ScienceDaily: All - May 14, 2024
Today's top research news
Insights into protein evolution
A research team has unveiled a breakthrough in understanding how specific genetic sequences, known as pseudogenes, evolve.
Just believing that an AI is helping boosts your performance
Sometimes it seems like an AI is helping, but the benefit is actually a placebo effect -- people performing better simply because they expect to be doing so -- according to new research. The study also shows how difficult it is to shake people's trust in the capabilities of AI systems.
Cats purrfectly demonstrate what it takes to trust robots
Would you trust a robot to look after your cat? New research suggests it takes more than a carefully designed robot to care for your cat, the environment in which they operate is also vital, as well as human interaction.
World's largest hummingbird is actually two species
The Giant Hummingbird of western South America is not one species but two, according to an international group of researchers. The northern population stays in the high Andes year-round while the southern population migrates from sea level up to 14,000 feet for the nonbreeding months.
Image: ZHONG HUA/Shutterstock.com
A research team has demonstrated that a simple stack of thermoelectric and magnetic material layers can exhibit a substantially larger transverse thermoelectric effect -- energy conversion between electric and heat currents that flow orthogonally to each other within it -- than existing magnetic materials capable of exhibiting the anomalous Nernst effect. This mechanism may be used to develop new types of thermoelectric devices useful in energy harvesting and heat flux sensing.
Today's world: Fastest rate of carbon dioxide rise over the last 50,000 years
Today's rate of atmospheric carbon dioxide increase is 10 times faster than at any other point in the past 50,000 years, researchers have found through a detailed chemical analysis of ancient Antarctic ice.
New gel breaks down alcohol in the body
Researchers have developed a protein-based gel that breaks down alcohol in the gastrointestinal tract without harming the body. In the future, people who take the gel could reduce the harmful and intoxicating effects of alcohol.
New work extends the thermodynamic theory of computation
Physicists and computer scientists have recently expanded the modern theory of the thermodynamics of computation. By combining approaches from statistical physics and computer science, the researchers introduce mathematical equations that reveal the minimum and maximum predicted energy cost of computational processes that depend on randomness, which is a powerful tool in modern computers.
New viruses that could cause epidemics on the horizon
Suddenly they appear and -- like the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus -- can trigger major epidemics: Viruses that nobody had on their radar. They are not really new, but they have changed genetically. In particular, the exchange of genetic material between different virus species can lead to the sudden emergence of threatening pathogens with significantly altered characteristics.
Island birds more adaptable than previously thought
The researchers found that birds were more evolutionarily similar on smaller, more isolated islands than on larger, less remote places. The team had expected to find that forested areas had more numerous and more varied species of birds compared to farmland areas. But they were surprised to find that the opposite was true: Areas with farms and human settlements had more species of birds and greater diversity than forested areas.
New drug makes exercise, everyday tasks easier for people with common heart condition
People with the heart condition obstructive cardiomyopathy were able to use significantly more oxygen while exercising after taking the investigational drug aficamten, according to a new study.
Like dad and like mum...all in one plant
Scientists have established a system to generate clonal sex cells in tomato plants and used them to design the genomes of offspring. The fertilization of a clonal egg from one parent by a clonal sperm from another parent led to plants containing the complete genetic information of both parents.
New molecule mimics the anti-clotting action of blood-sucking organisms
Nature gave ticks, mosquitoes and leaches a quick-acting way to keep blood from clotting while they extract their meal from a host. Now the key to that method has been harnessed by a team of researchers as a potential anti-clotting agent that could be used as an alternative to heparin during angioplasty, dialysis care, surgeries and other procedures.
Researchers have made a surprising new discovery in the structure of the centromere, a structure that is involved in ensuring that chromosomes are segregated properly when a cell divides. Mistakes in chromosome segregation can lead to cell death and cancer development. The researchers discovered that the centromere consists of two subdomains. This fundamental finding has important implications for the process of chromosome segregation and provides new mechanisms underlying erroneous divisions in cancer cells. The research was published in Cell on May 13th 2024.
