ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

Nanowires have a unique property: These ultra-thin wires can sustain very high elastic strains without damaging the crystal structure of the material. A team of researchers has now succeeded in experimentally demonstrating that electron mobility in nanowires is remarkably enhanced when the shell places the wire core under tensile strain.

A new study demonstrates the ability of the mutant Kras oncogene to use genetic reprogramming to make cells more stem-like and plastic; it resolves the long-standing debate over why Kras is so special in tumor formation. They were also able to identify an effector complex that can be targeted for therapeutic treatment against mutant Kras.

Research revises estimates of glacial ice volume, suggesting that there is less ice in the world's glaciers than previously thought. The findings have implications on freshwater and global sea level rise.

Researchers have observed chimpanzees in Gabon, West Africa applying insects to their wounds and the wounds of others. Scientists describe this wound-tending behavior and argue that it is evidence that chimpanzees have the capacity for prosocial behaviors that have been linked with empathy in humans.

The stretches of DNA that differ from person to person, called variants, are a major part of what makes us unique, but they can also put us at greater risk of disease. Although we can currently spell out between 80% and 90% of the millions that are in the human genome, the remaining variants may hold clues for treating an array of diseases. Today the list of variants yet to be decoded has shrunk sizably. A team led by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Baylor College of Medicine and DNAnexus has characterized over 20,000 variants in 273 genes of medical importance. In a study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the researchers applied both cutting-edge and long-standing DNA sequencing methods to decipher the genetic codes of the variants with a high degree of certainty.

Sexual reproduction allows organisms to mix up their genes and develop new adaptations to survive a harsh and ever-changing environment. Under nutrient-rich conditions, the worm C. elegans is typically asexual, but after enduring several generations of stress, the worms begin to reproduce sexually and release pheromones to appear more sexually attractive to male worms.

When we think of climate change, we often imagine how a warmer world will impact species, but a new study highlights the importance of changes in precipitation. The finding suggests that paying attention to the environmental triggers within each species' lifecycle will help us better understand how they will be affected by climate change.

The vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection wanes within a couple of months, but at different speed according to vaccine type. However, protection against severe COVID-19 appears to be better maintained, according to a study by researchers in Sweden.

A discovery that blocks the normal transition of semen from a thick gel to a liquid shows promise for development of a new form of non-hormonal, over-the-counter contraception. A research team recently showed that blocking a prostate-specific-antigen in human ejaculate samples caused the semen to remain in its thick gel form, trapping the majority of the sperm.

Hundreds of international researchers are currently analyzing observations from the one-year MOSAiC expedition, during which hundreds of environmental parameters were recorded with unprecedented accuracy and frequency over a full annual cycle in the Central Arctic Ocean.

Until now, research assumed that the vast forest area of the Congo Basin, like other tropical forests, releases large amounts of nitrous oxide and binds methane. Researchers have now shown that it behaves differently: methane is released, while nitrous oxide emissions are smaller than thought.

New research has revealed that only 15 per cent of coastal areas around the world remain intact, exposing the need for urgent coastal rehabilitation and conservation on a global scale.

A new study leaves large tooth marks in previous conclusions about the body shape of the Megalodon, one of the largest sharks that ever lived.

New research finds that dogs being walked in nature reserves contribute a significant amount of nutrients to the environment through their feces and urine, which researchers warn could negatively impact local biodiversity.

Mice are typically used as models in advanced prostate cancer research, but the profound differences between them and humans has long bedeviled the translation of findings from the animal to success in people. Dogs however are the only other animal that suffers from a significant incidence of prostate cancer, and researchers are finding them much more enlightening subjects in identification of drugs that show promise for human patients.

Researchers from 13 countries investigated the impact of COVID-19 related social isolation measures on 2,200 young infants and toddlers between 8 and 36 months of age. Their findings provide insights into the effects of lockdown on language acquisition and screen time in the generation of youngsters growing up during this extraordinary period.

Scientists have discovered new information about the tiny propellers used by single-cell organisms called archaea.

A few years ago, a novel measurement technique showed that protons are probably smaller than had been assumed since the 1990s. The discrepancy surprised the scientific community; some researchers even believed that the Standard Model of particle physics would have to be changed. Physicists have now developed a method that allows them to analyze the results of older and more recent experiments much more comprehensively than before. This also results in a smaller proton radius from the older data. So there is probably no difference between the values - no matter which measurement method they are based on.

An entirely new toxic compound found in an Australian tropical sea anemone is being analysed as a potential new drug therapy, after it was discovered by biomolecular scientists during investigation of the species' multiple venoms.

Wetland plants have a high tolerance against flooding due to the formation of 'lysigenous aerenchyma,' air channels that help transfer gases to the submerged roots. These channels also help the plant withstand drought and nutrient deficiency. Now, scientists investigate the underlying mechanism of aerenchyma formation to understand the phenomenon better, opening doors to the development of crops that are resilient against extreme weather changes.

As many as half a million Australians are suffering from constant tinnitus, with farmers, automotive workers, transport drivers, construction workers and other trades people at the greatest risk, a national survey has found.