University of Rochester researchers use sunlight and a laser-etched metal surface to evaporate and purify water for safe drinking at greater than 100 percent efficiency, as described in a paper in Nature Sustainability. "This is a simple, durable, inexpensive way to address the global water crisis, especially in developing nations," says Chunlei Guo, professor optics. It also could help relieve wa
Red blood cells don't just shuttle oxygen from our lungs to our organs: they also help the body fight off infections by capturing pathogens in the blood and presenting them to immune cells in the spleen. Researchers from the Wyss Institute and Harvard SEAS have harnessed this innate ability to create a technology that uses red blood cells to initiate a strong immune response against an antigen wit
German is aiming to make its six-month presidency of the European Union "climate neutral," by organizing events in such a way as to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and offsetting any that can't be avoided, officials said Monday.
Final preparations for the launch from Japan of the United Arab Emirates' first Mars mission were underway Monday, but there was a chance of a delay because of bad weather, a Japanese rocket provider said.
In the majestic plains of the Maasai Mara, the coronavirus pandemic spells economic disaster for locals who earn a living from tourists coming to see Kenya's abundant wildlife.
Floods across central and eastern China have left more than 140 people dead or missing and are swelling major rivers and lakes to record-high levels, with authorities warning that the worst was yet to come.
Europe's major rivers are littered with surgical masks and medical gloves discarded by people protecting themselves against coronavirus, scientists have reported.
Engineers analyze the droppings of urban birds and show persistent levels of antibiotic-resistant genes and bacteria that may be transferred to humans through the environment.
Researchers have developed a new method for studying key moments in brain development. Researchers are studying how oxytocin receptor expression changes in normally developing mice and mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.
The world can expect more rainfall as the climate changes, but it can also expect more water to evaporate, complicating efforts to manage reservoirs and irrigate crops in a growing world, according to new research.
Neuronal networks are the standard heuristic model today for describing brain activity associated with animal behavior. Recent studies have revealed an extensive role for a completely distinct layer of networked activities in the brain—the gene regulatory network (GRN)—that orchestrates expression levels of hundreds to thousands of genes in a behavior-related…
Spermatogonial stem cells (SSCs) are essential for the generation of sperm and have potential therapeutic value for treating male infertility, which afflicts >100 million men world-wide. While much has been learned about rodent SSCs, human SSCs remain poorly understood. Here, we molecularly characterize human SSCs and define conditions favoring their…
Few antibiotics are effective against Acinetobacter baumannii, one of the most successful pathogens responsible for hospital-acquired infections. Resistance to chlorhexidine, an antiseptic widely used to combat A. baumannii, is effected through the proteobacterial antimicrobial compound efflux (PACE) family. The prototype membrane protein of this family, AceI (Acinetobacter chlorhexidine efflux pr
While abrupt regime shifts between different metastable states have occurred in natural systems from many areas including ecology, biology, and climate, evidence for this phenomenon in transportation systems has been rarely observed so far. This limitation might be rooted in the fact that we lack methods to identify and analyze…
The Himalayan foreland basin formed by flexure of the Indian Plate below the advancing orogen. Motion on major thrusts within the orogen has resulted in damaging historical seismicity, whereas south of the Main Frontal Thrust (MFT), the foreland basin is typically portrayed as undeformed. Using two-dimensional seismic reflection data from…
We report hyperpolarized Xe signal advancement by metal-organic framework (MOF) entrapment (Hyper-SAME) in aqueous solution. The 129Xe NMR signal is drastically promoted by entrapping the Xe into the pores of MOFs. The chemical shift of entrapped 129Xe is clearly distinguishable from that of free 129Xe in water, due to the…
The discovery of atrial secretory granules and the natriuretic peptides stored in them identified the atrium as an endocrine organ. Although neither atrial nor brain natriuretic peptide (ANP, BNP) is amidated, the major membrane protein in atrial granules is peptidylglycine α-amidating monooxygenase (PAM), an enzyme essential for amidated peptide biosynthesis….
Antibiotic resistance frequently evolves through fitness trade-offs in which the genetic alterations that confer resistance to a drug can also cause growth defects in resistant cells. Here, through experimental evolution in a microfluidics-based turbidostat, we demonstrate that antibiotic-resistant cells can be efficiently inhibited by amplifying the fitness costs associated with…
Accelerating declines of an increasing number of animal populations worldwide necessitate methods to reliably and efficiently estimate demographic parameters such as population density and trajectory. Standard methods for estimating demographic parameters from noninvasive genetic samples are inefficient because lower-quality samples cannot be used, and they assume individuals are identified withou
Technologies to fold structures into compact shapes are required in multiple engineering applications. Earwigs (Dermaptera) fold their fanlike hind wings in a unique, highly sophisticated manner, granting them the most compact wing storage among all insects. The structural and material composition, in-flight reinforcement mechanisms, and bistable property of earwig wings…
Stoet and Geary (1) report important cross-cultural findings on how the advantage of females in reading proficiencies relative to males combined with more equitable educational opportunities have contributed to the recent overrepresentation of women in tertiary education. Developed nations vary in the extent to which males are underrepresented as a…
p53 is the most frequently mutated, well-studied tumor-suppressor gene, yet the molecular basis of the switch from p53-induced cell-cycle arrest to apoptosis remains poorly understood. Using a combination of transcriptomics and functional genomics, we unexpectedly identified a nodal role for the caspase-8 paralog and only human pseudo-caspase, FLIP(L), in regulating…
Public goods, ranging from judiciary to sanitation to parkland, permeate daily life. They have been a subject of intense interdisciplinary study, with a traditional focus being on participation levels in isolated public goods games (PGGs) as opposed to a more recent focus on participation in PGGs embedded into complex social…
Cognitive flexibility depends on a fast neural learning mechanism for enhancing momentary relevant over irrelevant information. A possible neural mechanism realizing this enhancement uses fast spiking interneurons (FSIs) in the striatum to train striatal projection neurons to gate relevant and suppress distracting cortical inputs. We found support for such a…
Cat remains from Poland dated to 4,200 to 2,300 y BCE are currently the earliest evidence for the migration of the Near Eastern cat (NE cat), the ancestor of domestic cats, into Central Europe. This early immigration preceded the known establishment of housecat populations in the region by around 3,000…
In cells, closely spaced microRNA (miRNA) target sites within a messenger RNA (mRNA) can act cooperatively, leading to more repression of the target mRNA than expected by independent action at each site. Using purified miRNA-Argonaute (AGO2) complexes, synthetic target RNAs, and a purified domain of TNRC6B (GW182 in flies) that…
A dominant male-determining locus (M-locus) establishes the male sex (M/m) in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti. Nix, a gene in the M-locus, was shown to be a male-determining factor (M factor) as somatic knockout of Nix led to feminized males (M/m) while transient expression of Nix resulted in partially…
Cellular differentiation is a fundamental strategy used by cells to generate specialized functions at specific stages of development. The bacterium Caulobacter crescentus employs a specialized dimorphic life cycle consisting of two differentiated cell types. How environmental cues, including mechanical inputs such as contact with a surface, regulate this cell cycle…
Mast cells and basophils are main drivers of allergic reactions and anaphylaxis, for which prevalence is rapidly increasing. Activation of these cells leads to a tightly controlled release of inflammatory mediators stored in secretory granules. The release of these granules is dependent on intracellular calcium (Ca2+) signals. Ca2+ release from…
Many vertebrates have distinctive blue-green bones and other tissues due to unusually high biliverdin concentrations—a phenomenon called chlorosis. Despite its prevalence, the biochemical basis, biology, and evolution of chlorosis are poorly understood. In this study, we show that the occurrence of high biliverdin in anurans (frogs and toads) has evolved…
ECOLOGY Correction to Supporting Information for "Introduced herbivores restore Late Pleistocene ecological functions," by Erick J. Lundgren, Daniel Ramp, John Rowan, Owen Middleton, Simon D. Schowanek, Oscar Sanisidro, Scott P. Carroll, Matt Davis, Christopher J. Sandom, Jens-Christian Svenning, and Arian D. Wallach, which was first published March 23, 2020; 10.1073/pnas.1915769117…
There is a need for improved influenza vaccines. In this study we compared the antibody responses in humans after vaccination with an AS03-adjuvanted versus nonadjuvanted H5N1 avian influenza virus inactivated vaccine. Healthy young adults received two doses of either formulation 3 wk apart. We found that AS03 significantly enhanced H5…
Pencils and papers are ubiquitous in our society and have been widely used for writing and drawing, because they are easy to use, low-cost, widely accessible, and disposable. However, their applications in emerging skin-interfaced health monitoring and interventions are still not well explored. Herein, we report a variety of pencil–paper-based…
Mismatch repair (MMR) deficiencies are a hallmark of various cancers causing accumulation of DNA mutations and mismatches, which often results in chemotherapy resistance. Metalloinsertor complexes, including [Rh(chrysi)(phen)(PPO)]Cl2 (Rh-PPO), specifically target DNA mismatches and selectively induce cytotoxicity within MMR-deficient cells. Here, we present an in vivo analysis of Rh-PPO, our most
Ancient DNA (aDNA) analysis provides a powerful means of investigating human migration, social organization, and a plethora of other crucial questions about humanity's past. Recently, specialists have suggested that the ideal research design involving aDNA would include multiple independent lines of evidence. In this paper, we adopt a transdisciplinary approach…
Keystone species have large ecological effects relative to their abundance and have been identified in many ecosystems. However, global change is pervasively altering environmental conditions, potentially elevating new species to keystone roles. Here, we reveal that a historically innocuous grazer—the marsh crab Sesarma reticulatum—is rapidly reshaping the geomorphic evolution and…
Sea-level rise, subsidence, and reduced fluvial sediment supply are causing river deltas to drown worldwide, affecting ecosystems and billions of people. Abrupt changes in river course, called avulsions, naturally nourish sinking land with sediment; however, they also create catastrophic flood hazards. Existing observations and models conflict on whether the occurrence…
The development of light-responsive materials has captured scientific attention and advanced the development of wirelessly driven terrestrial soft robots. Marine organisms trigger inspiration to expand the paradigm of untethered soft robotics into aqueous environments. However, this expansion toward aquatic soft robots is hampered by the slow response of most light-driven…
In the past decade, the early Acheulean before 1 Mya has been a focus of active research. Acheulean lithic assemblages have been shown to extend back to ∼1.75 Mya, and considerable advances in core reduction technologies are seen by 1.5 to 1.4 Mya. Here we report a bifacially flaked bone…
Studies on geographic inequalities in life expectancy in the United States have exclusively focused on single-level analyses of aggregated data at state or county level. This study develops a multilevel perspective to understanding variation in life expectancy by simultaneously modeling the geographic variation at the levels of census tracts (CTs),…
Spontaneous breaking of symmetry in liquid crystal (LC) films often reveals itself as a microscopic pattern of molecular alignment. In a smectic-A LC, the emergence of positional order at the transition from the nematic phase leads to periodic textures that can be used as optical microarrays, templates for soft lithography,…
Flight costs are predicted to vary with environmental conditions, and this should ultimately determine the movement capacity and distributions of large soaring birds. Despite this, little is known about how flight effort varies with environmental parameters. We deployed bio-logging devices on the world's heaviest soaring bird, the Andean condor (Vultur…
The frequent mutations recovered recently from the pollen of select maize lines resulted from the meiotic mobilization of specific low-copy number long-terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons, which differ among lines. Mutations that arise at male meiosis produce kernels with concordant mutant phenotypes in both endosperm and embryo because the two sperms…
Anthropogenic aerosols are hypothesized to enhance planetary albedo and offset some of the warming due to the buildup of greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere. Aerosols can enhance the coverage, reflectance, and lifetime of warm low-level clouds. However, the relationship between cloud lifetime and aerosol concentration has been challenging to measure…
EARTH, ATMOSPHERIC, AND PLANETARY SCIENCES Correction for "Abiotic hydrogen (H2) sources and sinks near the Mid-Ocean Ridge (MOR) with implications for the subseafloor biosphere," by Stacey L. Worman, Lincoln F. Pratson, Jeffrey A. Karson, and William H. Schlesinger, which was first published June 1, 2020; 10.1073/pnas.2002619117 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci….
