"[Everyone has] the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications." Article 15(1)(b), International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1) We all have a human right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress (the Right to Science [RtS]).* The right has its origins in Article…
The latest big lawsuit regarding climate change alleges the oil and gas giant defrauded investors by misrepresenting the climate-related risks to its business.
The largest society of geneticists decries the distortion of ideas by racists. Science does not support the concept of race. Race is a social construct, explain the scientists. None The science of genetics deals with the very small, but cannot escape the larger societal implications that are often catalyzed by its research. Genetics have been invoked (incorrectly) by the growing white supremacy m
Tesla issued its Q3 earnings report earlier than expected this year. The report shows Tesla earned $6.82 billion in revenue vs. an expected $6.33 billion. Tesla's Q3 success is largely due to booming sales of the Model 3, the company's cheapest and newest car. Tesla significantly outperformed Wall Street's expectations in the third quarter of 2018, according to an earnings report released by the
Dr. Shimomura isolated a green-glowing protein from jellyfish. It became a major element of biological research, lighting up the inner workings of cells.
Environment Yutu slammed the territory with 180 MPH winds. The core of Super Typhoon Yutu struck Tinian and Saipan in the Northern Marianas Islands today—the strongest storm on record to make landfall in this U.S. territory in…
Written by Madeleine Carlisle ( @maddiecarlisle2 ) and Olivia Paschal ( @oliviacpaschal ) Today in 5 Lines Two days after a pipe bomb was found in the mailbox outside of billionaire philanthropist George Soros's home, officials intercepted more packages containing " potentially destructive devices " en route to several targets, including former President Barack Obama and former Secretary of State
LMU physicians have shown that widespread changes in the relative tissue volumes of the brains of cosmonauts who have spent long periods of time in the weightlessness of outer space can still be detected more than six months after their return to Earth.
Despite the conventional belief that for women giving birth 'once a cesarean always a cesarean,' vaginal delivery after cesarean — also known as "trial of labor after cesarean delivery" (TOLAC) — offers a safe option for many second-time mothers with no contraindications. However, hospitals differ widely in how frequently and how well they use TOLAC, say Yale researchers. This study appears onli
Stress may be causing impaired memory and brain shrinkage in middle-age adults, even before symptoms of Alzheimer's or other dementia begin, according to a new study that included a researcher from UT Health San Antonio.
Salt is to be admired for its atomic beauty and proof of order in the universe. Our astrophysicist friend Adam Frank says you can find some good news in something as simple as a single grain of salt.
We know that antibiotics treat bacterial infections. We also know why they work. Tetracycline antibiotics, for example, stop bacteria from making protein. Like a boot on a wheel, the drugs bind to the bacterial cell's ribosome—where protein is made—and prevent it from working. Without protein, the bacteria weaken and die.
In clinical trials, tetracycline antibiotics have proven effective in treating some pathological inflammation and cancer. And yet, despite promising results, exactly how the treatment works remained elusive. Now, after much painstaking exploration, we have an answer as well as a new technique to find similar answers numerous other drugs.
Texas A&M University researchers have discovered what are believed to be the oldest weapons ever found in North America: ancient spear points that are 15,500 years old. The findings raise new questions about the settlement of early peoples on the continent.
Campaigners in a bohemian district of Berlin celebrated Wednesday after Internet giant Google abandoned strongly-opposed plans to open a large campus there.
If you're already feeling stressed out, sorry, but there's one more thing you might need to worry about: A new study finds that stress may impair your memory now and quicken cognitive decline later in life.
Slavoj Žižek and British political writer Owen Jones recently spoke about American politics, the left and global capitalism. Žižek sees the success of President Donald Trump as proof that the left needs a major overhaul. Žižek said one positive aspect of Trump's presidency could be the rise of a new movement on the left. The crucial battle in American politics today is what's happening within the
Exactly a century ago, a massive U.S. relief effort kept Europe, including communist Russia, from starving to death. This map shows the areas worst affected by famine, but ignores the food emergency in Germany. Drawn up between the Armistice and the Treaty of Versailles, it also shows a few intriguing countries and borders, never seen since. What a difference a century makes. On December 1st, thi
The number of people travelling by air should double to 8.2 billion a year by 2037, with Asia and the Pacific leading the way, sector federation IATA forecast on Wednesday.
A steady stream of photos began appearing on the website in September, as widows shared stories of their dead husbands, almost like a never-ending digital memorial. Mark died of a heart attack. Death took Cory while he slept. Colon cancer killed Chris.
A Southwest Research Institute team using internal research funds has made several discoveries that expand the range and value of a future Pluto orbiter mission. The breakthroughs define a fuel-saving orbital tour and demonstrate that an orbiter can continue exploration in the Kuiper Belt after surveying Pluto. These and other results from the study will be reported this week at a workshop on futu
Using a specially designed eye-tracker for use with spiders, biologists Elizabeth Jakob, Skye Long and Adam Porter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with colleagues in New York and New Zealand, report in a new paper that their tests in jumping spiders show a secondary set of eyes is crucial to the principal eyes' ability to track moving stimuli.
News of apparent mail bombs targeting prominent Democrats and CNN give way to a deluge of false reports, partisan finger-pointing, and bad-faith conspiracy theories online.
On Oct. 24, the National Weather Service or NWS in Tiyan, Guam issued the warning that "Catastrophic winds for Tinian and Saipan are imminent" as the eye of Super typhoon Yutu neared both islands. NASA-JAXA's GPM satellite and NOAA's NOAA-20 satellite provided a look at the heavy rainfall and the structure and eye of the storm. Maximum sustained winds in the eye wall are 180 mph or stronger making
Hispanics make up about one-third of New York City's population, with many spending half of their income on rent. That is, of course, if they can even find housing at all—in a city suffering from an affordable housing crisis.
An annual model-based report on "dead-zone" conditions in the Chesapeake Bay during 2018 indicates that the total volume of low-oxygen, "hypoxic" waters was very similar to the previous year, but a sharp drop in hypoxia during late July shows the critical role of wind mixing in short-term variations in the oxygen content of Bay waters. The duration of hypoxia in 2018 was greater than in recent yea
How cold did Earth get during the last ice age? The truth may lie deep beneath lakes and could help predict how the planet will warm again.Sediments in lake beds hold chemical records of ages past, among them the concurrent state of the atmosphere above. Scientists led by a Rice University professor and her colleagues have devised a new computational model to interpret what they reveal.
Research in mice adds to evidence that dips in the activity of serotonin neurons may increase SIDS risk. The study reveals the activity of serotonin-producing neurons in the infant mouse brain contributes to a fail-safe switch that allows recovery from interrupted breathing. If replicated in human studies, findings could pave the way to screening for SIDS risk, new therapies.
Using a specially designed eye-tracker for use with spiders, biologists Elizabeth Jakob, Skye Long and Adam Porter at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, along with colleagues in New York and New Zealand, report in a new paper that their tests in jumping spiders show a secondary set of eyes is crucial to the principal eyes' ability to track moving stimuli.
A Southwest Research Institute team using internal research funds has made several discoveries that expand the range and value of a future Pluto orbiter mission. The breakthroughs define a fuel-saving orbital tour and demonstrate that an orbiter can continue exploration in the Kuiper Belt after surveying Pluto. These and other results from the study will be reported this week at a workshop on futu
The glass sponge has persisted on the Scotian Shelf for decades, despite strong historical variability in water conditions and extremely limited protection by conservation efforts, according to a new study.
Experiments using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) showed that the brain's parahippocampal place area responded more strongly to a scene recognition task while the occipital place area responded more to a navigation task.
An international team led by researchers from Monash University (Melbourne, Australia), University of Oviedo (Asturias, Spain), CIC nanoGUNE (San Sebastián, Spain), and Soochow University (Suzhou, China) discover squeezed light ('nanolight') in the nanoscale that propagates only in specific directions along thin slabs of molybdenum trioxide — a natural anisotropic 2D material. Besides its unique
Hispanics experience significant levels of racial discrimination in the rental housing market, according to a new study. Compared to whites, they are 28 percent less likely to have a landlord return their calls and 49 percent less likely to receive an offer at all.
A Rice University scientist leads an effort to improve climate models using paleoclimate proxies, indicators like chemical compounds in plants and microorganisms preserved in ancient lake sediments that hold rich data about past climate conditions on Earth.
On Oct. 24, the National Weather Service or NWS in Tiyan, Guam issued the warning that 'Catastrophic winds for Tinian and Saipan are imminent' as the eye of Super typhoon Yutu neared both islands. NASA-JAXA's GPM satellite and NOAA's NOAA-20 satellite provided a look at the heavy rainfall and the structure and eye of the storm. Maximum sustained winds in the eye wall are 180 mph or stronger making
Science Our editors scrounged up some truly bizarre facts. What's the weirdest thing you learned this week? Well, whatever it is, we promise you'll have an even weirder answer if you listen to PopSci's newest podcast.
Dead salmon—more than 600,000 pounds of them—that researchers threw on one side of a shallow creek in Alaska over 20 years have had an unexpected benefit: healthier, faster-growing trees. Hansen Creek, a small stream in southwest Alaska, is hard to pick out on a map. It's just over a mile long and about 4 inches deep. Crossing from one bank to the other takes about five big steps. Yet this stream
Researchers have taken a new look at augmented reality's potential to help cardiologists visualize myocardial scarring in the heart as they perform ventricular tachycardia ablation or other electrophysiological interventions. The team's findings demonstrate that the new augmented reality technology confers a number of advantages.
A gene associated with dyslexia, a learning disorder, may make some athletes less susceptible to concussions, reports a new study. This is believed to be the first time that this gene has been implicated in concussion or mild traumatic brain injury in athletes of a high-impact sport.
What can you do if you're the victim of revenge porn or cyberbullying? Shockingly little, says journalist and activist Darieth Chisolm, who found herself living the nightmare scenario of having explicit photos taken without her knowledge or consent posted online. She describes how she's working to help victims and outlines the current state of legislation aimed at punishing perpetrators.
Late last month, the Journal of Marriage and Family published a new study with a somewhat foreboding finding: Couples who lived together before marriage had a lower divorce rate in their first year of marriage, but had a higher divorce rate after five years. It supported earlier research linking premarital cohabitation to increased risk of divorce. But just two weeks later, the Council on Contemp
Geologists study rainfall patterns in the distant past to better understand how deserts in the southwest United States will be impacted by future climate change.
Researchers have for the first time investigated a substance found in liverwort that resembles THC. The psychoactive substance, which is consumed as a 'legal high,' also exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which might be superior to that of THC.
Scared, ashamed, happy or proud — how do children feel when they lose their first baby tooth? Scientists have now found that children's feelings are predominantly positive. The study also reveals that previous visits to the dentist's as well as parental background and level of education affect how children experience the loss of their first tooth.
As the days grow shorter, one might feel a strong urge to find a warm place indoors and cozy up to a good book. As much as our world hurtles toward digitized information, physical books remain popular, useful, and revered items. We share, use, collect, and read billions of books every year, and we house our most treasured ones in libraries, in some of the most remarkable architecture around the w
A new Cornell study published this month in Environmental Pollution finds that glyphosate, the active herbicidal ingredient in widely used weed killers like Roundup, was present at low levels in a variety of dog and cat foods the researchers purchased at stores. Before you go switching Fido or Fluffy's favorite brand, however, be aware that the amounts of the herbicide found correspond to levels c
Understanding how elephants use their trunks to pick up small objects could lead to robots designed with flexible hands or grippers, according to a new study that includes Rochester Institute of Technology research.
Purdue University researchers used an MRI to show a play-by-play of how sending an electric impulse to the vagus nerve successfully corrects stomach complications. The technique paves the way for more precise treatment that drugs and dietary changes have not achieved.
At a time when more than half of male infertility cannot be explained by current methods, a new test developed by Androvia LifeSciences is able to measure male fertility. The proprietary Cap-Score Male Fertility Assay is based on research patented by the Travis lab at the Baker Institute for Animal Health and Cornell University's College of Veterinary Medicine and was recently the subject of a stu
Researchers have discovered what are believed to be the oldest weapons ever found in North America: ancient spear points that are 15,500 years old. The findings raise new questions about the settlement of early peoples on the continent.
A new study of survey data finds that only a minority of parents choose not to immunize their children against the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV) due to concerns that vaccination would encourage or support youth sexual activity, a reason frequently cited by doctors as a barrier to advocating for this vaccine.
Astronomers have observed the active star-forming region NGC 2467 — sometimes referred to as the Skull and Crossbones Nebula. The new image was captured as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems Programme, which makes use of the rare occasions when observing conditions are not suitable for gathering scientific data.
For diabetics, managing high blood pressure may help to prevent life-threatening organ damage, according to a new study. The findings suggest that extremely high blood pressure, not just diabetes, is responsible for severe organ damage due to hypertensive emergencies in African-Americans with diabetes.
A National Park Service plan to set fire to an ancient sequoia grove in western Sierra Nevada has been canceled for the second time this year, further delaying a delicate forestry operation aimed at triggering new growth near the world's largest tree.
In the wake of cannabis legalization, a team of scientists at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University have delivered encouraging news for chronic pain sufferers by pinpointing the effective dose of marijuana plant extract cannabidiol (CBD) for safe pain relief without the typical 'high' or euphoria produced by the THC. The findings of their study
An annual model-based report on low-oxygen conditions in Chesapeake Bay during 2018 indicates a total volume of 'hypoxic' waters very similar to the previous year, but with a dramatic drop in hypoxia during late July due to mixing by strong winds. The duration of hypoxia in 2018 was greater than in recent years.
Aviation Now NASA and Lockheed Martin are trying to bring supersonic flight back to the masses. The Concorde was a plane ahead of its time—quite literally, as a flight from Paris or London to New York was so fast it'd actually land more than two hours before it…
Small flying robots can perch and move objects 40 times their weight with the help of powerful winches and two previous inventions — gecko adhesives and microspines.
