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| Giant sponge gardens discovered on seamounts in the Arctic deep sea Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Massive sponge gardens thrive on top of seamounts in the Central Arctic Ocean, one of the most oligotrophic seas on Earth. They appear to feed on the remnants of an extinct fauna. Microorganisms support the sponges in exploiting this fluffy material as a source of food and energy. |
| Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Scientists have today provided more insight into the possibility of establishing a pathway to generate oxygen for humans to potentially call the Moon or Mars 'home' for extended periods of time. |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:53 AM PST It has long been known that Mars once had oceans due in part to a protective magnetic field similar to Earth's. However, the magnetic field disappeared, and new research may finally be able to explain why. Researchers recreated conditions expected in the core of Mars billions of years ago and found that the behavior of the molten metal thought to be present likely gave rise to a brief magnetic field that was destined to fade away. |
| Golfing cockatoos reveal ability to use combined tools Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Cockatoos have shown an extraordinary ability to complete a task by combining simple tools, demonstrating that this cognitive ability is not found only in primates. |
| Lotus effect: Self-cleaning bioplastics repel liquid and dirt Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Inspired by the always immaculate lotus leaf, researchers have developed a self-cleaning bioplastic that is sturdy, sustainable and compostable. |
| Using the universe’s coldest material to measure the world’s tiniest magnetic fields Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Using atoms only a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero, a team of researchers has detected magnetic signals undetectable by any other existing sensor technology. |
| Novel structural mechanism of membrane remodelling caused by the protein MakA from Vibrio cholerae Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:49 AM PST New research has led to the discovery of a pH-induced structural mechanism of membrane remodeling caused by the protein MakA, a subunit of the recently described alpha-pore-forming toxin from the pathogenic bacterium Vibrio cholerae. |
| Self-assembling and complex, nanoscale mesocrystals can be tuned for a variety of uses Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:46 AM PST A research team has found the key to controlled fabrication of cerium oxide mesocrystals, according to a recent report. The research is a step forward in tuning nanomaterials that can serve a wide range of uses --including solar cells, fuel catalysts and even medicine. |
| The perilous migratory journey of the eastern whip-poor-will Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST Using GPS tags attached to the birds, researchers discovered some surprising facts about the long migrations that eastern whip-poor-wills make from their Midwest breeding grounds to where they winter in Mexico and Central America. |
| Who’s responsible for roadside rubbish? Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST New research reveals that items in litter typically originate less than two miles from where they're found -- and unless humans remove them, most of these items will never leave the environment. |
| Saturn’s high-altitude winds generate an extraordinary aurorae, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST Space scientists have discovered a never-before-seen mechanism fueling huge planetary aurorae at Saturn. |
| Towards self-sensing soft robots with electrochemically driven pumps Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST Soft robots have received much attention recently due to their adaptability and safety. However, the fluidic systems used in these robots continue to use pumps that are large, heavy, and noisy. Now, researchers report a fluid pump driven by electrochemical reactions that are simple, lightweight, silent, and enable self-sensing actuation, with potential applications in wearable technology and touch display devices. |
| Suppressing the spread of tumors Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST When tumors spread, cancer cells migrate to other parts of the body through the blood or lymphatic vessels. Scientists have now found a new protein that prevents cancer cells from doing so by making them stick more tightly to their surroundings. Their findings could in the future help doctors determine the aggressiveness of a tumor and fine-tune the therapy. |
| Simulation training helps hone advanced surgical skills, international trial finds Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST A large-scale study has found that simulation-based surgical training produced an increase of surgeons' skills for more complex surgeries. |
| Newly discovered effect of toxic goiter on brain Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST Toxic goiter affects the brain more than was previously known, a new study shows, and involves volume changes occurring in central parts of the brain. These findings are described as a key advance for a vulnerable group of patients. |
| Anti-odor coating is no washout Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST For the first time, researchers have found a cost-effective and convenient way to apply a silver-based antimicrobial clear coating to new or existing textiles. Their method uses polyphenols, commonly found in food items notorious for staining clothes such as wine and chocolate. A range of textile types can be treated by the researchers' method, and items can be washed multiple times without losing the antimicrobial and therefore anti-odor property. |
| Study in mice shows potential for gene-editing to tackle mitochondrial disorders Posted: 08 Feb 2022 05:50 AM PST Defective mitochondria -- the 'batteries' that power the cells of our bodies -- could in future be repaired using gene-editing techniques. Scientists have now shown that it is possible to modify the mitochondrial genome in live mice, paving the way for new treatments for incurable mitochondrial disorders. |
