ScienceDaily: All - April 05, 2024
Today's top research news
Ocean floor a 'reservoir' of plastic pollution
New science has taken a deep dive into plastic waste, providing the first estimate of how much ends up on the sea floor.
Image: plastic waste on ocean floor, Benny Marty/shutterstock.com
Stellar collisions produce strange, zombie-like survivors
Densely packed, fast-moving stars at the Milky Way's center can collide with each other. New research uses simulations to explore the outcomes of these collisions. Some collisions are more like 'violent high fives' while others are full-on mergers.
Discovery of how limiting damage from an asthma attack could stop disease
Scientists have discovered a new cause for asthma that sparks hope for treatment that could prevent the life-threatening disease.
'Diverse' agriculture benefits people and the environment at the same time
A new analysis from 2,655 farms on five continents suggests that moving away from industrial, monoculture farming could benefit both the planet and people.
Climate change impacts terrorist activity
Changing weather patterns induced by climate change are contributing to shifts in the location of terrorist activity, according to new research.
Research shows direct link between state income taxes and migration
A new study looks at 110 years of income tax history across the U.S. and notes out-migration by wealthy Americans.
Global life expectancy increased by 6.2 years since 1990, according to a new study. Over the past three decades, reductions in death from leading killers fueled this progress, including diarrhea and lower respiratory infections, as well as stroke and ischemic heart disease. When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in 2020, however, it derailed progress in many locations.
Large language models respond differently based on user's motivation
A new study reveals how large language models (LLMs) respond to different motivational states. In their evaluation of three LLM-based generative conversational agents (GAs)--ChatGPT, Google Bard, and Llama 2, scientists found that while GAs are able to identify users' motivation states and provide relevant information when individuals have established goals, they are less likely to provide guidance when the users are hesitant or ambivalent about changing their behavior.
For mining in arid regions to be responsible, we must change how we think about water
In an unprecedented study of the South American 'Lithium Triangle,' hydrologists discover that not all water responds the same way to environmental change and human use.
New sunflower family tree reveals multiple origins of flower symmetry
A new sunflower family tree used skimmed genomes to increase the number of species sampled, revealing that flower symmetry evolved multiple times independently, a process called convergent evolution, among the members of this large plant family.
Developing a vaccine for the 'zombie drug' xylazine
Chemical biologists design an early 'proof-of-concept' vaccine that could lead to the first effective treatment of xylazine overdose in people.
Talking politics with strangers isn't as awful as you'd expect, research suggests
Individuals underestimate the social connection they can make with a stranger who disagrees with them on contentious issues, a new research paper suggests.
Evolution in action? New study finds possibility of nitrogen-fixing organelles
A new study finds that UCYN-A, a species of nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria, may be evolving organelle-like characteristics.
Early dinosaurs grew up fast, but they weren't the only ones
The earliest dinosaurs had rapid growth rates, but so did many of the other animals living alongside them, according to a new study.
Working outside the typical 9-5 in younger adulthood may be linked with worse health decades later
The hours you work earlier in life may be associated with worse health years later, according to a new study.
Demand for critical minerals puts African Great Apes at risk
A recent study shows that the threat of mining to the great ape population in Africa has been greatly underestimated.
Immunotherapy for Alzheimer's disease shows promise in mouse study
Scientists have shown that treating mice with an antibody that blocks the interaction between APOE proteins (white) sprinkled within Alzheimer's disease plaques and the LILRB4 receptor on microglia cells (purple) activates them to clean up damaging plaques (blue) in the brain.
Researchers discover 'neutronic molecules'
Researchers have discovered 'neutronic' molecules, in which neutrons can be made to cling to quantum dots, held just by the strong force. The finding may lead to new tools for probing material properties at the quantum level and exploring new kinds of quantum information processing devices.
Researchers map how the brain regulates emotions
A new study is among the first of its kind to separate activity relating to emotion generation from emotion regulation in the human brain. The findings provide new insights that could help inform therapeutic treatments regarding mental health and drug addiction.
