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ScienceDaily: Top News |
| Link between long-term exposure to air pollution and fatty liver disease shown Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is a growing global health challenge and poses a substantial economic burden. A large-scale epidemiologic study has identified links between long-term exposure to ambient air pollution and MAFLD. These links are exacerbated by unhealthy lifestyles and the presence of central obesity, report scientists. |
| Stress makes life’s clock tick faster: Chilling out slows it down Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Scientists in recent years have developed ways to measure biological age by tracking chemical changes in DNA that occur naturally as people age but occur at different times in different people. These so-called 'epigenetic clocks' have proved to be better predictors of lifespan and health than chronological age. In a new study, Yale researchers used one such clock, appropriately named "GrimAge," to ask two questions: How much does chronic stress accelerate that biological clock? And are there ways to slow it down and extend a healthy lifespan? |
| Sodium-based material yields stable alternative to lithium-ion batteries Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Scientists have developed a new sodium metal anode for rechargeable batteries that resists the formation of dendrites, a common problem with standard sodium metal anodes that can lead to shorting and fires. |
| Researcher pushes limit of when water will freeze Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST An engineer is changing what we know about when water freezes as he pushes the limit and gets the best look yet at tiny drops of water as they freeze. |
| Battery 'dream technology' a step closer to reality with new discovery Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST A sodium-sulfur battery solves one of the biggest hurdles that has held back the technology as a commercially viable alternative to the ubiquitous lithium-ion batteries that power everything from smartphones to electric vehicles. |
| Terrain, weather can predict wild pig movements Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Managing the United States' growing wild pig population has become a significant challenge over the past few decades, but new research may help landowners and government agencies fine-tune their strategies for limiting crop and property damage caused by the animals. |
| Oops! You did it again; new test predicts if impulsivity is pathological Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST If you can't stop saying or doing things that you later regret, here's a diagnostic test for you: Researchers have pioneered a way to better determine when acting on one's worst impulses verges on pathological. Turns out, acting more recklessly when your emotions run high can be correlated with how fast you react to stimulating visuals, especially disturbing ones. |
| Wildfire smoke poses neurological hazards Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST Wildfire smoke contains microparticles that cross the blood-brain barrier, triggering neurotoxic effects. |
| CRISPRing the microbiome is just around the corner Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST CRISPR is widely used to target specific cell types, but only one at a time. Researchers have now developed methods to edit genes in multiple organisms within a diverse community of microbes simultaneously, a first step toward editing microbiomes such as those in the gut or on plants. One method assesses which microbes are editable; a second adds genes with a barcode that allows scientists to insert, track and assess insertion efficiency and specificity. |
| Microfluidics show promise as safer, simpler treatment option for severe neonatal jaundice Posted: 06 Dec 2021 07:00 PM PST New research has led to a promising potential therapy for neonatal jaundice that's more safe, simple and convenient than the blood transfusions currently given to babies suffering from the most dangerous forms of the condition. |
| Iron integral to the development of life on Earth – and the possibility of life on other planets Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST Iron is an essential nutrient that almost all life requires to grow and thrive. Iron's importance goes all the way back to the formation of the planet Earth, where the amount of iron in the Earth's rocky mantle was 'set' by the conditions under which the planet formed and went on to have major ramifications for how life developed. Now, scientists have uncovered the likely mechanisms by which iron influenced the development of complex life forms, which can also be used to understand how likely (or unlikely) advanced life forms might be on other planets. |
| Scientists find first in human evidence of how memories form Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST In a discovery that could one day benefit people suffering from traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, and schizophrenia, researchers have identified the characteristics of more than 100 memory-sensitive neurons that play a central role in how memories are recalled in the brain. |
| Chemoimmunotherapy dramatically improved survival of high-risk neuroblastoma patients Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST A recent phase II clinical trial results suggest that the monoclonal antibody hu14.18K322A could help change treatment of children with high-risk neuroblastoma. |
| No accounting: How two scientists are balancing the planet’s natural carbon budget Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:59 PM PST A pair of researchers have taken a process-based modeling approach to understand how much CO2 rivers and streams contribute to the atmosphere. The team focused on the East River watershed in Colorado's Rocky Mountains, and found that their new approach is far more accurate than traditional approaches, which overestimated CO2 emissions by up to a factor of 12. |
