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| Will COVID-19 eventually become just a seasonal nuisance? Posted: 20 May 2021 02:42 PM PDT Within the next decade, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 could become little more than a nuisance, causing no more than common cold-like coughs and sniffles. That possible future is predicted by mathematical models that incorporate lessons learned from the current pandemic on how our body's immunity changes over time. |
| Scientists reveal structural details of how SARS-CoV-2 variants escape immune response Posted: 20 May 2021 02:41 PM PDT Fast-spreading variants of the COVID-19-causing coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, carry mutations that enable the virus to escape some of the immune response created naturally or by vaccination. A new study has revealed key details of how these escape mutations work. |
| Robotic 'Third Thumb' use can alter brain representation of the hand Posted: 20 May 2021 01:03 PM PDT Using a robotic 'Third Thumb' can impact how the hand is represented in the brain, finds a new study. |
| A plant-fungi partnership at the origin of terrestrial vegetation Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT 450 million years ago, the first plants left aquatic life. Researchers have now succeeded in demonstrating that this colonization of land by plants was made possible by a partnership between plants and fungi. Validating this 40-year-old hypothesis allows us to understand a stage that was crucial to the development of life on Earth. |
| Brain stimulation evoking sense of touch improves control of robotic arm Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT The brain-computer interface user was able to transfer objects with a robotic arm at twice the speed of doing it without the tactile feedback. |
| Earth's vegetation is changing faster today than it has over the last 18,000 years Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT A global survey of fossil pollen has discovered that the planet's vegetation is changing at least as quickly today as it did when the last ice sheets retreated around 10,000 years ago. |
| Compound commonly found in candles lights the way to grid-scale energy storage Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT A compound used widely in candles offers promise for a much more modern energy challenge -- storing massive amounts of energy to be fed into the electric grid as the need arises. Researchers show that low-cost organic compounds hold promise for storing energy that would kick in when the grid goes offline due to severe weather, and for storing renewable energy. |
| Forests and climate change: 'We can't plant our way out of the climate crisis' Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT Some climate activists advocate large-scale tree-planting campaigns in forests around the world to suck up heat-trapping carbon dioxide and help rein in climate change. |
| Coronavirus transmission in Queens drove the first wave of New York city's pandemic, study finds Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT The most populous boroughs in New York City, Queens and Brooklyn, likely served as the major hub of COVID-19 spread in the spring of 2020, a new study finds. |
| Most ancient galaxy with spiral morphology discovered Posted: 20 May 2021 11:53 AM PDT Analyzing data obtained with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), researchers found a galaxy with a spiral morphology by only 1.4 billion years after the Big Bang. This is the most ancient galaxy of its kind ever observed. The discovery of a galaxy with a spiral structure at such an early stage is an important clue to solving the classic questions of astronomy: 'How and when did spiral galaxies form?' |
| Hubble tracks down fast radio bursts to galaxies' spiral arms Posted: 20 May 2021 10:39 AM PDT Astronomers have traced the locations of five brief, powerful radio blasts to the spiral arms of five distant galaxies. |
| Swifts set new record for swiftness Posted: 20 May 2021 10:39 AM PDT Swifts aren't called 'swifts' for nothing. They're known for being among the fastest migrating small birds around. When they aren't breeding, common swifts stay in the air most of the time -- up to 10 months of the year. Scientists had thought they travel about 500 kilometers per day on average. Now, new evidence shows that's a conservative estimate. |
| Self-organizing human heart organoids in a dish Posted: 20 May 2021 10:39 AM PDT Biologists have used human pluripotent stem cells to grow sesame-seed-sized heart models, called cardioids, that spontaneously self-organize to develop a hollow chamber without the need of experimental scaffolds. This advance allows for the creation of some of the most realistic heart organoids to date. |
| Independent of IQ, 'decision acuity' predicts broad range of decision-making abilities Posted: 20 May 2021 10:39 AM PDT A common factor called 'decision acuity' underpins diverse decision-making abilities in adolescents and young adults, suggests a new study. A large set of behavioral and neuroimaging data revealed that decision acuity is stable over time, distinct from IQ, and reduced in individuals with low general social functioning. |
