ScienceDaily: Top News

Genetic strategy reverses insecticide resistance

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 04:26 PM PST

Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, scientists have genetically engineered a method to reverse insecticide resistance. The gene replacement method offers a new way to fight deadly malaria spread and reduce the use of pesticides that protect valuable food crops.

New study overturns popular theory on evolution of termite size

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 08:56 AM PST

Researchers have completed a comprehensive analysis of the head width of over 1500 modern and fossilized species of termites and determined that their size isn't shrinking at a geological timescale.

Earth’s interior is cooling faster than expected

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 08:56 AM PST

Researchers have demonstrated in the lab how well a mineral common at the boundary between the Earth's core and mantle conducts heat. This leads them to suspect that the Earth's heat may dissipate sooner than previously thought.

Systematically examining the way spatial structure influences the evolution of cancer

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 07:30 AM PST

Characterizing the way, manner or pattern of evolution in tumors may be important for clinical forecasting and optimizing cancer treatment. Researchers are systematically examining how spatial structure influences tumor evolution. To do this the group developed a computational model with the flexibility to simulate alternative spatial structures and types of cell dispersal.

Meet a colorful but colorblind spider

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 07:30 AM PST

An international team of researchers found that the brightly colored jumping spider Saitis barbipes could not see its own vivid reds.

The first AI breast cancer sleuth that shows its work

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 07:30 AM PST

Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence platform to analyze potentially cancerous lesions in mammography scans to determine if a patient should receive an invasive biopsy. But unlike its many predecessors, the algorithm is interpretable, meaning it shows physicians exactly how it came to its conclusions.

Hostile takeover in the cell: Pathogens hijack host mitochondria

Posted: 14 Jan 2022 06:28 AM PST

A research team reports that a parasite tricks mitochondria into shedding large structures from their 'skin', thus turning off their defenses.

Nanostructures get complex with electron equivalents

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 04:41 PM PST

Complex crystals that mimic metals -- including a structure for which there is no natural equivalent -- can be achieved with a new approach to guiding nanoparticle self-assembly.

Two new species of freshwater goby fish discovered in Palawan, Philippines

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:14 PM PST

Biologists have found two new species of goby fish in Palawan, a Philippine archipelago. The goby fish both belonged to the genus, Rhinogobius.

Tuberculosis vaccine could assist future COVID-19 vaccine development

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST

A computational biologist is reporting that the tuberculosis vaccine, which could be associated with a reduced number and/or severity of COVID-19 cases, could assist future COVID-19 vaccine development.

First study to detect Delta variant of SARS-CoV-2 in maternal bloodstream and placenta in cases of stillbirth and pregnancy complications

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 12:10 PM PST

Data indicate that pregnant women with COVID-19 had an increased risk for stillbirth when the Delta variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was the dominant strain in the United States. Researchers identified the Delta variant in the blood and placentas of several women with COVID-19 who had stillbirths and pregnancy complications.

Protective gene variant against COVID-19 identified

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 09:07 AM PST

Researchers have identified a specific gene variant that protects against severe COVID-19 infection. The researchers managed to pinpoint the variant by studying people of different ancestries, a feat they say highlights the importance of conducting clinical trials that include people of diverse descents.

Powerful sensors on planes detect crop nitrogen with high accuracy

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 09:07 AM PST

Synthetic nitrogen fertilizers transformed agriculture as we know it during the Green Revolution, catapulting crop yields and food security to new heights. Yet, despite improvements in crop nitrogen use efficiency, fears of underperformance spur fertilizer overapplication to this day. Excess nitrogen then ends up in waterways, including groundwater, and in the atmosphere in the form of potent greenhouse gases.

Heart disease causes early brain dysfunction and can treble key Alzheimer’s protein

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 09:07 AM PST

Heart disease can directly cause brain dysfunction early on which could lead to dementia and can treble the amount of an Alzheimer's protein in the brain, say scientists.

