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| Artificial intelligence system rapidly predicts how two proteins will attach Posted: 01 Feb 2022 01:56 PM PST A new machine learning system can predict the structure formed when two proteins dock, in a process that's between 50 to 800 times faster than some software-based methods. This could help scientists better understand biological processes or speed the development of new therapies. |
| New research links continents to key transitions in Earth’s oceans, atmosphere and climate Posted: 01 Feb 2022 01:10 PM PST A new study advances the understanding of the role that continents have played in the chemical evolution of Earth's oceans, with implications for understanding atmospheric oxygenation and global climate oscillations. |
| Climate change has likely begun to suffocate the world’s fisheries Posted: 01 Feb 2022 01:10 PM PST By 2080, around 70% of the world's oceans could be suffocating from a lack of oxygen as a result of climate change, potentially impacting marine ecosystems worldwide, according to a new study. The new models find mid-ocean depths that support many fisheries worldwide are already losing oxygen at unnatural rates and passed a critical threshold of oxygen loss in 2021. |
| Paternal alcohol use increases frequency of fetal development issues Posted: 01 Feb 2022 01:10 PM PST Prenatal visits have traditionally focused almost exclusively on the behavior of mothers, but new research continues to suggest that science should be looking more closely at the fathers' behavior as well. |
| Moons may yield clues to what makes planets habitable Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST Earth's moon is vitally important in making Earth the planet we know today. Because the moon is so important to life on Earth, scientists conjecture that a moon may be a potentially beneficial feature in harboring life on other planets. Most planets have moons, but Earth's moon is distinct in that it is large compared to the size of Earth. |
| People in urban areas had better access to care and lower copays than rural areas Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST Substance abuse, access to mental health care and costs remain a burden for people living in rural areas, even if they have private insurance. |
| Study finds higher risk in families of Black patients with inherited heart muscle disease Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST Black patients diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) of unknown cause are more likely to have family members at risk of developing the heart muscle disease than families of white patients, according to results of a multi-site study. |
| The U.S. is failing to care for traumatic brain injury survivors, experts say Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST The United States care system is often failing to meet the needs of individuals, families and communities affected by traumatic brain injury, according to a report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The authors make many recommendations for advancing progress in TBI care, including changes to classification methods, improving research funding and establishing continuity of care. |
| New model to investigate fibrosis treatments without use of animals Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:40 AM PST A new 3D connective tissue model gives researchers a sophisticated tool to understand the underlying mechanisms of connective tissue disorders and test potential treatments. |
| Mighty powerful microbes: New insights into microbes that breathe rocks Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Microbes may be miniscule, but they have a massive impact on Earth and its habitability. They are uniquely different from animals, plants, and other eukaryotic organisms in that they can gain energy from 'breathing' a surprisingly wide range of surfaces and materials. Microbes also drastically re-shape their environment as they feast on these energy sources, making microbes major players in the cycling and availability of nutrients on Earth. One especially well-known example was the rise of oxygen on Earth due to the metabolism of photosynthetic bacteria. |
| How Omicron escapes from antibodies Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Dozens of mutations in the spike protein of the Omicron variant help it to evade all four of the classes of antibodies that can target SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study. This includes antibodies generated by the immune systems of vaccinated or previously infected people, as well as most of the monoclonal antibody treatments that have been developed. |
| Sustainable diets acceptable to local preferences and cultures Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST New research examines how staple grains can be used as an effective food group for dietary shifts that can be culturally appropriate as well as environmentally sustainable. |
| Did comet's fiery destruction lead to downfall of ancient Hopewell? Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST The rapid decline of the Hopewell culture about 1,500 years ago might be explained by falling debris from a near-Earth comet that created a devastating explosion over North America, laying waste to forests and Native American villages alike. Researchers found evidence of a cosmic airburst at 11 Hopewell archaeological sites in three states stretching across the Ohio River Valley. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Astronomers have confirmed the existence of the second Earth Trojan asteroid known to date, the 2020 XL5, after a decade of search. |