Past research demonstrates that unconscious primes can affect people's decisions. However, these free choice priming paradigms present participants with very few alternatives. Magicians' forcing techniques provide a powerful tool to investigate how natural implicit primes can unconsciously influence decisions with multiple alternatives. We used video and live performances of the…
IMMUNOLOGY AND INFLAMMATION Correction for "Activin-A limits Th17 pathogenicity and autoimmune neuroinflammation via CD39 and CD73 ectonucleotidases and Hif1-α–dependent pathways," by Ioannis Morianos, Aikaterini I. Trochoutsou, Gina Papadopoulou, Maria Semitekolou, Aggelos Banos, Dimitris Konstantopoulos, Antigoni Manousopoulou, Maria Kapasa, Ping Wei, Brett Lomenick, Elise Belaidi, Themis Kalama
Belowground climate change responses remain a key unknown in the Earth system. Plant fine-root response is especially important to understand because fine roots respond quickly to environmental change, are responsible for nutrient and water uptake, and influence carbon cycling. However, fine-root responses to climate change are poorly constrained, especially in…
In the majestic plains of the Maasai Mara, the coronavirus pandemic spells economic disaster for locals who earn a living from tourists coming to see Kenya's abundant wildlife.
For every cell in the body there comes a time when it must decide what it wants to do for the rest of its life. In an article published in the journal PNAS, NIH researchers report for the first time that ancient viral genes that were once considered "junk DNA" may play a role in this process. The article describes a series of preclinical experiments that showed how some human endogenous retrovirus
Why don't planets collide more often? How do planetary systems—like our solar system or multi-planet systems around other stars—organize themselves? Of all of the possible ways planets could orbit, how many configurations will remain stable over the billions of years of a star's life cycle?
A large-scale, multi-institutional study designed to examine human behavior has shown that communication helps groups of strangers to focus on resolving common problems and provides new and surprising insights into what goes on when negotiation talks fail or succeed. The findings have implications for how to confront global, collective-action issues such as climate change mitigation.
A team of interdisciplinary researchers has discovered a new technique to store in DNA information—in this case "The Wizard of Oz," translated into Esperanto—with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. The technique harnesses the information-storage capacity of intertwined strands of DNA to encode and retrieve information in a way that is both durable and compact.
Infertility affects one in seven men of reproductive age worldwide. One idea for treating male sterility is spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) therapy. In this approach, sperm stem cells in the testis are transferred to a test tube, cultured and nudged into becoming fully fledged sperm. However, a key bottleneck has been identifying just the right conditions to get human SSCs to grow in the lab. There
For every cell in the body there comes a time when it must decide what it wants to do for the rest of its life. In an article published in the journal PNAS, NIH researchers report for the first time that ancient viral genes that were once considered "junk DNA" may play a role in this process. The article describes a series of preclinical experiments that showed how some human endogenous retrovirus
A team of interdisciplinary researchers has discovered a new technique to store in DNA information—in this case "The Wizard of Oz," translated into Esperanto—with unprecedented accuracy and efficiency. The technique harnesses the information-storage capacity of intertwined strands of DNA to encode and retrieve information in a way that is both durable and compact.
Infertility affects one in seven men of reproductive age worldwide. One idea for treating male sterility is spermatogonial stem cell (SSC) therapy. In this approach, sperm stem cells in the testis are transferred to a test tube, cultured and nudged into becoming fully fledged sperm. However, a key bottleneck has been identifying just the right conditions to get human SSCs to grow in the lab. There
Meaningful partnerships between hospitals and nursing facilities can support better quality of care for people who live in the facilities. 'Closer relationships can help reduce hospital readmissions and improve safety of transitions of care, which can have a detrimental impact on people living in long-term care facilities,' said JAGS editorial co-author Kathleen Unroe, M.D., MHA of the Regenstrief
Providing clean water to Soldiers in the field and citizens around the world is essential, and yet one of the world's greatest challenges. Now a new super-wicking and super-light-absorbing aluminum material developed with Army funding could change that.With funding from the Army Research Office, researchers at the University of Rochester have developed a new aluminum panel that more efficiently co
From the Nile to the Mississippi and from the Amazon to the Yangzi, human civilization is inextricably linked to the great rivers along which our societies developed. But rivers are mutable, and the benefits they bestow can quickly become disasters when these waterways change course.
The impacts of extreme heatwaves amplified by climate change are going unrecorded in sub-Saharan Africa, making it nearly impossible to detect patterns and set up early warning systems, researchers said Monday.
Mice that experienced heart attacks underwent a large-scale shift in their immune systems that allowed cancer to flourish, perhaps explaining the observation in patients.
A new study from the University of Georgia finds that users of public insurance are paying more for bariatric weight loss surgery compared to private insurance patients.
Patients who received single intravenous dose of tocilizumab were also more likely to leave the hospital or be off ventilator within a month, despite double the risk of additional infection, according to a new study.
So you want to corrupt the Justice Department. It's a worthy project for the power-hungry politician. These are polarized times. Left alone, the department could get weaponized against you, particularly if—and only you know whether this is true—there are skeletons in your closet. The department has a lot of people with guns and subpoena power, a lot of investigative muscle, and it can lock up you
Global Reversal Scientists have long suspected that the Earth's magnetic field might flip — switching the magnetic North and South poles — in the nearish future. But a new study suggests that the change could happen far more rapidly than researchers thought, Space.com reports . The simulations, published last week in the journal Nature Communications , predict that the magnetic field could rotate
A paper authored by researchers from McLean Hospital has determined that esketamine, a nasal spray to treat severe depression, is currently too expensive for widespread use.
Researchers at the University of Liverpool have uncovered the molecular architecture and organisational landscape of thylakoid membranes from a model cyanobacterium in unprecedented detail. The study, which is published in Nature Plants, could help researchers find new and improved artificial photosynthetic technologies for energy production.
Multiple neurons in the brain must fire in synchrony to create persistent memories tied to intense emotions, new research from Columbia neuroscientists has found.
Specialized mental health units (MHUs) may be critical to managing the high rates of serious mental illness in incarcerated populations. But research data on unit characteristics, services provided, and outcomes achieved by MHUs in correctional facilities are scarce, according to a report in the July/August issue of Harvard Review of Psychiatry. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio
Astrophysicists from Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU, Russia), South Korea, and the USA appear in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, suggesting carbon indicates time comets have spent in the Solar System — the less carbon, the longer they have been in the proximity of the Sun. The proof is their study of the comet ATLAS (C/2019 Y4) approaching the Earth in May 2020 and disint
The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic
Many people are helping save pollinators these days, from planting bee gardens to building homes for native bees. These citizen science pollinator projects let you take your efforts to the next level.
Liftoff On Tuesday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) will launch the nation's first mission to Mars. If all goes well, it could help us understand the planet's bizarre, violent weather. The Emirates Mars Mission (EMM) will send an orbital satellite named Hope to Mars that will study its weather and atmosphere, The Verge reports . Once it's in orbit, it could give scientists a better understanding o
Researchers from Sechenov University in collaboration with colleagues from Germany, Greece and Russia reviewed scientific articles on the role of zinc in the prevention and treatment of viral infections and pneumonia, with projections on those caused by SARS-CoV-2. The results were published in the International Journal of Molecular Medicine.
Researchers from Michigan State University led the largest study of its kind to determine how optimistic people are in life and when as well as how major life events affect how optimistic they are about the future.
Two widely available sterilization methods to clean disposable surgical masks and N95 respirators may not be the best options for hospitals needing to extend the life of personal protective equipment.
The COVID-19 pandemic presents an opportunity to transform food systems and achieve sustainable development. But the lively policy debate on which policy approach will promote agricultural development in Africa still prevents progress.
Starspots are more common among red giant stars than previously thought. Astronomers report that approximately eight percent of red giants exhibit such spots. Although red giants are generally regarded as slowly rotating stars, those with starspots are apparently an exception. The new publication offers a comprehensive analysis of the reasons for their short rotation periods.
Patients who died from COVID in 2020 were almost 12 times more likely to die in a medical facility than patients who died from any cause in 2018, reports a new study. It is the first to look at place of death for these patients and how these distributions compare to previous trends in location of death for non-COVID-19 illnesses. 'Where you die is important' for end-of-life quality for patient and
A compound commonly found in pickled capers has been shown to activate proteins required for normal human brain and heart activity, and may even lead to future therapies for the treatment of epilepsy and abnormal heart rhythms.
Meditation was linked to lower cardiovascular risk in a large database study by Veterans Affairs researchers and colleagues. The team looked at data on more than 61,000 survey participants.
