ScienceDaily: All - April 22, 2025
Today's top research news
High-fat, high-sugar diets impact cognitive function
New research links fatty, sugary diets to impaired brain function. The findings build on a growing body of evidence showing the negative impact of high-fat, high-sugar (HFHS) diets on cognitive ability, adding to their well-known physical effects.
Omnivorous? Vegan? Makes no difference to muscle building after weight training, study finds
A new study asked three questions about muscle protein synthesis in response to a nine-day diet and weight training regimen: First, does the source of protein -- plant or animal-based -- make any difference to muscle gain? Second, does it matter if total daily protein intake is evenly distributed throughout the day? And third, does a moderate but sufficient daily protein intake influence any of these variables? The answer to all three questions is 'no,' the researchers found.
What roils beneath the Earth's surface may feel a world away, but the activity can help forge land masses that dictate ocean circulation, climate patterns, and even animal activity and evolution. In fact, scientists believe that a plume of hot rocks that burst from the Earth's mantle millions of years ago could be an important part in the story of human evolution.
What if Mother Earth could sue for mistreatment?
The study highlights the transformative potential of the Rights of Nature, which views nature as a rights-bearing entity, not merely an object of regulation and subjugation by extractive industries. The Llurimagua case -- a dispute over a mining concession in Ecuador's cloud forest -- illustrates this approach, providing a unique opportunity to rethink Earth system governance.
Did it rain or snow on ancient Mars? New study suggests it did
Geologists weigh in on a long-running debate about Mars: Billions of years ago, was the Red Planet warm and wet or cold and dry?
Wild chimps filmed sharing 'boozy' fruit
Wild chimpanzees have been pictured eating and sharing fruit containing alcohol.
Immune system proteins involved in severe parasitic disease identified
New insights into the mechanisms that cause more severe cases of schistosomiasis -- a disease caused by parasitic worms and second only to malaria in terms of potential harm -- have been revealed.
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
Farmers apply nitrogen fertilizers to crops to boost yields, feeding more people and livestock. But when there's more fertilizer than the crop can take up, some of the excess can be converted into gaseous forms, including nitrous oxide, a greenhouse gas that traps nearly 300 times as much heat in the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. About 70% of human-caused nitrous oxide comes from agricultural soils, so it's vital to find ways to curb those emissions.
High-tech sticker can identify real human emotions
Saying one thing while feeling another is part of being human, but bottling up emotions can have serious psychological consequences like anxiety or panic attacks. To help health care providers tell the difference, a team has created a stretchable, rechargeable sticker that can detect real emotions -- by measuring things like skin temperature and heart rate -- even when users put on a brave face.
Even sublethal insecticide dose may disrupt pollinator mating process
Insecticides can help protect crops against troublesome pests, but they also pose a risk for beneficial insects such as pollinators. A new study provided insight into how even sublethal doses of insecticides can negatively affect pollinators by disrupting the mating process.
How changes in lemur brains made some mean girls nice
If there was a contest for biggest female bullies of the animal world, lemurs would be near the top of the list. It's the ladies who get their way and keep males in line. In one branch of the lemur family tree, however, some species have evolved to have more harmonious relationships. New findings suggest that this amiable shift was driven by changes in the 'love hormone' oxytocin inside their brains.
Scientists finally confirm vitamin B1 hypothesis from 1958
Chemists have confirmed a 67-year-old theory about vitamin B1 by stabilizing a reactive molecule in water -- a feat long thought impossible. The discovery not only solves a biochemical mystery, but also opens the door to greener, more efficient ways of making pharmaceuticals.
Microplastics: What's trapping the emerging threat in our streams?
Microplastics, tiny plastic particles found in everyday products from face wash to toothpaste, are an emerging threat to health and ecology, prompting a research team to identify what keeps them trapped in stream ecosystems.
How safe is the air to breathe? 50 million people in the US do not know
Across the United States, 58% of counties have no active air-quality monitoring sites, according to a new study. Rural counties, especially those in the Midwest and South, are less likely to have air-quality monitoring sites, which could impede pollution estimations and impact public health, the team said.
Father's mental health can impact children for years
Five-year-olds exposed to paternal depression are more likely to have behavioral issues in grade school, researchers find.