ScienceDaily: Most Popular News |
| Extending the longevity of stem cells Posted: 03 Mar 2022 09:07 AM PST People are having children later than ever before. The average age of new parents in the United States has been rising for at least the past half century. But time is tough on our bodies and our reproductive systems. For instance, as animals age, our stem cells are less effective at renewing our tissues. This is particularly true for germline stem cells, which turn into sperm and eggs. What if there were a way to pause this process? |
| Sense of belonging helps high school students engage with STEM Posted: 03 Mar 2022 09:07 AM PST A new study finds one key to promoting STEM education, and to making students feel capable of working on STEM subjects outside of the classroom, is to find ways to make classrooms feel more inclusive. |
| Posted: 03 Mar 2022 08:22 AM PST Why do large gas bubbles in viscoelastic liquids (such as polymer and protein solutions) rise so much faster than expected? An open question with great relevance for industrial production processes. Researchers have now found an explanation. |
| Nocturnal teeth grinding can damage temporomandibular joints Posted: 03 Mar 2022 08:22 AM PST Nocturnal teeth grinding and clenching of the upper and lower jaw are known as sleep bruxism and can have a number of consequences for health. In dental science, the question of whether sleep bruxism is associated with the development or progression of temporomandibular joint disorders is controversial. New research shows that certain tooth shapes and tooth locations could well lead to temporomandibular joint problems as a result of bruxism. |
| Special shell protects Antarctic scallop from ice build-up Posted: 03 Mar 2022 08:22 AM PST Airplane wings that don't ice up or solar cells that generate electricity even in winter - ice-free surfaces are important for many applications. A team of scientists has now studied an Antarctic scallop species that opposes the icing process with the help of its shell surface. Due to their special structure, thin layers of ice adhere poorly and are easily washed away by the flow. The discovery could help in the development of ice-free bionic surfaces in the long term. |
| Computer games in the classroom: Educational success depends on the teacher Posted: 03 Mar 2022 08:22 AM PST Future teachers see educational potential in computer games, study shows. Teacher training should therefore address their potential in the classroom. |
| Dark energy: Neutron stars will tell us if it's only an illusion Posted: 03 Mar 2022 08:20 AM PST Scientists provide the first simulation of neutron star collisions in extensions of general relativity relevant for cosmology, offering a new approach to test gravity. |
| NGI uses twist to engineer 2D semiconductors with built-in memory functions Posted: 03 Mar 2022 07:27 AM PST A team of researchers has demonstrated that slightly twisted 2D transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) display room-temperature ferroelectricity. |
| Researchers reconstruct ancient fish lizard Posted: 03 Mar 2022 07:27 AM PST Scientists have mapped 300 years of research on the prehistoric marine reptiles known as ichthyosaurs. Using a uniquely well-preserved fossil, the team has also created the scientifically most up-to-date reconstruction of an ichthyosaur currently available. |
| An oral medication shows benefits treating Type 1 diabetes for at least two years after diagnosis Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:57 AM PST Use of the drug verapamil to treat Type 1 diabetes continues to show benefits lasting at least two years, researchers report. Patients taking the oral blood pressure medication not only required less daily insulin two years after first diagnosis of the disease, but also showed evidence of surprising immunomodulatory benefits. |
| Women with irregular periods may be at risk for liver disease Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:57 AM PST Women with long or irregular periods are known to have a higher risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but researchers found these women may also be at risk for nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). |
| Ensuring sustainable recreational fisheries in the face of social change Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST The observation that 'the fishing's not what it used to be' ranks up there with 'the one that got away' as a story that has crossed over from folk wisdom to folklore. But what if there is truth in it? New research suggests that slow but steady degradation of recreational fisheries may be common, and points to actions that anglers and fisheries managers can take to help stabilize and improve fisheries today and for future generations. |
| First potential immunization against RSV for healthy infants found highly effective in phase 3 trial Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST Nirsevimab showed 74.5 percent efficacy against medically attended lower respiratory tract infections caused by respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) in healthy infants, according to an international, randomized, placebo-controlled Phase 3 clinical trial. It is the first potential immunization against RSV in the general infant population, with a single dose providing safe protection across the entire RSV season. |
| Bull ant evolves new way to target pain Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST Researchers found a bull ant venom component that exploits a pain pathway in mammals, which they believe evolved to stop echidnas attacking the ant's nests. |
| Rainfall strongly affects infectious Vibrio bacteria in Ala Wai Canal Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST In the Ala Wai Canal in Waikiki, Hawai'i, the abundance of Vibrio vulnificus, an infectious bacterium, is strongly influenced by the amount of rainfall in the surrounding areas, according to a recently published study. |
| Evidence links e-cigarette use with increased odds of prediabetes Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST An analysis of data from a large, nationally representative survey of the US population shows that e-cigarette use is associated with increased odds of prediabetes. The findings add important evidence about the health effects of e-cigarettes and can help shape public health best practices. |
