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Underwater Snow Gives Clues About Europa’s Icy Shell

Below Europa’s thick icy crust is a massive, global ocean where the snow floats upwards onto inverted ice peaks and submerged ravines. The bizarre underwater snow is known to occur below ice shelves on Earth, but a new study shows that the same is likely true for Jupiter’s moon, where it may play a role in building its ice shell.

Minority Ethnic Doctors Less Likely To Get Specialty NHS Training Posts While Some Specialties Show Gender Bias

Most minority ethnic groups are less successful than their White British counterparts when applying to specialty training programmes in the NHS, Cambridge researchers have shown.

Largest Study Of Whole Genome Sequencing Data Reveals New Clues To Causes Of Cancer

DNA analysis of thousands of tumours from NHS patients has found a ‘treasure trove’ of clues about the causes of cancer, with genetic mutations providing a personal history of the damage and repair processes each patient has been through.

Assisted Reproduction Kids Grow Up Just Fine – But It May Be Better To Tell Them Early About Biological Origins

Landmark study finds no difference in psychological wellbeing or quality of family relationships between children born by assisted reproduction (egg or sperm donation or surrogacy) and those born naturally at age 20. However, findings suggest that telling children about their biological origins early – before they start school – can be advantageous for family relationships and healthy adjustment.

Delays in Contact Tracing Impeded Early COVID-19 Containment

Contact tracing programs were deployed around the globe to slow the spread of COVID-19, but these programs could not prevent the multiple waves of transmission and loss of life that have occurred since March 2020.

Random Acts of Kindness Make a Bigger Splash Than Expected

Even though they often enhance happiness, acts of kindness such as giving a friend a ride or bringing food for a sick family member can be somewhat rare because people underestimate how good these actions make recipients feel, according to new research from The University of Texas at Austin.

Sharing on Social Media Makes Us Overconfident in Our Knowledge

Sharing news articles with friends and followers on social media can prompt people to think they know more about the articles’ topics than they actually do, according to a new study from researchers at The University of Texas at Austin.

‘Robot Scientist’ Eve Finds That Less Than One Third Of Scientific Results Are Reproducible

Researchers have used a combination of automated text analysis and the ‘robot scientist’ Eve to semi-automate the process of reproducing research results. The problem of lack of reproducibility is one of the biggest crises facing modern science.

Recruiting Male Allies Boosts Women at Work

When women and men raise their voices together in the workplace, managers are more likely to support gender equity issues, such as equal pay for equal work. That’s the finding of a new paper from a researcher at The University of Texas at Austin.

Iodine Status Varies Across Canada, Raising Deficiency Risk in Some Regions

Iodine deficiency, a public health concern resolved decades ago, may be making a comeback due to changing eating habits, according to new findings by McMaster University researchers.

Women In England Had Predominantly Negative Experiences Of Childbirth During Pandemic In 2020, Survey Finds

47% of parents in a national survey reported negative experiences of giving birth during the pandemic in 2020, with uncertainties about rapidly changing restrictions and poor communication from healthcare providers causing them increased anxiety and distress.

Caught in the Act: Deadly Fungus Can Multiply by Having Sex, Researchers Find

Researchers at McMaster have unlocked an evolutionary mystery of a deadly pathogen responsible for fuelling the superbug crisis: It can reproduce by having sex.

Most Young People’s Well-Being Falls Sharply In First Years Of Secondary School

Research based on data from 11,000 students charted an across-the-board fall in well-being, regardless of circumstances, between ages 11 and 14.

Rare Genetic Disease May Protect Ashkenazi Jews Against TB

Scientists may have solved the question of why Ashkenazi Jews are significantly more susceptible to a rare genetic disorder known as Gaucher disease – and the answer may help settle the debate about whether they are less susceptible to tuberculosis (TB).

Combined Steroid And Statin Treatment Could Reduce ‘Accelerated Ageing’ In Preterm Babies, Study In Rats Suggests

Potentially life-saving steroids commonly given to preterm babies also increase the risk of long-term cardiovascular problems, but a new study in rats has found that if given in conjunction with statins, their positive effects remain while the potential negative side-effects are ‘weeded out’.

Sugary Drinks Tax May Have Prevented Over 5,000 Cases Of Obesity A Year In Year Six Girls Alone

The introduction of the soft drinks industry levy – the ‘sugary drinks tax’ – in England was followed by a drop in the number of cases of obesity among older primary school children, according to Cambridge researchers. Taking into account current trends in obesity, their estimates suggest that around 5,000 cases of obesity per year may have been prevented in year six girls alone.

Mums’ Activity Levels May Depend On Number And Ages Of Children

Less than half of mums meet the recommended levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity – and mothers of younger children manage to do the least, Cambridge and Southampton researchers have found.

Fitness Levels Accurately Predicted Using Wearable Devices – No Exercise Required

Cambridge researchers have developed a method for measuring overall fitness accurately on wearable devices – and more robustly than current consumer smartwatches and fitness monitors – without the wearer needing to exercise.

Analysis: Peer Review: Can This Critical Step in the Publication of Science Research Be Kinder?

Democracy has been called the least worst system of government. Peer review is the least worst system for assessing the merit of scientific work.

Cognitive Impairment in Hispanic Adults Linked to Discrimination Experiences

Black and Latino people experience higher rates of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias than non-Hispanic white people, but scientists have never known why. Now a new study shows that experiences with discrimination may be playing a role in disproportionate experiences of cognitive decline.