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Technology’s impact on worker well-being Posted: 28 Oct 2021 02:45 PM PDT In the traditional narrative of the evolving 21st century workplace, technological substitution of human employees is treated as a serious concern, while technological complementarity -- the use of automation and artificial intelligence to complement workers -- is viewed as a good thing. But a new study tells a more nuanced story, demonstrating that the integration of automation and AI in the workplace has mixed, even negative impacts, on worker wellbeing. |
Juno peers deep into Jupiter’s colorful belts and zones Posted: 28 Oct 2021 12:38 PM PDT A new study of data captured in orbit around Jupiter has revealed new insights into what's happening deep beneath the gas giant's distinctive and colorful bands. |
Unlocking the technology to produce unbreakable screens Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:37 AM PDT Cracked phone screens could become a thing of the past thanks to breakthrough research The researchers have unlocked the technology to produce next-generation composite glass for lighting LEDs and smartphone, television and computer screens. The findings will enable the manufacture of glass screens that are not only unbreakable but also deliver crystal clear image quality. |
How legumes give oxygen to symbiotic bacteria in their roots Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:37 AM PDT Scientists discover the genetics inside legumes that control the production of an oxygen-carrying molecule, crucial to the plant's close relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The finding offers the potential to give other plants the ability to produce ammonia from bacteria -- reducing the need for the fossil fuel-dependent and polluting practice of applying synthetic fertiliser to crops. |
Brain monitoring suggests common link between electrical tremors and mental health disorders Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:37 AM PDT A new review of current literature has found that irregular responses in the brain to challenging tasks and mistakes could be key to understanding common links between abnormal behaviors in a range of mental illness and cognitive disorders. |
Sending up the bat signal on forest use by endangered species Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:37 AM PDT Deep in an Indiana forest, a team of scientists skulked atop hillsides after dark. Carrying radios and antennas, they fanned out, positioning themselves on opposite ridges to wait and listen. Their quarry? Endangered Indiana bats and threatened northern long-eared bats. |
Satellite images show positive impact of conservation efforts for China's coastal wetlands Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT An international, interdisciplinary research team is using satellite images to measure the changes of coastal wetlands in China from the early 1980s to the present. The research team is also assessing the effects of conservation efforts on preserving and recovering these important ecosystems. |
Warming climate will increase number of harmful algae blooms Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT A new study shows how changes in light conditions have a significant influence on the growth and impact of harmful algae blooms. The bottom line: a warming climate looks good for the growth of toxic algae and may disrupt other organisms that are part of the food web -- whether they graze on this algae or are consumed by it. |
Feedback, goal-setting improve attention Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT For individuals to sustain their attention on a task over a long period of time, goal-setting is effective but receiving feedback produces a much stronger effect, according to a new study. |
New species of human ancestor named: Homo bodoensis Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT Palaeoanthropologists have announced the naming of a new species of human ancestor, Homo bodoensis. This species lived in Africa during the Middle Pleistocene, around half a million years ago, and was the direct ancestor of modern humans. |
After California’s 3rd-largest wildfire, deer returned home while trees were ‘still smoldering’ Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT While many animals have adapted to live with wildfires of the past -- which were smaller, more frequent and kept ecosystems in balance across the West -- it's unclear to scientists how animals are coping with today's unprecedented megafires. A team of researchers tracked a population of black-tailed deer before, during and after the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire and found that most of the deer returned home within hours of the fire, while trees were still smoldering. |
Intriguing insect fossils preserved in amber Posted: 28 Oct 2021 11:36 AM PDT What zoologists have discovered in samples of ancient amber -- insect larvae with unusual morphologies and larvae of early flying insects. |
New research casts doubt on claims that people have ‘rose-tinted glasses’ Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT New research casts doubt on claims that people have 'rose-tinted glasses' and findings suggest governments should re-examine their use of 'optimism bias' in large-scale projects. |
Reducing vessel activity key to southern resident killer whale survival Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT Reducing ship speed and noise levels would increase the probability that endangered West Coast southern resident killer whales will spend more time hunting for Chinook salmon, a new study has found. |
Cleveland Clinic study links gut microbiome and aggressive prostate cancer Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT Researchers have shown for the first time that diet-associated molecules in the gut are associated with aggressive prostate cancer, suggesting dietary interventions may help reduce risk. While more research will be necessary, the study's lead author says findings from the team's analysis of nearly 700 patients may have clinical implications for diagnosing and preventing lethal prostate cancer. |