While stem cells have the most therapeutic potential, the benefits of regenerative medicine may best be mobilized using extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known in the past as 'cellular dust'. A team of researchers have tested these vesicles for the first time in a porcine model for the treatment of post-operative digestive fistulas. Their results, which yielded a 100 percent success rate, open th
Lasers are poised to take another step forward. Researchers have been able to control the direction of a laser's output beam by applying external voltage.
New research provides updated figures on the risks of extremely preterm babies surviving with or without major disability as they progress through intensive care. The new findings mean doctors can counsel families more accurately and offer hope to parents when appropriate. Although babies born before 28 weeks are at greater risk of death or major long-term disability than those born at term (37-4
Amazon officials earlier this year pitched the company's controversial facial recognition software to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, according to documents uncovered by the Project on Government Oversight.
In April, a theoretical physicist showed up at conference in California about the search for extraterrestrial life in the universe. In one way, his presence was likely. Lawrence Krauss is a prominent scientist, author of several best-selling books, and a prolific lecturer known for his lively and engaging style. He's not a household name like Neil deGrasse Tyson and Bill Nye, but he starred in a
On the weekend before the opening gavel of what's being dubbed the Harvard affirmative-action trial, a record-breaking 597 of my fellow members of the class of '88 and I, along with alumni from other reunion classes, were seated in a large lecture hall, listening to the new president of Harvard, Lawrence Bacow, address the issue of diversity in the admissions process. What he said—and I'm paraphr
Scientists have developed a nanodevice to deliver immunotherapy without side effects to treat triple-negative breast cancer. Inserted straight into a tumor, this device makes it possible to deliver a one-time, sustained-release dose that would eliminate the need for patients to undergo several IV treatments over time.
Scientists investigating how the human immune system defends against malaria have uncovered a rare phenomenon: antibodies working together to bind to a vulnerable spot on the parasite.
Tracking how seeds move — or disperse — can be difficult because of a seed's small size. However, a new study finds a solution for tracking seed movement by using electrical engineering and mathematical models.
A survey posed ethical dilemmas to millions of people to help develop self-driving cars, but some worry the results could bake our biases into new technology
Climatologists said Wednesday that conditions are right for an El Nino weather pattern to develop that could bring wetter-than-normal conditions this winter in drought-stricken areas of the southwestern U.S.
A cluster of factors may help predict which patients are likely to develop Clostridioides difficile, a potentially life-threatening disease commonly known as C. difficile or C. diff, a new study has found. And that could help in efforts to prevent infection, according to the researchers.
Imaging technology that detects deadly pneumonia infections in under 60 seconds is safe and practical for clinical use, a study led by the University of Edinburgh has found.
Geologists from the University of Innsbruck study rainfall patterns in the distant past to better understand how deserts in the southwest United States will be impacted by future climate change.
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have shed new light on why pancreatic tumors are so resistant to therapy. The answer may lie in treating a protein found in the scar-type tissue called stroma which often surrounds the tumors.
An enzyme activated in diabetics has been found to cause previously aligned cells in a blood vessel to reverse their orientation, creating misalignments that allow veins and arteries to leak three times more blood proteins than normally constructed blood vessels.
Small flying robots can perch and move objects 40 times their weight with the help of powerful winches and two previous inventions — gecko adhesives and microspines.
It happens all too often each summer: yet another litany of weekend shootings in Chicago appears in the news. A new Arizona State University and Purdue University research study has come out that examines this phenomenon. In it, the authors sifted through data on almost six million reported crimes in Chicago between 2001 to 2014 to try to tease out factors that might promote or suppress various ty
Through excavation of a site in Texas, researchers have identified a particular style of projectile point — or triangular blade often attached to a weapon that would be thrown — dated between 13,500 and 15,500 years ago, they say. This is earlier than typical Clovis-style technologies dated to 13,000 years ago.
Ahsan Akram and colleagues have created a fluorescent imaging probe that can quickly and accurately detect hard-to-trace Gram-negative bacteria (one of the major bacterial groups) in human lungs within minutes.
Researchers at the MIT Media Lab, led by Joseph Jacobson, a professor of media arts and sciences and head of the Molecular Machines research group, have discovered a Cas9 enzyme that can target almost half of the locations on the genome, significantly widening its potential use. They report their findings in Science Advances.
In collaboration with colleagues from the ETH Zurich, researchers at the University of Bern, Switzerland, have for the first time investigated a substance found in liverwort, which resembles THC. The psychoactive substance, which is consumed as a 'legal high,' also exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which might be superior to that of THC.
The glass sponge has persisted on the Scotian Shelf for decades, despite strong historical variability in water conditions and extremely limited protection by conservation efforts, according to a study published Oct. 24 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Lindsay Beazley of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Nova Scotia, Canada, and colleagues.
Male humpback whales reduce or cease their songs in reaction to human-generated shipping noise, according to a study published Oct. 24, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Koki Tsujii from Ogasawara Whale Watching Association and Hokkaido University, Japan, and colleagues.
Researchers have found a link between spending too much time on digital devices and how we form first impressions. The study examines the relationship between people who use multiple digital devices at once (known as media multitaskers) and how they perceive people they've never previously met. "As a result of smartphones, tablets, and other devices being embedded in our lives, our attention is i
One of this cycle's most closely contested, and highly important, elections is in Kansas. There the Republican Secretary of State, Kris Kobach, is in a surprisingly tight race for governor—against the Democratic nominee, Laura Kelly, and an independent, Greg Orman. Apart from the general stakes in all races this year, this one has two additional points of consequence. First, it is a de facto refe
With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, researchers are unraveling how plant roots take up and metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield.
On Sept. 25, 2018, Parker Solar Probe captured a view of Earth as it sped toward the first Venus gravity assist of the mission. Earth is the bright, round object visible in the right side of the image.
Devices that might be explosives targeting Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, CNN, and more all are caught before reaching their final destinations. Here's how.
Researchers have fabricated a new kind of air-filled optical fiber bundle that could greatly improve endoscopes used for medical procedures like minimally invasive surgeries or bronchoscopies. The new technology might also lead to endoscopes that produce images using infrared wavelengths, which would allow diagnostic procedures that are not possible with endoscopes today.
Researchers at Utah State University have developed new devices to better understand the triggers of age-related macular degeneration (AMD) by mechanically stressing cells.
Satellite data showed a shapeless area of clouds over northeastern Mexico on Oct. 24 where former hurricane Willa has dissipated. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured a visible image of Willa's remnant clouds.
Researchers have fabricated a new kind of air-filled optical fiber bundle that could greatly improve endoscopes used for medical procedures like minimally invasive surgeries or bronchoscopies.
Satellite data showed a shapeless area of clouds over northeastern Mexico on Oct. 24 where former hurricane Willa has dissipated. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured a visible image of Willa's remnant clouds.
Male humpback whales reduce or cease their songs in reaction to human-generated shipping noise, according to a study published October 24, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Koki Tsujii from Ogasawara Whale Watching Association and Hokkaido University, Japan, and colleagues.
The glass sponge has persisted on the Scotian Shelf for decades, despite strong historical variability in water conditions and extremely limited protection by conservation efforts, according to a study published October 24 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Lindsay Beazley of the Bedford Institute of Oceanography in Nova Scotia, Canada, and colleagues. The authors suggest that the results may
The genome editing system CRISPR has become a hugely important tool in medical research, and could ultimately have a significant impact in fields such as agriculture, bioenergy, and food security.
In collaboration with colleagues from the ETH Zurich, researchers at the University of Bern, Switzerland, have for the first time investigated a substance found in liverwort that resembles THC. The psychoactive substance, which is consumed as a legal high, also exerts analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects, which might be superior to that of THC.
U.S. auto companies such as General Motors, Tesla and Ford faltered this year in Consumer Reports' reliability rankings as readers reported more mechanical trouble with their vehicles.
A massive new survey reveals some distinct global preferences concerning the ethics of autonomous vehicles, as well as some regional variations in those preferences.
About 99 percent of the sun's energy emitted as neutrinos is produced through nuclear reaction sequences initiated by proton-proton (pp) fusion in which hydrogen is converted into helium, say scientists.
Researchers explored the sequence of microbial colonization in the infant gut through age 4 and found distinct stages of development in the microbiome that were associated with early life exposures.
Largest study of its kind finds incidence of heart attacks is higher on days with air temperatures below freezing Cold, cloudy weather could increase your risk of having a heart attack, according to a new study. In the largest study of its kind, scientists examined data from more than 274,000 patients across Sweden who had heart attacks between 1998 and 2013 for which contemporary weather data wa
After an investigation of more than three years, the state's attorney general has sued Exxon Mobil, accusing it of downplaying the risks of global warming to its business.
Italian news agency ANSA says new excavations in the ancient buried city of Pompeii have yielded the undisturbed skeletons of people who took refuge from the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in A.D.79.
"Clean meat," or meat produced from cultured animal cells, promises enormous benefits for animal welfare and the environment. But to deliver on this promise, clean meat start-ups face many challenges, both technical and in the realm of consumer acceptance, according to an article in Chemical & Engineering News (C&EN), the weekly newsmagazine of the American Chemical Society.
Disagreeing with the political views of the majority in your community (city, state, or friends) can feel isolating, and even frightening. Sometimes dissenting from the community, and instead connecting with like minded individuals seems like a far better, and safer option. That is what 136 women, who voted for Hillary Clinton, secretly did in rural Texas, USA. A recent study by a researcher at Un
Researchers analyzing the genomes of cultivated cacao trees have traced their origin to a "single domestication event" some 3,600 years ago. The discovery opens a new front in a long-running argument regarding when and where humans started growing the source of chocolate.
Physicists have presented a method that may be suitable for the production of so-called quantum repeaters. These should improve the transmission of quantum information over long distances. The researchers used an effect with which light particles can be shot in a much more targeted manner.
Inspired by some of the effects from winter swimming and smoking, researchers have found a way to improve the metabolism of mice and make them lose weight. They have done so by stimulating the body's so-called cold and nicotinic receptors.
David Budd's brow furrows in the opening seconds of Bodyguard , and that's it—it will never unfurrow again. For the rest of the Netflix series's six episodes, David (Richard Madden) will be a walking, grunting, hyperalert bundle of stress and physical rigidity, his jaw in a permanent clench, a ripple of valleys where the space between his eyebrows used to be. That isn't Kevlar turning his torso i
Democracy in America is only a little over five decades old. That's difficult to square with the America that exists in the storytelling tradition: a brave experiment in a government run for and by the people. In reality, the country has always been defined as much by whom it's kept from voting as by who is allowed to participate, and the ideal of democracy has always been limited by institutions
In 2016, researchers at CNRS, MIT, Harvard University and the University of British Columbia launched the 'Moral Machine' online platform to ask users about moral dilemmas facing us in the development of autonomous vehicles. The researchers gathered 40 million decisions from millions of web users worldwide. The results show global moral preferences that may guide decision makers and companies in t
A massive new survey developed by MIT researchers reveals some distinct global preferences concerning the ethics of autonomous vehicles, as well as some regional variations in those preferences.
Scientists at EPFL have found a new way to boost the famous anti-aging molecule NAD+ in the kidney and liver by blocking an enzyme that limits its production. Publishing in Nature, the researchers have also developed two enzyme blockers that are shown to protect against kidney and liver disease.
By sequencing genes from over a quarter of a million cells across six mammalian species, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaborators, have shown how genes in the immune response have varied activity between cells and species. The study in Nature looked in unprecedented detail at the genes that are activated in a cell's initial response to a pathogen invasion – the innate immune
Researchers have identified a set of gene regulators in plants that could help plants utilize nitrogen better, which would prevent ecological damage from excess nitrogen in the soil.
In the largest clinical microbiome study in infants reported to date, a team led by researchers at Baylor College of Medicine explored the sequence of microbial colonization in the infant gut through age 4 and found distinct stages of development in the microbiome that were associated with early life exposures.
ARS-USDA scientists have identified networks of genes and gene regulators that allow plants to direct nitrogen to different parts. This could speed precision breeding of plants that use nitrogen more efficiently.
With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, researchers at UC Davis and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are unraveling how plant roots take up and metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield.
Adult mouse skeletal stem cells in the jaw revert to a more developmentally flexible state when called upon to regenerate large portions of bone and tissue, according to a study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine.
About 99 percent of the sun's energy emitted as neutrinos is produced through nuclear reaction sequences initiated by proton-proton (pp) fusion in which hydrogen is converted into helium, say scientists including physicist Andrea Pocar at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. They report new results from Borexino, one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors on the planet. The results reduce un
By tracking every neutrino that hit a detector beneath a mountain in Italy over ten years, scientists have painted the most detailed picture yet of the sun's interior.
Guardian readers respond to our report on the rise in families desperate for educational support for their children An increasingly effective framework of support for some of the nation's most vulnerable children and their families, young people with special educational needs and disabilities, that has shown steady progress since the groundbreaking 1978 Warnock report, has been destroyed by the po
Nursing homes that adopt more sophisticated information technologies are seeing specific improvements in the quality of care, a new study shows. These improvements include significant decreases in urinary tract infections, patients reporting moderate to severe pain, and patients with new or worsened pressure ulcers. Health care providers in hospitals and ambulatory care are currently incentivized
Noise levels in the world's oceans are on the rise, but little is known about its impact on marine mammals like dolphins that rely on sound for communication. Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science laid underwater microphones on the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean to find out more about the ambient noise levels in the area off the coast of Maryland. They found th
Dollar spot—the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses—is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers.
Oil spills and industrial discharge can contaminate water with greasy substances. Although it's true that oil and water don't mix, separating and recovering each component can still be challenging. Now, researchers have created sponges made from wood that selectively absorb oil, and then can be squeezed out and used again. They report their results in ACS Nano.
