ScienceDaily: Top News |
- Mission to Jupiter's icy moon confirmed
- A single gene determines whether a fly has a good sense of sight or a good sense of smell
- Genes tell the story of how the Asian tiger mosquito spread
- Lasers enable engineers to weld ceramics, no furnace required
- Memory T cells shelter in bone marrow, boosting immunity in mice with restricted diets
- Dietary zinc protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, study finds
- Shocking rate of plant extinctions in South Africa
- Structure of protein nano turbine revealed
- Carriers of Alzheimer's genetic marker have greater difficulty harnessing past knowledge
- Yet another way dogs help the military: aeromedical patient evacuations
- Heavy drinking and HIV don't mix, study finds
- Here's how early humans evaded immunodeficiency viruses
- Detecting hydrothermal vents in volcanic lakes
- Smartphone app makes parents more attuned to their babies' needs, research shows
- New tool mines scientific texts for fusion protein facts
- Adaptation to life in cattle may be driving E. coli to develop harmful features
- Storms on Jupiter are disturbing the planet's colorful belts
- Scratching the surface of how your brain senses an itch
- Genetic diversity couldn't save Darwin's finches
- Ginkgo biloba may aid in treating type 2 diabetes
- Tracing the evolution of vision
- Scientists successfully innoculate, grow crops in salt-damaged soil
- Early life on Earth limited by enzyme
- Maximum mass of lightest neutrino revealed using astronomical big data
- Materials scientists build a synthetic system with compartments like real cells
- Certain metabolites linked to stem cell function in the intestine
- Scorpion toxin that targets 'wasabi receptor' may help solve mystery of chronic pain
- High-precision technique stores cellular 'memory' in DNA
- An unreported Zika outbreak in 2017 detected through travel surveillance and genetics
- New study reveals carbon nanotubes measurement possible for the first time
- Comparison of three similar frontline breast cancer drugs reveals important differences
- Anxiety, depression linked to more opioid use after surgery
- Climate change will alter waves along half the world's coast
- Rising summer heat could soon endanger travelers on annual Muslim pilgrimage
- Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It's hard to say, and that's a problem
- Slow electrons to combat cancer
- E-cigs can trigger same lung changes seen in smokers, emphysema
- Computer model could help test new sickle cell drugs
- Fatigue in Parkinson's disease is associated with lower diastolic blood pressure
- Temperatures of 800 billion degrees in the cosmic kitchen
- New light on contested identity of medieval skeleton found at Prague Castle
- Switching electron properties on and off individually
- Explaining earthquakes we can't feel
- Australian men's life expectancy tops other men's
- First microscopic look at a tiny phenomenon with big potential implications
- Quantum gravity's tangled time
- Artificial muscles bloom, dance, and wave
- Memory research: Fruit flies learn their body size once for an entire lifetime
- Health care workers unprepared for magnitude of climate change
- Enzyme that helps protect us from stress linked to liver cancer growth
- Underground links between quakes and eruptions of Japan's biggest active volcano
- There are way more species of horseshoe bats than scientists thought
- Switching on the Atlantic Ocean heat pump
- Visualizing strong magnetic fields with neutrons
- Brain finds order amidst chaos
- High-intensity step training boosts stroke survivors' walking skills
- Physical activity at any intensity linked to lower risk of early death
- Omega-3 fats have little or no effect on type 2 diabetes
- China's two-child policy has led to 5.4 million extra births
- New technique could streamline design of intricate fusion device
| Mission to Jupiter's icy moon confirmed Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:32 AM PDT An icy ocean world in our solar system that could tell us more about the potential for life on other worlds is coming into focus with confirmation of the Europa Clipper mission's next phase. |
| A single gene determines whether a fly has a good sense of sight or a good sense of smell Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Trade-offs in the sizes of visual and olfactory organs are a common feature of animal evolution, but the underlying genetic and developmental mechanisms have not been clear. A study reveals that a single DNA variant that affects the timing of sensory organ development in fruit flies could explain the size trade-off between eyes and antennae, potentially providing a quick route to behavioral changes and adaptation. |
| Genes tell the story of how the Asian tiger mosquito spread Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Over the last 40 years, the Asian tiger mosquito, Aedes albopictus, has invaded every continent thanks to the transportation of its eggs via human trade and transportation. Researchers have now used the genomes of the mosquitoes to track the history of the invasion and expansion of the species through Albania, Italy, and Greece. |
| Lasers enable engineers to weld ceramics, no furnace required Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Smartphones that don't scratch or shatter. Metal-free pacemakers. Electronics for space and other harsh environments. These could all be made possible thanks to a new ceramic welding technology. The process works in ambient conditions and uses less than 50 watts of laser power, making it more practical than current ceramic welding methods that require heating the parts in a furnace. |