Next-generation tissue expansion method improves neural imaging

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 09:07 AM PST

'eMAP' enables labeling of more than a dozen more synaptic proteins than its predecessor MAP, allowing for deeper studies of circuit junctions in brain tissue.

AI accurately diagnoses prostate cancer, study shows

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

Researchers have completed a comprehensive international validation of artificial intelligence (AI) for diagnosing and grading prostate cancer. The study shows that AI systems can identify and grade prostate cancer in tissue samples from different countries equally well as pathologists. The results suggest AI systems are ready to be responsibly introduced as a complementary tool in prostate cancer care, researchers say.

An ice-inspired lubricant improves osteoarthritis symptoms in rats

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

With the Winter Olympics approaching, many people will soon be tuning in to watch events that take place on ice, such as figure skating, speed skating and ice hockey. An ultrathin, super-lubricating layer of water on the ice's surface is essential for skaters' graceful glides. Inspired by this surface, researchers have developed a treatment for osteoarthritis that enhances lubrication and reduces friction and inflammation in a rat model of the disease.

What will it take to save the regent honeyeater from extinction?

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

New research shows unless conservation actions are urgently stepped up, one of our most beautiful songbirds, the regent honeyeater, will be extinct within 20 years.

Green-med diet seems to slow age-related neurodegeneration, study finds

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

A green Mediterranean diet, high in polyphenols and low in red and processed meat, seems to slow age-related brain atrophy, according to a new study. The DIRECT PLUS 18-month long randomized control trial among approximately 300 participants is one of the longest and largest brain MRI trials in the world.

A treasure map for the realm of electrocatalysts

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Efficient electrocatalysts, which are needed for the production of green hydrogen, for example, are hidden in materials composed of five or more elements. A team has developed an efficient method for identifying promising candidates in the myriad of possible materials. To this end, the researchers combined experiments and simulation.

A case of mistaken identity: Researchers unmask cellular source of Barrett’s esophagus

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Scientists correct a longstanding misconception about the origins of Barrett's esophagus, and in doing so may point to new avenues of treatment or prevention to lower the risk of esophageal cancer.

Researchers make important new findings about how to test cancer-fighting drugs

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Researchers are discovering new ways to find out how effective a drug might be against cancer.

Unprecedented cellular maps of tissues enabled by new tool

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

The study of the human body at single-cell level has received a boost with the creation of a new tool, which will allow researchers to see not only the function of cells, but also where they are situated within tissues. The tool, called cell2location, has been developed by researchers.

Infants with low-risk deliveries should not need antibiotics at birth, study suggests

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 06:21 AM PST

Infants born via uncomplicated cesarean delivery, without labor or membrane rupture before delivery and no concern for infection, should not need antibiotics at birth, according to a new study. The findings could help clinicians tailor the use of early antibiotics in newborns. Only those deemed at risk for infection should receive antibiotics, thereby reducing unnecessary use.

New conservation tool calculates the optimal time to spend researching a habitat before protecting it

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 06:21 AM PST

Deciding when to stop learning and take action is a common, but difficult decision in conservation. Using a new method, this trade-off can be managed by determining the amount of time to spend on research at the outset.

Swapping just one food item per day can make diets substantially more planet-friendly

Posted: 13 Jan 2022 06:19 AM PST

If your New Year's resolution is to eat better for the planet, a new study finds it may be easier than you think. Researchers calculated how people can lower their diets' carbon impact by swapping one high-impact food item for similar, more sustainable options.

Get moving to put the brakes on early Parkinson’s

Posted: 12 Jan 2022 03:13 PM PST

A new study suggests that people with early-stage Parkinson's disease who regularly got one to two hours of moderate exercise twice a week, like walking or gardening, may have less trouble balancing, walking and doing daily activities later.

Removing brain cells linked to wakefulness and addiction may lessen symptoms of opioid withdrawal

Posted: 12 Jan 2022 12:49 PM PST

A study in mice shows that removing chemical messengers in the brain that are involved in both wakefulness and addiction may make withdrawal from opioids easier and help prevent relapse.