This is a story of getting the good out of the bad, said Mario Jurić. As a boy in Yugoslavia, he would page through an introductory physics book that belonged to his grandfather. He learned that stars came in different colors, and that these colors signified different temperatures. So for his eighth-grade science fair project, Jurić wanted to capture that spectral light. His teacher lent him a pr
New research finds Nicaraguans and Hondurans are less likely to choose to crash into fit people, and those from Japan or Indonesia would rather spare the lawful. But developers say the moral quandary just isn't very helpful.
Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) is a major player in nutrition today. Studies have shown that NAD+ concentrations decrease during aging and that recovering the body's levels of NAD+ can prolong both health span and even life span, making it the focus of much research in nutritional science, medicine, and even pharmaceutics.
Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid the size of a small city smashed into the earth. This impact, the one that would lead to the end of the dinosaurs, left a scar several miles underground and more than 115 miles wide.
About 99 percent of the Sun's energy emitted as neutrinos is produced through nuclear reaction sequences initiated by proton-proton (pp) fusion in which hydrogen is converted into helium, say scientists including physicist Andrea Pocar at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Today they report new results from Borexino, one of the most sensitive neutrino detectors on the planet, located deep be
With robotics, computers and advanced genetics, researchers at the University of California, Davis and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory are unraveling how plant roots take up and metabolize nitrogen, the key to plant growth and crop yield. Their latest work is published Oct. 24 in the journal Nature.
By sequencing genes from over a quarter of a million cells across six mammalian species, researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute and collaborators, have shown how genes in the immune response have varied activity between cells and species.
Scientists, on top of being good at their actual research, must also excel at fundraising, mentorship, management, teaching, and public speaking. To that list, Alan Wilson must add marksmanship. For his latest project, he had to shoot fast-moving wildebeest with tranquilizer darts, while hanging out the side of an equally fast-moving helicopter. "It's not easy," says Wilson, who is a professor at
I'm Not Leaving the Republican Party "Trump has inflicted wounds on the GOP that will take a long time to heal," Jay Caruso wrote recently. "But I am not about to abandon the party as a result." The GOP, he argued, is still best suited to lead the country. While I understand and respect this writer's want to return to the traditional principles of the Republican party, these are principles that t
The increased risk is slight, but aligns with a longstanding hypothesis that having more cells in one's body leads to more chances for those cells to become cancerous.
Scientists from Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago and colleagues identified promising new genetic pathways associated with severe lung disease in extremely premature infants.
The synthetic biology company has opened a new foundry to churn out mammal cells, first for drug development, and later to build potentially anything at all.
Researchers analyzing the genomes of cultivated cacao trees have traced their origin to a 'single domestication event' some 3,600 years ago. The discovery opens a new front in a long-running argument over when and where humans started growing the source of chocolate.
Researchers have now discovered that stress-induced mental disturbances in mice are directly linked to abnormal glucose metabolism. Normalizing the stress-induced alterations in glucose levels, using the anti-diabetic drug empagliflozin, restored spatial memory as well as long-term glucose metabolism.
Researchers have identified the interactions of the combinants among calcium channel proteins that exist in nerve and heart cells. The result opened a new path of developing treatments for high blood pressure and brain diseases.
A lab simulation model of an artificial artery in the Slepian Lab at the University of Arizona Sarver Heart Center demonstrates 'pulse wave velocity' is a feasible measurement for monitoring blood pressure. Wearable patches show promise for measuring PWV, making them a potentially inexpensive blood-pressure monitoring option.
Over the past few years, the U.S. has been plagued with a misinformation crisis, attributed largely to the abuse of social media. Recently, many other countries, such as India and Kenya, have seen upticks in violence. The U.S. media are quick to blame the increasing popularity of messaging tools such as WhatsApp. But while it may be tempting to draw parallels, that's a mistake, argues The Atlanti
CNN was evacuated live on air. The targets of the bomb threats are frequently attacked by some in our political landscape. It's unknown how many more suspicious packages are in the mail. Just weeks before the mid-term elections, explosive devices have been sent to prominent Democrats Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, and George Soros. And, just this morning, the CNN newsroom has been evacuated due t
Global sea level is rising constantly. One factor contributing to this rise is the melting of the glaciers. However, although the surface area of the glaciers has been well mapped, there is often no information regarding their thickness, making it impossible to calculate their volume. As a result, we cannot accurately calculate the effects on sea levels. Researchers have developed an approach whic
A new study uses 'deep-learning' computer networks inspired by the layered and hierarchical architecture of the human brain to design basic nanophotonic, metamaterial elements for energy harvesting and medical diagnostics.
A new 'shrink ray' can change the size and shape of a block of gel-like material while human or bacterial cells grow on it. This tool holds promise for biomedical researchers, including those seeking to shed light on how to grow replacement tissues and organs for implants.
Although winglets have been around since the mid-1970s, there is still a wide variety of shapes, sizes, and angles. New research analyzes winglets to find the optimal characteristics to result in the lowest net drag for an aircraft.
Men who lack resilience are exponentially more vulnerable to becoming severely depressed after their spouse dies, according to a new study from Florida State University researchers.
Disagreeing with the political views of the majority in your community can feel isolating, and even frightening. Sometimes dissenting from the community, and instead connecting with like minded individuals seems like a far better, and safer option. That is what 136 women, who voted for Hillary Clinton, secretly did in rural Texas, USA. A recent study by a researcher at University of Texas at Austi
There is something poignant about the fact that the migrant caravan that has so transfixed President Trump, and that has dramatized America's stark immigration divide, has its origins in Honduras. It wasn't so long ago that it seemed faintly possible this impoverished republic would itself become a beacon of hope to migrants from throughout Central America, and perhaps even the world. It's a remi
If everyone strived to embody the core values listed on fraternities' and sororities' websites, the world would be a lovely place, full of "true friendship," "mutual support," "personal integrity," and, of course, "scholarship." The hundreds of thousands of undergraduate students currently in Greek organizations, a new study suggests, could stand to focus a bit more on that last one. The study ,
New research shows that navitoclax plus A-1210477 not only killed melanoma cells, but also killed the melanoma initiating cells (aka cancer stem cells) that often resist therapy.
Male humpback whales often sing during mating season, but recordings from the Pacific suggest noise pollution from cargo ships is making them sing less
Halloween is just around the corner, and some people will celebrate by watching scary movies about brain-eating zombies. But even more frightening are real-life parasites that feed on the human brain, and they can be harder to kill than their horror-movie counterparts. Now, researchers have developed silver nanoparticles coated with anti-seizure drugs that can kill brain-eating amoebae while spari
Oil spills and industrial discharge can contaminate water with greasy substances. Although it's true that oil and water don't mix, separating and recovering each component can still be challenging. Now, researchers have created sponges made from wood that selectively absorb oil, and then can be squeezed out and used again.
Scientists have engineered an antiviral peptide that exploits the Zika virus at its Achilles' heel — the viral membrane — hence stopping the virus from causing severe infections. This new method of attacking the viral membrane focuses on directly stopping Zika virus particles rather than preventing the replication of new virus particles, and can potentially work against a wide range of membrane-
Researchers at the Department for Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the Mainz University Medical Center and the German Resilience Center (DRZ) in Mainz have now discovered that stress-induced mental disturbances in mice are directly linked to abnormal glucose metabolism. Normalizing the stress-induced alterations in glucose levels, using the anti-diabetic drug empagliflozin, restored spatial memory
Lehigh University professor Eugenio Schuster has recently been named ITER Scientist Fellow in the area of Plasma Control. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), promises to be the first nuclear-fusion reactor to produce net energy. Recent work by members of Lehigh's Plasma Control Laboratory led by Prof. Schuster will be presented this week at the 27th International Atomic En
Researchers analyzing the genomes of cultivated cacao trees have traced their origin to a 'single domestication event' some 3,600 years ago. The discovery opens a new front in a long-running argument over when and where humans started growing the source of chocolate.
Researchers have merged the ancient art of origami with 21st century technology to create a one-step approach to fabricating complex structures whose light weight, expandability, and strength could have a variety of applications, including biomedical devices and equipment used in space exploration. Until now, making such structures has involved multiple steps, more than one material, and assembly
Research shows that when women get a whiff of their partner, it reduces stress hormones The smell – and clothes – of a loved one could have a powerfully calming effect. So claims a study, published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology , which tested 96 women, who were asked to randomly smell one of three scents – a male partner's, a stranger's or a neutral scent. Those who caught a
In a new study, researchers found that the abdominal fat on female mice had more blood vessels than the fat on male mice, and that this protected the health of the female mice as they gained fat from eating a high-fat diet.
Beware, media multitaskers: New research from Rice University researchers has found a link between spending too much time on digital devices and how first impression are formed.
Nurses with bachelor's degrees report being very prepared in more quality and safety measures than do their peers with associate degrees, finds a new study by researchers at NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing.
As temperatures drop and the sniffles start, take hope; research suggests a new approach to protect ourselves from the common cold. By analysing changes to the make-up and types of cellular fat molecules in cells as they are infected by the cold virus, the research identified three chemicals that point to those that could be developed into a new type of anti-cold drug that could actually stop the
A team of surgeons this summer successfully repaired the spinal cords to treat spina bifida in two babies before birth, the first surgery of its kind in Britain.
A study suggests your skin tans most when you spend every other day out of the sun, which has the added effect of reducing DNA damage and premature ageing
One year ago this month, the best-known and most feared journalist in Malta, Daphne Caruana Galizia , was assassinated by a car bomb as she left her house on the tiny Mediterranean island. Her violent murder, still unsolved, might have stayed the stuff of local news. But on Malta, local news turns out to be global. Caruana Galizia's murder has always been a test for Malta and for Europe, one that
A study just published in eLife shows a fossil found in a Barcelona landfill to be about 11.6 million years old — making the Miopetaurista neogrivensis specimen the oldest-known giant flying squirrel discovered.
It's often easy to imagine balloons soaring or butterflies fluttering across a still image, but realizing this vision through computer animation is easier said than done. Now, a team of researchers has developed a new tool that makes animating such images much simpler.
The drug palbociclib, used in combination with standard treatment, improved survival for women with hormone receptor-positive metastatic breast cancer, according to a large phase III clinical trial.
Jihye Jang, a PhD Candidate at the Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Center at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, and colleagues assessed Augmented reality's potential to help cardiologists visualize myocardial scarring in the heart as they perform ventricular tachycardia ablation or other electrophysiological interventions. The team's findings, published in PLOS ONE, demonstrate that the new augmente
Oil spills and industrial discharge can contaminate water with greasy substances. Although it's true that oil and water don't mix, separating and recovering each component can still be challenging. Now, researchers have created sponges made from wood that selectively absorb oil, and then can be squeezed out and used again. They report their results in ACS Nano.
FORS2, an instrument mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope, has observed the active star-forming region NGC 2467 — sometimes referred to as the Skull and Crossbones Nebula. The image was captured as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems Programme, which makes use of the rare occasions when observing conditions are not suitable for gathering scientific data. Instead of sitting idle, the ESO Cosmic Gems Prog
A landmark study, led by Monash University researchers, has definitively found that the practice of cooling the body and brain in patients who have recently received a severe traumatic brain injury, has no impact on the patient's long-term outcome.
MIT neuroscientists present a new model of working memory that explains how the brain holds information in mind (the 'memory' part) and also executes volitional control over it (the 'working' part).
The Museum of the Bible in Washington has confirmed what many scholars long suspected: Five artifacts it had been displaying as Dead Sea Scrolls fragments are probably forgeries. The announcement, which came after several experts raised questions over the fragments' authenticity, is the latest in a string of controversies that have plagued the museum over how it acquired its artifacts. Jeffrey Kl
First it was George Soros, then in quick succession Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This week a number of potential explosive devices made their way into the U.S. mail system, each disarmed before anyone was injured. In Soros's case, officials told The New York Times that the device was likely hand-delivered to his mailbox, where it was found by an employee and defused by the police . The Secre
Health Your wallet might have more of an effect than your shopping cart. There's a lot we don't know about organic food. But one thing we do know? Being a person who can afford to buy organic and does so generally means you're a healthier…
Stimulating the body's cold and nicotine receptors burns energy, suppresses appetite, and may lead to weight loss, a study with mice shows. Inspired by everyday life, researchers wondered whether they could pharmacologically imitate some of the effects from winter swimming and smoking. The result was an increase in the energy turnover which may happen in cold environments and decreased appetite l
Phew! What an exhilarating ride that was, indeed. And at the end of it, Team Roller Coaster streaked ahead past the finish line. Now we know what kind of ride to install at HQ. Congrats to all, and check out the leaderboard! Artwork by Daniela Gamba
Hydrogen fuel cells offer an attractive source of continuous energy for remote applications, from spacecraft to remote weather stations. Fuel cell efficiency decreases as the Nafion membrane, used to separate the anode and cathode within a fuel cell, swells as it interacts with water.
An international team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Oxford have revealed that New Caledonian crows are able to create tools by combining two or more otherwise non-functional elements, an ability so far observed only in humans and great apes.
Noise levels in the world's oceans are on the rise, but little is known about its impact on marine mammals like dolphins that rely on sound for communication. Researchers from the University of Maryland Center for Environmental Science have found that dolphins are simplifying their calls to be heard over noise from recreational boats and other vessels in nearby shipping lanes.
Spanish-speaking women encounter unique challenges when receiving notifications regarding their mammogram results and breast density. The findings, which appear in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, are an example of the unintended consequences some new health policies can have on specific populations.
Dollar spot — the most common, troublesome and damaging turfgrass disease plaguing golf courses — is becoming increasingly resistant to fungicides applied to manage it, according to Penn State researchers.
