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| Iodine in desert dust destroys ozone Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:31 PM PST When winds loft fine desert dust high into the atmosphere, iodine in that dust can trigger chemical reactions that destroy some air pollution, but also let greenhouse gases stick around longer. The finding may force researchers to re-evaluate how particles from land can impact the chemistry of the atmosphere. |
| These fish work together by the hundreds of thousands to make waves Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:31 PM PST In the sports arena, spectators sometimes create a spectacle known as a wave, as successive groups stand up in unison to yell with arms in the air. Now, researchers have shown that small freshwater fish known as sulphur mollies do a similar thing, and for life or death reasons. The collective wave action produced by hundreds of thousands of fish working together helps to protect them from predatory birds. |
| Ancient DNA reveals the world’s oldest family tree Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:31 PM PST Analysis of ancient DNA from one of the best-preserved Neolithic tombs in Britain has revealed that most of the people buried there were from five continuous generations of a single extended family. By analysing DNA extracted from the bones and teeth of 35 individuals entombed at Hazleton North long cairn in the Cotswolds-Severn region, the research team was able to detect that 27 of them were close biological relatives. The group lived approximately 5700 years ago -- around 3700-3600 BC - around 100 years after farming had been introduced to Britain. |
| 70 new rogue planets discovered in our galaxy Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:31 PM PST Rogue planets are elusive cosmic objects that have masses comparable to those of the planets in our Solar System but do not orbit a star, instead roaming freely on their own. Not many were known until now, but a team of astronomers, using data from several European Southern Observatory (ESO) telescopes and other facilities, have just discovered at least 70 new rogue planets in our galaxy. This is the largest group of rogue planets ever discovered, an important step towards understanding the origins and features of these mysterious galactic nomads. |
| How do our organs know when to stop growing? Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST The smallest fish in the world, the Paedocypris, measures only 7 millimeters. This is nothing compared to the 9 meters of the whale shark. The small fish shares many of the same genes and the same anatomy with the shark, but the dorsal and caudal fins, gills, stomach and heart, are thousands of times smaller! How do organs and tissues of this miniature fish stop growing very quickly, unlike those of their giant cousin? A multidisciplinary team was able to answer this fundamental question by studying its physics and using mathematical equations. |
| Astronomers capture black hole eruption spanning 16 times the full Moon in the sky Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST Astronomers have produced the most comprehensive image of radio emission from the nearest actively feeding supermassive black hole to Earth. The emission is powered by a central black hole in the galaxy Centaurus A, about 12 million light years away. When viewed from Earth, the eruption from Centaurus A now extends eight degrees across the sky -- the length of 16 full Moons laid side by side. |
| Solar flare throws light on ancient trade between the Islamic Middle East and the Viking Age Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST An interdisciplinary Danish team of researchers has used new astronomical knowledge to establish an exact time anchor for the arrival of trade flows from the Middle East in Viking-age Scandinavia. The results are published in the leading international journal Nature. |
| Tracking down the forces that shaped our Solar System’s evolution Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST Meteorites are remnants of the building blocks that formed Earth and the other planets orbiting our Sun. Recent analysis of their isotopic makeup led settles a longstanding debate about the geochemical evolution of our Solar System and our home planet. |
| Earth and Mars were formed from inner Solar System material Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST Cosmochemists now present the most comprehensive comparison to date of the isotopic composition of Earth, Mars and pristine building material from the inner and outer Solar System. |
| Scientists demonstrate a novel rocket for deep-space exploration Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:30 PM PST The growing interest in deep-space exploration has sparked the need for powerful long-lived rocket systems to drive spacecraft through the cosmos. Scientists have developed a tiny version of a Hall thruster propulsion system that increases the lifetime of the rocket and produces high power. |
| Semiconductors reach the quantum world Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:29 PM PST Quantum effects in superconductors could give semiconductor technology a new twist. Researchers have identified a composite material that could integrate quantum devices into semiconductor technology, making electronic components significantly more powerful. |
| Quantum marbles in a bowl of light Posted: 22 Dec 2021 12:11 PM PST Which factors determine how fast a quantum computer can perform its calculations? Physicists have devised an elegant experiment to answer this question. |
| Team succeeds in culturing the pygmy zebra octopus Posted: 22 Dec 2021 07:49 AM PST Researchers report culturing methods for the pygmy zebra octopus, an emerging laboratory research organism. |
| Posted: 22 Dec 2021 07:08 AM PST Scientists predict that continued global warming under current trends could lead to an elevation of the sea level by as much as five meters by the year 3000 CE. |
| For some Greenlanders, eating sugar is healthy Posted: 22 Dec 2021 07:08 AM PST A genetic variation among some Greenlanders makes sugar healthy -- significantly more than for most people. According to a new study, gut bacteria and a unique diet that has nourished Greenlanders for millennia have provided them with a genetic variation that offers an incredible advantage. |
