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| Can seven questions determine how wise you are? Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:15 AM PST Researchers report that an abbreviated, seven-item scale can help determine with high validity a person's level of wisdom, a potentially modifiable personality trait that has been shown to have a strong association to well-being. |
| Gene-editing used to create single sex mice litters, 100% efficiency Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:15 AM PST Scientists have used gene editing technology to create female-only and male-only mice litters with 100% efficiency. |
| Whether people inform themselves or remain ignorant is due to three factors Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:15 AM PST People choose whether to seek or avoid information about their health, finances and personal traits based on how they think it will make them feel, how useful it is, and if it relates to things they think about often, finds a new study. |
| Elevated heart rate linked to increased risk of dementia Posted: 03 Dec 2021 05:15 AM PST Having an elevated resting heart rate in old age may be an independent risk factor of dementia, according to a new study. Since resting heart rate is easy to measure and can be lowered through exercise or medical treatment, the researchers believe that it may help to identify people with higher dementia risk for early intervention. |
| Combined heat and power as a platform for clean energy systems Posted: 02 Dec 2021 04:11 PM PST The state of Georgia could dramatically reduce its greenhouse gas emissions, while creating new jobs and a healthier public, if more of its energy-intensive industries and commercial buildings were to utilize combined heat and power (CHP), according to the latest research. |
| Wild blue wonder: X-ray beam explores food color protein Posted: 02 Dec 2021 04:11 PM PST A natural food colorant called phycocyanin provides a fun, vivid blue in soft drinks, but it is unstable on grocery shelves. A synchrotron is helping to steady it. |
| Damaged telomeres in the elderly may increase susceptibility to SARS-CoV-2 Posted: 02 Dec 2021 04:11 PM PST DNA damage signaling induced by aging telomeres increases the expression of ACE2, the human SARS-CoV-2 cell receptor, scientists report. |
| How statistics can aid in the fight against misinformation Posted: 02 Dec 2021 01:21 PM PST Mathematicians created a statistical model that can be used to detect misinformation in social posts. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2021 01:21 PM PST The majority of dog breeds are highly inbred, contributing to an increase in disease and health care costs throughout their lifespan, according to new research. |
| Researchers attacking menacing ‘superbug’ Posted: 02 Dec 2021 01:21 PM PST Scientists around the world have been working in earnest to improve understanding of an increasingly virulent superbug, Clostridium difficile. The highly contagious hospital-acquired pathogen, designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as one of the five most urgent threats to the U.S. healthcare system, causes more than 500,000 infections and 29,000 deaths each year at a total societal cost exceeding $5 billion. |
| Twisting elusive quantum particles with a quantum computer Posted: 02 Dec 2021 12:39 PM PST While the number of qubits and the stability of quantum states are still limiting current quantum computing devices, there are questions where these processors are already able to leverage their enormous computing power. Scientists used a quantum processor to simulate the ground state of a so-called toric code Hamiltonian -- an archetypical model system in modern condensed matter physics, which was originally proposed in the context of quantum error correction. |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2021 12:39 PM PST A new study confirms that the Gulf of St. Lawrence is an important habitat for a large proportion of the endangered North Atlantic right whale population. |
| Novel 3D printing technique to engineer biofilms Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:16 AM PST Biologists are studying how engineered biofilms closely mimic natural ones. Their research may aid in developing drugs to fight the negative effects of these microorganisms that adhere to surfaces. |
| Shining new light on elusive flying bats Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:16 AM PST How can we understand the activity of wild bats? Mostly soundless, flying in the dark, bats feed at night and evade our senses. Now, an international research team has developed a new non-invasive method 'bat point counts' by combining modern sensing technologies -- thermal, ultrasonic and near-infrared -- to detect, identify and count all bats flying around in a certain range. |
| Stellar cocoon with organic molecules at the edge of our galaxy Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:16 AM PST Astronomers have detected a newborn star and the surrounding cocoon of complex organic molecules at the edge of our Galaxy, which is known as the extreme outer Galaxy. The observations with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array reveal the hidden chemical complexity of our Universe. |
| Stemming the tide of invasive weeds with herbicide capsules Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST An innovative herbicide delivery system could revolutionize the way agricultural and environmental managers battle invasive weeds. |
| Host and resident bacteria join forces to control fungi in plant roots Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST Researchers have discovered that diverse root-colonizing fungi can benefit plants, but only when they are kept in check by the host innate immune system and the bacteria residing in roots. |