| 'Bionic' pacemaker reverses heart failure Posted: 07 Feb 2022 02:29 PM PST A revolutionary pacemaker that re-establishes the heart's naturally irregular beat is set to be trialled in New Zealand heart patients this year. |
| Beyond sci-fi: Manipulating liquid metals without contact Posted: 07 Feb 2022 02:29 PM PST Research inspired by Terminator 2's shape-shifting, liquid metal robot sees liquid-metal electrical conductors manipulated in mid-air without contact. The liquid wires can be controlled to move in any direction, and manipulated into unique, levitated shapes such as loops and squares using a small 'triggering' voltage and a magnet. The new technology has potential application in advanced manufacturing and dynamic electronic structures, augmenting other non-contact manipulation technologies such as acoustics or optical tweezers. |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:57 PM PST In a landmark study of airborne microorganisms from ground level up to 3,500 meters, scientists have found that bacteria and fungi populate the planet's lower atmosphere in very specific ways, and if changed, may negatively impact human health and food supply. |
| Genetically informed atlases reveal new landscapes in brain structure Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:57 PM PST Scientists have used atlases of the human brain informed by genetics to identify hundreds of genomic loci. The findings illuminate how genes impact the brain and diseases. |
| Research team's mask strategy passes muster Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:57 PM PST During the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, a research team went looking for and found a way to make standard surgical masks better at keeping out small airborne droplets that might contain the SARS-CoV-2 virus. |
| 'Double-hazard' zones for wildfire in the West Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST Rapidly growing communities in the American West's forests and shrublands are nestled in zones where local soil and plant traits amplify the effect of climate change on wildfire hazards and lead to bigger burns. |
| Mechanical hearts can regenerate some heart tissue Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST Mechanical hearts spur some regeneration in dormant parts of failing hearts, according to a pilot study that shows promise for developing regenerative heart therapies. |
| Researchers discover repair properties of a protein critical for wound-healing in gut diseases Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST An international team has discovered novel properties of the protein Gasdermin B that promotes repair of cells lining the gastrointestinal tract in people with chronic inflammatory disorders like Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. |
| Wastewater monitoring for public health Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST Researchers have been monitoring wastewater on the UC Davis campus and in the city of Davis for COVID-19 through the Healthy Davis Together program. A new article reviews their experiences and the advantages and limitations of wastewater testing as a public health tool in the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| New radar technology records Antarctic glaciers losing ice faster than ever documented before Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST Unprecedented mass loss from three Antarctic glaciers could signal global climate trouble ahead, a researcher warns. A multinational collaboration is using an advanced remote imaging system to document the Pope, Smith and Kohler glaciers with clarity and completeness never achieved before. |
| As tectonic plates pull apart, what drives the formation of rifts? Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST At the boundaries between tectonic plates, narrow rifts can form as Earth's crust slowly pulls apart. But how, exactly, does this rifting happen? Does pressure from magma rising from belowground force the land apart? Or is a rift just a rip, created mainly by the pulling motion of tectonic plates that are drifting away from each other? A study explores these questions and sheds new light on how this process works. |
| Poor sleep can triple risk for heart disease Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST Individual aspects of poor sleep can be detrimental to heart health. But if you combine them, the risk of heart disease can increase by as much as 141 percent. |
| Where mental health help is scarce, telehealth makes a big difference Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST People with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and/or bipolar disorder living in rural areas engaged well with telehealth-based telepsychiatry, though the ones who received local psychotherapy completed more sessions. |
| Bronze Age women altered genetic landscape of Orkney, study finds Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:56 PM PST An international team has used ancient DNA to rewrite the history of the Scottish Orkney islands to show that Orkney actually experienced large-scale immigration during the Early Bronze Age, which replaced much of the local population. |
| Fear of predators in free-living wildlife reduces population growth over generations Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:54 PM PST The fear predators inspire can itself reduce prey population growth rates; thereby conclusively establishing that focusing solely on the number of prey predators directly kill and failing to additionally consider fear, as conventionally done, risks dramatically underestimating the total impact predators have on prey population size. |
