ScienceDaily: All - July 19, 2024
Today's top research news
Tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte therapy marks a milestone in cancer treatment
Scientists provide a comprehensive overview of the evolution and potential of TIL therapy. They describe its development and highlight its transformative potential.
How pollution may remain in water after oil spill cleanups
The way oil drops break up at the water's surface means some oil may not get cleaned up after a spill.
Solar farms with stormwater controls mitigate runoff, erosion, study finds
As the number of major utility-scale ground solar panel installations grows, concerns about their impacts on natural hydrologic processes also have grown. However, a new study by Penn State researchers suggests that excess runoff or increased erosion can be easily mitigated -- if these 'solar farms' are properly built.
Hundreds of new genome sequences fill gaps in the fruit fly tree of life
A multitude of new genomic sequence data fills major gaps in the fruit fly tree of life, researchers report.
Genetic study highlights importance of diversity in understanding health disparities
Researchers conduct large-scale studies with diverse groups to better understand the genetic factors that influence health and disease. The Million Veteran Program (MVP), for example, includes people from various backgrounds along with their detailed health records. A new study analyzed genetic data from 635,969 veterans and 2,069 traits and identified a total of 26,049 associations between specific genetic variants and various traits or health conditions.
Want privacy? You're just a stick figure to this camera
A new camera could prevent companies from collecting embarrassing and identifiable photos and videos from devices like smart home cameras and robotic vacuums. It's called PrivacyLens.
Image: Oleg_Yakovlev/Shutterstock.com
Unhealthy sleep linked to diabetes in a diverse population
Persistently unhealthy sleep, either not enough or too much, is associated with a significantly increased risk of Type 2 diabetes in a racially and economically diverse adult population, an international team of researchers has reported.
Your therapist wants you to go outside
A meta-analysis of existing research shows exposure to nature, even as little as 10 minutes, could benefit those with diagnosed mental illness.
Exoplanet-hunting telescope to begin search for another Earth in 2026
Europe's next big space mission -- a telescope that will hunt for Earth-like rocky planets outside of our solar system -- is on course to launch at the end of 2026. PLATO, or PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars, is being built to find nearby potentially habitable worlds around Sun-like stars that we can examine in detail.
Rural belts around cities can reduce urban summer temperatures by up to 0.5°C
The key to cooling 'urban heat islands' may lie in the countryside, according to a new study.
Small animals acquire genes from bacteria that can produce antibiotics
A group of small, freshwater animals (bdelloid rotifers) protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes 'stolen' from bacteria, according to new research. This raises the potential that rotifers are producing novel antimicrobials that may be less toxic to animals, including humans, than those we develop from bacteria and fungi.
Unexpected role of OTX2 drives aggressive medulloblastoma
Researchers revealed an unexpected way in which the protein OTX2 drives the progression of medulloblastoma -- the most common aggressive childhood brain cancer. The findings suggest that targeting OTX2 or its effects can have therapeutic relevance.
Study shows new efficiency standards for heavy trucks could boost energy use
A new study suggests that the U.S. government's push to increase heavy-duty trucks' energy efficiency could encourage more shipping by truck instead of rail, reducing the policies' anticipated effectiveness by 20%.
Minerals play newly discovered role in Earth's phosphorus cycle
Plants and microbes are known to secrete enzymes to transform organic phosphorus into bioavailable inorganic phosphorus. Now, researchers found that iron oxide in soil performs the same transformation. Discovery is important for food security, which requires phosphorus as a crop fertilizer.
Another intermediate-mass black hole discovered at the center of our galaxy
So far, only about ten intermediate-mass black holes have been discovered in the entire universe. The newly identified black hole causes surrounding stars in a cluster to move in an unexpectedly orderly way.
Novel electrode for improving flowless zinc-bromine battery
The flowless zinc-bromine battery (FLZBB) is a promising alternative to flammable lithium-ion batteries due to its use of non-flammable electrolytes. However, it suffers from self-discharge due to the crossover of active materials, generated at the positive graphite felt (GF) electrode, to the negative electrode, significantly affecting performance. Now, researchers have developed a novel nitrogen-doped mesoporous carbon-coated GF electrode that effectively suppresses self-discharge. This breakthrough can lead to practical applications of FLZBB in energy storage systems.
Analyzing internal world models of humans, animals and AI
Researchers have developed a new formal description of internal world models, thereby enabling interdisciplinary research. Internal world models help to make predictions about new situations based on previous experience and to help find one's bearings. The new formalized view helps to compare world models of humans, animals and AI and to eliminate deficits.
Using AI to scrutinize, validate theories on animal evolution
By harnessing the power of machine learning, researchers have constructed a framework for analyzing what factors most significantly contribute to a species' genetic diversity.
OptoGPT for improving solar cells, smart windows, telescopes and more
Solar cell, telescope and other optical component manufacturers may be able to design better devices more quickly with AI.
Secrets behind viral precision
New research is shedding light on how viruses ensure their survival by precisely timing the release of new viruses. The discovery offers a new theoretical framework for understanding these dynamic biological phenomena.
Groundcherry gets genetic upgrades: Turning a garden curiosity into an agricultural powerhouse
Imagine a small fruit that tastes like a cross between a tomato and a pineapple, wrapped in its own natural paper lantern. That's the groundcherry (Physalis grisea) -- a little-known relative of tomatoes that's been quietly growing in gardens and small farms across North America for centuries. Now, this humble fruit is getting a 21st-century upgrade thanks to some cutting-edge genetic research.
Can doomscrolling trigger an existential crisis?
In a new study on the impact of doomscrolling from an existential perspective, researchers warn that habitual checking of disturbing stories on social media is linked with changes to how we view humankind and the meaning of life.
PEPITEM -- a novel protective agent for 'inflammageing'
A naturally occurring peptide called PEPITEM could potentially rejuvenate the immune response in older individuals and protect against 'inflammageing', which is widely believed to be the root cause of many age-related diseases. A study raises the exciting possibility of a protective agent that could dampen age-related inflammation and restore normal immune function in older adults.