| Artificial material protects light states on smallest length scales Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST Light not only plays a key role as an information carrier for optical computer chips, but also in particular for the next generation of quantum computers. Its lossless guidance around sharp corners on tiny chips and the precise control of its interaction with other light are the focus of research worldwide. Scientists have now demonstrated the spatial confinement of a light wave to a point smaller than the wavelength in a 'topological photonic crystal.' |
| Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST The expansion of renewable energies is placing increasing demands on the power grids. Precise forecasts of the amount of solar power that will be fed into the grid is key to effective energy management. In addition to clouds, aerosol particles also strongly influence the amount of electricity generated by photovoltaic systems. Current air quality models are a good basis for estimating the production of solar electricity, but they could be further improved. |
| Physicists exploit space and time symmetries to control quantum materials Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST Physicists have developed a theory describing how space reflection and time reversal symmetries can be exploited, allowing for greater control of transport and correlations within quantum materials. |
| Harnessing the organization of the cell surface Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST Scientists have developed a new method to determine how proteins are organized on the surface of cells. Insights gained with the technology could lead to the development of novel drugs to fight cancer. |
| Stroke may be triggered by anger, emotional upset and heavy physical exertion Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST A global study into causes of stroke has found that one in 11 survivors experienced a period of anger or upset in the one hour leading up to it. One in 20 patients had engaged in heavy physical exertion. The suspected triggers have been identified as part of the global INTERSTROKE study, which analyzed 13,462 cases of acute stroke, involving patients with a range of ethnic backgrounds in 32 countries. |
| Light-powered soft robots could suck up oil spills Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST A floating, robotic film could be trained to hoover oil spills at sea or remove contaminants from drinking water. |
| Parent-teacher relationship vital to home schooling Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST A research survey of primary school teachers in England has emphasized the importance of the relationship between parents and primary schools during lockdown school closures. 84% of teachers said they felt some pupils were disadvantaged by their home circumstances. |
| Exploring carbon storage deep beneath the seabed Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST A new study sheds light on the way salty water acts in deep-sea aquifers, paving the way for further research into carbon storage deep beneath the seabed. |
| Aircraft reveal a surprisingly strong Southern Ocean carbon sink Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST The Southern Ocean is indeed a significant carbon sink -- absorbing a large amount of the excess carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere by human activities -- according to a new study. |
| Never-before-seen state of matter: Quantum spin liquids Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:14 AM PST Physicists said they have finally experimentally documented quantum spin liquids, a long sought-after exotic state of matter. The work marks a big step toward being able to produce this elusive state on demand and to gain a novel understanding of its mysterious nature. |
| Color-changing magnifying glass gives clear view of infrared light Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:14 AM PST By trapping light into tiny crevices of gold, researchers have coaxed molecules to convert invisible infrared into visible light, creating new low-cost detectors for sensing. |
| TESS discovers a planet the size of Mars but with the makeup of Mercury Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:14 AM PST The TESS mission has discovered an ultra-short-period planet (USP) that is also super light. The planet is named GJ 367 b, and it orbits its star in just eight hours. The planet is about the size of Mars, and half as massive as the Earth, making it one of the lightest planets discovered to date. |
| Green information technologies: Superconductivity meets spintronics Posted: 02 Dec 2021 10:24 AM PST Superconducting coupling between two regions separated by a one micron wide ferromagnetic compound has been proved by an international team. This macroscopic quantum effect, known as Josephson effect, generates an electrical current within the ferromagnetic compound made of superconducting Cooper-pairs. Magnetic imaging of the ferromagnetic region at BESSY II has contributed to demonstrate that the spin of the electrons forming the Cooper pairs are equal. These results pave the way for low-power consumption superconducting spintronic-applications where spin-polarized currents can be protected by quantum coherence. |
| Brief period of ‘blindness’ is essential for vision Posted: 02 Dec 2021 10:24 AM PST Vision scientists have uncovered new information about the role of tiny 'fixational' eye movements in enabling us to see clearly. |
