ScienceDaily: All - April 18, 2024
Today's top research news
Study identifies new metric for diagnosing autism
Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a recent study suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one that could lead to advances in the study of other neurological conditions.
Protecting brain cells with cannabinol
Scientists created four cannabis-derived CBN analogs (chemical look-a-likes) with enhanced neuroprotective properties and potential for therapeutic application in neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injury. Their findings reveal novel aspects of CBN's neuroprotective activity and demonstrate the clinical potential of CBN and value of studying its analogs.
Image: hemp, Dmytro Tyshchenko/Shutterstock.com
First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia
New research has highlighted an area in Arabia that once acted as a key point for cultural exchanges and trades amongst ancient people -- and it all took place in vast caves and lava tubes that have remained largely untapped reservoirs of archaeological abundance in Arabia. Through meticulous excavation and analysis, the international team uncovered a wealth of evidence at Umm Jirsan, spanning from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age periods (~10,000-3,500 years ago).
New data identifies trends in accidental opioid overdoses in children
The US saw a 22% decline in rates of prescription-opioid overdose related emergency department (ED) visits in children 17 and younger between 2008 and 2019, but an uptick in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The authors also note that rates of pediatric opioid overdoses remain high in many populations.
Paleontologists unearth what may be the largest known marine reptile
The fossilized remains of a second gigantic jawbone measuring more than two meters long has been found on a beach in Somerset, UK.
New class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria
Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors in their crowded microbial communities, especially others of their own species. What makes these newly detected antibacterial toxins different is that, unlike the Streptomyces' small-molecule antibiotics, umbrella toxins are large complexes composed of multiple proteins. They are also far more specific in the bacteria they target. They tend to go after bacteria that form branching filaments, an usual growth pattern among bacteria. The scientists are intrigued by the potential clinical clinical applications of this discovery, because they suspect the pathogens that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria might be sensitive to umbrella toxins.
Even if CO2 emissions were to be drastically cut down starting today, the world economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19% until 2050 due to climate change, a new study finds. These damages are six times larger than the mitigation costs needed to limit global warming to two degrees. Based on empirical data from more than 1,600 regions worldwide over the past 40 years, scientists assessed future impacts of changing climatic conditions on economic growth and their persistence.
Understanding climate warming impacts on carbon release from the tundra
The warming climate shifts the dynamics of tundra environments and makes them release trapped carbon, according to a new study published in Nature. These changes could transform tundras from carbon sinks into a carbon source, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
Workings of working memory detailed
Investigators have discovered how brain cells responsible for working memory--the type required to remember a phone number long enough to dial it--coordinate intentional focus and short-term storage of information.
Substantial global cost of climate inaction
Pioneering study reveals that limiting global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius could reduce the global economic costs of climate change by two thirds. If warming continues to 3 degrees Celsius, global GDP will decrease by up to 10 percent -- with the worst impacts in less developed countries.
'Tube map' around planets and moons made possible by knot theory
Scientists have developed a new method using knot theory to find the optimal routes for future space missions without the need to waste fuel.
Spintronics: A new path to room temperature swirling spin textures
In some materials, spins form complex magnetic structures within the nanometer and micrometer scale in which the magnetization direction twists and curls along specific directions. Examples of such structures are magnetic bubbles, skyrmions, and magnetic vortices. Spintronics aims to make use of such tiny magnetic structures to store data or perform logic operations with very low power consumption, compared to today's dominant microelectronic components. However, the generation and stabilization of most of these magnetic textures is restricted to a few materials and achievable under very specific conditions (temperature, magnetic field...). Physicists have now investigated a new approach that can be used to create and stabilize complex spin textures, such as radial vortices, in a variety of compounds.
Dog attacks on mountain tapirs highlight a growing threat to endangered wildlife
Researchers who captured footage of dog attacks on endangered mountain tapirs in Colombia are calling for action to protect threatened wildlife.
Adults with congenital heart disease faced higher risk of abnormal heart rhythms
Adults with congenital heart defects were more likely to experience an abnormal, irregular heartbeat, finds a new study.
A better view with new mid-infrared nanoscopy
A team has constructed an improved mid-infrared microscope, enabling them to see the structures inside living bacteria at the nanometer scale. Mid-infrared microscopy is typically limited by its low resolution, especially when compared to other microscopy techniques. This latest development produced images at 120 nanometers, which the researchers say is a thirtyfold improvement on the resolution of typical mid-infrared microscopes. Being able to view samples more clearly at this smaller scale can aid multiple fields of research, including into infectious diseases, and opens the way for developing even more accurate mid-infrared-based imaging in the future.
Competition between species played a major role in the rise and fall of hominins -- and produced a 'bizarre' evolutionary pattern for the Homo lineage -- according to a new study that revises the start and end dates for many of our early ancestors.
AI speeds up drug design for Parkinson's by ten-fold
Researchers have used artificial intelligence techniques to massively accelerate the search for Parkinson's disease treatments. The researchers designed and used an AI-based strategy to identify compounds that block the clumping, or aggregation, of alpha-synuclein, the protein that characterises Parkinson's.
