ScienceDaily: All - April 12, 2024
Today's top research news
Beautiful nebula, violent history: Clash of stars solves stellar mystery
When astronomers looked at a stellar pair at the heart of a stunning cloud of gas and dust, they were in for a surprise. Star pairs are typically very similar, like twins, but in HD 148937, one star appears younger and, unlike the other, is magnetic. New data suggest there were originally three stars in the system, until two of them clashed and merged. This violent event created the surrounding cloud and forever altered the system's fate.
Economic burden of childhood verbal abuse by adults estimated at $300 billion globally
Childhood verbal abuse by adults costs society an estimated $300 billion a year globally, show recent findings.
Breakthrough promises secure quantum computing at home
The full power of next-generation quantum computing could soon be harnessed by millions of individuals and companies, thanks to a breakthrough guaranteeing security and privacy. This advance promises to unlock the transformative potential of cloud-based quantum computing.
Image: AI chip, HelloRF Zcool/shutterstock.com
Biofortified rice to combat deficiencies
Vitamin B1 is an essential micronutrient for human beings. Its deficiency is the cause of numerous diseases of the nervous and cardiovascular systems. Researchers have achieved a significant advance in the fight against vitamin B1 deficiency, frequently associated with a rice-based diet. By specifically targeting the nourishing tissues of the rice grain, the scientists have succeeded in considerably increasing its vitamin B1 content, without compromising agronomic yield. These results could help solve a major public health problem in regions where rice is the staple food.
Scientists uncover key resistance mechanism to Wnt inhibitors in pancreatic and colorectal cancers
A new study reveals why some pancreatic and colorectal tumors resist targeted anti-Wnt drugs and suggests how to overcome it, offering new hope to patients with fully treatment-resistant cancers.
Economist: Tens of billions of dollars in forest products are being overlooked
Are we missing the forest for the trees? More than timber grows in forests -- including products worth many tens of billions of dollars. Because these goods go unrecorded in official trade statistics, their economic value escapes our attention. As a result, clear opportunities to combat poverty are being missed, according to an economist.
New ways to fine tune electrochemistry
Optimizing electrochemical reactions is essential for the transition to renewable energies. In electrochemical reactions, electric currents and potential differences are used to binding and induce reactions. Electrochemistry is a prerequisite for hydrogen production, and for battery technology, and thus for sustainable chemistry. Although there has been a lot of technological development in this area in recent years, there is still room for improvement and a long way towards large scale industrial applications.
Twinkle twinkle baby star, 'sneezes' tell us how you are
Researchers have found that baby stars discharge plumes of gas, dust, and magnetic flux from their protostellar disk. The protostellar disk that surrounds developing stars are constantly penetrated by magnetic flux, and if too much magnetic flux remained, the resulting object would generate a magnetic field stronger than any observed protostar. These newly discovered discharges of magnetic flux, or 'sneezes' as the researchers describes them, may be a vital step in proper star formation.
Oxidant pollutant ozone removes mating barriers between fly species
Researchers show that ozone levels, such as those found in many places on hot summer days today, destroy the sex pheromones of fruit fly species. As a result, some natural mating boundaries maintained by species-specific pheromones no longer exist. The research team has shown in experiments that flies of different species mate when exposed to ozone and produce hybrid offspring. Since most of these offspring are unable to reproduce, the results could provide another explanation for the global decline of insects.
Ocean currents threaten to collapse Antarctic ice shelves
Meandering ocean currents play an important role in the melting of Antarctic ice shelves, threatening a significant rise in sea levels.
Nothing is everything: How hidden emptiness can define the usefulness of filtration materials
Voids, or empty spaces, exist within matter at all scales, from the astronomical to the microscopic. In a new study, researchers used high-powered microscopy and mathematical theory to unveil nanoscale voids in three dimensions. This advancement is poised to improve the performance of many materials used in the home and in the chemical, energy and medical industries -- particularly in the area of filtration.
AI model can accurately assess PTSD in postpartum women
By analyzing the narratives of women who experienced traumatic childbirth and women with non-complicated childbirth, researchers created an AI model that can accurately identify those at risk of childbirth-related PTSD.
Hybrid intelligence can reconcile biodiversity and agriculture
So far, biodiversity and agricultural productivity could not be reconciled because the socio-ecological system of agriculture is highly complex, and the interactions between humans and the environment are difficult to capture using conventional methods. A research team now shows a promising way to achieve both goals at the same time. They focus on further developing artificial intelligence in combination with collective human judgement: hybrid intelligence.
A Cystic Fibrosis drug targeting the basic defect that causes the condition has been shown to be safe and effective in newborns aged four weeks and above, new research suggests.