| Higher education and language skills may help ward off dementia Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST New research has found that people with mild cognitive impairment may not inevitably develop dementia and, in fact, having higher education and advanced language skills more than doubles their chances of returning to normal. |
| Mummification in Europe may be older than previously known Posted: 03 Mar 2022 06:56 AM PST Mummification of the dead probably was more common in prehistory than previously known. This discovery is made at the hunter-gatherer burial sites in the Sado Valley in Portugal, dating to 8,000 years ago. A recent study presents new evidence for pre-burial treatments such as desiccation through mummification, which has not been suggested for the European Mesolithic before. |
| Whole-genome sequencing reveals new secrets about killer fungus Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:00 PM PST New research reports the largest ever whole-genome sequencing project for the potentially fatal yeast infection Candida glabrata from hospitals across Scotland. |
| COVID-19 restrictions linked to nearly 750,000 fewer dengue cases in 2020 Posted: 02 Mar 2022 04:00 PM PST A new study shows that COVID-19 measures such as school closures and 'high-traffic and mixing' areas had the strongest association, providing clues for new intervention approaches. Nearly three quarters of a million fewer global cases of dengue occurred in 2020, which could be linked to COVID-19 disruptions limiting human mobility and contact, according to a new study. |
| Study of algae in Acadia National Park lakes shows recovery from acidification Posted: 02 Mar 2022 04:00 PM PST Research shows that federal regulations to reduce human-caused sulfur in the atmosphere have aided in the recovery of algal ecosystems for two lakes in Acadia National Park. However, the study also shows that the warming climate negatively impact certain types of lakes more than others, which could affect future ecosystem recovery. |
| Effects of noise on marine life Posted: 02 Mar 2022 04:00 PM PST New research shows turtles can experience temporary hearing loss from an excess of underwater noise. This phenomenon, previously noted in other marine animals such as dolphins and fish, was not widely understood for reptiles and underscores another potential risk for aquatic turtles. This high volume of sound, referred to as underwater noise pollution, can be caused by passing ships and offshore construction. |
| Discovered: An easier way to create 'flexible diamonds' Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST As hard as diamond and as flexible as plastic, highly sought-after diamond nanothreads would be poised to revolutionize our world -- if they weren't so difficult to make. Recently, a team of scientists developed an original technique that predicts and guides the ordered creation of strong, yet flexible, diamond nanothreads, surmounting several existing challenges. The innovation will make it easier for scientists to synthesize the nanothreads -- an important step toward applying the material to practical problems in the future. |
| How the gut microbiome processes seaweed Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST A new study provides insights into how the microbiome processes seaweed, consumed in sushi and as a common food additive. |
| The physics of fire ant rafts could help engineers design swarming robots Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Fire ants survive floods by forming rafts made up of thousands of wriggling insects. New research reveals how these creepy-crawly lifeboats change shape over time. |
| Study details how some fish cope with parasites, with implications for human health Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Parasitic tapeworms have a complex life cycle moving from plankton to fish and then fish-eating birds. New research on how parasite resistance in threespine stickleback fish may lead to a better understanding of human diseases such as cystic and liver fibrosis. |
| Industrial sedimentation in the North Sea Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Researchers investigated changes in pollutant levels in the North Sea over an interval time. The results showed that a diverse cocktail of chemicals has been polluting the environment, especially during the last 100 years. They also found out that a decrease in pollution only became apparent in the environment decades after the substances were banned. |
| Corals can be 'trained' to tolerate heat stress Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST A new study found that corals that underwent a stressful temperature treatment in the laboratory for 90 days were more tolerant to increased water temperatures. |
| Blood pressure medications impact brain function Posted: 02 Mar 2022 03:59 PM PST Researchers found that blood pressure medications have an unanticipated effect on the brain. |
| From 'boops' to 'unks,' how scientists are using fish sounds to conserve underwater ecosystems Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:47 PM PST FishSounds.net is the first online, interactive library for the sounds fish make when communicating or interacting with their environment. Fish sounds provide scientists valuable data for studying and conserving underwater ecosystems. An accompanying review study found that just under a 1,000 fish make sounds for communication, though this is likely an underestimate. |
| Native American shell ring villages may have been occupied then abandoned because of climate change Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:04 PM PST Mollusk shells at 4,000-year-old Native American shell ring villages indicate that environmental change may have driven the formation and abandonment of these coastal communities, according to a new study. |
