients in the United States and Canada are seven times as likely as those in Sweden to receive a prescription for opioid medications after surgery, according to a new multi-institutional study. Though the United States and Canada had similar prescription rates, patients in the U.S. were prescribed a much higher dosage - as measured by the total morphine milligram equivalents (MME).

Soldiers, athletes could improved outcomes from traumatic brain injuries

A traumatic brain injury is often easily suspected and can be confirmed and treated if necessary following an injury using a blood analysis, but scientists are reporting that even one mild blast to the brain can cause very subtle but permanent damage as well. Urine analysis taken within one week of a mild to traumatic brain injury also can provide faster diagnosis and treatment for such injuries.

Johns Hopkins University announces new center for psychedelic research

Johns Hopkins University is launching a new center for psychedelic research that will use psychedelic drugs to study the mind and therapies for diseases like addiction. Much of Griffiths' early work with psychedelics at Johns Hopkins has focused on psilocybin, the chemical found in so-called magic...

Amazon's 'tallest tree' safe from fires, say scientists

Intrepid Brazilian and British scientists say they have located the Amazon's tallest tree in northern Brazil, untouched by a spate of wildfires that have raged in the rainforest for weeks. The scientists say they located an unusually large specimen of the giant Dinizia Excelsa species -- measuring 88 meters (288-feet) with a circumference of 5.50 meters -- in a sanctuary of other Dinizia trees....

Potential vaccine treats and prevents deadly streptococcal toxic shock

A new vaccine has the potential to treat and prevent toxic shock caused by invasive streptococcal disease, which kills more than 160,000 people every year. When ISD occurs, some strains can make more toxins than others and cause streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STSS). Now that antibodies have been generated, the next step would be to make monoclonal antibodies that could be suitable for a human...

Squirrels listen to birds' chitchat to gauge if trouble's afoot – study

Animals not only tune in to alarm cries or ‘all-clear’ signals from other speciesSquirrels eavesdrop on the chatter of songbirds to work out whether the appearance of a predator is cause for alarm, researchers have found.Animals including squirrels have previously been found to tune in to cries of alarm from other creatures, while some take note of “all-clear” signals from another species...

After bronze and iron, welcome to the plastic age, say scientists

Plastic pollution has entered the fossil record, research showsPlastic pollution is being deposited into the fossil record, research has found, with contamination increasing exponentially since 1945.Scientists suggest the plastic layers could be used to mark the start of the Anthropocene, the proposed geological epoch in which human activities have come to dominate the planet. They say after the...

Mathematical model provides new support for environmental taxes

A new mathematical model provides support for environmental taxation, such as carbon taxes, as an effective strategy to promote environmentally friendly practices without slowing economic growth. Xinghua Fan and colleagues at Jiangsu University, China, publish their model and findings in the open-access journal PLOS ONE on September 4, 2019.