ScienceDaily: Top News

Emissions tied to the international trade of agricultural goods are rising

Posted: 06 May 2022 03:40 PM PDT

Scientists have conducted a thorough examination of international trade in agricultural goods, finding that consumers in wealthy countries enjoy the produce while people in less-developed nations endure heightened greenhouse gas emissions and environmental degradation.

Targeting molecular pathway that causes pulmonary arterial hypertension

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Researchers describe the underlying signaling pathway that results in pulmonary arterial hypertension and a novel monoclonal antibody therapy that blocks the abnormal blood vessel formation characterizing the disease.

Does presenting credibility labels of journalistic sources affect news consumption? New study finds limited effects

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Labeling the credibility of information sources does not shift the consumption of news away from low-quality sources or reduce belief in widely circulated inaccurate claims among average internet users, but providing an indicator of sources' quality may improve the news diet quality of the heaviest consumers of misinformation.

World's ocean is losing its 'memory' under global warming

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Using future projections from the latest generation of Earth System Models, a recent study found that most of the world's ocean is steadily losing its year-to-year memory under global warming.

The forest as a shelter for insects in warmer climates?

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Insect diversity is declining in Bavaria. Land use is a major driver, but the impact of climate change is still unknown. A study has now investigated in more detail how both factors interact in driving insect diversity and what can be done to conserve it.

Operating rooms are the climate change contributor no one's talking about

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

The health care industry accounts for about 8.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and surgery is one of hospitals' biggest culprits in this space. Two surgeons-in-training give some solutions to combat this problem.

Retinal cell map could advance precise therapies for blinding diseases

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

Researchers have identified distinct differences among the cells comprising a tissue in the retina that is vital to human visual perception. The scientists discovered five subpopulations of retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) -- a layer of tissue that nourishes and supports the retina's light-sensing photoreceptors. Using artificial intelligence, the researchers analyzed images of RPE at single-cell resolution to create a reference map that locates each subpopulation within the eye.

Candy-coated pills could prevent pharmaceutical fraud

Posted: 06 May 2022 12:14 PM PDT

A colorful candy nonpareil coating gives pills a unique pattern that can be stored by the manufacturer in a database. Consumers could upload a smartphone photograph of a pill and if its CandyCode matches one in the database, the consumer could be confident that the pill is genuine. If not, it is potentially fraudulent.

Minerals can be key to healing damaged tissue

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

Every species, from bacteria to humans, is capable of regeneration. Regeneration is mediated by the molecular processes that regulate gene expression to control tissue renewal, restoration and growth.

Historic graffiti made by soldiers sheds light on Africa maritime heritage, study shows

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

Historic graffiti of ships carved in an African fort were drawn by soldiers on guard duty watching the sea, experts believe.

Coaching program reduces burnout among resident physicians

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

A coaching program aimed at decreasing burnout among female resident physicians significantly reduced emotional exhaustion and imposter syndrome while increasing self-compassion over a six month period.

Flip-flop genome

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

Researchers found that inversions in the human genome form more commonly than previously thought, which impacts our understanding of certain genetic diseases.

Powerful family of two-dimensional materials discovered

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

A team has developed a new family of two-dimensional materials that researchers say has great potential for many applications such as batteries and supercapacitors, catalysis, sensors and electronics.

Saving the Mekong delta from 'drowning'

Posted: 06 May 2022 11:11 AM PDT

Southeast Asia's most productive agricultural region and home to 17 million people could be mostly underwater within a lifetime. Saving the Mekong River Delta requires urgent, concerted action among countries in the region to lessen the impact of upstream dams and better manage water and sediments within the delta, according to an international team of researchers who outline solutions to the region's dramatic loss of sediment essential to nourishing delta land.

It takes three to tangle: Long-range quantum entanglement needs three-way interaction

Posted: 06 May 2022 08:33 AM PDT

A theoretical study shows that long-range entanglement can indeed survive at temperatures above absolute zero, if the correct conditions are met.

European farmland could be biggest global reservoir of microplastics, study suggests

Posted: 06 May 2022 08:33 AM PDT

Farmlands across Europe are potentially the biggest global reservoir of microplastics due to the high concentrations found in fertilizers derived from sewage sludge, new research has shown.

In balance: Quantum computing needs the right combination of order and disorder

Posted: 06 May 2022 08:33 AM PDT

Researchers have analyzed cutting-edge device structures of quantum computers to demonstrate that some of them are indeed operating dangerously close to a threshold of chaotic meltdown. The challenge is to walk a thin line between too high, but also too low disorder to safeguard device operation.

Program issuing mailed kits doubles rate of leftover opioids disposal

Posted: 06 May 2022 08:33 AM PDT

Study finds that patients of orthopaedic and urologic procedures were more likely to dispose of their extra opioid tablets when they received kits in the mail to do so.

'Digital twins,' an aid to give individual patients the right treatment at the right time

Posted: 06 May 2022 07:26 AM PDT

An international team of researchers have developed advanced computer models, or 'digital twins', of diseases, with the goal of improving diagnosis and treatment. They used one such model to identify the most important disease protein in hay fever. The study underlines the complexity of disease and the necessity of using the right treatment at the right time.

