ScienceDaily: All - January 16, 2025
Today's top research news
Is eating more red meat bad for your brain?
People who eat more red meat, especially processed red meat like bacon, sausage and bologna, are more likely to have a higher risk of cognitive decline and dementia when compared to those who eat very little red meat, according to a new study.
NASA celebrates Edwin Hubble's discovery of a new universe
For humans, the most important star in the universe is our Sun. The second-most important star is nestled inside the Andromeda galaxy. Don't go looking for it -- the flickering star is 2.2 million light-years away, and is 1/100,000th the brightness of the faintest star visible to the human eye. Yet, a century ago, its discovery by Edwin Hubble opened humanity's eyes as to how large the universe really is, and revealed that our Milky Way galaxy is just one of hundreds of billions of galaxies in the universe ushered in the coming-of-age for humans as a curious species that could scientifically ponder our own creation through the message of starlight.
This quasar may have helped turn the lights on for the universe
Astronomers have detected an intensely brightening and dimming quasar that may help explain how some objects in the early universe grew at a highly accelerated rate. The discovery is the most distant object detected by the NuSTAR X-ray space telescope (which launched in 2012) and stands as one of the most highly 'variable' quasars ever identified.
Super-Earth vs. Sub-Neptune? The winner is Super-Venus!
New observational data and simulation models have confirmed a new type of planet unlike anything found in the Solar System. This provides another piece of the puzzle to understand how planets and planetary systems form.
Not all Hot Jupiters orbit solo
Hot Jupiters are giant planets initially known to orbit alone close to their star. During their migration towards their star, these planets were thought to accrete or eject any other planets present. However, this paradigm has been overturned by recent observations, and the final blow could come from a new study demonstrating the existence of a planetary system, WASP-132, with an unexpected architecture. It not only contains a Hot Jupiter but also an inner Super-Earth and an icy giant planet.
Octopus arms have segmented nervous systems to power extraordinary movements
New research has revealed that the nervous system circuitry that controls arm movement in octopuses is segmented, giving these extraordinary creatures precise control across all eight arms and hundreds of suckers to explore their environment, grasp objects, and capture prey.
Memory systems in the brain drive food cravings that could influence body weight
A research team identified the brain's food-specific memory system and its direct role in overeating and diet-induced obesity. They found a specific population of neurons in the mouse brain that encode memories for sugar and fat, profoundly impacting food intake and body weight.
A team of researchers has succeeded in exploring the limits of the so-called island of stability within the super-heavy nuclides more precisely by measuring the super-heavy rutherfordium-252 nucleus, which is now the shortest-lived known super-heavy nucleus.
From caring touch to cooperative communities
An international research team concludes that gentle touch is not only good for mental health, but also for the evolution of cooperation.
A molecule is shown to produce cognitive improvement in rodents with early Alzheimer's disease
Scientists have come up with a drug that is a potential candidate for tackling memory deficits in the early stages of the disease in rodents. Research shows that the drug activates the cannabinoid neurotransmitter system (which protects the brain), and this stimulates the cholinergic system (which controls memory and learning) by increasing the synthesis of acetylcholine (a neurotransmitter in the brain that controls memory and learning). These results open up a promising therapeutic approach.
Protein shapes can help untangle life's ancient history
The three-dimensional shape of a protein can be used to resolve deep, ancient evolutionary relationships in the tree of life, according to a new study. It is the first time researchers use data from protein shapes and combine it with data from genomic sequences to improve the reliability of evolutionary trees, a critical resource used by the scientific community for understanding the history of life, monitor the spread of pathogens or create new treatments for disease. Crucially, the approach works even with the predicted structures of proteins that have never been experimentally determined. The findings open the door to using the massive amount of structural data being generated by tools like AlphaFold 2 and help open new windows into the ancient history of life on Earth.
New insights into the biology and risk factors of childhood obesity
A cutting-edge molecular approach provides a detailed picture of the biological pathways associated with childhood obesity and metabolic dysfunction, and identifies environmental risk factors during early life.
Three tiny 'stellar-ghost-town' galaxies discovered
By combining data from the DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys and the Gemini South telescope, astronomers have investigated three ultra-faint dwarf galaxies that reside in a region of space isolated from the environmental influence of larger objects. The galaxies, located in the direction of NGC 300, were found to contain only very old stars, supporting the theory that events in the early Universe cut star formation short in the smallest galaxies.
An international team of engineers has developed an innovative, scalable method for creating topography-patterned aluminum surfaces, enhancing liquid transport properties critical for applications in electronics cooling, self-cleaning technologies and anti-icing systems.
The hunt narrows for ebolavirus hosts
Scientists have developed a tool to narrow down potential host species of filoviruses like Ebola and better prioritize wildlife surveillance.
