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| Night lights: New global atlas maps out artificial light at night under the sea Posted: 14 Dec 2021 12:21 PM PST A new study maps out areas of the ocean most affected by light pollution, and shows that up to 1.9 million km2 of the world's coastal waters are being exposed to biologically significant levels of artificial light at night. |
| Finding new channels to selectively target pest insects Posted: 14 Dec 2021 12:21 PM PST Ion channels in the nervous system are among the most important targets for insecticides. Understanding the structure of the channels is key for the identification of novel species-specific binding sites of agrochemicals. Researchers have revealed the structure and function of a potassium ion channel in fruit flies. Their newly obtained insights reveal the differences between human and insect channels, explain how known compounds affect the channel and propose new target sites for drugs. The research could help pesticide manufacturers design new drugs apt to specifically kill pest insects and parasites without affecting other animals like bees and mammals. |
| Early bloomers: Using citizen-science data to investigate unseasonal flowering in Joshua trees Posted: 14 Dec 2021 12:02 PM PST In November 2019, visitors to Joshua Tree National Park in California encountered a strange sight. Joshua trees and closely related Mojave yuccas, which normally remain reproductively dormant until late spring, were in full bloom at the tail end of autumn. In a new study, researchers used citizen-science data to determine the cause of the anomalous bloom and predict when similar events might occur. |
| Energy-saving strategy helps hummingbirds fuel their long migrations Posted: 14 Dec 2021 12:02 PM PST Ruby-throated hummingbirds use the same energy-conserving strategy to survive overnight fasts and build the fat stores they need to fuel long migrations, shows a new study. |
| Overweight children are developing heart complications Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:51 AM PST The percentage of obese children and teens jumped from 19% pre-pandemic to 22%, and that could spell bad news for children's cardiovascular systems both now and down the line. |
| When the brain switches from hearing to listening Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:51 AM PST What happens in the brain when simply hearing becomes listening? To answer this question, researchers have traced the neuronal fingerprint of the two types of sound processing in the mouse brain. |
| Antibiotics can be first-line therapy for uncomplicated appendicitis cases Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:51 AM PST With numerous recent studies demonstrating that antibiotics work as well as surgery for most uncomplicated appendicitis cases, the non-surgical approach can now be considered a routine option, according to a review article. |
| Improving drug options for colorectal cancer patients Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:50 AM PST Patients with colorectal cancer were among the first to receive targeted therapies. These drugs aim to block the cancer-causing proteins that trigger out-of-control cell growth while sparing healthy tissues. But some patients are not eligible for these treatments because they have cancer-promoting mutations that are believed to cause resistance to these drugs. Now, physician-scientists have used computer modeling and cell studies to discover that more patients may be helped by a common class of targeted therapies than previously thought. |
| Debilitating human parasite transmitted via dogs eating fish Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST Efforts to eradicate a human parasitic disease are being hampered by dogs eating infected fish, new research shows. |
| Diet and temperature linked to metabolism in opaleye fish Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST Whether it's warm outside or cold, people generally eat about the same amount. But a fish's appetite can vary enormously with the temperature. As coldblooded animals, their metabolism is governed by external conditions: It's slow going for a cold fish, but high temperatures kick them into high gear. |
| Study combines climatic, tectonic models to explain Andean conundrum Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST The Andes Mountains are much taller than plate tectonic theories predict they should be, a fact that has puzzled geologists for decades. Mountain-building models tend to focus on the deep-seated compressional forces that occur when tectonic plates collide and send rocks skyward. A new study demonstrates how modern top-down models that account for climate-related factors combined with traditional bottom-up tectonic models can help uncover the perplexing history of the Andes Mountains. |
| Evidence for shared earthquakes between San Andreas and San Jacinto faults Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST The San Andreas and San Jacinto faults have ruptured simultaneously at least three times in the past 2,000 years, most recently in 1812, according to a new study by geologists. |
| A spacecraft has 'touched' the sun for the first time Posted: 14 Dec 2021 10:49 AM PST On April 28, 2021, NASA's Parker Solar Probe reached the sun's extended solar atmosphere, known as the corona, and spent five hours there. The spacecraft is the first to enter the outer boundaries of our sun. |
