ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

Falcons have natural 'eye makeup' to improve hunting ability

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 04:41 PM PDT

Dark 'eyeliner' feathers of peregrine falcons act as sun shields to improve the birds' hunting ability, a new scientific study suggests. Scientists have long speculated that falcons' eye markings improve their ability to target fast-moving prey, like pigeons and doves, in bright sunlight. Now research suggests these markings have evolved according to the climate; the sunnier the bird's habitat, the larger and darker are the tell-tale dark 'sun-shade' feathers.

Scientists learn what fuels the 'natural killers' of the immune system

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:51 PM PDT

Scientists are understanding more about natural killer (NK) cells, which are your allies when it comes to fighting infections and cancer.

Turning the tables -- how table corals are regenerating reefs

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

New research shows table corals can regenerate coral reef habitats on the Great Barrier Reef decades faster than any other coral type. The research suggests overall reef recovery would slow considerably if table corals declined or disappeared on the Great Barrier Reef.

New algorithm could help enable next-generation deep brain stimulation devices

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a technique that could allow deep brain stimulation devices to sense activity in the brain and adjust stimulation accordingly.

Prototype of robotic device to pick, trim button mushrooms

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a robotic mechanism for mushroom picking and trimming and demonstrated its effectiveness for the automated harvesting of button mushrooms.

Innovative surgical simulator is a significant advance in training trauma teams

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

Simulators have long been used for training surgeons and surgical teams, but traditional simulator platforms typically have a built-in limitation: they often simulate one or a limited number of conditions that require performance of isolated tasks, such as placing an intravenous catheter, instead of simulating and providing opportunities for feedback on the performance of multiple interventions that a trauma victim may require at the same time. To overcome this limitation, the Advanced Modular Manikin (AMM), an innovative simulation platform that allows integration of other simulation devices, was developed and field testing was conducted, with support from the Department of Defense (DoD).

Modulating rapamycin target protein promotes autophagy, lowering toxic Huntingtin protein

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

Recent failed clinical trials of a drug designed to clear the mutant Huntingtin protein that causes Huntington's disease (HD) heightens the need for new approaches for the devastating, incurable, progressive neurodegenerative genetic disorder. Scientists have found that the targeting the protein called FK506-binding protein 51 or FKBP51 promotes the clearing of those toxic proteins via autophagy, a natural process whereby cells recycle damaged proteins and mitochondria and use them for nutrition.

New evidence may change timeline for when people first arrived in North America

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

An unexpected discovery suggests that the first humans may have arrived in North America more than 30,000 years ago - nearly 20,000 years earlier than originally thought.

New method to improve durability of nano-electronic components, further semiconductor manufacturing

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 01:50 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a novel approach to mitigating electromigration in nanoscale electronic interconnects that are ubiquitous in state-of-the-art integrated circuits. This was achieved by coating copper metal interconnects with hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), an atomically-thin insulating two-dimensional (2D) material that shares a similar structure as the 'wonder material' graphene.

Vitamin D may not provide protection from COVID-19 susceptibility or disease severity, study suggests

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:56 PM PDT

Observational studies have suggested that increased vitamin D levels may protect against COVID-19. However, these studies were inconclusive and possibly subject to confounding. A new study suggests that genetic evidence does not support vitamin D as a protective measure against COVID-19.

Light shed on mysterious genotype-phenotype associations

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:56 PM PDT

A new study analyzing the association between an individual's genetics (genotype) and their observable characteristics resulting from the interaction of genetics and the environment (phenotype), contributes new knowledge to the understanding of human complex traits and diseases.

Engineers demonstrate a quantum advantage

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:56 PM PDT

Researchers experimentally show that quantum resources have an advantage over classical -- even in the NISQ era.

How best to focus efforts on classifying new species to prevent their extinction?

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Many organisms in need of conservation are still unknown or lumped in with similar species, which potentially interferes with conservation efforts. Researchers present a new 'return-on-investment' approach to best direct efforts to identify new species before they are lost.

Role of sleep-related brain activity in clearing toxic proteins and preventing Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Evidence of sleep-dependent low-frequency (less than 0.1 Hz) global brain activity in the clearance of Alzheimer's disease-related toxin buildup is presented in new research. This neuronal activity was more strongly linked with cerebrospinal fluid flow in healthy controls than higher risk groups and patients, and the findings could serve as a potential imaging marker for clinicians in evaluating patients.