Potential power and pitfalls of harnessing artificial intelligence for sleep medicine
A new article highlights how artificial intelligence stands on the threshold of making monumental contributions to the field of sleep medicine. Through a strategic analysis, researchers examined advancements in AI within sleep medicine and spotlighted its potential in revolutionizing care in three critical areas: clinical applications, lifestyle management, and population health. The committee also reviewed barriers and challenges associated with using AI-enabled technologies.
Researchers say they have uncovered insights as to why lupus symptoms and severity present differently in individuals with the autoimmune condition, which affects up to 1.5 million Americans. The team says this is a crucial step forward in understanding biological mechanisms behind lupus, and may also lead to shifts in how clinicians treat patients with the condition.
Analysis of 1,392 patients with traumatic brain injuries (TBIs) found that some patients for whom life support was withdrawn may have survived and recovered some level of independence a few months after injury. Families are often asked to make decision to withdraw life support within 72 hours of a brain injury, and the new study suggests delaying decisions may be beneficial for some patients.
When consumers would prefer a chatbot over a person
Actually, sometimes consumers don't want to talk to a real person when they're shopping online, a new study suggests. In fact, what they really want is a chatbot that makes it clear that it is not human at all. In a new study, researchers found that people preferred interacting with chatbots when they felt embarrassed about what they were buying online -- items like antidiarrheal medicine or, for some people, skin care products.
Study traces an infectious language epidemic
A computer scientist has shown the power of language to predict harm -- this time to the nation's health.
Hide and seek between atoms: Find the dopant
Collaborative efforts decode the mechanism behind stabilizing cathode doping in electric vehicle batteries.
What makes a memory? It may be related to how hard your brain had to work
The human brain filters through a flood of experiences to create specific memories. Why do some of the experiences in this deluge of sensory information become 'memorable,' while most are discarded by the brain? A computational model and behavioral study developed by Yale scientists suggests a new clue to this age-old question, they report in the journal Nature Human Behavior.
Research shows that 'softer' proteins can cross into the nucleus quicker
Researchers have discovered that how soft or rigid proteins are in certain regions can dictate how fast or slow they enter the nucleus.
Birth by C-section more than doubles odds of measles vaccine failure
Birth by C-section more than doubles odds of measles vaccine failure. Researchers say it is vital that children born by caesarean section receive two doses of the measles vaccine for robust protection against the disease.
Eye care: Taking electroretinography to the next level with a soft multi-electrode system
Electroretinography (ERG), which involves measuring electric potential in the retina, is a powerful tool for diagnosing and studying ocular diseases. However, multi-electrode systems for ERG are usually built on top of hard, uncomfortable contact lenses. To address this issue, researchers have developed an innovative multi-electrode ERG system built on top of commercial soft contact lenses. Demonstrating excellent performance and biocompatibility, the proposed system will help push the envelope of what is possible with ERG.
The price tag of phasing-out coal
Coal phase-out is necessary to solve climate change, but can have negative impacts on workers and local communities dependent on coal for their livelihoods. Researchers have studied government plans for coal phase-out around the world and discovered that more than half of such plans include monetary compensation to affected parties. This planned compensation globally amounts to USD 200 billion, but it excludes China and India, the two largest users of coal that currently do not have phase-out plans. The study shows that if China and India decide to phase out coal as fast as needed to reach the Paris climate targets and pay similar compensation, it would cost upwards of USD 2 trillion.
Team studies factors related to a sense of economic insecurity in older adults
Researchers undertook a study of older adults to examine the connection between a sense of economic insecurity and a person's participation in social activities.
Plant virus treatment shows promise in fighting metastatic cancers in mice
An experimental treatment made from a plant virus is effective at protecting against a broad range of metastatic cancers in mice, shows a new study. The treatment, composed of nanoparticles fashioned from the cowpea mosaic virus -- a virus that infects black-eyed pea plants -- showed remarkable success in improving survival rates and suppressing the growth of metastatic tumors across various cancer models, including colon, ovarian, melanoma and breast cancer.