ScienceDaily: All - May 04, 2024
Today's top research news
Sister cities can help communities better navigate the climate crisis
Anthropologists suggest in a new study that establishing networks of 'sister cities' dedicated to addressing the impact of natural disasters can mitigate the devastation wrought by climate change.
Aligned peptide 'noodles' could enable lab-grown biological tissues
Researchers have developed peptide-based hydrogels that mimic the aligned structure of muscle and nerve tissues, which could enable the development of functional lab-grown tissue.
Quantifying U.S. health impacts from gas stoves
A new study of air pollution in U.S. homes reveals how much gas and propane stoves increase people's exposure to nitrogen dioxide, a pollutant linked to childhood asthma. Even in bedrooms far from kitchens, concentrations frequently exceed health limits while stoves are on and for hours after burners and ovens are turned off.
Image: gas stove with blue fire, Vova Shevchuk/Shutterstock.com
Physics confirms that the enemy of your enemy is, indeed, your friend
The famous axiom 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend' is part of Austrian psychologist Fritz Heider's social balance theory, introduced in the 1940s. Previous studies have tried to model social networks based in famous theory but results remained controversial. New model takes into account two key pieces simultaneously: Not everyone knows everyone else in a social network, and some people are friendlier than others. With those two constraints, large-scale social networks consistently align with social balance theory. Model has broad applications for exploring political polarization, neural networks, drug interactions and more.
Stony coral tissue loss disease is shifting the ecological balance of Caribbean reefs
A new study shows stony coral tissue loss disease is causing drastic changes in the Caribbean's population of corals, which is sure to disrupt the delicate balance of the ecosystem and threaten marine biodiversity and coastal economies.
Newly discovered mechanism of T-cell control can interfere with cancer immunotherapies
Activated T cells that carry a certain marker protein on their surface are controlled by natural killer (NK) cells, another cell type of the immune system. In this way, the body presumably curbs destructive immune reactions. Researchers have now discovered that NK cells can impair the effect of cancer therapies with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) in this way. They could also be responsible for the rapid decline of therapeutic CAR-T cells. Interventions in this mechanism could potentially improve the efficacy of these cellular cancer immunotherapies.
When injecting pure spin into chiral materials, direction matters
The direction in which spin information is injected into chiral materials affects its ability to pass through them. These chiral 'gateways' could be used to design energy-efficient spintronic devices for data storage, communication and computing.
Genomes of 'star algae' shed light on origin of plants
Land plants cover the surface of our planet and often tower over us. They form complex bodies with multiple organs that consist of a broad range of cell types. Developing this morphological complexity is underpinned by intricate networks of genes, whose coordinated action shapes plant bodies through various molecular mechanisms. All of these magnificent forms burst forth from a one-off evolutionary event: when plants conquered Earth's surface, known as plant terrestrialization.
Birdwatching can help students improve mental health, reduce distress
A new study finds people who have nature-based experiences report better well-being and lower psychological distress than those who do not. Birdwatching in particular yielded promising results, with higher gains in subjective well-being and more reduction in distress than more generic nature exposure, such as walks. Because birdwatching is an easily accessible activity, the results are encouraging for college students -- who are among those most likely to suffer from mental health problems.
Did a magnetic field collapse trigger the emergence of animals?
Researchers uncovered compelling evidence that Earth's magnetic field was in a highly unusual state when the macroscopic animals of the Ediacaran Period -- 635 to 541 million years ago -- diversified and thrived. Their study raises the question of whether these fluctuations in Earth's ancient magnetic field led to shifts in oxygen levels that may have been crucial to the proliferation of life forms millions of years ago.
Pan-cancer analysis uncovers a new class of promising CAR T--cell immunotherapy targets
St. Jude found 156 potential targets for chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T--cell immunotherapy. Explore the discovery's promise to improve cancer therapies.
New immunosuppressive mechanism found in brain cancer
Scientists have discovered how glioblastoma evades the immune system by inducing pro-tumor macrophages via a glucose based epigenetic modification.
Ice shelves fracture under weight of meltwater lakes
Heavy pooling meltwater can fracture ice, potentially leading to ice shelf collapse.
Tweaking isotopes sheds light on promising approach to engineer semiconductors
Scientists have demonstrated that small changes in the isotopic content of thin semiconductor materials can influence their optical and electronic properties, possibly opening the way to new and advanced designs with the semiconductors.
How E. coli get the power to cause urinary tract infections
New research examines how the bacteria Escherichia coli, or E. coli -- responsible for most UTIs -- is able to use host nutrients to reproduce at an extraordinarily rapid pace during infection despite the near sterile environment of fresh urine.
Plants utilize drought stress hormone to block snacking spider mites
Recent findings that plants employ a drought-survival mechanism to also defend against nutrient-sucking pests could inform future crop breeding programs aimed at achieving better broadscale pest control.
Source of pregnancy complications from infections revealed by placenta map
The placenta's response to infections from malaria, toxoplasmosis and listeria has been mapped in high resolution, possibly paving the way for new treatment options.
Stretchable e-skin could give robots human-level touch sensitivity
A stretchy electronic skin could equip robots and other devices with the same softness and touch sensitivity as human skin, opening up new possibilities to perform tasks that require a great deal of precision and control of force.
New discovery of a mechanism that controls cell division
Researchers have discovered that how a special protein complex called the Mediator moves along genes in DNA may have an impact on how cells divide. The discovery may be important for future research into the treatment of certain diseases.
'Gap' in carbon removal: Countries' plans to remove CO2 not enough
New research suggests that countries' current plans to remove CO2 from the atmosphere will not be enough to comply with the 1.5 C warming limit set out under the Paris Agreement.
Novel chemical tool for understanding membrane remodeling in the cell
Researchers describe a natural product-like molecule, Tantalosin, that inhibits interaction between two proteins in complexes that reshape membranes inside the cell. The findings lead to a deeper understanding of how membrane remodeling works in human cells and future development of new drugs.
Climate change amplifies severity of combined wind-rain extremes over the UK and Ireland
Climate change will cause an increase in extreme winter storms combining strong winds and heavy rainfall over the UK and Ireland, new research has shown.
In medieval England, leprosy spread between red squirrels and people, genome evidence shows
Evidence from archaeological sites in the medieval English city of Winchester shows that English red squirrels once served as an important host for Mycobacterium leprae strains that caused leprosy in people, researchers report.
Towards transparent and antimicrobial surfaces for touch displays
Researchers report the development of a durable and transparent antimicrobial surface containing copper nanoparticles. The nanostructured surface was obtained by dewetting ultrathin metal copper films on a glass substrate.