Life cycle diagrams are ubiquitous in science textbooks, and they may be due for some updates, according to a new study. The findings show that simple design changes in science textbook diagrams can have a dramatic impact on the ability of undergraduate students to understand key biology concepts. “We were shocked by the study results,” says Jennifer Landin, an associate teaching professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University and corresponding author of the study published in the journal Education Sciences. “Making two small adjustments had a profound impact on the abilit ..read more

On this episode of the Big Brains podcast, Nobel laureate Venki Ramakrishnan digs into why humans die—and how we can live longer. They’re perhaps the oldest questions in the science: Why do we die? And could we find a way to live forever? But for decades, anti-aging research was a “backwater” of the scientific community, considered too fanciful and unrealistic. That is until the last few years. Modern advances in biology have taught us a lot about how we age and why we die—could that knowledge help us turn back the clock? In his new book, Why We Die: The New Science of Aging and the Quest for ..read more

A new paper explores the problems with physics culture and provides a road map for making departments in the field more equitable. Physics has long suffered from the perception that the most cutting-edge work is done by lone geniuses, usually white men. It’s a bias that’s seeped into how instructors interact with their students, and even into how students think about themselves. Prior research has shown that female students who get A’s in introductory physics think they’re as good at physics as male students who get C’s. “If we really want to actually give every student the opportunity to do ..read more

For the first time in more than 200 years, two broods of cicadas—Brood XIX, known as the Great Southern Brood, and Brood XIII, known as the Northern Illinois Brood—will emerge from the ground simultaneously this year. Hannah Burrack, professor and chair of the entomology department at Michigan State University, answers questions about what you should know about this rare occurrence: The post This year’s cicada invasion will be double trouble appeared first on Futurity ..read more

With immigration dominating politics and voter concerns, new research shows immigration boosts local wages and that having neighbors of foreign descent can reduce prejudice. When Americans mark their presidential election ballots later this year, immigration will be top of mind—it’s the nation’s number one issue, according to pollster Gallup. And one of the toughest talkers on the topic is former president and presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump. He’s built his political career on calls to secure the border and defend America against what he says are immigration’s dangers, warning of shrinki ..read more

The key to growing coffee plants that can better resist climate change in the decades to come may lie in the ancient past, researchers report. Researchers have created what they say is the highest-quality reference genome to date of the world’s most popular coffee species, Arabica, unearthing secrets about its lineage that span millennia and continents. Their findings in Nature Genetics suggest that Coffea arabica developed more than 600,000 years ago in the forests of Ethiopia via natural mating between two other coffee species. Arabica’s population waxed and waned throughout Earth’s he ..read more

Monitoring and treating multiple sclerosis requires reliable and long-term data on how the disease is progressing. A new study finds fitness trackers and smartphones can supply the needed data. Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an insidious disease. Patients suffer because their immune system is attacking their own nerve fibers, which inhibits the transmission of nerve signals. People with MS experience mild to severe impairment of their motor function and sensory perception in a variety of ways. These impairments disrupt their daily activities and reduce their overall quality of life. As individual ..read more

A new mathematical model offers hope for better prediction and treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, researchers report. Most mathematical models of Alzheimer’s are theoretical, focusing on short term molecular and cellular-level changes that cannot be measured in patients. However, researchers at Duke University School of Medicine and Pennsylvania State University have used real-world data from over 800 people with varying cognitive abilities, to develop the Alzheimer’s Disease Biomarker Cascade (ADBC) model. This personalized approach goes beyond traditional diagnostic methods by incorporating ..read more

New research is uncovering how the juice from red cabbage can alleviate inflammation-associated digestive health conditions such as inflammatory bowel disease in mice. The findings offer hope to the estimated 3 million Americans who suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), including Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. IBD is characterized by chronic inflammation in the digestive tract. Primary symptoms include acute abdominal pain, weight loss, anemia, and diarrhea. In extreme cases, IBD can increase the risk of death if left untreated. Satyanarayana Rachagani, an associate professor ..read more

An expert has answers for you the recent discovery of the bird flu virus in dairy cows. The H5N1 strain of avian influenza, commonly known as bird flu, has been circulating among wild migratory birds for the past two years, with substantial spillover into poultry farms. But the recent discovery of the virus in dairy cows and the subsequent infection of a dairy farm employee—the second person in America ever documented to be infected with H5N1—is sparking concern among scientists and public health officials alike. The virus has now spread to 16 herds in six states according to the United State ..read more