Halloween is just around the corner, and some people will celebrate by watching scary movies about brain-eating zombies. But even more frightening are real-life parasites that feed on the human brain, and they can be harder to kill than their horror-movie counterparts. Now, researchers have developed silver nanoparticles coated with anti-seizure drugs that can kill brain-eating amoebae while spari
FORS2, an instrument mounted on ESO's Very Large Telescope, has observed the active star-forming region NGC 2467—sometimes referred to as the Skull and Crossbones Nebula. The image was captured as part of the ESO Cosmic Gems Programme, which makes use of the rare occasions when observing conditions are not suitable for gathering scientific data. Instead of sitting idle, the ESO Cosmic Gems Program
A massive generation of young people is about to inherit the world, and it's the duty of everyone to give them a fighting chance for their futures, says UNICEF executive director Henrietta Fore. In this forward-looking talk, she explores the crises facing them and details an ambitious new global initiative, Generation Unlimited, which aims to ensure every young person is in school, training or emp
Scientists have discovered crystals that formed earlier than 4 billion years ago in the Barberton Mountains of South Africa. To geologists, Earth's early history is somewhat of a black box. Volcanoes, magma seas, and meteorite impacts defined our planet's surface from its formation, 4.6 billion years ago, until the earliest rock record appeared roughly 600 million years later. Hardly any original
In new research aimed at aiding cancer detection and treatment, scientists might have found the ideal surface texture for helping microscopic, medical helpers to survive in the bloodstream without being screened out by the body's natural defense mechanisms.
Rising sea levels driven by climate change make for salty soil, and that is likely to force about 200,000 coastal farmers in Bangladesh inland as glaciers melt into the world's oceans, according to estimates from a new study.
A systematic review and meta-analysis has found that, in spite of the higher incidence and death rate of colorectal cancer in blacks, no difference exists in the overall prevalence of advanced, precancerous polyps between average-risk blacks and whites who underwent a screening colonoscopy.
Queen Elizabeth Hall, London A cod-scientific lecture on animal behaviour is given a comic twist in a surreal show that is too cutesy Isabella Rossellini went back to university to study animal behaviour, she tells us, as she delivers a cod-donnish lecture on everything from scientific theories on animal intelligence to the sex lives of whales. Co-directed by Guido Torlonia, it is billed as a one
Hour-long procedure that stabilises blood sugar levels of sufferers of type 2 diabetes is still effective one year on, study shows A potential medical breakthrough that could put an end to the daily insulin injections endured by people living with diabetes has been unveiled by Dutch scientists. By destroying the mucous membrane in the small intestine and causing a new one to develop, scientists s
Another flu season is here, which means another chance for viruses to mutate. Already, most influenza A viruses contain a mutation that confers resistance against one class of antiviral medications, and the bugs are steadily gaining resistance against another class. Scientists report in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters a series of experiments designed to develop new medications that could potential
Staff members from the Higher School of Economics and the Hydrometeorological Centre of Russia have proposed a new operative scheme for the short-range complex forecasting of wind and possible gusts, surface air temperature, and humidity. The results, i.e., estimates of average forecast errors at different lead times and their comparison with competitors' results, were published in the journal «Ru
Fuel cell efficiency of hydrogen fuel cells decreases as the Nafion membrane, used to separate the anode and cathode within a fuel cell, swells as it interacts with water. Russian and Australian researchers have now shown that this Nafion separator membrane partially unwinds some of its constituent fibers, which then protrude away from the surface into the bulk water phase for hundreds of microns.
By finding that the cancer drug also activates a key cellular receptor in the innate immune system, a study at the Center for Research in Inflammatory Diseases (CRID), in Brazil, may lead to new treatment strategies.
A text mining analysis of academic and news articles related to mental health issues in higher education finds that racism, violence and sexual assault are key contributors to mental health challenges for students. The research also highlights the need for mental health services, and outlines some ways that mobile technologies may be able to help address these needs.
The good news is that deaths from drug overdoses in America have been falling slightly for the past six months, granting a reprieve from what seemed like an opioid epidemic with no end in sight. The bad news is that no one knows why, or if this trend will continue. CDC Preliminary figures reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week show that compared with the 12 months en
Nogle af landets usikrede jernbaneoverkørsler, som næsten hvert år koster menneskeliv, bliver nedlagt i år. Men flere hundrede overkørsler bliver først nedlagt efter 2018, og nogle bliver stående på ubestemt tid.
An artificial intelligence has taught itself the basics of video game design by watching people play classic games and is now generating new ones of its own
A large simulation of a nerve agent attack last week tested a suite of advanced tools for diagnosing, treating and containing chemical and biological incidents
When Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev solemnly signed the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty at the White House, the leaders of the world's superpowers hailed the transition from an era of "mounting risk of nuclear war" to one marked by the "demilitarization of human life." But when Donald Trump unceremoniously declared the treaty dead over the weekend, the mood was different. After taki
The Crypt of Civilization is arguably the largest time capsule in the world. Housed in a basement at a university north of Atlanta, this underground chamber with a massive stainless-steel door was packed with artifacts, then welded shut on May 25, 1940. The crypt was designed to preserve a picture of life in the 1930s for humans thousands of years in the future. Inside are stacks of records and f
The findings, published in the November issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health, could help public health officials and professional societies develop new interventions to increase rates of HPV vaccination.
Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute have created the first comprehensive summary of all genes known to be involved in human cancer. Reported in Nature Reviews Cancer, the Cancer Gene Census catalogues over 700 genes, and describes how they function, to help scientists understand the causes of cancers, find drug targets and design treatments. This paves the way for improvements in personal
Halloween is just around the corner, and some people will celebrate by watching scary movies about brain-eating zombies. But even more frightening are real-life parasites that feed on the human brain, and they can be harder to kill than their horror-movie counterparts. Now, researchers have developed silver nanoparticles coated with anti-seizure drugs that can kill brain-eating amoebae while spari
Recognizing the role that opioid prescribing plays in the opioid crisis, a team of researchers at Lawson Health Research Institute and Western University have developed a new clinical protocol called STOP Narcotics.
Scared, ashamed, happy or proud — how do children feel when they lose their first baby tooth? An interdisciplinary research group at the University of Zurich has now found that children's feelings are predominantly positive. The study also reveals that previous visits to the dentist's as well as parental background and level of education affect how children experience the loss of their first toot
Complementary practices such as meditation and mindful breathing helped patients manage chronic pain and in some cases reduced the need for medication such as opioids, according to a study at Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City.
Researchers from the University of Barcelona in collaboration with a team from the Zoological Station Anton Dohrn (Italy) have analysed the impact of diatom algae in the development of Oikopleura dioica (O. Dioica), a type of marine zooplankton invertebrate that plays an important role in the global dynamics of the marine food webs and the biosphere carbon cycle. The results, published in Communic
A small beetle can cause big losses to bean crops. But a new study has narrowed down the genetic locations of several weevil resistance genes in the common bean.
Researchers have systematically monitored wild animals killed on the Brazilian federal highway BR-262, which passes through the Pantanal region — the world's largest wetland.
Cyber-security researchers have identified a total of at least 57 different ways in which cyber-attacks can have a negative impact on individuals, businesses and even nations, ranging from threats to life, causing depression, regulatory fines or disrupting daily activities
Mathematicians have created a new model—of a variety commonly found in the world of finance—to show how to harvest a species at an optimal rate, while making sure that the animals do not get wiped out by chance.
While stem cells have the most therapeutic potential, the benefits of regenerative medicine may best be mobilised using extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known in the past as "cellular dust." A team of researchers from CNRS, AP-HP, INSERM and Paris Descartes and Paris Diderot Universities have tested these vesicles for the first time in a porcine model for the treatment of post-operative digestiv
The German government is putting pressure on the country's automakers to fix their diesel cars that have excessive emissions, in a bid to placate drivers angered by the prospect of diesel driving bans in major cities.
Boeing raised its full-year profit and revenue forecasts Wednesday following a better-than-expected third quarter as demand for commercial and defense aircraft stayed robust.
Researchers have discovered water stored within a glacier in Greenland. The water storage has been a missing component for models aiming to predict how melting glaciers will affect the planet. The rapidly changing Greenland ice sheet is a major contributor to the sea-level rise that North America will experience in the next 100 years. The researchers made the discovery looking at data intended to
Serving from 1990 to 2006, the four retired officials discussed how they were muzzled for giving medical advice that was unpopular — though time proved them right.
Electricity generated by fossil fuels is increasingly unsustainable and a shift towards renewable energy – principally from the sun and wind – is vital. Renewable generation is already less expensive per unit than its polluting counterparts, but the fact the sun doesn't always shine and the wind doesn't always blow presents an obstacle to a serious takeover of the energy sector.
Urban nature has a critical role to play in the future liveability of cities. An emerging body of research reveals that bringing nature back into our cities can deliver a truly impressive array of benefits, ranging from health and well-being to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Aside from benefits for people, cities are often hotspots for threatened species and are justifiable locations fo
Cyber-security researchers have identified a total of at least 57 different ways in which cyber-attacks can have a negative impact on individuals, businesses and even nations, ranging from threats to life, causing depression, regulatory fines or disrupting daily activities
Mathematicians have created a new model — of a variety commonly found in the world of finance — to show how to harvest a species at an optimal rate, while making sure that the animals do not get wiped out by chance.Published in the Journal of Mathematical Biology, the research was conducted by academics at Tufts University, Wayne State University, City, University of London and University of Hon
Air pollution and transportation noise are both associated with an increased risk of heart attacks. Studies on air pollution, which do not take into account traffic noise, tend to overestimate the long-term effect of air pollution on heart attacks. These are the results of a study conducted by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, and published today in the European Heart Journal.
The mercury test of catalysts that has been used and considered universal for 100 years, turned out to be ambiguous. This conclusion was made by a group of scientists including a RUDN chemist. The group confirmed that the test required additional control experiments to verify its results. The study might lead to the reconsideration of the existing experimental data and improving catalysis mechanis
Why do murders like those of Jamal Khashoggi and Farzad Barzoft , or disappearances like those of Pakistani blogger Samar Abbas and Chinese professor Sun Wenguang happen? Simple. Because anti-democratic regimes believe they can get away with it. And because the United States and its allies have failed since the end of the Cold War to embrace a national-security strategy founded on values, rather
On July 18, 2018, a crowd of young people demonstrated in front of the federal courthouse in Eugene, Oregon, to call attention to their lawsuit against the federal government. It was a classic Oregon summer day—morning clouds blowing off by midday, blue sky above, low humidity. Almost paradise. It was also, like virtually every day in July, hotter than average. And there was a hint of smoke in th
As the midterm election nears and the fallout of the Supreme Court nomination rings across the political divide, a new study presents a unique angle of American politics: how party affiliation affects charitable donations.
Mark Zondlo's research team has tracked greenhouse gases and air pollutants on the streets of Beijing and New York City, around Pennsylvania gas wells, and near animal feedlots in Colorado and California.
Lead-free bearings are one of the missing pieces in the technological shift that will eventually allow large-bore engine manufacturers to reduce their emissions, while not compromising on reliability and lifespan. Research and development under the BeLEADFREE project could be the breakthrough they expected.
Beans are awesome. They are packed with nutrients and are high in protein. They can grow in many different environments. They help replenish soil nitrogen levels. They are a vital crop for food security in many parts of the world.
Irish Famine victims were heavy smokers which caused badly rotten teeth, researchers from the University of Otago and Queen's University Belfast, in Ireland, have discovered.
The normal function of a gene associated with the neurodegenerative diseases amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) has been determined for the first time by University of Bath scientists.
While stem cells have the most therapeutic potential, the benefits of regenerative medicine may best be mobilised using extracellular vesicles (EVs), also known in the past as 'cellular dust'. A team of researchers have tested these vesicles for the first time in a porcine model for the treatment of post-operative digestive fistulas. Their results, which yielded a 100 percent success rate and appe
As a cold ends, a severe mucus cough starts. Sound familiar? Two studies now give explanations: First, crucial mechanisms of the mucus in both diseased and healthy airways; second, what happens in such chronic lung diseases as cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Physicists from the University of Bonn have presented a method that may be suitable for the production of so-called quantum repeaters. These should improve the transmission of quantum information over long distances. The researchers used an effect with which light particles can be shot in a much more targeted manner. Their results appear in the Physical Review Letters.
Global sea level is rising constantly. One factor contributing to this rise is the melting of the glaciers. However, although the surface area of the glaciers has been well mapped, there is often no information regarding their thickness, making it impossible to calculate their volume. As a result, we cannot accurately calculate the effects on sea levels. Researchers at FAU have developed an approa
New payment models are changing how physicians are paid, striving to create stronger incentives for efficient, high-quality medicine. A new study finds that these models are becoming more complex and the pace of change is increasing, creating challenges for physician practices that might hamper their ability to improve the quality and efficiency of care despite their willingness to change.
Broadband fiber-optics carry information on pulses of light, at the speed of light, through optical fibers. But the way the light is encoded at one end and processed at the other affects data speeds.
Industry uses platinum alloys as catalysts for oxygen reduction, essential in fuel cells and metal-air batteries, among other applications. Expensive and rare, that metal imposes tight restrictions on manufacture. Researchers at Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB) and Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung have discovered a five-element alloy that is noble metal-free and as active as platinum. Their fin
Studying spatial arrangements, alongside material architecture, can more accurately evidence the changing nature of urban experiences, complementing traditional approaches. TEMPEA applied this approach to African urban phenomena, revealing unexpected insights.
With air quality a serious environmental health problem, the Copernicus Sentinel-5P satellite is tasked with mapping air pollutants around the entire globe every day. This new mission has been providing data on carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide and ozone since July and now other polluting nasties such as sulphur dioxide and formaldehyde have joined the list of data products available to monitor th
An international team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology and the University of Oxford has revealed that New Caledonian crows are able to create tools by combining two or more otherwise non-functional elements, an ability so far observed only in humans and great apes.