E-tongue can detect white wine spoilage before humans can
While the electronic tongue bears little physical resemblance to its namesake, the strand-like sensory probes of the 'e-tongue' still outperformed human senses when detecting contaminated wine in a recent study. In a recent experiment, the e-tongue identified signs of microorganisms in white wine within a week after contamination -- four weeks before a human panel noticed the change in aroma. This was also before those microbes could be grown from the wine in a petri-dish. Winemakers traditionally rely on these two methods, sniffing the wine and petri-dish testing, to identify potential wine 'faults' or spoilage.
Unique field study shows how climate change affects fire-impacted forests
During the unusually dry year of 2018, Sweden was hit by numerous forest fires. A research team has investigated how climate change affects recently burnt boreal forests and their ability to absorb carbon dioxide.
Paradox of extreme cold events in a warming world
The Warm Arctic-Cold Continent (WACC) phenomenon is the puzzling combination of Arctic warming and extreme coldness in specific mid-latitude regions. However, the progression of WACC events remains unclear amidst global warming. Scientists have now predicted a sharp decline in the WACC phenomenon post-2030s, affecting extreme weather events. These findings offer critical insights for communities, scientists, and policymakers to refine climate models and strategies and battle climate change.
Study finds iron-rich enamel protects, but doesn't color, rodents' orange-brown incisors
Chattering squirrels, charming coypus, and tail-slapping beavers -- along with some other rodents -- have orange-brown front teeth. Researchers have produced high-resolution images of rodent incisors, providing an atomic-level view of the teeth's ingenious enamel and its coating. They discovered tiny pockets of iron-rich materials in the enamel that form a protective shield for the teeth but, importantly, don't contribute to the orange-brown hue -- new insights that could improve human dentistry.
Copper beads in pig feed reshape swine gut microbiome
Copper is a natural antimicrobial material that, when added to pig feed, may promote the growth and health of the animals. Since pigs can tolerate high levels of the metal, researchers recently investigated whether copper might be used to promote their gut health and reduce the shedding of microbes to the environment.
Tracking a protein's fleeting shape changes
Researchers have developed a powerful, new technique to generate 'movies' of changing protein structures and speeds of up to 50 frames per second.
Research explores how a father's diet could shape the health of his offspring
A mice study suggests a father's diet may shape the anxiety of his sons and the metabolic health of his daughters before they are even conceived.
Novel robotic training program reduces physician errors placing central lines
More than five million central lines are placed in patients who need prolonged drug delivery, such as those undergoing cancer treatments, in the United States every year, yet the common procedure can lead to a bevy of complications in almost a million of those cases. Researchers developed a robotic simulation training program to provide trainee physicians with more practice on the procedure. A year after deploying the program the team found that all complication types -- mechanical issues, infections and blood clots -- were significantly lower.
Two-dimensional nanomaterial sets record for expert-defying, counter-intuitive expansion
Engineers have developed a record-setting nanomaterial which when stretched in one direction, expands perpendicular to the applied force.
Making crops colorful for easier weeding
To make weeding easier, scientists suggest bioengineering crops to be colorful or to have differently shaped leaves so that they can be more easily distinguished from their wild and weedy counterparts. This could involve altering the crops' genomes so that they express pigments that are already produced by many plants, for example, anthocyanins, which make blueberries blue, or carotenoids, which make carrots orange. Then, they say, weeding robots could be trained to remove only the weeds using machine learning.
Storks fly with a little help from their friends
All storks choose to migrate with conspecifics, but young storks rely more on social influences than adults do.
Researchers uncover human DNA repair by nuclear metamorphosis
Researchers have discovered a DNA repair mechanism that advances understanding of how human cells stay healthy, and which could lead to new treatments for cancer and premature aging.
Coral reef microbes point to new way to assess ecosystem health
A new study shows that ocean acidification is changing the mix of microbes in coral reef systems, which can be used to assess ecosystem health.
Researchers discover urine-based test to detect head and neck cancer
Researchers have created a urine-based test that detects pieces of DNA fragments released by head and neck tumors. The test could potentially facilitate early detection of this cancer type, which currently does not have a reliable screening method.
Researchers who created 'family trees' for nearly 10,000 fish found that first-generation, wild-born descendants of hatchery-origin Chinook salmon in an Oregon river show improved fitness.
Researchers shine light on rapid changes in Arctic and boreal ecosystems
Arctic and boreal latitudes are warming faster than any other region on Earth.
'Nanostitches' enable lighter and tougher composite materials
In an approach they call 'nanostitching,' engineers used carbon nanotubes to prevent cracking in multilayered composites. The advance could lead to next-generation airplanes and spacecraft.
Trash to treasure -- researchers turn metal waste into catalyst for hydrogen
Scientists have found a way to transform metal waste into a highly efficient catalyst to make hydrogen from water, a discovery that could make hydrogen production more sustainable.
A recent breakthrough study has shown potential to improve therapeutic outcomes for patients suffering from lung cancers.
CO2 worsens wildfires by helping plants grow
By fueling the growth of plants that become kindling, carbon dioxide is driving an increase in the severity and frequency of wildfires, according to a new study.
Huge database gives insight into salmon patterns at sea
A massive new analysis of high seas salmon surveys is enhancing the understanding of salmon ecology, adding details about where various species congregate in the North Pacific Ocean and their different temperature tolerances. The project integrates numerous international salmon studies from the North Pacific dating back to the 1950s.
Researchers have advanced the understanding of how the cerebral cortex develops by tracing the lineage of certain brain cells.