'The Brazilian Zika outbreak could end soon'

In 2016, news about the Zika virus in Brazil made the headlines in Europe for the first time. With approximately 65 million people affected, it is one of the largest epidemics in the last few years. The Olympics additionally fuelled fears that the virus could spread globally. When the first cases of newborns with microcephaly, i.e. malformations of the brain, were observed in connection to Zika, it became apparent that further research was called for. The DZIF responded to this global challenge and, under the leadership of Jan Felix Drexler, Charité – Universitätsklinikum Berlin, initiated a German alliance project with Brazilian scientists, which investigates the pathogenesis and epidemiology of Zika.

Climate Change Impacts Already Locked In – But The Worst Can Still Be Avoided

Some impacts of global warming – such as sea level rise and coastal flooding – are already locked in and unavoidable, according to a major research project. 

Species in the North are More Vulnerable to Climate Change

Acclimation means the ability of both animals and plants to adjust their physiology when it gets hotter or colder. In this way, individual organs are able to interact effectively and various processes in the body function optimally in varying conditions.

New Research Could Predict La Niña Drought Years in Advance

Two new studies from The University of Texas at Austin have significantly improved scientists’ ability to predict the strength and duration of droughts caused by La Niña – a recurrent cooling pattern in the tropical Pacific Ocean. Their findings, which predict that the current La Niña is likely to stretch into a second year, could help scientists know years in advance how a particular La Niña event is expected to evolve.

University of Oregon research maps major shifts in Colorado River history

Geologists have long debated how and when the Colorado River made its first connection to the ocean. In a new study, a team led by the UO’s Becky Dorsey has helped pull the river’s story together.

The river did not, as many thought, simply roar down out of the Colorado Plateau and pour into the Gulf of California.

Is that burger bad for your knees?

One could say that biomedical engineering grad Kelsey Collins is walking in the footsteps of giants.

When Collins started out as a grad student at the University of Calgary’s Human Performance Laboratory, she didn’t know that her path would lead her to a postdoctoral appointment at Washington University in St. Louis — home to no fewer than 17 Nobel laureates in medicine and physiology, and a world-renowned institute for orthopaedic research.

Study Reveals Structure and Origins of Glacial Polish on Yosemite's Rocks

The glaciers that carved Yosemite Valley left highly polished surfaces on many of the region's rock formations. These smooth, shiny surfaces, known as glacial polish, are common in the Sierra Nevada and other glaciated landscapes.

Pacific Island Countries Could Lose 50-80% of Fish in Local Waters Under Climate Change

Many Pacific Island nations will lose 50 to 80 percent of marine species in their waters by the end of the 21st century if climate change continues unchecked, finds a new Nippon Foundation-Nereus Program study published in Marine Policy. This area of the ocean is projected to be the most severely impacted by aspects of climate change.

Study Finds People with Certain Blood Types Have Increased Risks of Heart Attack During Periods of High Air Pollution

Individuals who have A, B, or AB blood types have an elevated risk of having a heart attack during periods of significant air pollution, compared to those with the O blood type, according to new research from the Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute and Brigham Young University.

The new study is unique in that it links increased risk of heart attack associated with small particulate pollution to increased risk of heart attack for people with certain blood types who have coronary artery disease.

NASA Measures Haikui's Remnant Rainfall Over Southern Vietnam

The Global Precipitation Measurement mission or GPM core satellite provided data on rainfall over Vietnam from the remnants of former Tropical Storm Haikui.