In the nearly three weeks since Jamal Khashoggi walked into a Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never came out, the story of what happened to him has emerged only slowly, through leaks and rumor, accusations and denials. By the time the Saudis took responsibility over the weekend, many had grown convinced that he was dead—but exactly how he died remained unclear and contested between the Saudis, wh
Guidelines recommend breastfeeding for 6 months, but data suggests that less than half of mothers in England choose or are able to breastfeed beyond six weeks
Rather than a filing cabinet in the mind, it turns out memory is an exquisite illusion that shapes our sense of self. Here's how to understand yours better
While studying the critically endangered slender-snouted crocodile, researchers made a startling discovery—what they thought was one species is actually two. The discovery raises concerns about whether current conservation practices are enough to protect them.
As residents of the U.S. Midwest know, spring in the Great Plains can bring severe weather, including hail, damaging winds, torrential rains and deadly tornadoes with catastrophic impacts.
A fully automated testing device can now be deployed at water sites suspected of contamination by Legionella bacteria. The device promises more reliable results in less than two hours, with no human intervention.
Entropy, a term loosely referring to the disorder of a physical system and infamously associated with the Second Law of Thermodynamics, wherein we know that it ultimately increases in any closed system, might be used to gauge something altogether different in the digital world – search engine optimisation.
Inspired by some of the effects from winter swimming and smoking, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, among others, have found a way to improve the metabolism of mice and make them lose weight. They have done so by stimulating the body's so-called cold and nicotinic receptors.
While a mobile phone or PC is traditionally controlled by only one user, many different players come together in a networked household, some of whom even want to control devices simultaneously. Researchers have investigated what access control for Internet-connected household appliances should ideally be like. They interviewed 425 users in the USA about their preferences and derived suggestions fo
Korean researchers have identified the interactions of the combinants among calcium channel proteins that exist in nerve and heart cells. The result opened a new path of developing treatments for high blood pressure and brain diseases.
A small beetle can cause big losses to bean crops. But a new study has narrowed down the genetic locations of several weevil resistance genes in the common bean.
A new CAMH study shows that free gambling-themed games may be a gateway to paid gambling for young people, and gameplay is linked with a higher risk of gambling problems among some adolescents. Called social casino games, they let people try their hand at casino table games, slots, poker or bingo without betting real money. Nearly one in eight high school students said they had played social casin
Nine to 33 million visits to the emergency room (ER) for asthma worldwide may be triggered by breathing in air polluted by ozone or fine particulate matter — pollutants that can enter the lung's deep airways, according to a study published today.
The Hawaiian Islands are home to a range of unique, endangered bird species. Many waterbirds such as the Hawaiian coot and Hawaiian gallinule have been recovering in recent decades thanks to intensive wetland management, but past declines have left them with reduced genetic diversity. A new study looks at what the birds' genes can tell us about their behavior today and finds that one species' lack
A team of researchers with members from the Georgia Institute of Technology, the Atlanta Zoo and the Rochester Institute of Technology has uncovered the means by which elephants are able to quickly and easily grab and very quickly eat small objects. In their paper published in Journal of the Royal Society Interface, the group describes their study and what they found.
If warming trends continue, Quelccaya, which until recently was the world's largest tropical ice cap, will have reached a state of irreversible retreat by the mid-2050s, according to a new study led by University at Albany climate scientist Mathias Vuille and recent Ph.D. graduate Christian Yarleque.
22 læger står til at blive fyret i Region Sjælland. Formand for overlægeforeningen i regionen kan ikke se, hvordan man kan undvære flere læger, da der i forvejen er speciallægemangel.
Kommunerne skal have styr på sektorens sundhedsopgaver, inden en kommende sundhedsreform lægger op til at samordne primær- og sekundærsektoren endnu mere.
Low temperatures and an acidic environment create the ideal conditions for an effective method of inactivating Listeria (and other germs) in the processing of whey protein solutions – without destroying valuable nutrients. A team from the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences, Vienna (BOKU) made this discovery in collaboration with an international food company, and they have now publi
Massive structures of moving air that appear like waves in Jupiter's atmosphere were first detected by NASA's Voyager missions during their flybys of the gas-giant world in 1979. The JunoCam camera aboard NASA's Juno mission to Jupiter has also imaged the atmosphere. JunoCam data has detected atmospheric wave trains, towering atmospheric structures that trail one after the other as they roam the p
Here's a scary yet realistic scenario: Attackers sponsored by a rogue organization or radical state gain access to the control system of a nuclear reactor, a chemical reactor or a similar critical system.
As rockets become more and more powerful, the systems that protect them need to keep pace. NASA will use almost a half-million gallons of water to keep the Space Launch System (SLS) safe and stable enough to launch successfully. The system that delivers all that water is called the Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) water deluge system, and seeing it in action is very
In the oxygen-poor air of the Mesozoic era, nothing should have been able to move very fast. But Velociraptors could run 64 kilometers per hour. Their secret weapon: superefficient, birdlike lungs, which would have pumped in a constant supply of oxygen, according to a new study. This unique adaptation may have given all dinos a leg up on their competition.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have engineered an antiviral peptide that exploits the Zika virus at its Achilles' heel — the viral membrane — hence stopping the virus from causing severe infections.This new method of attacking the viral membrane focuses on directly stopping Zika virus particles rather than preventing the replication of new virus particl
As the midterm election heats up and the fallout of the Supreme Court nomination rings across the political divide, a new study presents a unique angle of American politics: how party affiliation affects charitable donations. Researchers representing four institutions found voters who live in counties where political competition is high give less to charity.
This world-first nanophotonic device, unveiled in Nature Communications, encodes more data and processes it much faster than conventional fiber optics by using a special form of 'twisted' light.
Irish Famine victims were heavy smokers which caused badly rotten teeth, researchers from the University of Otago and Queen's University Belfast, in Ireland, have discovered.
Researchers used location and activity data from users of the Foursquare app in New York City and Brisbane, coupled it with recommendation algorithms, and predicted specific crimes more accurately than ever before.
New research from Arizona State University is showing that when it comes to the bang-bang plays in baseball viewing distance from the play is critical for judging what actually happened. In other words, the umpire being much closer to the action is in a better position to make the right call compared to a fan in the stands 100 or 200 feet away.
Skilled perfumers bring art and science together to design new fragrances, a talent that takes ten or more years to develop. Crafting a fragrance that leaves an impression is one of the most important components a consumer considers when forming a positive or negative opinion about everyday products like laundry detergent, deodorant, air freshener and, of course, cologne and perfume. What if artif
The Hawaiian Islands are home to a range of unique, endangered bird species. Many waterbirds such as the Hawaiian Coot and Hawaiian Gallinule have been recovering in recent decades thanks to intensive wetland management, but past declines have left them with reduced genetic diversity. A new study from The Condor: Ornithological Applications looks at what the birds' genes can tell us about their be
During the record-breaking 2018 fire season, the typically clear waters of Cameron Falls in Waterton Lakes National Park in southern Alberta flowed black. But it had nothing to do with the extensive fires that torched much of British Columbia and a small part of Waterton.
The internet is transforming every aspect of our lives. It has become indispensable. But, so far, according to a new meta-analysis we have published in the Journal of Economic Surveys, the internet has done next to nothing for economic growth.
Two teams working independently have shown that electron crystallography can work as well on smaller crystals as X-ray crystallography does on larger crystals. The first team was made up of members from several institutions in Switzerland and Germany—they have published a paper describing their work in Angewandte Chemie. The second team was made up of members from the University of California and
New research has found evidence for a large number of double supermassive black holes, likely precursors of gigantic black hole merging events. This confirms the current understanding of cosmological evolution — that galaxies and their associated black holes merge over time, forming bigger and bigger galaxies and black holes.
Thirty-four versions of the Bible and two machine learning tools are used to develop a system that can automatically convert written works into different styles for different audiences.
Do animals — like humans — divide the world into things that move and things that don't? Are they surprised if an apparently inanimate object jumps to life? Yes — according to scientists.
Primates, including humans, are usually thought of as visual animals with reduced reliance on the sense of smell. In behavioral experiments, biologists have now found that chimpanzees use olfaction as a prime mode of investigation, and that they recognize group members and kin using olfactory cues.
For anden gang på to år er der utilfredshed blandt en gruppe borgere med det lægetilbud, som Nordic Medicare driver i Nakskov. En ny indsamling har trukket 300 underskrifter. »Der vil altid være borgere, som er utilfredse, når vi sænker brugen af vanedannende medicin så kraftigt,« lyder svaret fra Nordic Medicares direktør.
Food industry waste management is a critical issue, considering the environmental and health hazards involved with production and processing. For example, the poultry industry generates a vast amount of feather waste every year, most of which ends up in landfill or goes through an energy-intensive process to be converted into low-grade animal feed. According to the European Commission, 13.1 millio
Researchers show how warmer winters and booming demand for one of the world's most expensive medicinal species may hurt ecosystems and communities in the Himalayas.
How long does it take to roll a twelve-hundred-ton detector one hundred feet? In late August, it took 10 hours for the STAR detector to roll from its regular spot in the interaction region of the Relativistic Heavy Ion Collider (RHIC) to the assembly building to undergo maintenance. It's all part of a program to keep this giant multi-purpose particle detector (kind of like a giant 3-D digital came
While a mobile phone or PC is traditionally controlled by only one user, many players come together in a networked household, some of whom even want to control devices simultaneously. Researchers from the Horst Görtz Institute for IT Security at Ruhr-Universität Bochum, together with colleagues from the University of Chicago and the University of Washington, have investigated what access control f
Ingen kan få at vide, hvornår teleselskaberne må byde på nye frekvenser til 5G og forbedret dækning. Nogen forklaring på udskydelsen får vi heller ikke.
The population of a common tropical tree species increases mainly where it is rare—rather than in locations where it is common, according to a 10-year study that used high-resolution satellite imaging. "There are more tree species living in an area not much larger than a few football fields in Panama than in all of North America north of Mexico combined," says Jim Kellner, an assistant professor
While outrage is generally considered a hurdle in the path to civil discourse, new research suggests outrage—specifically, moral outrage—may have beneficial outcomes, such as inspiring people to take part in long-term collective action. In a literature review, researchers combined findings from the fields of moral psychology and intergroup psychology to investigate the dynamics of outrage, which
Alfonso Benito Calvo, a geologist at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH) has participated in a paper published recently in the journal Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences, which reproduced the knapping process observed at Olduvai (Tanzania), using one of the most abundant raw materials at those sites, quartzite rocks.
Captain Phil Harris learned possibly the worst way to wake up in the morning. Stream Full Episodes of Deadliest Catch: https://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/deadliest-catch/ Subscribe to Discovery: http://bit.ly/SubscribeDiscovery Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadliestCatch https://www.facebook.com/Discovery Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeadliestCatch https://twitter.co
The crops we rely on today have been bred over thousands of years to enhance certain characteristics. For example, sweetcorn started life as a wild grass called teosinte.
The High-Luminosity LHC has reached its halfway point. The second-generation LHC project was launched eight years ago and is scheduled to start up in 2026, eight years from now. From 15 to 18 October, the institutes contributing to this future accelerator came together at CERN to assess the progress of the work as the project moves from prototyping to the series production phase for much of the eq
Improvements in how samples are prepared will add range and flexibility to a method that detects the location of selected molecules within a biological sample, such as a slice of tissue.
A long, hot summer has brought swarms of ladybirds into British homes, and recent reports that these colourful beetles are STI-carrying cannibals may well have worried homeowners. Yet despite their unusually large numbers, both experts and organisations say that the beetles gathering in homes are nothing to be alarmed about. In fact, the simple explanation for their behaviour is that it's just lad
With drought ravaging Australia's eastern states, much attention has been given to the need to provide short-term solutions through drought relief. But long-term resilience is a vital issue, particularly as climate change adds further pressure to farmers and farmland.
A bizarre, blue asteroid that acts like a comet and appears to be responsible for the annual Geminid meteor shower made a close flyby of Earth last year, giving astronomers an opportunity to study the object in unprecedented detail.
Let's suppose you were allowed to blindfold German soccer star Timo Werner and turn him on his own axis several times. Then you ask him to take a shot blind. It would be extremely unlikely that he would hit the goal.
Scientists at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have engineered an antiviral peptide that exploits the Zika virus at its Achilles' heel—the viral membrane—hence stopping the virus from causing severe infections.
Innovative computer software developed by University of Leicester scientists is shedding new light on the genetic makeup of deadly pathogens responsible for meningitis and gastroenteritis
Fires in the African savannah – planned by national park staff to regenerate the preferred grasses of grazers such as wildebeests and zebras – are killing the few foods that endangered black rhinos love to eat.
The zip of electricity in Martian dust storms helps to form the huge amounts of perchlorate found in the planet's soils, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.
Zipping through the sky 250 miles up is a shoebox-sized bundle of detectors and electronics named Dellingr. The namesake of the mythological Norse god of the dawn, Dellingr is among a new breed of spacecraft known as a CubeSat. These small satellites, measured in standardized 10-by-10-by-10 cubic centimeter units, weigh no more than a few pounds—bearing little resemblance to the larger, van-sized
Paying attention to how algorithmic systems impact marginalized people worldwide is key to a just and equitable future — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
"I swallowed American culture before I learned how to chew it," recounts Jose Antonio Vargas in his recently released memoir, Dear America: Notes of an Undocumented Citizen . Equipped with two different public-library cards, Vargas gorged on newspapers, magazines, books, music, TV shows, and films that he hoped would teach him—then a 16 year old who discovered that he'd been smuggled from the Phi
The US photographer Brad Goldpaint has beaten thousands of amateur and professional photographers from around the globe to win the Royal Observatory Greenwich's title of Insight Investment Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018. The exhibition opens at the National Maritime Museum on Wednesday Continue reading…
De danske retningslinjer for behandling af lungebetændelse skiller sig ud fra det meste af resten af verden ved, at mild til moderat lungebetændelse i udgangspunktet skal behandles med smalspektret antibiotika. Nyt dansk studie viser, at retningslinjerne er på sin plads.