| Memory T cells shelter in bone marrow, boosting immunity in mice with restricted diets Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Even when taking in fewer calories and nutrients, humans and other mammals usually remain protected against infectious diseases they have already encountered. This may be because memory T cells, which are located throughout the body and required to maintain immune responses to infectious agents. A new study in mice also found that animals undergoing dietary restriction were better protected against tumors and bacterial infections than animals with unrestricted diets. |
| Dietary zinc protects against Streptococcus pneumoniae infection, study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered a crucial link between dietary zinc intake and protection against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the primary bacterial cause of pneumonia. |
| Shocking rate of plant extinctions in South Africa Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Plant extinctions from South Africa's three biodiversity hot spots represent 45.4 percent of all extinctions from 10 of the world's 36 hotspots, new research finds. |
| Structure of protein nano turbine revealed Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Scientists have determined the first structure of a cell's rotary engine using state-of-art microscopy. |
| Carriers of Alzheimer's genetic marker have greater difficulty harnessing past knowledge Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Adults carrying a gene associated with a higher risk of Alzheimer's disease had a harder time accessing recently acquired knowledge, even though they didn't show any symptoms of memory problems, according to a new study. |
| Yet another way dogs help the military: aeromedical patient evacuations Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT Animal-assisted therapy has many benefits in health care. Yet, its biological and psychosocial effects in the military are unknown, especially for injured, airlifted patients. Researchers teamed up with a non-profit animal organization that trains therapy dogs to see if an animal-assisted intervention could reduce stress in this setting. Results showed that levels of the stress biomarkers cortisol, alpha-amylase, and immunoglobulin A, significantly decreased after a 20-minute intervention with the dogs, regardless of post-traumatic stress symptom severity. |
| Heavy drinking and HIV don't mix, study finds Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT A new study finds that heavy alcohol consumption (three drinks or more/day for women and four drinks or more/day for men) is linked to alterations in immune function among people with HIV. |
| Here's how early humans evaded immunodeficiency viruses Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:19 AM PDT The cryoEM structure of a simian immunodeficiency virus protein bound to primate proteins shows how a mutation in early humans allowed our ancestors to escape infection while monkeys and apes did not. SIV's Nef protein forms a solid link between two primate proteins, tetherin and AP-2, forcing the destruction of tetherin, which normally prevents new SIV virions from budding off. A mutation in human tetherin disrupted binding, thwarting SIV budding -- until HIV evolved a work-around. |
| Detecting hydrothermal vents in volcanic lakes Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:18 AM PDT Changes in the behaviour of hydrothermal vents may be indicative of changes in the volcanic system underneath, thus being a useful precursor for the next generation of early warning systems. New exploration approaches will help improving site-specific risk assessment and monitoring concepts by taking a closer look at hydrothermal vents. |
| Smartphone app makes parents more attuned to their babies' needs, research shows Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:18 AM PDT A new app has been designed to help new parents become more 'tuned in' to what their babies are thinking and feeling. |
| New tool mines scientific texts for fusion protein facts Posted: 22 Aug 2019 11:18 AM PDT A new computational tool called ProtFus screens scientific literature to validate predictions about the activity of fusion proteins -- proteins encoded by the joining of two genes that previously encoded two separate proteins. |
| Adaptation to life in cattle may be driving E. coli to develop harmful features Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:04 AM PDT Research led by Kyushu University finds that E. coli from cattle share widespread genetic similarities with those that cause food poisoning in humans, indicating that the traits that are harmful to humans may emerge to improve survival in the bovine intestine. |
| Storms on Jupiter are disturbing the planet's colorful belts Posted: 22 Aug 2019 10:04 AM PDT Coordinated observations of Jupiter in early 2017 by six ground-based telescopes and Hubble allowed astronomers to study the evolution of bright plumes and connect them with cloud movements deep in the planet. They show that these plumes originate 80 kilometers below the surface cloud deck and rise up quickly into the stratosphere, where supercooled ammonia freezes to form ammonia ice clouds. The plumes create disturbances in the belts and even change their color. |
| Scratching the surface of how your brain senses an itch Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:55 AM PDT Light touch plays a critical role in everyday tasks, such as picking up a glass or playing a musical instrument, as well as for detecting the touch of, say, biting insects. Researchers have discovered how neurons in the spinal cord help transmit such itch signals to the brain. The findings could help contribute to a better understanding of itch and could lead to new drugs to treat chronic itch, which occurs in such conditions as eczema, diabetes and even some cancers. |
