Latest news with #research team
CTV News
3 days ago
- Science
- CTV News
Scientists confirm megathrust quake danger exists not only in southern B.C., but also in the north
The potential for large quakes and tsunamis off the south coast has long been known, but now scientists are confirming another theory in the north of the provin The potential for large quakes and tsunamis off the south coast has long been known, but now scientists are confirming another theory in the north of the province. Following years of debate, scientists can now confirm that a fault zone off B.C.'s northern coast is capable of producing powerful megathrust earthquakes, the kind that can generate tsunamis. The findings reveal what many researchers theorized: That the Pacific Plate is partially dipping beneath the North American Plate. This comes more than a decade after a powerful 7.8-magnitude quake struck near Haida Gwaii, on Oct. 27, 2012. At the time, scientists were puzzled by the quake's characteristics because it resembled activity normally seen much further south, in the Cascadia Subduction Zone off Vancouver Island and Washington State. The 2012 quake had a thrust mechanism which was not typical of the Queen Charlotte Fault, where plates usually slide past each other horizontally. 'So not just sliding, but also going a bit under North America,' said Mladen Nedimovic, a professor of Earth and Environmental Sciences at Dalhousie University. The research team used a state-of-the-art, 15-kilometre-long hydrophone streamer. Essentially, a very long wire with thousands of underwater microphones attached. They then scoured the fault from northern B.C. to southern Alaska. The breakthrough will allow researchers to better predict what types of earthquakes to expect. 'They're both large,' Nedimovic explained. 'But the ones where one plate pushes under another are the type that can produce tsunamis.' Scientists still can't predict exactly when a quake might hit, but the findings will help governments better prepare. 'It's not just about saving lives, but also about protecting critical infrastructure,' he added. The findings have been published in the journal Science Advances, and included research from Canadian and American scientists, including from Dalhousie University in Halifax.
Daily Mail
3 days ago
- Health
- Daily Mail
Startling immune hack that makes tumors disappear could unlock a universal cancer vaccine
Scientists may be one step closer to a universal cancer vaccine that could revolutionize how the disease is treated. The vaccine uses mRNA, messenger RNA, the same technology behind the COVID-19 vaccines, which carries instructions for cells to produce specific proteins. However, instead of directing cells to make a protein that triggers an immune response, researchers at the University of Florida used mRNA that acts as a red flag itself, immediately alerting the immune system and prompting a reaction. In their study, mice implanted with human melanoma tumors were treated with the mRNA vaccine alongside immunotherapy drugs, medications designed to harness and boost the immune system, once a week for three weeks. The combination helped immune cells recognize and attack the cancer, leading to tumor shrinkage and, in some cases, complete disappearance. All untreated mice died within 50 days, but among those that received the vaccine and immunotherapy, every mouse survived at least 60 days, and more than half were still alive at day 100 when the experiment ended. The research remains in its early stages and has not yet been tested in humans, but scientists said it offers a promising glimpse into a future where chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery may no longer be necessary in the fight against cancer. Dr Elias Sayor, a pediatric oncologist which led the research, said: 'This paper describes a very unexpected and exciting observation: That even a vaccine not specific to any particular tumor or virus could lead to tumor-specific effects. 'This finding is proof of concept that these vaccines potentially could be commercialized as universal cancer vaccines that might sensitize the immune system against a patient's individual tumor,' she continued. Scientists consider developing a cancer vaccine, targeting one of the leading causes of death, to be a 'holy grail' of medical breakthroughs. There are currently two main approaches in cancer vaccine development, including identifying a common target found in many patients with a particular cancer, or creating a personalized vaccine tailored to an individual's specific tumor. However, the team behind this new research believes their study introduces a promising third approach, one that focuses on stimulating a powerful immune response rather than targeting cancer directly. Dr Duane Mitchell, a neurosurgeon and co-author of the study, explained: 'What we found is by using a vaccine designed not to target cancer specifically, but rather to stimulate a strong immunologic response, we could elicit a very strong anti-cancer reaction. 