In the first clinical study of a vaginal ring that releases the antiretroviral drug dapivirine as well as a contraceptive hormone, there were no safety concerns and the ring was well-tolerated. The ring is designed to provide protection against both HIV infection and unintended pregnancy for 90 days at a time. Given the encouraging results, researchers have already launched a second Phase I trial
For sexual and gender minority youths, growing up in a small town can be difficult. But new research from the University of Kansas finds that it's not all a negative experience and that communities often are supportive in multiple ways.
With wetlands continuing to disappear at an alarming rate, a new WWF report calls for countries to urgently expand efforts to protect and restore one of the world's most valuable ecosystems, which underpin a sustainable future for people and nature.
A significant amount of the single-use plastics that we use ends up in our oceans. As people increasingly ditch these plastics, seaweed—also known as macroalgae—and microalgae could be the solutions to the world's plastic food packaging problem. These are being used to develop everyday items, from edible water bottles to coffee cups to biofuels.
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory used neutrons, isotopes and simulations to "see" the atomic structure of a saturated solution and found evidence supporting one of two competing hypotheses about how ions come together to form minerals.
This image from NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope shows the Cat's Paw Nebula, so named for the large, round features that create the impression of a feline footprint. The nebula is a star-forming region in the Milky Way galaxy, located in the constellation Scorpius. Estimates of its distance from Earth range from about 4,200 to about 5,500 light-years.
If approved, a monthly vaginal ring containing an antiretroviral (ARV) called dapivirine would be the first biomedical HIV prevention method specifically for women. Yet, a concern with any ARV-based method is that its use by someone who is unknowingly already infected could allow the virus to become resistant against the ARV and other drugs in the same class. New findings using highly sensitive te
T he damage from Hurricane Michael is still being cataloged. After the Category 4 storm made landfall in the Florida Panhandle two weeks ago, it ripped through parts of Florida and Georgia, killing dozens and destroying homes and vital infrastructure in rural communities. Residents don't yet have a full account of the lives and property erased in the calamity, and even when they do, that accounti
Most observers have seen the murder of Jamal Khashoggi as the latest example of an age-old tension in U.S. foreign policy: the pursuit of national interests versus the defense of American values. Our leaders, this reading goes, abhor the brutal killing of a U.S. resident and Washington Post columnist, but security and economic considerations must temper their reactions. The government of Mohammed
Last week, President Donald Trump declared his intention to exit a 144-year-old international postal agreement known as the Universal Postal Union. If he follows through, Trump will be helping the American small businesses that so many politicians woo on the campaign trail, only to abandon once in office. I run a 12-person business in Rahway, New Jersey, called Mighty Mug. We make a patented trav
A new study provides a more comprehensive accounting of the greenhouse gas emissions from EU diets. It shows that meat and dairy products are responsible for the lion's share of greenhouse emissions from the EU diet.
The evolution of giant tortoises might not be linked to islands, as has previously been thought. In a first-of-its-kind study, researchers from Argentina and Germany have presented the most comprehensive family tree of extinct and extant tortoises so far. Analysing genetic and osteological data from living species and fossil tortoises, they have revised the evolution of tortoise—their gigantism ev
A new building material called memory steel, developed at Empa is about to be launched on the market. The material can be used to reinforce new and existing concrete structures. When the material is heated (one-time), prestressing occurs automatically.
Scientists from the NUST MISIS Laboratory of Inorganic Nanomaterials and international colleagues have proved that it's possible to change the structural and conductive properties of nanotubes by stretching them. This finding has applications in electronics and high-precision sensors such as microprocessors and detectors. The research article has been published in Ultramicroscopy.
Researchers have demonstrated the mussel-inspired reinforcement of graphene fibers for the improvement of material properties. A research group under Professor Sang Ouk Kim applied polydopamine as an effective infiltrate binder to achieve high mechanical and electrical properties for graphene-based liquid crystalline fibers.
The use of antibiotics has long been linked to deprivation of gut bacteria. Now, a new study from University of Copenhagen shows that the composition and function of gut bacteria can recover after antibiotic treatment in healthy people. But after six months, the gut still lacks nine common beneficial bacterial species.
Urbanisation, biodiversity loss, climate change: just some of the worldwide problems 'rewilding' – i.e. restoring food chains by returning 'missing' species to the landscape—can help tackle. Researcher Liesbeth Bakker (NIOO-KNAW) has edited a theme issue of the world's oldest life sciences journal, Phil Trans B, on rewilding, together with a Danish expert. The issue is now available online.
Within days of an OD from opioids or other drugs, users in Huntington, W.Va., are visited by a quick-response team at home, the hospital or in jail. Reversing an OD is just recovery's first step. (Image credit: Sarah McCammon/NPR)
Imagine you are on Mars and you stumble upon an interesting rock. The colours, the shape of the crystals and the place where you find it all tell you: there is more to it than meets the eye. Tool in hand, you analyse how light scatters through it. Seconds later you read the following description on the screen:
The West-of-England-based FLOURISH driverless car research and development project has today released its mid-project trials report detailing its latest findings and what they mean for the future deployment of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs) on the UK road network.
Socialdemokratiets forslag om at tvinge unge læger et halvt år ud i almen praksis har fået en hård medfart af de fleste aktører. Det får dog ikke partiets sundhedsordfører til at genoverveje. I stedet efterlyser han politisk mod hos kritiker-koret, der helst vil tale om langsigtede og mindre kontroversielle løsninger på lægemanglen i almen praksis.
Suspicions humans are consuming tiny plastic particles have been confirmed, spurring future work into the possible health impacts — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Nearly one year to the day after he became the first person to plead guilty in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, former Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos will face Congress for the first time in a private hearing for which he eagerly volunteered following his sentencing last month. "I didn't want to have to expose the biggest political scandal in modern history," Pap
LOS ANGELES—If any proof were needed that interest in the hotly contested Southern California midterm races extends far beyond the turf in play, it could be found on a recent Sunday afternoon near the UCLA campus here in Westwood. That's where a couple of dozen volunteers at L.A.'s Westside Democratic Headquarters had gathered to staff a phone bank backing Katie Porter, a business-law professor a
The Supreme Court is the issue that many conservatives used to rationalize voting for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. The talk-radio host Hugh Hewitt is the quintessential example. He doesn't approve of naked greed, bullying, trade wars, serial adultery, demeaning spats with Gold Star parents, insulting Mexican American jurists, or bragging about grabbing women by their genitals w
På Odense Universitetshospital undersøger Anton Pottegård og hans kollegaer, om mindre behandling med lægemidler kan forbedre livskvaliteten for de ældre patienter.
Folketinget gav for to år siden Banedanmark penge til at lukke de farlige jernbaneoverkørsler i 2018. Men arbejdet bliver ikke gennemført i 2018, og Banedanmark beholder pengene.
All that racism needs to keep going is for white people to keep being nice, says Robin DiAngelo. Being nice is better than the alternative, of course—but ask: What else am I doing to end racial inequality? "But I have friends of color" is a deflection device, not a real way to engage in productive dialogue about systemic racism. It's difficult for white people hear and, in DiAngelo's experience,
The head of Apple has endorsed tough privacy laws for both Europe and the U.S. and renewed the technology giant's commitment to protecting users' personal data.
HPTN 075 study demonstrates high rate of HIV infection among African men who have sex with men and transgender women. The incidence among study participants was substantially higher than the estimated incidence among heterosexual men and women in the general population in the same countries.
Manchester-based Volcanologists have developed a method and camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.
An international collaboration co-led by researchers at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute has made a discovery that could make therapeutic insulins more effective by better mimicking the way insulin works in the body. The findings could improve treatments for diabetes, a disease that impacts the lives of millions of people worldwide.
MIT researchers have devised a way to help blood cells regenerate faster, by stimulating a particular type of stem cell to secrete growth factors that help blood cell precursor cells differentiate into mature blood cells. This could help repopulate blood cells in cancer patients who receive bone marrow irradiation.
MIT neuroscientists have discovered how the brain tries to compensate for its poor performance in tasks that require complicated mental transformations.
Resistant high blood pressure in men may be related to long-term exposure to lead that might not be detected using standard blood tests. Researchers found that the risk of resistant hypertension was higher in men with elevated accumulations of lead in the shin bone. Exposure to lead may be due to aging infrastructure such as water pipes.
Researchers say they have developed tiny readers that can detect information in light spirals A new development in fibre optics could make internet speeds up to 100 times faster – by detecting light that has been twisted into a spiral. The research, published in the journal Nature Communications, can be used to easily upgrade existing networks and significantly boost efficiency, scientists say. C
Manchester-based Volcanologists have developed a method and camera that could help reduce the dangers, health risks and travel impacts of ash plumes during a volcanic eruption.
Blue asteroids are rare, and blue comets are almost unheard of. An international team led by Teddy Kareta, a graduate student at the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, investigated (3200) Phaethon, a bizarre asteroid that sometimes behaves like a comet, and found it even more enigmatic than previously thought.
Taxing San Francisco's wealthiest companies to rein in the city's homelessness problem makes sense to local campaigners—but the local tech giants aren't all so sure.
The Philippines' most famous resort island Boracay re-opens Friday after a six-month clean-up intended to fix the damage done by unrestrained mass tourism.
NASA's famed Hubble Space Telescope is nearly back to normal after a failed orienting tool forced engineers to put it in safe mode earlier this month, the US space agency said.
The Philippines re-opens its crown jewel resort island Boracay to holidaymakers on Friday, after a six-month clean up aimed at repairing the damage inflicted by years of unrestrained mass tourism.
Test flights of a driverless hover-taxi will take place in Singapore next year, a German aviation firm said, the latest innovation to offer an escape from Asia's monster traffic jams.
Tropical Storm Vicente made landfall and weakened quickly to a tropical depression on Oct. 23. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured a visible image of the fading, and now post-tropical storm raining on southwestern Mexico.
A University of Oklahoma sociologist, Meredith G. F. Worthen, examines how measures of social contact and social distancing relate to attitudes toward lesbian, gay and transgender individuals in a new study. Worthen uses a scale she developed and data from college students in the United States (Oklahoma and Texas), Italy and Spain to offer the first cross-cultural comparisons of attitudes toward t
Operation IceBridge, NASA's longest-running aerial survey of polar ice, flew over the northern Antarctic Peninsula on Oct. 16, 2018. During the survey, designed to assess changes in the ice height of several glaciers draining into the Larsen A, B and C embayments, IceBridge senior support scientist Jeremy Harbeck spotted a very sharp-angled, tabular iceberg floating among sea ice just off of the L
An NJIT-led team of engineers, game designers, artists and clinicians won two major international awards for its vision therapy platform, including "most innovative breakthrough," at the 2018 Augmented World Expo Europe (AWE EU), the leading industry conference for augmented reality technology.
Researchers at McMaster University have solved a vexing problem by engineering surface coatings that can repel everything, such as bacteria, viruses and living cells, but can be modified to permit beneficial exceptions.
With its stock dropping and more lawsuits expected, Monsanto vowed Tuesday to press on with a nationwide legal defense of its best-selling weed killer Roundup after a San Francisco judge upheld a verdict alleging it causes cancer.
Team at London's University College hospital performed the surgeries to treat spina bifida Weeks before they took their first breaths, two babies had their spinal cords delicately repaired by surgeons in the first operations of their kind in the UK. The spina bifida surgeries were successfully performed by a team at University College hospital in London this summer on two babies while they were s
An introduction to the brave new world of personal genomics argues that it solves the puzzle of nature v nurture We will soon be able to identify the likelihood that a newborn baby – perhaps your baby – will be susceptible to depression, anxiety and schizophrenia throughout his or her life? We will know the probability that our newborns will have difficulty learning to read, become obese and be pr
Nasa tests out the water deluge system for its new Space Launch System (SLS). The Ignition Overpressure Protection and Sound Suppression (IOP/SS) system releases two million litres (450,000 gallons) during take-off to dampen the huge shockwaves and heat of a rocket launch. It has been in place since the Space Shuttle but has been upgraded for the SLS Continue reading…
Alle kneb gælder i kampen om at nå til tops i Googles søgealgoritme, men nu advarer tidligere spam-blog ejer mod at bruge teknikken. Det kan koste virksomheder dyrt.
Wenlock Edge, Shropshire: The appearance and disappearance of these strange forms gives them an uncanniness that seems to have nothing to do with their ecological function The fairy bonnets have popped up from the turf and the world is reflected in a million raindrops. Suspended on spindly stalks, the pale flesh of their pointy heads has an ethereal glow. These Marasmius fungi grow in troops or c
Danmark kan ikke konkurrere mod USA og Kina på pengepungen i udviklingen af kunstig intelligens. Derfor skal vi bruge danske værdier, mener ministeren.
Researchers at McMaster University have solved a vexing problem by engineering surface coatings that can repel everything, such as bacteria, viruses and living cells, but can be modified to permit beneficial exceptions.