'Self-aware' materials build the foundation for living structures

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

New research describes a new metamaterial system that acts as its own sensor, recording and relaying important information about the pressure and stresses on its structure. The so-called 'self-aware metamaterial' generates its own power and can be used for a wide array of sensing and monitoring applications.

Researchers discover gene linked to bone cancer in children, ID potential novel therapy

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Researchers have discovered a gene, OTUD7A, that impacts the development of Ewing sarcoma, a bone cancer that occurs mainly in children. They have also identified a compound that shows potential to block OTUD7A protein activity. Critical relationships between proteins contribute to the development of cancers such as Ewing sarcoma. So, it was a seminal discovery when the researchers found that OTUD7A controls the cancer-causing fusion protein.

Healthy lifestyle linked to better cognition for oldest adults -- regardless of genetic risk

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

A new analysis of adults aged 80 years and older shows that a healthier lifestyle is associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment, and that this link does not depend on whether a person carries a particular form of the gene APOE.

Parasites may accumulate in spleens of asymptomatic individuals infected with malaria

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

Malaria, a disease caused mainly by the parasites Plasmodium falciparum and Plasmodium vivax, is associated with over 400,000 deaths each year. Previously, the spleen was assumed to mostly play a role in parasite destruction, as it eliminates malaria parasites after antimalarial treatment. A new study suggests that in chronic P. vivax infections, malaria parasites survive and replicate via a previously undetected lifecycle within the spleen.

Improved detection of atrial fibrillation could prevent disabling strokes

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:20 PM PDT

A clinical trial examining the efficacy of two devices to monitor and detect atrial fibrillation (AF), or an irregular heartbeat, in ischemic stroke patients -- one an implantable device that monitors over 12 months, the other an external device that monitors over a 30-day period -- found the implantable device is more than three times more effective in detecting AF.

Harmonious electronic structure leads to enhanced quantum materials

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:19 PM PDT

Researchers have discovered a new mechanism in magnetic compounds that couples multiple topological bands. The coupling can significantly enhance the effects of quantum phenomena.

If countries implement Paris pledges with cuts to aerosols, millions of lives can be saved

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 12:19 PM PDT

Aerosol reductions that would take place as countries meet climate goals could contribute to global cooling and prevent more than one million annual premature deaths over a decade, according to a new study.

How AI could alert firefighters of imminent danger

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Researchers have developed an artificial-intelligence-powered tool to predict and warn of a deadly phenomenon in burning buildings known as flashover, when flammable materials in a room ignite almost simultaneously, producing a potentially ferocious blaze. The tool's predictions are based on temperature data from a building's heat detectors, and, remarkably, it is designed to operate even after heat detectors begin to fail, making do with the remaining devices.

Scientists identify mechanism linking traumatic brain injury to neurodegenerative disease

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Scientists have revealed a potential mechanism for how traumatic brain injury leads to neurodegenerative diseases.

Revealing the mysteries of stonefish venom

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Scientists working to unlock the mysteries Australia's deadly stonefish have made a discovery which could change how sting victims are treated in the future.

Precise data for improved coastline protection

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Researchers have conducted the first precise and comprehensive measurements of sea level rises in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea. A new method now makes it possible to determine sea level changes with millimeter accuracy even in coastal areas and in case of sea ice coverage. This is of vital importance for planning protective measures.

Junk food game helps people eat less and lose weight

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Using a brain-training app helps people eat less junk food and lose weight, new research suggests.

It's never too early to begin healthy eating habits

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Researchers found that when health workers were trained to promote infant healthy feeding practices to pregnant women their children consumed less fats and carbohydrates at 3 years of age and had lower measures of body fat at the age of 6. The study is the first to show that the roots for obesity start in the first year of life, after mothers stop breastfeeding.

A new direction of topological research is ready for take off

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:58 AM PDT

Through a recently developed experimental platform, topological matter can be realized in a fast, cost efficient, and versatile way. A breakthrough has now been achieved by physicists as they have observed topological phenomena in a circuit system with gain and loss. The theoretical foundation for non-Hermitian topology might enable optronic technologies in the long run.