| Survivors of weather-related disasters may have accelerated aging Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:54 PM PST When Hurricane Maria slammed into Puerto Rico in September 2017 as a high-end category 4 storm, it left in its wake the largest catastrophe in the history of the island. Along with the human toll, the devastation impacted all the island's wildlife, including a group of free-ranging rhesus macaques living on the isolated Cayo Santiago island near Puerto Rico. Now, a team of scientists has published one of the first results that shows the effects of natural disasters may have molecularly accelerated aging in the monkeys' immune systems. |
| How do pathogens learn to be pathogens? Partnerships between microbes leading to human disease Posted: 07 Feb 2022 10:58 AM PST New research discovered that the fungus Rhizopus fights back against soil predators and human immune cells by partnering with a bacteria called Ralstonia in a two-way partnership. |
| Chemists develop radical way to make it easier, more profitable to recycle plastic Posted: 07 Feb 2022 10:58 AM PST Very little of the plastic water bottles, milk jugs and yogurt cups we use gets recycled. But chemists now describe a radical method they used to transform tossed out plastic into a tougher, stronger material commonly used for food packaging. Through 'upcycling,' the method may make plastic easier -- and more profitable -- to recycle. |
| Gene regulation in mammals offers clues connecting pregnancy and cancer metastasis Posted: 07 Feb 2022 10:58 AM PST In many mammals including humans, the placenta invades the wall of the uterus during pregnancy in the same way that cancer cells invade surrounding tissues. Using genomic sequences and gene expression information, researchers were able to predict specific signaling proteins that drive the expression of genes that decrease the susceptibility of invasion in human cells. Using a custom fabricated bio chip, the researchers confirmed that these predicted proteins did in fact decrease the invasion of both cancer and placental cells. |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Researchers report that a prospective study of 14 infants and children demonstrated that convalescent plasma -- a blood product collected from patients recovered from infections with the coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19 -- was safe in high risk children infected with or exposed to the virus. |
| In mice, mothers with metabolic syndrome can 'turn on' offspring’s liver disease Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST An imprinted gene associated with development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is switched on in mice who nurse from mothers with metabolic syndrome, even when those mice are not biologically related. |
| The frogs of Baja California: Scientists assess amphibian disease Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Biologists from Southern and Baja California have published the first major account of the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis in the Mediterranean region of Baja California. Their results indicate that the disease is more prevalent on the peninsula than in similar areas of Southern California. |
| Study shows life-saving benefit of baricitinib for ventilated COVID patients Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Critically ill COVID-19 patients on a mechanical ventilator or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) lived more often when randomized to receive baricitinib. Doctors call this drug 'bari,' and receiving the pill once a day for up to 14 days yielded one of the largest a survival advantages seen yet in the COVID pandemic, according to a new study. |
| New personalized test for an earlier and more accurate prediction of cancer relapse Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Researchers have developed a new protocol for monitoring acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common cancer in children, to inform more effective treatment strategies and detect disease recurrence. The personalized mediator probe PCR (MP PCR) uses multiple genomic cancer cell markers in a single assay and is simpler than current techniques. It improves monitoring clonal tumor evolution to detect a relapse sooner and avoid false negative results. |
| COVID-19 infections increase risk of heart conditions up to a year later, study finds Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST An analysis of federal health data indicates that people who have had COVID-19 are at increased risk of developing cardiovascular complications within the first month to a year after infection, according to researchers. |
| Researchers use tiny magnetic swirls to generate true random numbers Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Skyrmions, tiny magnetic anomalies that arise in two-dimensional materials, can be used to generate true random numbers useful in cryptography and probabilistic computing. |
| Large new titanosaurian dinosaur from the Pyrenees Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Researchers have described the new species of titanosaur dinosaur Abditosaurus kuehnei from the remains excavated at the Orcau-1 site, in the southern Pyrenees (Catalonia, Spain). The semiarticulated 70.5-million-year-old skeleton is the most complete specimen of this herbivorous group of dinosaurs discovered so far in Europe. |
| Big data imaging shows rock's big role in channeling earthquakes in Japan Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST Thanks to 20 years of seismic data processed through one of the world's most powerful supercomputers, scientists have created the first complete, 3D visualization of a mountain-size rock called the Kumano Pluton buried miles beneath the coast of southern Japan. They now see the rock could be acting like a lightning rod for the region's megaquakes, diverting tectonic energy into points along its sides where several of the region's largest earthquakes have happened. |
| Jet stream models help inform US offshore wind development Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:48 AM PST With the federal government planning to hold the largest sale of offshore wind farm leases in the nation's history, a new study could help inform the development of offshore wind farms by providing detailed models characterizing the frequency, intensity and height of low-level jet streams over the U.S. Atlantic coastal zone. |