| Genetic diversity couldn't save Darwin's finches Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT Researchers found that Charles Darwin's famous finches defy what has long been considered a key to evolutionary success: genetic diversity. The study of the finches of the Galapagos Islands could change the way conservation biologists think about species with naturally fragmented populations to understand their potential for extinction. |
| Ginkgo biloba may aid in treating type 2 diabetes Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT Ginkgo Biloba, one of the oldest living trees species, may offer some clues in better treatments for Type 2 Diabetes, says one researcher. |
| Tracing the evolution of vision Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT The function of the visual photopigment rhodopsin and its action in the retina to facilitate vision is well understood. However, there remain questions about other biological functions of this family of proteins (opsins) and this has ramifications for our understanding of several evolutionary pathways. Now, an international research team has shown there are other functions of opsin outside vision and this provides insights into how the eye evolved. |
| Scientists successfully innoculate, grow crops in salt-damaged soil Posted: 22 Aug 2019 09:48 AM PDT Researchers may have found a way to reverse falling crop yields caused by increasingly salty farmlands throughout the world. Scientists have used bacteria found in the roots of salt-tolerant plants to successfully inoculate alfalfa plants against overly salty soil. |
| Early life on Earth limited by enzyme Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT A single enzyme found in early single-cell life forms could explain why oxygen levels in the atmosphere remained low for two billion years during the Proterozoic eon, preventing life colonizing land. |
| Maximum mass of lightest neutrino revealed using astronomical big data Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT The mass of the lightest neutrino, an abundant 'ghost' particle found throughout the universe, has been calculated to be at least 6 million times lighter than the mass of an electron. |
| Materials scientists build a synthetic system with compartments like real cells Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT Polymer chemists and materials scientists have achieved some notable advances that mimic Nature, but one of the most common and practical features of cells has so far been out of reach -- intracellular compartmentalization. Now researchers tell how they take advantage of differences in electrical charge to create an 'all aqueous,' water-in-water construct that achieves compartmentalization in a synthetic system. |
| Certain metabolites linked to stem cell function in the intestine Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT Researchers have found that high levels of ketone bodies, molecules produced by the breakdown of fat, help the intestine to maintain a functional stem cell pool, which are crucial for intestinal regeneration. |
| Scorpion toxin that targets 'wasabi receptor' may help solve mystery of chronic pain Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:34 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a scorpion toxin that targets the 'wasabi receptor,' a chemical-sensing protein found in nerve cells that's responsible for the sinus-jolting sting of wasabi. Because the toxin triggers a pain response, scientists think it can be used as a tool for studying chronic pain and inflammation, and may eventually lead to the development of new kinds of non-opioid pain relievers. |
| High-precision technique stores cellular 'memory' in DNA Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT Researchers have created a technology called DOMINO to store complex 'memories' in the DNA of living cells, including human cells. This memory storage capacity can form the foundation of complex circuits that trigger a cellular event, such as producing a fluorescent protein, when a specific event or sequence of events occurs. |
| An unreported Zika outbreak in 2017 detected through travel surveillance and genetics Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT By sequencing virus genomes from infected travelers, analyzing travel patterns and mosquito modeling, researchers unearthed a spike in Zika cases from travelers returning from Cuba during the summer of 2017 that was not captured by local reports. |
| New study reveals carbon nanotubes measurement possible for the first time Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT Scientists report an entirely new approach to manipulation of carbon nanotubes that allows physical measurements to be made on carbon nanotubes that have previously only been possible by theoretical computation. |
| Comparison of three similar frontline breast cancer drugs reveals important differences Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT First head-to-head comparison of CDK4/6 inhibitors in cell line and animal models of breast cancer reveals important differences, including one drug that exhibits unique, potentially advantageous therapeutic activity. |
