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If a tree falls in Brazil…? Amazon deforestation could mean droughts for western U.S.

By Guest PostNovember 10, 2013Environment50 percent reduction, amazon deforestation, Amazon rainforest, andes mountains, atmospheric modeling, brazil, california, climate model, climate pattern, david medvigy, drought, el niño, journal of climate, martin otte, medvigy, Mexico, pacific northwest, rainfall, robert walko, sierra nevada snowpack, study deforestation, tree fall, typical model, university of miami, weather cycle, western us

In research meant to highlight how the destruction of the Amazon rainforest could affect climate elsewhere, Princeton University-led researchers report that the total deforestation of the Amazon may significantly reduce rain and snowfall in the western United States, resulting in water and food shortages, and a greater risk of forest fires.

The researchers report in the Journal of Climate that an Amazon stripped bare could mean 20 percent less rain for the coastal Northwest and a 50 percent reduction in the Sierra Nevada snowpack, a crucial source of water for cities and farms in California. Previous research has shown that deforestation will likely produce dry air over the Amazon. Using high-resolution climate simulations, the researchers are the first to find that the atmosphere’s normal weather-moving mechanics would create a ripple effect that would move that dry air directly over the western United States from December to February. (more…)

One-two punch could be key in treating blindness

By Guest PostMay 1, 2013Scienceachromatopsia, andras komaromy, blindness, central nervous system, cntf, fido, humans, michigan state university, model disease, molecular therapy, most younger dogs, photoreceptors, protein, treatment, university of miami, veterinary ophthalmologist

Researchers have discovered that using two kinds of therapy in tandem may be a knockout combo against inherited disorders that cause blindness. While their study focused on man’s best friend, the treatment could help restore vision in people, too.

Published in the journal Molecular Therapy, the study builds on earlier work by Michigan State University veterinary ophthalmologist András Komáromy and colleagues. In 2010, they restored day vision in dogs suffering from achromatopsia, an inherited form of total color blindness, by replacing the mutant gene associated with the condition. (more…)

Scientists Probe Indian Ocean for Clues to Worldwide Weather Patterns

By Guest PostSeptember 28, 2011Environmentaddu atoll, amie project, asian and australian monsoons, chidong zhang, chuck long, diego garcia, disturbance of the tropics, dual wavelength doppler radar, dynamics of the madden julian oscillation, dynamo, equator, hurricane activity in the northeast pacific and gulf of mexico, indian ocean, japan agency for marine earth science and technology, madden julian oscillation or mjo, maldives, manus island, mitchell moncrieff, national science foundation, numerical models, onset of el niño, s polka, source of atmospheric variability, super site, tropical weather, university of miami, west coast of north america, worldwide weather patterns

*Study how tropical weather brews in the Indian Ocean and moves eastward along the equator*

An international team of researchers will begin gathering in the Indian Ocean next month, using aircraft, ships, moorings, radars, numerical models and other tools to study how tropical weather brews there and moves eastward along the equator, with reverberating effects around the globe.

The six-month field campaign, known as DYNAMO or Dynamics of the Madden-Julian Oscillation, will help improve long-range weather forecasts and seasonal outlooks and enable scientists to further refine computer models of global climate. (more…)

‘Combining Therapies Appears Safe, May Benefit Patients with Advanced Liver Cancer’

By Guest PostJuly 9, 2011Healthadvanced primary liver cancer, bayer healthcare, cancer, chronic hepatitis c infection, cirrhosis, diarrhea, drugs, epidemics of obesity and diabetes, fatigue, hcc, hepatocellular carcinoma, hepatologists, inflammation, james caridi, liver cancer, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, onyx pharmaceuticals, paul martin, roniel cabrera, side effects, skin reactions, sorafenib, transarterial chemoembolization, tumor feeding blood vessels, tumors, type of liver cancer, unexpected toxic effects, united states, university of florida, university of miami, viable treatment options, world health organization

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Few treatments exist for patients with advanced primary liver cancer, but University of Florida researchers have found a new way to broaden the range of options and potentially improve health outcomes by combining two treatments.

In the first study of its kind, the researchers combined sorafenib, the only Food and Drug Administration-approved pill for treating advanced liver cancer, with another routinely used therapy known as transarterial chemoembolization, which works by cutting off the blood supply to tumors. No unexpected toxic effects were seen, and the combo appears to have the potential to improve survival for certain groups of patients. (more…)

Depression and Negative Thoughts

By Guest PostJune 13, 2011Healthassociation for psychological science, depression and negative thought, jutta joormann, major depression, negative events, negative thoughts, university of miami, working memory

We all have our ups and downs—a fight with a friend, a divorce, the loss of a parent. But most of us get over it. Only some go on to develop major depression. Now, a new study, which will be published in an upcoming issue of Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological Science, suggests part of the reason may be that people with depression get stuck on bad thoughts because they’re unable to turn their attention away. (more…)

Gulf Oil Spill Study Sheds Light On Urban Air Pollution

By Guest PostMarch 12, 20111 commentEnvironmentbp deepwater horizon, gouw, gulf oil spill, microscopic particles, noaa, organic aerosols, university of california, university of colorado boulder, university of miami, urban air pollution, urban environments, volatile components

When a team of researchers from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Colorado Boulder’s Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences raced to the scene of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to assess the disaster’s impact on air quality last year, they found more than they expected. (more…)

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