ScienceDaily: Most Popular News


Study shows benefits of early anticlotting therapy in moderate COVID-19

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 03:44 PM PDT

New research shows that administering a full dose of a standard blood thinner early to moderately ill hospitalized patients with COVID-19 could halt the thrombo-inflammation process and reduce the risk of severe disease and death.

Study evaluates biodiversity impacts of alternative energy strategies

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 03:44 PM PDT

Climate change mitigation efforts have led to shifts from fossil-fuel dependence to large-scale renewable energy. However, renewable energy sources require significant land and could come at a cost to ecosystems. A new study evaluates potential conflicts between alternative energy strategies and biodiversity conservation.

Impairments found in neurons derived from people with schizophrenia and genetic mutation

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 03:43 PM PDT

A scientific team has shown that the release of neurotransmitters in the brain is impaired in patients with schizophrenia who have a rare, single-gene mutation known to predispose people to a range of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Eating whole grains linked to smaller increases in waist size, blood pressure, blood sugar

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 01:53 PM PDT

A study finds middle- to older-aged adults who ate more servings of whole grains, compared to those who ate fewer, were more likely to have smaller increases in waist size, blood pressure, and blood sugar levels as they aged. All three are linked with increased risk of heart disease.

Bacteria are key to vaginal health, study finds

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 01:53 PM PDT

A recent study defines a mechanistic role for an understudied bacteria family in gynecologic disease.

Rats prefer to help their own kind; humans may be similarly wired

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 01:53 PM PDT

A decade after scientists discovered that lab rats will rescue a fellow rat in distress, but not a rat they consider an outsider, new research pinpoints the brain regions that drive rats to prioritize their nearest and dearest in times of crisis. It also suggests humans may share the same neural bias.

'Long COVID': More than a quarter of COVID-19 patients still symptomatic after 6 months

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 01:53 PM PDT

In a new study of adults from the general population who were infected with COVID-19 in 2020, more than a quarter report not having fully recovered after six to eight months.

Galactic gamma ray bursts predicted last year show up right on schedule

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 01:52 PM PDT

Astronomers see many periodic emissions from space, typically caused by rotation of stars and often very regular. Astrophysicists noticed a unique periodicity in the soft gamma ray emissions from a magnetar located in our galaxy. The soft gamma repeater SGR1935+2154 appears to emit bursts only within regularly spaced windows, and is inactive in between. Based on their analysis, they predicted a resumption of bursts last month; so far, a dozen have been detected.

Long-term memory setup requires a reliable delivery crew

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Neural plasticity depends on a reliable delivery team of Kinesin protein KIF5C to carry goods like RNA from cell body to synapse, a new study finds.

Species of gut bacteria linked to enhanced cognition and language skills in infant boys

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Infant boys with a higher composition of a particular gut microbiota show enhanced neurodevelopment, according to a new study.

Air pollution exposure linked to poor academics in childhood

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Children exposed to elevated levels of air pollution may be more likely to have poor inhibitory control during late childhood and poor academic skills in early adolescence, including spelling, reading comprehension, and math skills. Difficulty with inhibition in late childhood was found to be a precursor to later air pollution-related academic problems. Interventions that target inhibitory control might improve outcomes.

5D imaging of ultrafast phenomena

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

An international team of researchers recently developed and experimentally demonstrated a spectral-volumetric (SV) CUP system that can simultaneously capture 5D information with a single snapshot measurement.

Preventing lung cancer's unwelcome return

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Approximately 15% of lung cancer tumors are caused by a mutation in a growth receptor called EGFR. An effective drug can kill most of the cancer cells, but the tumor eventually grows back. Researchers investigated the molecular mechanisms behind this relapse. They discovered that some of the cells were resistant to the EGFR treatment; they survived using a parallel pathway.

What you say in the first minute after a vaccine can be key in reducing a child's distress

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

New pain research finds what you say in the first minute after a vaccine can be key in reducing a child's distress.

Are silver nanoparticles a silver bullet against microbes?

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Antimicrobials are used to kill or slow the growth of bacteria, viruses and other microorganisms. They are essential to preventing and treating infections, but they also pose a global threat to public health when microorganisms develop antimicrobial resistance. A lab studied the mechanisms behind bacterial resistance to silver nanoparticles to determine if their ubiquitous use is a solution to this challenge or if it is perhaps fueling the fire.