| New type of particle accelerator: Electrons riding a double wave Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT An international research group has now made significant progress in the further development of compact plasma accelerators, considered a promising technology for the future: With two complementary experiments, the team was able to combine two different plasma technologies for the first time and build a novel hybrid accelerator. The concept could advance accelerator development and, in the long term, become the basis of highly brilliant X-ray sources for research and medicine. |
| Young orangutans have sex-specific role models Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT Social learning in orangutans is shaped by their sex. Young males learn their foraging skills from immigrant individuals, while young females get their skills by observing their mothers and other residents in the area. These different sets of ecological knowledge help secure their survival. |
| Origins of life researchers develop a new ecological biosignature Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT In groundbreaking work, a team has developed a new ecological biosignature that could help scientists detect life in vastly different environments. |
| Not all theories can explain the black hole M87* Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT Theoretical physicists have analyzed data from the black hole M87* as part of the Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) collaboration to test Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity. According to the tests, the size of the shadow from M87* is in excellent agreement being from a black hole in general relativity, but sets constraints on the properties of black holes in other theories. |
| Epigenetic mechanism can explain how chemicals in plastic may cause lower IQ levels Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT The chemical bisphenol F (found in plastics) can induce changes in a gene that is vital for neurological development. The mechanism could explain why exposure to this chemical during the fetal stage may be connected with a lower IQ at seven years of age -- an association previously seen by the same research group. |
| Airborne radar reveals groundwater beneath glacier Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT Researchers have detected groundwater beneath a glacier in Greenland for the first time using airborne radar data. If applicable to other glaciers and ice sheets, the technique could allow for more accurate predictions of future sea-level rise. |
| An inconstant Hubble constant? Research suggests fix to cosmological cornerstone Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT More than 90 years ago, astronomer Edwin Hubble observed the first hint of the rate at which the universe expands, called the Hubble constant. |
| How plants leave behind their parents' genomic baggage Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT Small chemical 'epigenetic' modifications help plants control their genes. Baby plants erase these modifications to start with a fresh genome every generation. Scientists discovered a gene responsible for reinstalling the beneficial modifications important for survival. Reinstalling these modifications on mobile genetic elements called transposons may explain the diversity of flowering plants. |
| Global study of glacier debris shows impact on melt rate Posted: 20 May 2021 10:37 AM PDT The work is a global assessment of Earth's 92,033 debris-covered glaciers and shows that debris, taken as a whole, substantially reduces glacier mass loss. |
| Rare 4,000-year comets can cause meteor showers on Earth Posted: 20 May 2021 10:36 AM PDT Researchers report that they can detect showers from the debris in the path of comets that pass close to Earth orbit and return as infrequently as once every 4,000 years. |
| Yellowstone National Park is hotter than ever Posted: 20 May 2021 06:50 AM PDT Yellowstone National Park is famous for harsh winters but a new study shows summers are also getting harsher, with August 2016 ranking as one of the hottest summers in the last 1,250 years. |
| Earthquake creates ecological opportunity Posted: 20 May 2021 06:50 AM PDT A new study has revealed how earthquake upheaval has affected New Zealand's coastal species. |
| Moon mission delays could increase risks from solar storms Posted: 20 May 2021 06:50 AM PDT Although patterns in the timing of moderate space weather events are known, the most extreme and dangerous events were thought to be random in their timing. This study found for the first time that extreme space weather occurs most frequently at predictable times during solar cycles, meaning space missions could be timed to avoid them. |
| Declining biodiversity in Tibet's mountainous regions in response to climate change Posted: 20 May 2021 06:50 AM PDT Normally, mountain forests are among the most diverse habitats in alpine regions. Yet, as a team discovered in the Tibetan Plateau, the higher, treeless areas are home to far more species. |
| A safer, greener way to make solar cells: Toxic solvent replaced Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT Scientists have found a way to replace the toxic, unsustainable solvents currently needed to make the next generation of solar technology - printed carbon perovskite solar cells. |
