ScienceDaily: Latest Science News


On Jupiter's moon Europa, 'chaos terrains' could be shuttling oxygen to ocean

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 11:38 AM PDT

Researchers have built the world's first physics-based computer simulation of oxygen transport on Europa, finding that it's possible for oxygen to drain through the moon's icy shell and into its ocean of liquid water -- where it could potentially help sustain alien life -- by hitching a ride on salt water under the moon's 'chaos terrains.' The results show that not only is the transport possible, but that the amount of oxygen brought into Europa's ocean could be on a par with the quantity of oxygen in Earth's oceans today.

Do octopuses, squid and crabs have emotions?

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 11:37 AM PDT

Octopuses can solve complex puzzles and show a preference for different individuals, but whether they, and other animals and invertebrates, have emotions is being hotly debated and could shake up humans' moral decision-making, says an expert in animal minds. Most countries don't recognize invertebrates, such as octopuses, crabs, lobsters and crayfish, as sentient beings that can feel pain, but the United Kingdom is considering amendments to its animal welfare legislation that would recognize this.

Warming oceans are getting louder

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:03 AM PDT

Climate change is speeding sound transmission in the oceans and the way it varies over the globe with physical properties of the oceans. Two 'acoustic hotspots' of future sound speed increases are predicted east of Greenland and in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean, East of Newfoundland. In these locations, the average speed of sound is likely to increase by more than 1.5% if 'business-as-usual' high rates of greenhouse gas emissions continue through 2100.

Health risk due to micro- and nanoplastics in food

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 10:02 AM PDT

Five grams of plastic particles on average enter the human gastrointestinal tract per person per week. This is roughly equivalent to the weight of a credit card. Whether ingested micro- and nanoplastics pose a health risk is being investigated in numerous studies but is largely unknown to date. A research team has now summarized the current state of scientific knowledge.

How campus design and architecture influence interaction among researchers

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:25 AM PDT

A new study examines the relationship between physical proximity, social networking, and collaboration on a university campus.

Male dolphins whistle to maintain key social relationships

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 09:25 AM PDT

Allied male bottlenose dolphins maintain weaker yet vital social relationships with whistle exchanges, researchers have found.

IgA antibodies seem to protect unvaccinated against COVID-19, study finds

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

Despite daily contact with COVID-19 patients early in the pandemic, some health professionals avoided falling ill. As a new study shows, the explanation appears to be an antidote in the immune system: IgA antibodies to COVID-19.

Racial minorities are less likely to receive CPR when they need it

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

Black and Hispanic individuals who experience a witnessed cardiac arrest at home or in public are substantially less likely than white individuals to receive cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) from a bystander, according to a new study.

Programmable button speeds triage process for faster heart attack care

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

Shaving critical minutes off the time it takes to diagnose a heart attack and begin treatment could be as simple as the push of a button. Using a programmable button to page a phlebotomist for a blood draw reduced the time it took to identify patients suffering a heart attack by more than 11 minutes on average, in a new study.

Good news for coffee lovers: Daily coffee may benefit the heart

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

Drinking coffee -- particularly two to three cups a day -- is not only associated with a lower risk of heart disease and dangerous heart rhythms but also with living longer, according to recent studies. These trends held true for both people with and without cardiovascular disease. Researchers said the analyses -- the largest to look at coffee's potential role in heart disease and death -- provide reassurance that coffee isn't tied to new or worsening heart disease and may actually be heart protective.

Speaking from the heart: Could your voice reveal your heart health?

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

An artificial intelligence (AI)-based computer algorithm accurately predicted a person's likelihood of suffering heart problems related to clogged arteries based on voice recordings alone.

Exercise holds even more heart health benefits for people with stress-related conditions

Posted: 24 Mar 2022 07:44 AM PDT

Regular physical activity had nearly doubled the cardiovascular benefit in individuals with depression or anxiety, compared with individuals without these diagnoses, according to a new study.

Scholars call for Paris Accord-style global agreement to combat emergence of 'superbugs'

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 01:06 PM PDT

Public health experts have long been concerned by the emergence of so-called 'superbugs' -- existing bacterial, viral, or fungal pathogens that have evolved to evade the antibiotics, antivirals and antifungals developed to kill them. The scope and severity of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the urgent need for a co-ordinated global response are the subjects of a new paper, co-authored by 25 scholars.

Discovery could pave way for new lung treatment

Posted: 23 Mar 2022 12:17 PM PDT

Scientists have discovered a new family of helpful proteins in the lung. When stimulated, these bitter taste receptors, called T2Rs, prevent fluid from entering the lung through blood vessels. The findings could pave the way for new treatment for patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), which is associated with an excessive increase in pulmonary vascular permeability.