| Scientists urge creating strategic forest reserves to mitigate climate change, protect biodiversity Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST The United States should immediately move to create a collection of strategic forest reserves in the Western U.S. to fight climate change and safeguard biodiversity, according to a scientific collaboration led by ecologist. |
| For children, young adults with recurrent AML, immunotherapy shows promise Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Researchers have shown, in a small clinical trial, that an immunotherapy harnessing pre-activated natural killer cells can help some children and young adults with recurrent AML and few other treatment options. |
| Physics of coral as an indicator of reef health Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST New research shows that physics measurements of just a small portion of reef can be used to assess the health of an entire reef system. The findings may help scientists grasp how these important ecosystems will respond to a changing climate. |
| How we measure the effects of methane matters for climate policy Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST An international team of researchers explored how focusing either on the short- or long-term warming effects of methane can affect climate mitigation policies and dietary transitions in agriculture. |
| Deepest images yet of Milky Way's supermassive black hole Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Astronomers have obtained the deepest and sharpest images to date of the region around the supermassive black hole at the center of our galaxy. The new images zoom in 20 times more than what was possible before the VLTI and have helped astronomers find a never-before-seen star close to the black hole. By tracking the orbits of stars at the centre of our Milky Way, the team has made the most precise measurement yet of the black hole's mass. |
| Creating the human-robotic dream team Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Using autonomous vehicle guidelines, a team has developed a system to improve interactions between people and robots. The way people interact safely with robots is at the forefront of today's research related to automation and manufacturing, explains a researcher. She is one of several researchers who are working to develop systems that allow humans and robots to interact safely and efficiently. |
| Researchers develop platform to screen for new class of coronavirus antiviral compounds Posted: 14 Dec 2021 07:40 AM PST A new high-throughput platform screens for drug compounds that hit a target found in human and bat coronaviruses and could be used to develop future treatments. |
| Queen’s genes determine sex of entire ant colonies Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST Researchers have discovered the genetic basis for a quirk of the animal kingdom -- how ant queens produce broods that are entirely male or female. |
| Visually stunning tree of all known life unveiled online Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST OneZoom is a one-stop site for exploring all life on Earth, its evolutionary history, and how much of it is threatened with extinction. |
| More microbes that can degrade plastics in places with heavy plastic pollution Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST The number of microbial enzymes with the ability to degrade plastic is growing, in correlation with local levels of plastic pollution. That is the finding of a new study that measured samples of environmental DNA from around the globe. The results illustrate the impact plastic pollution is having on the environment, and hint at potential new solutions for managing the problem. |
| Cancer-spotting AI and human experts can be fooled by image-tampering attacks Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST Artificial intelligence (AI) models that evaluate medical images have potential to speed up and improve accuracy of cancer diagnoses, but they may also be vulnerable to cyberattacks. Researchers simulated an attack that falsified mammogram images, fooling both an AI breast cancer diagnosis model and human breast imaging radiologist experts. |
| Earliest adorned female infant burial in Europe significant in understanding evolution of personhood Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST Ten thousand years ago, a group of hunter-gatherers buried an infant girl in an Italian cave with a rich selection of their treasured beads and pendants, showing that even the youngest females were recognized as full persons in their society. The excavations and analysis of the discovery offer insight into the early Mesolithic period, from which few recorded burials are known. |
| Boosting anti-cancer action by driving up immunity at tumor site Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST Driving up the immune response at the site of a cancer tumor with nanotechnology may help enhance immunotherapy treatments in advanced stages of the disease, new research in mice suggests. |
| Source of large rise in emissions of unregulated ozone destroying substance identified Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST New research has discovered that emissions coming from China of the ozone-destroying chemical, dichloromethane, have more than doubled over the last decade. |
| Melting sea ice forces polar bears to travel farther for food Posted: 14 Dec 2021 05:45 AM PST In recent years, polar bears in the Beaufort Sea have had to travel far outside of their traditional arctic hunting grounds which has contributed to an almost 30% decrease in their population. The bears' home range, or the amount of space they need for food and other resources, was around 64% larger from 1999-2016 than it was in 1986-1998, according to a recent study. |
