ScienceDaily: Top Science News

Fully 3D-printed, flexible OLED display

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 01:46 PM PST

Researchers used a customized printer to fully 3D print a flexible organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display. The discovery could result in low-cost OLED displays in the future that could be widely produced using 3D printers by anyone at home, instead of by technicians in expensive microfabrication facilities.

How the brain’s blue spot helps us focus our attention

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST

How can we shift from a state of inattentiveness to one of highest attention? The locus coeruleus, literally the 'blue spot,' is a tiny cluster of cells at the base of the brain. As the main source of the neurotransmitter noradrenaline, it helps us control our attentional focus. Synthesizing evidence from animal and human studies, scientists have now developed a novel framework describing the way the blue spot regulates our brain's sensitivity to relevant information in situations requiring attention.

Tipping point in Humboldt Current off Peru leads to species shift

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST

Fundamental changes in the ocean, such as warming, acidification or oxygen depletion, may have significant consequences for the composition of fish stocks, including the displacement of individual species. Researchers have reconstructed environmental conditions of the warm period 125,000 years ago (Eemian interglacial) using sediment samples from the Humboldt Current System off Peru. They were able to show that, at warmer temperatures, mainly smaller, goby-like fish species became dominant and pushed back important food fish such as the anchovy (Engraulis ringens). The trend is independent of fishing pressure and fisheries management.

Eccentric exoplanet discovered

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 09:14 AM PST

An international research team has discovered a sub-Neptune exoplanet orbiting a red dwarf star.

Exercise alters brain chemistry to protect aging synapses

Posted: 07 Jan 2022 07:09 AM PST

When elderly people stay active, their brains have more of a class of proteins that enhances the connections between neurons to maintain healthy cognition, a new study has found.

Magnetic surprise revealed in 'magic-angle' graphene

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 12:24 PM PST

Magnets and superconductors don't normally get along, but a new study shows that 'magic-angle' graphene is capable of producing both superconductivity and ferromagnetism, which could be useful in quantum computing.

Astronomers capture red supergiant’s death throes

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:36 AM PST

Astronomers previously believed that red supergiant stars fell dormant at the end of their lives. A new study shows that red supergiant stars can violently erupt before collapsing into supernovae

Microbes produce oxygen in the dark

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 11:36 AM PST

It is common knowledge that there would be no oxygen on Earth were it not for sunlight; the key component in photosynthesis. Now researchers have made the surprising discovery that oxygen is also produced without sunlight, possibly deep below the ocean surface.

Sending life to the stars

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 10:32 AM PST

No longer solely in the realm of science fiction, the possibility of interstellar travel has appeared, tantalizingly, on the horizon. Although we may not see it in our lifetimes -- at least not some real version of the fictional warp-speeding, hyperdriving, space-folding sort -- we are having early conversations of how life could escape the tether of our solar system, using technology that is within reach.

'Simple' bacteria found to organize in elaborate patterns

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:16 AM PST

Researchers have discovered that biofilms, bacterial communities found throughout the living world, are far more advanced than previously believed. Scientists found that biofilm cells are organized in elaborate patterns, a feature that previously only had been associated with higher-level organisms such as plants and animals.

Fingerprint patterns are linked to limb development genes

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

In the most comprehensive analysis to date, researchers found that the shapes of fingerprints -- whether they are circular, wavy, or winding -- are influenced by the genes responsible for limb development instead of skin patterning. The study could help scientists better understand the association between genes and phenotypical traits in humans.

Zoo air contains enough DNA to identify the animals inside

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

The air in a zoo is full of smells, from the fish used for feed to the manure from the grazing herbivores, but now we know it is also full of DNA from the animals living there. Two research groups have each published an independent proof-of-concept study showing that by sampling air from a local zoo, they can collect enough DNA to identify the animals nearby. This may prove to be a valuable, non-invasive tool to track biodiversity.

Sorting cancers by 'immune archetypes' represents potential new approach to developing precision immunotherapies

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:15 AM PST

Using data from over 300 patient tumors, researchers have described 12 classes of 'immune archetypes' to classify cancer tumors. Their findings reveal that cancers from different parts of the body are immunologically similar to one another. These classifications provide unique strategies for enhancing each patient's choice of cancer immunotherapies.

Air pollution from wildfires, rising heat affected 68% of US West in one day

Posted: 06 Jan 2022 08:00 AM PST

Large wildfires and severe heat events are happening more often at the same time, worsening air pollution across the western United States, a study has found. In 2020, more than 68% of the western U.S. -- representing about 43 million people -- were affected in one day by the resulting harmful-levels of air pollution, the highest number in 20 years. The study found that these concurrent air pollution events are increasing not only in frequency but duration and geographic extent across the region. They have become so bad that they have reversed many gains of the Clean Air Act. The conditions that create these episodes are also expected to continue to increase, along with their threats to human health.

Nearly 2 million children worldwide develop asthma as a result of breathing in traffic- related pollution

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 05:27 PM PST

Nearly 2 million new cases of pediatric asthma every year may be caused by a traffic-related air pollutant, a problem particularly important in big cities around the world, according to a new study.

