Daniel Luzer News Today

<p>A new paper in <em>Nicotine & Tobacco Research</em> finds that smokers who switch to electronic cigarettes are now more likely to stop smoking regular cigarettes. In the past, smokers who began using electronic cigarettes mostly continued smoking.</p>

<p>A new paper in <em>Genome Biology and Evolution</em> finds that the link between paternal age and rare congenital disorders is more complex than scientists had previously thought. While researchers have long realized that older fathers are more likely to have children with bone and heart malformations, such as Achondroplasia, Apert, or Noonan syndrome, or neurodevelopmental disorders, schizophrenia, and autism, new examination indicates that while the link between s...

<p>A new paper in <em>Genome Biology and Evolution </em>finds that genetic material from Neanderthal ancestors may have contributed to the propensity of some people today to be “early risers,” the sort of people who are more comfortable getting up and going to bed earlier.</p>

<p>According to a new paper in <em>Rheumatology</em>, JAK inhibitors, which doctors have used to treat patients with arthritis despite concerns about the effectiveness of such drugs, actually do work quite well. In a multicenter, retrospective study Japanese researchers found that the drugs resulted in impressive remission rates in patients, most of whom choose to continue such treatment.</p>

<p>A new paper in the <em>Annals of Botany</em> reveals that researchers have found unaltered agave plant species cultivated by several early cultures including the Hohokam people, a large Native American group in the Southwest that existed between 300 and 1500 CE.</p>

A new paper in Molecular Biology and Evolution provides, for the first time, a comprehensive set of genomic resources for pangolins, sometimes known as scaly anteaters, that researchers believe will be integral for protecting these threatened mammals.

A new paper in Biology Methods and Protocols indicates that researchers studying SARS-CoV-2 may have developed new methods to administer vaccines orally, which would be both easier to administer and more effective at combatting illnesses.

A new paper in Biology Methods & Protocols shows it may be possible to design vaccines that will induce a stronger immune response to infecting pathogens, such as the virus causing COVID-19. In this study, the authors proposed and tested a new bioinformatic approach and tool that allows researchers to select parts of proteins that will elicit a strong immune response. Vaccines developed based on this approach would provide better protection from diseases.

A new paper in Genome Biology and Evolution finds that the annulated sea snake, a species of venomous snake found in ocean waters around Australia and Asia, appears to have evolved to see an extended palette of colors after its ancestors lost that ability in response to changing environments.

A new paper in the Journal of Neuropathology & Experimental Neurology indicates that sudden infant death syndrome, the cause and frequency of which is the subject of much research and debate, may in many cases be associated with a brainstem abnormality affecting serotonin receptors.