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| Listening to the leaves: Adding bioinspired veins to foamed polymers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST Vascular systems found in trees transport vital nutrients from root, to branch, to leaf. In a new study, researchers have developed a chemical process to mimic this arboreal architecture in foamed polymers, enabling directional fluid transport and adding structure throughout the material. |
| Under a moon spell: Shark attacks related to lunar phases Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:51 AM PST New research suggests that more shark attacks occur during fuller phases of the moon. While the exact cause remains unclear, the researchers found that more shark attacks than average occur during periods of higher lunar illumination and fewer attacks than average occur during periods of lower illumination. Many different types of animals show behaviors that are linked to moon phases yet few studies to date have looked at the connections between lunar phases and shark attacks. |
| BPA exposure of the placenta could affect fetal brain development Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Scientists demonstrate the direct transmission of bisphenol A (BPA) from a mother to her developing child via the placenta could negatively impact fetal brain development. |
| Cosmic 'spider' found to be source of powerful gamma-rays Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Astronomers have discovered the first example of a binary system where a star in the process of becoming a white dwarf is orbiting a neutron star that has just finished turning into a rapidly spinning pulsar. The pair is a 'missing link' in the evolution of such binary systems. |
| Oxygen ions in Jupiter's innermost radiation belts Posted: 12 Jan 2022 11:50 AM PST Researchers find high-energy oxygen and sulfur ions in Jupiter's inner radiation belts -- and a previously unknown ion source. |
| Face masks cut distance airborne pathogens could travel in half, new study finds Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST The effectiveness of face masks has been a hotly debated topic since the emergence of COVID-19. However, a new study offers more evidence that they work. Researchers found that face masks reduce the distance airborne pathogens could travel, when speaking or coughing, by more than half compared to not wearing a mask. |
| Assessing Progression Risk in Cancer Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST A molecular feature in prostate cancer, called endogenous retroviral (ERV) RNA, has been found to have prognostic value and also distinguish differences between men of African and European or Middle Eastern ancestry, according to a new study. The team also identified ERV expression signatures that may be useful for identifying prostate cancer patients at greatest risk of progression regardless of ancestry, which may also extend to progression in other cancers. |
| New spheres of knowledge on the origin of life Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers experimentally evolved rod-shaped E. coli in conditions that mimic the primordial environment, by providing oleic-acid vesicles as a nutrient source rather than glucose. As the cells adapted to the new conditions and increased their growth rate, they became smaller and spherical. Each of the experimental lineages adapted in diverse ways. This study supports theories that the origin of life on Earth was spherical cells. |
| New theory finds upcoming satellite mission will be able to detect more than expected Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Researchers have theorized that in addition to the gravitational waves originating from vacuum fluctuations during inflation, a large amount of gravitational waves can be sourced by the quantum vacuum fluctuations of additional fields during inflation. |
| New treatment target ID’d for radiation-resistant cervical cancer Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Understanding how cells die is key to developing new treatments for many diseases, whether the goal is to make cancer cells die or keep healthy cells alive in the face of other illnesses, such as massive infections or strokes. Two new studies have identified a previously unrecognized pathway of cell death -- named lysoptosis -- and demonstrate how it could lead to new therapies for cervical cancer. |
| Mouse study identifies bacterial protein associated with colorectal cancers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST The discovery raises the possibility that some of the roughly two million new cases of colorectal cancer every year around the world originate from brief and seemingly mild food-poisoning events. |
| Could gene networks resembling air traffic explain arteriosclerosis? Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:15 AM PST Up to 60 percent of the risk associated with coronary arteriosclerosis may be explained by changes in the activity of hundreds of genes working together in networks across several organs in the body. Moreover, fat processing hormones may play a central role in coordinating this activity. That is the primary result of a study that began nearly 20 years ago on a hunch and involved hundreds of coronary artery disease patients from Northern Europe. |
| Newly discovered type of 'strange metal' could lead to deep insights Posted: 12 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST A new discovery could help scientists to understand 'strange metals,' a class of materials that are related to high-temperature superconductors and share fundamental quantum attributes with black holes. |
| Nature helps us cope with body image ‘threats’ Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST A new study has found that being in nature helps people deal with negative body image by removing some of the triggers of body image anxiety, such as the focus on social media, and strengthening coping mechanisms to keep negative feelings in perspective. |
| Ecological tradeoff? Utility-scale solar energy impedes endangered Florida panthers Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:57 AM PST Reducing the energy industry's carbon footprint in the sunshine state is impeding a large carnivore's paw-print. A study is the first to document the effect of utility-scale solar energy (USSE) facilities in Peninsular Florida on both habitat suitability and connectivity for any large carnivore. The study examined 45 USSE facilities equaling 27,688 acres. |
| Chewing to stay slim: How to savor your food better and dodge weight gain Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Chewing well helps in digestion. Chewing is also known to help prevent obesity, possibly by increasing the thermic effect of food consumption. But the factors behind this heat-generating effect of chewing remain less explored. A new study has revealed that oral stimuli, which are linked with the duration of tasting liquid food in the mouth, and the duration of chewing, play a positive role in increasing energy expenditure after food intake. |
| Recycling already considered in the development of new battery materials Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Enormous potential consists in the circular value chain of batteries. A review article on battery recycling provides an overview of the challenges of new material concepts for battery recycling and 'Design for Recycling' as a promising approach of a sustainable battery economy. |
| Thaw of permafrost has vast impact on built environment Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Permafrost has a central role in the sustainable development of the Arctic region. The thaw of permafrost is set to damage buildings and roads, leading to tens of billions of euros in additional costs in the near future, according to an international review. |
| Paradigm shift: Methanogenic microbes not always limited to methane Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Microbiologists show that methanogenic archaea do not always need to form methane to survive. It is possible to bypass methanogenesis with the seemingly simpler and more environmentally friendly acetogenic energy metabolism. These new findings provide evidence that methanogens are not nearly as metabolically limited as previously thought, and suggest that methanogenesis may have evolved from the acetyl-CoA pathway - an important step towards fully understanding the ecology, biotechnology, and evolution of archaea. |
| Biologists identify neural circuits associated with aging Posted: 12 Jan 2022 07:56 AM PST Biologists have identified neural circuits associated with aging in fruit flies. Some circuits remain the same no matter the fly's age, while others weaken over the fly's life span. |
| Remembering faces and names can be improved during sleep Posted: 12 Jan 2022 06:40 AM PST New research has documented the effect reactivating memory during sleep has on face-name learning. The researchers found that people's name recall improved significantly when memories of newly learned face-name associations were reactivated while they were napping. Key to this improvement was uninterrupted deep sleep. |
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