ScienceDaily: Top News

Deaths linked to ‘hormone disruptor’ chemical costs billions in lost US productivity

Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:01 AM PDT

Daily exposure chemicals called phthalates, used in the manufacture of plastic food containers and many cosmetics, may lead to roughly 100,000 premature deaths among older Americans each year, a new study shows. The resulting annual economic burden is between $40 billion and $47 billion, a value more than quadruple that of previous estimates.

Strange radio waves emerge from the direction of the galactic center

Posted: 12 Oct 2021 05:00 AM PDT

Astronomers have detected a very unusual variable radio signal from towards the heart of the Milky Way, which is now tantalizing scientists.

Unraveling the mystery of touch

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Researchers uncover mechanism that underlies the exquisite sensitivity of certain skin surfaces. The analysis, conducted in mice, reveals that the higher sensitivity of certain regions of the skin stems from a greater number of and stronger connections between neurons in these regions and corresponding brain areas that receive signals from them. The findings set the stage for better understanding the mechanisms that underlie abnormalities of touch seen in certain neurodevelopmental disorders in humans.

New study sheds light on molecular motion

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

New research has shown how a synthetic self-made fibers can guide molecular movement that can be fueled by light over long distances, a discovery that could pave the way for new ways to use light as a source of sustainable energy.

Teaching ancient brains new tricks

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Scientists have found a way to decode the brain activity associated with individual abstract scientific concepts pertaining to matter and energy, such as fermion or dark matter.

Winter-swimming Scandinavian men can teach us how the body adapts to extreme heat and cold

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

The Scandinavian winter swimming culture combines brief dips in cold water with hot sauna sessions -- and now, a study of young men who participate regularly in these polar plunges finds that winter swimming may allow the body to adapt to extreme temperatures. The findings suggest that routinely alternating swims or dips in chilly water with sauna sessions might affect how brown fat, also known as brown adipose tissue (BAT), burns energy and produces heat.

Precision medicine data dive shows diuretic pill may be viable to test as Alzheimer's treatment

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

A commonly available, FDA-approved oral diuretic pill may be a potential candidate for an Alzheimer's disease treatment for those who are at genetic risk, according to new findings.

Link between COVID vaccination and reduced household transmission, Swedish study finds

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

People without immunity against COVID-19 were at considerably lower risk of infection and hospitalization as the number of family members with immunity from a previous infection or full vaccination increased, according to a new study from Sweden.

Radio signals from distant stars suggest hidden planets

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 08:08 AM PDT

Using the world's most powerful radio antenna, scientists have discovered stars unexpectedly blasting out radio waves, possibly indicating the existence of hidden planets.

An efficient and low-cost approach to detecting food fraud

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

Fraudulent practices in food production, especially false claims of geographical origin, cause billions of dollars in economic damage every year. Botanists have now developed a model that can be used to determine the origin of food in an efficient and low-cost manner.

Adverse complications for COVID positive pregnant women and their newborns

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

A new study, which finds an increased risk of poorer outcomes for the new-borns and symptomatic women with COVID-19, adds further weight to the argument for pregnant women to be vaccinated for the virus.

A new proposed scheme towards seamless detection of cutoff lows and preexisting troughs

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

A new automated numerical scheme is proposed for upper tropospheric cyclones (cutoff lows) and their earlier development stage as troughs (preexisting troughs). The proposed scheme has the capacity of early stage detection and can extract locations with transitions that are as smooth as possible and estimate their intensities, sizes, and even the local background flows behind them in a consistent and integrated manner using non-preprocessed (snapshot) basic weather data consisting of geopotential height fields.

Resurrecting quasicrystals: Findings make an exotic material commercially viable

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

A class of materials that once looked as if it might revolutionize everything from solar cells to frying pans -- but fell out of favor in the early 2000s -- could be poised for commercial resurrection, new findings suggest.

A cryptography game-changer for biomedical research at scale

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:13 AM PDT

Using cutting-edge cryptographic techniques (multiparty homomorphic encryption), a new platform called FAMHE will act as a game-changer towards precision, personalized medicine.

