ScienceDaily: All - December 14, 2023
Today's top research news
A new study of the remains of prehistoric and modern African antelopes found that AI technology accurately identified animals more than 90% of the time compared to humans, who had much lower accuracy rates depending on the expert.
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AI study reveals individuality of tongue's surface
Artificial Intelligence (AI) and 3D images of the human tongue have revealed that the surface of our tongues are unique to each of us, new findings suggest. The results offer an unprecedented insight into the biological make-up of our tongue's surface and how our sense of taste and touch differ from person to person.
Do you celebrate your birthday in the same month as your mum? If so, you are not alone. The phenomenon occurs more commonly than expected -- a new study of millions of families has revealed.Â
Viking dentistry was surprisingly advanced
Widespread caries and toothache -- but also some dental work and filing of front teeth. Viking Age teeth from Varnhem bear witness to surprisingly advanced dentistry.
Unexpected chemistry reveals cosmic star factories´ secrets
Two galaxies in the early universe, which contain extremely productive star factories, have been studied by a team of scientists. Using powerful telescopes to split the galaxies' light into individual colors, the scientists were amazed to discover light from many different molecules -- more than ever before at such distances. Studies like this could revolutionize our understanding of the lives of the most active galaxies when the universe was young, the researchers believe.
People, not the climate, caused the decline of the giant mammals
For years, scientists have debated whether humans or the climate have caused the population of large mammals to decline dramatically over the past several thousand years. A new study from Aarhus University confirms that climate cannot be the explanation.
Tiniest free-floating brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are objects that straddle the dividing line between stars and planets. They form like stars, growing dense enough to collapse under their own gravity, but they never become dense and hot enough to begin fusing hydrogen and turn into a star. At the low end of the scale, some brown dwarfs are comparable with giant planets, weighing just a few times the mass of Jupiter.
This adaptive roof tile can cut both heating and cooling costs
In a new study, researchers present an adaptive tile, which when deployed in arrays on roofs, can lower heating bills in winter and cooling bills in summer, without the need for electronics.
Beef farming that keeps cattle on lifelong grass diets may have higher carbon footprint
Beef operations that keep cattle on lifelong grass-based diets may have an overall higher carbon footprint than those that switch cattle to grain-based diets partway through their lives, according to new findings.
Yoga nidra might be a path to better sleep and improved memory
Practicing yoga nidra -- a kind of mindfulness training -- might improve sleep, cognition, learning, and memory, even in novices, according to a pilot study. After a two-week intervention with a cohort of novice practitioners, the researchers found that the percentage of delta-waves in deep sleep increased and that all tested cognitive abilities improved.
Earliest evidence for domestic yak found using both archaeology, ancient DNA
The high-altitude hero of the Himalayas, yak are among the few large animals that can survive the extremely cold, harsh and oxygen-poor conditions of the Tibetan Plateau. In the mountainous regions of Asia, yak and yak-cattle hybrids serve as vital sources of meat, milk, transportation and fuel. However, little is known about their history: when or where yak were domesticated. In a new study, researchers report archaeologically and genetically confirmed evidence for domestic yak, dating back 2,500 years, by far the oldest record. Â
Deep neural networks show promise as models of human hearing
In the largest study yet of deep neural networks trained to perform auditory tasks, researchers found most of these models generate internal representations that share properties of representations seen in the human brain when people are listening to the same sounds.
Study presents new pathway for electrochemically controlling ion selectivity
A new study advances fundamental knowledge about the role of solvation in ion binding and presents a new pathway for electrochemically controlling ion selectivity.
Poor diet quality during adolescence is linked to serious health risks
Diet quality among adolescents in the United States is among the worst across all age groups, putting young people at risk for heart attack, stroke, and diabetes, among other cardiometabolic diseases later in life, according to a new study. The research used the Healthy Eating Index-2015 and medical testing to assess a group of youth aged 10-16 years.
Unique cell-based approach for pulmonary arterial hypertension shown to be safe
Infusions of potentially therapeutic cells derived from the heart are safe for people with pulmonary arterial hypertension, a form of high blood pressure that occurs in the blood vessels of the lungs and typically affects middle-aged women, according to a new study.
Researchers create stable hybrid laser by 3D printing micro-optics onto fibers
For the first time, researchers have shown that 3D-printed polymer-based micro-optics can withstand the heat and power levels that occur inside a laser. The advance enables inexpensive compact and stable laser sources that would be useful in a variety of applications, including the lidar systems used for autonomous vehicles.