| Anxiety, depression linked to more opioid use after surgery Posted: 22 Aug 2019 08:33 AM PDT Surgeons wielding their life-saving scalpels, laparoscopic tools, or other implements to repair or remove what ails their patients understand all too well that pain is an unavoidable part of the healing process. Yet the current opioid crisis has made the standard prescribing practices for these highly effective analgesics fraught with risk. New research could help clinicians mitigate that risk by identifying which patients are more likely to continue to use opioids after their immediate recovery period. |
| Climate change will alter waves along half the world's coast Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:38 AM PDT New research finds that a warming planet will also alter ocean waves along more than 50% of the world's coastlines. This research has significant implications for coastal flooding and erosion. |
| Rising summer heat could soon endanger travelers on annual Muslim pilgrimage Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:38 AM PDT Over two million Muslim travelers just finished the annual religious pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, traveling during some of the country's hottest weather. New research finds pilgrims in future summers may have to endure heat and humidity extreme enough to endanger their health. |
| Are we really protecting rivers from pollution? It's hard to say, and that's a problem Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT More public and private resources than ever are being directed to protecting and preserving aquatic ecosystems and watersheds. Whether mandated for land development, farming or in response to the growing severity and number of natural disasters - scientists found evidence that decades of watershed restoration and mitigation projects have taken place, but their impact is mostly perceived; data is relatively undocumented -- or simply missing. |
| Slow electrons to combat cancer Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT Slow electons can be used to destroy cancer cells - but how exactly this happens has not been well understood. Now scientists have been able to demonstrate that a previously little-observed effect actually plays a pivotal role: Due to a process called interatomic Coulombic decay, an ion can pass on additional energy to surrounding atoms. This frees a huge number of electrons, with precisely the right amount of energy to cause optimal damage to the DNA of the cancer cells. |
| E-cigs can trigger same lung changes seen in smokers, emphysema Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT Scientists found that the lungs of vapers -- like the lungs of smokers -- have elevated levels of protease enzymes, a condition known to cause emphysema in smokers. The researchers also found that the nicotine in vaping liquids is responsible for the increase in protease enzymes. |
| Computer model could help test new sickle cell drugs Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT A new computer model that captures the dynamics of the red blood cell sickling process could help in evaluating drugs for treating sickle cell disease. |
| Fatigue in Parkinson's disease is associated with lower diastolic blood pressure Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT Fatigue is a common debilitating symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD). A novel research study has found that fatigue symptoms in PD are associated with small but persistent reductions in diastolic blood pressure (DBP) throughout the day. |
| Temperatures of 800 billion degrees in the cosmic kitchen Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT It is among the most spectacular events in the universe: a merger of neutron stars. Astronomers have completed the first laboratory measurements of thermal electromagnetic radiation arising in such collisions. The resulting data enabled them to calculate the prevailing temperature when such stars merge. |
| New light on contested identity of medieval skeleton found at Prague Castle Posted: 22 Aug 2019 07:14 AM PDT Used as a propaganda tool by the Nazis and Soviets during the Second World War and Cold War, the remains of a 10th century male, unearthed beneath Prague Castle in 1928, have been the subject of continued debate and archaeological manipulation. |
| Switching electron properties on and off individually Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Electrons have different properties - and they all can be used to create order in solid objects. This order determines the properties of the material. Experiments now show: It is possible to influence different characteristics of the electrons separately from each other. Closely interwoven quantum phenomena can thus be understood individually. |
| Explaining earthquakes we can't feel Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Researchers have explained mysterious slow-moving earthquakes known as slow slip events with the help of computer simulations. The answer, they learned, is in rocks' pores. |
| Australian men's life expectancy tops other men's Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Australian men are now living longer than any other group of males in the world, according to new research. |
| First microscopic look at a tiny phenomenon with big potential implications Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Matter behaves differently when it's tiny. At the nanoscale, electric current cuts through mountains of particles, spinning them into vortexes that can be used intentionally in quantum computing. The particles arrange themselves into a topological map, but the lines blur as electrons merge into indistinguishable quasiparticles with shifting properties. The trick is learning how to control such changeable materials. |
