ScienceDaily: All - June 20, 2024
Today's top research news
Titan's lakes may be shaped by waves
Geologists studied Titan's shorelines and showed through simulations that coastlines of the moon's methane- and ethane-filled seas have likely been shaped by waves. Until now, scientists have found indirect and conflicting signs of wave activity, based on Cassini images of Titan's surface.
Image: Johan Swanepoel/Shutterstock.com
New NOvA results add to mystery of neutrinos
The international collaboration presented their first results with new data in four years, featuring a new low-energy sample of electron neutrinos and a dataset doubled in size.
At least one in four US residential yards exceed new EPA lead soil level guideline
Roughly one in four U.S. households have soil exceeding the new U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's lead screening levels of 200 parts per million (ppm), halved from the previous level of 400 ppm, a new study found. For households with exposure from multiple sources, the EPA lowered the guidance to 100 ppm; nearly 40% of households exceed that level, the study also found.
Jupiter's great red spot is not the same one Cassini observed in 1600s
Jupiter's iconic Great Red Spot has persisted for at least 190 years and is likely a different spot from the one observed by the astronomer Giovanni Domenico Cassini in 1665, a new study reports. The Great Red Spot we see today likely formed because of an instability in the planet's intense atmospheric winds, producing a long, persistent atmospheric cell, the study also finds.
Rigorous new study debunks misconceptions about anemia, education
In low- and middle-income countries, anemia reduction efforts are often touted as a way to improve educational outcomes and reduce poverty. A new study evaluates the relationship between anemia and school attendance in India, debunking earlier research that could have misguided policy interventions.
Sound stimulation with precise timings can help understand brain wave functions
Using sound to stimulate certain brain waves has the potential to help those with dementia or cognitive decline sleep better, reveals a new study. Sleep disturbances are a common feature in dementia and may affect up to half of people living with the condition.
Wooden surfaces may have natural antiviral properties
Viruses, including the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, can get passed from person to person via contaminated surfaces. But can some surfaces reduce the risk of this type of transmission without the help of household disinfectants? Wood has natural antiviral properties that can reduce the time viruses persist on its surface -- and some species of wood are more effective than others at reducing infectivity.
Non-native plants and animals expanding ranges 100 times faster than native species
An international team of scientists has recently found that non-native species are expanding their ranges many orders of magnitude faster than native ones, in large part due to inadvertent human help. Even seemingly sedentary non-native plants are moving at three times the speed of their native counterparts in a race where, because of the rapid pace of climate change and its effect on habitat, speed matters. To survive, plants and animals need to be shifting their ranges by 3.25 kilometers per year just to keep up with the increasing temperatures and associated climactic shifts -- a speed that native species cannot manage without human help.
Treatment for autoimmune disorder acts on balance of immune cell types
Autoimmune diseases cannot currently be cured, only treated, and this is also true for neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, which affects the central nervous system. A study of how the treatment acts on the immune system shows that it shifts the balance of types of immune cells. This finding may represent a step toward the development of personalized medicine for autoimmune diseases.
Shining light on mental health in space science community
The severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms in the planetary science community is greater than in the general U.S. population, according to a new study.
Impacts of space travel on astronauts' eye health
Gravitational changes experienced by astronauts during space travel can cause fluids within the body to shift. This can cause changes to the cardiovascular system, including vessels in and around the eyes. These fluid shifts may be related to a phenomenon known as Spaceflight Associated Neuro-ocular Syndrome (SANS), which can cause astronauts to experience changes in eye shape and other ocular symptoms.
'Time cells' in the brain are critical for complex learning, study shows
They're more than a simple clock, and understanding these cells' activity could ultimately aid in early detection of neurodegenerative diseases.
Women diagnosed with perinatal depression are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease in the following 20 years compared to women who have given birth without experiencing perinatal depression. The study is the first of its kind to look at cardiovascular health after perinatal depression and included data on around 600,000 women. It found the strongest links with risks of high blood pressure, ischemic heart disease and heart failure.
Tuberculosis is a serious health threat, and the efficacy of the BCG vaccine against tuberculosis diminishes in adulthood, making booster vaccines a realistic option. Mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP1), a protein found in Mycobacterium tuberculosis, elicits higher protective IFN-gamma responses in individuals who suppress tuberculosis, thus making it a vaccine candidate.
Unlocking heart health: Advancing noninvasive monitoring in chimpanzees
Measuring the heart rate of great apes in captivity is essential for both health management and animal studies. However, existing most methods are either invasive or inaccurate. Now, researchers have investigated the potential of using millimeter-wave radar technology to estimate heart rate from subtle body movements in chimpanzees. Their efforts will hopefully pave the way to better practices and techniques for monitoring heart rates in wild and captive primates.