| Study reveals trade-offs between ecosystem resistance and resilience to tropical cyclones Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST An international study of the impacts of 26 landfalling tropical cyclones reveals trade-offs between ecosystem resistance and resilience. The findings can help guide managers as they plan for climate change and its impacts to coastal ecosystems and economies. |
| 'Drug factory' implants eliminate ovarian, colorectal cancer in mice Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST Bioengineers have shown they can eradicate advanced-stage ovarian and colorectal cancer in mice in as little as six days with a treatment that could be ready for human clinical trials later this year. |
| Vision scientists discover new angle on path of light through photoreceptors Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST Researchers have discovered that power-producing organelles in the eye's photoreceptor cells, called mitochondria, function as microlenses that help channel light to these cells' outer segments where it's converted into nerve signals. The discovery in ground squirrels provides a more precise picture of the retina's optical properties and could help detect eye disease earlier. The findings also shed light on the evolution of vision. |
| Exposure to great outdoors boosted mental health during pandemic Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:03 PM PST New research has found that people who spent more time in green spaces reported less anxiety and depression during the first year of the pandemic. Merely having abundant green space nearby, as measured by satellite images, was associated with lower depression scores. |
| New study reveals small-scale renewable energy sources could cause power failures Posted: 02 Mar 2022 12:01 PM PST Renewable energy that feeds into the main power grid could destabilize the system and potentially cause power failures according to a new study. |
| Posted: 02 Mar 2022 10:13 AM PST Promising technologies for converting wastewater into drinkable water produce a chemical compound that can be toxic, corrosive and malodorous. An analysis of one possible solution reveals ways to optimize it for maximum energy efficiency, pollutant removal and resource recovery. |
| Early menopause may raise risk of dementia later in life Posted: 02 Mar 2022 10:13 AM PST Compared with women who enter menopause around age 50, women who experience very early menopause (before the age of 40) were found to be 35% more likely to develop some type of dementia later in life, according to a large study of women living in the United Kingdom. Women who entered menopause before age 45 were also 1.3 times more likely to develop dementia before the age of 65. In addition, women who entered menopause later, at age 52 or older, had dementia risk similar to women who entered menopause at the average age for menopause onset which is the age of 50 to 51 years. |
| Cerebrospinal fluid may be able to identify aggressive brain tumors in children Posted: 02 Mar 2022 09:51 AM PST It may be possible to identify the presence of an aggressive brain tumor in children by studying their cerebrospinal fluid, according to new research. |
| The interplay between topology and magnetism has a bright future Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PST A new review paper on magnetic topological materials introduces the new theoretical concept that interweave magnetism and topology. |
| Capturing the many facets of evolvability Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:30 AM PST All life evolves: microorganisms can become resistant to drugs, viruses evade our vaccines, and species may adapt to climate change. Even the ability to evolve can evolve. If we were to understand how this happens and which mechanisms play a role, it may be possible to predict evolution to some extent. |
| Gene Editing gets safer thanks to redesigned Cas9 protein Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Scientists have redesigned a key component of a widely used CRISPR-based gene-editing tool, called Cas9, to be thousands of times less likely to target the wrong stretch of DNA while remaining just as efficient as the original version, making it potentially much safer. |
| Virology: Equine hepatitis viruses and hepatitis C Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST As of today, there is no vaccine against hepatitis C. To improve the search for it, researchers are looking for a so-called surrogate model: an animal that can also suffer from viral hepatitis and whose course of infection allows conclusions about the behavior of the hepatitis C virus in humans. They found what they were looking for in the horse. |
| 7,000-year-old grains hints at origin of Swiss pile dwellings Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST There is no other place where so many Neolithic pile dwellings have been uncovered as around the Alps. It is a mystery, however, how this 'building boom' came to be. Researchers have now uncovered new clues, and say that settlers at Lake Varese in northern Italy may have played a leading role. |
| Taking a systems approach to cyber security Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST A new study proposes a framework featuring a more holistic picture of the cybersecurity landscape, along with a model that explicitly represents multiple dimensions of the potential impacts of successful cyberattacks. |
| Cocoa does not appear to reduce exercise-related digestive distress Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Impressive athleticism was on display during the Winter Olympics, but being at the top of one's game doesn't necessarily protect against digestive distress resulting from exercise. Surprisingly, some people are adding cocoa to their diets to reduce these symptoms. Now, researchers report that long-term daily consumption of cocoa doesn't appear to improve exercise-related digestive issues in male athletes and induces only minimal changes to their gut microbiomes. |
