ScienceDaily: All - June 13, 2024
Today's top research news
Pacific coast gray whales have gotten 13% shorter in the past 20-30 years, Oregon State study finds
Gray whales that spend their summers feeding in the shallow waters off the Pacific Northwest coast have undergone a significant decline in body length since around the year 2000, a new study found.
Image: Tharuka Photographer/Shutterstock.com
Western agricultural communities need water conservation strategies to adapt to future shortages
The Western U.S. is heavily reliant on mountain snowpacks and their gradual melt for water storage and supply, and climate change is expected to upend the reliability of this natural process. Many agricultural communities in this part of the country are examining ways to adapt to a future with less water, and new research shows that a focus on supplementing water supply by expanding reservoir capacity won't be enough to avert future water crises.
Does having a child with low birth weight increase a person's risk of dementia?
People who give birth to infants less than 5.5 pounds may be more likely to have memory and thinking problems later in life than people who give birth to infants who do not have a low birth weight, according to a new study. The effect on memory and thinking skills was equivalent to one to two years of aging for those with low-birth-weight deliveries.
Depressive symptoms in young adults linked to thinking, memory problems in midlife
People who experience prolonged depressive symptoms starting in young adulthood may have worse thinking and memory skills in middle age, according to a new study. The study also found that depressive symptoms were experienced more often by Black adults than white adults.
Exposure to heat and cold in early life may affect development of white matter in the brain
Brain scans of more than 2,000 preadolescents suggests that early life exposure to heat and cold may have lasting effects on the microstructure of white matter in the brain, especially when living in poorer neighborhoods. The study highlights the vulnerability of fetuses and children to extreme temperatures.
NASA's Roman mission gets cosmic 'sneak peek' from supercomputers
Researchers used supercomputers to create nearly 4 million simulated images depicting the cosmos.
Swimming microrobots deliver cancer-fighting drugs to metastatic lung tumors in mice
Engineers have developed microscopic robots, known as microrobots, capable of swimming through the lungs to deliver cancer-fighting medication directly to metastatic tumors. This approach has shown promise in mice, where it inhibited the growth and spread of tumors that had metastasized to the lungs, thereby boosting survival rates compared to control treatments.
Mobile monitoring for an airborne carcinogen in Louisiana's 'Cancer Alley'
Louisiana's southeastern corridor is sometimes known colloquially as 'Cancer Alley' for its high cancer incidence rates connected to industrial air pollution. Most of the region's air pollution-related health risks are attributed to ethylene oxide, a volatile compound used to make plastics and sterilize medical equipment. Researchers measured concerning levels of ethylene oxide in this area with mobile optical instruments, a technique they say could improve health risk assessments.
What the geologic record reveals about how oceans were oxygenated 2.3 billion years ago
Geochemists used thallium isotopes to track the rise and fall of free oxygen on Earth between 2.5 and 2.2 billion years ago, the process that enabled life as we know it.
Putting the brakes on chronic inflammation
Scientists have discovered a previously unknown link between two key pathways that regulate the immune system in mammals -- a finding that impacts our understanding of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This family of disorders severely impacts the health and quality of life of more than 2 million people in the United States.
Laser tests reveal new insights into key mineral for super-Earths
Scientists have for the first time observed how atoms in magnesium oxide morph and melt under ultra-harsh conditions, providing new insights into this key mineral within Earth's mantle that is known to influence planet formation.
To heal skin, scientists invent living bioelectronics
Engineers have created a patch that combines sensors and bacteria to interact with the body.
Researchers leverage inkjet printing to make a portable multispectral 3D camera
Researchers have used inkjet printing to create a compact multispectral version of a light field camera. The camera, which fits in the palm of the hand, could be useful for many applications including autonomous driving, classification of recycled materials and remote sensing.
Scientists adapt astronomy method to unblur microscopy images
Researchers have adapted a class of techniques employed in astronomy to unblur images of far-away galaxies for use in the life sciences, providing biologists with a faster and cheaper way to get clearer and sharper microscopy images.
Metal alloys that can take the heat
Complex metal alloys enter a new era of predictive design for aerospace and other high-temperature applications.
Robot radiotherapy could improve treatments for eye disease
Researchers have successfully used a new robot system to improve treatment for debilitating eye disease.
Quantum dots and metasurfaces: Deep connections in the nano world
A team has developed printable, highly efficient light-emitting metasurfaces.
A mountainous mystery uncovered in Australia's pink sands
Deposits of deep-pink sand washing up on South Australian shores shed new light on when the Australian tectonic plate began to subduct beneath the Pacific plate, as well as the presence of previously unknown ancient Antarctic mountains.
Towards a new era in flexible piezoelectric sensors for both humans and robots
Flexible piezoelectric sensors are essential to monitor the motions of both humans and humanoid robots. However, existing designs are either are costly or have limited sensitivity. In a recent study, researchers tackled these issues by developing a novel piezoelectric composite material made from electrospun polyvinylidene fluoride nanofibers combined with dopamine. Sensors made from this material showed significant performance and stability improvements at a low cost, promising advancements in medicine, healthcare, and robotics.
AI better detects prostate cancer on MRI than radiologists
AI detects prostate cancer more often than radiologists. Additionally, AI triggers false alarms half as often. This was a large-scale study where an international team transparently evaluated and compared AI with radiologist assessments and clinical outcomes.
Breakthrough in next-generation memory technology!
Scientists maximize the efficiency of hafnia-based ferroelectric memory devices.
Age is just a number: Immune cell 'epigenetic clock' ticks independently of organism lifespan
Researchers use epigenetic clock, DNA methylation and mouse model to demonstrate that T cell proliferation can stretch past organism lifespan and acuta lymphoblastic leukemia T cells appear hundreds of years old.