| Tree species diversity is no protection against bark beetle infestation Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT An ecologist investigates pest infestation in forests with mixed and monoculture tree stands. |
| White shark population is small but healthy off the coast of Central California Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT The population of white sharks that call the Central California coast their primary home is holding steady at about 300 animals and shows some signs of growth, a new long-term study of the species has shown. |
| Nuclear terrorism could be intercepted by neutron-gamma detector that pinpoints source Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT Scanning technology aimed at detecting small amounts of nuclear materials was unveiled by scientists in Sweden today, with the hope of preventing acts of nuclear terrorism. |
| What causes pools below waterfalls to periodically fill with sediment? Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT Deep pools below waterfalls are popular recreational swimming spots, but sometimes they can be partially or completely filled with sediment. New research showed how and why pools at the base of waterfalls, known as plunge pools, go through natural cycles of sediment fill and evacuation. |
| New role for strange organisms in ocean food web Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT Researchers have more insight into salps -- a strange sea creature found in oceans around the world -- and what their presence means for the health of a marine ecosystem. |
| A revolutionary method to drastically reduce stray light on space telescopes Posted: 19 May 2021 01:36 PM PDT Researchers have developed a method for identifying stray light sources on space telescopes, significantly improving their performance. |
| Study on bizarre rodent genetics solves a mystery and reveals another Posted: 19 May 2021 01:26 PM PDT Researchers uncover what one co-author describes as 'the weirdest sex chromosome system known to science': an unassuming vole species whose X and Y chromosomes have fused, switched roles and swapped smaller pieces of DNA. The discovery is a rare exception to mammals' remarkably stable sex determination system. |
| Study validates shorter treatment for major world infection, tuberculosis Posted: 19 May 2021 10:26 AM PDT A study of tuberculosis drug therapy found that a two-drug, four-month regimen can be used to treat TB as effectively as the standard regimen that lasts six months and consists of four drugs. |
| Triple-drug therapy safely cuts serious asthma flares Posted: 19 May 2021 10:26 AM PDT Researchers have found that the inclusion of a third drug to commonly used dual-drug inhalers can reduce asthma exacerbations and improve control over the disease in children, adolescents, and adults with moderate-to-severe asthma. |
| Tampons, sanitary napkins could diagnose yeast infections with color-changing threads Posted: 19 May 2021 09:09 AM PDT The yeast Candida albicans can cause itchy, painful urinary tract and vaginal yeast infections. For women in low-resource settings who lack access to healthcare facilities, these infections create substantial social and economic burdens. Now, researchers have developed color-changing threads that turn bright pink in the presence of C. albicans. When embedded in tampons or sanitary napkins, they could allow women to quickly and discreetly self-diagnose vulvovaginal yeast infections, the researchers say. |
| Envisioning safer cities with AI Posted: 19 May 2021 09:08 AM PDT Researchers developed a suite of AI tools that can automatically identify characteristics of every buildings in a city and compute the risks they would face during a natural hazard event. The team tested the tools with simulated earthquakes in San Francisco; and hurricanes in Lake Charles, Louisiana, the Texas coast, and Atlantic City, New Jersey. The simulations generated realistic spatial distributions of buildings and identified some building characteristics with 100% accuracy. |
| 'Zipcode lottery' of nutrient intake from crops revealed in new study Posted: 19 May 2021 09:08 AM PDT The amount of nutrients people get from the crops that they eat is a type of 'postcode lottery', according to new research that has analysed thousands of cereal grains and soils as part of a project to tackle hidden hunger in Malawi and Ethiopia. |
| Heavy metal vapors unexpectedly found in comets throughout our Solar System -- and beyond Posted: 19 May 2021 09:08 AM PDT A new study has shown that iron and nickel exist in the atmospheres of comets throughout our Solar System, even those far from the Sun. A separate study reported that nickel vapor is also present in the icy interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. This is the first time heavy metals have been found in the cold atmospheres of distant comets. |
| 'No level of smoke exposure is safe' Posted: 19 May 2021 09:08 AM PDT This is the first evidence that secondhand smoke during pregnancy correlates with changes in disease-related gene regulation in babies. These findings support the idea that many adult diseases have their origins in environmental exposures, such as stress, poor nutrition, pollution or tobacco smoke, during early development. |