Mosquito-resistant clothing prevents bites in trials

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:58 AM PDT

Researchers have created insecticide-free, mosquito-resistant clothing using textile materials they confirmed to be bite-proof in experiments with live mosquitoes.

COVID-causing coronavirus following predictable mutational footsteps

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:57 AM PDT

New research has shown that the mutations arising in the COVID-19-causing SARS-CoV-2 virus seem to run in the family -- or at least the genus of coronaviruses most dangerous to humans. After comparing the early evolution of SARS-CoV-2 against that of its closest relatives, the betacoronaviruses, researchers found that SARS-CoV-2 mutations are occurring in essentially the same locations, both genetically and structurally.

The two-thousand-year-old mystery of the havoc-wreaking worm

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 11:57 AM PDT

Humans have known for over two thousand years that shipworms, a worm-like mollusk, are responsible for damage to wooden boats, docks, dikes and piers. Yet new research reveals that we still don't know the most basic thing about them: how they eat.

This device harvests power from your sweaty fingertips while you sleep

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 09:03 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a new device that harvests energy from the sweat on -- of all places -- your fingertips. To date, the device is believed to be the most efficient on-body energy harvester ever invented, producing 300 millijoules (mJ) of energy per square centimeter without any mechanical energy input during a 10-hour sleep and an additional 30 mJ of energy with a single press of a finger.

Electric signals between individual cardiac cells regulate heartbeat

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 09:03 AM PDT

Researchers provide an update on how electrical impulses in the heart travel from cell to cell. The connections between cells forming the low resistance pathway and facilitating the current flow are called gap junctions. Each consists of many channels, which are formed when specific proteins from one cell dock and fuse to the proteins from another cell. The scientists delve into the properties of gap junctions and their constituent proteins.

Supercomputer predicts cell-membrane permeability of cyclic peptides

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:09 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a computational method based on large-scale molecular dynamics simulations to predict the cell-membrane permeability of cyclic peptides using a supercomputer. Their protocol has exhibited promising accuracy and may become a useful tool for the design and discovery of cyclic peptide drugs, which could help us reach new therapeutic targets inside cells beyond the capabilities of conventional small-molecule drugs or antibody-based drugs.

Synthesis of one of the most abundant organic lipids elucidates its structure

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Crenarchaeol is a large, closed-loop lipid that is present in the membranes of ammonium-oxidizing archaea. In comparison to other archaeal membrane lipids, crenarchaeol is very complex and, so far, attempts to confirm its structure by synthesizing the entire molecule have been unsuccessful. Organic chemists have now taken up this challenge and discovered that the proposed structure for the molecule was largely, but not entirely, correct.

Poor and minority communities suffer more from extreme heat in US cities

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Low-income neighborhoods and communities with higher Black, Hispanic and Asian populations experience significantly more urban heat than wealthier and predominantly white neighborhoods within a vast majority of populous US counties, according new research.

Preventing oxygen release leads to safer high-energy-density batteries

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

As rechargeable batteries get more powerful, the chance of batteries overheating -- thermal runaway -- increases. Seeking a way to make batteries safer, researchers have investigated one of thermal runaway's main triggers: oxygen release.

Recent study identifies 11 candidate genetic variants for Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

A recently published study identifies 11 rare candidate variants for Alzheimer's disease. Researchers found 19 different families in Utah that suffered from Alzheimer's disease more frequently than what is considered normal.

Mechanical stimuli significantly influence organ growth

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

In addition to chemical factors, mechanical influences play an important role in the natural growth of human organs such as kidneys, lungs and mammary glands - but also in the development of tumors. Now a research team has investigated the process in detail using organoids, three-dimensional model systems of such organs which are produced in the laboratory.

Electrons in quantum liquid gain energy from laser pulses

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

The absorption of energy from laser light by free electrons in a liquid has been demonstrated for the first time. Until now, this process was observed only in the gas phase. The findings open new doors for ultra-fast electron microscopy.

Global study reveals effectiveness of protected forests

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Scientists have published a global study on the effectiveness of protected areas in preventing deforestation. The study explored the success of country-level protected areas at reducing forest loss, and used machine learning to uncover some of the factors that contribute to differences in effectiveness.

Simulating microswimmers in nematic fluids

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

New research shows how control over self-propelled microswimmers could be achieved using exotic materials named 'nematic liquid crystals' - whose viscosity and elasticity can vary depending on the direction of an applied force.