According to a new study in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, almost 75 percent of US adults do not comply with public health guidelines recommending two or more muscle-strengthening exercise (MSE) sessions a week, with nearly 60 percent of the population doing no MSE at all. Using the data from a nationally representative sample of US adults, the investigators also linked low-to-modera
Brad Goldpaint has won Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2018 thanks to a fantastic image of the Milky Way and the Andromeda Galaxy above the Grand Canyon
In 2017, a study came out that claimed raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour actually cost jobs. The same researchers have published a new report this month, which offers new conclusions. Namely, that experienced workers have seen benefits from the pay increase. The new data also suggests, simultaneously, that while there are less new entries into the Seattle workforce, companies have experienc
Sensational news stories and anecdotes about people like Steve Jobs, Mark Zuckerberg, and Bill Gates would have you believe that quitting school is the answer. Many of these dropouts were already attending elite universities and either had incredible family connections or other professional backing. College dropouts make up a slim minority of the world's richest and most powerful. More often than
A meta-analysis of studies on altruism reveals that giving of any kind makes us feel good, but that our brain knows if we are being altruistic or are looking for a reward. This is the first study to separate findings on the brain's response to giving based on motivation. This has implications for how to best reward those who help you, as misjudging their motivations may have negative effects. A m
Looking at data in the U.K. suggests that the more girls play video games, the greater the chances they'll pursue a STEM degree, regardless of what kind of game they play. Currently, there is a dearth of women taking up STEM degrees. Although it isn't clear whether there is a causal relationship here, encouraging girls to play more video games may also encourage them to study STEM subjects. None
Thirty-four versions of the Bible and two machine learning tools are used to develop a system that can automatically convert written works into different styles for different audiences.
What We're Following Populism Meets Reality: All isn't running smoothly in the European Union. In an unprecedented move, the EU rejected member country Italy's 2019 draft budget, calling out Italy's "wishful thinking about growth." But was this "wrist slap from Europe" actually what Italy's populist government wanted? Leaving: During the Cold War, Communist countries routinely forbade and persecu
New research, published today in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, has found evidence for a large number of double supermassive black holes, likely precursors of gigantic black hole merging events. This confirms the current understanding of cosmological evolution — that galaxies and their associated black holes merge over time, forming bigger and bigger galaxies and b
Primates, including humans, are usually thought of as visual animals with reduced reliance on the sense of smell. In behavioral experiments at Leipzig Zoo, an international team of researchers from the University of Leipzig, the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, and Durham University, UK, have now found that chimpanzees use olfaction as a prime mode of investi
Do animals — like humans — divide the world into things that move and things that don't? Are they surprised if an apparently inanimate object jumps to life?Yes — according to scientists at the universities of Exeter and Cambridge.
Galaxy clusters are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars. It has long been known that when a galaxy falls into a cluster, star formation is fairly rapidly shut off in a process known as 'quenching.' A new study has made the best measurement yet of the quenching timescale, measuring how it varies across 70 percent of the history of the univer
As you encounter new experiences and form new memories, your brain changes. Now, researchers show that some of these change occur in a brain region devoted to visual perception.
Good bacteria cleaning water in Georgia Aquarium's huge oceanic exhibit delivered a nice surprise to researchers. The aquarium wanted to know which bacteria were at work, so oceanic biochemists analyzed them: The bacterial colonies raised eyebrows because they were virtually indistinguishable from those found in natural settings.
Can't a bird get some biodiversity around here? The landscaping choices homeowners make can lead to reduced bird populations, thanks to the elimination of native plants and the accidental creation of food deserts.
Chemical communication is widely used in the animal kingdom to convey social information. For example, animals use olfactory cues to recognize group or family members, or to choose genetically suitable mates. In contrast to most other mammals, however, primates have traditionally been regarded as "microsmatic—having a poor sense of smell. Although research on olfaction in some primate species has
The presence of an invasive species in an ecosystem makes native organisms more susceptible to pollutants and may encourage the spread of additional invasive species, according to new research.
Study finds large variation in shape of birth canals around world – with implications for description of birth used in standard textbooks A focus on western women has skewed our understanding of evolution and twisted ideas of what birth should look like, scientists say. Researchers have found a large variation in the shape of the birth canal between women from different parts of the world – a fin
Report suggests link between height and cancer risk could simply be because there are more cells for something to go wrong in Taller people have a greater risk of cancer because they are bigger and so have more cells in their bodies in which dangerous mutations can occur, new research has suggested. A number of studies have previously found a link between a lofty stature and a greater risk of dev
New research, published today in the journal Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, has found evidence for a large number of double supermassive black holes, likely precursors of gigantic black hole merging events. This confirms the current understanding of cosmological evolution—that galaxies and their associated black holes merge over time, forming bigger and bigger galaxies and blac
Do animals—like humans—divide the world into things that move and things that don't? Are they surprised if an apparently inanimate object jumps to life?
The new issue of the magazine ( subscribe! ) has an article by me on a tantalizing "what if?" question involving the course of modern history. The article is called " Was Gary Hart Set Up? ", and its point is to ask what different forks national and world history might have taken, if a long-ago but recently revealed deathbed confession, from the 1980s-era Republican operative Lee Atwater, actuall
Space Oxygen-breathing critters might be more plausible than we thought. Salty Martian pools might harbor more breathable oxygen than we ever imagined—enough for life to exist on or near the surface.
Written by Madeleine Carlisle ( @maddiecarlisle2 ) and Olivia Paschal ( @oliviacpaschal ) Today in 5 Lines President Donald Trump told reporters that the shifting Saudi claims surrounding the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul are part of "the worst cover-up ever." The administration also announced that the U.S. would revoke visas of certain Saudi officials in
Technology Research involved a 'touch test' with 'slipperiness ratings.' Researchers hope that an innovative coating for latex condoms could make them stay slippery and allow people to forgo the lube.
Deep in the Maya forests of Mexico lives the rarely-seen Vampyrum spectrum— the false vampire bat. Little is known about these carnivorous mammals, as their nocturnal lifestyle and remote habitats make them exceedingly difficult to study. That didn't deter biologist Rodrigo Medellin and photographer Anand Varma . In Jason Jaacks's short documentary, In Search of Tzotz , Medellin, Professor of Eco
The vessel dates back 2,400 years to the days of ancient Greece. "This will change our understanding of shipbuilding and seafaring in the ancient world," says archaeologist Jon Adams. (Image credit: Black Sea MAP/EEF Expeditions)
It's getting a lot of attention because of its unexpected angles and straight lines. A sea ice specialist explains why it formed this way. (Image credit: NASA ICE)
After a surge of political enthusiasm among the scientific community since 2016, only a small fraction of candidates with science and engineering backgrounds made it through primary elections this year.
Urbanisation, biodiversity loss, climate change: just some of the worldwide problems 'rewilding' — i.e. restoring food chains by returning 'missing' species to the landscape — can help tackle. Researcher Liesbeth Bakker (NIOO-KNAW) has edited a theme issue of the world's oldest life sciences journal, Phil Trans B, on rewilding, together with a Danish expert. The issue is now available online.
Galaxy clusters are rare regions of the universe consisting of hundreds of galaxies containing trillions of stars. It has long been known that when a galaxy falls into a cluster, star formation is fairly rapidly shut off in a process known as 'quenching.' A new UC Riverside-led study has made the best measurement yet of the quenching timescale, measuring how it varies across 70 percent of the hist
Before the fall of 2004, wearing a Boston Red Sox hat outside of New England elicited the sort of sympathy or solicitude more commonly extended to a lost child or a wounded fawn. Red Sox fans were objects of pity. To the extent we attracted admiration, it was for our dedication to suffering. Wearing a Red Sox hat outside of New England today elicits looks of resentment or hostility, as if for a J
Cancer cells have evolved multiple escape strategies to circumvent the body's immune defenses such as the attack by Natural Killer (NK) cells which normally swiftly kill abnormal cells by releasing cytotoxic products. While studying breast cancer cell lines, scientists have uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that leaves tumor cells unharmed by NK cell-mediated cytotoxicity.
Single neurons in the brain's primary visual cortex can reliably detect straight lines, even though the cellular makeup of the neurons is constantly changing, according to a new study. The study's findings lay the groundwork for future studies into how the sensory system reacts and adapts to changes.
Identifying meaningful information is a key challenge to disciplines from biology to artificial intelligence. Researchers now propose a broadly applicable, fully formal definition for this kind of semantic information.
The use of antibiotics has long been linked to deprivation of gut bacteria. Now, a new study shows that the composition and function of gut bacteria can recover after antibiotic treatment in healthy people. But after six months, the gut still lack nine common beneficial bacterial species.
Prior research has suggested that mussels are a robust indicator of plastic debris and particles in marine environments. A new study says that's not the case because mussels are picky eaters and have an inherent ability to choose and sort their food. Instead, the researchers have discovered that marine aggregates also called "marine snow," play a much bigger role in the fate of the oceans when i
Taste might have less to do with what consumers are willing to pay for wine than you think. In fact, issues like a wine's country and region of origin sometimes had more impact on a person's willingness to pay more for a wine than taste.
A research group presented a molecular sensor with a microbead format for the rapid in-situ detection of harmful molecules in biological fluids or foods. As the sensor is designed to selectively concentrate charged small molecules and amplify the Raman signal, no time-consuming pretreatment of samples is required.
The report comes from the White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA), which is run by professional economists. It attempts to make direct connections between modern-day progressives and past socialist figures like Stalin and Mao. The report comes in the wake of other explicitly anti-socialist sentiments expressed by the Trump administration. The White House Council of Economic Advisers (CEA)
If you identify as being a socially conscious person in today's age of outrage , you've likely experienced the bewildering sensation when a conversation that was once harmless, suddenly doesn't feel that way anymore. Perhaps you're out for a quick bite with family, friends, or coworkers when the conversation takes a turn . Someone's said something that doesn't sit right with you, and you're unsur
Researchers demonstrated the mussel-inspired reinforcement of graphene fibers for the improvement of different material properties. A research group applied polydopamine as an effective infiltrate binder to achieve high mechanical and electrical properties for graphene-based liquid crystalline fibers.
As you encounter new experiences and form new memories, your brain changes. Now, researchers show that some of these change occur in a brain region devoted to visual perception.
Woodlice are crustaceans, relatives of the shrimp, that have adapted to life on land – but they still prefer damp conditions The common rough woodlouse Porcellio scaber is one of the five most numerous of 35 species of woodlice that are native to Britain, although there are others that arrived with imported plants and live mostly in greenhouses. Woodlice are remarkable in that they are not insect
Quarter of students surveyed at Arizona State University showed stress levels comparable to those of a mass shooting witness The 2016 presidential election was so stressful for some college students that a quarter of those surveyed showed symptoms similar to post-traumatic stress disorder, according to a new study. Researchers said that after the election that elevated Donald Trump to the preside
For diabetics, managing high blood pressure may help to prevent life-threatening organ damage according to a Rutgers study. The study findings suggest that extremely high blood pressure, not just diabetes, is responsible for severe organ damage due to hypertensive emergencies in African-Americans with diabetes.
Tropical Storm Vicente made landfall and weakened quickly to a tropical depression on Oct. 23. NOAA's GOES-West satellite captured a visible image of the fading, and now post-tropical storm raining on southwestern Mexico.
A new study casts doubt as to whether plants will continue to absorb as much carbon dioxide in the future as they have in the past due to declining availability of nitrogen in certain parts of the world.
New research from ASPIRE2025, a University of Otago research theme, challenges tobacco companies' claims they are working towards a smokefree world and suggests young people are vulnerable to tobacco companies' product innovations.
Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on October 2 and never left. For more than two weeks, the world awaited answers about his disappearance. Days later, information began to leak from Turkish security officials and said that Khashoggi had been killed in the consulate. Over the weekend, the Saudis acknowledged that Khashoggi had been killed—but they said it was an accident,
Justice Sandra Day O'Connor was the first woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. She was a deciding vote on a number of cases that came before the court. Watch her interview from 2015 about her upbringing and desire to see more women in all parts of government. None In a letter to The New York Times , Justice Sandra Day O'Connor revealed that she has dementia—likely, Alzheimer's—and is withdra
Environment It's been a wild year for the Pacific. Willa will hit a relatively unpopulated stretch of the coast, but communities there—especially ones that are small and isolated—are in real danger.
A University of Oklahoma sociologist, Meredith G. F. Worthen, examines how measures of social contact and social distancing relate to attitudes toward lesbian, gay and transgender individuals in a new study. Worthen uses a scale she developed and data from college students in the United States (Oklahoma and Texas), Italy and Spain to offer the first cross-cultural comparisons of attitudes toward t
A study by researchers at the University of Waterloo reiterates the need for health care professionals, including pharmacists, to take certain precautions to minimize the risk of their patients suffering shoulder injury related to vaccine administration (SIRVA).
The company has spent the equivalent of $12 million on political and issues ads across Facebook and Instagram since May, more than politicians like Beto O'Rourke and Donald Trump.
Since it came to power in May, Italy's coalition government has always been a marriage of convenience. The Five Star Movement won the economically struggling Italian south with its campaign pledges of a universal basic income, and the right-wing League party won the economically prosperous north with its pledges of tax cuts. That fundamental incoherence met its biggest test yet on Tuesday, when t
Scientists expect climate change influences the geographical distribution of microbes in the soil, but few studies have dug deeply into that relationship. A new study suggests the connection can drag across decades. After sequencing soil samples from North American and the Tibetan plateau, and comparing those to historical climate records, an international team of researchers found that today's mi
In a 20-year study, researchers have found that nearly 600,000 pounds of sockeye salmon carcasses tossed to the left side of a small, remote stream in southwest Alaska, helped trees on that side of the stream grow faster than their counterparts on the other side.
When Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, it seemed like a big gamble for an unproven little app. Six years later, that little app—along with Messenger and WhatsApp—are serving as Facebook's safety net for a future that could find its flagship service on the sidelines.
Facebook on Tuesday released the first of what it promised will be routine reports showing who is behind US political ads seen at the social network or its Instagram service.
A new US "Space Force" will soon take shape but will at least initially be a step below the proposed sixth branch of the military envisioned by President Donald Trump, his vice president said Tuesday.
Scientists investigating how the human immune system defends against malaria have uncovered a rare phenomenon: antibodies working together to bind to a vulnerable spot on the parasite.
How well are immigrants integrating in the United States? Are they doing better or worse than in Germany or France? Under what conditions have immigrants most successfully integrated into their host societies? Despite great advances in social science, the answers to these important questions remain contested.
In the last half-century, laser technology has grown into a multi-billion-dollar global industry and has been used in everything from optical-disk drives and barcode scanners to surgical and welding equipment.
