news 2017

While previous studies had argued that Earth's crust 3.5 billion years ago looked like these Hawaiian lavas, a new study led by UChicago scientists suggests by then much of it had already been transformed into lighter-colored felsic rock by plate tectonics. The Earth's history is written in its elements, but as the tectonic plates slip and slide over and under each other over time, they muddy that evidence-and with it the secrets of why Earth can sustain life.

Scientists have measured how a galaxy's spin affects its shape - and found faster-spinning galaxies are flatter and rounder. The discovery was made sampling 845 galaxies and could help provide insights into a galaxy's past. For the first time astronomers have measured how a galaxy's spin affects its shape.

When freezing droplets impact a surface, they generally either stick to it or bounce away. Controlling this response is crucial to many applications, including 3-D printing, the spraying of some surface coatings, and the prevention of ice formation on structures such as airplane wings, wind turbines, or power lines.

All the tools and technology in the world are nothing without the talent to use them to their full potential. Thanks to a huge investment from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council's (NSERC) Discovery Grants Program, McGill can engage its enormous research capacity in long term, fundamental science and engineering programs.

ANN ARBOR-Hundreds of experiments have suggested that biodiversity fosters healthier, more productive ecosystems. But many experts doubted that results from small-scale experiments would hold up in real-world ecosystems where nature is most unpredictable and complex. A Smithsonian Institution and University of Michigan study scheduled for publication Sept.

FINDINGS New research finds that brief interventions in a primary care clinic can reduce patients' risky substance use by 4.5 days per month — a 40 percent decline among the Latino patients surveyed — compared with people who did not receive the brief intervention. This corresponds to two fewer weekends of drug use per month, or one less day of use per weekend, or a shorter monthly binge period.

Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a new type of MRI scan to predict the risk of having a stroke, thanks to funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF). The non-invasive technique, described in a paper published in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging , produces a quantitative result that can accurately indicate whether plaques in the carotid arteries - those that supply the brain with blood - are rich in cholesterol, and therefore more likely to cause a stroke.

ANN ARBOR-In areas where Uber, Lyft and other on-demand ride services operate, consumers may buy fewer cars and even take fewer trips, according to a new study. The findings are among the first to quantify how the uptick in transportation networking companies might be affecting consumer behavior. Researchers at the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute, Texas A&M Transportation Institute and Columbia University surveyed mor

Evidence in a new research report published today shows that the government of Uzbekistan acted as an organised crime network, with state agencies conducting racketeering activity that benefited political heiress Gulnara Karimova, the elder daughter of Islam Karimov, the leader of Uzbekistan from 1989 to his death in 2016.

Support services for homeless people with mental illness in Canada's biggest cities cost more than $55K a year per person on average, study finds Health, social and judicial services for homeless people with mental illness cost society more than $55,000 per person per year, on average, in Canada's three largest cities - a finding that suggests funds could be more effectively allocated to preventing and curtailing homelessness, according to McGill University health economist Eric Latimer.

Aboriginal people have been in Australia for at least 65,000 years - much longer than the 47,000 years believed by some archaeologists. The discovery, by a team of archaeologists and dating specialists led by Associate Professor Chris Clarkson from The University of Queensland School of Social Science , has been detailed in the Nature journal this week.

FINDINGS Researchers found in a review of data from three large studies that a minimally invasive treatment to treat peripheral artery disease offers a safe alternative to standard surgery. BACKGROUND Peripheral artery disease is a common circulatory problem in which the arteries become narrow from plaque buildup and blood flow to the limbs is reduced.

A population trend analysis of Bornean orangutans reveals that, despite decades of conservation work, the species is declining rapidly - at a rate of 25 per cent over the past 10 years. University of Queensland School of Biological Sciences researcher Dr Truly Santika , an Indonesian statistician and researcher at the ARC Centre of Centre for Environmental Decisions (CEED), led the study on the critically endangered Bornean orangutans.

Support from Philipp Schwartz Initiative of the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation ' 195/2017 from Jul 12, 2017 Freie Universität was successful in its application for fellowships from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation for two researchers who are politically at risk in their home countries. As the Humboldt Foundation announced in Bonn, two individuals will be supported through the Philipp Schwartz Initiative to do research at Freie Universität.

A UCL-led study found that homeless people who are terminally ill are falling between cracks in services, and not able to access the same level of support as others. Researchers from the UCL Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Department, Pathway, St Mungo's and Coordinate My Care worked with homeless people and care professionals and found that many homeless people who may be approaching the end of their lives are living in homeless hostels.

As many as one in five older Medicare patients returns to the hospital after an observation stay, or short-term outpatient stay, a Yale-led study found. This high rate of revisit to the hospital points to a hidden vulnerability among these patients, and suggests changes in care might be needed, the researchers said.

A new study sheds light on the depth of health care disparities faced by minority populations in the United States. The findings suggest a possible â?'double jeopardyâ'' for black and Hispanic patients: Not only has it been shown that members of minority groups receive less high-quality, effective care than their peers, they may also be at risk of receiving more low-value, ineffective care.

Professors Jennifer Eberhardt and Dan Jurafsky along with other Stanford researchers detected racial disparities in police officersâ?- speech after analyzing more than 100 hours of body camera footage from Oakland Police. The first systematic analysis of police body camera footage shows that officers consistently use less respectful language with black community members than with white community members, according to new Stanford research.

Teenage pregnancy rates have dropped in areas of the country most affected by government cuts to spending on sex education, according to a new study. In recent years local authorities in England have been forced to make significant cuts to public expenditure, with one particular health target affected: reducing rates of teen pregnancy.

Researchers at the University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care are looking for men who are concerned that they are, or have been, abusive in their relationships with women to take part in a new study that will help improve how we support men in changing their behaviour. Abusive behaviour can involve a range of actions, including physically hurting someone, pushing or shoving them, frightening them, or controlling or pressuring them into doing what you want or not doing what they want.