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UW research: World population could be nearly 11 billion by 2100

By Guest PostJune 26, 2013Economy, General, Politicsadrian raftery, african population, billion, by 2100, fertility in africa, probability interval, projection, statistical analysis, united nations report, university of washington, uw research, world population

A new statistical analysis shows the world population could reach nearly 11 billion by the end of the century, according to a United Nations report issued June 13. That’s about 800 million, or about 8 percent, more than the previous projection of 10.1 billion, issued in 2011.

The projected rise is mostly due to fertility in Africa, where the U.N. had expected birth rates to decline more quickly than they have.

“The fertility decline in Africa has slowed down or stalled to a larger extent than we previously predicted, and as a result the African population will go up,” said Adrian Raftery, a University of Washington professor of statistics and of sociology. (more…)

Using earthquake sensors to track endangered whales

By Guest PostJune 19, 2013Natureamplitude, behavior, dax soule, deep ocean environments, earth, earthquake sensor, earthquake sensor data, endangered whales, fin whale surfacing, gps, greenland, greyhounds, juan de fuca, michelle weirathmueller, neptune canada, oceanography, pacific northwest coast, ridge, sea, seafloor geology, seafloor seismic data, seafloor seismometers, seattle area, second largest animal, seismically active zone, seismometer networks, smartphone, swimming behavior, track, university of washington, uw doctoral student, vocalizing whale, washington coast, whale calls, william wilcock

The fin whale is the second-largest animal ever to live on Earth. It is also, paradoxically, one of the least understood. The animal’s huge size and global range make its movements and behavior hard to study.

A carcass that washed up on a Seattle-area beach this spring provided a reminder that sleek fin whales, nicknamed “greyhounds of the sea,” are vulnerable to collision when they strike fast-moving ships. Knowing their swimming behaviors could help vessels avoid the animals. Understanding where and what they eat could also help support the fin whale’s slowly rebounding populations. (more…)

New device can extract human DNA with full genetic data in minutes

By Guest PostJune 11, 2013Scienceblood, conventional methods, environmentally friendly, extract, genetic data, human dna, human fluid samples, jae hyun chung, knr systems, korean manufacturer, large scale handling, micro filter, microscopic probes, minutes, nanofacture, new device, olympia, prototype, saliva, sang gyeun ahn, sputum, Technology, toxic chemicals, university of washington

Take a swab of saliva from your mouth and within minutes your DNA could be ready for analysis and genome sequencing with the help of a new device.

University of Washington engineers and NanoFacture, a Bellevue, Wash., company, have created a device that can extract human DNA from fluid samples in a simpler, more efficient and environmentally friendly way than conventional methods. (more…)

Tactics of new Middle East virus suggest treating by altering lung cells’ response to infection

By Guest PostJune 7, 2013Healthacute, antiviral reaction, China, DNA, Environment, flu virus, h7n9 influenza virus, host, human coronavirus, human coronavirus emc, immune response, killing the virus, laurence josset, lisa e gralinski, lung cell gene, lung cells, mbio, michael g katze, middle east virus, pathogen interactions, respiratory syndrome virus, response to infection, rna, sars, sudhakar agnihothram, tactics, university of washington, vineet d menachery, virologist

A new virus that causes severe breathing distress and kidney failure elicits a distinctive airway cell response to allow it to multiply. Scientists studying the Human Coronavirus-Erasmus Medical Center, which first appeared April 2012 in the Middle East, have discovered helpful details about its stronghold tactics.

Their findings predict that certain currently available compounds might treat the infection. These could act not by killing the virus directly but by keeping lung cells from being forced to create a hospitable environment for the virus to reproduce. The researchers caution that their lab and computer predictions would need to be tested to see if the drugs work clinically. (more…)

Blast concussions could cause pituitary deficiencies in war vets

By Guest PostJune 3, 2013Healthafghanistan, behavioral sciences, blast concussions, brain injuries, charles w wilkinson, clinical evaluation, depression, elaine r peskind, elizabeth a colasurdo, frequency, hormones, hypopituitarism, Iraq, jane b shofer, kathleen f pagulayan, mental health, oxytocin, pituitary deficiencies, pituitary hormone levels, post traumatic, ptsd, sexual function, stress disorder, university of washington, vasopressin, veterans, war vets

Many veterans suffering from blast concussions may have hormone deficiencies that mimic some of the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, according to researchers with the Department of Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System and the University of Washington.

The researchers screened 35 veterans with blast injuries. They found that 42 percent had irregular hormone levels indicative of hypopituitarism, a condition that can often be controlled by replacing the deficient hormones. (more…)

The tea party and the politics of paranoia

By Guest PostMay 23, 2013Politicsamerican, american conservatism, american conservative principles, christopher parker, conspiratorial fantasy, faux citizen, george w. bush, john birch society, ku klux klan, mainstream republican, matt barreto, muslim, nelson rockefeller, non tea party, paranoid style, political scientist, politics of paranoia, President Obama, richard hofstadter, richard nixon, ronald reagan, tea party, united states, university of washington

Members of tea party claim the movement springs from and promotes basic American conservative principles such as limited government and fiscal responsibility.

But new research by University of Washington political scientist Christopher Parker argues that the tea party ideology owes more to the paranoid politics associated with the John Birch Society — and even the infamous Ku Klux Klan — than to traditional American conservatism. (more…)

A key to mass extinctions could boost food, biofuel production

By Guest PostMay 21, 2013Naturebiofuel production, concentration, extinction events, food crops, frederick dooley, genetic signaling, great dying, hydrogen sulfide, key, level, mass extinction, parts per million, permian period, peter ward, rate of germination, rotten egg smell, species on earth, suven nair, toxic effects, university of washington, water

Hydrogen sulfide, the pungent stuff often referred to as sewer gas, is a deadly substance implicated in several mass extinctions, including one at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago that wiped out more than three-quarters of all species on Earth.

But in low doses, hydrogen sulfide could greatly enhance plant growth, leading to a sharp increase in global food supplies and plentiful stock for biofuel production, new University of Washington research shows. (more…)

Global health policy fails to address burden of disease on men

By Guest PostMay 20, 2013General, Healthaids, alcohol use, burden of disease, cerebrovascular disease, chris murray, davidson gwatkin, decline, economic situation, gender inequalities, gender norms, global health policy, global mortality rates, hiv, ischemic heart disease, kent buse, lancet, life expectancy, lower respiratory infections, men, policy makers, sarah hawkes, tobacco smoking, unaids, university of washington, unprotected sex, unsafe sex, women

Men experience a higher burden of disease and lower life expectancy than women, but policies focusing on the health needs of men are notably absent from the strategies of global health organisations, according to a Viewpoint article in this week’s Lancet.

The article reinterprets data from the ‘Global Burden of Disease: 2010’ study which shows that all of the top ten causes of premature death and disability, and the top ten behavioural risk factors driving rates of ill-health around the world, affect men more than they affect women. (more…)

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