| Researchers develop highly accurate modeling tool to predict COVID-19 risk Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Researchers have combined location density with real-world mobility data to predict the risk of infection from COVID-19 at specific locations with unprecedented accuracy. |
| Microwave data assimilation improves forecasts of hurricane intensity, rainfall Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST In 2017, Hurricane Harvey stalled after making landfall over coastal Texas, pouring down record rainfall, flooding communities and becoming one of the wettest and most destructive storms in United States history. A new technique using readily available data reduces forecast errors and could improve track, intensity and rainfall forecasts for future storms like Hurricane Harvey, according to scientists. |
| Picture warnings on sodas? A promising tool to fight childhood obesity Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST The first study in a laboratory 'mini mart' shows picture warnings reduced parental purchases of sugary drinks like juice and soda. Researchers say the warning labels could be new tool in fighting childhood obesity. |
| Obesity may increase risk of some female reproductive disorders Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Obesity is associated with an increased risk of developing female reproductive disorders, however, the roles and mechanisms of obesity in the cause(s) of reproductive conditions are unclear. A study suggests an etiological link between obesity and a range of female reproductive conditions, but the extent of this link differs among conditions. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Phasing out animal agriculture represents 'our best and most immediate chance to reverse the trajectory of climate change,' according to a new model developed by scientists. |
| Paris Agreement limits still catastrophic for coral reefs, research suggests Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST Limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees C above pre-industrial levels will still be catastrophic for coral reefs, new research suggests. More than 90 percent of tropical coral reefs will suffer frequent heat stress -- their number one threat -- even under Paris Agreement climate warming limits. The scale is even worse than predicted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which reported in 2018 that such a level would cause 70 percent to 90 percent of coral reefs to decline. |
| Extreme heat is the 'new normal' for the ocean Posted: 01 Feb 2022 11:39 AM PST New research reveals excessively warm ocean temperatures driven by climate change are the new normal. The study establishes that more than half of the ocean surface has exceeded a historical heat extreme threshold on a regular basis since 2014. Researchers conducted the study by mapping 150 years of sea surface temperatures to determine a fixed historical benchmark for marine heat extremes. The scientists then looked at how often and how much of the ocean surpassed this point. The first year in which more than half of the ocean experienced heat extremes was 2014. The trend continued in subsequent years, reaching 57 percent of the ocean in 2019, the last year measured in the study. Using this benchmark, just two percent of the ocean surface was experiencing extremely warm temperatures at the end of the 19th century. |
| Single-use sensor strips detect cerebrospinal fluid leaks Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:53 AM PST Researchers developed a single-use sensor strip that can be used with a circuit board to detect cerebrospinal fluid leaks. They collected nine clinical samples and introduced the test fluid into a small liquid channel on the tip of the sensor strips. The liquid channel held electrodes, which contained antibodies specific to proteins found only in human cerebrospinal fluid. The circuit board analyzed the signal and produced a four-digit number that correlates to the concentration of the protein beta-2-transferrin, found in CSF. |
| More predictive in vitro assays may improve nanomedicine Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST One recent obstacle to drug delivery research is an observed weak correlation between in vitro and in vivo performance. When nanoparticles are applied intravenously, they face several obstacles that differ from in vitro situations. Nanoparticles are usually covered by a biomolecular multilayer (a protein corona), which alters the physiochemical properties, pharmacokinetics, and toxicity profile of the nanoparticles. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST First generation COVID-19 vaccines have been highly effective, but also have limitations. Now, scientists have developed a more targeted vaccine that, in animal studies, shows stronger, broader, and more durable protection in a single, low dose. |
| Researchers study waves created by recreational boats Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST A new study found that popular wakesurf boats require a greater distance from the shoreline and other boats compared to more typical recreational boats. This distance is needed to reduce the potential impact of their larger waves. |