Rapid identification of the presence of pathogenic bacteria in food, water, or bodily fluid samples is very important and yet extremely challenging. Scientists at UCLA invented a high-throughput holographic system, which continuously monitors a test plate, where bacteria grow, with deep learning models for early and automated detection of bacterial colonies, achieving a limit-of-detection of 1 col
Calling in the ultrasonic range enables small bats to orient themselves in the dark and track down insects. Louder calls travel farther, improving a bat's ability to detect their prey. It was long assumed that echolocation does not contribute much to energy expenditure in flight because individuals couple their calls with the beat of their wings. Scientists at the Leibniz-IZW in Berlin have now sh
There are currently around 60 orcas living in concrete tanks globally. Orcas' brain structures and behaviors strongly suggest they are smart, emotional, self-aware beings. The study provides compelling evidence that the stresses inherent in captivity do damage to these naturally free-roaming cetaceans. A study, " The harmful effects of captivity and chronic stress on the well-being of orcas (Orci
Shhh A team of researchers in Singapore have developed a window-mounted noise-cancelling technology that they say can keep the indoors quiet — even when windows are open to let cool air in, The New York Times reports . The gadget is based on the same kind of tech you'd find in a pair of noise-cancelling headphones. An array of small speakers release sound waves sculpted with a computer and a micr
While the government offers only mixed messages on face coverings, a ridiculous outlaw machismo has been on the rise Barefaced masculinity stares at us everywhere we go. Its boastful machismo says that it's inviolable. "Real men" don't wear masks even when they are told to. On a train in England the other day, where all the other passengers were masked and distanced, two young men were telling ea
Antibiotic resistance is a growing challenge in the treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics by acquiring or mutating genes that allow them to survive the administration of antibiotics, which otherwise would kill them. However, this advantage in the presence of antibiotics can imply costs to bacteria when the drugs stop being administered. This occurs be
The world can expect more rainfall as the climate changes, but it can also expect more water to evaporate, complicating efforts to manage reservoirs and irrigate crops in a growing world, according to a Clemson University researcher whose latest work has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
A cutting-edge vibration sensor may improve the next generation of gravitational-wave detectors to find the tiniest cosmic waves from the background hum of Earth's motion.
Antibiotic resistance is a growing challenge in the treatment of infectious diseases worldwide. Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics by acquiring or mutating genes that allow them to survive the administration of antibiotics, which otherwise would kill them. However, this advantage in the presence of antibiotics can imply costs to bacteria when the drugs stop being administered. This occurs be
Food additives get a bad rap, but a natural ingredient from orange peels and apple skins, pectin, is a thickener safely added to many food products, most notably jellies. The additive is also the subject of a University of Illinois experiment highlighting both the power and the challenges of public-private partnerships in university research.
For the first time, researchers have provided a causal estimate linking high-level noise exposure to another key health challenge: low birth weight (< 2,500 grams or approximately 5.5 pounds). Health economists from Lehigh University, Lafayette College and the University of Colorado, Denver were able to pinpoint a causal link by studying residential neighborhoods impacted by recent changes in airp
Rice University engineers analyze the droppings of urban birds and show persistent levels of antibiotic-resistant genes and bacteria that may be transferred to humans through the environment.
Researchers from the Peter the Great St.Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) have discovered and theoretically explained a new physical effect: amplitude of mechanical vibrations can grow without external influence. The scientific group offered their explanation on how to eliminate the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou paradox.
The winners of the the 11th annual Audubon Photography Awards competition were recently announced. Photographers entered images in four categories: professional, amateur, youth, and plants for birds. More than 6,000 images depicting birdlife from all 50 states and seven Canadian provinces and territories were judged. The National Audubon Society was again kind enough to share some of this year's
Art by Geoff Kim "Why do some of these blogs refer to Benedict Cumberbatch's children as … Pilo?" I ask, reading from a Tumblr post on my phone. On my first try, I pronounce it "peel-oh" and get a confused look in response, so I spell it out instead. "Oh, pillow ," Patty laughs, once she realizes what I'm looking at. "That's our joke. We call them Pillow One, Two, and Three." She laughs again. Th
Bird poop may pose more health risks than people realize, according to environmental engineers who study antibiotic resistance. Their study found high levels of genes that encode antibiotic resistance harbored by opportunistic pathogens in the droppings of common urban ducks , crows , and gulls. Previous studies determined bird-carried antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) and bacteria (ARBs) can tra
Step aside, skeletons — a new world of biochemical "signatures" found in all kinds of ancient fossils is revealing itself to paleontologists, providing a new avenue for insights into major evolutionary questions.
A research team designs a halide perovskite material for the next-generation memory device. Commercialization is accelerated for next-generation data storage device via low-operating voltage and high-performance resistive switching memory.
Daydreaming can be a significant asset to employees in a workplace, depending upon certain attributes of the wanderer — specifically, if they identify with their profession or organization.
Comet Neowise is currently putting on an impressive show for observers in the northern hemisphere, and you should be able to see it without binoculars or a telescope
Donated human lungs that are too damaged to use for transplant can be returned to a usable state by connecting them to a pig's blood supply for 24 hours
The datasets we used to train artificial intelligence often ingrain real-world prejudice. Cleaning up this biased data so that an AI makes fairer decisions doesn't have to make it less accurate
Biochemists have used a standard electron cryo-microscope to achieve surprisingly good images that are on par with those taken by far more sophisticated equipment. They have succeeded in determining the structure of ferritin almost at the atomic level.
In order to create more compact electronic devices, new materials are being used – especially 2D-materials, which only consist of a single atomic layer. This, however, is only half the story: Every electronic device consists of multiple materials. So the ultra-thin semiconductors have to be paired with ultra-thin insulators. Scientists have now found out how to do this.
The need to first zero in on a blood group can delay blood transfusions in emergency situations, and this in turn can prove fatal. Thus, to speed up the process, a team of scientists has developed a lab-on-a-chip device that can not only tell the blood type within five minutes but allows medical staff to read the results through simple visual inspections.
Comet C/2020 F3 — better known as NEOWISE, for the Near Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer telescope that first discovered it — has came so close to Earth over the weekend that it's visible to the naked eye, blazing brightly over Northern skies. The rare event was captured on camera by amateurs and professionals alike from around the globe — and the results are dazzling. For instanc
A billion years ago, a single-celled eukaryote engulfed a cyanobacterium—an organism capable of converting the sun's energy into food in the form of carbohydrates. In one of the single most pivotal events in the history of life, instead of the bacterium being digested, an endosymbiosis was formed, with the bacterial cell persisting inside the host eukaryote for millennia and giving rise to the fir
A billion years ago, a single-celled eukaryote engulfed a cyanobacterium—an organism capable of converting the sun's energy into food in the form of carbohydrates. In one of the single most pivotal events in the history of life, instead of the bacterium being digested, an endosymbiosis was formed, with the bacterial cell persisting inside the host eukaryote for millennia and giving rise to the fir
Biochemists have used a standard electron cryo-microscope to achieve surprisingly good images that are on par with those taken by far more sophisticated equipment. They have succeeded in determining the structure of ferritin almost at the atomic level.
Starspots are more common among red giant stars than previously thought. In the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany report that approximately eight percent of red giants exhibit such spots. Although red giants are generally regarded as slowly rotating stars, those with starspots are apparently an exception. The new publ
New research and guidance in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, published by Elsevier, focus on critical topics pertaining to community and individual health during the COVID-19 epidemic.
Using smaller and less expensive versions of the same specialist equipment found in state-of-the-art microbiology laboratories, a new 'lab in a suitcase' developed by academics at Newcastle University,UK, and believed to be a world first, enables screening of millions of bacteria in a single water sample. The kit has already been used to analyse samples from the Akaki rive, Ethiopia, where pathoge
Researchers from ITMO University have improved on the technique of local processing of composites based on nanoporous glass with addition of silver and copper. Now, it is possible to predict with high accuracy the optical properties of a plasmonic component during its treatment.
The world can expect more rainfall as the climate changes, but it can also expect more water to evaporate, complicating efforts to manage reservoirs and irrigate crops in a growing world, according to a Clemson researcher whose latest work has been published in the journal Nature Communications.
Impasse over dominant and counter approaches– state-led or market-led policy– to promote agricultural development in Africa could be solved by analyzing the one-sided narratives that shape this dichotomy.
After 13 years, international Infectious Diseases and Respiratory Medicine societies have jointly issued new recommendations for the treatment of patients with nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM). Current recommendations for action are urgently needed, because in recent years the incidence of lung disease caused by NTMs has increased significantly in Germany and other European countries. Professor C
Scientists have discovered that the microbiota of each individual determines the maintenance of antibiotic resistant bacteria in the gut: whereas in some individuals resistant bacteria are quickly eliminated, in others they are not. The study now published in Nature Ecology and Evolution highlights the need to implement more personalized therapies and brings new perspectives to the paradigm of the
An adenovirus infection can be potentially life-threatening, especially for children after a stem cell transplant. Virologists at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) and the German Research Center for Environmental Health Helmholtz Zentrum München have successfully shown that a previously approved medication used in cancer treatment could help inhibit this virus infection. Due to the special
People who have or had COVID-19 symptoms are more likely to develop general psychiatric disorders and are lonelier, with women and young people more at risk, says a just-published study co-authored at Cambridge Judge Business School.
An increasing amount of research suggests that failures in phase transition within cells can cause a variety of aliments. The mechanism is believed to involve the inability of moleclues to move from solid to liquid and back, inhibiting cellular function. The discoveries open the door to treatments for neurodegenerative disease, some cancers, and other illnesses. The human brain is both the tool w
Deaths from COVID-19 will have a ripple effect causing impacts on the mental health and health of surviving family members. But the extent of that impact has been hard to assess until now. Every death from COVID-19 will impact approximately nine surviving family members, according to a study.
Astronomers have found one of the largest structures in the known universe—a "wall" of galaxies that's at least 1.4 billion light-years long. And given how close it is to us, it's remarkable that we haven't seen it before now. What happened: An international team of scientists reported the discovery of the South Pole Wall in a paper published Thursday in the Astrophysical Journal . The structure
After missing out on cleaner air during the coronavirus lockdown, the Chicago area just suffered its longest streak of high-pollution days in more than a decade.
An offhand remark by an acquaintance about using a smartphone. A joke about someone losing their memory or hearing. An ad in a magazine focused on erasing wrinkles or gray hair. An inner worry that getting older means growing lonely.
The United Kingdom has a unique opportunity to start rebuilding its fish stocks by taking advantage of the slowdown in commercial fishing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing Brexit negotiations, new research has shown.