| Novel biosensors set to revolutionize brain-controlled robotics Posted: 22 Dec 2021 07:08 AM PST A novel carbon-based biosensor is set to drive new innovations in brain-controlled robotics. The biosensor adheres to the skin of the face and head in order to detect electrical signals being sent by the brain. These signals can be translated into commands to control autonomous robotic systems. The sensor, made of epitaxial graphene grown onto a silicon carbide on silicon substrate, overcomes three major challenges of graphene-based biosensing: corrosion, durability and skin-contact resistance. |
| People with IBD have more microplastics in their feces Posted: 22 Dec 2021 05:40 AM PST Microplastics -- tiny pieces of plastic less than 5 mm in length -- are everywhere, from bottled water to food to air. According to recent estimates, people consume tens of thousands of these particles each year, with unknown health consequences. Now, researchers have found that people with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have more microplastics in their feces than healthy controls, suggesting that the fragments could be related to the disease process. |
| Toxoplasma parasites manipulate brain cells to survive Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:24 PM PST Researchers have discovered that Toxoplasma parasites lay dormant and undetected inside neurons (brain cells) and muscle cells by releasing proteins that switch off the cells' ability to alert the immune system. |
| Wise old elephants keep the young calm Posted: 21 Dec 2021 06:24 PM PST Male elephants are more aggressive when fewer older males are present, new research suggests. |
| Birds’ dazzling iridescence tied to nanoscale tweak of feather structure Posted: 21 Dec 2021 10:35 AM PST Researchers found that the iridescent shimmer that makes birds such as peacocks and hummingbirds so striking is rooted in an evolutionary tweak in feather nanostructure that has more than doubled the range of iridescent colors birds can display. This insight could help researchers understand how and when iridescence first evolved in birds, as well as inspire the development of new materials that can capture or manipulate light. |
| Tsunamis’ magnetic fields are detectable before sea level change Posted: 21 Dec 2021 10:35 AM PST A new study finds the magnetic field generated by a tsunami can be detected a few minutes earlier than changes in sea level and could improve warnings of these giant waves. |
| Exquisitely preserved embryo found inside fossilized dinosaur egg Posted: 21 Dec 2021 10:35 AM PST A 72 to 66-million-year-old embryo found inside a fossilized dinosaur egg sheds new light on the link between the behavior of modern birds and dinosaurs, according to a new study. |
| Promising new target for tuberculosis treatment Posted: 21 Dec 2021 10:31 AM PST Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the hardy bacterial species that causes tuberculosis (TB), has an unexpected vulnerability that future drugs may be able to exploit, according to a new study. |
| Anesthesia: Double chalice breaks the blockade Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Under anesthesia, patients are often given muscle-relaxing neuromuscular blockers to make intubations easier and reduce the skeletal muscle tone during surgery. Using a drug to remove the blocking agent after the operation improves patient recovery and reduces the risk of complications. A research team has now reported a novel broad-spectrum antidote. It consists of two 'chalices' that are linked together and cover the two ends of the blocker. |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST The cochlear implant (CI) is the most successful neural prosthesis worldwide. Thanks to direct stimulation of the auditory nerve, it enables more than half a million people worldwide to hear, even though those affected were born deaf or deafened. Researchers have developed a method to convert the stimulation electrodes of common CIs into electrochemical sensors. With the help of this novel sensor function, the functionality of cochlear implants could be monitored directly in the inner ear in the long term. |
| Researchers develop new measurements for designing cooler electronics Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Researchers have observed interfacial phonon modes which only exist at the interface between silicon (Si) and germanium (Ge). This discovery shows experimentally that decades-old conventional theories for interfacial heat transfer are not complete and the inclusion of these phonon modes are warranted. |
| Brain mechanisms involved in learning also drive social conformity Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:42 AM PST Some of the same brain systems known to play a role in learning from trial and error also are engaged when people conform to social norms, scientists report in a new study. The findings are important, the researchers said, because changing one's behavior to align with one's peers can contribute to community-building or -- depending on the goals and values of the group -- societal breakdown. |
| Study finds artificial intelligence accurately detects fractures on x-rays, alert human readers Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:28 AM PST Emergency room and urgent care clinics are typically busy and patients often have to wait many hours before they can be seen, evaluated and receive treatment. Waiting for x-rays to be interpreted by radiologists can contribute to this long wait time because radiologists often read x-rays for a large number of patients. A new study has found that artificial intelligence (AI) can help physicians in interpreting x-rays after an injury and suspected fracture. |
| Engineers test an idea for a new hovering rover Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:28 AM PST MIT aerospace engineers are testing a concept for a hovering rover that levitates by harnessing the moon's natural charge. The design uses tiny ion beams to charge up the vehicle and the surface underneath, with little power needed. Such an ion boost could be strong enough to levitate a 2-pound vehicle on the moon and large asteroids. |