Site new care homes near trees and away from busy roads to protect residents' lungs
To shield older residents from dangerous air pollution, new care homes should be built as far from heavy traffic as possible, according to a new study.
Cocaine trafficking threatens critical bird habitats
In addition to its human consequences, cocaine trafficking harms the environment and threatens habitats important to dozens of species of migratory birds, according to a new study.
Humans are the elephant in the room where conservation is debated
Studies working to map conservation historically have left humans out of the equation. This study proposes ways to build in the outsized footprint created by people in wild places.
No bones about it: 100-million-year-old bones reveal new species of pterosaur
New research has identified 100-million-year-old fossilized bones discovered in western Queensland as belonging to a newly identified species of pterosaur, which was a formidable flying reptile that lived among the dinosaurs.
Uncovering the nature of emergent magnetic monopoles
To understand the unique physical phenomena associated with the properties of magnetic hedgehogs and antihedgehogs, which behave as virtual magnetic monopoles and antimonopoles respectively, it is essential to study their intrinsic excitations. In a new study, researchers revealed the dynamical nature of collective excitation modes in hedgehog lattices in itinerant chiral magnets. Their findings serve as the foundation for studying the dynamics of emergent magnetic monopoles in magnets.
Are plants intelligent? It depends on the definition
Goldenrod can perceive other plants nearby without ever touching them, by sensing far-red light ratios reflected off leaves. When goldenrod is eaten by herbivores, it adapts its response based on whether or not another plant is nearby. Is this kind of flexible, real-time, adaptive response a sign of intelligence in plants?
Nasal microbiota is potential diagnostic biomarker for sepsis
A new study shows that analyzing nasal microbiota outperforms gut microbiota analysis to predict sepsis in the ICU.
Boosting CAR-T cell therapies from under the skin
CAR-T cell therapies are transforming the treatment of previously incurable blood cancers, but a large proportion of patients still responds only poorly or not at all to them, calling for new strategies to overcome this challenge. Now, a research team has developed a simple intervention in the form of a biodegradable scaffold material called 'T-cell enhancing scaffolds' (TES) that can be locally injected under the skin and used to restimulate CAR-T cells after their administration. This increased their therapeutic efficacy and significantly curbed tumor growth and prolonged animal survival in an aggressive mouse lymphoma model.
An AI-powered wearable system tracks the 3D movement of smart pills in the gut
Scientists have developed an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered system to track tiny devices that monitor markers of disease in the gut. Devices using the novel system may help at-risk individuals monitor their gastrointestinal (GI) tract health at home, without the need for invasive tests in hospital settings.
A mother's contribution to the makeup of a newborn baby's microbiota has been well documented. Now a new article shows the important contributions that fathers make to the composition of microorganisms colonizing a baby's gut as well. Furthermore, the study confirmed that maternal fecal microbiota transfer (FMT) in babies born by caesarean section can help to correct the microbiota disturbances often observed in babies who are not born vaginally.
AI-powered simulation training improves human performance in robotic exoskeletons
Researchers have demonstrated a new method that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) and computer simulations to train robotic exoskeletons to autonomously help users save energy while walking, running and climbing stairs.
New technique reveals earliest signs of genetic mutations
Mutations are changes in the molecular 'letters' that make up the DNA code, the blueprint for all living cells. Some of these changes can have little effect, but others can lead to diseases, including cancer. Now, a new study introduces an original technique, called HiDEF-seq, that can accurately detect the early molecular changes in DNA code that precede mutations.
Researchers have reconstructed the evolutionary history and global spread of malaria over the past 5,500 years, identifying trade, warfare, and colonialism as major catalysts for its dispersal.
Ritual sacrifice at Chichén Itzá
Rising to power in the wake of the Classic Maya collapse, Chich n Itz was among the largest and most influential cities of the ancient Maya, but much about its political connections and ritual life remain poorly understood. Close kin relationships, including two pairs of identical twins, suggests a connection to the Maya origin myths of the Popol Vuh. Further comparison to Maya populations today reveals the genetic impact of colonial-era epidemics.
Just thinking about a location activates mental maps in the brain
Researchers found that mental representations known as cognitive maps, located in the hippocampus and entorhinal cortex, are activated when the brain performs mental simulations of a navigational route.
Obesity-cancer connection discovery suggests strategies for improving immunotherapy
Immune system cells called macrophages play an unexpected role in the complicated connection between obesity and cancer. The findings provide a mechanistic explanation for how obesity can contribute to both increased cancer risk and enhanced responses to immunotherapy.
Smartwatches offer window into Parkinson's disease progression
New research adds to growing evidence that widely used and user-friendly consumer devices, in this instance an Apple Watch paired with an iPhone, can detect changes in Parkinson's symptoms over time in individuals in the early stages of the disease.
Hybrid work is a 'win-win-win' for companies, workers
In the largest study yet of working-from-home professionals, economists reveal that employees who work from home two days a week are just as productive, likely to get promoted, and far less prone to quit.
Inherited genetic factors may predict the pattern of X chromosome loss in older women
Researchers have identified inherited genetic variants that may predict the loss of one copy of a woman's two X chromosomes as she ages, a phenomenon known as mosaic loss of chromosome X, or mLOX. These genetic variants may play a role in promoting abnormal blood cells (that have only a single copy of chromosome X) to multiply, which may lead to several health conditions, including cancer.
Study on fruit flies could benefit eggs of older women
A new study conducted on fruit flies reports the first evidence that oocytes -- the cells that become eggs -- regularly rejuvenate the critical protein linkages that bind chromosomes together. The findings are a potentially important step toward helping women reduce their risk of pregnancy complications as they age.