ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Engineers design autonomous robot that can open doors, find wall outlet to recharge Posted: 09 Nov 2021 04:32 PM PST Engineering students have designed an autonomous robot that can find and open doors in 3D digital simulations. Now they're building the hardware for an autonomous robot that not only can open its own doors but also can find the nearest electric wall outlet to recharge without human help. |
| Research finds key advances towards reducing the cost of plant improvement Posted: 09 Nov 2021 12:52 PM PST Crop improvement often involves the transfer of genetic material from one organism to another to produce a valuable trait. Some major examples of crops with these so-called 'transgenes' include disease-resistant cotton and beta-carotene-enhanced golden rice. However, when foreign DNA is introduced into a host organism, a natural defensive response in plants is to repress or silence the expression of the unfamiliar genetic material. This 'silencing,' a process known to involve DNA methylation, is a multimillion-dollar problem in the global agricultural improvement industry. |
| Landmark study points to source of rapid aging, chronic inflammation in people living with HIV Posted: 09 Nov 2021 12:51 PM PST In a groundbreaking study of people living with HIV, researchers found that elusive white blood cells called neutrophils play a role in impaired T cell functions and counts, as well as the associated chronic inflammation that is common with the virus. |
| Can't find your keys? You need a chickadee brain Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:54 AM PST Researchers have shown that there is a genetic component underlying the amazing spatial memories of Mountain Chickadees. Although the genetic basis for spatial memory has been shown for humans and other mammals, direct evidence of that connection has never before been identified in birds. |
| Global river database documents 40 years of change Posted: 09 Nov 2021 10:54 AM PST A new database compiling movement of the largest rivers in the world over time could become a crucial tool for urban planners to better understand the deltas that are home to these rivers and a large portion of Earth's population. |
| Retinoid therapy may improve vision in people with rare genetic disorder Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:06 AM PST Using data generated from patients and mice with genetic mutation for the disorder Usher syndrome, researchers documented the natural history of vision impairment in patients and identified the cell mechanism behind progressive vision loss. Based on these findings, the team was able to test a retinoid therapy that improved vision in mice with Usher syndrome. The researchers said assessing a similar therapy should now be considered in people with Usher syndrome to see if this therapy might slow vision loss. |
| Hidden behavior of supercapacitor materials Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:05 AM PST Researchers have developed a new analysis technique that will help scientists improve renewable energy storage by making better supercapacitors. |
| AI behind deepfakes may power materials design innovations Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:05 AM PST The person staring back from the computer screen may not actually exist, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI) capable of generating convincing but ultimately fake images of human faces. Now this same technology may power the next wave of innovations in materials design, according to scientists. |
| A potential role for ibuprofen in older adults’ immunity to RSV Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST New research suggests there may someday be a role for ibuprofen in providing older adults with lasting immunity against RSV, a virus commonly associated with infants and young kids that also rivals the flu as a dangerous wintertime infection for the elderly. |
| Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST A remarkably well-preserved fossil elephant cranium from Kenya is helping scientists understand how its species became the dominant elephant in eastern Africa several million years ago, a time when a cooler, drier climate allowed grasslands to spread and when habitually bipedal human ancestors first appeared on the landscape. |
| Drug used to prevent miscarriage increases risk of cancer in offspring Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Exposure in utero to a drug used to prevent miscarriage can lead to an increased risk of developing cancer, according to researchers. |
| Scientists invent ‘smart’ window material that blocks rays without blocking views Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST An international research team has invented a 'smart' window material that controls heat transmission without blocking views, which could help cut the energy required to cool and heat buildings. |
| Just how much do density and green space affect urban energy use? It depends on where you live. Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Tree cover, paved surfaces, the spacing of buildings and green spaces all affect how much energy it takes to offset the 'urban heat island effect.' But the relative contribution of these urban form factors has been a matter of debate. Researchers seeking to clarify the matter presented a method for measuring the impact of each of these factors -- and revealed that their contribution to building energy use varies between cities. |