Scientists demonstrate a better, more eco-friendly method to produce hydrogen peroxide

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is used to disinfect minor cuts at home and for oxidative reactions in industrial manufacturing. The pandemic has further fueled demand for its antiseptic properties, but H2O2 is actually difficult and expensive to manufacture at scale. A team led by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign has demonstrated a more efficient and environmentally friendly method to produce H2O2, according to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Researchers fine-tune control over AI image generation

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new state-of-the-art method for controlling how artificial intelligence (AI) systems create images. The work has applications for fields from autonomous robotics to AI training.

How news coverage affects public trust in science

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

News media reports about scientific failures that do not recognize the self-correcting nature of science can damage public perceptions of trust and confidence in scientific work, according to new findings.

Mass of human chromosomes measured

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Researchers used a powerful X-ray beam to determine the number of electrons in a spread of 46 chromosomes which they used to calculate mass.

Why deep freezing iron-based materials makes them both magnetic and superconducting

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Physicists have uncovered a new mechanism for enabling magnetism and superconductivity to co-exist in the same material.

Turbulence in interstellar gas clouds reveals multi-fractal structures

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Astronomers describe the complex structure of the interstellar medium using a new mathematical method. The dispersion of interstellar turbulence in gas clouds before star formation unfolds in a cosmically small space.

Researchers develop proof-of-concept treatment that elevates adult and fetal hemoglobin

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a proof-of-concept treatment for blood disorders like sickle cell disease and beta-thalassemia that could raise hemoglobin levels by activating production of both fetal and adult hemoglobin. Using a viral vector engineered to reactivate fetal hemoglobin production, suppress mutant hemoglobin, and supply functional adult hemoglobin, the researchers developed an approach that could produce more hemoglobin through a single vector.

Early bird or night owl? Study links shift worker sleep to 'chronotype'

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Getting enough sleep can be a real challenge for shift workers affecting their overall health. But what role does being an early bird or night owl play in getting good rest? Researchers find a link between chronotype and amount of sleep shift workers can get with their irregular schedules.

How the major Swedish forest fire of 2014 affected the ecosystem

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Researchers have spent four years gathering data from the areas affected by the major forest fire of 2014. In their study of how the ecosystem as a whole has been altered, they could see that water quality in watercourses quickly returned to normal, while forested areas continued to lose carbon for many years after the fire.

Trust among corvids

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Corvids use social information to protect themselves against deception by conspecifics from neighboring territories.

Mini bone marrow model predicts response to blood disorder treatment

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

A new miniature 3D model of human bone marrow has just been described. The model may help clinicians predict which patients will benefit from a new therapy for blood platelet disorders, such as Inherited Thrombocytopenias -- a group of familial disorders that inhibit the production of platelets. It could also enable further study of these disorders and give scientists a new tool to test experimental treatments.

Taking a bite out of tooth evolution: Frogs have lost teeth more than 20 times

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 10:57 AM PDT

Researchers analyzed CT scans of nearly every living amphibian genus to reveal that frogs have lost teeth over 20 times during their evolution, more than any other vertebrate group.

Is the U. S. understating climate emissions from meat and dairy production?

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

Methane emissions from North American livestock may be routinely undercounted, a new analysis finds. The work also notes that in developing countries, where animal agriculture is becoming increasingly industrialized, methane emissions could rise more than expected.

Air quality improved during India lockdown, study shows

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

Research has shown the first COVID-19 lockdown in India led to an improvement in air quality and a reduction in land surface temperature in major urban areas across the country.

How do plants hedge their bets?

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

In some environments there is no way for a seed to know for sure when the best time to germinate is. So how does a plant make sure that all of its offspring are not killed at once by an ill-timed environmental stress following germination?

Californian smoke drifted as far as Europe in 2020 and caused heavy clouding of sun

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

The smoke from the extreme forest fires on the US West Coast in September 2020 travelled over many thousands of kilometers to Central Europe, where it continued to affect the atmosphere for days afterwards. A comparison of ground and satellite measurements now shows: The forest fire aerosol disturbed the free troposphere over Leipzig in Germany as never before.

