ScienceDaily: All - March 14, 2025
Today's top research news
Chocolate -- with potential health benefits
Many people will soon load up Easter baskets with chocolate candy for children and adults to enjoy. On its own, dark chocolate has health benefits, such as antioxidants that neutralize damaging free radicals. And a new report suggests that packing the sweet treat with pre- and probiotics could make it more healthful. Flavoring agents, however, can affect many properties, including moisture level and protein content of the chocolate product.
As next hurricane season nears, study explores impacts of 2024's storms
When major storms hit Houston last spring and summer, losing power was a nightmare for residents, but for many, the financial fallout was just as devastating. A new report finds that more than half of Houston-area workers lost income due to these storms, either because they couldn't get to work or their jobs were forced to close.
Researchers develop method to identify dormant cells that carry HIV
Study findings provide a new gene pathway for potential treatment of the virus affecting millions.
US bird populations continue alarming decline
The 2025 U. S. State of the Birds Report, produced by a coalition of leading science and conservation organizations, reveals continued widespread declines in American bird populations across all mainland and marine habitats, with 229 species requiring urgent conservation action.
Dozens of 3-toed dinosaurs leave their mark in Australia
A researcher has confirmed a boulder at a regional school contains one of the highest concentrations of dinosaur footprints per square meter ever documented in Australia.
New name for one of the world's rarest rhinoceroses
A recent study has reclassified the species commonly known as the Javan rhinoceros, proposing a more precise scientific name: Eurhinoceros sondaicus. The research highlights key differences in body structure and ecology that set this species apart from the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis). Recognizing it as a separate genus not only improves scientific understanding but also has important implications for conservation efforts.
Quantum-inspired cameras capture the start of life
Researchers have performed the first imaging of embryos using cameras designed for quantum measurements. The academics investigated how to best use ultrasensitive camera technology, including the latest generation of cameras that can count individual packets of light energy at each pixel, for life sciences.
Most current AI struggles to read clocks and calendars
Some of the world's most advanced AI systems struggle to tell the time and work out dates on calendars, a study suggests.
Does exercise really extend life? Finnish twin study offers new insights
Physical activity is seen as a way to extend the human lifespan, but twin studies found the benefits of physical activity for longevity may not be as straightforward as has been previously thought.
Retiring abroad puts older adults at risk for loneliness
Many people dream of retiring to a warmer, less expensive country. But retirees who move abroad may be at greater risk of loneliness than those who stay in their home country, according to new research.
Signs of alien life may be hiding in these gases
Scientists identify a new way to detect life in outer space with currently existing telescopes. The method hinges on worlds that look nothing like Earth, and gases rarely considered in the search for extraterrestrials.
Dynamic acoustics of hand clapping, elucidated
Researchers elucidate the complex physical mechanisms and fluid dynamics involved in a handclap, with potential applications in bioacoustics and personal identification, whereby a handclap could be used to identify someone.
Robotics and spinal stimulation restore movement in paralysis
Scientists have developed an approach that combines rehabilitation robotics with spinal cord stimulation to restore movement in people with spinal cord injuries. The technology enhances rehabilitation and enables activities like cycling and walking outdoors.