ScienceDaily: Latest Science News |
| Athletes warned against potential dangers of natural supplements Posted: 26 Jan 2022 04:53 PM PST Nutritional supplements taken to boost athletic performance can pose risks to the heart, according to a recent statement. |
| Posted: 26 Jan 2022 02:06 PM PST The drugs behind the new pills to treat COVID-19 remain very effective against the omicron variant of the virus in lab tests, according to a new study. However, lab tests also showed that the available antibody therapies -- typically given intravenously in hospitals -- are substantially less effective against omicron than against earlier variants of the virus. |
| New data on COVID-19 lung transplants Posted: 26 Jan 2022 02:06 PM PST A new analysis of lung transplantations performed nationally in the U.S. shows significant help for patients with severe, irreversible lung damage from COVID-19. |
| Mix-and-match trial finds additional dose of COVID-19 vaccine safe, immunogenic Posted: 26 Jan 2022 02:06 PM PST In adults who had previously received a full regimen of any of three COVID-19 vaccines granted Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) or approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), an additional booster dose of any of these vaccines was safe and prompted an immune response, according to preliminary clinical trial results. |
| Ground-breaking study reveals dynamics of DNA replication ‘licensing’ Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST A new study has illuminated an important process that occurs during cell division and is a likely source of DNA damage under some circumstances, including cancer. |
| Omicron genetics and early transmission patterns are characterized in new study Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST The Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 diverged from previous SARS-CoV-2 variants as a result of adaptive evolution, in which beneficial mutations are passed on to future generations through natural selection, rather than through recombination between previous variants, according to researchers. |
| Starting physical activity three days post-concussion is safe, has better outcomes, study suggests Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST Resuming non-contact physical activity 72 hours after a concussion is safe, and may also reduce symptoms and the risk of delayed recovery, suggests the first and largest real-world, randomized clinical trial on the topic to be conducted with children and youth aged 10 to 18. |
| Fossil snail shells offer new tool for analyzing ancient ocean chemistry Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST A collection of fossil shells from marine snails and clams is challenging a theory that says the world's deadliest mass extinction was accompanied by severe ocean acidification. The study is the first to use shells from fossilized mollusks to investigate ocean chemistry, demonstrating a new tool that scientists can use to study the conditions of the planet's deep past. |
| Getting in gear: Researchers create a slow light device with high optical quality Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST Researchers have created a gear-shaped photonic crystal microring that increases the strength of light-matter interactions without sacrificing optical quality. The result is an on-chip microresonator with an optical quality factor 50 times better than the previous record in slow light devices that could improve microresonators used in a range of photonics applications, including sensing and metrology, nonlinear optics and cavity quantum electrodynamics. |
| Scientists identify promising transmission chain-breaker in the fight against malaria Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST Blocking a key protein found in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes -- the principal vector for malaria transmission to humans in Africa -- could thwart infection with malaria parasites and thus prevent them from transmitting the parasites to humans, according to a new study. |
| Change of heart? It may affect thinking and memory skills in middle age Posted: 26 Jan 2022 01:55 PM PST Subtle changes in the structure and the diastolic function of a person's heart between early adulthood and middle age may be associated with a decline in thinking and memory skills. |
| Nanoparticle-formulated drug combination is effective in medulloblastoma, a pediatric brain tumor Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated that a novel combination of two drugs that act as targeted inhibitors, delivered in a nanoparticle formulation, extend the survival of mice with medulloblastoma. The research team believes this laboratory success could be translated into a less toxic treatment for medulloblastoma, the most common malignant pediatric brain tumor. |
| Farther or faster? Both improve distance running performance Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST A study compared two-week blocks of low-intensity training and high-intensity interval training in terms of performance and recovery. Both methods can improve endurance performance in recreational athletes after already two weeks when the training load is increased significantly from what the individual is accustomed to. |
| Physical activity protects against type 2 diabetes by modifying metabolism Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST Regular physical activity significantly changes the body's metabolite profile, and many of these changes are associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, a new study shows. The study population included more than 7,000 men who were followed up for eight years. Men in the highest physical activity category had a 39% lower risk of type 2 diabetes than men who were physically inactive. |