Blessing in disguise: Mycoviruses enhance fungicide effectiveness against plant pathogens
Researchers discovered that mycoviruses, or oomycete viruses, can increase the sensitivity of plant pathogenic oomycete to fungicides like metalaxyl. Their findings suggest greater potential for mycoviruses in biocontrol and contributing to sustainable agriculture.
Transforming inexpensive quinolines into complex drug candidates
An innovative synthesis strategy opened up the way to 2D/3D fused frameworks using inexpensive quinolines as feedstock, report scientists. By leveraging a light-sensitive borate intermediate, the scientists could transform quinoline derivatives into a great variety of 2D/3D fused frameworks in a straightforward and cost-effective manner. Their findings are expected to enable the synthesis of highly customizable drug candidates.
More effective cancer treatment with iontronic pump
When low doses of cancer drugs are administered continuously near malignant brain tumors using so-called iontronic technology, cancer cell growth drastically decreases. Researchers demonstrated this in experiments with bird embryos. The results are one step closer to new types of effective treatments for severe cancer forms.
Interaction with insects accelerates plant evolution
Researchers have discovered that plants benefit from a greater variety of interactions with pollinators and herbivores. Plants that are pollinated by insects and have to defend themselves against herbivores have evolved to be better adapted to different types of soil.
Looking under the microscope, a group of cells slowly moves forward in a line, like a train on the tracks. The cells navigate through complex environments. A new approach now shows how they do this and how they interact with each other.
Much of the Nord Stream gas remained in the sea
Much of the methane released into the southern Baltic Sea from the Nord Stream gas pipeline has remained in the water. This is shown by measurements taken by researchers from the University of Gothenburg.
New technology provides electrifying insights into how catalysts work at the atomic level
A team has invented a technique to study electrochemical processes at the atomic level with unprecedented resolution. They have already used it to discover a surprising phenomena in a popular catalyst material and plan to apply their technology to studying a wide variety of electrochemical systems including batteries, fuel cells, and solar fuel generators. The insights could lead to more efficient and durable devices.
Researchers create new class of materials called 'glassy gels'
Researchers have created a new class of materials called 'glassy gels' that are very hard and difficult to break despite containing more than 50% liquid. Coupled with the fact that glassy gels are simple to produce, the material holds promise for a variety of applications.
Tabulae Paralytica: Mapping the biology of spinal cord injury in unprecedented detail
Scientists have achieved a significant research milestone in the field of spinal cord injuries -- mapping out the cellular and molecular dynamics of paralysis in unprecedented detail with their open-source project 'Tabulae Paralytica'. Gr goire Courtine and his team have integrated cutting-edge cell and molecular mapping technologies with artificial intelligence to chart the complex molecular processes that unfold in each cell after spinal cord injuries (SCI). This seminal work not only identifies a specific set of neurons and genes that plays a key role for recovery but also proposes a successful gene therapy derived from its discoveries.
When in drought: Researchers map which parts of the Amazon are most vulnerable to climate change
Some areas of the Amazon rainforest are more resilient to drought than others, new research shows. But if not managed carefully, we could 'threaten the integrity of the whole system,' researchers say.
Mirror-image chemicals may revolutionize drug delivery
More than 130 years after cyclodextrins were first discovered and reported, a team of scientists has created chemical mirror images of these complex carbohydrates in the laboratory. This discovery may revolutionize how medications are delivered to patients.
Is coffee good for you or bad for you?
The effects of coffee consumption on human health is a knotty question, but one thing is sure: coffee is a psychoactive substance.
Researchers leverage shadows to model 3D scenes, including objects blocked from view
A new technique can model an entire 3D scene, including areas hidden from view, from just one camera image. The method relies on image shadows, which provide information about the geometry and location of hidden objects.
New 3D technique reveals precancerous pancreatic lesions
Researchers have developed a 3D genomic profiling technique to identify small precancerous lesions in the pancreas -- called pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasias (PanINs) -- that lead to one of the most aggressive, deadly pancreatic cancers.
What happens when neutron stars collide?
New simulations show that hot neutrinos created at the interface of merging binary neutron stars are briefy trapped and remain out of equilibrium with the cold cores of the stars for 2 to 3 milliseconds.
A single large population of healer cells, called regulatory T cells, is whizzing around our body -- not multiple specialist populations restricted to specific parts of the body as previously thought. These cells shut down inflammation and repair the collateral damage to cells caused after our immune system has responded to injury or illness. Tests, in mice, of a drug developed by the researchers showed that regulatory T cells can be attracted to specific body parts, boosted in number, and activated to suppress immune response and rebuild tissue. Current anti-inflammatory drugs used for this purpose suppress the body's whole immune system, making patients more vulnerable to infection. The discovery could lead to more targeted treatments, with fewer side-effects, for issues from lengthy COVID infections to autoimmune diseases like multiple sclerosis. Clinical trials in humans are now planned.