ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

Ancient driftwood tracks 500 years of Arctic warming and sea ice

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

A new study reconstructs the path of frozen trees as they made their way across the Arctic Ocean over 500 years, giving scientists a unique look into changes in sea ice and currents over the last half millennium. By dating and tracing pieces of driftwood on beaches in Svalbard, Norway's archipelago in the Arctic Circle, scientists have determined where these fallen trees floated.

Scientists develop new sensor to capture calcium activity in cells

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a novel approach for detecting the activity of calcium within cells. The study demonstrates the effectiveness of a red biosensor that can directly monitor calcium at specific locations within a cell, a discovery that could aid in better understanding of the molecular basis of human diseases.

New study calls for mitigation, monitoring of common grease-proofing food packaging chemicals

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

A scientist is calling for a better understanding of the health ramifications of ubiquitous 'grease proofing' chemicals that have been used for decades. A new study based on a symposium involving scientists at public and private institutions strikes an urgent tone on the need for new and better ways to detect and mitigate this class of chemical compounds, collectively known as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.

Drug helps sensory neurons regrow in the mouse central nervous system

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered that an FDA-approved drug acts on support cells in the central nervous system to encourage sensory neurons to regrow after injury.

DNA tangles can help predict evolution of mutations

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

Researchers have identified evolutionary hotspots in DNA where mutations are more likely. The study authors say these findings will help us in the future to predict the evolution of bacteria and viruses over time, which could aid vaccine design and better understanding of antibiotic resistance.

E-cigarettes don't help smokers stay off cigarettes, study suggests

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 09:01 AM PDT

E-cigarette use did not help smokers quit and may make smokers more likely to relapse, according to a new study.

Agricultural runoff contributes to global warming - New study helps us figure out how and what we can do about it

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 08:05 AM PDT

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent greenhouse gas, with 300 times the warming ability of carbon dioxide. Due to fertilizer runoff from farm fields, an increasing load of nitrogen is washing into rivers and streams, where nitrogen-breathing microbes break some of the fertilizer down into N2O, which the river releases into the atmosphere as it tumbles toward the ocean. But, until now, scientists haven't had a clear picture of how the process works, what fraction of the runoff winds up as N2O or what steps might be taken to mitigate N2O emissions.

Motorized droplets thanks to feedback effects

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 08:05 AM PDT

Physicists have examined a special system of colloidal particles that they activated using laser light. The researchers discovered that self-propelling droplets, which they have named 'droploids', formed which contain the particles as an internal motor.

New technique paves the way for perfect perovskites

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 08:05 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new technique that allows researchers to synthesize a perovskite solar material, characterize its crystal structure, and test its response to light at the same time.

Life’s a beach: Finding trends in marine debris across Australia

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 08:05 AM PDT

Ten years of citizen science data has informed a new study which found plastic dominates the rubbish found on Australian beaches.

New model points to solution to global blood shortage

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 08:05 AM PDT

A mathematical model of the body's interacting physiological and biochemical processes shows that it may be more effective to replace red blood cell transfusion with transfusion of other fluids that are far less in demand.

New fibers can make breath-regulating garments

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 05:27 AM PDT

A new kind of fiber can be made into clothing that senses how much it is being stretched or compressed, and then provides immediate tactile feedback in the form of pressure, lateral stretch, or vibration. Such fabrics could be used in garments that help train singers or athletes to better control their breathing, or that help patients recovering from disease or surgery to recover their breathing patterns.

Scientists gain new understanding of how brain cells talk - which could help in the treatment of mental health conditions and memory diseases

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 05:27 AM PDT

Experts have discovered that reversing the modification of molecular messages at synapses in the human brain, may contribute to reversible mental health conditions such as anxiety, and memory diseases such as dementia.

Illness-and death-related messages found to be significant motivators for exercise

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 05:27 AM PDT

Fitness apps that emphasize illness- or death-related messaging are more likely to be effective in motivating participation than are social stigma, obesity, or financial cost messaging, according to a recent study.

Pakistan’s amphibians need more research efforts and better protection

Posted: 19 Oct 2021 05:27 AM PDT

In Pakistan, amphibians have long been neglected in wildlife conservation, management decisions and research agendas. To counter this, scientists have now published the first comprehensive study on all known amphibian species in the country. The little we currently know about the occurrence of the chytrid fungus, which has already eradicated many amphibian species globally, is a grim example of how urgent it is to acquire further information.

Interferon does not improve outcomes for hospitalized adults with COVID-19, clinical trial finds

Posted: 18 Oct 2021 03:33 PM PDT

A clinical trial has found that treatment with the immunomodulator interferon beta-1a plus the antiviral remdesivir was not superior to treatment with remdesivir alone in hospitalized adults with COVID-19 pneumonia. In addition, in a subgroup of patients who required high-flow oxygen, investigators found that interferon beta-1a was associated with more adverse events and worse outcomes.