'Stressed' cells offer clues to eliminating build-up of toxic proteins in dementia

Posted: 06 May 2022 07:26 AM PDT

It's often said that a little stress can be good for you. Now scientists have shown that the same may be true for cells, uncovering a newly-discovered mechanism that might help prevent the build-up of tangles of proteins commonly seen in dementia. Scientists have identified a new mechanism that appears to reverse the build-up of aggregates, not by eliminating them completely, but rather by 'refolding' them.

Social media break improves mental health, study suggests

Posted: 05 May 2022 06:34 PM PDT

Results of a new study which asked participants to take a week-long break from TikTok, Instagram, Twitter and Facebook find positive effects for wellbeing, depression and anxiety.

Self-propelled, endlessly programmable artificial cilia

Posted: 05 May 2022 05:59 PM PDT

Researchers have developed a single-material, single-stimuli microstructure that can outmaneuver even living cilia. These programmable, micron-scale structures could be used for a range of applications, including soft robotics, biocompatible medical devices, and even dynamic information encryption.

Invasive species and climate change impact coastal estuaries

Posted: 05 May 2022 03:09 PM PDT

Native species in California's estuaries are expected to experience greater declines as invasive species interact with climate change, according to a new study.

Recurrent UTIs linked to gut microbiome, chronic inflammation

Posted: 05 May 2022 03:09 PM PDT

A study suggests that women who get recurrent urinary tract infections (UTIs) may be caught in a vicious cycle in which antibiotics given to eradicate one infection predispose them to develop another.

Land-building marsh plants are champions of carbon capture

Posted: 05 May 2022 03:09 PM PDT

Human activities such as marsh draining for agriculture are increasingly eating away at saltwater and freshwater wetlands that cover only 1% of Earth's surface but store more than 20% of all carbon dioxide absorbed by ecosystems worldwide. A new study shows that it's not too late to reverse the losses if we use innovative restoration practices that replicate natural landscape-building processes that enhance the restored wetlands' carbon-storing potential.

Patient-derived micro-organospheres enable cutting-edge precision oncology

Posted: 05 May 2022 12:44 PM PDT

Scientists develop micro-organospheric models to predict therapeutic response accurately and rapidly, enabling cutting-edge precision oncology.

Cell division in moss and animals more similar than previously thought

Posted: 05 May 2022 12:03 PM PDT

For a new plant to grow from a seed, cells need to divide numerous times. Daughter cells can each take on different tasks and sometimes vary in size. How plants determine the plane of cell division in this process, known as mitosis, is currently being researched. Working with Physcomitrella -- a moss plant, they have now identified how the mitotic apparatus is localized in the plant cell: "Using moss cells we were able to observe an unexpected process that is important for the position of the cell division site in plants.

Scientists observe quantum speed-up in optimization problems

Posted: 05 May 2022 12:03 PM PDT

Scientists have demonstrated a breakthrough application of neutral-atom quantum processors to solve problems of practical use.

Heart attack mortality rate higher in the US compared to other high-income countries

Posted: 05 May 2022 11:38 AM PDT

When it comes to treating heart attacks, U.S. hospitals may have the latest tech and low readmission rates, but the country's mortality rate is one of the highest among the nations included in a new study. The study found substantial differences in care for heart attack patients across six high income countries despite international agreement on how heart attacks should be treated.

New tool more accurately uses genomic data to predict disease risk across diverse populations

Posted: 05 May 2022 11:38 AM PDT

A modified PRS increases predictive accuracy by integrating data from diverse populations.

'Smart' diaper for bedside urine testing

Posted: 05 May 2022 08:46 AM PDT

Urine can reveal a lot about a person's health. But physicians don't currently have a convenient or fast way of tracking the concentration of important compounds in their patients' urine. Now, researchers have designed a flexible sensor that fits in a diaper, measures multiple components in urine and can share those results over Bluetooth to provide real-time bedside analyses for incontinent, elderly or infant patients.

Wearable, inexpensive robotic sleeve for lymphedema treatment

Posted: 05 May 2022 08:46 AM PDT

Researchers have developed a soft robotic sleeve controlled with a microfluidic chip that reduces cost, weight, and power consumption for treatment of lymphedema. The prototype is more portable than previous devices, and the underlying mechanisms can extend to other treatments, such as prosthetics. The microfluidic chip has 16 channels, each with a different resistance. The differing resistances create a time delay between the flow through each channel, causing balloons in the sleeve to sequentially inflate and push fluid upwards, out of the arm.

Promising treatment for dementia

Posted: 05 May 2022 07:21 AM PDT

A new study has found a promising new treatment for patients with behavioral variant fronto-temporal dementia, the second most common form of dementia in the under 60s -- resulting in a stabilizing of what would normally be escalating behavioral issues, and a slowing of brain shrinkage due to the disease. It is the second clinical trial to show that the drug, sodium selenate, may slow cognitive decline and neuro-degenerative damage that is the hallmark of many dementias including Alzheimer's Disease.

Asia and Africa have similar aging burden as the West

Posted: 05 May 2022 05:56 AM PDT

Researchers have devised a new metric, the 'Health-Adjusted Dependency Ratio' (HADR) as an alternative to the most commonly used aging metric, the old-age dependency ratio (OADR). The research suggests that age-related health burden is distinct from a ratio based exclusively on age and is the first to incorporate dependency associated with ill-health to generate a new metric that represents a more holistic measure of dependency for 188 countries.