Best water treading technique to prevent drowning Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT Unless you're a water-polo player, the 'egg-beater' technique may mean little to you. But new research has found it may be the most effective skill you can learn to prevent drowning. |
Stacking the deck: Layers of crystalline nanosheets enable tunable electronic properties Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT Researchers have obtained and characterized two-dimensional (2D) boron monosulfide (BS) nanosheets. The bandgap energy of a single BS nanosheet was greater than that of the bulk material from which it came. As additional 2D layers were stacked, the bandgap energy eventually decreased to that of the bulk material. This result reflected the tunable electronic properties of BS nanosheets, which are suitable for electronic devices and photocatalytic applications. |
New study solves energy storage and supply puzzle Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:04 AM PDT Researchers have found a simple and affordable method to determine which chemicals and types of metals are best used to store and supply energy, in a breakthrough for any battery-run devices and technologies reliant on the fast and reliable supply of electricity, including smart phones and tablets. |
These hips don’t lie: 3D imaging of a pelvis suggests social care for saber-tooths Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT A new study reveals saber-toothed cats suffered from hip dysplasia, an affliction common in pet cats and dogs, and points to supportive social structures for Smilodon. |
Increased cognitive demands offset low-back exoskeleton advantages, research finds Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT In manufacturing, work-related lower-back injuries from lifting and handling heavy objects account for approximately $100 billion in medical bills annually in the United States, according to new data. Although novel ergonomic interventions such as industrial exoskeletons have shown promise in reducing the risk of musculoskeletal injuries, new research finds that the cognitive fit (where the wearer has ample mental resources available to accurately operate the exoskeleton while conducting their daily work tasks) of such wearable robotic solutions in the workplace may impose newer risks on workers. |
Nurses as parents exemplify link between poor sleep and daily stress Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT A new article details how nurses who also are parents might be more susceptible than other groups to daily stress aggravated by poor sleep. |
How two people controlled HIV after stopping treatment Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT Research has identified two distinct ways that people with HIV can control the virus for an extended period after stopping antiretroviral therapy (ART) under medical supervision. This information could inform efforts to develop new tools to help people with HIV put the virus into remission without taking lifelong medication, which can have long-term side-effects. |
Creating a new 'toehold' for RNA therapeutics, cell therapies, and diagnostics Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT Synthetic biologists have developed eToeholds -- small versatile devices built into RNA that enable expression of a linked protein-encoding sequence only when a cell-specific or viral RNA is present. eToehold devices open up multiple opportunities for more targeted types of RNA therapy, in vitro cell and tissue engineering approaches, and the sensing of diverse biological threats in humans and other higher organisms. |
Engineers devise a way to selectively turn on RNA therapies in human cells Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT Researchers have designed a way to selectively turn on gene expression in target cells, including human cells. Their technology can detect specific mRNA sequences, which triggers production of a specific protein. |
Long-lived proteins in mitochondria of brain stabilize protein complexes Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT Scientists have taken a closer look at how mitochondria are maintained in nondividing cells, such as neurons, with the ultimate goal of developing a better understanding of how to prevent or treat age-related diseases. |
Heatwaves like ‘the Blob' could decrease role of ocean as carbon sink Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT Researchers have found the two-year heatwave known as 'the Blob' may have temporarily dampened the Pacific's 'biological pump,' which shuttles carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea where it can be stored for millennia. |
Trapping molecules to find new physics Posted: 28 Oct 2021 09:03 AM PDT The Standard Model of particle physics has been extremely successful in describing how the universe works. However, there are some things that it cannot explain. Physicists have, therefore, been looking for new physics in particle accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. Now, a different approach is also being used: in contrast to smashing up matter at high energies, physicists wanted to study molecules that are brought to rest. |
Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:33 AM PDT In a new single-arm study, researchers reported that radiation therapy as monotherapy is a safe and effective noninvasive treatment for oligometastatic renal cell carcinoma (RCC). |
Computer scientists developed method for identifying disease biomarkers with high accuracy Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:32 AM PDT Experts have created a deep neural network that achieves 98 per cent detection of peptide features in a dataset. That means scientists and medical practitioners have a greater chance of discovering possible diseases through tissue sample analysis. |
On-water creation of conducting MOF nanosheets Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:32 AM PDT Oil and water do not mix, but what happens where oil and water meet? Or where air meets liquid? Unique reactions occur at these interfaces, which a team of researchers based in Japan used to develop the first successful construction of uniform, electrically conductive nanosheets needed for next-generation sensors and energy production technologies. |
