ScienceDaily: All - April 02, 2025
Today's top research news
We know nanoplastics are a threat -- this new tool can help us figure out just how bad they are
While the threat that microplastics pose to human and ecological health has been richly documented and is well known, nanoplastics, which are smaller than one micrometer (1/50th the thickness of an average human hair), are far more reactive, far more mobile and vastly more capable of crossing biological membranes. Yet, because they are so tiny and so mobile, researchers don't yet have an accurate understanding of just how toxic these particles are.
Rocky Mountain snow is contaminated, study shows
Mountain snowpacks accumulate snow throughout the winter, building up stores of water that will supply communities across the American West throughout the long dry season. Now, a new study shows that as storms carry snow to the Rocky Mountains, they are also bringing mercury and other contaminants from mines in the region. The research helps scientists understand how contaminants are spread by atmospheric circulation and has implications for snowpack preservation and illuminating the lasting environmental impact of mining activities.
New insight into factors associated with a common disease among dogs and humans
For dogs housed at Texas kennels, age and fecal score are important factors for screening for subclinical Giardia infections.
Metasurfaces: Bilayer device can control many forms of polarized light
Researchers have created a bilayer metasurface made of two stacked layers of titanium dioxide nanostructures, opening new possibilities for structuring light.
Combination immunotherapy shrank a variety of metastatic gastrointestinal cancers
A new form of tumor infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy, a form of personalized cancer immunotherapy, dramatically improved the treatment's effectiveness in patients with metastatic gastrointestinal cancers, according to results of a clinical trial. The findings offer hope that this therapy could be used to treat a variety of solid tumors, which has so far eluded researchers developing cell-based therapies.
Surprising number of environmental pollutants in hedgehogs
Lead, pesticides, brominated flame retardants, plastic additives, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and heavy metals. This is what researchers found when they collected dead hedgehogs to investigate the environmental pollutants found in urban environments.
New 3D technology paves way for next-generation eye-tracking
By integrating powerful 3D imaging technology with advanced computation, researchers can capture gaze direction information from tens of thousands of surface points on the eye instead of about a dozen used by conventional eye-tracking methods. The technique could boost eye-tracking accuracy in a variety of fields ranging from the entertainment industry to medical research and industrial engineering.
Diagnosing a dud may lead to a better battery
A team of chemists found a way to see into battery interfaces -- tight, tricky spots buried deep inside the cell have long frustrated battery designers.
Mpox could become a serious global threat, scientists warn
Mpox has the potential to become a significant global health threat if taken too lightly, according to scientists.
Exposure to air pollution in childhood is associated with reduced brain connectivity
A new study has found that children exposed to higher levels of air pollution in early and mid childhood have weaker connections between key brain regions. The findings highlight the potential impact of early exposure to air pollution on brain development.
A new article outlines a new tool that measures blood inflammation as a marker for poor CAR T therapy outcomes.
Researchers develop new way to match young cancer patients with the right drugs
A team has developed a new way to quickly find personalized treatments for young cancer patients, by growing their tumors in chicken eggs and analyzing their proteins. The team has combined these two techniques to identify and test a drug for a young patient's tumor in time to be used for their treatment. Their success in finding a new drug for the patient shows how the study of proteins, known as proteomics, can be a valuable complement to the established study of genes (genomics) in real-time cancer therapies.
An efficient self-assembly process for advanced self-healing materials
Self-healing coatings are advanced materials that can repair damage, such as scratches and cracks on their own. Researchers have developed an efficient method for preparing self-healing films consisting of alternating layers of highly cross-linked organosiloxane and linear polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). Their film is more durable than conventional self-healing PDMS materials, offering superior hardness and greater thermal stability while self-healing at mild temperatures, paving the way for stronger, more reliable, and easier-maintained self-healing materials.
Omega-6 fatty acid promotes the growth of an aggressive type of breast cancer, study finds
Linoleic acid, an omega-6 fatty acid found in seed oils such as soybean and safflower oil, and animal products including pork and eggs, specifically enhances the growth of the hard-to-treat 'triple negative' breast cancer subtype, according to a preclinical study. The discovery could lead to new dietary and pharmaceutical strategies against breast and other cancers.
Awareness grows of cancer risk from alcohol consumption
Public awareness of the link between drinking alcohol and an elevated risk of cancer has grown since last fall, with 55% of U.S. adults saying that regularly consuming alcohol increases your chances of later developing cancer, according to a new survey.
A step toward plant-based gelatin
Researchers present gum tragacanth as a plant-based alternative to gelatin for creating edible films. The team developed films containing different concentrations of gelatin and gum tragacanth and monitored their survivability in water and saline solutions. They found the optimal combination of gum tragacanth and gelatin for maintaining the gelatin's gel-like behavior was a 3-to-1 ratio of the two, respectively. However, gum tragacanth's inclusion leads to a more porous film, making it prone to penetration by water or saline solutions. Though gum tragacanth cannot replace gelatin completely just yet, even a partial replacement is a step forward.
The food and fuel that farms itself
Scientists have released new and more accurate genome sequences for five species of duckweed. Their research reveals the specific genes responsible for some of the plant's most useful traits, allowing for new commercial agriculture applications.
The experts that can outsmart optical illusions
Medical imaging experts are adept at solving common optical illusions, according to new research. The research is the first to show that people can be trained to do better at solving visual illusions, which was previously thought to be near-impossible. The study shows that medical imaging experts are particularly accurate at judging the size of objects in common optical illusions. In other words, they also literally see better in everyday life!
New options for controlling type 2 diabetes
Nearly 40% of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes imperil their health by stopping their medication within the first year, diabetes experts warn.
New warnings of a 'Butterfly Effect' -- in reverse
A new study warns that global climate change may have a devastating effect on butterflies, turning their species-rich, mountain habitats from refuges into traps. Think of it as the 'butterfly effect' -- the idea that something as small as the flapping of a butterfly's wings can eventually lead to a major event such as a hurricane -- in reverse. The new study also suggests that a lack of comprehensive global data about insects may leave conservationists and policymakers ill-prepared to mitigate biodiversity loss from climate change for a wide range of insect species.
New study validates lower limits of human heat tolerance
Human thermoregulation limits are lower than previously thought, indicating that some regions may soon experience heat and humidity levels exceeding safe limits for survival. The study underscores the urgent need to address climate change impacts on human health, providing vital data to inform public health strategies and climate models.
Whatever is bad for the butterfly, like are bad for us
I feel so despetate about this, guilty, too.