ScienceDaily: All - May 21, 2024
Today's top research news
'Vigorous melting' at Antarctica's Thwaites 'Doomsday' Glacier
Glaciologists show evidence of warm ocean water intruding kilometers beneath grounded ice at Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica. The findings suggest that existing climate models are underestimating the impact of ocean and ice interactions in future sea level rise projections.
AI chips could get a sense of time
Artificial neural networks may soon be able to process time-dependent information, such as audio and video data, more efficiently.
Image: HelloRF Zcool/Shutterstock.com
Webb Telescope offers first glimpse of an exoplanet's interior
A surprisingly low amount of methane and a super-sized core hide within the cotton candy -- like planet WASP-107 b.
Scientists have taken a step closer to replicating nature's processes of self-assembly. The study describes the synthetic construction of a tiny, self-assembled crystal known as a 'pyrochlore,' which bears unique optical properties. The advance provides a steppingstone to the eventual construction of sophisticated, self-assembling devices at the nanoscale -- roughly the size of a single virus.
Extreme heat associated with children's asthma hospital visits
Extreme heat events were associated with increased asthma hospital visits, according to new research.
Researchers unravel the vocal interactions of meerkat groups and show they use two different types of interactions to stay in touch.
Evolutionary history of extinct duck revealed
The study's findings show mergansers arrived in the New Zealand region at least seven million years ago from the Northern Hemisphere, in a separate colonisation event to that which led to the Brazilian merganser.
Seeking stronger steel, systematic look at 120 combinations of alloy elements provides clues
Investigating ways to create high-performance steel, a research team used theoretical calculations on 120 combinations of 12 alloy elements, such as aluminum and titanium, with carbon and nitrogen, while also systematically clarifying the bonding mechanism.
Unraveling the drought dilemma: Can reservoirs be a carbon source?
A team delves into the spatiotemporal patterns of water volume and total organic carbon concentration of agricultural reservoirs.
Body's 'message in a bottle' delivers targeted cancer treatment
Researchers have succeeded in delivering targeted cancer treatment via small membrane bubbles that our cells use to communicate. A new study shows that the treatment reduces tumor growth and improves survival in mice.
2D materials: A catalyst for future quantum technologies
Researchers have discovered that a 'single atomic defect' in a layered 2D material can hold onto quantum information for microseconds at room temperature. This underscores the broader potential of 2D materials in advancing quantum technologies.
Diverse headgear in hoofed mammals evolved from common ancestor
From the small ossicones on a giraffe to the gigantic antlers of a male moose -- which can grow as wide as a car -- the headgear of ruminant hooved mammals is extremely diverse, and new research suggests that despite the physical differences, fundamental aspects of these bony adaptations likely evolved from a common ancestor.
New mechanisms behind antibiotic resistance
Two newly discovered mechanisms in bacteria have been identified that can contribute to the development of antibiotic resistance. Changing the number of copies of resistance genes in bacteria increases antibiotic resistance, and can do so very quickly. These two mechanisms, along with a third known mechanism, can occur independently of each other, even within the same bacterial cell.
Robot-phobia could exasperate hotel, restaurant labor shortage
Using more robots to close labor gaps in the hospitality industry may backfire and cause more human workers to quit, according to a new study. The study, involving more than 620 lodging and food service employees, found that 'robot-phobia' -- specifically the fear that robots and technology will take human jobs -- increased workers' job insecurity and stress, leading to greater intentions to leave their jobs. The impact was more pronounced with employees who had real experience working with robotic technology. It also affected managers in addition to frontline workers.
Scientists uncover promising treatment target for resistant brain cancer
For many patients with a deadly type of brain cancer called glioblastoma, chemotherapy resistance is a big problem. But now, researchers may have moved a step closer to a solution.
Cloudy waters causes African fish to develop bigger eyes
Variations in water quality can impact the development of the visual system of one species of African fish, suggests a new study.
Subduction zone splay faults compound hazards of great earthquakes
Groundbreaking research has provided new insight into the tectonic plate shifts that create some of the Earth's largest earthquakes and tsunamis.
Record low Antarctic sea ice 'extremely unlikely' without climate change
Scientists have found that the record-low levels of sea ice around Antarctica in 2023 were extremely unlikely to happen without the influence of climate change. This low was a one-in-a-2000-year event without climate change and four times more likely under its effects.
After hundreds of years, study confirms Bermuda now home to cownose rays
Using citizen science, photographs, on-water observations and the combination of morphological and genetic data, researchers have provided evidence that the Atlantic cownose ray has recently made a new home in Bermuda. Results show that after hundreds of years of natural history records, this is a novel migration of Atlantic cownose rays to Bermuda.
Significant gaps between science of obesity and the care patients receive
More than 40% of adults in the United States live with obesity, and the percentage of people living with obesity continues to increase dramatically. While experts have learned a great deal about the causes of obesity and effective treatments for it, that information isn't always implemented in clinical settings, which may be hindering progress in reducing the rates of cardiovascular disease.
Brain 'assembloids' mimic human blood-brain barrier
Major advance promises to accelerate the understanding and improved treatment of a wide range of brain disorders, including stroke, cerebral vascular disorders, brain cancer, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington disease, Parkinson's disease, and other neurodegenerative conditions.
Expanding on the fundamental principles of liquid movement
We are living in a world surrounded by liquid and flow, and understanding the principles that govern its movement is vital in our high-tech world. Through mathematical modeling and experimentation, researchers have expanded on Tanner's Law -- a law in fluid dynamics that describes how non-volatile liquids move across surfaces -- to cover a wider range of volatile liquids. These findings have the potential to play a role in various liquid-based industries such as electronics cooling.
New AI algorithm may improve autoimmune disease prediction and therapies
A new advanced artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm more accurately model how genes associated with specific autoimmune diseases are expressed and regulated and to identify additional genes of risk. The method outperforms existing methodologies and identified 26% more novel gene and trait associations.