| How to turn specific genes on and off Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Type 1 diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, and cancer are just some of the disorders associated with specific genes not 'turning on' and 'turning off' as they should. By using new CRISPR/Cas9 genome editing technology researchers have described a new technique that scientists across the world can potentially use to explore novel ways of treating diseases associated with dysregulation in DNA methylation. |
| Long-term carbon dioxide emissions from cement production can be drastically reduced Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Concrete is very versatile, inexpensive, literally hard, and can be cast into almost any shape. It consists, in principle, only of sand, gravel, water, and the binder cement. The latter is made by the calcination of lime, clay, and some other components, and forms stable calcium silicate hydrates during hardening, which are responsible for the properties of concrete. However, the problem lies precisely in the calcination of lime, because for every molecule of calcium oxide produced, the so-called 'burnt lime' or 'quicklime', one molecule of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide is released. For an annual world production of around 4.5 billion tons of cement, this is translated into 2.7 billion tons of carbon dioxide. |
| Biodiversity ‘time machine’ uses artificial intelligence to learn from the past Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Experts can make crucial decisions about future biodiversity management by using artificial intelligence to learn from past environmental change, according to new research. |
| How monitoring quantum Otto engine affects its performance Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST How monitoring quantum Otto engine affects its performance. Minimizing the measurement effects preserves coherence across engine cycles and improves the power output and reliability. |
| Safety concerns raised for neuroblastoma candidate drug Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Scientists have identified the primary target of the experimental cancer drug CX-5164, revealing a possible risk for late effects of treatment. |
| Life cycle assessment of carbon capture Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Life cycle assessment of carbon capture at incineration plants shows that despite some drawbacks, the net result is a clear advantage for the climate. |
| Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST Why do teapots always drip? This phenomenon has been studied scientifically for decades - now a research team has succeeded in describing the 'teapot effect' completely and in detail with an elaborate theoretical analysis and numerous experiments. |
| New method to predict stress at atomic scale Posted: 09 Nov 2021 09:03 AM PST The amount of stress a material can withstand before it cracks is critical information when designing aircraft, spacecraft, and other structures. Aerospace engineers used machine learning for the first time to predict stress in copper at the atomic scale. |
| Fat-secreted molecule lowers response to common cancer treatment Posted: 09 Nov 2021 06:53 AM PST Leptin, a molecule produced by fat cells, appears to cancel out the effects of the estrogen-blocking therapy tamoxifen, a drug commonly used to treat and prevent breast cancers, suggests a new study. |
| Anxiety effectively treated with exercise Posted: 09 Nov 2021 06:53 AM PST Both moderate and strenuous exercise alleviate symptoms of anxiety, even when the disorder is chronic, a new study shows. |
| Microbiome discovery could help save kids’ hearing Posted: 09 Nov 2021 06:53 AM PST Bacteria found in children's upper respiratory systems could help fight chronic middle ear infections, the leading cause of preventable hearing loss and deafness in Indigenous communities. |
| Cellular aging: A basic paradox elucidated Posted: 09 Nov 2021 06:53 AM PST Cancer researchers show for the first time that cellular senescence, which occurs when aging cells stop dividing, is caused by irreversible damage to the genome rather than simply by telomere erosion. |
| An innovative imaging technique for dynamic optical nanothermometry Posted: 09 Nov 2021 05:50 AM PST A new imaging technique can measure temperature in 2D, without contact, and in just a snap. |
| Lack of important molecule in red blood cells causes vascular damage in type 2 diabetes Posted: 09 Nov 2021 05:08 AM PST Altered function of the red blood cells leads to vascular damage in type 2 diabetes. Results from a new study in cells from patients with type 2 diabetes and mice show that this effect is caused by low levels of an important molecule in the red blood cells. |
| Male and female guinea baboons equally successful as leaders Posted: 09 Nov 2021 05:08 AM PST The sun rises over the Senegalese savannah. The Guinea baboons have spent the night on their sleeping trees and set off together to forage. In order to depart simultaneously as a group and roam together during the day, the animals have to coordinate well. Researchers have studied which animals lead the group and how they decide when and in which direction to set off. They observed Guinea baboons (Papio papio) on their forays for two years. The overarching goal was to elucidate which factors favor despotic versus democratic decisions in groups. The authors found that both males and females initiate group departures and that both sexes are similarly successful in doing so. This pattern distinguishes Guinea baboons from hamadryas baboons (Papio hamadryas), in which group movements are initiated and led exclusively by males. |
| Climatic drivers of honey bee disease revealed Posted: 09 Nov 2021 05:07 AM PST Honey bee colonies worldwide have suffered from a range of damaging diseases. A new study has provided clues on how changing weather patterns might be driving disease in UK colonies. |
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