| New fossil reveals origin of arthropod breathing system Posted: 07 Feb 2022 09:46 AM PST Scientists have discovered a new fossil that reveals the origin of gills in arthropods. |
| Columns designed from nanographenes Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:27 AM PST Several layers of nanographenes stacked on top of each other: such functional elements could one day be used in solar cells. Chemists have now paved the way for this. |
| COVID-19 increases risk of pregnancy complications, study suggests Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:27 AM PST Pregnant women with COVID-19 appear to be at greater risk for common pregnancy complications -- in addition to health risks from the virus -- than pregnant women without COVID-19, suggests a new study. |
| Nanowires under tension create the basis for ultrafast transistors Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST Nanowires have a unique property: These ultra-thin wires can sustain very high elastic strains without damaging the crystal structure of the material. A team of researchers has now succeeded in experimentally demonstrating that electron mobility in nanowires is remarkably enhanced when the shell places the wire core under tensile strain. |
| Genetic remodeling in tumor formation Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST A new study demonstrates the ability of the mutant Kras oncogene to use genetic reprogramming to make cells more stem-like and plastic; it resolves the long-standing debate over why Kras is so special in tumor formation. They were also able to identify an effector complex that can be targeted for therapeutic treatment against mutant Kras. |
| Globe’s glaciers have less ice than previously thought Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST Research revises estimates of glacial ice volume, suggesting that there is less ice in the world's glaciers than previously thought. The findings have implications on freshwater and global sea level rise. |
| Chimpanzee mother seen applying an insect to a wound on her son Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST Researchers have observed chimpanzees in Gabon, West Africa applying insects to their wounds and the wounds of others. Scientists describe this wound-tending behavior and argue that it is evidence that chimpanzees have the capacity for prosocial behaviors that have been linked with empathy in humans. |
| Mouse experiments show how sugar molecules can be used to track stem cells Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST Scientists have found that certain self-renewing stem cells have built-in tracers -- made out of sugars -- that can do the job without added chemical 'labels' when injected into mouse brains. The finding, made with stem cells widely engineered into experimental therapies for multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases, was a welcome surprise, the investigators say. |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:26 AM PST The stretches of DNA that differ from person to person, called variants, are a major part of what makes us unique, but they can also put us at greater risk of disease. Although we can currently spell out between 80% and 90% of the millions that are in the human genome, the remaining variants may hold clues for treating an array of diseases. Today the list of variants yet to be decoded has shrunk sizably. A team led by researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Baylor College of Medicine and DNAnexus has characterized over 20,000 variants in 273 genes of medical importance. In a study published in the journal Nature Biotechnology, the researchers applied both cutting-edge and long-standing DNA sequencing methods to decipher the genetic codes of the variants with a high degree of certainty. |
| Stressed out worms use epigenetic inheritance to produce more sexually attractive offspring Posted: 07 Feb 2022 08:24 AM PST Sexual reproduction allows organisms to mix up their genes and develop new adaptations to survive a harsh and ever-changing environment. Under nutrient-rich conditions, the worm C. elegans is typically asexual, but after enduring several generations of stress, the worms begin to reproduce sexually and release pheromones to appear more sexually attractive to male worms. |
| Shifting rainfall patterns will affect whether an imperiled butterfly survives climate change Posted: 07 Feb 2022 07:01 AM PST When we think of climate change, we often imagine how a warmer world will impact species, but a new study highlights the importance of changes in precipitation. The finding suggests that paying attention to the environmental triggers within each species' lifecycle will help us better understand how they will be affected by climate change. |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2022 07:01 AM PST If carbon emissions continue to increase at their current rate the resilience to climate change of seafood species that are mainstays of the EU market, such as great Atlantic scallop, red mullet, and common octopus, will be weakened by the combined onslaught of overfishing, ocean warming, and mercury pollution. The population of these species will likely be reduced to a fraction of their present size by the end of the century. |
| Posted: 07 Feb 2022 07:01 AM PST The vaccine-induced protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection wanes within a couple of months, but at different speed according to vaccine type. However, protection against severe COVID-19 appears to be better maintained, according to a study by researchers in Sweden. |
| Trapping sperm in semen’s natural gel could lead to new contraceptive Posted: 07 Feb 2022 07:01 AM PST A discovery that blocks the normal transition of semen from a thick gel to a liquid shows promise for development of a new form of non-hormonal, over-the-counter contraception. A research team recently showed that blocking a prostate-specific-antigen in human ejaculate samples caused the semen to remain in its thick gel form, trapping the majority of the sperm. |
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