ScienceDaily: Top News

Cancer: Immunotherapies without side effects?

Posted: 03 Jul 2021 09:05 AM PDT

Immunotherapy has revolutionized the field of cancer treatment. However, inflammatory reactions in healthy tissues frequently trigger side effects that can be serious. Scientists have succeeded in establishing the differences between deleterious immune reactions and those targeting tumor cells that are sought after. It appears that while the immune mechanisms are similar, the cell populations involved are different. This work makes it possible to envisage targeted and less dangerous treatments for cancer patients.

Role of dopamine in songbird's brain plasticity

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Neuroscientists have demonstrated in new research that dopamine plays a key role in how songbirds learn complex new sounds.

Solar hydrogen for Antarctica: Advantages of thermally coupled approach

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Their conclusion: in extremely cold regions, it can be considerably more efficient to attach the PV modules directly to the electrolyser, i.e. to thermally couple them. This is because the waste heat from the PV modules increases the efficiency of electrolysis in this environment. The results of this study are also relevant for other cold regions on Earth, such as Alaska, Canada, and high mountain regions, for example. In these places, solar hydrogen could replace fossil fuels such as oil and petrol.

Air pollution during pregnancy may affect growth of newborn babies

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Maternal exposure to air pollution during pregnancy has often been linked to adverse effects on the health of the newborn. However, there are very few studies on the subject. A study has just concluded that the stages most sensitive to air pollution are the early and late months of pregnancy.

New insights into the assembly of photosynthetic membranes

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

An international study has elucidated the structure of a protein that is required for the assembly and stability of photosynthetic membranes.

Neurobiology: How mice see the world

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Researchers have developed an open-source camera system that images natural habitats as they appear to rodents.

Smart technology is not making us dumber

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

There is no scientific evidence that shows that smartphones and digital technology harm our biological cognitive abilities.

Why does Mercury have such a big iron core? Magnetism!

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

A new study disputes the prevailing hypothesis on why Mercury has a big core relative to its mantle. For decades, scientists argued that hit-and-run collisions blew away much of Mercury's rocky mantle and left the big, dense, metal core inside. But new research reveals that collisions are not to blame -- instead, the density, mass and iron content of a rocky planet's core is influenced by its distance from the sun's magnetic field.

After routing de Soto, Chickasaws repurposed Spanish objects for everyday use

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Archaeologists have unearthed a rare trove of more than 80 metal objects in Mississippi thought to be from Hernando de Soto's 16th-century expedition through the Southeast. Many of the objects were repurposed by the resident Chickasaws as household tools and ornaments, an unusual practice at a time when European goods in North America were few and often reserved for leaders.

A globally important microbial process hidden on marine particles

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:43 PM PDT

Nitrogen is essential for all life on Earth. In the global oceans however, this element is scarce, and nitrogen availability is therefore critical for the growth of marine life. Some bacteria found in marine waters can convert nitrogen gas (N2) to ammonia (known as N2 fixation), and thereby supply the marine food web with nitrogen.

Insect-sized robot navigates mazes with the agility of a cheetah

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:42 PM PDT

Engineers have created an insect-scale robot that can swerve and pivot with the agility of a cheetah, giving it the ability to traverse complex terrain and quickly avoid unexpected obstacles. Small, robust robots like these could be ideal for conducting search and rescue operations or investigating other hazardous situations, such as scoping out potential gas leaks.

Solving a long-standing mystery about the desert's rock art canvas

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 12:42 PM PDT

Petroglyphs are carved in a material called rock varnish, the origins of which have been debated for years. Now, scientists argue it's the result of bacteria and an adaptation that protects them from the desert sun's harsh rays.

Pioneering noninvasive technique for neurological conditions

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:46 AM PDT

Researchers are developing a new, noninvasive brain stimulation technique to treat neurological disorders, including pain, traumatic brain injury (TBI), epilepsy, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease and more.

Same dance, different species: How natural selection drives common behavior of lizards

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

A surprising study on the behavior of unrelated lizards in very different parts of the world has demonstrated how evolution can lead to different species learning the same skills. The study documents how the Anolis lizard species in the Caribbean, and the Draco lizard species in Southeast Asia, have solved the challenge of communicating with one another to defend territories and attract mates.

Researchers explore how children learn language

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

New research pinpoints how young children quickly learn language, opening new paths to leverage for machine learning.

Muskrats are a bellwether for a drying delta

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Downstream of hydroelectric dams and Alberta's oil sands, one of the world's largest freshwater deltas is drying out. New research suggests long-term drying is making it harder for muskrats to recover from massive die-offs. It's a sign of threats to come for many other species.

Guadalupe fur seals continue to recover as new colony discovered

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Guadalupe fur seals (Arctocephalus townsendi) have established a large resting colony in the Gulf of California -- bringing the total number of sites where this endangered species now occurs to just four. This new haul-out was discovered on El Farallón de San Ignacio Island, along the mainland coast of Mexico.

Uncovering the genetic mechanism behind Rett syndrome

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Researchers found that the main gene that causes Rett syndrome, MeCP2, controls the differentiation pattern of neural stem cells through the microRNA miR-199a. Dysfunction in MeCP2 or miR-199a cause neural stem cells to produce more astrocytes than neurons. Furthermore, the researchers found that miR-199a mediates the production of Smad1, a downstream transcription factor of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) signaling.

Observation, simulation, and AI join forces to reveal a clear universe

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Astronomers have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) technique to remove noise in astronomical data due to random variations in galaxy shapes. After extensive training and testing on large mock data created by supercomputer simulations, they then applied this new tool to actual data from Japan's Subaru Telescope and found that the mass distribution derived from using this method is consistent with the currently accepted models of the Universe.

Novel strategy for natural product biosynthesis

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Researchers discover enzyme prototype for formation of ecologically and pharmaceutically important tropone compounds.

How ethane-consuming archaea pick up their favorite dish

Posted: 02 Jul 2021 08:45 AM PDT

Hot vents in the deep sea are home to microbes that feed on ethane. Now researchers have succeeded in finding an important component in the microbial conversion of the gas. They were able to decode the structure of the enzyme responsible for the ethane fixation.

Large-scale drug analysis reveals potential new COVID-19 antivirals

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 04:53 PM PDT

Researchers have screened thousands of drug and chemical molecules and identified a range of potential antivirals that could be developed into new treatments for COVID-19 or in preparation for future coronavirus outbreaks.

Is global plastic pollution nearing an irreversible tipping point?

Posted: 01 Jul 2021 11:09 AM PDT

Current rates of plastic emissions globally may trigger effects that we will not be able to reverse, argues a new study. According to the authors, plastic pollution is a global threat, and actions to drastically reduce emissions of plastic to the environment are 'the rational policy response.'