| Using nanodiamonds as sensors just got easier Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST Researchers adapt excited state lifetime thermometry to extract temperatures of nanoscale materials from light emitted by nitrogen vacancy centers in individual nanodiamonds. The approach is less complicated, more accurate and safer for sensitive materials or biological tissues than OMDR. |
| Ancient ice reveals mysterious solar storm Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:42 AM PST Through analysis of ice cores from Greenland and Antarctica, a research team has found evidence of an extreme solar storm that occurred about 9,200 years ago. What puzzles the researchers is that the storm took place during one of the sun's more quiet phases -- during which it is generally believed our planet is less exposed to such events. |
| Automated insulin delivery for young children with diabetes via Android app Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:41 AM PST Families with young children who have type 1 diabetes use insulin pumps that require a lot of effort to operate. Scientists have shown in a clinical trial that automated insulin delivery is safe and effective even at the age of one to seven years. |
| Updrafts crucial: Clouds in the southern hemisphere more precisely understood Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:41 AM PST Clouds in the southern hemisphere reflect more sunlight than those in the northern hemisphere. The reason is a more frequent occurrence of liquid water droplets, which results from an interplay between updrafts and a cleaner environment. |
| Scientists use GPS to track baboon troop's movement in urban spaces for the first time Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:41 AM PST In a unique study, researchers have used GPS collars to study the collective behaviour of a troop of baboons living on the outskirts of the City of Cape Town. |
| 23,000 years ago, humans in Israel enjoyed a new bounty of food options Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:40 AM PST As climate shifted 23,000 years ago, humans in Israel experienced a new abundance of food, according to a new study. |
| Suitable growing regions for coffee, cashews, and avocados predicted to shift as Earth warms Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:40 AM PST A new analysis predicts that, as climate change progresses, the most suitable regions for growing coffee arabica, cashews, and avocados will decline in some of the main countries that produce these crops. |
| Scientists regrow frog's lost leg Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:40 AM PST Scientists have triggered long-term growth of legs in adult frogs, which are naturally unable to regenerate limbs. The frogs regrew a lost leg over months, triggered by just 24 hour exposure to a five-drug cocktail held under a bioreactor. The new legs were functional enough to enable sensation and locomotion. |
| Bristol team chase down advantage in quantum race Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:39 AM PST Quantum researchers have dramatically reduced the time to simulate an optical quantum computer, with a speedup of around one billion over previous approaches. |
| Robot performs first laparoscopic surgery without human help Posted: 26 Jan 2022 11:39 AM PST A robot has performed laparoscopic surgery on the soft tissue of a pig without the guiding hand of a human -- a significant step in robotics toward fully automated surgery on humans. |
| Screening study IDs inhibitor of key COVID virus enzyme Posted: 26 Jan 2022 10:31 AM PST A study reports the discovery of a molecule with significant potential to disable the COVID-19 virus. The molecule was identified using high-throughput virtual screening -- a search through a library of 6.5 million in-stock compounds that could quickly be scaled up for drug production using some of the nation's most powerful supercomputers and other research tools. |
| Illuminating a biological light switch Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:25 AM PST Using an innovative new imaging technique, researchers have revealed the inner workings of a family of light-sensing molecules in unprecedented detail and speed. The work could inform new strategies in the burgeoning field of optogenetics, which uses light pulses to alter the activity of individual neurons and other cells. |
| Technique improves AI ability to understand 3D space using 2D images Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:25 AM PST Researchers have developed a new technique, called MonoCon, that improves the ability of artificial intelligence (AI) programs to identify three-dimensional (3D) objects, and how those objects relate to each other in space, using two-dimensional (2D) images. For example, the work would help the AI used in autonomous vehicles navigate in relation to other vehicles using the 2D images it receives from an onboard camera. |
| Constant tinnitus is linked to altered brain activity Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST There has to date been no reliable objective method of diagnosing tinnitus. Researchers now show that brainstem audiometry can be used to measure changes in the brain in people with constant tinnitus. |
| Song sparrows shuffle and repeat to keep their audience listening Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Biologists have found an animal for the first time that communicates with the complexity of human language: song sparrows. According to a new study, male song sparrows memorize a 30-minute long playlist of their recently belted tunes and use that information to curate both their current playlist and the next one. The findings suggest that song sparrows deliberately shuffle and repeat their songs possibly to keep a female's attention. |