'Smart swarms' of tiny robots inspired by natural herd mentality
Researchers gave nanorobots a trait called adaptive time delay, which allows them to better work together.
Giant phage holds promise as treatment for lung infections
Researchers have discovered a new bacterial killer that can target common lung infection caused by Burkholderia bacteria that has exciting potential for biotechnological applications.
Machine learning enables viability of vertical-axis wind turbines
Researchers have used a genetic learning algorithm to identify optimal pitch profiles for the blades of vertical-axis wind turbines, which despite their high energy potential, have until now been vulnerable to strong gusts of wind.
Plant-based plastic releases nine times less microplastics than conventional plastic
A newly developed plant-based plastic material releases nine times less microplastics than conventional plastic when exposed to sunlight and seawater, a new study has found.
Drawing inspiration from plants: A metal-air paper battery for wearable devices
Drawing inspiration from the way plants breathe, a group of researchers has created a paper-based magnesium-air battery that can be used in GPS sensors or pulse oximeter sensors. Taking advantage of paper's recyclability and lightweight nature, the engineered battery holds promise for a more environmentally friendly source of energy.
Pressure determines which embryonic cells become 'organizers'
A collaboration between research groups at the University of California, TU Dresden in Germany and Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children's in Los Angeles has identified a mechanism by which embryonic cells organize themselves to send signals to surrounding cells, telling them where to go and what to do. While these signaling centers have been known to science for a while, how individual cells turn into organizers has been something of a mystery.
California leads U.S. emissions of little-known greenhouse gas
California, a state known for its aggressive greenhouse gas reduction policies, is ironically the nation's greatest emitter of one: sulfuryl fluoride. As much as 17% of global emissions of this gas, a common pesticide for treating termites and other wood-infesting insects, stem from the United States. The majority of those emissions trace back to just a few counties in California, finds a new study.
Discovery could end global amphibian pandemic
A fungus devastating frogs and toads on nearly every continent may have an Achilles heel. Scientists have discovered a virus that infects the fungus, and that could be engineered to save the amphibians.
Exploring the effect of the presence of familiar people in interpersonal space
Researchers investigate the influence of social relationships on our bodily responses to the presence of other persons in the interpersonal space.
Plastic-free vegan leather that dyes itself grown from bacteria
Researchers have genetically engineered bacteria to grow animal- and plastic-free leather that dyes itself.
New discovery unravels malaria invasion mechanism
A recent breakthrough sheds light on how the malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum, invades human red blood cells. The study reveals the role of a sugar called sialic acid in this invasion process. The findings have major implications for malaria vaccine and drug development.
Testing environmental water to monitor COVID-19 spread in unsheltered encampments
To better understand COVID-19's spread during the pandemic, public health officials expanded wastewater surveillance. These efforts track SARS-CoV-2 levels and health risks among most people, but they miss people who live without shelter, a population particularly vulnerable to severe infection. To fill this information gap, researchers tested flood-control waterways near unsheltered encampments, finding similar transmission patterns as in the broader community and identifying previously unseen viral mutations.
Water-based paints: Less stinky, but some still contain potentially hazardous chemicals
Choosing paint for your home brings a lot of options: What kind of paint, what type of finish and what color? Water-based paints have emerged as 'greener' and less smelly than solvent-based options. And they are often advertised as containing little-to-no volatile organic compounds (VOCs). But, according to new research, some of these paints do contain compounds that are considered VOCs, along with other chemicals of emerging concern.
Researchers studied six cities, finding that nighttime gunshots were particularly prevalent in low-income neighborhoods. The team found gunshots are twice as likely to occur at night, and that low-income communities are disproportionately affected by them.
Groundbreaking research in groundwater's role in ecosystem sustainability
Until now, groundwater -- a critical water resource around the globe, especially in dry regions -- has been largely unstudied in its importance and role in sustaining ecosystems. New groundbreaking research examines the relationship between groundwater and ecosystems across California.