ScienceDaily: All - April 25, 2024
Today's top research news
Solving the riddle of the sphingolipids in coronary artery disease
Investigators have uncovered a way to unleash in blood vessels the protective effects of a type of fat-related molecule known as a sphingolipid, suggesting a promising new strategy for the treatment of coronary artery disease.
Image: heart artery, Lightspring/Shutterstock.com
Human activities have an intense impact on Earth's deep subsurface fluid flow
Hydrologists predict human-induced underground fluid fluxes to rise with climate change mitigation strategies like carbon sequestration.
Artificial intelligence helps scientists engineer plants to fight climate change
Scientists are using artificial intelligence software to analyze plant root systems, laying out a protocol that can be applied to gather data on crop and model plant phenotypes (physical characteristics) more efficiently and with equal or greater accuracy than existing methods.
How light can vaporize water without the need for heat
Researchers discovered that light can cause evaporation of water from a surface without the need for heat. This 'photomolecular effect' could be important for understanding climate change and for improving some industrial processes.
Positive perceptions of solar projects
A new survey has found that for residents living within three miles of a large-scale solar development, positive attitudes outnumbered negative attitudes by almost a 3-to-1 margin. Researchers surveyed almost 1,000 residents living near solar projects.
Tumors actively prevent the formation of immune responses by so-called cytotoxic T cells, which are essential in combating cancer. Researchers have now uncovered for the first time how this exactly happens. The study provides rationales for new cancer immunotherapies and could make existing treatments more effective.
Hurricanes jeopardize carbon-storing New England forests
Many American companies are relying on carbon offsets to reduce their carbon footprint, especially those who have pledged to achieve 'net-zero emissions.' Sequestering carbon in forests is an example of a nature-based solution that is being used to address climate change, but a new study suggests that hurricanes could pose a risk. The results show that a single hurricane may wipe out 5% to 10% of total above-ground forest carbon, through tree damage, in New England.
Rubber-like stretchable energy storage device fabricated with laser precision
Scientists use laser ablation technology to develop a deformable micro-supercapacitor.
Social media can be used to increase fruit and vegetable intake in young people
Researchers have found that people following healthy eating accounts on social media for as little as two weeks ate more fruit and vegetables and less junk food.
Low intensity exercise linked to reduced depression
New research has found a significant association between participating in low to moderate intensity exercise and reduced rates of depression.
Positive effect of midazolam after cardiac arrest
If a patient is successfully resuscitated after a cardiac arrest and circulation resumes, they are not out of the woods yet. A number of factors can influence whether and how they survive the trauma in the subsequent phase. The administration of the anaesthetic midazolam has a positive effect, as shown by a multicenter study of 571 patients.
Giant viruses infect deadly parasite
The single-celled organism Naegleria fowleri ranks among the deadliest human parasites. Researchers have now discovered viruses that infect this harmful microbe. Named Naegleriavirus, these belong to the giant viruses, a group known for their unusually large particles and complex genomes.
Computer game in school made students better at detecting fake news
A computer game helped upper secondary school students become better at distinguishing between reliable and misleading news.
Researchers unveil PI3K enzyme's dual accelerator and brake mechanisms
The enzyme PI3K plays a critical role in cell migration. Scientists have long understood this function. But researchers have recently unveiled that a subunit of this enzyme also has the ability to slam on the breaks to this process.
Holographic displays offer a glimpse into an immersive future
Researchers have invented a new optical element that brings us one step closer to mixing the real and virtual worlds in an ordinary pair of eyeglasses using high-definition 3D holographic images.
How parasites shape complex food webs
A new study sheds light on how parasites, often overlooked, can dramatically affect the balance between predator and prey populations. Researchers developed a groundbreaking mathematical framework that predicts when predators, prey, and parasites can coexist, considering factors like random fluctuations and parasite effects on both populations. This research provides a valuable tool for conservation by helping predict how parasites influence ecosystem resilience and informing strategies to protect vulnerable species.