| A leap forward for terahertz lasers Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Researchers have taken a major step towards bringing terahertz frequencies out of their hard-to-reach region of the electromagnetic spectrum and into everyday applications. Researchers demonstrate a first-of-its-kind terahertz laser that is compact, operates at room temperature and can produce 120 individual frequencies spanning the 0.25 - 1.3 THz, far more range than previous terahertz sources. |
| Microscopic inner ear structures reveal why major groups of bats echolocate differently Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST A new article compares the inner ear structures of the two main groups of bats. By examining the microscopic inner ears of bats from 19 of the 21 known bat families, the researchers were able to show that the presence of extra neurons and specialized ear structures align with a split in bat evolution revealed by DNA. |
| Mysterious object unlike anything astronomers have seen before Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST A team mapping radio waves in the Universe has discovered something unusual that releases a giant burst of energy three times an hour, and it's unlike anything astronomers have seen before. Spinning around in space, the strange object sends out a beam of radiation that crosses our line of sight, and for a minute in every twenty, is one of the brightest radio sources in the sky. |
| Fourth signature of the superconducting transition in cuprates Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Superconductors have four classic traits, including conducting electric current without loss and levitating magnets. Now the discovery of the fourth and final trait caps 15 years of detective work. |
| Blood markers can predict depression in pregnancy Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Signs of inflammation in the blood reliably predict and identify severe depression in pregnancy, reports a new study. |
| Chemotherapy’s effectiveness may vary with time of day Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST New research suggests that chemotherapy could better target brain tumors in mouse models when it was administered at night instead of during the day. That's because the blood-brain barrier was more likely to allow the chemotherapy to pass through it at night. The findings highlight the importance of this area of research in humans, and one day, they could help to improve outcomes in patients with brain tumors. |
| Study now links non-mutated Apolipoprotein E to dementia in the aging brain Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Researchers exploring dementia-related proteins in the brain identified Apolipoprotein E (ApoE) as a key misfolded protein. |
| Quantum computing: Vibrating atoms make robust qubits, physicists find Posted: 26 Jan 2022 09:24 AM PST Physicists have discovered a new quantum bit, or 'qubit,' in the form of vibrating pairs of atoms known as fermions. The new qubit appears to be extremely robust, able to maintain superposition between two vibrational states, even in the midst of environmental noise, for up to 10 seconds, offering a possible foundation for future quantum computers. |
| How to ruin the taste of a cookie with just two words Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST A rose by any other name may smell as sweet, but a chocolate chip cookie labeled 'consumer complaint' won't taste as good as the exact same product described as 'new and improved,' a new study suggests. |
| 'Smart saddle' could help equestrians hit their stride Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST Researchers have developed a prototype 'smart saddle' that could help equestrians improve their biomechanics. Moreover, the self-powered saddle can alert others when a rider takes a fall. |
| A bioelectronic tongue 'tastes' sweetness Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST Researchers have developed an ultrasensitive bioelectronic tongue that measures sweetness by mimicking human taste buds. |
| What’s good for the heart is good for the brain Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST While heart disease remains the #1 cause of death worldwide, experts have noted that diseases of the brain -- especially Alzheimer's disease and dementia -- are substantially increasing, and they are often associated with many of the same risk factors that cause heart disease, including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and tobacco use. |
| Kirigami robotic grippers are delicate enough to lift egg yolks Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST Engineering researchers have demonstrated a new type of flexible, robotic grippers that are able to lift delicate egg yolks without breaking them, and that are precise enough to lift a human hair. The work has applications for both soft robotics and biomedical technologies. |
| Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST Strict COVID-19 lockdown policies such as workplace closures in European cities reduced levels of air pollution and the number of associated deaths, according to new estimates. |
| Urban greening 'not a panacea' for dealing with extreme weather Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST Urban greening is unlikely to provide a single fix for tackling extreme weather events brought on by climate change, scientists have suggested. |