| Face detection in untrained deep neural networks? Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Researchers have found that higher visual cognitive functions can arise spontaneously in untrained neural networks. A research team has shown that visual selectivity of facial images can arise even in completely untrained deep neural networks. This new finding has provided revelatory insights into mechanisms underlying the development of cognitive functions in both biological and artificial neural networks, also making a significant impact on our understanding of the origin of early brain functions before sensory experiences. |
| Crows keep special tools extra safe Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Just like humans, New Caledonian crows are particularly careful when handling their most valuable tools, according to a new study. The research reveals that crows are more likely to store relatively complex and efficient foraging tools for future use than more basic tools. |
| Where does the special scent of thyme and oregano come from? Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Thyme and oregano are not only popular herbs for cooking, but also valuable medicinal plants. Their essential oils contain thymol and carvacrol which impart the typical flavors and are medically important. A team has now fully identified how the plants produce these two substances. The results could simplify the breeding process and improve the pharmaceutical value of thyme and oregano. |
| Plants as cold specialists from the ice age Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Plants of the spoonweed group time-and-again quickly adapted to a changing climate during the Ice Ages of the last two million years. Evolutionary biologists and botanists used genomic analyses to study what factors favor adaptation to extreme climatic conditions. The evolutionary history of the Brassicaceae family provides insights into how plants may be able to cope with climate change in the future. |
| Trees are important for cleaner air in cities Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Air pollution levels vary greatly between different places in a city. This is the finding of a new study which concludes that trees contribute to cleaner air in cities. |
| Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST For many applications making use of quantum effects, the light has to be in a certain state -- namely a single photon state. But what is the best way of generating such single photon states? Researchers have now proposed an entirely new way. |
| The Hitchhiker’s guide to the soil Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST The interaction of fungi and bacteria in the transport of viruses in the soil ecosystem has been examined in a recent study. The scientists showed a novel mechanism of viral transport by bacterial shuttles traveling along fungal hyphae. Bacteria thereby benefit from taking along viruses on the conquest of new habitats. |
| How transparency in butterflies and moths helps ward off predators Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Transparent wing patches may do more than allow butterflies and moths to hide -- they may also warn predators to leave them alone, suggests a new study. |
| Extinct reptile discovery reveals earliest origins of human teeth, study finds Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST A new extinct reptile species has shed light on how our earliest ancestors became top predators by modifying their teeth in response to environmental instability around 300 million years ago. |
| An ancient relative of Velociraptor is unearthed in Great Britain Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST A new bird-like dinosaur that used brute strength to overcome its prey has been found by palaeontologists combing through fossils found on the Isle of Wight, on the South Coast of Great Britain. |
| IT security: Computer attacks with laser light Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Computer systems that are physically isolated from the outside world (air-gapped) can still be attacked. This is demonstrated by IT security experts. They show that data can be transmitted to light-emitting diodes of regular office devices using a directed laser. With this, attackers can secretly communicate with air-gapped computer systems over distances of several meters. In addition to conventional information and communication technology security, critical IT systems need to be protected optically as well. |
| Looking at factors that accelerate mass extinction in the fossil record as climate changes Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST The Late Devonian mass extinction (roughly 372 million years ago) was one of five mass extinctions in Earth's history, with roughly 75% of all species disappearing over its course. It happened in two 'pulses,' spaced about 800,000 years apart, with most of the extinctions happening in the second pulse. However, for one group of animals living in eastern North America, the first pulse dealt the deadlier blow. |
| Star cells in the brain render memory flexible Posted: 21 Dec 2021 07:27 AM PST Star cells in the brain render memory flexible. Hippocampal astrocytes co-release D-serine and glutamate for the regulation of synaptic plasticity and cognitive flexibility. |
| Millipedes ‘as big as cars’ once roamed Northern England, fossil find reveals Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:07 PM PST The largest-ever fossil of a giant millipede -- as big as a car -- has been found on a beach in the north of England. |
| Desert shrubs cranked up water use efficiency to survive a megadrought Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:07 PM PST Shrubs in the desert Southwest have increased their water use efficiency at some of the highest rates ever observed to cope with a decades-long megadrought. Researchers found that although the shrubs' efficiency increases are unprecedented and heroic, they may not be enough to adapt to the long-term drying trend in the West. |