| Scientists develop an RNA-based breath test to detect COVID-19 Posted: 13 Dec 2021 03:15 PM PST A breathalyzer that reverse-transcribes RNA from airborne SARS-CoV-2 in breath predicts lower respiratory tract involvement and is less invasive than alternative testing approaches, report researchers. |
| Personality traits predict performance differently across different jobs Posted: 13 Dec 2021 03:15 PM PST Researchers combined multiple meta-analyses of the five big personality traits and examined their effect on job performance. Researchers examined the effect of personality traits — conscientiousness, openness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism — on performance in different occupations. |
| Learning and protecting itself: How the brain adapts Posted: 13 Dec 2021 03:15 PM PST If there is an injury to the central nervous system such as after a stroke, the brain needs to compensate for this by reorganising itself. To do this, a dense network of molecules between the nerve cells -- known as the extracellular matrix -- must loosen. This is the job of a wide variety of enzymes that ultimately regulate how plastic or how stable the brain is. Researchers studied what happens when certain enzymes are blocked in mice. Depending on whether the brain is healthy or diseased, the inhibition had opposite effects. |
| New method to measure spin waves brings us one step closer to spin superfluidity Posted: 13 Dec 2021 03:15 PM PST Researchers have demonstrated the ability to both excite and detect spin waves in a two-dimensional graphene magnet, but they couldn't measure any of the wave's specific properties. Now, researchers have demonstrated a new way to measure the quintessential properties of spin waves in graphene. |
| Posted: 13 Dec 2021 02:50 PM PST Engineers have developed the first optical oscilloscope, an instrument that is able to measure the electric field of light. The device converts light oscillations into electrical signals, much like hospital monitors convert a patient's heartbeat into electrical oscillation. |
| Swirling bacteria mimic Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' Posted: 13 Dec 2021 01:01 PM PST Scientists discovered a way to transform millions of predatory bacteria into swirling flash mobs reminiscent of painter Vincent Van Gogh's 'The Starry Night' as the unexpected result of experiments on a genetic circuit the creatures use to discern friend from foe. |
| Decreased vehicle emissions linked with significant drop in deaths attributable to air pollution Posted: 13 Dec 2021 01:01 PM PST As emissions fell over a decade, the number of deaths attributable to air pollution dropped by thousands, yielding billions of dollars in societal benefits. |
| Posted: 13 Dec 2021 10:33 AM PST Researchers have identified novel changes in gene network interactions associated with cancer that may lead to new treatment targets for chemotherapy. Their work shows that more than 90% of changes in gene network interactions in nine types of cancer studied are not detectable by current tests focused on changes in gene expression. |
| Air flow key to ensuring black soldier fly larvae thrive as a sustainable food source Posted: 13 Dec 2021 10:32 AM PST New research demonstrates how using airflow can keep black soldier fly larvae, an important animal protein source, from overheating while feeding as a collective. |
| Posted: 13 Dec 2021 09:18 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated a proof-of-concept modification to enable standard MRI systems to detect frequencies associated with the presence of sodium-23 ions. This low-cost and convenient approach requires the installation of a radio-frequency repeater inside the magnetic bore of an MRI machine. The wide applicability of this method for sodium and other nuclei may allow advanced medical imaging to be performed on existing machines, and substantially reduce MRI scanner upgrade costs for hospitals. |
| N-type conductive tin sulfide thin films: Towards environmentally friendly solar cells Posted: 13 Dec 2021 09:18 AM PST Abundant, safe, and environmentally friendly, tin sulfide is predicted to be used in next generation solar cell panels. Now, a research group has used impurity doping to fabricate n-type conductive tin sulfide thin films, paving the way for their use in solar cells. |
| Common sleep disorder combo could be deadly Posted: 13 Dec 2021 09:18 AM PST People who suffer from both insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are more likely to suffer from heart problems and are almost 50% more likely to die than those without either condition, say researchers, who advise people being tested for one of the disorders be tested for the other. |
| The changing patterns of DNA microcapsules Posted: 13 Dec 2021 09:16 AM PST Biophysicists have found ways to make and manipulate capsule-like DNA structures that could be used in the development of artificial molecular systems. Such systems could function, for example, inside the human body. |
| How organic neuromorphic electronics can think and act Posted: 13 Dec 2021 09:13 AM PST The human brain works differently from a computer - while the brain works with biological cells and electrical impulses, a computer uses silicon-based transistors. Scientists have equipped a toy robot with a smart and adaptive electrical circuit made of soft organic materials, similarly to the biological matter. With this bio-inspired approach, they were able to teach the robot to navigate independently through a maze using visual signs for guidance. |
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