Researchers find warning signs for dementia in the blood

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:12 AM PDT

Researchers have identified molecules in the blood that can indicate impending dementia. Their findings are based on human studies and laboratory experiments. The biomarker is based on measuring levels of so-called microRNAs. According to the study data, microRNAs could potentially also be targets for dementia therapy.

Sleep loss does not impact ability to assess emotional information

Posted: 11 Oct 2021 06:12 AM PDT

It's no secret that going without sleep can affect people's mood, but a new study shows it does not interfere with their ability to evaluate emotional situations. It is often assumed that feeling more negative will color people's experience of emotional images and events in the environment around them. However, researchers found that while going 24 hours without sleep impacted study participants' mood, it did not change their performance on tests evaluating their ability to process emotional words and images.

Italian sailors knew of America 150 years before Christopher Columbus, new analysis of ancient documents suggests

Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:31 AM PDT

New analysis of ancient writings suggests that sailors from the Italian hometown of Christopher Columbus knew of America 150 years before its renowned 'discovery'. Transcribing and detailing a, circa, 1345 document by a Milanese friar, Galvaneus Flamma, a Medieval Latin literature expert has made an 'astonishing' discovery of an 'exceptional' passage referring to an area we know today as North America.

A visit from a social robot improves hospitalized children’s outlook

Posted: 09 Oct 2021 06:31 AM PDT

A new study finds a visit from human-controlled robot encourages a positive outlook and improves medical interactions for hospitalized children.

Ancient city could have been destroyed by cosmic airburst, evidence suggests

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 01:05 PM PDT

Researchers have presented evidence that a Middle Bronze Age city called Tall el-Hammam, located in the Jordan Valley northeast of the Dead Sea, was destroyed by a cosmic airburst.

More severely COVID-19 infected mothers more likely to have preterm birth, study finds

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 01:04 PM PDT

Researchers have discovered that the more severely infected with COVID-19 a mother is, the more likely she is to experience preterm birth.

A rare feat: Material protects against both biological and chemical threats

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 01:04 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a versatile composite fabric that can deactivate both biological threats, such as the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, and chemical threats, such as those used in chemical warfare. A material that is effective against both classes of threats is rare. The new material also is reusable. It can be restored to its original state after the fabric has been exposed to threats by a simple bleach treatment.

Excess deaths in people with mental health conditions increased during the COVID-19 pandemic

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 08:29 AM PDT

The greater number of deaths amongst those with mental health conditions and intellectual disabilities has been amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic, a study based on more than 160,000 patients has revealed.

Using indoor air sampling surveillance to sniff out COVID-19

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 07:57 AM PDT

A team of scientists and doctors has developed a capability to detect airborne SARS-CoV-2 RNA -- the nucleic acid coding for the virus that causes COVID-19 -- indoors through air sampling. When trialed in two inpatient wards of a major Singaporean hospital caring for active COVID-19 patients the air surveillance approach produced a higher detection rate of environmental SARS-CoV-2 RNA (72%) compared to surface swab samples (9.6 percent) collected in the same area.

Stem cell population identified that is key for bone regeneration

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 07:57 AM PDT

Researchers have identified a subpopulation of mesenchymal stem cells in the bone marrow that express the marker CD73. These cells have a higher potential for proliferation and differentiation, and play a significant role in bone healing, migrating to the site of a fracture and developing into cartilage and bone cells as part of the repair process. These cells have potential for regenerative medicine.

Physics meets democracy in this modeling study

Posted: 08 Oct 2021 07:57 AM PDT

A study leverages concepts from physics to model how campaign strategies influence the opinions of an electorate in a two-party system.

Alzheimer's and COVID-19 share a genetic risk factor, study finds

Posted: 07 Oct 2021 07:45 PM PDT

An anti-viral gene that impacts the risk of both Alzheimer's disease and severe COVID-19 has been identified by researchers.

Lung maintains long-term memory of COVID infection

Posted: 07 Oct 2021 11:59 AM PDT

After infection with the COVID virus, where does the immune system store the memory? A new study finds memory cells take up residence in the lung to protect against reinfection.