Micro Time One of the fundamental mysteries surrounding the concept of time is whether it's continuous and our chronological measurements are just a way of making the sense of the world, or if it actually breaks down into discrete "ticks" at the teeniest scales. Assuming the latter is true — Live Science reports that our technology isn't yet nearly sensitive enough to find out for sure — a team o
Concurrent failures of federal drinking water standards and Michigan's emergency manager law reinforced and magnified each other, leading to the Flint water crisis, according to a University of Michigan environmental policy expert.
In order to accelerate the systematic development of drugs, the MX team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Drug Design Group at the University of Marburg have established a new substance library. It consists of 1103 organic molecules that could be used as building blocks for new drugs. The MX team has now validated this library in collaboration with the FragMAX group at MAX IV. The subs
Blood transfusion, if performed promptly, is a potentially life-saving intervention for someone losing a lot of blood. However, blood comes in several types, some of which are incompatible with others. Transfusing an incompatible blood type can severely harm a patient. It is, therefore, critical for medical staff to know a patient's blood type before they perform a transfusion.
Microplastics (MPs), i.e., tiny plastic particles less than 5 millimeters in length, can now be found throughout the ocean and other aquatic ecosystems, and even in our seafood and salt. As MPs have become ubiquitous, scientists have become concerned about the transfer of MPs from the environment to the food chain and the potential impact of MPs on human health.
Here's a good way to make sure a friend hates a gift from you: Say it will save him money. In a series of studies, researchers found that people reacted negatively to gifts that they were told – or that they inferred – were given to help them save money.
For decades, family caregiving has been thought to create a type of chronic stress that may lead to significant health risks or even death, alarming potential caregivers and presenting a guilt-ridden obstacle for those needing help.
Blood-feeding livestock mites can be detected with wearable sensor technology nicknamed "Fitbits for chickens." To help farmers detect mite infestations, a team of entomologists, computer scientists, and biologists has created a new insect detection system.
A genetic analysis of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has re-established our understanding of its population structure, aiding its conservation.
In order to accelerate the systematic development of drugs, the MX team at the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin (HZB) and the Drug Design Group at the University of Marburg have established a new substance library. It consists of 1103 organic molecules that could be used as building blocks for new drugs. The MX team has now validated this library in collaboration with the FragMAX group at MAX IV. The subs
Starspots are more common among red giant stars than previously thought. In the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics, researchers led by the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany report that approximately eight percent of red giants exhibit such spots. They are the expression of strong magnetic fields at the stellar surface. These magnetic fields are created deep inside the s
Penn State researchers have developed a new method for studying key moments in brain development. Yongsoo Kim, assistant professor of neural and behavioral sciences at Penn State College of Medicine, is using the method to understand how oxytocin receptor expression changes in normally developing mice and mouse models of autism spectrum disorder.
Deaths from COVID-19 will have a ripple effect causing impacts on the mental health and health of surviving family members. But the extent of that impact has been hard to assess until now. Every death from COVID-19 will impact approximately nine surviving family members, according to a study.
The COVID-19 lockdown has had a disproportionate economic impact on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) migrants in the UK, new research, which also calls for racial justice, reveals today.
The MX team at HZB and a Group at the University of Marburg have established a new substance library. It consists of 1103 organic molecules that could be used as building blocks for new drugs. Now, this library has been validated at MAX IV. The substance library of the HZB is available for research worldwide and also plays a role in the search for active substances against SARS-CoV-19.
Concurrent failures of federal drinking water standards and Michigan's emergency manager law reinforced and magnified each other, leading to the Flint water crisis, according to a University of Michigan environmental policy expert.
Seeing as Neuralink isn't too far off, how close are we to simulating a whole other reality? As in a virtual world where we can interact with the environment, do whatever we want, have A.I. characters that are essentially pretending to be who/whatever we choose, etc. The thought really excites me as reality got old a long ass time ago. I know I'm not the only one who feels the same. submitted by
So this may sound strange, but I just pictured a skyscraper growing like a stalagmite. Could you create a fountain on top of a building such that the water would fall onto the parts of the building that you want to be reinforced in time. You could design the surface including it's chemistry and actual structure to speed up the process as much as possible. I know calcium does this naturally in cav
If it weren't for that black square, telling an Android and an iPhone apart would be harder than finding Waldo. (Daniel Romero / Unsplash /) Steve Jobs famously said that he wasn't averse to stealing a great idea or two , and with the launch of iOS 14 on the horizon, people have started talking about Apple getting some ideas from Google's Android. But the swiping goes both ways—Android and iOS ha
The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too. A recent review calls for more research into bats' molecular biology and their ecology, to help predict, and hopefully prevent, the next pandemic.
As the number of young adults infected with the coronavirus surges throughout the nation, a new study indicates that youth may not shield people from serious disease.
Antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests, researchers have found. They hope the antibodies — known as nanobodies due to their small size — could eventually be developed as a treatment for patients with severe COVID-19.
We are at the very beginning of a medical revolution, fueled by our ability to analyze hitherto unheard-of amounts of data using artificial intelligence (AI). AI is enabling the development of smart medical devices that can address some of society's most persistent and expensive health problems. Conditions such as heart arrhythmias, type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, irritable bowel syndrome, and i
The solution to today's puzzle. Earlier today I set you the following puzzle. Place a different letter in each of the 26 empty white cells of the grid below to make ten common English words. Each letter of the alphabet is used exactly once. The words read along the horizontal lines. Continue reading…
Nature, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02040-x Want to get ahead in business? Entrepreneurs need to be resilient, patient and strong team players, says Barbara Domayne-Hayman.
Nature, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01553-9 As conference cancellations cut revenue, some scholarly organizations are fighting to stay afloat.
Nature, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-02073-2 Hector Aguilar-Carreno is working from home to direct his team's promising work on a COVID-19 vaccine.
What's your internal temperature preference? (Emerson Vieira via Unsplash/) Everybody's done it: undercooked some chicken, overcooked a steak, dried out a turkey, and so on. These are severely disappointing experiences. Checking for doneness can ruin presentation when you're entertaining guests, but wasting good meat is an even greater tragedy. So why rely on guesswork? Get yourself a smart meat
The United Kingdom has a unique opportunity to start rebuilding its fish stocks by taking advantage of the slowdown in commercial fishing caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing Brexit negotiations, new research has shown.
Everyday ageism is common in the lives of Americans over 50, a new poll finds, with more than 80% saying they often experience at least one form of ageism in their day-to-day lives. But the poll also suggests that most older adults hold positive attitudes toward aging; two-thirds said life over 50 is better than they thought it would be.
The need to first zero in on a blood group can delay blood transfusions in emergency situations, and this in turn can prove fatal. Thus, to speed up the process, a team of scientists from Tokyo University of Science, Japan, has developed a lab-on-a-chip device that can not only tell the blood type within five minutes but allows medical staff to read the results through simple visual inspections.
Critically ill COVID-19 patients who received a single dose of a drug that calms an overreacting immune system were 45% less likely to die overall, and more likely to be out of the hospital or off a ventilator one month after treatment, compared with those who didn't receive the drug, a new study finds. The lower risk of death happened despite the fact that the patients were also twice as likely t
A team, led by Dr. Jung-hoon Lee of the Computational Science Research Center of the Korea Institute of Science and Technology (KIST), recently collaborated with a team, led by Professor Jeffrey B. Neaton from the UC Berkeley Department of Physics, to develop a theoretical explanation for the structural changes and metallization that take place when hybrid (organic metal halide) Perovskite solar c
Researchers from the Peter the Great St. Petersburg Polytechnic University (SPbPU) discovered and theoretically explained a new physical effect: amplitude of mechanical vibrations can grow without external influence. Besides, the scientific group offered their explanation on how to eliminate the Fermi-Pasta-Ulam-Tsingou paradox.
Scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) recently found that microplastics are indeed contaminating edible plants, including vegetables we eat.
Life is good. (Zach Betten via Unsplash/) Hammocks are a great way to get some rest and relaxation when you are exploring the great outdoors (or traversing your backyard). No matter where you are, you'll be able to rig up the perfect seat to enjoy a nap, a book, a post-hike snack, and so much more. These hammocks are durable, secure, and weather-resistant to ensure your safety and your enjoyment
Vacuum while you work, watch TV, or take a shower. (Jarek Ceborski via Unsplash/) The best robot vacuums are so quiet you barely know they're there, yet so effective that they leave your floors and carpets sparkling. An especially agile vacuum can adapt quickly to your space and glide smoothly across multiple surfaces, picking up all types of food crumbs and pet hair in the process. Smart vacuum
Biochemists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have used a standard electron cryo-microscope to achieve surprisingly good images that are on par with those taken by far more sophisticated equipment. They have succeeded in determining the structure of ferritin almost at the atomic level. Their results were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Step aside, skeletons—a new world of biochemical 'signatures' found in all kinds of ancient fossils is revealing itself to paleontologists, providing a new avenue for insights into major evolutionary questions.
Unlike sight and hearing, our sense of smell remains poorly understood. In a new study, scientists used machine learning to categorize thousands of different odors based on chemical properties. By exposing mice to odors and measuring their neural activity, the scientists found that the brain more closely groups together odors that are chemically similar. Science can tell us quite a bit about how
Apathy offers an important early warning sign of dementia in individuals with cerebrovascular disease, but depression does not, new research led by the University of Cambridge suggests.
Cystic fibrosis, one of the most common genetic diseases in Switzerland, causes severe respiratory and digestive disorders. Despite considerable therapeutic advances, this disease still reduces life expectancy, in particular due to life-threatening respiratory infections. Scientists from the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have discovered the reason for this large number of lung infections: a protein
POSTECH research team designs a halide perovskite material for the next-generation memory device. Commercialization is accelerated for next-generation data storage device via low-operating voltage and high-performance resistive switching memory.
In order to create more compact electronic devices, new materials are being used – especially 2D-materials, which only consist of a single atomic layer. This, however, is only half the story: Every electronic device consists of multiple materials. So the ultra-thin semiconductors have to be paired with ultra-thin insulators. Scientists in Vienna have now found out how to do this.
A first-in-human study presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting has demonstrated the safety, favorable pharmacokinetic and dosimetry profile of 64Cu-EBRGD, a new, relatively long-lived PET tracer, in patients with glioblastomas. The radiotracer proved to be a superior, high-contrast imaging diagnostic in patients, visualizing tumors that express low or
A team of researchers at Lyell Centre in Edinburgh, has developed a way to use math formulas to help predict when an earthquake is likely to happen. In their paper published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth, the group describes translating the movement of a particular type of rock to mathematical equations, which led to the creation of a predictive formula.
