Scientists identify previously unknown 'hybrid zone' between hummingbird species

We usually think of a species as being reproductively isolated—that is, not mating with other species in the wild. Occasionally, however, closely related species do interbreed. New research just published in The Auk: Ornithological Advances documents the existence of a previously undiscovered hybrid zone along the coast of northern California and southern Oregon, where two closely related bird hummingbirds, Allen's Hummingbird and Rufous Hummingbird, are blurring species boundaries. Researchers hope that studying cases such as this one could improve their understanding of how biodiversity is created and maintained.

To address hunger, many countries may have to increase carbon footprint

Achieving an adequate, healthy diet in most low- and middle-income countries will require a substantial increase in greenhouse gas emissions and water use due to food production, according to new research from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

New species of giant salamander is world's biggest amphibian

Using DNA from museum specimens collected in the early 20th century, researchers from ZSL (Zoological Society of London) and London's Natural History Museum identified two new species of giant salamander—one of which they suspect is the world's biggest amphibian.

MRI-guided biopsy best for determining future risk of prostate cancer, study shows

Every year, tens thousands of men in the United States are diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. Most are told that they don't need treatment other than "active surveillance" to monitor their slow-growing tumors. Now, UCLA physicians have shown that the best way to proceed with this is by starting out with an MRI-guided prostate biopsy.

Subterranean blaze: Indonesia struggles to douse undergound fires

Thousands of Indonesian firefighters are locked in an around-the-clock game of Whack-a-Mole as they battle to extinguish an invisible enemy—underground fires that aggravate global warming.

Dozens of tigers dead after confiscation from Thai temple

More than half of the 147 tigers confiscated from a controversial Thai temple have died, park officials said Monday, blaming genetic problems linked to in-breeding at the once money-spinning tourist attraction.

Hope for coral recovery may depend on good parenting

The fate of the world's coral reefs could depend on how well the sea creatures equip their offspring to cope with global warming.

Researchers advance noise cancelling for quantum computers

A team from Dartmouth College and MIT has designed and conducted the first lab test to successfully detect and characterize a class of complex, "non-Gaussian" noise processes that are routinely encountered in superconducting quantum computing systems.

Amid settlement talks, opioids keep taking a grim toll

As the nation's attorneys general debate a legal settlement with Purdue Pharma, the opioid epidemic associated with its blockbuster painkiller OxyContin rages on in state after state, community after community, killing tens of thousands of people each year with no end in sight.

VW settles Australia emissions cheating scandal

Volkswagen has agreed to pay up to Aus$127 million ($87.3 million) to settle multiple class action suits brought by Australian motorists over a diesel emissions cheating scandal, the parties' lawyers said Monday.

Storm Humberto strengthens but moves away from Bahamas and US

Tropical storm Humberto gained strength Sunday and was expected to return to hurricane force by evening, but its track now puts it far from the Bahamas and the US coast, the US National Hurricane Center said.

Vapes spiked with illegal drugs show dark side of CBD craze

Jay Jenkins says he hesitated when a buddy suggested they vape CBD.

No Deal: Auto workers strike against GM in contract dispute

More than 49,000 members of the United Auto Workers walked off General Motors factory floors or set up picket lines early Monday as contract talks with the company deteriorated into a strike.

Purdue files for bankruptcy in bid to settle opioid crisis cases

Purdue Pharma has filed for bankruptcy in a settlement agreement that it hopes will provide more than $10 billion to address the opioid crisis, the company said in a statement on Sunday.

Reduce, reuse, recycle: The future of phosphorus

When Hennig Brandt discovered the element phosphorus in 1669, it was a mistake. He was really looking for gold. But his mistake was a very important scientific discovery. What Brandt couldn't have realized was the importance of phosphorus to the future of farming.

More predictive genetic risk score sought for type 1 diabetes

Paul Tran is working to develop a highly predictive genetic risk score that will tell parents whether their baby is at significant risk for type 1 diabetes.

Off-label medication orders on the rise for children, study finds

U.S. physicians are increasingly ordering medications for children for conditions that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, according to a Rutgers study.

Commonly used drug for Alzheimer's disease doubles risk of hospitalization

A drug commonly used to manage symptoms of Alzheimer disease and other dementias—donepezil—is associated with a two-fold higher risk of hospital admission for rhabdomyolysis, a painful condition of muscle breakdown, compared with several other cholinesterase inhibitors, found a study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

Heart-healthy forager-farmers in lowland Bolivia are changing diets and gaining weight

A group of forager-farmers in Bolivia's tropical forests—known for having remarkable cardiovascular health and low blood pressure—experienced changes in body mass and diet over a nine-year period, with increased use of cooking oil the most notable dietary change.

Physicians report high refusal rates for the HPV vaccine and need for improvement

Despite its proven success at preventing cancer, many adolescents are still not getting the HPV vaccine. A new study from the University of Colorado School of Medicine at the Anschutz Medical Campus shows that physicians' delivery and communication practices must improve to boost vaccination completion rates.

Three in five parents say their teen has been in a car with a distracted teen driver

It's a highly anticipated rite of passage for many high schoolers—finally getting to drive your friends around.

Childhood behavior linked to taking paracetamol in pregnancy

The research published today in Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology examined whether there were any effects of taking paracetamol in mid-pregnancy and the behaviour of the offspring between the ages of 6 month and 11 years, with memory and IQ tested up until the age of 17. Paracetamol is commonly used to relieve pain during pregnancy and is recommended as the treatment of choice by the NHS.

Obesity linked to a nearly 6-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes

Obesity is linked to a nearly 6-fold increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D), with high genetic risk and unfavorable lifestyle also increasing risk but to a much lesser extent. These are the conclusions of new research presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 Sept), by Hermina Jakupovic, University of Copenhagen, Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research, Copenhagen, Denmark, and colleagues.

Latest studies suggest a possible downturn in rate of new cases of diabetes

While overall, the numbers (prevalence) of people with type 2 diabetes continue to grow at an alarming rate, new research presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 September) shows that recent studies suggest the rate at which new cases develop (incidence) may be falling. The study is by Professor Dianna Magliano and Professor Jonathan Shaw, Baker Heart and Diabetes Institute, Melbourne, Australia, and colleagues.

Types and rates of co-existing conditions in diabetes are different for men and women

A new study presented at this year's Annual Meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 Sept) shows that men and women experience different comorbidities (other diseases at the same time) as having diabetes or prediabetes, as well as an unexpectedly high rate of prediabetes among children aged 6-10 years.

Scanning the lens of the eye could predict type 2 diabetes and prediabetes

New research presented at this year's annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes (EASD) in Barcelona, Spain (16-20 September) shows that specialist analysis of the lens in the eye can predict patients with type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) (also known as prediabetes, a condition that often leads to full blown of type 2 diabetes).