| Plant consumers play unexpectedly large role in the evolution of seedling success Posted: 19 May 2021 09:08 AM PDT Scientists have found that herbivores have a lot to say about plant evolution and determining the success of seedlings. The influence of birds, rabbits, mice and other herbivores likely counteracts early plant emergence due to climate change, the researchers found. |
| New insight into protein production in brain could help tackle dementia Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT Scientists have revealed a layer of genetic material involved in controlling the production of tau; a protein which plays a critical role in serious degenerative conditions, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's disease. |
| Single fingerprint at a crime scene detects class A drug usage Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT The latest findings show that with clever science, a single fingerprint left at a crime scene could be used to determine whether someone has touched or ingested class A drugs. |
| Cholesterol levels sustainably lowered using base editing Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT Base editing is a novel gene editing approach that can precisely change individual building blocks in a DNA sequence. By installing such a point mutation in a specific gene, an international research team has succeeded in sustainably lowering high LDL cholesterol levels in the blood of mice and macaques. This opens up the possibility of curing patients with inherited metabolic liver diseases. |
| New study shows flies mutant for schizophrenia-associated genes respond well to anti-psychotics Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT Scientists have successfully treated flies displaying behavioral problems linked to newly discovered schizophrenia-associated genes in humans, using common anti-psychotics. |
| Alzheimer protein APP regulates learning and social behavior in the healthy brain Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT The APP protein is known for its role in Alzheimer's disease, but its contribution to healthy brain function remains largely unexplored. Using a mouse model, a research team gained new insights on the physiological functions of the APP protein family. The absence of APP during brain development was shown to result in malformations of brain regions implicated in learning and memory, severely impairing learning in the mice and causing autistic-like behavior. |
| Different physical activity 'cocktails' have similar health benefits Posted: 19 May 2021 09:07 AM PDT A new study describes multiple ways to achieve the same health benefits from exercise -- as long as your exercise 'cocktail' includes plenty of light physical activity. |
| Magnetically propelled cilia power climbing soft robots and microfluidic pumps Posted: 19 May 2021 09:06 AM PDT The rhythmic motions of hair-like cilia move liquids around cells or propel the cells themselves. In nature, cilia flap independently, and mimicking these movements with artificial materials requires complex mechanisms. Now, researchers have made artificial cilia that move in a wave-like fashion when a rotating magnetic field is applied, making them suitable for versatile, climbing soft robots and microfluidic devices. |
| Researchers use 'hole-y' math and machine learning to study cellular self-assembly Posted: 19 May 2021 08:48 AM PDT A new study shows that mathematical topology can reveal how human cells organize into complex spatial patterns, helping to categorize them by the formation of branched and clustered structures. |
| New insights into androgen's action could boost battle against prostate cancer Posted: 19 May 2021 06:16 AM PDT Researchers have unveiled important new insights into how hormones known as androgens act on our cells - and the discovery could boost efforts to develop better treatments for prostate, ovarian and breast cancers. |
| Researchers identify potential approach to controlling epileptic seizures Posted: 19 May 2021 05:05 AM PDT Researchers have identified a potential new approach to better controlling epileptic seizures. |
| An illuminating possibility for stroke treatment: Nano-photosynthesis Posted: 19 May 2021 05:05 AM PDT Blocked blood vessels in the brains of stroke patients prevent oxygen-rich blood from getting to cells, causing severe damage. Plants and some microbes produce oxygen through photosynthesis. What if there was a way to make photosynthesis happen in the brains of patients? Now, researchers have done just that in cells and in mice, using blue-green algae and special nanoparticles, in a proof-of-concept demonstration. |
| Small uveal melanomas 'not always harmless' Posted: 19 May 2021 05:04 AM PDT A new article from ocular researchers demonstrates that small uveal (intraocular) melanomas are not always harmless, as the current paradigm suggests. Instead, a reasonable proportion of them have molecular genetic alterations, which categorizes them as highly metastatic tumors. The article recommends that they should not be observed but rather treated immediately, to improve patients' chances of survival. |
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