New man-made materials developed by scientists have been successfully used to confuse and trick harmful spores which attack wheat crops into growing on an alternative host to help farmers protect their food production.
A research group led by Daniel Aili, associate professor at Linköping University, has developed a bioink to print tissue-mimicking material in 3-D printers. The scientists have developed a method and a material that allow cells to survive and thrive.
Together with an international team, Senckenberg researchers published the results of a unique compilation of 161 biodiversity time series (over 15 to 91 years) covering 6,200 marine, terrestrial, and freshwater species from 21 European countries. The scientists were able to show that local trends in biodiversity often deviate significantly from global patterns. In particular, the composition of s
Approximately seventy percent of the thermal energy generated in thermal and nuclear power plants is lost as waste heat, with a temperature below the boiling point of water. In a recent report on Science Advances, Yoshitaka Nakamura and a research team in chemistry, materials, and technology in Japan developed a long-term heat storage material to absorb heat energy at warm temperatures ranging fro
Black women are often less likely to be associated with the concept of a "typical woman" and are viewed as more similar to Black men than to white women, which may lead to some anti-racist and feminist movements failing to advocate for the rights of Black women, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
New man-made materials developed by scientists have been successfully used to confuse and trick harmful spores which attack wheat crops into growing on an alternative host to help farmers protect their food production.
A research group led by Daniel Aili, associate professor at Linköping University, has developed a bioink to print tissue-mimicking material in 3-D printers. The scientists have developed a method and a material that allow cells to survive and thrive.
Together with an international team, Senckenberg researchers published the results of a unique compilation of 161 biodiversity time series (over 15 to 91 years) covering 6,200 marine, terrestrial, and freshwater species from 21 European countries. The scientists were able to show that local trends in biodiversity often deviate significantly from global patterns. In particular, the composition of s
Superheavy elements are intriguing nuclear and atomic quantum systems that challenge experimental probing as they do not occur in nature and, when synthesized, vanish within seconds. Pushing the forefront of atomic physics research to these elements requires breakthrough developments towards fast atomic spectroscopy techniques with extreme sensitivity. A joint effort within the European Union's Ho
Tough tools for tough jobs. (El Alce Web via Unsplash/) Many people have electric drills in their home tool kit, but if you've ever tried using one for boring into masonry, you know they often come up short. That's when you reach for a hammer drill. As the name implies, these tools apply a percussive force to the drill—it's kind of like smacking the back of it while it's turning. This added force
Biochemists at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) have used a standard electron cryo-microscope to achieve surprisingly good images that are on par with those taken by far more sophisticated equipment. They have succeeded in determining the structure of ferritin almost at the atomic level. Their results were published in the journal "PLOS ONE".
The individual mix of microorganisms in the human gastrointestinal tract provides vital clues as to how any future incidence of type 2 diabetes can be predicted, prevented and treated. This is demonstrated in a population study led from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
This research aimed at investigating the hypoglycemic mechanism for CP. It was found that CP markedly attenuated the symptoms of diabetes, and inhibited the protein expression of Bax, improved the expression of Bcl-2 in pancreas of diabetic rats, normalized hormones secretion and controlled the inflammation which contributed to the regeneration of pancreatic β-cell and insulin resistance.
A research group led by Daniel Aili, associate professor at Linköping University, has developed a bioink to print tissue-mimicking material in 3D printers. The scientists have developed a method and a material that allow cells to survive and thrive.
Researchers at Columbia Engineering and Montana State University have found that placing sufficient strain in a 2D material creates localized states that can yield single-photon emitters. Using sophisticated optical microscopy techniques developed at Columbia over the past 3 years, the team was able to directly image these states for the first time, revealing that even at room temperature they are
A new meta-analysis of 24 observational studies from researchers at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons found that delirium may cause significant long-term cognitive decline.
Dietary information from more than 400,000 U.S. adults was used to look at the association between consuming plant and animal protein and the risk of death over 16 years.
Researchers compared the rate of opioid poisonings in children and teens before and after implementation of state-level policies intended to decrease the amount of opioid medications prescribed and distributed.
Combining liquid chemical battery technology with perovskite solar cells has led to a new record in solar energy conversion within a single device. Scientists hope this could open a new way to build home solar energy systems.
Scientists at the University of Sydney have developed a powerful new tool to analyse the fate of cell development by examining individual cells and genetic development within them. Dubbed scHOT for single-cell higher-order testing, the scientists expect the new analytical tool will help develop therapeutic treatments for a wide range of diseases.
A new antiviral drug that is effective against a broad range of human pathogens in the paramyxovirus family, such as the human parainfluenzaviruses and measles virus, has been discovered by researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
A Canadian collaboration led by Dr. Baptiste Lacoste has undertaken the first ever in-depth study of vasculature in the autistic brain. A paper published today in Nature Neuroscience lays out several lines of novel evidence that strongly implicate defects in endothelial cells — the lining of blood vessels–in autism.
A multidisciplinary team from Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and Columbia University has demonstrated that injured human donor lungs declined for transplant can be recovered by cross-circulation between the human lung and a xenogeneic host.
Chemists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and their collaborators have created a highly efficient and long-lasting solar flow battery, a way to generate, store and redeliver renewable electricity from the sun in one device.
Scientists say they are a step closer to developing a drug to kill the trypanosome parasite that causes human African trypanosomiasis, otherwise known as sleeping sickness, paving the way for a potential cure.
A multidisciplinary team from Columbia Engineering and Vanderbilt University has now demonstrated that severely injured donor lungs that have been declined for transplant can be recovered outside the body by a system that uses cross-circulation of whole blood between the donor lung and an animal host. For the first time, a severely injured human lung that failed to recover using the standard clini
A first analysis of its kind shows a common problem between haves and have-nots. Trading internationally was generally good for developed countries but resulted in environmental losses for developing countries.
A new study shows that middle-aged people living in the U.S. today have worse health than their English counterparts – and that the difference in health between rich and poor is much larger on the American side of the Atlantic.
World-first research, led by Monash University, has developed radical non-invasive X-ray technology aimed at helping diagnose, treat and manage people with cystic fibrosis.
A research team from Yale and Baylor College of Medicine has completed the largest single-cell analysis to date of lungs affected by Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF), revealing how cells change in response to the disease and identifying previously unknown cell types. The findings, published in the July 8 issue of Science Advances, deepen understanding of IPF and could improve treatment of it an
Step aside, skeletons — a new world of biochemical "signatures" found in all kinds of ancient fossils is revealing itself to paleontologists, providing a new avenue for insights into major evolutionary questions.
Keep your water clean. (Joe Pizzio via Unsplash/) What's the point of having a pool if you can't figure out how to keep it clean? No matter how refreshing a dip in the backyard might seem, if the bottom is covered in dirt or grime you'll cringe when your feet hit the water. A pool vacuum is a great option for a deep clean below the surface. Give yourself a little extra time in the sun while these
Less cleanup after mealtime. (Life Is Fantastic via Unsplash/) It's mealtime and your baby is ready to mash, hit, fling, throw, and spit food everywhere. While we can't promise all of your surfaces will remain food-free, a bib will certainly help contain the mess and keep your baby clean…well clean-er. We have found a few options that we think will give your baby or toddler a comfortable, cute
Getting ready for the raceway increasingly means cutting your teeth on virtual tracks. (The Voorhes/) James Baldwin's confidence overtakes his ability midway through his fourth lap of Silverstone Circuit. The track, home to the British Grand Prix and among the most famous in racing, features a tricky series of sweeping curves best approached with a delicate balance of gas and brakes. Baldwin, how
Environmentally-friendly glam. (Sharon McCutcheon via Unsplash/) Glitter gets a bad rap for being messy, ostentatious, and impossible to remove but, real talk, glitter can be great. It's the perfect tool for livening up your look and spicing up your crafts. A little shimmer goes a long way and if you are a sparkle supporter, you should know that most glitter is made from tiny bits of plastic that
As cells develop, changes in how our genes interact determines their fate. Differences in these genetic interactions can make our cells robust to infection from viruses or make it possible for our immune cells to kill cancerous ones.
International trade wins and losses don't just show up in the stock market, but also on a nation's environmental sustainability scores, a new study in Nature Sustainability shows.
July 13, 2020—Researchers at Columbia Engineering and Montana State University report today that they have found that placing sufficient strain in a 2-D material—tungsten diselenide (WSe2)—creates localized states that can yield single-photon emitters. Using sophisticated optical microscopy techniques developed at Columbia over the past three years, the team was able to directly image these states
As cells develop, changes in how our genes interact determines their fate. Differences in these genetic interactions can make our cells robust to infection from viruses or make it possible for our immune cells to kill cancerous ones.
The coronavirus pandemic is veering out of control in many parts of the United States. Florida has officially a dubious national record , with 15,300 new cases in a single day. And the White House, rather than addressing the deepening health crisis, has decided to attack its top infectious disease expert. As The Washington Post reported over the weekend , Trump administration staffers are claimin
Whole body positron emission tomography (PET) has, for the first time, illustrated the existence of inter-organ communication between the heart and kidneys via the immune system following acute myocardial infarction. According to research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2020 Annual Meeting, the identification of a systemic inflammatory response to myocardial in
A new approach to functional bone imaging has established that bone metabolism is abnormally elevated in patients with knee osteoarthritis. This physiological information provides a new functional measure to help assess degeneration of the knee joint. The research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting, July 11-14, 2020.
Every year about one in three adults age 65 and older takes a fall, and 20 to 30% of those who fall suffer significant injuries such as head trauma or a broken hip. A new study shows how difficult it is to prevent these injuries, even with help from primary care providers.
Chatbots could ease the burden on medical providers, say researchers. COVID-19 has placed tremendous pressure on health care systems, not only for critical care but also from an anxious public looking for answers. New research from the Indiana University Kelley School of Business finds that chatbots—software applications that conduct online chats via text or text-to-speech—working for reputable o
"We've been promised a future of chrome — but what if the future is fleshy?" asks biological designer Christina Agapakis. In this awe-inspiring talk, Agapakis details her work in synthetic biology — a multidisciplinary area of research that pokes holes in the line between what's natural and artificial — and shares how breaking down the boundaries between science, society, nature and technology
Sphere packing might seem like a topic only a mathematician could love. Who else could get excited about finding the most efficient way to arrange circles in the plane, or spheres in space? But right now, millions of people all over the world are thinking about this very problem. Determining how to safely reopen buildings and public spaces under social distancing is in part an exercise in geometr
Results from the first study using uEXPLORER to conduct total-body dynamic positron emission tomography (PET) scans in cancer patients show that it can be used to generate high-quality images of metastatic cancer. The research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Virtual Annual Meeting on July 11-14, 2020.