| Language used by researchers to describe human populations has evolved over the last 70 years Posted: 02 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Researchers have found that the words that scientists use to describe human populations -- such as race, ancestry, and ethnicity -- significantly changed from 1949 to 2018. Such changes and their timing, along with new descriptors for certain population groups, may be linked to structural racism, social trends, and how people view social constructs such as race. |
| Plant pathogen evades immune system by targeting the microbiome Posted: 02 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Biologists have discovered how a pathogenic fungus can bypass the immune system of plants. By releasing an 'effector' molecule, it avoids elimination at a critical stage in its reproduction cycle. |
| Two-photon microscope provides unprecedented brain-imaging ability Posted: 02 Dec 2021 09:30 AM PST Advancing our understanding of the human brain will require new insights into how neural circuitry works in mammals, including laboratory mice. These investigations require monitoring brain activity with a microscope that provides resolution high enough to see individual neurons and their neighbors. |
| Growing carbon footprint for plastics Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:35 AM PST After analyzing the global plastics supply chain, researchers found that the impact of plastics on the climate and health is greater than thought due to the increased use of coal for process heat, electricity and as a raw material in production. |
| Adding single type of bacteria to gut microbiome boosted anti-tumor immunity in mice Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Bacterium common in the mouse gut microbiome can charge up the immune system to fight cancer cells in the colon. |
| Scientists pinpoint protein’s role in critical gene expression Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST New research has implications for cancer research because it explains part of the paradox for how cells can transcribe genes in the absence of high-energy sources, a situation that unfolds in cancer and has puzzled researchers for years. |
| How does the climate crisis affect the Antarctic fur seal? Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST The climate crisis is limiting the availability of krill -- small crustaceans that are vital in the marine food chain -- during summer in some areas of the Antarctica. This involves a decrease in the food abundance for female Antarctic fur seals in summer and a decrease in their reproductive success. Moreover, the predation of pups by the leopard seal has also increased due to a lower abundance of penguins, the main prey of this voracious Antarctic predator. However, the impact of the climate crisis on the Antarctic fur seal in winter has been ignored to date, when the cold, wind and ice make it harder to study the Antarctic ecosystems. |
| Strategies to improve sales of imperfect carrots Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Explaining the value of misshapen vegetables -- that they are as healthful as their picture-perfect counterparts and buying them helps reduce food waste -- could help improve sales of 'ugly' produce, new research suggests. |
| Studies of children’s stories shows differences in Russian, US approaches to emotion Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Recent research of parents in Russia and the United States, as well as children's literature in both countries, highlights how cultural differences in socializing emotions begin before children even start attending school. Specifically, the research found that Russian parents are more likely than U.S. parents to read stories to their children that feature negative emotions, such as fear, anger and sadness. |
| Stem cell-based implants successfully secrete insulin in patients with type 1 diabetes Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Interim results from a multicenter clinical trial demonstrate insulin secretion from engrafted cells in patients with type 1 diabetes. The safety, tolerability, and efficacy of the implants, which consisted of pancreatic endoderm cells derived from human pluripotent stem cells (PSCs), were tested in 26 patients. While the insulin secreted by the implants did not have clinical effects in the patients, the data are the first reported evidence of meal-regulated insulin secretion by differentiated stem cells in human patients. |
| Tracking the neurons that make us social Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:34 AM PST Human beings, like most mammals, need social interactions to live and develop. The processes that drive them towards each other require decision making whose brain machinery is largely misunderstood. To decipher this phenomenon, a team has studied the neurobiological mechanisms at stake when two mice come into contact through learning a task. They observed that the motivation to invest in a social interaction is closely linked to the reward system, via the activation of dopaminergic neurons. |
| Volcanic fertilization of the oceans drove severe mass extinction Posted: 02 Dec 2021 08:32 AM PST Scientists have discovered that two intense spells of volcanic activity triggered a period of global cooling and falling oxygen levels in the oceans, which caused one of the most severe mass extinctions in Earth history - the 'Late Ordovician Mass Extinction', 450 million years ago. |
| How digital and molecular data can be integrated and used to improve health Posted: 02 Dec 2021 07:21 AM PST Analysing molecular characteristics and their variation during lifestyle changes, by combining digital tools, classical laboratory tests and new biomolecular measurements, could enable individualised prevention of disease. The researchers show what a proactive healthcare model could comprise and how it could help in maintaining good health. |