Physicists watch as ultracold atoms form a crystal of quantum tornadoes

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 02:41 PM PST

Physicists have directly observed ultracold atoms forming 'quantum tornadoes' in a spinning fluid of ultracold atoms. The observations record a key crossover from classical to quantum behavior.

New research questions 'whiff of oxygen' in Earth’s early history

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST

A reexamination of Earth's famous 'whiff of oxygen' has the potential to rewrite early accounts of the planet's history by finding that atmospheric oxygen actually did not exist prior to the Great Oxygenation Event (GOE).

Modern humans developed a more effective protection against oxidative stress

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 12:13 PM PST

Very few proteins in the body have a change that makes them unique compared to the corresponding proteins in Neanderthals and apes. Researchers have now studied one such protein, glutathione reductase, which protects against oxidative stress. They show that the risk for inflammatory bowel disease and vascular disease is increased several times in people carrying the Neanderthal variant.

How brain networks enable human conversation

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 10:45 AM PST

A new study has identified a brain circuit that is active while we plan our spoken replies during conversation. The work promises to guide the design of new therapies for the 7.5 million Americans who have trouble using their voices, say the study authors.

Matter and antimatter seem to respond equally to gravity

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

As part of an experiment to measure -- to an extremely precise degree -- the charge-to-mass ratios of protons and antiprotons, researchers have found that, within the uncertainty of the experiment, matter and antimatter respond to gravity in the same way.

New research shows gene exchange between viruses and hosts drives evolution

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

The first comprehensive analysis of viral horizontal gene transfer (HGT) illustrates the extent to which viruses pick up genes from their hosts to hone their infection process, while at the same time hosts also co-opt useful viral genes.

Superbug MRSA arose in hedgehogs long before clinical use of antibiotics

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:14 AM PST

Scientists have found evidence that a type of the antibiotic resistant superbug MRSA arose in nature long before the use of antibiotics in humans and livestock, which has traditionally been blamed for its emergence. Hedgehogs carry a fungus and a bacteria on their skin, and the two are locked in a battle for survival. The fungus secretes antibiotics to kill the bacteria, but in response the bacteria has evolved antibiotic resistance -- becoming Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA. Up to 60% of hedgehogs carry a type of MRSA called mecC-MRSA, which causes 1 in 200 of all MRSA infections in humans. Natural biological processes, not antibiotic use, drove the initial emergence of this superbug on hedgehogs around 200 years ago.

School closures led to more sleep and better quality of life for adolescents

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

The school closures in spring 2020 had a negative effect on the health and well-being of many young people. But homeschooling also had a positive flipside: Thanks to sleeping longer in the morning, many teenagers reported improved health and health-related quality of life. The study authors therefore believe school days should begin later in the morning.

A novel compound might defeat multidrug-resistant bacteria common in hospitals

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

Increasingly, hospitalized patients contract infections that evade current antibiotics including colistin, long used as a last treatment option. The discovery of a new colistin variant might make it possible to outmaneuver these pathogens.

The first topological acoustic transistor

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 08:13 AM PST

Researchers have designed and simulated the first topological acoustic transistors -- with sound waves instead of electrons -- and proposed a connection architecture to form a universal logic gate that can switch the flow of sound on and off.

Earth isn’t 'super' because the sun had rings before planets

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 07:32 AM PST

Before the solar system had planets, the sun had rings -- bands of dust and gas similar to Saturn's rings -- that likely played a role in Earth's formation, according to a new study.

Ancient Maya lessons on surviving drought

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 06:45 AM PST

A new study casts doubt on drought as the driver of ancient Mayan civilization collapse.

How oral bacteria suppress protection against viral growth

Posted: 05 Jan 2022 06:43 AM PST

Researchers have discovered details of how proteins produced by oral epithelial cells protect humans against viruses entering the body through the mouth. They also found that oral bacteria can suppress the activity of these cells, increasing vulnerability to infection.

Study reveals more hostile conditions on Earth as life evolved

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 04:25 PM PST

During long portions of the past 2.4 billion years, the Earth may have been more 'inhospitable' to life than scientists previously thought, according to new computer simulations. Using a state-of-the-art climate model, researchers now believe the level of ultraviolet (UV) radiation reaching the Earth's surface could have been underestimated, with UV levels being up to ten times higher.

New route for regulating blood sugar levels independent of insulin

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 08:22 AM PST

Insulin, produced in the pancreas, has been considered the primary means of treating conditions characterized by high blood sugar (glucose), such as diabetes. Scientists have now discovered a second molecule, produced in fat tissue, that, like insulin, also potently and rapidly regulates blood glucose. Their finding could lead to the development of new therapies for treating diabetes, and also lays the foundation for promising new avenues in metabolism research.

Babies born during pandemic's first year score slightly lower on a developmental screening test

Posted: 04 Jan 2022 08:22 AM PST

Babies born during the pandemic's first year -- even to moms who did not have COVID during pregnancy -- scored lower on a screening test of social and motor skills compared to pre-pandemic babies, according to a new study.