Tiny robots no bigger than a cell could be mass-produced using a new method developed by researchers at MIT. The microscopic devices, which the team calls "syncells" (short for synthetic cells), might eventually be used to monitor conditions inside an oil or gas pipeline, or to search out disease while floating through the bloodstream.
Future state prediction for nonlinear dynamical systems is a challenging task, particularly when only a few time series samples for high-dimensional variables are available from real-world systems. In this work, we propose a model-free framework, named randomly distributed embedding (RDE), to achieve accurate future state prediction based on short-term high-dimensional…
During December 2011, a swarm of moderate-magnitude earthquakes was induced by hydraulic fracturing (HF) near Cardston, Alberta. Despite seismological associations linking these two processes, the hydrological and tectonic mechanisms involved remain unclear. In this study, we interpret a 3D reflection-seismic survey to delve into the geological factors related to these…
Real-world studies show that the facial expressions produced during pain and orgasm—two different and intense affective experiences—are virtually indistinguishable. However, this finding is counterintuitive, because facial expressions are widely considered to be a powerful tool for social interaction. Consequently, debate continues as to whether the facial expressions of these extreme…
SAMHD1 is a deoxynucleoside triphosphate triphosphohydrolase (dNTPase) that depletes cellular dNTPs in noncycling cells to promote genome stability and to inhibit retroviral and herpes viral replication. In addition to being substrates, cellular nucleotides also allosterically regulate SAMHD1 activity. Recently, it was shown that high expression levels of SAMHD1 are also…
Palmitoylethanolamide is a bioactive lipid that strongly alleviates pain and inflammation in animal models and in humans. Its signaling activity is terminated through degradation by N-acylethanolamine acid amidase (NAAA), a cysteine hydrolase expressed at high levels in immune cells. Pharmacological inhibitors of NAAA activity exert profound analgesic and antiinflammatory effects…
Cross-over recombination products are a hallmark of meiosis because they are necessary for accurate chromosome segregation and they also allow for increased genetic diversity during sexual reproduction. However, cross-overs can also cause gross chromosomal rearrangements and are therefore normally down-regulated during mitotic growth. The mechanisms that enhance cross-over product formation…
The enhanced thermostability of thermophilic proteins with respect to their mesophilic counterparts is often attributed to the enthalpy effect, arising from strong interactions between protein residues. Intuitively, these strong interresidue interactions will rigidify the biomolecules. However, the present work utilizing neutron scattering and solution NMR spectroscopy measurements demonstrates a
Eukaryotic Rad51 protein is essential for homologous-recombination repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Rad51 recombinases first assemble onto single-stranded DNA to form a nucleoprotein filament, required for function in homology pairing and strand exchange. This filament assembly is the first regulation step in homologous recombination. Rad51 nucleation is kinetically slow, and…
Rapamycin and its derivatives are specific inhibitors of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) kinase and, as a result, are well-established immunosuppressants and antitumorigenic agents. Additionally, this class of drug promotes gene delivery by facilitating lentiviral vector entry into cells, revealing its potential to improve gene therapy efforts. However, the precise…
The MRE11–RAD50–NBS1 (MRN) complex is well known for participating in DNA damage response pathways in all phases of cell cycle. Here, we show that MRN constitutes a mitosis-specific complex, named mMRN, with a protein, MMAP. MMAP directly interacts with MRE11 and is required for optimal stability of the MRN complex…
Classically, the unfolded protein response (UPR) safeguards secretory pathway proteostasis. The most ancient arm of the UPR, the IRE1-activated spliced X-box binding protein 1 (XBP1s)-mediated response, has roles in secretory pathway maturation beyond resolving proteostatic stress. Understanding the consequences of XBP1s activation for cellular processes is critical for elucidating mechanistic…
Type I collagen is the main component of bone matrix and other connective tissues. Rerouting of its procollagen precursor to a degradative pathway is crucial for osteoblast survival in pathologies involving excessive intracellular buildup of procollagen that is improperly folded and/or trafficked. What cellular mechanisms underlie this rerouting remains unclear….
By inducing the generation and function of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells, the master regulator of hematopoiesis GATA-2 controls the production of all blood cell types. Heterozygous GATA2 mutations cause immunodeficiency, myelodysplastic syndrome, and acute myeloid leukemia. GATA2 disease mutations commonly disrupt amino acid residues that mediate DNA binding or…
Programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression on tumor cells (TCs) by immunohistochemistry is rapidly gaining importance as a diagnostic for the selection or stratification of patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) most likely to respond to single-agent checkpoint inhibitors. However, at least two distinct patterns of PD-L1 expression have been…
The inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is associated with more aggressive solid tumors, including hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Notch signaling in cancer stem cells promotes cancer progression and requires Notch cleavage by ADAM (a disintegrin and metalloprotease) proteases. We hypothesized that iNOS/NO promotes Notch1 activation through TACE/ADAM17 activation in liver cancer…
The bone is essential for locomotion, calcium storage, and harboring the hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) that supply the body with mature blood cells throughout life. HSCs reside at the interface of the bone and bone marrow (BM), where active bone remodeling takes place. Although the cellular components of the BM…
Mycobacterium abscessus is a peculiar rapid-growing Mycobacterium (RGM) capable of surviving within eukaryotic cells thanks to an arsenal of virulence genes also found in slow-growing mycobacteria (SGM), such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis. A screen based on the intracellular survival in amoebae and macrophages (MΦ) of an M. abscessus transposon mutant library…
Coronaviruses (CoVs), including severe acute respiratory syndrome CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome CoV, are enveloped RNA viruses that carry a large positive-sense single-stranded RNA genome and cause a variety of diseases in humans and domestic animals. Very little is known about the host pathways that regulate the stability of…
Distinguishing between meaningful and meaningless sensory information is fundamental to forming accurate representations of the world. Dopamine is thought to play a central role in processing the meaningful information content of observations, which motivates an agent to update their beliefs about the environment. However, direct evidence for dopamine's role in…
Activity-dependent bulk endocytosis (ADBE) is the dominant mode of synaptic vesicle endocytosis during high-frequency stimulation, suggesting it should play key roles in neurotransmission during periods of intense neuronal activity. However, efforts in elucidating the physiological role of ADBE have been hampered by the lack of identified molecules which are unique…
Stringent glucose demands render the brain susceptible to disturbances in the supply of this main source of energy, and chronic stress may constitute such a disruption. However, whether stress-associated cognitive impairments may arise from disturbed glucose regulation remains unclear. Here we show that chronic social defeat (CSD) stress in adult…
Despite the growing evidence suggesting that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are critical regulators of several biological processes, their functions in the nervous system remain elusive. We have identified an lncRNA, GM12371, in hippocampal neurons that is enriched in the nucleus and necessary for synaptic communication, synapse density, synapse morphology, and…
Ample evidence links dysregulation of the stress response to the risk for psychiatric disorders. However, we lack an integrated understanding of mechanisms that are adaptive during the acute stress response but potentially pathogenic when dysregulated. One mechanistic link emerging from rodent studies is the interaction between stress effectors and neurovascular…
During neural development, self-avoidance ensures that a neuron's processes arborize to evenly fill a particular spatial domain. At the individual cell level, self-avoidance is promoted by genes encoding cell-surface molecules capable of generating thousands of diverse isoforms, such as Dscam1 (Down syndrome cell adhesion molecule 1) in Drosophila. Isoform choice…
Repetitive electrical activity produces microstructural alteration in myelinated axons, which may afford the opportunity to noninvasively monitor function of myelinated fibers in peripheral nervous system (PNS)/CNS pathways. Microstructural changes were assessed via two different magnetic-resonance-based approaches: diffusion fMRI and dynamic T2 spectroscopy in the ex vivo perfused bullfrog sciati
Cerebellins are important neurexin ligands that remain incompletely understood. Two critical questions in particular remain unanswered: do different cerebellins perform distinct functions, and do these functions act in the initial establishment of synapses or in rendering nascent synapses capable of normal synaptic transmission? Here we show that in mice, Cbln2…
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a common neurobehavioral disorder with limited treatment options. Activation of p38 MAPK signaling networks has been identified in ASD, and p38 MAPK signaling elevates serotonin (5-HT) transporter (SERT) activity, effects mimicked by multiple, hyperfunctional SERT coding variants identified in ASD subjects. Mice expressing the most…
Biased signaling has been suggested as a means of selectively modulating a limited fraction of the signaling pathways for G-protein–coupled receptor family members. Hence, biased ligands may allow modulation of only the desired physiological functions and not elicit undesired effects associated with pharmacological treatments. The ghrelin receptor is a highly…
Environmental mechanical forces, such as wind and touch, trigger gene-expression regulation and developmental changes, called "thigmomorphogenesis," in plants, demonstrating the ability of plants to perceive such stimuli. In Arabidopsis, a major thigmomorphogenetic response is delayed bolting, i.e., emergence of the flowering stem. The signaling components responsible for mechanotransduction of th
Bottom trawlers land around 19 million tons of fish and invertebrates annually, almost one-quarter of wild marine landings. The extent of bottom trawling footprint (seabed area trawled at least once in a specified region and time period) is often contested but poorly described. We quantify footprints using high-resolution satellite vessel…
Microscopic study of the edges of Late to Terminal Classic Maya (AD 600–900) chert stone tools from the Paynes Creek Salt Works, Belize, indicates most tools were used for cutting fish or meat or working hide, which was unexpected, given the virtual absence of fish or other animal remains at…
Many materials phenomena are governed by the interaction between chemistry and mechanics. However, it was only in the second half of the 20th century that the theory of open system elasticity by Francis Larché and John W. Cahn concatenated the fields of solid mechanics and alloy chemistry. As the theory's…
Chromosomes condense during mitosis in most eukaryotes. This transformation involves rearrangements at the nucleosome level and has consequences for transcription. Here, we use cryo-electron tomography (cryo-ET) to determine the 3D arrangement of nuclear macromolecular complexes, including nucleosomes, in frozen-hydrated Schizosaccharomyces pombe cells. Using 3D classification analysis, we did not
Posttranslational modifications play a crucial role in the proper control of c-Myc protein stability and activity. c-Myc can be modified by small ubiquitin-like modifier (SUMO). However, how SUMOylation regulates c-Myc stability and activity remains to be elucidated. The deSUMOylation enzyme, SENP1, has recently been shown to have a prooncogenic role…
High-resolution structure–activity analysis of polypeptides requires amino acid structures that are not present in the universal genetic code. Examination of peptide and protein interactions with this resolution has been limited by the need to individually synthesize and test peptides containing nonproteinogenic amino acids. We describe a method to scan entire…
Protein−protein interactions are usually studied in dilute buffered solutions with macromolecule concentrations of <10 g/L. In cells, however, the macromolecule concentration can exceed 300 g/L, resulting in nonspecific interactions between macromolecules. These interactions can be divided into hard-core steric repulsions and "soft" chemical interactions. Here, we test a hypothesis from…
Calcium storage organelles are common to all eukaryotic organisms and play a pivotal role in calcium signaling and cellular calcium homeostasis. In most organelles, the intraorganellar calcium concentrations rarely exceed micromolar levels. Acidic organelles called acidocalcisomes, which concentrate calcium into dense phases together with polyphosphates, are an exception. These organelles…
Terrestrial and lunar rocks share chemical and isotopic similarities in refractory elements, suggestive of a common precursor. By contrast, the marked depletion of volatile elements in lunar rocks together with their enrichment in heavy isotopes compared with Earth's mantle suggests that the Moon underwent evaporative loss of volatiles. However, whether…
Terrestrial paleoclimate archives such as lake sediments are essential for our understanding of the continental climate system and for the modeling of future climate scenarios. However, quantitative proxies for the determination of paleotemperatures are sparse. The relative abundances of certain bacterial lipids, i.e., branched glycerol dialkyl glycerol tetraethers (brGDGTs), respond…
Temperature variability impacts the distribution and persistence of the mountain snowpack, which critically provides snowmelt-derived water resources to large populations worldwide. Warmer temperatures decrease the amount of montane snow water equivalent (SWE), forcing its center of mass to higher elevations. We use a unique multivariate probabilistic framework to quantify the…
Global warming and the loss of biodiversity through human activities (e.g., land-use change, pollution, invasive species) are two of the most profound threats to the functional integrity of the Earth's ecosystems. These factors are, however, most frequently investigated separately, ignoring the potential for synergistic effects of biodiversity loss and environmental…
Long-distance migrants, including Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp), can use geomagnetic information to navigate. We tested the hypothesis that a "magnetic map" (i.e., an ability to extract positional information from Earth's magnetic field) also exists in a population of salmon that do not undertake oceanic migrations. This study examined juvenile Atlantic…
Genomes of closely-related species or populations often display localized regions of enhanced relative sequence divergence, termed genomic islands. It has been proposed that these islands arise through selective sweeps and/or barriers to gene flow. Here, we genetically dissect a genomic island that controls flower color pattern differences between two subspecies…
Although recent advances in sequencing and computational analyses have facilitated use of endogenous retroviruses (ERVs) for deciphering coevolution among retroviruses and their hosts, sampling effects from different host populations present major challenges. Here we utilize available whole-genome data from wild and domesticated European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus sp.) populations, sequenced as
Erectile dysfunction affects millions of men worldwide. Twin studies support the role of genetic risk factors underlying erectile dysfunction, but no specific genetic variants have been identified. We conducted a large-scale genome-wide association study of erectile dysfunction in 36,649 men in the multiethnic Kaiser Permanente Northern California Genetic Epidemiology Research…
R loops are nucleic acid structures comprising an DNA–RNA hybrid and a displaced single-stranded DNA. These structures may occur transiently during transcription, playing essential biological functions. However, persistent R loops may become pathological as they are important drivers of genome instability and have been associated with human diseases. The mitochondrial…