| Some polycrystal grain boundaries feel the heat more than others Posted: 02 Dec 2021 07:21 AM PST Researchers have used electron energy loss spectroscopy to directly measure the coefficient of thermal expansion at grain boundaries in the polycrystalline material SrTiO3. The researchers identified differences in the coefficient of expansion depending on the grain boundary. In addition to revealing the thermal properties of SrTiO3, the findings demonstrate the potential of EELS for probing materials for a wide range of industries. |
| A pair of gold flakes creates a self-assembled resonator Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:30 AM PST For exploring materials right down to the nano-level, researchers often need to construct a complex structure to house the materials -- a time-consuming and complicated process. But imagine if there was a way the structure could simply build itself? |
| Climate modeling confirms historical records showing rise in hurricane activity Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST Scientists have now used climate modeling, rather than storm records, to reconstruct the history of hurricanes and tropical cyclones around the world. The study finds that North Atlantic hurricanes have indeed increased in frequency over the last 150 years, similar to what historical records have shown. |
| Mouse study suggests manipulation of certain nerve cells can help regenerate lost heart muscle Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST Human heart muscle cells cease to multiply after birth, making any heart injury later in life a permanent one, reducing function and leading to heart failure. Now, however, researchers say they have new evidence from mouse experiments that manipulating certain nerve cells or the genes that control them might trigger the formation of new heart muscle cells and restore heart function after heart attacks and other cardiac disorders. |
| Cannabis impacts sperm counts, motility in two generations of mice Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST An intense but short-term exposure to cannabis vapor lowered sperm counts and slowed sperm movement, or motility, not only in the directly exposed male mice but also in their sons, according to a new study. The findings build on other human and animal research, showing that cannabis can impede male reproductive function. The current study uses more controlled circumstances than human studies, which often have to rely on surveys, and is the first known reproductive study to use vaporized whole cannabis in mice, which is the more common form humans use. Previous animal studies use other administration methods such as injections of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of cannabis. |
| Septic system waste pervasive throughout Florida’s Indian River lagoon Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST There are more than 300,000 septic systems permitted in six counties adjacent to the 156-mile-long Indian River Lagoon (IRL) in Florida. Researchers assessed water quality and measured stable nitrogen isotopes in groundwater, surface water, and macrophyte tissue to identify nitrogen sources impacting the lagoon. Sucralose, an artificial sweetener that is not completely broken down by septic systems or wastewater treatment plants, was used as a human wastewater tracer, and fecal indicator bacteria density was used as an indicator of wastewater pollution. Results showed that nitrogen enrichment of all sub-drainage basins in this study supports that even 'properly functioning' septic systems contribute nitrogen to surficial (shallow) groundwater. |
| Improving perceptions of emerging technologies can help ease strain on health-care systems Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST More attention must be paid to improving perceptions of emerging technologies like AI-powered symptom checkers, which could ease the strain on health-care systems, according to a recent study. |
| Ocean plastic is creating new communities of life on the high seas Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST Coastal plants and animals have found a new way to survive in the open ocean -- by colonizing plastic pollution. A new commentary reports coastal species growing on trash hundreds of miles out to sea in the North Pacific Subtropical Gyre, more commonly known as the 'Great Pacific Garbage Patch.' |
| Efforts to restore Indonesian peatlands could save billions in wildfire costs Posted: 02 Dec 2021 06:29 AM PST Plans to restore Indonesian peatlands are a cost-effective strategy for reducing the impacts of peatland fires to the environment, climate and human health, says a new study. The study uses satellite data and models to estimate that peatland restoration could have resulted in economic savings of US $8.4 billion for 2004--2015. |
| Which role models are best for STEM? Researchers offer recommendations in new analysis Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:39 PM PST An analysis of the effect role models have on students' motivation in studying STEM subjects points to new ways to deploy these leaders in order to encourage learning across different populations. |
| Beads of glass in meteorites help scientists piece together how solar system formed Posted: 01 Dec 2021 05:39 PM PST Scientists have published an analysis laying out how the tiny beads of glass inside many meteorites came to be -- and what they can tell us about what happened in the early solar system. |
| From corals to humans, a shared trigger for sperm to get in motion Posted: 01 Dec 2021 01:20 PM PST Coral sperm require a specific pH to move, which identified a signaling pathway that is shared by organisms including humans. The results have implications for how corals may fare in shifting marine conditions due to climate change. |
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