ScienceDaily: Top News


Citizen scientist leads discovery of 34 ultracool dwarf binaries

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 02:18 PM PDT

How often do stars live alone? For brown dwarfs -- objects that straddle the boundary between the most massive planets and the smallest stars -- astronomers need to uncover more examples of their companions to find out. Ace citizen scientists have done just that by using the Astro Data Lab science platform at NSF's NOIRLab to discover 34 new ultracool dwarf binary systems in the Sun's neighborhood, nearly doubling the number of such systems known.

How sound reduces pain in mice

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:24 AM PDT

Scientists have identified the neural mechanisms through which sound blunts pain in mice. The findings could inform development of safer methods to treat pain.

New insights about surface, structure of asteroid Bennu

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:24 AM PDT

When NASA's OSIRIS-REx spacecraft collected samples from asteroid Bennu's surface in 2020, forces measured during the interaction provided scientists with a direct test of the poorly understood near-subsurface physical properties of rubble-pile asteroids. Now, a new study has characterized the layer just below the asteroid's surface as composed of weakly bound rock fragments containing twice the void space as the overall asteroid.

Familiarity breeds exempt: Why staph vaccines don't work in humans

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:23 AM PDT

Researchers say they may have found the reason why multiple human clinical trials of staphylococcus vaccines have failed: the bacteria knows us too well.

Toads surprise scientists by climbing trees in UK woodlands

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:21 AM PDT

Volunteers surveying dormice and bats in trees have made the unexpected discovery of over fifty common toads in nest boxes and tree cavities at least 1.5 meters high.

150 southern fin whales observed feeding together

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

After blue whales, fin whales are the largest whales in the world -- and human beings have hunted both species to near-extinction. After the ban on commercial whaling in 1976, the stocks of these long-lived, but slow-growing creatures are rebounding: researchers have witnessed large groups of up to 150 southern fin whales in their historical feeding areas -- more than has ever been documented before using modern methods. Given these whales' key role in nutrient recycling, other species in the Antarctic ecosystem, like the krill, could also benefit from their rebounding numbers.

Porosity of the moon's crust reveals bombardment history

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Researchers find that, early in its history, the moon was highly porous, which was likely a result of early, massive impacts that shattered much of the crust. They reached their conclusions with simulations and data from NASA's GRAIL mission.

Ozone depletion over North Pole produces weather anomalies

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Researchers have established that the destruction of ozone over the Arctic in the spring causes abnormal weather throughout the northern hemisphere, with many places being warmer and drier than average -- or too wet.

Research reveals why tackling particle pollution leads to rise in photochemical smog

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Researchers have discovered why reducing particle pollution is leading to a rise in photochemical smog in some emerging economies such as India, Africa and China.

The beginning of life: The early embryo is in the driver's seat

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

One often thinks that the early embryo is fragile and needs support. However, at the earliest stages of development, it has the power to feed the future placenta and instructs the uterus so that it can nest. Using 'blastoids', in vitro embryo models formed with stem cells, scientists have shown that the earliest molecular signals that induce placental development and prepare the uterus come from the embryo itself.

A new giant dinosaur gives insight into why many prehistoric meat-eaters had such tiny arms

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

An international team has discovered a new big, meat-eating dinosaur, dubbed Meraxes gigas, that provides clues about the evolution and anatomy of predatory dinosaurs such as the Carcharodontosaurus and Tyrannosaurus rex. Meraxes measured around 36 feet from snout to tail tip and weighed approximately 9,000 pounds.

Awash in potential: Wastewater provides early detection of SARS-CoV-2 virus

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:18 AM PDT

Scientists and physicians describe how wastewater sequencing provided dramatic new insights into levels and variants of SARS-CoV-2 on campus and in the broader community -- a key step to public health interventions in advance of COVID-19 case surges.

The importance of elders

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:17 AM PDT

In a new paper, researchers challenge the longstanding view that the force of natural selection in humans must decline to zero once reproduction is complete. They assert that a long post-reproductive lifespan is not just due to recent advancements in health and medicine. The secret to our success? Our grandparents.

Smart textiles sense how their users are moving

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 11:17 AM PDT

MIT Media Lab researchers developed a novel fabrication process to create smart textiles that comfortably and snugly fit the user's body, enabling very precise pressure sensor data that can be used to analyze and classify the wearer's postures and motions.

'You are what you eat,' and now researchers know exactly what you're eating

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 10:36 AM PDT

Researchers describe a new method to identify all of the unidentified molecules derived from food, providing a direct way to link molecules in diet to health outcomes.

The key is in the coating: Multilayered coating to improve the corrosion resistance of steel

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 07:09 AM PDT

Steel is one of the strongest materials found on earth and is widely used for construction. But on its own, the durability of steel is poor. Galvanizing steel increases its corrosion resistance, making it more sustainable. Recently, a group of scientists proposed a novel method of multilayer coating to increase the longevity of steel.

Reduction of global inequalities in energy use necessary to stop climate change

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 07:09 AM PDT

A new study shows that existing climate mitigation scenarios perpetuate inequalities in energy use between the Global North and the Global South long into the future. These scenarios disadvantage the Global South and are therefore politically untenable, the study's authors argue.

People who practice intermittent fasting experience less severe complications from COVID-19, study finds

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 07:09 AM PDT

Intermittent fasting has previously shown to have a host of health benefits, including lowering the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Now, researchers have found that people who regularly fast are less like to experience severe complications from COVID-19.

Study examines memory in expert birdwatchers

Posted: 07 Jul 2022 07:09 AM PDT

According to a new study that examined memory in expert birdwatchers, having expert knowledge in a subject helps us memorize new information. This is because, while forgetting often happens when similar memories interfere with each other, expert knowledge provides a mental organizational structure, or scaffolding, that helps us keep new items that we want to learn distinct from each other. This reduces confusion between similar items -- in this case, similar-looking birds.

After facial feminization surgery, transgender people report better psychosocial health

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 01:53 PM PDT

A new study offers evidence that transgender patients who receive gender-affirming facial feminization surgery reported better mental health after their procedures.

Hunger really can make us feel 'hangry'

Posted: 06 Jul 2022 12:30 PM PDT

New research has discovered that feeling hungry really can make us 'hangry', with emotions such as anger and irritability strongly linked with hunger.