ScienceDaily: All - December 22, 2024
Today's top research news
Can the heart heal itself? New study says it can
Physician-scientists found that a subset of artificial heart patients can regenerate heart muscle, which may open the door to new ways to treat and perhaps someday cure heart failure.
Image: Lupita Rojas Solis/Shutterstock.com
A study introduces a novel thermodynamic concept called the 'centotectic' and investigates the stability of liquids in extreme conditions -- critical information for determining the habitability of icy moons like Europa.
Researchers take 'significant leap forward' with quantum simulation of molecular electron transfer
Researchers have made a meaningful advance in the simulation of molecular electron transfer -- a fundamental process underpinning countless physical, chemical and biological processes. The study details the use of a trapped-ion quantum simulator to model electron transfer dynamics with unprecedented tunability, unlocking new opportunities for scientific exploration in fields ranging from molecular electronics to photosynthesis.
Breakthrough new material brings affordable, sustainable future within grasp
Researchers have developed a new material for sodium-ion batteries, sodium vanadium phosphate, that delivers higher voltage and greater energy capacity than previous sodium-based materials. This breakthrough could make sodium-ion batteries a more efficient and affordable alternative to lithium-ion, using a more abundant and cost-effective resource.
Microscopic discovery in cancer cells could have a big impact
Scientists have uncovered new details about the mechanism behind cancer progression. Researchers explored the influence the mechanical stiffening of the tumor cell's environment may have on the structure and function of the nucleus.
Study reveals right whales live 130 years -- or more
New research reveals that right whales can survive for more than 130 years -- almost twice as long as previously understood.
Research points the way to lifesaving antiparasitic drugs while unlocking a scientific mystery
A breakthrough in understanding how a single-cell parasite makes ergosterol (its version of cholesterol) could lead to more effective drugs for human leishmaniasis, a parasitic disease that afflicts about 1 million people and kills about 30,000 people around the world every year.
Researchers discover replication hubs for human norovirus
Combining bioinformatics and experimetal approaches, researchers have discovered replication hubs for human norovirus, the leading cause of viral gastroenteritis accounting for an estimated 685 million cases and approximately 212,000 deaths globally per year. The findings could lead to designing antiviral drugs to prevent, control or treat these serious infections.
Tiny, wireless antennas use light to monitor cellular communication
Researchers developed a biosensing technique that eliminates the need for wires. Instead, tiny, wireless antennas use light to detect minute electrical signals in the solution around them.
Geothermal aquifers offer green potential but quality checks required
A research team has revealed that to use the aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system safely over the long term it is crucial to investigate the groundwater quality before operating the system and to continuously monitor the water quality.
Paving the way for the future of energy storage with solid-state batteries
Advances in solid-state battery research are paving the way for safer, longer-lasting energy storage solutions. A recent review highlights breakthroughs in inorganic solid electrolytes and their role in improving battery performance. The study also addresses key challenges, such as interfacial compatibility, while proposing innovative strategies for next-generation battery technologies.
Programming cells: Revolutionizing genetic circuits with cutting-edge RNA tools
Researchers have developed a new technology that improves the precision and integration density of synthetic genetic circuits.
A tropical disease in Switzerland: Call for coordinated action on Chagas disease
Researchers conducted a comprehensive review of Chagas disease in Switzerland. Although typically found in Latin America, Chagas disease affects between 2,000 and 4,000 people in Switzerland. The review underscores the need for improved screening and healthcare strategies to eliminate Chagas disease in Switzerland.
Water and gruel -- not bread: Discovering the diet of early Neolithic farmers in Scandinavia
At a Neolithic settlement on the Danish island Funen dating back 5,500 years, archaeologists have discovered both grinding stones and grains from early cereals. However, new research reveals that the inhabitants did not use the stones to grind the cereal grains. Instead of making bread, they likely prepared porridge or gruel from the grains.
Dark energy 'doesn't exist' so can't be pushing 'lumpy' Universe apart
One of the biggest mysteries in science -- dark energy -- doesn't actually exist, according to researchers looking to solve the riddle of how the Universe is expanding. For the past 100 years, physicists have generally assumed that the cosmos is growing equally in all directions. They employed the concept of dark energy as a placeholder to explain unknown physics they couldn't understand, but the contentious theory has always had its problems. Now a team of physicists and astronomers are challenging the status quo, using improved analysis of supernovae light curves to show that the Universe is expanding in a more varied, 'lumpier' way.
AI may help researchers with medical chart review, study finds
Researchers trained a large language model to read medical charts, looking for signs that kids with ADHD received the right follow-up care when using new medications.
Growing safer spuds: Removing toxins from potatoes
Scientists have discovered a way to remove toxic compounds from potatoes and tomatoes, making them safer to eat and easier to store. The breakthrough could cut food waste and enhance crop farming in extreme environments, like outer space.
Poor vascular health accelerates brain aging
Using an AI tool, researchers have analyzed brain images from 70-year-olds and estimated their brains' biological age. They found that factors detrimental to vascular health, such as inflammation and high glucose levels, are associated with an older-looking brain, while healthy lifestyles were linked to brains with a younger appearance.