| A new way to store sustainable energy: 'Information batteries' Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST A future powered by sustainable energy sources could save the world from devastating climate change and reduce energy bills. But renewable energy has an intermittency problem -- the sun provides no power at night, while winds can stop suddenly. Better battery storage -- a holy grail for scientists worldwide -- is considered key to solving the intermittency problem by storing energy when the wind and sun are strong. But current storage solutions, including lithium-ion batteries and pumped hydro, are expensive and challenging to scale. What if surplus renewable energy could be stored as computation instead? |
| The power of chaos: A robust and low-cost cryptosystem for the post-quantum era Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST Scientists develop a chaos-based stream cipher that can withstand attacks from large-scale quantum computers. |
| Historic buildings could be protected from rising energy bills by solar panels Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST Installing solar panels could help historic buildings beat the rising costs of energy, according to a new study. |
| Expanding renewable energy need not hinder conservation efforts Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST A study has found that expanding green energy production sites in the future won't necessarily be a threat to protected areas of land. |
| Hepatitis E virus defies alcohol-based hand disinfectants Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST The hepatitis E virus (HEV) can cause serious liver inflammation and is the most common cause of acute virus-mediated hepatitis worldwide. Infection can be prevented through appropriate hygiene measures. Scientists have investigated the effectiveness of various common hand disinfectants against HEV. They were able to show that most formulations do not completely inactivate the virus. |
| On the spot drug delivery with light-controlled organic microswimmers Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST Scientists have developed organic microparticles that can steer through biological fluids and dissolved blood in unprecedented ways. Even in very salty liquids, the microswimmers can be propelled forward at high speed by visible light, either individually or as a swarm. Additionally, they are partially biocompatible and can take up and release cargo on demand. The material properties are so ideal they could pave the way toward designing semi-autonomous microrobots applied in biomedicine. |
| How fuel poverty 'gets under the skin' Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST New research shows that fuel poverty makes people's physical and mental health worse. Researchers found that not being able to keep homes warm enough affects people's levels of life satisfaction. But they also found that it impacts people's physical health by causing higher levels of inflammation, measured by fibrinogen, a blood-based biomarker. |
| First virus infection linked with infections later in life Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST Asymptomatic viral infections in the first days and weeks of a baby's life are associated with an increased risk of respiratory infections later in life, research suggests. |
| New power transfer technology provides unprecedented freedom for wireless charging Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST So far, safely charging devices anywhere in a large area has been a challenge, but researchers have developed a transfer technology that can direct power to individual devices without needing to know their location. The technology has already been tested with commercial robots, and it can also be used to charge phones, laptops, or household appliances. No plugs, no tracking, and no complex computing -- just clever use of electromagnetics. Devices can be charged while they are moving, so with a bit more development this technology could even charge electric cars on the road. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:52 AM PST A method of producing vital chemical building blocks for use in the pharmaceutical and agrochemical industries mimics how plants manufacture them. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST A new study revealed a pathological brain activity that precedes the onset of Alzheimer's first symptoms by many years: increased activity in the hippocampus during anesthesia and sleep, resulting from failure in the mechanism that stabilizes the neural network. The researchers believe that the discovery of this abnormal activity during specific brain states may enable early diagnosis of Alzheimer's, eventually leading to a more effective treatment of a disease that still lacks effective therapies. |
| Growth charts for the brain help to explain mental illness Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST Researchers have developed a set of growth charts for the brain. These 'brain charts' provide reference models for brain development and ageing across the entire human lifespan, based on a very large data set. These models can be used to make personalized predictions for each individual relevant to many brain conditions, and therefore have a high clinical potential. The software tools and models are available online. |
| Finding structure in the brain’s static Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST Researchers found that a monkey's state of attentiveness may be encoded in the shapes and speeds of slow electrical waves that course over the surface of the brain. Like a surfer that avoids smooth water and favors more active waves, the brain uses faster, choppier waves to process information to which it is paying attention. By separating how the brain encodes its state of attention versus stimuli to which it is responding, scientists hope to understand sleep, anesthesia, attention, and disease better. |