Songbirds socialize on the wing during migration
Evidence from over 18,300 hours of recorded flight calls suggests songbirds may 'talk' to other species as they migrate, forming social connections and -- just maybe -- exchanging information about the journey.
Nord Stream methane spread across the southern Baltic Sea
Methane from the destroyed Nord Stream pipelines spread over a large part of the southern Baltic Sea and remained for several months.
'Perfect storm' of mutations drives infection-triggered autoimmune disease
Researchers have uncovered how chronic hepatitis C infection leads to autoimmune disease, which opens new paths for treatments
Sensor tech and water filtration: Graphene made permeable for ions
A milestone in graphene research: Chemists have succeeded in controlling the passage of halide ions by deliberately introducing defects into a two-layer nanographene system. Their paper shows new perspectives for applications in water filtration or sensor technology.
Detecting hidden genetic relationships in animal populations
Understanding biological relationships is often critical when studying animal populations. Researchers have now developed a transformative approach that identifies stretches of DNA that two individuals inherited from a common ancestor. The team successfully applied their new tool to a free-ranging population of rhesus macaques. The results show that even for low-quality sequencing data, this method can accurately determine relatedness among pairs of individuals, even without prior knowledge of pedigrees within the population. This breakthrough helps to reveal previously unknown pairs of relatives and provides rich insights into population structure in the wild.
Bird flu is mutating, but antivirals still work
Researchers have identified nine mutations in a bird flu strain from a person in Texas. Bad news: this strain is more capable of causing disease and replicates better in the brain. Good news: approved antivirals are still effective.
An international study has identified three psychological profiles associated with different patterns of cognitive and brain decline in aging. The study, which analyzed more than 1,000 middle-aged and older adults, shows that the specific psychological characteristics of each profile may influence the risk of developing dementia, as well as aspects such as the speed of brain decline and sleep quality. These findings open new perspectives for the design of more personalized prevention strategies.
Critical ocean current has not declined in the last 60 years
The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) has not slowed down since the mid-20th century based on the North Atlantic air-sea heat fluxes over that time. This finding contrasts with studies that have estimated a decline in the AMOC, likely because previous studies rely on sea surface temperature measurements to understand how the AMOC has changed. However, sea surface temperature is not a reliable way to reconstruct the AMOC, according to the authors. Although the AMOC has not declined yet, scientists agree that the Atlantic overturning will slow in the future -- but whether the system can collapse entirely and when this collapse would happen is still up for debate. Such a scenario would have catastrophic consequences globally.
Calls to curb invasive species spread via untreated water transfer
Experts are warning of the risks of spreading invasive and non-native species when moving large volumes of untreated lake, reservoir and river water.
Small-scale fisheries essential to global nutrition, livelihoods
Small-scale fisheries play a significant but overlooked role in global fisheries production and are key to addressing hunger and malnutrition while supporting livelihoods around the world, according to new research. The study rigorously quantified how marine and inland small-scale fisheries contribute to aquatic harvests and nutritional and socioeconomic security on a global scale.
How cryogenic microscopy could help strengthen food security
A research team reports on a novel observation of a plant protection mechanism in response to salt stress. The study opens new avenues of research to strengthen food security.
DNA damage can last unrepaired for years, changing our view of mutations
While most known types of DNA damage are fixed by our cells' in-house DNA repair mechanisms, some forms of DNA damage evade repair and can persist for many years, new research shows. This means that the damage has multiple chances to generate harmful mutations, which can lead to cancer.
Could this fundamental discovery revolutionize fertilizer use in farming?
Researchers have discovered a biological mechanism that makes plant roots more welcoming to beneficial soil microbes.
How one brain circuit encodes memories of both places and events
A computational model explains how place cells in the hippocampus can be recruited to form any kind of episodic memory, even when there's no spatial component.
Deep learning designs proteins against deadly snake venom
New proteins not found in nature have now been designed to counteract certain highly poisonous components of snake venom. The deep learning, computational methods for developing these toxin-neutralizing proteins offer hope for creating safer, more cost-effective and more readily available therapeutics than those currently in use. Each year more than 2 million people suffer snakebites. More than 100,000 die, and 300,000 suffer disabling complications.
Ancient genomes reveal an Iron Age society centred on women
A groundbreaking study finds evidence that land was inherited through the female line in Iron Age Britain, with husbands moving to live with their wife's community. This is believed to be the first time such a system has been documented in European prehistory.
Scientists identify new epigenetic approach to target colorectal cancer
A little-known mouse protein disrupts cancer-causing chemical changes to genes associated with human colorectal cancer cells and potentially could be used to treat solid tumors, according to a new study.
The article is mostly about processed pork. You have a photo of a piece of raw beef.