| Quantum gravity's tangled time Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT The theories of quantum mechanics and gravity are notorious for being incompatible, despite the efforts of scores of physicists over the past fifty years. However, physicists have now combined the key elements of the two theories describing the flow of time and discovered that temporal order between events can exhibit genuine quantum features. |
| Artificial muscles bloom, dance, and wave Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Researchers have developed an ultrathin, artificial muscle for soft robotics. The advancement was demonstrated with a robotic blooming flower brooch, dancing robotic butterflies and fluttering tree leaves on a kinetic art piece. |
| Memory research: Fruit flies learn their body size once for an entire lifetime Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT Drosophila melanogaster develops stable long-term memory for its body size and reach through motion parallax while walking. |
| Health care workers unprepared for magnitude of climate change Posted: 22 Aug 2019 06:40 AM PDT An epidemic of chronic kidney disease that has killed tens of thousands of agricultural workers worldwide, is just one of many ailments poised to strike as a result of climate change, according to researchers. |
| Enzyme that helps protect us from stress linked to liver cancer growth Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:12 AM PDT An enzyme induced by stress to help reduce production of damaging free radicals is also used by liver cancer to regulate two major cell proliferation pathways that enable the cancer to thrive, scientists report. |
| Underground links between quakes and eruptions of Japan's biggest active volcano Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT To better understand subsurface processes associated with earthquakes and eruptions of Mount Aso, researchers investigated a very long period (VLP) seismicity dataset collected over two years. A new technique was developed to locate VLP events, and two clusters of such events were detected. Changes in the locations of VLP events were closely associated with earthquake and eruption occurrences. This method advances understanding of seismic and volcanic processes and could contribute to disaster mitigation. |
| There are way more species of horseshoe bats than scientists thought Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT Horseshoe bats are bizarre-looking animals with giant ears and elaborate flaps of skin on their noses that they use like satellite dishes. There are about a hundred different species of horseshoe bats -- and that number is only going to grow. By studying the DNA of horseshoe bat specimens in museum collections, scientists have discovered that there are probably a dozen new species of horseshoe bat that haven't been officially described yet. |
| Switching on the Atlantic Ocean heat pump Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT 34 million years ago the warm 'greenhouse climate' of the dinosaur age ended and the colder 'icehouse climate' of today commenced. Antarctica glaciated first and geological data imply that the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation, the global ocean conveyor belt of heat and nutrients that today helps keep Europe warm, also started at this time. Why exactly, has remained a mystery. |
| Visualizing strong magnetic fields with neutrons Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT Researchers have developed a new method with which strong magnetic fields can be precisely measured. They use neutrons obtained from the SINQ spallation source. In the future, it will therefore be possible to measure the fields of magnets that are already installed in devices and thus are inaccessible by other probing techniques. |
| Brain finds order amidst chaos Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT How does the brain find order amidst a sea of noise and chaos? Researchers have found the answer by using advanced simulation techniques to investigate the way neurons talk to each other. They found that by working as a team, cortical neurons can respond even to weak input against the backdrop of noise and chaos, allowing the brain to find order. |
| High-intensity step training boosts stroke survivors' walking skills Posted: 22 Aug 2019 05:11 AM PDT High-intensity step training that mimics real world conditions may better improve walking ability in stroke survivors compared to traditional, low-impact training. |
| Physical activity at any intensity linked to lower risk of early death Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:53 PM PDT Clear evidence that higher levels of physical activity -- regardless of intensity -- are associated with a lower risk of early death in middle aged and older people. |
| Omega-3 fats have little or no effect on type 2 diabetes Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:53 PM PDT Increasing omega-3 fats in the diet has little or no effect on risk of type 2 diabetes. |
| China's two-child policy has led to 5.4 million extra births Posted: 21 Aug 2019 03:53 PM PDT The introduction of China's universal two-child policy, that permits all couples to have two children, has led to an extra 5.4 million births, finds a new study. |
| New technique could streamline design of intricate fusion device Posted: 21 Aug 2019 02:37 PM PDT Stellarators, twisty machines that house fusion reactions, rely on complex magnetic coils that are challenging to design and build. Now, a physicist has developed a mathematical technique to help simplify the design of the coils. |
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