Tests of pupils and teachers in Saxony suggest children may act as brake on infection Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Very few of 2,000 schoolchildren and teachers tested in the German state of Saxony showed antibodies to Covid-19, a study has found, suggesting schools may not play as big a role in spreading the virus as some had feared. Germany began reopening schoo
In this webinar, Eske Willerslev and Simon Creer will discuss the discoveries they have made about the ancient and modern world through environmental DNA sequencing.
Increases in the concentrations of blood sodium can have an influence on the biological clock of mice, according to new research. The findings may open new research avenues for potentially treating the negative effects associated with long distance travel or shift work. The findings are the first to show that injecting mice with a salt solution leads to the activation of neurons associated with t
The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.
The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too, unless scientists can quickly learn more about the thousands of viruses carried by one of the most diverse mammals on the planet.
A genetic analysis of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has re-established our understanding of its population structure, aiding its conservation. The collaborative study spanning seven countries and led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Bristol researchers is published in PLOS ONE.
Ever smaller and ever more compact—this is the direction in which computer chips are developing, driven by industry. This is why so-called 2-D materials are considered to be the great hope: they are as thin as a material can possibly be, in extreme cases they consist of only one single layer of atoms. This makes it possible to produce novel electronic components with tiny dimensions, high speed an
Scientists from South Ural State University (SUSU) have discovered new facts about the use of horses in the Bronze Age, working with materials from the monuments of Andronovo culture. As part of an international team from Kazakhstan, Russia, and the U.S., the researchers studied the age of animals found in the ancient mound, as well as changes in the skull that indicate the use of horses by riders
Over the course of nearly three decades, an uninterrupted series of satellites has circled our planet, diligently measuring sea levels. The continuous record of ocean height that they've built has helped researchers reveal the inner workings of weather phenomena like El Niño and to forecast how much the ocean could encroach on coastlines around the world. Now, engineers and scientists are preparin
Legal professionals, journalists and researchers now have access to a new and improved version of the Deaths in Custody Project—the first comprehensive national database of its kind.
When COVID-19 forced schools and daycares to shut down and millions of Americans to transition to working from home, some suggested the pandemic might equalize certain aspects of gender equality as men increased their household contributions.
A genetic analysis of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has re-established our understanding of its population structure, aiding its conservation. The collaborative study spanning seven countries and led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Bristol researchers is published in PLOS ONE.
New research confirms the high impact of PSMA PET/CT in the detection and management of recurrent disease in prostate cancer patients. In initial results from a multicenter trial assessing the impact of 18F-DCFPyL prostate-specific membrane antigen positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PSMA PET/CT), a PET-directed change in management was observed in two-thirds of patients. The researc
Antibodies derived from llamas have been shown to neutralise the SARS-CoV-2 virus in lab tests, UK researchers announced today. The team involves researchers from the Rosalind Franklin Institute, Oxford University, Diamond Light Source and Public Health England. They hope the antibodies – known as nanobodies due to their small size – could eventually be developed as a treatment for patients with s
An analysis of nearly 300 recently identified human SARS-CoV-2 antibodies uncovered a gene frequently used in antibodies that most effectively target the virus.
A team led by scientists at Scripps Research has discovered a common molecular feature found in many of the human antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
By studying fifty COVID-19 patients, researchers in France identified a unique signature – a combination of deficiency in a response of a particular interferon, as well as exacerbated inflammation – in the most critically ill.
Gathered around a crackling campfire, a flat calm on the lake, the sunset's brilliant orange reflecting off the water, you hear a haunting cry echo through the trees. It's the call of the common loon, a sound synonymous with the boreal wild.
On July 14, a new Mars-bound spacecraft will launch from Japan. While several Mars missions are planned to launch over the next month, what makes this different is who's launching it: the United Arab Emirates.
Gathered around a crackling campfire, a flat calm on the lake, the sunset's brilliant orange reflecting off the water, you hear a haunting cry echo through the trees. It's the call of the common loon, a sound synonymous with the boreal wild.
At least two more journals are fighting decisions by Clarivate — the company behind the Impact Factor — to suppress them from the 2019 list of journals assigned a metric that many rightly or wrongly consider career-making. In a letter to the editorial board of Body Image, an Elsevier journal that was one of 33 … Continue reading
The pandemic has also hit Indian Country disproportionately hard, both in terms of job loss and in terms of infection rates. (Unsplash/) The disproportionate impact of COVID-19 in Native communities around the United States is the result of historical and current systemic racism that has siloed Tribes and prevented them from using their resources effectively, experts say. One place where this man
I looked through the microscope at the insides of a dead smoky mouse, and could barely believe my eyes. Thousands of tiny smoke particles lined its lungs. But the mouse had been kept more than 50 kilometers from the nearest bushfires. How could this be?
A new radiotracer, 18F-SynVesT-2, can directly assess synaptic density changes in the brain, providing an objective and quantitative measure of disease progression after stroke. Research presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting shows that the radiotracer may also offer a primary endpoint to evaluate treatment efficacy of novel therapeutics for stroke i
Researchers have developed a new pair of agents that show exceptional effectiveness for precision diagnosis and treatment of prostate cancer in preclinical studies. The agents, which target prostate-specific membrane antigen (PSMA), can be easily and economically synthesized without specialized equipment. This research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2020 A
The collaborators are Kazan Federal University, Vereschagin Institute of High Pressure Physics (Russian Academy of Sciences), Queen Mary University of London, Imperial College London, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Wuhan University of Technology, and Sichuan University.
A new molecular imaging approach utilizing 18F-FDG positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can precisely identify the location of pain generators in chronic pain sufferers, often precipitating a new management plan for patients. This research was presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging 2020 Annual Meeting.
People in wealthier neighborhoods drink alcohol twice as frequently as people in poorer areas, suggests a new study from the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health and the Prevention Research Center of the Pacific Institute for Research and Evaluation.
A new study by a University of South Australia medical imaging student may have found the solution to easing hospital ramping and crowded emergency departments.
"Mini-LED, Micro-LED or OLED displays: who wins?" is a heated debatable question. To answer this question, researchers from University of Central Florida conducted a comprehensive analysis on the performance of mini-LED, micro-LED and OLED emissive displays and mini-LED backlit LCDs. The evaluation metrics include power consumption, ambient contrast ratio, motion picture response time, dynamic ran
After nearly seven decades of oil exploration in the Niger Delta, the Nigerian oil industry now makes up 65% of government revenue and 88% of foreign exchange earnings. But this oil wealth has come at a terrible cost to the local people and their environment.
I looked through the microscope at the insides of a dead smoky mouse, and could barely believe my eyes. Thousands of tiny smoke particles lined its lungs. But the mouse had been kept more than 50 kilometers from the nearest bushfires. How could this be?
AI is being widely applied to speed up the search for new drugs and new materials that could dramatically improve critical technologies like batteries and solar panels. Most of this work is done in simulation or by trawling through databases, though, and a lot of science still requires work in the lab. Robots are helping on that front as laboratory automation becomes increasingly prevalent, makin
On a coastal holiday last summer, I was preoccupied. Bushfires were tearing through southeast Australia, and one in particular had me worried. Online maps showed it moving towards the last remaining population of a plucky little fish, the stocky galaxias.
Bushfires are a threat to most animal species. But for one rare lizard living on a rocky island in the sky, a single blaze could wipe the species off the planet.
On a coastal holiday last summer, I was preoccupied. Bushfires were tearing through southeast Australia, and one in particular had me worried. Online maps showed it moving towards the last remaining population of a plucky little fish, the stocky galaxias.
Bushfires are a threat to most animal species. But for one rare lizard living on a rocky island in the sky, a single blaze could wipe the species off the planet.
New research from Washington University in St. Louis finds early evidence that the pandemic has exacerbated — not improved — the gender gap in work hours, which could have enduring consequences for working mothers.
Military personnel who are at a greater risk of suicide are more likely to unsafely store firearms in unlocked cabinets where they can access them easily, according to a Rutgers researcher.
For the first time, physicians can examine the systemic burden of inflammatory arthritis simultaneously across all joints and organ systems, using the high-sensitivity, high-resolution uEXPLORER total-body positron emission tomography/computed tomography (TB-PET/CT) scanner. Results of the first in-human TB-PET/CT scans conducted in the arthritic population were presented at the Society of Nuclear
A drug known as SP-2577 could help enable the body's own immune system to attack ovarian cancer, according to a study led by TGen. Published today in the scientific journal PLOS ONE, the study builds on years of research led by Dr. Jeffrey Trent, TGen President and Research Director, into a type of ovarian cancer known as Small Cell Carcinoma of the Ovary, Hypercalcemic Type (SCCOHT), a cancer tha
A genetic analysis of the American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) has re-established our understanding of its population structure, aiding its conservation. The collaborative study spanning seven countries and led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Bristol researchers is published in PLOS ONE.
As we stepped out of a military helicopter on Victoria's east coast in February, smoke towered into the sky. We'd just flown over a blackened landscape extending as far as the eye could see. Now we were standing in an active fireground, and the stakes were high.
New research reveals a new trigger for Venus flytraps, which catch spiders and insects by snapping their leaves shut. This happens when unsuspecting prey touch highly sensitive trigger hairs twice within 30 seconds. The new study shows that a single slow touch also triggers trap closure—probably to catch slow-moving larvae and snails . The Venus flytrap ( Dionaea muscipula ) is perhaps the most w
In 2019, Amy Bonomi, a women's studies scholar, co-edited "Women Leading Change: Breaking the Glass Ceiling, Cliff, and Slipper." The book examines the perspectives of 23 female leaders on issues of leadership and the challenges of confronting structural racism, bias and discrimination at colleges and universities. Here are five takeaways that Bonomi offers from her book about how higher education
As we stepped out of a military helicopter on Victoria's east coast in February, smoke towered into the sky. We'd just flown over a blackened landscape extending as far as the eye could see. Now we were standing in an active fireground, and the stakes were high.
When Roger Stone was sentenced to 40 months in federal prison for obstruction, making false statements, and witness tampering, Judge Amy Berman Jackson concluded, "He was not prosecuted, as some have complained, for standing up for the president. He was prosecuted for covering up for the president." Stone was scheduled to be incarcerated on July 14, 2020. On July 10, Donald Trump commuted his sen
Even though they may seem benign ways to communicate emotions in text conversations, emoji reveal technology is shaped by cultural ideologies about race, according to research from the University of Alabama.