Parkinson's Disease: New theory on the disease's origins and spread
New hypothesis paper builds on a growing scientific consensus that Parkinson's disease route to the brain starts in either the nose or the gut and proposes that environmental toxicants are the likely source.
Food security in developed countries shows resilience to climate change
A study has found that market forces have provided good food price stability over the past half century, despite extreme weather conditions.
Synthetic platelets stanch bleeding, promote healing in animal models
Researchers have developed synthetic platelets that can be used to stop bleeding and enhance healing at the site of an injury. The researchers have demonstrated that the synthetic platelets work well in animal models but have not yet begun clinical trials in humans.
Study lays the basis for new knowledge on gastrointestinal diseases
The transition from the esophagus to the stomach is a delicate region from a medical point of view, often associated with pathological disorders leading to cancer. An international research team has now gained new insights into this region. These pave the way for new prevention and treatment options.
Mapped: 33 new big game migrations across American West
A new set of maps that document the movements of ungulates was published today in the fourth volume of the Ungulate Migrations of the Western United States. The maps in this collaborative report series reveal the migration routes and critical ranges used by ungulates, or hooved mammals, in the western U.S., furthering scientists' understanding of the geography of big game migrations.
Chemicals stored in home garages linked to ALS risk
Storing chemicals in a garage at home may associate with an increased risk of ALS, a study finds. This comes as research has found that exposure to environmental toxins, such as pesticides and volatile organic compounds, are also linked to ALS development. Researchers call the buildup of exposures of the lifetime the ALS exposome.
In the drive to deprescribe, heartburn drug study teaches key lessons
One of the largest-ever studies on the topic of deprescribing medications shows the potential promise, and pitfalls, of a massive effort to reduce overuse of a common class of heartburn medications known as proton pump inhibitors or PPIs. It also reveals that some of the feared risks from PPIs may be overblown.
Proud seafarers have strong doubts about the safety of autonomous ships
Despite their great trust in the on-board autopilot, bridge officers do not believe that autonomous ships will make shipping safer. Moreover, the greater the professional commitment and pride of the bridge officers, the less confidence they have in automation increasing safety at sea.
Genetic underpinnings of environmental stress identified in model plant
Researchers have identified 14 genes that thale cress -- a plant commonly used in genetic investigations since its genome is well documented -- express more when responding to five specific stressors, as well as eight genes that the plant suppresses.
People who use willpower alone to achieve goals, resist temptation, deemed more trustworthy
People who use willpower to overcome temptations and achieve their goals are perceived as more trustworthy than those who use strategies that involve external incentives or deterrents -- such as swear jars or internet-blocking apps -- according to new research.
This outdated diabetes drug still has something to offer
Researchers have discovered the biochemical workings of an old-fashioned diabetes drug, and it's helping them develop new, safer alternatives.
Geobiology: New placozoan habitat discovered
Traces of DNA in the stomachs of predatory snails give a team og geobiologists new insights into the ecology of placozoans.
Safety of a potential new treatment to manage complications from sickle cell disease
A drug approved to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension may be effective at managing hypertension and end-organ damage in patients with sickle cell disease, according to a new study. An early phase randomized clinical trial involving 130 patients with sickle cell disease found that the drug, called riociguat, was found to be safe to use and well tolerated in these patients and significantly improved their blood pressure. Preliminary efficacy data suggested the medication might improve heart function.
Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy increase risk of cardiovascular death after giving birth
Health researchers identify patients at risk for preventable death in the year after pregnancy.
Scientists create octopus survival guide to minimize impacts of fishing
Scientists have created a step-by-step aging guide for octopus to ensure fisheries remain sustainable, protecting the longevity of this ancient animal while guaranteeing the world doesn't go hungry.
Pacific cities much older than previously thought
New evidence of one of the first cities in the Pacific shows they were established much earlier than previously thought, according to new research. The study used aerial laser scanning to map archaeological sites on the island of Tongatapu in Tonga, showing Earth structures were being constructed in Tongatapu around AD 300.
The hidden role of the Milky Way in ancient Egyptian mythology
Astrophysicists shed light on the relationship between the Milky Way and the Egyptian sky-goddess Nut. The paper draws on ancient Egyptian texts and simulations to argue that the Milky Way might have shone a spotlight, as it were, on Nut's role as the sky. It proposes that in winter, the Milky Way highlighted Nut's outstretched arms, while in summer, it traced her backbone across the heavens.
New 3D-printing method makes printing objects more affordable and eco-friendly
A team of scientists has unveiled a method for 3D printing that allows manufacturers to create custom-made objects more economically and sustainably.
Newly found genetic variant defends against Alzheimer's disease
Neuroscientists have identified a genetic mutation that fends off Alzheimer's disease in people at high risk and could lead to a new way to protect people from the disease.