| Cleaning your car may not protect you from this carcinogen, study finds Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST It is unlikely that a cancer-causing chemical inside your car, TDCIPP, can be dusted or wiped way, according to new research. |
| A virtual reality 'Shopping Task' could help test for cognitive decline in adults Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:05 AM PST New research suggests that a virtual reality test in which participants 'go to the shops' could offer a potentially promising way of effectively assessing functional cognition, the thinking and processing skills needed to accomplish complex everyday activities. |
| New hair dyes avoid allergic reactions Posted: 26 Jan 2022 06:04 AM PST Researchers have developed a range of permanent hair dyes that avoid the allergenic properties of traditional formulations. |
| New economic model finds wetlands provide billions in filtration value Posted: 25 Jan 2022 02:32 PM PST Southern Ontario wetlands provide $4.2 billion worth of sediment filtration and phosphorus removal services each year, keeping our drinking water sources clean and helping to mitigate harmful and nuisance algal blooms in our lakes and rivers. |
| Scientists discover new avian immunological pathway Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:48 PM PST Biomedical scientists have discovered a new immune pathway in chickens that viruses may be targeting. The discovery, which has implications also for diseases affecting other birds, sheds greater light on birds' immune responses to zoonotic viruses -- specifically, how those may differ from responses seen in humans. |
| Stem cell discoveries hold potential to improve cancer treatment Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:24 PM PST Recent discoveries by stem cell scientists may help make cancer treatment more efficient and shorten the time it takes for people to recover from radiation and chemotherapy. |
| Faulty BRCA genes linked to prostate and pancreatic cancers Posted: 25 Jan 2022 01:24 PM PST Faulty versions of the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are well known to increase the risk of breast cancer in men and women, and in ovarian cancer. Now BRCA1 and BRCA2 have been linked to several other cancers, including those that affect men. |
| Genes newly linked to longer human lifespan Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST A group of genes that play an essential role in building components of our cells can also impact human lifespan, finds a new study. |
| How a smart electric grid will power our future Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST A novel plan that offers partnership in keeping the United States electric grid stable and reliable could be a win-win for consumers and utility operators. |
| Silicon fluorescence shines through microcracks in cement, revealing early signs of damage Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST Scientists and engineers discover fluorescence from silicon nanoparticles in cement and show how it can be used to reveal early signs of damage in concrete structures. |
| Hospitalization for COVID-19 linked to greater risk of later readmission or death Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST A large study conducted in England found that, compared to the general population, people who had been hospitalized for COVID-19 -- and survived for at least one week after discharge -- were more than twice as likely to die or be readmitted to the hospital in the next several months. |
| Hungry yeast are tiny, living thermometers Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST Researchers report that a yeast cells can actively regulate a process called phase separation in one of their membranes. During phase separation, the membrane remains intact but partitions into multiple, distinct zones or domains that segregate lipids and proteins. The new findings show for the first time that, in response to environmental conditions, yeast cells precisely regulate the temperature at which their membrane undergoes phase separation. |
| Atomic Armor for accelerators enables discoveries Posted: 25 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST Protective coatings are common for many things in daily life that see a lot of use: we coat wood floors with finish; apply Teflon to the paint on cars; even use diamond coatings on medical devices. Protective coatings are also essential in many demanding research and industrial applications. |
| Fat injections could treat common cause of foot pain, plantar fasciitis Posted: 25 Jan 2022 10:37 AM PST A novel technique that transplants a patient's own fat into the sole of their foot could offer relief to those suffering from a common and painful condition called plantar fasciitis. |
| How the timing of dinner and genetics affect individuals’ blood sugar control Posted: 25 Jan 2022 09:40 AM PST Eating dinner close to bedtime, when melatonin levels are high, disturbs blood sugar control, especially in individuals with a genetic variant in the melatonin receptor MTNR1B, which has been linked to an elevated risk of type 2 diabetes. The high melatonin levels and food intake associated with late eating impairs blood sugar control in carriers of the MTNR1B genetic risk variant through a defect in insulin secretion. |
| Liquid water beneath Martian south polar cap? Posted: 25 Jan 2022 09:40 AM PST Scientists measured the properties of ice-brine mixtures as cold as -145 degrees Fahrenheit to help confirm that salty water likely exists between grains of ice or sediment under the ice cap at Mars' south pole. Laboratory measurements support oddly bright reflections detected by the MARSIS subsurface sounding radar aboard ESA's Mars Express orbiter. |
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