ScienceDaily: Top News


Nasal problem plagued long-nosed crocodile relatives

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 04:09 PM PST

Research finds that humans have more in common with endangered crocodiles than we think -- namely, a deviated septum.

Probiotics improve nausea and vomiting in pregnancy

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 04:09 PM PST

Researchers found that probiotics significantly improve the symptoms of pregnancy-related nausea, vomiting and constipation. Nausea and vomiting affect about 85% of pregnancies and can significantly impact quality of life, particularly during early pregnancy.

How you speak up at work can affect whether you’re picked for a team

Posted: 04 Dec 2021 04:08 PM PST

Business leaders and management experts often encourage people to speak up in the workplace. Suggesting a creative idea or a more efficient way to work can help companies overcome challenges and meet goals. But new research shows another, more subtle and often overlooked form of speaking up has a big effect on the way work gets done and how teams come together.

Breakthrough in understanding cosmic forces that shape Earth's heliosphere

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:14 PM PST

Astrophysicists have made a breakthrough discovery in our understanding of the cosmic forces that shape the heliosphere.

Where did western honey bees come from? New research finds the sweet spot

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:14 PM PST

For decades, scientists have hotly debated the origin of the western honey bee. Now, new research has discovered these popular honey-producing bees most likely originated in Asia.

Daytime meals may reduce health risks linked to night shift work

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:14 PM PST

A small clinical trial has found that eating during the nighttime -- like many shift workers do -- can increase glucose levels, while eating only during the daytime might prevent the higher glucose levels now linked with a nocturnal work life.

Brain drain: Scientists explain why neurons consume so much fuel even when at rest

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:14 PM PST

Pound for pound, the brain consumes vastly more energy than other organs, and, puzzlingly, it remains a fuel-guzzler even when its neurons are not firing signals called neurotransmitters to each other. Now researchers have found that the process of packaging neurotransmitters may be responsible for this energy drain.

Immune system-stimulating nanoparticle could lead to more powerful vaccines

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:14 PM PST

Researchers designed a new nanoparticle adjuvant that may be more potent than others now in use. Studies in mice showed it significantly improved antibody production following vaccination against HIV, diphtheria and influenza.

Understanding mouthfeel of food using physics

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 12:13 PM PST

Our understanding of how microscopic structure and changes in the shape of food affect food texture remains underdeveloped, so researchers from Denmark and Germany conducted a series of experiments relating food microstructure and rheology to texture. They used coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy to relate the molecular makeup of the fat in foods with the rheological and mechanical properties of the food. The foods in question: foie gras and pâté.

Printing technique creates effective skin equivalent, heals wounds

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 10:12 AM PST

Researchers have developed an approach to print skin equivalents, which may play a future role in facilitating the healing of chronic wounds. They used suspended layer additive manufacturing, creating a gel-like material to support the skin equivalent that can then support a second phase of gel injection. During printing, the skin layers are deposited within the support gel. After printing, the team washed away the support material, leaving behind the layered skin equivalent.

3D fault information improves alert accuracy for earthquake early warning

Posted: 03 Dec 2021 10:12 AM PST

Three-dimensional fault models are generally more accurate than two-dimensional line models at sending ground shaking alerts to the correct areas as part of an earthquake early warning system, according to a new study.

ALS therapy should target brain, not just spine

Posted: 02 Dec 2021 04:11 PM PST

The brain is indeed a target for treating ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), scientists have discovered. This flips a long-standing belief the disease starts in the spinal motor neurons and any therapy would need to target the spine as the key focus. The new study shows the brain degenerates early in ALS, sends warning signals and shows defects very early in the disease. Degeneration of brain motor neurons is not merely a byproduct of the spinal motor neuron degeneration, as had been previously thought.

Gene discoveries give new hope to people who stutter

Posted: 02 Dec 2021 12:39 PM PST

Researchers describe a 'genetic architecture' for developmental stuttering and report the discovery of new genetic variations associated with the condition.

Predicting protein-protein interactions

Posted: 02 Dec 2021 11:15 AM PST

Scientists have collaborated to build a structurally-motivated deep learning method built from recent advances in neural language modeling. The team's deep-learning model, called D-SCRIPT, was able to predict protein-protein interactions (PPIs) from primary amino acid sequences.