Bee-2-Bee influencing: Bees master complex tasks through social interaction
Bumblebees successfully learned a two-step puzzle box task through social observation. This task was too complex for individual bees to learn on their own. Observing trained demonstrator bees performing the first unrewarded step was crucial for successful social learning. Individual bees failed to solve the puzzle without previous demonstration, despite extensive exposure.
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Children surpass a year of HIV remission after treatment pause
Four children have remained free of detectable HIV for more than one year after their antiretroviral therapy (ART) was paused to see if they could achieve HIV remission, according to new research. The children, who acquired HIV before birth, were enrolled in a clinical trial in which an ART regimen was started within 48 hours of birth and then closely monitored for drug safety and HIV viral suppression. The outcomes reported today follow planned ART interruptions once the children met predefined virological and immunological criteria.
Baby quasars: Growing supermassive black holes
The James Webb Space Telescope makes one of the most unexpected findings within its first year of service: A high number of faint little red dots in the distant Universe could change the way we understand the genesis of supermassive black holes.
More than half of American Indian youth may have abnormal or high cholesterol
More than 70% of American Indian young adults aged 20-39 and 50% of American Indian teens have cholesterol levels or elevated fat in the blood that put them at risk for cardiovascular disease, a new study suggests. In some cases, these levels -- specifically high low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, often thought of as 'bad cholesterol,' -- were linked to plaque buildup and cardiovascular events, such as heart attack and stroke.
Nanodevices can produce energy from evaporating tap or seawater
Researchers have discovered that nanoscale devices harnessing the hydroelectric effect can harvest electricity from the evaporation of fluids with higher ion concentrations than purified water, revealing a vast untapped energy potential.
Finding new physics in debris from colliding neutron stars
Neutron star mergers are a treasure trove for new physics signals, with implications for determining the true nature of dark matter, according to physicists.
Astronomers spot oldest 'dead' galaxy yet observed
A galaxy that suddenly stopped forming new stars more than 13 billion years ago has been observed by astronomers. Using the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have spotted a 'dead' galaxy when the universe was just 700 million years old, the oldest such galaxy ever observed.
Schizophrenia and aging may share a common biological basis
Researchers have uncovered a strikingly similar suite of changes in gene activity in brain tissue from people with schizophrenia and from older adults. These changes suggest a common biological basis for the cognitive impairment often seen in people with schizophrenia and in the elderly.
Synthetic gene helps explain the mysteries of transcription across species
'Random DNA' is naturally active in the one-celled fungi yeast, while such DNA is turned off as its natural state in mammalian cells, despite their having a common ancestor a billion years ago and the same basic molecular machinery, a new study finds.
Compact chips advance precision timing for communications, navigation and other applications
Precision timing and synchronization are crucial for navigation, communication and radar systems. Scientists have built compact chips capable of converting light into microwaves, which could improve these systems. This technology shrinks a tabletop system into a chip-sized format, reducing power usage and making it more applicable for use in everyday devices.
Decoding the language of epigenetic modifications
Epigenetic changes play important roles in cancer, metabolic and aging-related diseases, but also during loss of resilience as they cause the genetic material to be incorrectly interpreted in affected cells. A major study now provides important new insights into how complex epigenetic modification signatures regulate the genome. This study will pave the way for new treatments of diseases caused by faulty epigenetic machineries.
Deconstructing the structural elements of a lesser-known microbe
Researchers shed light on archaea, intriguing microbes found in extreme environments but also in the human gut microbiome.
Psychosocial stressors linked to higher inflammation in Black pregnant women
Living in neighborhoods with more white residents and greater lifetime experiences of racial discrimination are linked to increased systemic inflammation during pregnancy among Black women, according to new research.
Amyloid blood levels associated with brain changes in Alzheimer's study
A link between abnormal blood levels of amyloid -- a protein associated with Alzheimer's disease -- and subtle changes in brain microstructures on a type of MRI could lead to a new way to detect Alzheimer's earlier in people with no clinical signs.
A recent study analyzed individuals from diverse backgrounds and identified various genetic clusters involved in a broad range of biological mechanisms that may help explain ancestry-associated differences in type 2 diabetes clinical presentations.
Herbivores, displaced by ocean warming, threaten subtropical seagrass meadows
The findings suggest that subtropical seagrasses are less resilient to heavy grazing from marine herbivores, in part because they receive less sunlight relative to their tropical counterparts. As tropical herbivores move into subtropical waters, overgrazing may prevent subtropical seagrass meadows from persisting in these environments.