'This has significant potential to be broadly used across cancer patients, even possibly leading us to an off-the-shelf cancer vaccine.' Each year, about 104,000 Americans are diagnosed with melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. When caught early, it's often treatable, but if the cancer spreads, the five-year survival rate drops to just 34 percent. In the study, scientists used mRNA derived from mitochondria, the energy-producing structures within cells, which can also trigger a rapid immune response. The researchers tested their new vaccine on several types of cancer in mice, including skin, bone, and brain cancers, and found that in many cases, the tumors shrank or disappeared entirely following treatment. Dr. Elias Sayour, a pediatric oncologist and lead investigator, suggested the vaccine may help activate T cells, immune cells responsible for detecting and destroying threats, which previously failed to respond, prompting them to multiply and attack cancerous cells. Dr. Duane Mitchell added: 'It could potentially be a universal way of waking up a patient's own immune response to cancer. And that would be profound if generalizable to human studies.' While the vaccine is still likely years away from clinical use, the team says they are actively working to advance it into human trials. The research was published in the journal Nature Biomedical Engineering.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Science
- Forbes
Scientists Reconstruct 540 Million Years Of Climate And Sea Level Change
Climate curve and sea level curve Two new studies offer the most detailed glimpse yet of how Earth's climate and sea levels have changed during the Phanerozoic — the latest geologic eon covering the time period from 538.8 million years ago to the present. The first curve reveals that Earth's temperature has varied more than previously thought over much of the Phanerozoic eon and also confirms that Earth's temperature is strongly correlated to carbon-dioxide levels in the atmosphere. The team from Arizona compiled more than 150,000 published data points, their colleagues at the University of Bristol generated more than 850 model simulations of what Earth's climate could have looked like at different periods based on continental position and atmospheric composition. Using special data assimilation protocolls, the different datasets were combined to create an accurate curve of how Earth's temperature has varied over the past 485 million years. The climate curve reveals that temperature varied more greatly than previously thought. It starts with the Hirnantian, a period of major climatic oscillation lasting from approximately 460 to around 420 million years. The coldest period in the analyzed timescale is the Karoo glaciation, lasting from approximately 360 to 260 million years. But overall, the Phanerozoic was characterized by mild to warm climates, with global mean surface temperatures spanning from 52 to 97 degrees Fahrenheit (or 11 to 36 degrees Celsius). In the warmest periods global temperatures did not drop below 77 degrees Fahrenheit (25 degrees Celsius). In the last 60 million years, after a peak during the "Cretaceous Hothouse," Earth started to cool down. The global average temperature today is about 59 degrees Fahrenheit (15 degrees Celsius). The authors also note that the periods of extreme heat were most often linked to elevated levels of the greenhouse gas carbon-dioxide in the atmosphere. The second curve shows how sea levels correlate both with tectonic activity - closing or opening oceanic basins and shifting continents - and the climate, determining how much water is trapped in ice caps or glaciers. 'Plate tectonics determines the depth of the oceans. If the 'bathtub' becomes shallower, then the water level will rise. Ice caps on continents withhold water from the ocean, but when the ice melts, the 'bath water level' will rise, " explains study lead author Dr. Douwe van der Meer, guest researcher at Utrecht University. To assess sea level changes, the scientists looked at the prevailing sediment type deposited at the time. Claystone typically forms in deeper marine settings, while sandstone is deposited in shallow basins. This preliminary curve was then combined with data derived from fossils and paleogeographic simulations, visualizing the distribution of land and sea during different geological periods. The scientists were also able to estimate the location and volume of continental ice caps based on Earth's changing climate over time and the position of the continents in relation to the poles. Sea levels were relatively low during the first 400 million years, reflecting the cooler climate and low tectonic activity. During the Carboniferous (358-298 million years ago) there were very large sea level variations due to a large ice cap covering a large landmass in — called Gondwana by geologists — the southern hemisphere. During the Cretaceous (145-66 million years ago) the supercontinent of Pangaea started to break up and the hothouse climate caused the poles to be ice free. These two effects resulted in global sea levels being more than 200 meters higher than they are at present. In the last 60 million years Earth started to cool down and around 30 million years ago the first ice sheets started to form on the poles. In the past 2 million years during the last major ice ages sea levels dropped up to 100 meters. The climate study, "A 485-million-year history of Earth's surface temperature," was published in the journal Science and can be found online here. The sea level study, 'Phanerozoic orbital-scale glacio-eustatic variability,' was published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters and can be found online here. Additional material and interviews provided by University of Utrecht.