Mathematical model predicts the movement of microplastics in the ocean

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

New research has identified the processes that underpin the trajectories of microplastics below the ocean surface. The authors analyzed how biofouling -- the accumulation of algae on the surface of microplastics -- impacts the vertical movement of buoyant particles.

Reducing data-transfer error in radiation therapy

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

As the complexity of radiation therapy has grown, so too has the amount of data that goes into treatment machines. With more data comes more opportunity for errors in data transfer. A medical physics researcher is working to make those errors less likely.

The rat's whiskers: Multidisciplinary research reveals how we sense texture

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Two very different teams of scientists have worked together to reveal important insights into how we sense texture by looking at the whiskers of a rat.

Combining plant-based diet and healthy microbiome may protect against multiple sclerosis

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 08:08 AM PDT

A new study shows that a diet rich in isoflavone, a phytoestrogen or plant-based compound that resembles estrogen, protects against multiple sclerosis-like symptoms in a mouse model of the disease. Importantly, the isoflavone diet was only protective when the mice had gut microbes capable of breaking down the isoflavones.

Stopping illegal trade of Australian lizards

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:37 AM PDT

Australian reptiles face serious conservation threats from illegal poaching fueled by international demand and the exotic pet trade.

DNA reveals the evolutionary history of museum specimens

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:37 AM PDT

Museum specimens held in natural history collections around the world represent a wealth of underutilized genetic information due to the poor state of preservation of the DNA, which often makes it difficult to sequence. An international team has optimized a method developed for analyzing ancient DNA to identify the relationships between species on a deep evolutionary scale.

'Hydrogel-based flexible brain-machine interface'

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:36 AM PDT

A research team revealed a newly developed hydrogel-based flexible brain-machine interface.

Restless nights: Shelter housed dogs need days to adapt to new surroundings

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:36 AM PDT

Every year, thousands of dogs end up in a shelter in the Netherlands. Experts expect an increase in this number in the upcoming period, when people go back to the office after working from home during the corona crisis. Despite the good care of staff and volunteers, the shelter can be a turbulent experience for dogs. Researchers investigated if dogs can adapt to their new environment based on their nocturnal activity.

Revealing the mystery behind the threat of non-alcoholic liver disease

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:36 AM PDT

Researchers revealed how non-alcoholic fatty liver disease can develop into a life-threatening complication. Their discovery will accelerate the search for therapeutic solutions.

More complex than we thought: The body's reaction to contact allergens

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:01 AM PDT

Many people react to contact allergens, but some patients develop rashes and itching much faster than others. Previously the scientists were unable to explain why, but now researchers have outlined an entire new subgroup of allergic reactions which explains these early skin reactions. The new knowledge is vital to understanding the disease mechanisms in contact allergy.

Resilience, not collapse: What the Easter Island myth gets wrong

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:01 AM PDT

New research suggests that the demographic collapse at the core of the Easter Island myth didn't really happen.

A new approach to metastatic melanoma discovered

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:01 AM PDT

Combining chemotherapy with a BRAF oncogene inhibitor proves effective at treating this disease in a mouse model. This alternative paves the way toward a new approach for patients affected by this type of tumor, which has no cure in the most advanced stages or cases of relapse.

Dire impacts downstream of Nile River dam: Study

Posted: 13 Jul 2021 06:01 AM PDT

Downstream water supply and economic losses could substantially disrupt Egypt, according to a new analysis that offers potential solutions to avoid conflict over the dam.

When a single tree makes a difference

Posted: 12 Jul 2021 03:33 PM PDT

A single tree along a city street or in a backyard can provide measurable cooling benefits, according to a new study.

Childhood lead exposure may adversely affect adults' personalities

Posted: 12 Jul 2021 12:19 PM PDT

A study sampled more than 1.5 million people in 269 U.S. counties and 37 European nations. Researchers found that those who grew up in areas with higher levels of atmospheric lead had less adaptive personalities in adulthood -- lower levels of conscientiousness and agreeableness and higher levels of neuroticism.

Mapping how sea-level rise adaptation strategies impact economies and floodwaters

Posted: 12 Jul 2021 12:03 PM PDT

By 2100, sea levels are expected to rise by almost seven feet in the Bay Area. New research shows how traditional approaches to combating sea-level rise can create a domino effect of environmental and economic impacts for nearby communities.