Search results

Genomes of eusocial insects code for dramatic examples of phenotypic plasticity and social organization. We compared the genomes of seven ants, the honeybee, and various solitary insects to examine whether eusocial lineages share distinct features of genomic organization. Each ant lineage contains ∼4000 novel genes, but only 64 of these genes are conserved among all seven ants. Many gene families

Cucurbit crops have steadily increased in production over the last 50 years, particularly in Asia where pioneering technological advancements and genetic improvements have created new hybrid varieties. Generally, cucurbits are dependent on insect-pollination for fruit set and are popular species for pollination studies. This review systematically summarises pollination research conducted in the ma

The study of economic development in African countries is facing a basic problem of lack of reliable data and statistics. These problems of economic data are best addressed under three main categories: design, capacity, and politics. The focus is on gross domestic product (GDP), but the relevance goes beyond GDP statistics because the aggregate of GDP requires economic data on all sectors of the e

Mass-flowering crops provide forage for bees but also contain pesticides. Such pesticide exposure can harm bees, but our understanding of how this cost is balanced by forage benefits is limited. To provide insights into benefits and costs, we placed bumblebee colonies in 18 landscapes with conventional red clover fields treated with the neonicotinoid thiacloprid (flowers + pesticide), untreated or

This study investigates the incremental validity of changes in ten stress-related acute dynamic risk factors, collected through automated telephony over 30 consecutive days following parole, for predicting time to recidivism during the following year. Before release, the participants completed self-report assessment of some stable risk factors–impulsiveness and history of problematic substance use

The aim of this study was to investigate the risk of developing preeclampsia (PE) associated with gestational exposure to ambient air pollutants in southern Sweden, a low-exposure area. We used a cohort of 43,688 singleton pregnancies and monthly mean exposure levels of black carbon (BC), local and total particulate matter (PM2.5 and PM10), and NOX at the maternal residential address estimated by

Background: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common in children with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and associated with more severe OCD, greater impairment, and worse treatment outcome. Beyond twin studies showing that genetic factors contribute to the high co-occurrence, few studies have examined how OCD, depression, and anxiety are linked in youth, and current studies often fail to ac

Agricultural production systems are affected by complex interactions between social and ecological factors, which are often hard to integrate in a common analytical framework. We evaluated differences in crop production among farms by integrating components of several related research disciplines in a single socio-ecological analysis. Specifically, we evaluated spring barley (Hordeum vulgare, L.)

Natural history museums are unique spaces for interdisciplinary research and educational innovation. Through extensive exhibits and public programming and by hosting rich communities of amateurs, students, and researchers at all stages of their careers, they can provide a place-based window to focus on integration of science and discovery, as well as a locus for community engagement. At the same t

Fashion upcycling, the process of using waste clothing and textiles to create new products, is an alternative to business-as-usual practices which can effectively address concerns on excessive consumption of energy and material resources and use of chemicals in the fashion industry. Scaling up fashion upcycling businesses could enable the transition of the fashion industry towards sustainability.

Organophosphate hydrolases are proficient catalysts of the breakdown of neurotoxic organophosphates and have great potential as both biotherapeutics for treating acute organophosphate toxicity and as bioremediation agents. However, proficient organophosphatases such as serum paraoxonase 1 (PON1) and the organophosphate-hydrolyzing lactonase SsoPox are unable to hydrolyze bulkyorganophosphates with

In Israel, the Orthodox minority enforces its conception of the good on Israeli-Jews, many of whom do not share their set of beliefs. This is the result of lack of separation between state and religion and the monopoly enjoyed by the Orthodoxy to decide personal matters. Since its establishment in 1948, Israel has been struggling to reconcile the tension between its being a democracy and retaining

In 2021, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) moved to integrate climate risks into its Article IV surveillance of member states. While the IMF has not traditionally been at the forefront of climate change efforts, this decision involved defining climate change as a risk to macro-economic stability. I argue that the integration of climate change into IMF surveillance can be understood as a case o