ScienceDaily: Top News


Archaeologists discover salt workers’ residences at underwater Maya site

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 02:12 PM PST

Maya archaeologists have excavated salt kitchens where brine was boiled in clay pots over fires in pole and thatch buildings preserved in oxygen-free sediment below the sea floor in Belize. But where these salt workers lived has been elusive, leaving possible interpretations of daily or seasonal workers from the coast or even inland. This gap left nagging questions about the organization of production and distribution.

Role of psychotherapists in treatment effectiveness

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 12:56 PM PST

New research shows that different psychotherapists use common treatment processes to varying benefits for patients.

Novel artificial genomic DNA can replicate and evolve outside the cell

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 12:56 PM PST

Scientists successfully induced gene expression from a DNA and evolution through continuous replication extracellularly using cell-free materials alone for the first time. By adding the genes necessary for transcription and translation to the artificial genomic DNA, it could be possible to develop artificial cells that can grow autonomously, and it will be expected to produce efficient useful substances.

A genetic change for achieving a long and healthy life?

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 12:56 PM PST

Researchers presented new insights for improving the health span by just regulating the activity of a protein. A research group has identified a single amino acid change in the tumor suppressor protein phosphatase and tensin homolog (PTEN) that dramatically extends healthy periods while maintaining longevity.

Breeding plants with genes from one parent

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 12:54 PM PST

Scientists are a step closer to breeding plants with genes from only one parent. New research led by plant biologists at UC Davis shows the underlying mechanism behind eliminating half the genome and could make for easier and more rapid breeding of crop plants with desirable traits such as disease resistance.

Wearable tech confirms wear-and-tear of work commute

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 05:51 AM PST

Information about worker commutes from smartphones and fitness trackers can predict individual job performance, according to a new study.

Scientists key in on brain’s mechanism for singing, learning

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 05:51 AM PST

New research reveals that specialized cells within neural circuitry that triggers complex learning in songbirds bears a striking resemblance to a type of neural cell associated with the development of fine motor skills in the cortex of the human brain.

Two is better than one: Single-atom dimer electrocatalyst for green hydrogen production

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 05:51 AM PST

Nickel-cobalt metal dimer on nitrogen-doped carbon can catalyze electrolysis under both acidic and basic conditions.

Researchers use model of hypothalamus to implicate genes associated with sleep, BMI, puberty

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 05:51 AM PST

A new study has implicated several genes involved in a variety of bodily functions associated with the hypothalamus, a notoriously difficult-to-study region of the brain. The findings could help clinicians identify potential causes of dysfunction for many important traits regulated by the hypothalamus, such as sleep, stress, and reproduction.

Specific facial features can help distinguish children from adults

Posted: 19 Nov 2021 05:49 AM PST

Identifying specific facial features that can be used to distinguish a child's face from an adult's may offer a useful tool for determining whether children are depicted in indecent images of children, according to new research.

Scientists capture humor’s earliest emergence

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:38 PM PST

Young children's ability to laugh and make jokes has been mapped by age for the first time using data from a new study involving nearly 700 children from birth to 4 years of age, from around the world. The findings identify the earliest age humor emerges and how it typically builds in the first years of life.

Dengue’s dance: Host immunity drives viral evolution

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:34 PM PST

New research provides evidence that host immunity drives evolution of the dengue virus. The research analyzes two decades of genetic variation from Thailand alongside population-level measures of infection and immunity.

Chronic stress and depression boost this brain receptor; a new study maps out how to block it

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:34 PM PST

Eliminating GPR158 activity in stressed mice made them resistant to depression and anxiety. A new study in the journal Science reveals the unusual brain receptor's structure, and possible ways a medication might reduce its sway.

The brain uses bodily signals to regulate fear

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:34 PM PST

Fear is essential for survival, but must be well regulated to avoid harmful behaviors such as panic attacks or exaggerated risk taking. Scientists have now demonstrated in mice that the brain relies on the body's feedback to regulate fear. The brain's insular cortex strongly reacts to stimuli signaling danger. However, when the body freezes in response to fear, the heartbeat slows down leading to attenuated insular cortex activity. Processing these opposing signals helps the insular cortex to keep fear in balance. The body's reactions are thus actively used to regulate emotions and are much more than passive emotional responses.

New cell discovered and shown to regulate heart rate

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:34 PM PST

Researchers discovered a new type of cell in the heart that may help regulate heart rate, and could be an important key in understanding certain types of congenital heart defects and other diseases that involve the heart.

Groundwater in California’s Central Valley may be unable to recover from past and future droughts

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:34 PM PST

Groundwater in California's Central Valley is at risk of being depleted by pumping too much water during and after droughts. Under a best-case scenario, the researchers found there is a high probability it would take six to eight years to fully recover overdrafted water, but current California climate projections suggest realistic recovery times are even longer.

New imaging technology may reduce need for skin biopsies

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 05:30 PM PST

A new 'virtual histology' technology shows promise by analyzing images of suspicious-looking lesions and quickly producing a detailed, microscopic image of the skin, bypassing several standard steps typically used for diagnosis -- including skin biopsy, tissue fixation, processing, sectioning and histochemical staining.

‘Surgery selfies’ could spot serious infections early

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:15 AM PST

Smartphone pictures of post-surgical wounds taken by patients and then assessed by clinicians can help with the early identification of infections, a study has found.

Study links stress to Crohn’s disease flare-ups

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:15 AM PST

Researchers using mouse models found that stress hormones suppressed the innate immune system that normally protects the gut from invasive Enterobacteriaceae, a group of bacteria including E. coli which has been linked to Crohn's disease.

Earthquakes and extreme rainfall lead to a significant increase in the rates of landslides in Nepal

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:15 AM PST

Researchers outline how they were able to establish a clear pattern between the strength of the monsoon season in Nepal and the amount of landsliding over a 30-year period between 1988 and 2018.

Plumbing the depths: Defect distribution in ion-implanted SiC diodes

Posted: 18 Nov 2021 03:14 AM PST

Introducing a vertical arrangement of n and p layers into the drift layer of semiconductors to enable bipolar operation is a way around the 'unipolar limit' problem in semiconductors. But defect generation during the fabrication of such devices is a matter of concern. Researchers have examined the depth and distribution of defects formed by aluminum ion implantation in silicon carbide bipolar diodes to identify ways to induce efficient conductivity modulation.

Different kinds of marine phytoplankton respond differently to warming ocean temperatures

Posted: 17 Nov 2021 06:16 PM PST

A team of researchers has concluded that different types of phytoplankton will react differently to increasing ocean temperatures resulting from the changing climate. An examination of how four key groups of phytoplankton will respond to ocean temperatures forecast to occur between 2080 and 2100 suggests that their growth rates and distribution patterns will likely be dissimilar, resulting in significant implications for the future composition of marine communities around the globe.

Food scientists create zinc index for human body

Posted: 17 Nov 2021 01:14 PM PST

Zinc deficiency is prevalent around the world, and among children, these mineral shortfalls can lead to stunting, embryonic malformations and neurobehavioral abnormalities. Over several decades, science has improved understanding of zinc metabolism, but an accurate, comprehensive assessment tool for its physiological status within a human body has remained elusive. Until now.