Known as "bird flu," avian influenza is transmitted from wild ducks to chickens and other domestic birds. While the virus doesn't cause any symptoms in ducks, it's deadly for domestic birds and can decimate entire flocks.
Known as "bird flu," avian influenza is transmitted from wild ducks to chickens and other domestic birds. While the virus doesn't cause any symptoms in ducks, it's deadly for domestic birds and can decimate entire flocks.
Two recent cases from the US Supreme Court gave President Trump both a victory and a setback, David Sklansky argues. The US Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, July 9, on two important presidential power cases, Trump v. Vance, District Attorney of the County of New York, et al . and Trump et al. v. Mazars USA, LLP et al . One clears the way for prosecutors in New York to obtain President Trump's fin
Backyard poultry and small-scale livestock agriculture are a growing trend in the U.S., even in large cities such as Seattle, Portland, Denver and San Francisco. Residents raising backyard poultry and livestock do so for a variety of reasons such as access to locally sourced food, companionship and sustainability. But how often do these owners seek veterinary care in these urban and peri-urban are
For decades, family caregiving has been thought to create a type of chronic stress that may lead to significant health risks or even death, alarming potential caregivers and presenting a guilt-ridden obstacle for those needing help.
The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has a likely connection to bats, and the next viral outbreak probably will too. A recent review led by WSU's Michael Letko calls for more research into bats' molecular biology and their ecology, to help predict, and hopefully prevent, the next pandemic.
Black women are often less likely to be associated with the concept of a 'typical woman' and are viewed as more similar to Black men than to white women, which may lead to some anti-racist and feminist movements failing to advocate for the rights of Black women, according to new research published by the American Psychological Association.
A team of researchers from Kazan Federal University, Russia, led by Dr. Igor Sedov, reported an application of capillary differential scanning calorimetry technique for the study of the binding of albumin, a plasma transport protein, with different drug ligands.
Targeted radionuclide therapy has been found to create a favorable tumor microenvironment in prostate cancer that improves the effectiveness of immunotherapies. The research, presented at the Society of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging's 2020 Annual Meeting, shows that immunomodulation can be achieved with relatively low radiation dose that does not affect the normal immune system.
Backyard poultry and small-scale livestock agriculture are a growing trend in the U.S., even in large cities such as Seattle, Portland, Denver and San Francisco. Residents raising backyard poultry and livestock do so for a variety of reasons such as access to locally sourced food, companionship and sustainability. But how often do these owners seek veterinary care in these urban and peri-urban are
Design redundancy is not only an invention of engineers for building machines, but also a principle of nature for designing organisms. This principle is at play in the regulation of the genes responsible for directing stem cells to multiply themselves in the developing mouse embryo, as described in a new study in Science Advances.
Design redundancy is not only an invention of engineers for building machines, but also a principle of nature for designing organisms. This principle is at play in the regulation of the genes responsible for directing stem cells to multiply themselves in the developing mouse embryo, as described in a new study in Science Advances.
It's been a long road, but NASA's Perseverance rover is ready for its trip to Mars. The agency packaged the robot up inside its payload fairing and attached it to an Atlas V rocket this week . Now, all we need is some favorable weather and the latest Mars explorer will be on its way to the red planet. NASA delivered the rover to the Vertical Integration Facility at Space Launch Complex 41 on July
Scientists at Duke University are harnessing the power of big data and geospatial analysis to create new ways to track the effects of climate change on species and food webs. Their work, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, began in 2018 and has already yielded two powerful new tools.
'I could do this all night,' O'Neill thought. (Ackerman + Gruber/) It is 10°F outside of the wood-beamed shelter at St. Croix State Park, a 34,000-acre pine-and-oak expanse in eastern Minnesota. Hell, it's cold inside, despite two fireplaces blazing, their smoke pulled into flared metal chimneys that resemble the business ends of rockets. The 54 athletes standing around keep their hats on, for th
The Triassic Period, about 252 to 201 million years ago, was a time of volatile change, particularly during an interval known as the Carnian (about 237 to 227 million years ago). Three dramatic events occurred on Earth: the first dinosaurs appeared, gigantic volcanic eruptions called the Wrangellia large igneous province spewed out greenhouse gasses and the climate suddenly shifted to warmer, more
Scientists at Duke University are harnessing the power of big data and geospatial analysis to create new ways to track the effects of climate change on species and food webs. Their work, which is funded by the National Science Foundation and NASA, began in 2018 and has already yielded two powerful new tools.
New research by Dr. Camilla Whittington and her team at the University of Sydney has found male seahorses transport nutrients to their developing babies during pregnancy. This discovery provides an opportunity for further comparative evolutionary research.
The Y chromosome may be a symbol of masculinity, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is anything but strong and enduring. Although it carries the "master switch" gene, SRY, that determines whether an embryo will develop as male (XY) or female (XX), it contains very few other genes and is the only chromosome not necessary for life. Women, after all, manage just fine without one.
People are being warned about the dangers of leaving their dogs in parked cars after a study found that internal temperatures were hot enough all year round to pose a risk to dog health.
When magma comes out of the Earth onto the surface, it flows as lava. Those lava flows are fascinating to watch, and they leave behind some unique landforms and rocks. But a lot of what's fascinating about these flows can be hidden underground as lava tubes.
New research by Dr. Camilla Whittington and her team at the University of Sydney has found male seahorses transport nutrients to their developing babies during pregnancy. This discovery provides an opportunity for further comparative evolutionary research.
Cardiff University scientists have devised a new way of making reactions up to 70 times faster by using state-of-the-art equipment to spin chemicals around.
The Y chromosome may be a symbol of masculinity, but it is becoming increasingly clear that it is anything but strong and enduring. Although it carries the "master switch" gene, SRY, that determines whether an embryo will develop as male (XY) or female (XX), it contains very few other genes and is the only chromosome not necessary for life. Women, after all, manage just fine without one.
For the past decade, an international team of astronomers, led in part by Brent Tully at the University of Hawaiʻi Institute for Astronomy, has been mapping the distribution of galaxies around the Milky Way. They have discovered an immense structure beyond Laniakea, an immense supercluster of galaxies, including our own. Astronomers have dubbed the newly identified structure the South Pole Wall.
People are being warned about the dangers of leaving their dogs in parked cars after a study found that internal temperatures were hot enough all year round to pose a risk to dog health.
NASA's Parker Solar Probe was at the right place at the right time to capture a unique view of comet NEOWISE on July 5, 2020. Parker Solar Probe's position in space gave the spacecraft an unmatched view of the comet's twin tails when it was particularly active just after its closest approach to the sun, called perihelion.
Vaccinekandidaten, som har fået navnet CoVAXIX, har indtil videre været en stor succes i forsøg med mus. Forsøg på aber er planlagt, og vaccinen kan måske blive klar til afprøvning på mennesker allerede i år.
The moon formed a little later than previously assumed. When a Mars-sized protoplanet was destroyed in a collision with the young Earth, a new body was created from the debris ejected during this collision, which became the moon. Planetary geophysicists at the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), led by Maxime Maurice, together with researchers at the Universit
The United Arab Emirates' Hope orbiter is the Arab world's first interplanetary spacecraft — and has jump-started science in the country. Will the momentum last? — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
The latest generation of magnetic hard drives is made of magnetic thin films, which are invar materials. They allow extremely robust and high data storage density by local heating of ultrasmall nano-domains with a laser—so called heat assisted magnetic recording, or HAMR. The volume in such invar materials hardly expands despite heating. A technologically relevant material for such HAMR data memor
Here's a good way to make sure a friend hates a gift from you: Say it will save him money.In a series of studies, researchers found that people reacted negatively to gifts that they were told – or that they inferred – were given to help them save money.
In advance of a widely-watched national referendum vote to be held this September, two drug policy experts from Massey University have identified gaps and challenges in New Zealand's proposal for legalizing recreational cannabis.
Researchers have realized optically and electrically driven mid-infrared (MIR) light-emitting devices in a simple but novel van der Waals (vdW) heterostructure constructed from thin-film black phosphorus (BP) and transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDC). This work suggests that vdW heterostructure is a promising platform for mid-infrared research and applications.
Using a 3-D mapping technique, astronomers from Sweden and Germany have explored a nearby molecular cloud known as Orion A. The new study unveils more details about the structure and nature of this cloud. The research was presented in a paper published July 6 on the arXiv pre-print repository.
Trafikselskabet Fynbus får kritik af Datatilsynet, fordi virksomheden ikke har oplyst grundigt nok om, at der bliver indsamlet oplysninger om kunders rejsehistorik. Samtidig har trafikselskabets privatlivspolitik været hullet.
As protests against racist violence continue around the country during a deadly pandemic, a group of journalists, authors, artists, and academics has taken a stand against "a "stifling atmosphere [that] will ultimately harm the most vital causes of our time." In an open letter published on the Harper's website last week, 153 figures, including J. K. Rowling, Fareed Zakaria, and Malcolm Gladwell,
More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccine Researchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 140 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading…
Physicians depend on race-based markers to determine what to look for—but where someone grew up can be more important than their ethnicity — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Energinet havde i sidste uge verdenspremiere på en ny interconnector mellem to havvindmølleparker, og derfor kan VE-producenter fremover sende effekt mellem Danmark og Tyskland – også når det er vindstille øst for Sjælland, fortæller projektleder ved Energinet.
Editor's Note: Editor's Note: Every Monday, Lori Gottlieb answers questions from readers about their problems, big and small. Have a question? Email her at dear.therapist@theatlantic.com . Dear Therapist, I've been married for 25 years to a man who went from having many sexual issues and hang-ups to being impotent, and I am now in a totally sexless marriage. He can't be helped, and frankly, I am
The discovery of Odd Radio Circles is just the latest thrilling reminder of how much more there is left to find out there – and of how much there is to look forward to
Exclusive: best analysis to date indicates significant increases in infections, hospital admissions and deaths Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage There is "compelling" evidence that air pollution significantly increases coronavirus infections, hospital admissions and deaths, according to the most detailed and comprehensive analysis to date. The research indicates that a
PM says government will issue fresh guidance this week on the wearing of face coverings Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Boris Johnson has urged the public in England to wear masks in shops as "extra insurance" against the coronavirus, and hinted the government could be poised to make them mandatory. Downing Street has also hinted that guidance encouraging employees t
The lowdown: Immunity to covid-19 may be short-lived, according to a new longitudinal study of people who have caught the disease and recovered. The study: Researchers at King's College London repeatedly tested 96 patients and health-care workers at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust for antibodies between March and June. All the participants were confirmed to have had covid-19, either via
The U.S. outbreak is growing across 39 states. Administration officials are targeting Dr. Anthony S. Fauci, the top infectious disease expert in the U.S.