| Mucus could explain why SARS-CoV-2 doesn't spread easily from surfaces Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Early in the pandemic, many people fastidiously disinfected surfaces because laboratory studies predicted that SARS-CoV-2 could be easily transmitted in this way. Now, researchers have found a possible explanation for why the predictions didn't pan out: Sugar-decorated proteins in mucus could bind to the coronavirus on surfaces, keeping it from infecting cells. The findings could also hint at why some people are more vulnerable to COVID-19 than others. |
| Study maps stress changes around fault activated by hydraulic fracturing Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:06 AM PST Researchers were able to observe stress changes before and during an earthquake induced by hydraulic fracturing in Alberta, Canada, with the help of a phenomenon called seismic anisotropy. |
| We should be eating more insects and using their waste to grow crops, says plant ecologist Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:05 AM PST Researchers already knew that insects are an excellent source of protein for humans, but they didn't expect to learn that they have such a positive impact on plants. Researchers discuss the benefits of using the waste from insect-as-food-and-feed production to promote sustainable crops. |
| Archaeologists discover innovative 40,000-year-old culture in China Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:05 AM PST When did populations of Homo sapiens first arrive in China and what happened when they encountered the Denisovans or Neanderthals who lived there? A new study opens a window into hunter-gatherer lifestyles 40,000 years ago. Archaeological excavations at the site of Xiamabei in the Nihewan Basin of northern China have revealed the presence of innovative behaviors and unique toolkits. |
| Powerful warm winds seen blowing from a neutron star as it rips up its companion Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:05 AM PST Black holes and neutron stars are some of the most extreme objects in the Universe, ripping up neighboring stars. But they are messy eaters and much of they take in gets flung back into space. Scientists have now observed a neutron star blasting out warm and cold wind as it devoured another star. The findings shed new light on the behavior of these stellar cannibals and how they influence the evolution of galaxies. |
| Plasma accelerators recover in a FLASH Posted: 02 Mar 2022 08:05 AM PST Scientists have demonstrated at the FLASHForward experiment that in principle it is possible to operate plasma accelerators at the repetition rates desired by particle physicists and photon scientists. This opens the opportunity to utilize such high-gradient accelerators as booster stages in existing high-repetition-rate facilities, such as the large-scale X-ray free-electron lasers FLASH and European XFEL, in order to significantly increase the energy of long trains of particles in short distances. |
| Female chimpanzees avoid humans Posted: 02 Mar 2022 07:01 AM PST Female chimpanzees are less likely than males to go near villages and farmland used by humans, new research shows. |
| Individuals in England reduced social contacts by up to 75 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST Transmission of respiratory viruses depends partly on the rate of close social contacts in a population. A study suggests that during the most restrictive period of lockdown in the United Kingdom, the number of reported contacts decreased by 75 percent from pre-pandemic levels. |
| A solar illusion: Coronal loops may not be what they seem Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST Many coronal loops -- ropey strands of plasma that scientists have long thought existed in the sun's atmosphere -- may actually be optical illusions, according to a new paper that challenges prevailing assumptions of what we know, and don't know, about the sun. |
| Did COVID-19 make tinnitus, 'ringing' in the ears, worse? Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST Many people impacted by COVID-19 experienced changes in their sense of smell, taste, hearing, balance and in some cases, tinnitus, 'ringing' in the ears. Among the various causes of tinnitus is stress. What's unclear, however, is whether the psychological impacts of the pandemic such as stress actually worsened tinnitus. Researchers assessed whether the severity of tinnitus, as measured using ratings of tinnitus loudness, annoyance, and effect on life, was influenced by the lockdown related to pandemic. Results do not support the idea that the pandemic led to a worsening of tinnitus and the mean scores did not differ significantly for the groups seen prior to the pandemic and during lockdown. |
| How to make a 'computer' out of liquid crystals Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST Researchers have shown for the first time how to design the basic elements needed for logic operations using a kind of material called a liquid crystal -- paving the way for a completely novel way of performing computations. |
| Tooth study prompts rethink of human evolution Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST A study into tooth wear in a group of wild Japanese macaques has significant implications for the study of human evolution, a new study has shown. |
| Bonding exercise: Quantifying biexciton binding energy Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST A rare spectroscopy technique directly quantifies the energy required to bind two excitons together. The experiment harnessed interactions between real and virtual states to 'switch' the electronic state of an atomically-thin (2D) material. As well as improving fundamental understanding of biexciton dynamics and exotic new quantum materials, the study aids work towards biexciton-based devices such as compact lasers and chemical-sensors, and the search for future low-energy electronics based on topological materials. |
| Posted: 02 Mar 2022 06:27 AM PST The molecular evolution of placental protein NRK and its function in regulating placental growth has finally been clarified. They elucidated that eutherian NRK regulates placental development by a novel mechanism, modulating the CK2-PTEN-AKT pathway. They also determined that this new function was acquired due to the amazingly rapid molecular evolution of NRK in eutherian ancestors. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States | |