This salt battery harvests osmotic energy where the river meets the sea
Estuaries -- where freshwater rivers meet the salty sea -- are great locations for birdwatching and kayaking. In these areas, waters containing different salt concentrations mix and may be sources of sustainable, 'blue' osmotic energy. Researchers report creating a semipermeable membrane that harvests osmotic energy from salt gradients and converts it to electricity. The new design had an output power density more than two times higher than commercial membranes in lab demonstrations.
AI tool recognizes serious ocular disease in horses
Researchers have developed a deep learning tool that is capable of reliably diagnosing moon blindness in horses based on photos.
Modeling broader effects of wildfires in Siberia
As wildfires in Siberia become more common, global climate modeling estimates significant impacts on climate, air quality, health, and economies in East Asia and across the northern hemisphere.
Researchers find oldest undisputed evidence of Earth's magnetic field
A new study has recovered a 3.7-billion-year-old record of Earth's magnetic field, and found that it appears remarkably similar to the field surrounding Earth today.
Biophysics: Testing how well biomarkers work
Researchers have developed a method to determine how reliably target proteins can be labeled using super-resolution fluorescence microscopy.
Shoreline model predicts long-term future of storm protection and sea-level rise
Researchers have created a coastal evolution model to analyze how coastal management activities on barrier islands, meant to adapt to sea-level rise, can disrupt natural processes that are keeping the barrier islands above water. Replenishing beaches and clearing over-washed roads may not be the best long term strategy.
High-resolution lidar sees birth zone of cloud droplets
Scientists demonstrated the first-ever remote observations of the fine-scale structure at the base of clouds. The results show that the air-cloud interface is a transition zone where aerosol particles suspended in Earth's atmosphere give rise to the droplets that ultimately form clouds. The research will enable scientists to gain insight into how changes in atmospheric aerosol levels could affect clouds and climate.
Making diamonds at ambient pressure
Researchers have grown diamonds under conditions of 1 atmosphere pressure and at 1025 degrees Celsius using a liquid metal alloy composed of gallium, iron, nickel, and silicon, thus breaking the existing paradigm. The discovery of this new growth method opens many possibilities for further basic science studies and for scaling up the growth of diamonds in new ways.
Eruption of mega-magnetic star lights up nearby galaxy
While ESA's satellite INTEGRAL was observing the sky, it spotted a burst of gamma-rays -- high-energy photons -- coming from the nearby galaxy M82. Only a few hours later, ESA's XMM-Newton X-ray space telescope searched for an afterglow from the explosion but found none. An international team realized that the burst must have been an extra-galactic flare from a magnetar, a young neutron star with an exceptionally strong magnetic field.
A simple 'twist' improves the engine of clean fuel generation
Researchers have found a way to super-charge the 'engine' of sustainable fuel generation -- by giving the materials a little twist. The researchers are developing low-cost light-harvesting semiconductors that power devices for converting water into clean hydrogen fuel, using just the power of the sun. These semiconducting materials, known as copper oxides, are cheap, abundant and non-toxic, but their performance does not come close to silicon, which dominates the semiconductor market.
A novel universal light-based technique to control valley polarization in bulk materials
Scientists report a new method that achieves for the first time valley polarization in centrosymmetric bulk materials in a non-material-specific way. This 'universal technique' may have major applications linked to the control and analysis of different properties for 2D and 3D materials, which can in turn enable the advancement of cutting-edge fields such us information processing and quantum computing.
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago
Bioluminescence first evolved in animals at least 540 million years ago in a group of marine invertebrates called octocorals, according to the results of a new study. The study focuses on an ancient group of marine invertebrates that includes soft corals, pushes back the previous oldest dated example of trait by nearly 300 million years.
Critical minerals recovery from electronic waste
A nontoxic separation process recovers critical minerals from electronic scrap waste.
Asian monsoon lofts ozone-depleting substances to stratosphere
Powerful monsoon winds, strengthened by a warming climate, are lofting unexpectedly large quantities of ozone-depleting substances high into the atmosphere over East Asia, according to new research. The study found that the East Asian Monsoon delivers more than twice the concentration of very short-lived ozone-depleting substances into the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere than previously reported.