Plant from plastics: Bio-based polymers can be transformed into fertilizer Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:32 AM PDT Bioplastics can be chemically recycled into nitrogen-rich fertilizers in a facile and environmentally friendly way, as recently demonstrated. Their findings pave the way towards sustainable circular systems that simultaneously address issues such as plastic pollution, petrochemical resource depletion, and world hunger. |
Giant pandas’ distinctive black and white markings provide effective camouflage, study finds Posted: 28 Oct 2021 06:32 AM PDT The high-contrast pattern of giant pandas helps them blend in with their natural environment. |
Industry must prepare now for a new world of green electricity Posted: 27 Oct 2021 06:18 PM PDT Industry must speed up investment in new technologies that allow manufacture of materials using renewable electricity if net zero emissions targets are to be met, research warns. The study cautions that national strategies for replacing fossil fuels with renewables need an integrated approach to energy use and material production -- or risk industry being unable to use electricity produced from renewable sources. |
Burning and tingling in your feet? You may have small fiber neuropathy Posted: 27 Oct 2021 02:26 PM PDT The number of people experiencing numbness, tingling and pain in their feet with no known cause has been increasing over the last two decades, according at a new study. Called small fiber neuropathy, the condition has different symptoms than large fiber neuropathy, which can cause weakness and balance issues. But in many cases people have both types of neuropathy. |
Astronomers discover massive galaxy 'shipyard' in the distant universe Posted: 27 Oct 2021 02:26 PM PDT Astronomers have discovered a structure thought to be a 'protocluster' of galaxies on its way to developing into a galaxy supercluster. Observations show the protocluster, which is located 11 billion light-years from Earth, as it appeared when the universe was 3 billion years old, when stars were produced at higher rates in certain regions of the cosmos. |
Researchers evaluate whether lactate sensors can contribute to sports physiology Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT A recent article says that despite a recent history of contradictory -- and incomplete -- evidence, sports physiology is zeroing in on whether lactate sensor technology can improve performance while preventing injury. |
Infections from respiratory viruses follow a predictable seasonal pattern, researchers find Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT Viral infections peak in January and bottom out in June, with worse seasons every second year -- an ebb and flow that could help the health-care system plan ahead. |
Living descendant of Sitting Bull confirmed by analysis of DNA from the legendary leader’s hair. Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT A man's claim to be the great-grandson of legendary Native American leader Sitting Bull has been confirmed using DNA extracted from Sitting Bull's scalp lock. This is the first time ancient DNA has been used to confirm a familial relationship between living and historical individuals. |
Microorganisms produce elemental carbon Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT Carbon occurs on the Earth in a variety of structures and forms. Elemental Carbon is usually formed under conditions of high pressure and temperature. Researchers have now, for the first time, identified microorganisms that produce elemental carbon. |
ALS and dementia attacked by an RNA-hunting compound that recruits cell's own virus fighter Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT A potential drug targets RNA that cause C9 ALS and frontotemporal dementia. |
Evidence of prehistoric human activity in Falkland Islands Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT Findings from a new study suggest that Europeans were not the first people to ever set foot on the Falkland Islands. Most of the evidence from the investigation indicates that Indigenous South Americans likely traveled to the Falkland Islands between 1275 C.E. and 1420 C.E., although earlier dates cannot be ruled out. |
More than ceremonial, ancient Chaco Canyon was home, new study says Posted: 27 Oct 2021 12:07 PM PDT New research reveals ancestral puebloans in ancient Chaco Canyon interacted with local ecosystem to thrive for more than a millennium, but unsustainable deforestation practices likely contributed to destabilizing environmental impact prior to their final exodus. |
Promising new antimalarial compound discovered Posted: 27 Oct 2021 10:50 AM PDT A discovery opens the door to the development of new drugs targeting malaria, one of the deadliest infectious diseases on the planet. The researcher teams performed a screen of soil bacteria extracts for antimalarials and identified an extremely potent inhibitor of malaria development. |
A mathematical model to help optimize vaccine development Posted: 27 Oct 2021 10:49 AM PDT Scientists are using a mathematical model to better understand the immune response to vaccines. |
Not all acne is equal: Scientists reveal strains of C. acnes that promote skin health Posted: 27 Oct 2021 10:49 AM PDT Researchers reveal correlation between ribotype (RT) strains of Cutibacterium acnes, which are found in human skin, and the lifespan of the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Strains RT4 and 8, which are associated with acne in human skin, shortened the lifespan of the nematode, while RT6, which are predominantly found in healthy human skin, did not. Also, it was found that the healthy skin-related RT6 strain of C. acnes improved C. elegans resistance to the pathogenic organism Staphylococcus aureus. |
Sweet! How glycogen is linked to heat generation in fat cells Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT Researchers describe how energy expenditure and heat production are regulated in obesity through a previously unknown cellular pathway. |
For knee replacement patients, physical therapy reduces risk of chronic opioid use Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT Even low levels of physical therapy were associated with lower risk of chronic opioid use after total knee replacement. The team's analysis of over 67,000 patient records revealed that the longer a patient waits to start physical therapy, the greater the eventual odds of chronic opioid use. |