Breakthrough study set to change how osteosarcomas are diagnosed and treated
Researchers have been able to identify at least three distinct subtypes of a rare type of bone cancer for the first time, which could transform clinical trials and patient care.
Dripstones offer insights into climate dynamics in Europe
Investigations into precipitation patterns in eastern Central Europe since the end of the last ice age have shown that dynamic processes in atmospheric circulation, such as the North Atlantic jet stream, influence regional changes in precipitation. The researchers analyzed dripstones from caves in Romania, which act as a natural climate archive that allows conclusions to be drawn about precipitation variability over a period of approximately 20,000 years.
ESA and NASA satellites deliver first joint picture of Greenland Ice Sheet melting
Scientists have delivered the first measurements of Greenland Ice Sheet thickness change using data from ESA and NASA ice satellite missions. With global warming causing the Greenland Ice Sheet to melt and flow more rapidly, raising sea levels and disturbing weather patterns across our planet, precise measurements of its changing shape are of critical importance for tracking and adapting to the effects of climate warming.
AI may help researchers with medical chart review
Researchers trained a large language model to read medical charts, looking for signs that kids with ADHD received the right follow-up care when using new medications.
Integrating GABA and dopamine signals to regulate meal initiation
When you are feeling hungry, the brain takes the necessary steps toward consuming a meal. Many of these steps are not well known, but a new study reveals brain circuits and chemical messengers that contribute to the regulation of meal initiation and food intake. The findings have implications for the development of improved therapies to manage obesity, a worldwide epidemic.
AI-driven approach reveals hidden hazards of chemical mixtures in rivers
Artificial intelligence can provide critical insights into how complex mixtures of chemicals in rivers affect aquatic life -- paving the way for better environmental protection.
New findings point to an opportunity to improve therapies that use small RNAs to silence disease-causing genes, potentially including those involved in cancer.
We know a lot about how much fossil-derived carbon is emitted to the atmosphere but less about how much is stored in human-made products. Ecological economists estimate that each year, humans add around 400 million tons of fossil carbon to long-lasting products such as plastics, buildings, and human infrastructure. Although these products could be considered a 'carbon sink,' proper waste management is essential to prevent them from becoming environmental hazards.
First demonstration of quantum teleportation over busy Internet cables
Quantum teleportation could provide near-instant communication over long distances. But, inside Internet cables, photons needed for teleportation are lost within the millions of light particles required for classical communications. A new study quantified light scattering to find exact areas to place photons to keep them safe from other particles. The approach successfully worked in experiments carrying regular Internet traffic.
Pollinators most vulnerable to rising global temperatures are flies, study shows
Despite their reputation as buzzing nuisances, flies serve a critical role as some of the Earth's most prolific pollinators -- and new research suggests they are increasingly at risk due to rising global temperatures.
Large Hadron Collider regularly makes magic
A brotherly research duo has discovered that when the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) produces top quarks -- the heaviest known fundamental particles -- it regularly creates a property known as magic.
Clever trick to cook stars like Christmas pudding detected for first time
Researchers have found evidence of magnetic fields associated with a disc of gas and dust a few hundred light-years across deep inside a system of two merging galaxies known as Arp220. They say these regions could be the key to making the centres of interacting galaxies just right for cooking lots of hydrogen gas into young stars.
Getting rehab earlier improves concussion outcomes
People who suffer from continued symptoms of concussion should seek a referral to physical therapy as soon as possible, new research suggests.
Potential culprit identified in lingering Crohn's disease symptoms
A study may explain why some patients with Crohn's disease continue to experience symptoms, even in the absence of inflammation.
A research team examined the atomic composition of enamel samples from two human teeth.
Changes in store for atmospheric rivers
Communities up and down the West Coast of the United States can expect atmospheric rivers to evolve as the climate warms. But residents in Southern California will see much different changes than residents in more northerly locations like Seattle
First results from 2021 rocket launch shed light on aurora's birth
Scientist have begun to reveal the particle-level processes that create the type of auroras that dance rapidly across the sky. The Kinetic-scale Energy and momentum Transport experiment -- KiNET-X -- lifted off from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on May 16, 2021, in the final minutes of the final night of the nine-day launch window.
Patience isn't a virtue; it's a coping mechanism
Impatience, studies of more than 1,200 people found, is the emotion people feel when they face a delay that seems unfair, unreasonable, or inappropriate -- like a traffic jam outside of rush hour, or a meeting that should have ended 15 minutes ago. Patience is the form of emotion regulation we use to cope with those feelings of impatience.
New molecule-creation method a 'powerful tool' to accelerate drug synthesis and discovery
A team of chemists has unveiled a novel method to simplify the synthesis of piperidines, a key structural component in many pharmaceuticals. The study combines biocatalytic carbon-hydrogen oxidation and radical cross-coupling, offering a streamlined and cost-effective approach to create complex, three-dimensional molecules. This innovation could help accelerate drug discovery and enhance the efficiency of medicinal chemistry.
Machine psychology: A bridge to general AI?
Artificial intelligence that is as intelligent as humans may become possible thanks to psychological learning models, combined with certain types of AI.