| Response to exercise is key to novel device therapy for the most common type of heart failure Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST A new study suggests that some patients with HFpEF may benefit from a novel, minimally invasive cardiac implant device called an atrial shunt. The study also offers new insight into the role exercise plays in understanding, diagnosing and treating this type of heart failure. |
| COVID-19 less severe in fully vaccinated, study finds Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST The clinical and imaging characteristics of COVID-19 breakthrough infections in fully vaccinated patients tend to be milder than those of partially vaccinated or unvaccinated patients, according to a new multicenter study. |
| Study finds little genetic basis for some sea stars staying healthy amid deadly wasting syndrome Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST Healthy-looking ochre sea stars have minimal genetic difference from those displaying symptoms of sea star wasting syndrome, say researchers who examined whether genetic variation was the reason some animals went unaffected during an epidemic of the deadly disease. |
| New computational tool predicts cell fates and genetic perturbations Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:51 AM PST Researchers have built a machine learning framework that can define the mathematical equations describing a cell's trajectory from one state to another, such as its development from a stem cell into one of several different types of mature cell. The framework, called dynamo, can also be used to figure out the underlying mechanisms -- the specific cocktail of gene activity -- driving changes in the cell. |
| Study links lead in childhood well water to teen delinquency Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:36 AM PST Exposure to lead in drinking water from private wells during early childhood is associated with an increased risk of being reported for delinquency during teenage years, according to a new study. Researchers found that children who get their water from private wells before age 6 have higher blood lead levels and also have a 21% higher risk of being reported for any delinquency after age 14. |
| Treatment keeps alcoholic monkeys from drinking as much Posted: 01 Feb 2022 08:06 AM PST A hormone produced by the liver called fibroblast growth factor 21 (FGF21) suppresses alcohol consumption in primates, finds a new study. Vervet monkeys with a strong preference for ethanol that were given an FGF21 analogue consumed 50% less alcohol. The study also studied the brain circuits involved in mice and found that the protein, known to also reduce sugar intake, acts on different circuits to reduce alcohol and sugar consumption. |
| Posted: 01 Feb 2022 04:45 AM PST A new study provides evidence for high cognitive abilities in early humans who lived 170,000 years ago. Researchers discovered that the early humans who occupied a cave had placed their hearth at the optimal location -- enabling maximum utilization of the fire for their activities and needs while exposing them to a minimal amount of smoke. |
| Even dying stars can still give birth to planets Posted: 01 Feb 2022 04:45 AM PST Planets are usually not much older than the stars around which they revolve. Take the Sun: it was born 4.6 billion years ago, and not long after that, Earth came into the world. But astronomers have discovered that a completely different scenario is also possible. Even if they are near death, some types of stars can possibly still form planets. If this is confirmed, theories on planet formation will need to be adjusted. |
| Complex three-dimensional kidney tissue generated in the lab from the scratch Posted: 01 Feb 2022 04:45 AM PST Researchers have created a complex kidney tissue solely from mouse embryonic stem cells. These organoids could lead the way to better kidney research and, eventually, artificial kidneys for human transplant. |
| Sweet pressure: Scientists discover link between high blood pressure and diabetes Posted: 01 Feb 2022 04:45 AM PST The long-standing enigma of why so many patients suffering with high blood pressure (known as hypertension) also have diabetes (high blood sugar) has finally been cracked by an international team. |
| Human gut bacteria have 'sex' to share vitamin B12 Posted: 01 Feb 2022 04:45 AM PST Your gut bacteria need vitamin B12 just as much as you do. Though DNA is usually passed from parent to child, new research shows gut bacteria transfer genes through 'sex' in order to take their vitamins. |
| Posted: 31 Jan 2022 12:32 PM PST While COVID-19 disease significantly impacts many pregnant women, the rates of transmission from mother to baby in pregnancy are very low. A new study has demonstrated that ACE-2, the receptor that allows SARS-CoV-2 to enter cells, is found in lower levels in the placentas of women with COVID-19 in pregnancy compared to women with normal (COVID negative) pregnancies. |
| Promising results of Phase 1 drug trial for HIV patients Posted: 31 Jan 2022 12:32 PM PST A Phase 1 clinical trial has demonstrated the safety and efficacy of a novel immunotherapy drug in the treatment of HIV. |
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