All about Eve, sophisticated AI Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT New AI model called EVE outperforms other AI methods in determining whether a gene variant is benign or disease-causing. When applied to more than 36 million variants across 3,219 disease-associated proteins and genes, EVE indicated more than 256,000 human gene variants of unknown significance that should be reclassified as benign or pathogenic. Used in combination with current clinical tools, EVE can improve clinical assessments of genetic mutations and boost diagnostic and prognostic accuracy. |
Twenty-four trillion pieces of microplastics in the ocean and counting Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT Based on a total of 8,218 pelagic microplastic samples from the world's oceans collected between 2000 and 2019, a team of scientists has developed a publicly available dataset for assessing the abundance of microplastics and their long-term trend in the world's upper oceans. The team found 24.4 trillion pieces (82,000--578,000 tons) of microplastics in the world's oceans, but the actual amount is likely to be much greater. |
Farming reboot could lay seeds for prosperity in poor and food insecure regions Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT An irrigation re-think in sub-Saharan Africa is improving food security, reducing water waste and lifting people out of poverty. |
Scientists create device that uses ‘light tweezers’ to trap and move viruses Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has created a laser-powered device that can trap and move viruses using light. The device, which has the ability to manipulate light to act as 'tweezers', would aid in the development of new approaches to disease diagnosis and the study of viruses, as the device can precisely 'move' a single virus to target a particular part of a cell. |
Four commonly used medications reverse Alzheimer's disease in mice Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in Western societies and it is estimated that 24 million people worldwide have this condition. Researchers have managed to reverse the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice by administering drugs currently used to treat hypertension and inflammation in humans. |
Smart sensor equipped chair may help office workers reduce their back pain woes Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT The chair identifies sitting behavior associated with worsening low back pain, warning workers so they can get up and move around before the pain worsens. |
The upside-down orbits of a multi-planetary system Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT When planets form, they usually continue their orbital evolution in the equatorial plane of their star. However, an international team, led by astronomers from the University of Geneva (UNIGE), Switzerland, has discovered that the exoplanets of a star in the constellation Pisces orbit in planes perpendicular to each other, with the innermost planet the only one still orbiting in the equatorial plane. Why so? This radically different configuration from our solar system could be due to the influence of a distant companion of the star that is still unknown. This study, to be read in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, was made possible by the extreme precision achieved by ESPRESSO and CHEOPS, two instruments whose development was led by Switzerland. |
A novel solution to a combinatorial optimization problem in bicycle sharing systems Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:21 AM PDT Bicycle sharing systems have become an attractive option to alleviate traffic in congested cities. However, rebalancing the number of bikes at each port as time passes is essential, and finding the optimal routing paths for the vehicles in charge of rebalancing constitutes a combinatorial optimization problem. Now, scientists propose an innovative algorithm that can find near-optimal solutions more quickly even for a large number of ports, paving the way for more efficient bicycle sharing systems. |
Tuneable catalysis: Solving the particle size puzzle Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT Chemical reactions can be studied at different levels: At the level of individual atoms and molecules, new compounds can be designed. At the level of tiny particles on the nano and micrometer scale, one can understand how catalyst materials influence chemical reactions. Now it is possible to connect all levels from the microscopic to the macroscopic level in order to describe a technologically important chemical reaction under realistic conditions. |
A lab in the sky: Physics experiment in Earth’s atmosphere could help improve GPS performance Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT The Earth's atmosphere has been used as a 'laboratory' to carry out a physics experiment which could help to improve the performance of GPS. |
Bone mineral density decreases less than expected after menopause Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT Bone mineral density at the femoral neck bone in postmenopausal women decreased by an average of 10% during a 25-year follow-up, according to a new study. Being the world's hitherto longest follow-up of changes in bone mineral density in postmenopausal women, the study shows that bone loss after menopause is significantly lower than has previously been assumed on the basis of earlier studies. |
Tiny pterosaurs dominated Cretaceous skies Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT The newly hatched juveniles of large and gigantic pterosaurs likely out-competed other smaller adult pterosaur species to dominate the Late Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago, a new study has found. |
A heart that beats (almost) like our own Posted: 27 Oct 2021 09:20 AM PDT Biologists have unraveled how a 'heart' in the fruit fly's head functions. The researchers discovered the fly's head-heart beats much like a human's: Its rhythmic pulses are automatically generated by a tiny muscle that runs through the middle of the fly's brain. |
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