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| Park rangers use butterflies to take planet's pulse in a biodiversity hotspot Posted: 02 May 2022 11:26 AM PDT For the last decade, biologists have documented a worrying decline in insect abundance, which some fear may prelude an arthropod apocalypse. These studies, however, are primarily carried out in temperature regions while the tropics, which harbor the vast majority of insect species, largely remains a black box. In a new study, biologists turn to the aid of park rangers in Ecuador's Yasuní National Park -- considered one of the most biodiverse ecosystems on the planet -- to assess changes to insect abundance. |
| Researchers home in on Thera volcano eruption date Posted: 02 May 2022 11:26 AM PDT Tree-ring, ice core and volcano experts teamed up to identify one of the most climatically impactful volcanic eruptions in 4,000 years -- Aniakchak II. In the process, they narrowed down potential dates for the Thera volcano eruption. |
| Geophysics: Better insights into Earth's interior Posted: 02 May 2022 11:21 AM PDT Geophysicists have developed a method that allows them to investigate the composition of the Earth with better results. |
| Self-eliminating genes tested on mosquitoes Posted: 02 May 2022 10:13 AM PDT Scientists have tested a technology to make temporary genetic modifications in mosquitoes. The modifications self-delete over time. |
| Studies find the seeds of a forest's renewal after wildfire, drought Posted: 02 May 2022 09:54 AM PDT By quantifying the seed production of more than 700 trees species worldwide and how each species' productivity can vary by location, two new studies can help boost the success of efforts to replant and restore forests after devastating wildfires, droughts or other disturbances. The studies, which synthesize data on species from the tropics to subarctic regions, are the first to quantify global patterns in tree seed production. |
| Dinosaur extinction changed plant evolution Posted: 02 May 2022 09:53 AM PDT The absence of large herbivores after the extinction of the dinosaurs changed the evolution of plants. The 25 million years of large herbivore absence slowed down the evolution of new plant species. Defensive features such as spines regressed and fruit sizes increased. The research has demonstrated this using palm trees as a model system. |
| Search reveals eight new sources of black hole echoes Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Astronomers discovered eight new echoing black hole binaries in our galaxy, enabling them to piece together a general picture of how a black hole evolves during an outburst. The findings will help scientists trace a black hole's evolution as it feeds on stellar material. |
| Nanotechnology enables visualization of RNA structures at near-atomic resolution Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have reported a fundamentally new approach to the structural investigation of RNA molecules. ROCK, as it is called, uses an RNA nanotechnological technique that allows it to assemble multiple identical RNA molecules into a highly organized structure, which significantly reduces the flexibility of individual RNA molecules and multiplies their molecular weight. The team showed that their method enables the structural analysis of the contained RNA subunits with a technique known as cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM). |
| Tiny sensor used to track the migratory patterns of monarch butterflies Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Scientists have developed a tracking system that can be attached to monarch butterflies and transmit data about their location all throughout their three-month migratory journey south. |
| AI-enabled ECGs may identify patients at greater risk of stroke, cognitive decline Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Atrial fibrillation, the most common cardiac rhythm abnormality, has been linked to one-third of ischemic strokes, the most common type of stroke. But atrial fibrillation is underdiagnosed, partly because many patients are asymptomatic. |
| Ablation therapy applied to stomach disorders Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT Researchers have shown that ablation therapy, often used to correct an abnormally beating heart, could be used to correct disorders of the stomach. |
| Cilia-free stem cells offer new path to study rare diseases Posted: 02 May 2022 09:05 AM PDT A group of rare diseases called ciliopathies -- polycystic kidney disease notable among them -- emerge from defects in cilia. These are the tiny hairlike structures on the surface of almost every cell type. Scientists experimentally 'knocked out,' or genetically deleted, the cilia in a population of otherwise normal human pluripotent stem cells. Subsequently, human tissues and mini-organ structures (organoids) derived from these cilia-free stem cells manifested ciliopathy-like symptoms, such those seen in polycystic kidney disease or in certain problems in brain development. |