A step towards clinic-ready patient-derived organoids
A recent study provides critical insights into the reliability and robustness of patient-derived organoids as a clinical model of pancreatic cancer. The findings reveal that organoids' gene expression and drug responses are not affected by the brand of extracellular matrix used in the cell culture. However, one commercial product did increase the growth rate of pancreatic tumor organoids, making it particularly well-suited for the fast pace of pancreatic cancer treatment protocols.
Discovery tests theory on cooling of white dwarf stars
Open any astronomy textbook to the section on white dwarf stars and you'll likely learn that they are 'dead stars' that continuously cool down over time. Astronomers are challenging this theory after discovering a population of white dwarf stars that stopped cooling for more than eight billion years.
Invasive plant time bombs: A hidden ecological threat
Invasive plants can stay dormant for decades or even centuries before rapidly expanding and wreaking ecological havoc, finds a new study.
Older adults want to express themselves with emojis, they just don't understand how to
A new study is providing insight into how different generations are interpreting the use of emojis in their communications, with older adults unsure of how to use them as frequently as younger adults despite understanding their meaning.
Consuming refined carbs might be linked to perceived facial attractiveness
In a new study, participants' levels of consumption of refined carbohydrates were statistically linked with their facial attractiveness as rated by heterosexual volunteers of the opposite sex.
COVID-19 physiological impacts vary by sex, wearable technology reveals
Males and females have differential physiological responses to COVID-19 infections, with males having larger increases in skin temperature, breathing rate and heart rate during an acute infection, according to a new study that used data from wearable devices.
Factors associated with age-related hearing loss differ between males and females
Certain factors associated with developing age-related hearing loss differ by sex, including weight, smoking behavior, and hormone exposure, according to a new study.
This injectable hydrogel mitigates damage to the right ventricle of the heart
An injectable hydrogel can mitigate damage to the right ventricle of the heart with chronic pressure overload, according to a new study. In 2019, this same hydrogel was shown to be safe in humans through an FDA-approved Phase 1 trial in people who suffered a heart attack. As a result of the new preclinical study, the FDA approved an investigational new drug application to start a clinical trial with the hydrogel in pediatric patients in the coming months, once institutional approvals are received.
New deep-sea worm discovered at methane seep off Costa Rica
Marine biologists have discovered a new species of deep-sea worm living near a methane seep some 50 kilometers (30 miles) off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica.
Nanosurgical tool could be key to cancer breakthrough
A groundbreaking nanosurgical tool -- about 500 times thinner than a human hair -- could be transformative for cancer research and give insights into treatment resistance that no other technology has been able to do, according to a new study.
Genetic mutation in a quarter of all Labradors hard-wires them for obesity
New research finds around a quarter of Labrador retriever dogs face a double-whammy of feeling hungry all the time and burning fewer calories due to a genetic mutation.
New type of nanoparticle makes vaccines more powerful
A type of nanoparticle called a metal organic framework (MOF) could be used to deliver vaccines and act as an adjuvant. Researchers find these particles provoke a strong immune response by activating the innate immune system through cell proteins called toll-like receptors.
Advanced noise suppression technology for improved search and rescue drones
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) are beneficial in search and rescue missions during natural disasters like earthquakes. However, current UAVs depend on visual information and cannot detect victims trapped under rubble. While some studies have used sound for detection, the noise from UAV propellers can drown out human sounds. To address this issue, researchers have developed a novel artificial intelligence-based system that effectively suppresses UAV noise and amplifies human sounds.
Do some electric fish sense the world through comrades' auras?
It would be a game-changer if all members of a basketball team could see out of each other's eyes in addition to their own. Biologists have found evidence that this kind of collective sensing occurs in close-knit groups of African weakly electric fish, also known as elephantnose fish. This instantaneous sharing of sensory intelligence could help the fish locate food, friends and foes.
Sinking land increases risk for thousands of coastal residents by 2050
A new study provides a new comprehensive look at the potential for flooding in a combined 32 cities along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Gulf coasts. It predicts as many as 500,000 people will be affected by flooding alongside 1 in 35 privately owned properties within the next three decades, and it highlights the racial and socioeconomic demographics of those potentially affected.
AI can speed design of health software
Artificial intelligence helped clinicians to accelerate the design of diabetes prevention software, a new study finds.
Can you tell AI-generated people from real ones?
If you recently had trouble figuring out if an image of a person is real or generated through artificial intelligence (AI), you're not alone. A new study found that people had more difficulty than was expected distinguishing who is a real person and who is artificially generated.
Gene discovered that can protect against severe muscle disease
A specific gene may play a key role in new treatments that prevent muscle in the body from breaking down in serious muscle diseases, muscular dystrophies.