Updated at 12:56 p.m. ET on July 14, 2020. In 2007, at the end of his first term on the Supreme Court, Chief Justice John Roberts told me in an interview for this magazine that he would make it his highest priority to protect the Court's institutional legitimacy. "There ought to be some sense of some stability," he said, "if the government is not going to polarize completely. It's a high priority
Editor's Note: The Atlantic is making vital coverage of the coronavirus available to all readers. Find the collection here . Edward Lorenz was just out of college when he was recruited into World War II. He was assigned to be a weather forecaster, despite having no experience in meteorology. What Lorenz knew was math. So he started experimenting with differential equations, trying to make predict
Science represents perhaps the single greatest accomplishment of humankind. Of all human institutions, organisations and establishments, science has proven an effective tool for driving progress. It is inherently self-correcting, and tolerates — and even demands — skepticism, challenge and self-critique. Few human institutions can make a similar claim. However, there is increasing recognition and
Blood-feeding livestock mites can be detected with wearable sensor technology nicknamed "Fitbits for chickens." To help farmers detect mite infestations, a team of entomologists, computer scientists, and biologists led by UC Riverside entomologist Amy Murillo has created a new insect detection system.
Before the space race, microbes were largely overlooked in the study of evolution. But NASA funding of outside-the-mainstream scientists like Lynn Margulis helped change that, opening the door to a new, microbial view of life — and turning the agency into an unlikely catalyst for a revolution in biology.
When it comes to black holes, science simultaneously knows so much and so little, which is why they are so fascinating. Focusing on what we do know, this group of astronomers, educators, and physicists share some of the most incredible facts about the powerful and mysterious objects. A black hole is so massive that light (and anything else it swallows) can't escape, says Bill Nye. You can't see a
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17212-6 Melanosomes traffic along F-actin in melanocytes. Here, the authors show that Rab27a coordinates SPIRE/FMN actin assembly and MyoVa motor proteins to generate a cell-wide actin/myosin network that links melanosomes and allows the collective activity of these force generators to drive their traffic.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17113-8 Mice are able to discriminate colors, at least in the upper visual field. Here, the authors provide a comprehensive characterization of retinal circuits underlying this behavior.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17255-9 Explicit self-reflection is unreliable for measuring thoughts. Here, the authors use brain data to implicitly pinpoint transitions between thoughts and find thought turnover to be reliably predicted by narrative events during movie-viewing, as well as by greater trait neuroticism at rest.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17274-6 Multiple quantum critical behaviors exist in the heavy fermion material CeRhIn5, but their interrelation is less studied. Here, Helm et al. investigate the interrelation of two quantum critical points and other relevant orders, revealing a strongly non-mean-field-like phase diagram.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17300-7 It is unclear whether 2D metal dichalcogenides (TMD) alone can cause ferroptotic cell death. Here, the authors show TMD nanosheets induced ferroptosis in mammalian cell lines and in a mouse model after aspiration of TMD materials into lungs, causing ferroptotic cell death.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17220-6 Catalytic selectivity during carbon dioxide electroreduction can be tuned by using geometric copper-based catalysts. Here, the authors use liquid cell transmission electron microscopy to study the in situ synthesis and morphological evolution Cu2O cubes under carbon dioxide electroreduction conditions.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17270-w The vCA1-BA projection is enriched in shock responsive neurons, which are necessary for fear memory encoding and become correlated with a network of neurons during retrieval. Here the authors show that the magnitude of vCA1 correlated activity is proportional to memory strength and requires the shock response du
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 July 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-17171-y The global biodiversity decline might conceal complex local and group-specific trends. Here the authors report a quantitative synthesis of longterm biodiversity trends across Europe, showing how, despite overall increase in biodiversity metric and stability in abundance, trends differ between regions, ecosystem
Researchers from the MDC have developed a new tool that makes it easier to maximize the power of deep learning for studying genomics. They describe the new approach, Janggu, in the journal Nature Communications.
Women have historically been underrepresented in past clinical research, raising concerns about their use of beta blockers as a treatment for hypertension.Women with high blood pressure treated with beta blockers may have a higher risk of developing heart failure than men when they present to the hospital with acute coronary syndrome.More research is needed to determine the reasons why men and wom
Pointing to the pandemic's disproportionate toll on people of color, over 1,200 workers at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention call on the agency to declare racism a public health crisis. (Image credit: Graeme Jennings/Getty Images)
T he first time Representative Karen Bass heard Joe Biden talk about the car crash that killed his wife and infant daughter, she dropped into her chair, overwhelmed. It was 2008, and Bass was watching the Democratic National Convention video introducing Biden as the party's vice-presidential nominee. Less than two years earlier, Bass's daughter and son-in-law had died in a car crash on the 405 .
Vinduer ud til trafikerede veje kan holdes åbne, uden at støjen fra bilerne kan høres. Et internationalt forskerhold har udviklet et system til aktiv støjreduktion i åbne rum.
A new study by researchers at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center and The Ohio State University College of Medicine documents a clear link between the stress hormone cortisol and higher blood sugar levels in people with type 2 diabetes.
"Det var i maj 2018 som en 46-årig man kom in till infektionskliniken i Kristianstad. Han hade i fyra dagar haft feber, frossa och torrhosta. Blodprover visade att han hade normala halter av en viss typ av vita blodkroppar, så kallade B-celler, men lite sänkta halter av blodplättar.
Nuclear physicists affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) played a leading role in analyzing data for a demonstration experiment that has achieved record precision for a specialized detector material.
Ever wonder how some leaders in business or politics who appear selfish, manipulative and domineering still manage to amass a following? A recent study in the Journal of Leadership & Organizational Studies by San Francisco State University Assistant Professor of Management Dayna Herbert Walker found a connection between a person's childhood family environment and the types of leaders they're drawn
You've probably seen breathlessly scolding stories in the media about young people holding "COVID parties", in which attendees intentionally try to become infected with COVID-19. Are these parties really a thing, or are they an urban legend? The answer is not entirely clear yet, but current evidence (more specifically, the lack of evidence) for them is much more consistent with the latter more tha
En manglende kalibrering af et radarsystem var den væsentligste årsag til, at Iran fejlagtigt skød et ukrainske passagerfly ned i januar. Det viser en iransk undersøgelse af ulykken. Nu vil Iran udlevere flyets to sorte bokse til franske myndigheder.
Ett "sjätte sinne" Extrasensorisk perception, vanligen kallat ESP, är den påstådda förmågan att uppfatta information bortom de vanliga sinnena. Det kan till exempel vara att "se" och beskriva en okänd bild i ett annat rum än det man befinner sig i eller läsa upp innehållet av ett brev i ett förseglat kuvert utan att få […] The post appeared first on Vetenskap och Folkbildning .
A bowl of food for the brain UPDATE: Solution is now up here. Today, for a change, a word puzzle. Place a different letter in each of the 26 empty white cells of the grid below to make ten common English words. Each letter of the alphabet is used exactly once. The words read along the horizontal lines. Continue reading…
Edinburgh University team find heart damage in 55% of ultrasounds from 69 countries Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Heart scans of coronavirus patients in hospital have revealed a range of abnormalities that can disrupt the ability to pump blood and in severe cases lead to a life-threatening failure in the organ. Doctors at Edinburgh University examined ultrasound sc
This is a guest post by two whistleblowers from the Palacky University in Olomouc. In the centre of the growing research misconduct and retaliation scandal: the nanotechnology professor Radek Zboril
Jean Macnamara, a pioneer in the treatment of polio patients and the subject of this issue's Foundations, comes to life in the form of a Google Doodle to celebrate what would have been her 121st birthday.
In the 1990s, a troupe of hippies spent two years sealed inside a dome called Biosphere 2. They ended up starving and gasping for breath. As a new documentary Spaceship Earth tells their story, we meet the 'biospherians' It sounds like a sci-fi movie, or the weirdest series of Big Brother ever. Eight volunteers wearing snazzy red jumpsuits seal themselves into a hi-tech glasshouse that's meant to
Watch Critic at Large author and public health researcher Matthew Dacso wail on tenor saxophone during a 2010 concert with South African musician Ringo Madlingozi.
Record of 230,000 reported just days after previous global high; South Africa reinstates alcohol ban; Mexico overtakes Italy death toll Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The World Health Organization has reported another record in the increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period, at over 230,000. The previous global record was on Friday,
Marked racial disparities exist in confirmed COVID-19 cases and deaths, investigators say, and highlight urgent needs to ensure adequate testing and treatment are available to African Americans and safer working and living conditions are in place so they can better protect themselves.
Nuclear physicists affiliated with Berkeley Lab played a leading role in analyzing data for a demonstration experiment in France that has achieved record precision for a specialized detector material.
As the number of young adults infected with the coronavirus surges throughout the nation, a new study by researchers at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals indicates that youth may not shield people from serious disease.
Health systems worldwide are massively struggling and services for mothers, newborns, young children and adolescents are crumbling, warns the UN Secretary-General's Independent Accountability Panel for Every Woman, Every Child, Every Adolescent reviewing the impact of COVID-19. Especially worrisome: declines in access to life-saving vaccines for children and maternal health services due to closure
An isotopic analysis of eggshell beads dating back more than 30,000 years indicates that they helped build networks that stretched for hundreds of kilometers.
Lactation boosts the quantity and quality of insulin-producing beta cells in the pancreas, likely reducing a woman's risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
While concern over SARS-CoV-2 in dogs and cats has captured attention, scientists have also been investigating whether pets can transmit multidrug-resistant bacteria to us.
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has revealed the limitations of R0 as no other disease outbreak has before, at a time when policymakers need accurate forecasts.
The basic reproductive R0, along with the more malleable effective reproduction number Re, are centerpieces of most epidemiological models that are informing government responses to COVID-19.
People who show low social engagement over long periods of time often show reductions in cognitive function. Studies of the brain may provide clues about this correlation.
Absence of human contact is associated with declines in cognitive function. But as the COVID-19 pandemic brings concerns about the potential harms of isolation to the fore, researchers are still hunting for concrete evidence of a causal role as well as possible mechanisms.
Through groundbreaking studies on dengue and efforts to build scientific infrastructure in Latin America, the University of California, Berkeley, professor has bridged research with its benefits to society.
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