| A new strategy for active metasurface design provides a full 360° phase tunable metasurface Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT An international team of researchers has demonstrated a widely applicable methodology enabling a full 360° active phase modulation for metasurfaces while maintaining significant levels of uniform light amplitude. This strategy can be fundamentally applied to any spectral region with any structures and resonances that fit the bill. |
| New research could help identify babies at risk of brain bleeds Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered a new way to help identify babies and fetuses at high-risk of developing brain bleeds, paving the way for better early intervention. |
| Study supports stronger conservation efforts Appalachians and the Gulf Coast, US Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Study of Campanula americana supports strengthening conservation efforts in glacial refugia areas because of their high genetic diversity. Conservation of those areas in the southern Appalachians and the Gulf Coast has implications for other areas of the country. |
| As climate shifts, species will need to relocate, and people may have to help them Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Climate change is already affecting plants and animals worldwide and is a growing threat to biodiversity, adding a new layer to the existing challenges of habitat loss, invasive species, pollution, and overexploitation. A new study surveyed the recommendations of scientists for managing biodiversity in the face of climate change, providing a summary of practical guidance and identifying areas in need of further research. |
| Older men with high body-mass index have more sperm cell irregularities Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Single-cell analysis of autopsied human testes suggests that abnormalities associated with aging sperm cells might be exacerbated by elevated body mass index (BMI). |
| New insights on the importance of skull channels for brain health Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Researchers who previously discovered channels in the skull have found that cerebrospinal fluid can exit the brain through these channels to reach the skull's bone marrow, which can detect and respond to infection or injury. Tapping into this process may help investigators study and treat inflammation-related brain conditions. |
| Sweet spots in the sea: Mountains of sugar under seagrass meadows Posted: 02 May 2022 09:04 AM PDT Seagrasses play an important role in our climate. They are one of the most efficient sinks of carbon dioxide on Earth. A team of scientists now reports that seagrasses release large amounts of sugar, largely in the form of sucrose, into their soils -- worldwide more than 1 million tons of sucrose, enough for 32 billion cans of coke. Such high concentrations of sugar are surprising. Normally, microorganisms quickly consume any free sugars in their environment. The scientists found that seagrasses excrete phenolic compounds, and these deter most microorganisms from degrading the sucrose. This ensures that the sucrose remains buried underneath the meadows and cannot be converted into CO2 and returned to the ocean and atmosphere. |
| Posted: 02 May 2022 06:48 AM PDT A study of nearly 9,000 children found those who eat a vegetarian diet had similar measures of growth and nutrition compared to children who eat meat. The study also found that children with a vegetarian diet had higher odds of underweight weight status, emphasizing the need for special care when planning the diets of vegetarian kids. |
| Reducing sedentary time mitigates the risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases Posted: 02 May 2022 06:48 AM PDT A new study suggests that reducing daily sedentary time can have a positive effect on the risk factors of lifestyle diseases in only three months. Spending just one hour less sitting daily and increasing light physical activity can help in the prevention of these diseases. |
| Image-based mechanical simulations improve accuracy in gauging healing progress of bone fractures Posted: 02 May 2022 06:48 AM PDT When you first break a bone, the body sends out an inflammatory response, and cells begin to form a hematoma around the injured area. Within a week or two, that blood clot is replaced with a soft material called callus that forms a bridge of sorts that holds the fragments together. Over months, the callus hardens into bone, and the healing process is complete. But sometimes, that bridge between the bones fails to form, creating a nonunion. |
| Lighting the tunnel of plant evolution: Scientists explore importance of two-pore channels in plants Posted: 02 May 2022 06:47 AM PDT Two-pore ion channels are present in many eukaryotes -- both animals and plants. While the possible involvement of these channels in environmental stress responses have been discussed in higher plants, their localizations and functional significance remain largely unknown. Now, researchers have found the missing pieces of evolutionary history of two-pore channels in a species of liverwort. |
| Breakthrough in treatment for Dupuytren's disease Posted: 30 Apr 2022 08:37 AM PDT Injection of the anti-TNF drug adalimumab into Dupuytren's disease nodules is effective in reducing nodule hardness and nodule size. |
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