ScienceDaily: All - January 08, 2025
Today's top research news
Your work habits may be threatening your sleep
Ketamine use on the rise in U.S. adults; new trends emerge
According to a new study, ketamine use has risen significantly since 2015. The results highlight the need for closer monitoring of recreational ketamine use.
DNA adds new chapter to Indonesia's layered human history
A new study has outlined the first genomic evidence of early migration from New Guinea into the Wallacea, an archipelago containing Timor-Leste and hundreds of inhabited eastern Indonesian islands.
A newly described dinosaur whose fossils were recently uncovered is challenging the existing narrative, with evidence that the reptiles were present in the northern hemisphere millions of years earlier than previously known.
Fishy business: Male medaka mating limits revealed
Researchers have uncovered a daily mating capacity for medaka, providing important insights into the relationship between the cost of gamete production and sexual selection.
How our cells dispose of waste and ways to control it
Cells degrade components that are no longer needed through autophagy. New results show that a weak molecular interaction is essential for this process. By modifying this interaction, it is possible to artificially trigger autophagy, which could then enable the degradation of deposits in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, or support cancer therapies.
New research reveals groundwater pathways across continent
Researchers have created a simulation that maps underground water on a continental scale. The result of three years' work studying groundwater from coast to coast, the findings plot the unseen path that each raindrop or melted snowflake takes before reemerging in freshwater streams, following water from land surface to depths far below and back up again, emerging up to 100 miles away, after spending from 10 to 100,000 years underground.
Integrating historic data stands to improve climate models in the Global South
Researchers have devised a way to improve the accuracy of climate change models for the Global South by integrating historical records kept by missionaries and other visitors.
Study challenges traditional risk factors for brain health in the oldest-old
A study has found cardiovascular conditions such as high blood pressure and diabetes, which are known to contribute to brain blood vessel damage in younger populations, not to be associated with an increased risk of such harm in individuals 90 and older.
Earth's air war: Explaining the delayed rise of plants, animals on land
If you like the smell of spring roses, the sounds of summer birdsong, and the colors of fall foliage, you have the stabilization of the ozone layer to thank for it. Located in the stratosphere, where it shields the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, the ozone layer plays a key role in preserving the planet's biodiversity. And now we may have a better idea of why that took so long -- more than 2 billion years -- to happen. According to a new study, Earth's early atmosphere hosted a 'battle royale' between iodine and oxygen -- effectively delaying the creation of a stable ozone layer that would shield complex life from much of the sun's ultraviolet radiation (UVR). The new theory may solve a mystery that has puzzled scientists for hundreds of years.
Smart food drying techniques with AI enhance product quality and efficiency
Food drying is a common process for preserving many types of food, including fruits and meat; however, drying can alter the food's quality and nutritional value. In recent years, researchers have developed precision techniques that use optical sensors and AI to facilitate more efficient drying. A new study discusses three emerging smart drying techniques, providing practical information for the food industry.
Predicting the progression of autoimmune disease with AI
Knowing who may progress along the disease pathway is critical for early diagnosis and intervention, improved treatment and better disease management, according to a team that has developed a new method to predict the progression of autoimmune disease among those with preclinical symptoms. The team used artificial intelligence (AI) to analyze data from electronic health records and large genetic studies of people with autoimmune disease to come up with a risk prediction score. When compared to existing models, this methodology was between 25% and 1,000% more accurate in determining whose symptoms would move to advanced disease.
Trash to treasure: Leveraging industrial waste to store energy
As more products begin to depend on battery-based energy storage systems, shifting away from metal-based solutions will be critical to facilitating the green energy transition. Now, a team has transformed an organic industrial-scale waste product into an efficient storage agent for sustainable energy solutions that can one day be applied at much larger scales.
Advancements in neural implant research enhance durability
Neural implants contain integrated circuits (ICs) -- commonly called chips -- built on silicon. These implants need to be small and flexible to mimic circumstances inside the human body. However, the environment within the body is corrosive, which raises concerns about the durability of implantable silicon ICs. A team of researchers address this challenge by studying the degradation mechanisms of silicon ICs in the body and by coating them with soft PDMS elastomers to form body-fluid barriers that offer long-term protection to implantable chips. These findings not only enhance the longevity of implantable ICs but also significantly broaden their applications in the biomedical field.
Pluto-Charon formation scenario mimics Earth-Moon system
A researcher has used advanced models that indicate that the formation of Pluto and Charon may parallel that of the Earth-Moon system. Both systems include a moon that is a large fraction of the size of the main body, unlike other moons in the solar system. The scenario also could support Pluto's active geology and possible subsurface ocean, despite its location at the frozen edge of the solar system.
Scientists advance nanobody technology to combat deadly Ebola virus
Ebola virus, one of the deadliest pathogens, has a fatality rate of about 50%, posing a serious threat to global health and safety. To address this challenge, researchers have developed the first nanobody-based inhibitors targeting the Ebola virus.
Study shows head trauma may activate latent viruses, leading to neurodegeneration
Researchers have uncovered mechanisms that may link head injuries and concussions to the emergence of neurodegenerative disease, pointing to latent viruses lurking in most of our brains that may be activated by the jolt, leading to inflammation and accumulating damage over time. The results suggest the use of antiviral drugs as potential early preventive treatments post-head injury.
Developing printable droplet laser displays
Researchers have developed an innovative method for rapidly creating laser light sources in large quantities using an inkjet printer that ejects laser-emitting droplets. By applying an electric field to these droplets, the researchers demonstrated that switching the emission of light on and off is possible. Furthermore, they successfully created a compact laser display by arranging these droplets on a circuit board.
Canceling effect of genetics and environmental changes on bacterial growth
Researchers conducted a high-throughput growth assay and machine learning to address the genetic and environmental interplay on bacterial growth. The findings indicated that the environmental chemicals affecting growth have varying impacts, depending on the amount of sugar present. Moreover, the research team demonstrated that the changes in growth caused by the genetic and environmental changes offset each other.
Smarter memory: Next-generation RAM with reduced energy consumption
Researchers have developed a technology for voltage-controlled magnetization switching, which has the potential to be implemented in next-generation computational memory. This advanced technology enables low-energy data writing operations with non-volatility, making it scalable for future applications that require stable and reliable memory.
Reducing irrigation for livestock feed crops is needed to save Great Salt Lake, study argues
The Great Salt Lake has lost more than 15 billion cubic yards of water over the past three decades, is getting shallower at the rate of 4 inches a year, and an analysis of its water budget suggests reducing irrigation is necessary for saving it.
Revolutionizing data centers: Breakthrough in photonic switching
Engineers created a smaller, faster and more efficient photonic switch, which leverages principles from quantum mechanics and could accelerate everything from streaming to training AI by supercharging data centers.
Method can detect harmful salts forming in nuclear waste melters
A new way to identify salts in nuclear waste melters could help improve clean-up technology, including at the Hanford Site, one of the largest, most complex nuclear waste clean-up sites in the world. Researchers used two detectors to find thin layers of sulfate, chloride and fluoride salts during vitrification, a nuclear waste storage process that involves converting the waste into glass. The formation of salts can be problematic for waste processing and storage.