All posts tagged "Naturalsciences"

SAN DIEGO — A new report from researchers at San Diego State University, citing "untreated sewage, industrial waste, and urban run-off due to inadequate infrastructure and urbanization," calls the Tijuana River "a public health crisis" that imperils the good health of a wide range of people who live, recreate and work near the polluted waterway, particularly when wet weather causes floods to spread. In a white paper that is not itself peer-reviewed research, authors synthesize the multiple studies that have documented pollution over the years, pausing on a recent paper documenting that the thr......

When marine scientist Ian Enochs jumped into the water at Cheeca Rocks, a small reef in the Florida Keys known for vibrantly colorful corals, what he saw shook him to the core. “Literally everything was white,” said Enochs, a research ecologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in Miami. “It does not look normal at all, it’s just like a different reef.” It was July, still early in what would become the hottest summer on record in South Florida, and Enochs waswitnessing a mass event bleaching — a telltale trouble sign that corals are struggling in abnormally hot ocean wat......

PHILADELPHIA -- Any changes in your medications or allergies? Check. New health issues since your last visit? Check. And would you like to contribute a blood and DNA sample for a massive research project? That last question is now part of the electronic check-in process for patients at Penn Medicine clinics and hospitals, and it already is yielding promising clues in the study of disease. More than 260,000 people have signed up to participate in the project, called Penn Medicine BioBank, agreeing to have their samples stored in secure freezers set to negative 80 degrees Celsius. By cross-refer......

NEW YORK — DNA from the wife of suspected Gilgo Beach serial killer Rex Heuermann was found on the victims’ bodies, according to multiple reports. Asa Ellerup, 59, has not been considered a suspect in the case, as prosecutors said she was out of town when the victims were killed. However, investigators matched her DNA to samples collected from the victims’ bodies, sources told Newsday and ABC News. Cops took a cheek swab from Ellerup on July 13, the same day Heuermann was arrested. Police also used DNA evidence to tie Heuermann to the murders, matching DNA from his cheek and his discarded pizz......

A “squeaker”-like sound pierced the air of a mountain forest in Rwanda. The call came from a “miniature” creature sitting on the forest floor. Scientists found the source of the sound — and discovered a new species. J. Maximilian Dehling ventured into the Nyungwe Forest on several trips between 2010 and 2018, he wrote in a study published Oct. 23 in the journal Diversity. During these surveys, a “very small” frog caught his attention. He found six of these “miniature” frogs and, taking a closer look, discovered a new species: Arthroleptis nyungwensis, or the Nyungwe squeaker frog. The Nyungwe ......

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Faith in God called Clint and Alissa Finlayson to adopt two sick girls from an orphanage in China. Faith in medicine called them to Oakland. Born with a deadly blood disease, the Finlayson’s daughters — Ada, 9, and Lily, 12 — are the first patients on the West Coast to receive a new gene therapy offered by UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland. Already, Ada is already feeling better 10 weeks after receiving her stem cell transplant. Lily started treatment last week. Both have 90% chance of a permanent cure. “It’s science, and it’s a miracle,” said their mother Alissa, si......