Domesticating the pig turns out to be more complicated than we thought. We used to think they were domesticated by isolating small populations and selectively breeding for certain traits, however this does not appear to be the case for pigs. By analyzing the genomes of over 600 domestic pigs and wild boars from Europe and […]
Arctic warming linked to cold winters in North America
Warming in certain areas of the Arctic can cause cold winters in North America and Asia according to climate model simulations. Researchers believe the findings may help improve the prediction of winter weather and extreme events in North America and East Asia. The results suggest that atypical warming in the Arctic Barents-Kara Sea precedes severe […]
Canadians receiving false positives for Lyme disease from U.S. labs
Canadians may receive false-positives for Lyme disease, from some commercial labs in the United States over half the time, according to an editorial in the CMAJ. Lyme disease, which is becoming more common in Canada, is spread by ticks and causes fatigue, swollen lymph nodes, and if not treated, the infection can spread to joints, […]
A new “silent spring”
An editorial is calling the dumping of plastic waste into the ocean a new “silent spring”. “Silent spring” was a book written in the 1960s outlining the harmful effects of the overuse of pesticides on the environment. It was instrumental in raising public awareness of the potential dangers of pesticides. The authors of the paper […]
New Giant Clam species discovered off Newfoundland coast
A new species of clam, the giant file clam (Acesta cryptadelphe) was discovered off the coast of Newfoundland. The species was first spotted over 30 years ago, and thanks to DNA analysis it has been confirmed as a new species. The species is so similar to the file clam that the scientists decided to name […]
New species of giant sea scorpion
An ancient species of giant sea scorpion, Pentecopterus, which could grow up to six feet in length, has been identified after examining more than 150 fossil specimens of both adult and juvenile specimens. The fossils were uncovered in Iowa and lived approximately 460 million years ago. The species likely lived in a shallow mix of […]
Low vitamin D levels associated with an increased risk of MS
Low vitamin D levels are associated with an increased risk of multiple sclerosis (MS) in European populations, however whether vitamin D can delay or prevent the onset of MS requires further investigation, according to researchers. The authors used data from the International Multiple Sclerosis Genetics Consortium study, which involves 14,498 people with multiple sclerosis and […]
New guidelines to reduce pain during vaccinations
New Canadian guidelines aim to reduce pain during vaccinations in both children and adults. Pain during the vaccination process can make children and adults hesitant to receive future immunizations. The guidelines update previous guidelines, published in 2010, and have been expanded to cover adults as well as children. The recommendations are designed to be used […]
Obstetricians and family doctors have equal outcomes for low-risk births
During low risk births, the risk of newborn death and maternal complications is similar for deliveries performed by family physicians and those performed by obstetricians, according to a new study. The authors note that these findings should only be applied to low-risk deliveries that could be safely performed by either a generalist or a specialist, […]
Tracing the family history of HIV
Lentiviruses, a group of retroviruses including HIV and SIV, the simian version of HIV, have been infecting primates as far back as 16 million years ago according to DNA sequencing. Researchers studied an antiviral gene called TRIM5 in 22 species of African primates. They found that a cluster of changes unique to the TRIM5 proteins […]
How to build a gas giant
Using computer simulations researchers have modeled the evolution of the gas giants in the Solar System, potentially providing an account for how the largest planets in our system formed. The study shows that when small centimeter- to meter-sized “pebbles” slowly accumulate they form planetesimals which become the cores of gas giants. It was previously thought […]
Dogs evolved with climate change
The evolution of North American dogs shows that evolution can be a direct consequence of climate change, and is not always associated with an “arms race” between ancient dogs and their prey. Researchers studied fossil elbows and teeth of 32 species of dogs from 40 million years to two million years ago, the same period when climate […]
Discovering how a new class of drugs works against super viruses
An emerging class of drugs, AMLPs (antimicrobial lipopeptides), shows promise in the fight against superbugs, yet until now researchers have lacked a molecular-level understanding of how they act. According to a new study AMLPs clump together to form microscopic balls called micelles, which selectively kill stick to bacterial membranes – a complex structure that is […]
How hummingbirds drink: rethinking 50 years of research
High-speed videos have shown how hummingbirds feed on nectar, and it’s not what was previously thought. It’s not in the same way fluid rises in a capillary tube. Hummingbirds actually extract nectar by creating a tiny pump using the tongue. The new findings mean that fifty years of research studying how hummingbirds and floral nectar […]
The importance of health care in the federal election
In the upcoming federal election, health care must be a key issue otherwise Canada’s health care problems will continue, according an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Additionally the editorial calls on federal political parties to articulate clear policy platforms on health care. The Deputy Editor of the CMAJ, Dr. Matthew Stanbrook, says “the federal government […]
Explaining the origin of shepherd moons
The origin of “shepherd moons” in planetary rings such as those found on Saturn and Uranus may be a natural consequence of ring evolution around giant planets. Studying the two shepherd moons in Saturn’s F ring system, Prometheus and Pandora, researchers has found how these moons may form. Using computer simulated collisions between icy moonlets […]