The Guardian
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Guardian
Some gut microbes can absorb and help expel ‘forever chemicals' from the body, research shows
Certain kinds of gut microbes absorb toxic Pfas 'forever chemicals' and help expel them from the body via feces, new first-of-its-kind University of Cambridge research shows. The findings are welcome news as the only options that exist for reducing the level of dangerous Pfas compounds from the body are bloodletting and a cholesterol drug that induces unpleasant side effects. The microbes were found to remove up to 75% of some Pfas from the gut of mice. Several of the study's authors plan to develop probiotic dietary supplements that boost levels of helpful microbes in the human gut, which would likely reduce Pfas levels. 'If this could be used in humans to create probiotics that can help remove Pfas from the body then this would be a nicer solution in that it wouldn't have so many side effects,' said Anna Lindell, Cambridge doctoral student and a co-author of the study. Pfas are a class of about 15,000 compounds most frequently used to make products water-, stain- and grease-resistant. They have been linked to cancer, birth defects, decreased immunity, high cholesterol, kidney disease and a range of other serious health problems. They are dubbed 'forever chemicals' because they do not naturally break down in the environment. The US Environmental Protection Agency has found no level of exposure to Pfos or Pfoa, two of the most common Pfas compounds, in drinking water is safe. They have a half-life in human blood of anywhere from two to five years, by most estimates. That means the body expels half the amount of the chemical that is in blood during that period. Depending on blood levels, it can take decades to fully expel Pfas naturally. Though the findings represent the first time gut microbes have been found to remove Pfas, they have been found to alleviate the impacts of other contaminants, such as microplastics. The researchers didn't set out to determine if the gut bacteria expelled Pfas specifically, but instead looked at a suite of 42 common food contaminants. No Pfas limits for food exist in the US, but there is broad consensus that it is among the main exposure routes. Some microbes performed well in expelling Pfas, so the study's authors zoomed in on those. The authors introduced nine of a family of bacterial species into the guts of mice to humanize the mouse microbiome – the bacteria rapidly accumulated to absorb Pfas eaten by the mice, and the chemicals were then excreted in feces. The bacteria seem to absorb the chemical, then use a 'pump' mechanism that pushes toxins from the cells and aids in excretion, the authors wrote. The mechanism by which the chemicals are pulled into the cell is not yet understood, Lindell said, but she suspects there may be a similar pump. These are developed by microbes to expel other contaminants, drugs or antibiotics, Lindell added. Sign up to Detox Your Kitchen A seven-week expert course to help you avoid chemicals in your food and groceries. after newsletter promotion The microbes largely addressed 'long-chain' Pfas, which are larger compounds and more dangerous than smaller 'short chains' because they stay in the body longer. The body more efficiently discharges short-chain Pfas through urine because the compounds are generally water-soluble. Among the most common and dangerous long chains are Pfoa and Pfna, which the microbes expelled at rates of up to 58% and 74%, respectively. Lindell and other study leaders have started a company, Cambiotics, that will develop a probiotic based on their findings. They are planning to follow up the research with a human study. However, Lindell stressed that the probiotic would not solve the broader Pfas crisis: 'This should not be used as an excuse to downplay other sustainable solutions or to not address the bigger Pfas problem.'
Yahoo
13-07-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Big City Lights Could Be Damaging Your Heart Health
It might be time to invest in some blackout curtains, turn off the TV before bed, and dim those lamps. New research suggests that exposure to light at night could elevate your risk of multiple heart issues. The association makes biological sense. Our bodies use light signals to tell when it's time to sleep, and any disruption to that routine can interfere with our circadian rhythms, which regulate countless internal processes. "Light at night causes circadian disruption, which is a known risk factor for adverse cardiovascular outcomes," writes the international team of scientists in a new study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed or published. "However, it is not well understood whether personal light exposure patterns predict an individual's risk of cardiovascular diseases." Related: To investigate, the researchers analyzed data from 88,905 adults who wore wrist sensors to track light exposure over the course of a week, with follow-up health checks for the next 9.5 years. The volunteers were grouped based on how much light they were exposed to overnight. Compared to the bottom half of the participants, the 10 percent exposed to the most light at night had a significantly higher risk of heart issues, including coronary artery disease, heart attack, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and stroke. The researchers accounted for factors that impact heart health, including smoking, alcohol consumption, diet, sleep duration, physical activity, socioeconomic status, and genetic risk, to try and better isolate the effect of light exposure at night. The data from this type of study doesn't prove direct cause and effect – only that there's a strong association. It's enough to suggest light at night as a risk factor for heart health problems and that minimizing it could be a simple and effective way of reducing risk. "Relationships of night light with risk of heart failure and coronary artery disease were stronger for women, and relationships of night light with risk of heart failure and atrial fibrillation were stronger for younger individuals in this cohort," write the researchers. The researchers point to the many functions of our bodies that rely on regular, well-defined circadian rhythms – everything from blood pressure to glucose tolerance. Disrupting those rhythms, with night shifts for example, can impact our health. One of the mechanisms at play could be hypercoagulability – an increased tendency for blood to clot, which has previously been linked to disruptions in circadian rhythms. However, there are likely to be numerous reasons for these associations. The researchers hope to see future studies collecting nighttime light data over a longer period of time, and with extra information about the sources of light, which should help improve our understanding of this relationship. Most of us will now have at least one glowing screen inside our bedrooms, and this gives us another reason to turn those screens off: a survey suggests more than half of the US population actually falls asleep with the TV on. "Avoiding light at night may be a useful strategy for reducing risks of cardiovascular diseases," write the researchers. The research has yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, but a preprint is available on MedRxiv. Ice Bath Trend Raises Health Concerns. Here Are 6 Tips For Staying Safe. Scientists Identify a Trait in Speech That Foreshadows Cognitive Decline Massive 16-Year Study Links Wellbeing to Stronger Memory in Aging
