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(05/03/12 6:48pm)
Recently, a study conducted by the Hopkins Children’s Center and the All Children’s Hospital in Florida found that parents misunderstand the risk factors involved with the onset of early-childhood obesity. The study showed that though parents appreciate the importance of good nutrition and dieting, they greatly underestimate the value of physical activity.
(04/27/12 5:00am)
The future of the world's coral reefs may not be as grim as we think. A recent study conducted by researchers at the James Cook University in Australia took a look at the composition of various corals in the Great Barrier Reef and determined that the flexibility across species may allow corals to adapt to future changes in the ocean due to climate change. A global increase in temperature as a result of the increase of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (mainly carbon dioxide), is projected to cause not only a warming of the world's oceans, but also an increase in ocean acidification. The oceans act as carbon sinks, which means they absorb carbon at a faster rate than they emit it. Currently, oceans remove about 30 percent of anthropogenic carbon dioxide from the earth's atmospheres each year. However, with ever increasing rates of carbon dioxide emissions, the oceans can only swallow so much. A side effect of carbon sequestration is the production of carbonic acids, and the more carbon dioxide oceans take up, the quicker the acid is formed. As a result, the overall oceanic pH level decreases, which in turn decreases the calcium carbonate production of many coral forming organisms. Acidification affects both the organisms building reefs, as well as the reefs themselves. Originally, the health of a coral reef was determined by "total coral cover." However, the study's detailed look into the coral composition of 35,000 different colonies within the Great Barrier Reef discovered another factor that influences the overall ability for corals to survive: the distribution and number of adaptable species. The yearly temperature fluctuations within the Great Barrier Reef occur on the same scale as predicted changes in conditions due to climate change. Between winter and summer, the ocean temperature fluctuates between 14.4 and 16.2 degrees Fahrenheit. The continual existence of corals within this region supports the claim that corals will be able to adapt to changing water conditions. However some special types of adaptation are what scientists consider to be their main saving mechanisms. The presence of "warm genes" is one instance of an effective coral adaptation strategy. A study done on the same species of coral in Florida and Mexico found a genetic difference that allowed those in Mexico to survive unharmed in warmer waters. In short, the same species of coral was able to alter its genes to survive. Another example involved the ability of some corals to survive in extremely acidic "submarine springs," which are areas with naturally low pH levels that mirror those of projected climate change levels. Though we may rest assured that corals will not entirely disappear, the natural selection process will cause future reefs to look very different from those we are used to today. For example, the projected increase in mound-shaped coral types, and decrease in branch-like types, will make a much smoother and less elaborate looking reef. This change may also decrease the types and amount of marine fauna present in the reefs because of a decrease in nooks and crannies in which small creatures can hide. Though the world's reefs may survive climate change, there are many other factors that threaten their survival. The most current and pressing issues to address include pollution and overfishing.
(04/13/12 5:00am)
When hearing that the isotopic ratio for uranium has been measured to a more accurate value of 137.818, from a previous value of 137.88, one might not think it is such a big deal. However, a recent study indicates that this small bit of change calls for an age reduction of understood geological processes for up to 700,000 years. The study was conducted at the British Geological Survey and MIT - the same research group that determined the new value.
(04/07/11 4:47pm)
Hopkins scientists have discovered a small region of DNA associated with a increased risk for attempted suicide. The study, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, could lead to better suicide prevention and provide a new direction for research and drug development.
(03/11/11 4:20am)
What if computers were able to understand us and what we want? Computer vision systems are becoming increasingly popular in many businesses such as marketing, hospitals and Google.
(03/04/11 12:24am)
In 2004, Hopkins developed an online Chlamydia screening program which allows young adults in their teens and twenties to order home-testing kits. After performing the test, the patients mail the kit to a lab and then receive results by phone, email or text message.
(02/18/11 1:58am)
Last year, the Amazon forest experienced its seond drought in five years. Both the 2010 and 2005 droughts were not severe, but their timings were unusual. These droughts, which should occur only once in a century, are happening at a much greater rate.
(02/10/11 5:53pm)
Physicists Erkki Thuneberg and Timo Virtanen of the University of Oulu have discovered that pendulums immersed in a quantum fluid speed up their movement rather than slow down.
(02/03/11 6:40pm)
In a recent study, Steven Sisson, an associate professor of medicine at Hopkins, discovered that students training in internal residency programs are not being taught suitable ambulatory and outpatient care. As a result, new doctors who take up positions that include outpatient care components do not have the knowledge to treat their patients.
(12/03/10 12:43am)
Hubble astronomers have made a map of dark matter within the galaxy cluster Abell 1689 using the cosmic magnifying glass effect.
(11/19/10 1:32am)
Hubble Astronomers have taken a first look into the heart of star cluster Omega Centauri, cataloguing the movement of over 100,000 stars within the cluster, which makes their results the largest ever data bank of star movement.
(10/01/10 2:24am)
Hopkins scientists have discovered 13 genes associated with body mass and obesity, and hope to use their techniques to discover more secrets about diseases connected to body mass.
(09/17/10 1:59am)
A new spacecraft being built by scientists at Hopkins’ Applied Physics Laboratory is designed to withstand temperatures up to 2,6000 degrees Farenheit, and will go where no other spacecraft has gone before — brushing past the sun’s corona.