Anthropologists study the energetics of uniquely human subsistence strategies

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 11:55 AM PST

Among our closest living relatives -- the great apes -- we humans are unique: We have larger brains, reproduce more quickly and have longer life spans. These traits are obviously valuable, but the extra energy required to sustain them is quite significant. So how did we manage to afford them?

Gene involved in sense of smell could play a role in the spread of breast cancer to the brain

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 11:54 AM PST

An olfactory receptor typically associated with the sense of smell may also trigger breast cancer cells to metastasize through a signaling pathway to the brain, bones and lung. Future research could potentially lead to an inhibitor of OR5B21 to prevent cellular invasion and metastasis, thus prolonging the lives of breast cancer patients.

Lychee genome tells a colorful story about a colorful tropical fruit

Posted: 03 Jan 2022 09:17 AM PST

Radiant and flavorful, lychees were so beloved that they were domesticated not just once in ancient times, but independently in two different regions of China, a study finds.

High-resolution lab experiments show how cells 'eat'

Posted: 30 Dec 2021 10:09 AM PST

A new study shows how cell membranes curve to create the 'mouths' that allow the cells to consume things that surround them.

Possible chemical leftovers from early Earth sit near the core

Posted: 30 Dec 2021 10:09 AM PST

Down near the Earth's core, there are zones where seismic waves slow to a crawl. New research finds that these enigmatic and descriptively-named ultra-low velocity zones are surprisingly layered. Modeling suggests that it's possible some of these zones are leftovers from the processes that shaped the early Earth -- remnants of incomplete mixing like clumps of flour in the bottom of a bowl of batter.

Cancer deaths rose to 10 million worldwide in 2019

Posted: 30 Dec 2021 10:09 AM PST

Cancer deaths rose to 10 million and new cases jumped to over 23 million globally in 2019, according to a new scientific study.

Nits on ancient mummies shed light on South American ancestry

Posted: 28 Dec 2021 07:08 PM PST

For the first time, scientists have recovered ancient human DNA from the sticky glue head lice use to attach their eggs to their host's hair. The new technique was trialled on mummified remains and the DNA has revealed clues about how the people died and the movements of populations thousands of years ago.

‘Battle of the sexes’ begins in womb as father and mother’s genes tussle over nutrition

Posted: 27 Dec 2021 12:43 PM PST

Scientists have identified a key signal that the fetus uses to control its supply of nutrients from the placenta, revealing a tug-of-war between genes inherited from the father and from the mother. The study, carried out in mice, could help explain why some babies grow poorly in the womb.

How DNA is preserved in archaeological sediments for thousands of years

Posted: 27 Dec 2021 12:43 PM PST

The analysis of ancient DNA preserved in sediments is an emerging technology allowing for the detection of the past presence of humans and other animals at archaeological sites. Yet, little is known about how DNA is preserved in sediment for long periods of time. Scientists have now shed light on the matter by isolating DNA from solid blocks of undisturbed sediment that are embedded in plastic resin. The study reveals that ancient human and animal DNA is concentrated in small 'hot spots', particularly in microscopic particles of bone or feces. Micro-sampling of such particles can recover substantial amounts of DNA from ancient humans, such as Neanderthals, and other species and link them to archaeological and ecological records at a microscopic scale.

Earth's first giant

Posted: 23 Dec 2021 11:30 AM PST

The two-meter skull of an enormous new ichthyosaur species, Earth's first known giant creature, reveals how both the extinct marine reptiles and modern whales became giants.

Fingers made of laser light: Controlled grabbing and rotation of biological micro-objects

Posted: 23 Dec 2021 08:32 AM PST

Scientists develop concept for feedback-controlled optical tweezers.These tweezers made of highly focused laser light can grab cell clusters in a controlled manner and rotate them in any direction. This will allow objects such as miniature tumors to be studied more specifically under the microscope.

Mapping the musical mind

Posted: 23 Dec 2021 07:14 AM PST

Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to study the brains of secondary school students during a task focused on musical observation. They found that students trained to play music from a young age exhibited certain kinds of brain activity more strongly than other students. The researchers also observed a specific link between musical processing and areas of the brain associated with language processing for the first time.

Academic education can positively affect aging of the brain

Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST

The benefits of good education and lifelong learning extend into old age. The initial findings of a long-term study show that certain degenerative processes are reduced in the brains of academics. Their brains are better able to compensate age-related cognitive and neural limitations.

Brain mechanisms involved in learning also drive social conformity

Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST

Some of the same brain systems known to play a role in learning from trial and error also are engaged when people conform to social norms, scientists report in a new study. The findings are important, the researchers said, because changing one's behavior to align with one's peers can contribute to community-building or -- depending on the goals and values of the group -- societal breakdown.

1,500 endangered languages at high risk of being lost this century

Posted: 16 Dec 2021 11:59 AM PST

A new study warns 1,500 endangered languages could no longer be spoken by the end of this century.

Computer-, smartphone-based treatments effective at reducing symptoms of depression

Posted: 13 Dec 2021 06:48 AM PST

Computer- and smartphone-based treatments appear to be effective in reducing symptoms of depression, and while it remains unclear whether they are as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, they offer a promising alternative to address the growing mental health needs spawned by the COVID-19 pandemic, according to new research.