Childhood cancer discovery may stop tumor spread before it starts

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

A new discovery in Ewing sarcoma, an aggressive and often fatal childhood cancer, has uncovered the potential to prevent cancer cells from spreading beyond their primary tumour site. Researchers have learned that Ewing sarcoma cells -- and likely other types of cancer cells -- are able to develop a shield that protects them from the harsh environment of the bloodstream and other locations as they search for a new place to settle, or metastasize.

Head injury and concussion in toddlers: Early detection of symptoms is vital

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:18 AM PDT

Concussions can have serious consequences for toddlers. A research team has developed a tool to detect them in children who do not yet speak or have a limited vocabulary.

'Electronic nose' accurately sniffs out hard-to-detect cancers

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:17 AM PDT

An odor-based test that sniffs out vapors emanating from blood samples was able to distinguish between benign and pancreatic and ovarian cancer cells with up to 95% accuracy.

Western Australia's natural 'museums of biodiversity' at risk

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:17 AM PDT

Up to three quarters of the biodiversity living on Western Australia's iconic ironstone mountains in the State's Mid West (known as Banded Iron Formations) could be difficult or impossible to return quickly to its previous state after the landscape has been mined, a study has found.

Protecting the intellectual abilities of people at risk for psychosis

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:17 AM PDT

Psychotic disorders comes with a progressive decline in IQ. If current drug treatments are successful in containing psychotic symptoms, nothing can be done to prevent the deterioration of intellectual skills that leads to loss of autonomy. Researchers have discovered that prescription of selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in late childhood can reduce the deterioration of intellectual abilities and have a neuroprotective effect on some of the brain regions affected by the psychotic illness.

ALS development could be triggered by loss of network connections in the spinal cord

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:17 AM PDT

The network connection between nerve cells in the spinal cord seems to play a critical role in the development of the severe disease ALS, a new study suggests. The study, which is based on a mouse model, may change the way we think about the disease, says researchers.

Key causes of ocean circulation change

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 09:17 AM PDT

Researchers have identified the key factors that influence a vital pattern of ocean currents.

Scientists say active early learning shapes the adult brain

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

Through the Abecedarian Project, an early education, randomized controlled trial that has followed children since 1971, researchers have discovered an enhanced learning environment during the first five years of life shapes the brain in ways that are apparent four decades later.

Light-shrinking material lets ordinary microscope see in super resolution

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

Engineers have developed a technology that turns a conventional light microscope into what's called a super-resolution microscope. It improves the microscope's resolution (from 200 nm to 40 nm) so that it can be used to directly observe finer structures and details in living cells.

Looking at future of Antarctic through an Indigenous Maori lens

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

It is time for the management and conservation of the Antarctic to begin focusing on responsibility, rather than rights, through an Indigenous Maori framework, an academic argues.

Being born very preterm or very low birthweight is associated with continued lower IQ performance into adulthood

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

The average IQ of adults who were born very preterm (VP) or at a very low birth weight (VLBW) has been compared to adults born full term. Researchers have found VP/VLBW children may require special support in their education to boost their learning throughout childhood.

Infection with human papillomavirus linked to higher risk of preterm birth

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

Women carrying human papillomavirus (HPV) run an elevated risk of preterm birth, a new study shows. A connection can thus be seen between the virus itself and the risk for preterm birth that previously has been observed in pregnant women who have undergone treatment for abnormal cell changes due to HPV.

Unraveling DNA packaging

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

Researchers report how high-speed atomic force microscopy can be used for studying DNA wrapping processes. The technique enables visualizing the dynamics of DNA-protein interactions, which in certain cases resembles the motion of inchworms.

Scientists identify protein that activates plant response to nitrogen deficiency

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a plant enzyme that is key to activating a nitrate uptake mechanism in response to nitrogen starvation. This finding explains how plants meet their needs in challenging environments, opening doors to improving agriculture in such environments.

Overweight or obesity worsens liver-damaging effects of alcohol

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:07 AM PDT

The largest study of its kind has found people in the overweight or obese range who drink alcohol are at greater risk of liver disease and mortality.

The secret to stickiness of mussels underwater

Posted: 01 Jun 2021 07:06 AM PDT

Mussels survive by sticking to rocks in the fierce waves or tides underwater. Materials mimicking this underwater adhesion are widely used for skin or bone adhesion, for modifying the surface of a scaffold, or even in drug or cell delivery systems. However, these materials have not entirely imitated the capabilities of mussels.