| Burrowing critters increase risk of levee failure Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST When burrowing animals dig into earthen levees to make their homes, they can weaken the infrastructure to the point of collapse and localized flooding -- but most flood risk models don't take that into account. Researchers have developed a new method to estimate the risk of levee failure and flooding from burrowing animals like badgers and porcupines. |
| Factors that prevent mangroves from spreading in South America Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST Due to their pronounced carbon storage capacity, mangroves are an important player in climate change. But they sometimes just don't extend beyond certain latitudes, even when the sites seem suitable. Researchers have now cracked this question for the eastern coast of South America. They could show that seasonal atmospheric and oceanographic factors determine mangrove expansion and this independently of other factors such as soil, and landscape form. |
| Evidence emerges for dark-matter free galaxies Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST Astronomers have found no trace of dark matter in the galaxy AGC 114905, despite taking detailed measurements over a course of forty hours with state-of-the-art telescopes. |
| Powerful new tool makes coral reef monitoring faster, easier, cheaper Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST As coral reefs face increasing threats around the world, a team of researchers has developed a genetic analysis tool that can determine many different types of coral on a reef with just a sample of seawater. |
| New type of earthquake discovered Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST A research team has documented a new type of earthquake in an injection environment in British Columbia, Canada. The seismic events are slower than conventional earthquakes. Their existence supports a scientific theory that until now had not been sufficiently substantiated by measurements. |
| Important role of prokaryotic viruses in sewage treatment uncovered Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:31 AM PST Prokaryotic viruses (phages) existing in activated sludge (AS), a biological treatment process widely used in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), act to regulate the composition of microbial community in the activated sludge. Phages are major bacterial predators, through virus-host interactions with key bacterial populations in AS systems, they can influence the removal efficiency of pollutants. Phages of high specificity could be used to curb undesired bacteria, e.g., the undesired foaming-associated filamentous bacteria that could disrupt the removal efficiency of AS system. |
| Too dry, too hot, or too wet: Increasing weather persistence in European summer Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Global warming makes long lasting weather situations in the Northern hemisphere's summer months more likely -- which in turn leads to more extreme weather events, a novel analysis of atmospheric images and data finds. These events include heatwaves, droughts, intense rainy periods. Especially in Europe, but also in Russia, persistent weather patterns have increased in number and intensity over the last decades with weather extremes occurring simultaneously at different locations. |
| Researchers crack the synthetic code of rare molecules sought after in drug development Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST A research team has succeeded in producing two molecules that are otherwise only formed by microorganisms from extremely contaminated wastewater in an abandoned mine in South Korea. The method, which took four years to develop, could pave the way for new types of drugs. |
| Long-range four-stranded DNA structures found to play a role in rare aging disease Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST A special form of four-stranded DNA, recently seen in human cells, has been found to interact with a gene that causes Cockayne Syndrome when faulty. |
| Liquid crystals for fast switching devices Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST An international team has investigated a newly synthesized liquid-crystalline material that promises applications in optoelectronics. Simple rod-shaped molecules with a single center of chirality self-assemble into helical structures at room temperature. Using soft X-ray resonant scattering at BESSY II, the scientists have now been able to determine the pitch of the helical structure with high precision. Their results indicate an extremely short pitch at only about 100 nanometres which would enable applications with particularly fast switching processes. |
| Male spiders are attracted by a female like planets orbiting a star Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST The tiny male golden orb-weaving spider faces a considerable challenge when searching for a mate. He is a fraction of the size of the massive female, but must carefully enter her web and approach her without being noticed, because the cannibalistic female will kill and eat him if he makes one wrong move on her web. Add to this gamble the competition he faces from other males also on the delicate arena of the web, and you have a complex optimization problem that even human analysts would find daunting. Yet these little spiders barely have what we would recognize as a brain. How then do they manage? |
| Minimal effort required: A ten-minute run can boost brain processing Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Researchers found that as little as ten minutes of moderate-intensity running could benefit mental health. In study participants, both mood and cognitive functions improved, and the activation of bilateral prefrontal subregions associated with cognitive function and mood also increased. These results demonstrate the potential advantages of exercise prescriptions for various conditions including mental health treatment. |
