Chemicals in consumer products during early pregnancy related to lower IQ, especially in boys

Exposure during the first trimester of pregnancy to mixtures of suspected endocrine-disrupting chemicals found in consumer products is related to lower IQ in children by age 7, according to a new study. This study is among the first to look at prenatal suspected endocrine-disrupting chemical mixtures in relation to neurodevelopment.

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Why are bald eagles such great gliders? It's all in the wrist

Birds come in an astounding array of shapes and colors. New research helps explain why bird species with similar flight styles or body sizes don't have consistent wing shapes. Bird species tend to reshape the range of motion of their wings — rather than wing shape or size itself — as they evolve new ways of flying.

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Electrical stimulation aids in spinal fusion

Spine surgeons in the U.S. perform more than 400,000 spinal fusions each year as a way to ease back pain and prevent vertebrae in the spine from wiggling around and doing more damage. However, reports estimate that on average some 30% of these surgeries fail to weld these vertebrae into a single bone, causing continued back pain.

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Babies understand counting years earlier than believed

Babies who are years away from being able to say 'one,' 'two,' and 'three' actually already have a sense of what counting means, researchers have discovered. The findings reveal that very early on, years earlier than previously believed, babies who hear counting realize that it's about quantity.

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Catalysis that neutralizes air-polluting NOx from power plant emissions

New research describes the mechanism behind catalysis that neutralizes air-polluting NOx from power plant emissions. Researchers used a High Field (HF) Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectrometer in conjunction with reaction studies to test three theories around titania-supported vanadium oxide. They found that tungsten oxide changes the structure of vanadium oxide from a less active form to a highly active form.

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Rare diseases: Over 300 million patients affected worldwide

Rare diseases represent a global problem. Until now, the lack of data made it difficult to estimate their prevalence. The Orphanet database, which contains the largest amount of epidemiological data on these diseases taken from the scientific literature, has made it possible to obtain a global estimate.

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