| Comets’ heads can be green, but never their tails. After 90 years, we finally know why Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST A study has solved a 90-year-old mystery by proving the mechanism by which dicarbon -- the chemical that makes some comets' heads green -- is broken up by sunlight. This explains why the vibrant green color never reaches the comet's tail. |
| First genetic risk factors identified for sudden unexplained death in children after age one Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST A new study, the largest of its kind to date, finds the first genetic causes of sudden unexplained death in children (SUDC). |
| Could acid-neutralizing life-forms make habitable pockets in Venus' clouds? Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST A new study supports the longstanding idea that if life exists, it might make a home in Venus' clouds. The study's authors identified a chemical pathway by which life could neutralize Venus' acidic environment, creating a self-sustaining, habitable pocket in the clouds. |
| Air bubbles in Antarctic ice point to cause of oxygen decline Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST An unknown culprit has been removing oxygen from our atmosphere for at least 800,000 years, and an analysis of air bubbles preserved in Antarctic ice for up to 1.5 million years has revealed the likely suspect. |
| Speeding the development of fusion energy Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST Profile of path-setting method to simulate the crazy-quilt movement of free electrons during experimental efforts to harness on Earth the fusion power that drives the sun and stars. The method cracks a complex equation that can enable improved control of the random and fast-moving moving electrons in the fuel for fusion energy. |
| Scientists identify gut-derived metabolites that play a role in neurodegeneration Posted: 20 Dec 2021 04:06 PM PST A New York-based, multi-institutional research team has found high levels of three toxic metabolites produced by gut bacteria in the cerebrospinal fluid and plasma samples of multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The important findings further scientists' understanding of how gut bacteria can impact the course of neurological diseases by producing compounds that are toxic to nerve cells. |
| Breakthrough identification of proteins necessary for muscle regeneration Posted: 20 Dec 2021 11:49 AM PST A researcher has identified the proteins necessary for efficient regeneration of skeletal muscles after acute injury and in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (DMD) clearing the way for drug development for skeletal muscle diseases. |
| Step forward in quest to develop living construction materials and beyond Posted: 20 Dec 2021 10:13 AM PST Some engineered living materials can combine the strength of run-of-the-mill building materials with the responsiveness of living systems. Think self-healing concrete or paint that changes color when a specific chemical is detected. Critical early research sheds new light on this exciting advancement, which would revolutionize construction and maintenance, with wide-reaching economic and environmental implications and potential for biomedical applications. |
| Engineers produce the world’s longest flexible fiber battery Posted: 20 Dec 2021 10:13 AM PST Researchers have developed a rechargeable lithium-ion battery in the form of ultra-long fiber that could be woven into fabrics. The battery could enable a wide variety of wearable electronic devices, and might even be used to make 3D-printed batteries in virtually any shape. |
| 'Photosynthetic' algae can survive the dark Posted: 20 Dec 2021 10:13 AM PST Researchers have discovered how some species of single-celled algae lived through the last mass extinction, a finding that could change how we understand global ocean processes. |
| Are black holes and dark matter the same? Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:08 AM PST Astrophysicists suggest that primordial black holes account for all dark matter in the universe. |
| Understanding human-elephant conflict and vulnerability in the face of climate change Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:07 AM PST Researchers spent years investigating the dynamics between wildlife, people and the environment across the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, the world's largest terrestrial transboundary conservation area, extending across five African countries. |
| Developmental origins of tooth classes in vertebrates: A new simple mechanism identified Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:07 AM PST By taking a closer look at lizards, researchers found the first animal example of apparent changes in tooth type in specific regions of the jaw. The results are relevant to multiple research areas all the way from palaeontology to regenerative medicine. |
| Fast and durable batteries to come: A promising anode material for lithium-ion batteries Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:07 AM PST To overcome the slow charging times of conventional lithium-ion batteries, scientists have developed a new anode material that allows for ultrafast charging. Produced via a simple, environmentally sound and efficient approach involving the calcination of a bio-based polymer, this novel material also retained most of its initial capacity over thousands of cycles. The findings of this study will pave the way to fast-charging and durable batteries for electric vehicles. |
| New muscle layer discovered on the jaw Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:07 AM PST Human anatomy still has a few surprises in store for us: researchers have discovered a previously overlooked section of our jaw muscles and described this layer in detail for the first time. |
| Scientists discover White-handed gibbons that have been evolving in the south of Malaysia Posted: 20 Dec 2021 09:07 AM PST Genetic assessment of captive gibbons to identify their species and subspecies is an important step before any conservation actions. A group of wildlife researchers recently discovered a previously unknown population of white-handed gibbons (subspecies lar) from Peninsular Malaysia. |
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