| The sunshine vitamin that ‘D’elivers on cardio health Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Free from the sun, vitamin D delivers a natural source for one of the hormones essential to our bodies, especially the bones. But when you're down on this essential nutrient, it's not only your bones that could suffer, but also your cardio health, according to new research. |
| Spaceflight wreaks havoc on liver metabolism Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Researchers have demonstrated that microgravity and other environmental factors in space play different roles in inducing oxidative stress, which, in turn, alters the metabolism of sulfur-containing compounds in the liver of mice. The study highlighted steps that can be taken, such as boosting antioxidant capacity with dietary supplements, to safeguard astronaut health. |
| Diagnosis from the sky: Catching insect infestations within forests before it’s too late Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Researchers are working to improve remote sensing technology's ability to detect subtle changes in real-time across the landscape, namely to diagnose insect infestations in forests before irreparable damage is done. |
| Glucose control is a key factor for reduced cancer risk in obesity and type 2 diabetes Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Good glucose control is important for reduction of cancer risk in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Large durable weight loss, as such, appears to afford protection against cancer, but with good glucose control the number of cancer cases also drops radically, a new study shows. |
| Migratory birds have lighter-colored feathers Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Migratory birds are specially adapted to find their way over extreme distances that represent remarkable tests of endurance. Now, researchers have discovered an unexpected way that migratory birds keep their cool during such arduous journeys: lighter-colored feathers. |
| Cataract surgery linked with lessened dementia risk Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:30 AM PST Based on the longitudinal data of over 3,000 study participants, researchers found that subjects who underwent cataract surgery had nearly 30% lower risk of developing dementia from any cause compared with those who did not. This lowered risk persisted for at least a decade after surgery. Cataract surgery was also associated with lower risk of Alzheimer disease dementia specifically. |
| Discovering new drugs with help from Darwinian principles Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:29 AM PST Our body must constantly defend itself against bacteria and viruses. It generates millions of different antibodies, which are selected to recognise the enemy and trigger the best possible immune response. Scientists use these antibodies to for therapeutic purposes to target proteins and disrupt their harmful. However, identifying the small molecules that will form the basis of the drug is a long and tedious process. Chemists have now developed a technique inspired by the theory of Darwinian evolution: amplifying the best combinations and generating diversity allows biology to find solutions to new problems. |
| Teaching an old chemical new tricks Posted: 06 Dec 2021 08:29 AM PST Chemists have put a new spin on an old catalyst called 'Barton's base' to invent a faster, 'greener' chemical reaction. Their new chemistry speeds up molecule synthesis used for discovering new materials and drugs. |
| Big gaps in quest to sequence genomes of all animals Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:06 AM PST Efforts to sequence the genomes of the world's animals tend to focus on those that most resemble humans with the work conducted almost entirely in the Global North, according to new analysis. Researchers warn current efforts are overlooking huge swathes of diversity and opportunity. Their analysis found that nearly 3,300 animal species have had their genomes sequenced and assembled, a process that gives organizational context to an organism's DNA. While the rate is picking up, the number is small in comparison to the world's 1.66 million animal species, and vertebrates make up the lion's share of current sequences. They account for 54% of all the assemblies, despite representing only 3.9% of animal species. In contrast, the invertebrates of the Arthropoda phylum, which includes insects and spiders, comprise only 34% of current datasets while representing 78.5% of all species. |
| X-ray laser reveals how radiation damage arises Posted: 06 Dec 2021 06:06 AM PST An international research team has used the X-ray laser European XFEL to gain new insights into how radiation damage occurs in biological tissue. The study reveals in detail how water molecules are broken apart by high-energy radiation, creating potentially hazardous radicals and electrically charged ions, which can go on to trigger harmful reactions in the organism. |
| Microplastic pollution aids antibiotic resistance Posted: 06 Dec 2021 05:02 AM PST Microplastics dispersed in the environment may enhance antibiotic resistance. A study found the chemical-leaching plastics draw bacteria and other vectors and make them susceptible to antibiotic resistant genes. |
| Trees are biggest methane ‘vents’ in wetland areas – even when they’re dry Posted: 05 Dec 2021 06:24 PM PST Most of the methane gas emitted from Amazon wetlands regions is vented into the atmosphere via tree root systems -- with significant emissions occurring even when the ground is not flooded, say researchers. |
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