ScienceDaily: All - May 28, 2025
Today's top research news
Hitting the right notes to play music by ear
A team analyzed a range of YouTube videos that focused on learning music by ear and identified four simple ways music learning technology can better aid prospective musicians -- helping people improve recall while listening, limiting playback to small chunks, identifying musical subsequences to memorize, and replaying notes indefinitely.
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Rapid simulations of toxic particles could aid air pollution fight
A pioneering method to simulate how microscopic particles move through the air could boost efforts to combat air pollution, a study suggests.
Zika virus uses cells' 'self-care' system to turn against host
A new study reveals the biological secret to the Zika virus's infectious success: Zika uses host cells' own 'self-care' system of clearing away useless molecules to suppress the host proteins that the virus has employed to get into those cells in the first place.
Nature-inspired breakthrough enables subatomic ferroelectric memory
A research team has discovered ferroelectric phenomena occurring at a subatomic scale in the natural mineral Brownmillerite.
Location matters: Belly fat compared to overall body fat more strongly linked to psoriasis risk
Researchers have found that central body fat, especially around the abdomen, is more strongly linked to psoriasis risk than total body fat, particularly in women. This link between central fat and psoriasis remained consistent regardless of genetic predisposition, indicating that abdominal fat is an independent risk factor. The study provides insights that could help improve early risk prediction and guide personalized prevention strategies.
Home water-use app improves water conservation
A new study has found that a smartphone app that tracks household water use and alerts users to leaks or excessive consumption offers a promising tool for helping California water agencies meet state-mandated conservation goals. The study found that use of the app -- called Dropcountr -- reduced average household water use by 6%, with even greater savings among the highest water users.
Nordic studies show the significance of old-growth forests for biodiversity
Researchers conducted a systematic review of 99 scientific publications that compared the flora or fauna of old-growth forests, managed forests and clearcut sites in boreal Europe. The reviewed studies showed large differences in the species communities inhabiting these forest types. The species richness of full-canopy forests increases as the forest gets older. Clearcut sites are also species-rich, but they are inhabited by a distinct set of species in comparison to full-canopy forests.
Machine learning simplifies industrial laser processes
Laser-based metal processing enables the automated and precise production of complex components, whether for the automotive industry or for medicine. However, conventional methods require time- and resource-consuming preparations. Researchers are now using machine learning to make laser processes more precise, more cost-effective and more efficient.
The magic of light: Dozens of images hidden in a single screen
New technology that uses light's color and spin to display multiple images.
A new study suggests that boys who become overweight in their early teens risk damaging the genes of their future children, increasing their chances of developing asthma, obesity and low lung function.
Without public trust, effective climate policy is impossible
When formulating climate policy, too little attention is paid to social factors and too much to technological breakthroughs and economic reasons. Because citizens are hardly heard in this process, European governments risk losing public support at a crucial moment in the climate debate.
Wilms tumors: How genes and imprinting pave the way for cancer
A biobank for pediatric kidney tumors plays a key role in identifying hereditary causes of Wilms tumors. New insights gained with its help enable better risk assessment for affected families and could form the basis for targeted screening and improved early detection.
A chip with natural blood vessels
Miniature organs on a chip could allow us to do scientific studies with great precision, without having to resort to animal testing. The main problem, however, is that artificial tissue needs blood vessels, and they are very hard to create. Now, new technology has been developed to create reproducible blood vessels using high-precision laser pulses. Tissue has been created that acts like natural tissue.
'Raindrops in the Sun's corona': New adaptive optics shows stunning details of our star's atmosphere
Scientists have produced the finest images of the Sun's corona to date. To make these high-resolution images and movies, the team developed a new 'coronal adaptive optics' system that removes blur from images caused by the Earth's atmosphere. Their ground-breaking results pave the way for deeper insight into coronal heating, solar eruptions, and space weather, and open an opportunity for new discoveries in the Sun's atmosphere.
The ocean seems to be getting darker
Scientists, who have spent more than a decade examining the impact of artificial light at night on the world's coasts and oceans, have shown that more than one-fifth of the global ocean -- an area spanning more than 75 million sq km -- has been the subject of ocean darkening over the past two decades. Ocean darkening occurs when changes in the optical properties of the ocean reduce the depth of its photic zones, home to 90% of all marine life and places where sunlight and moonlight drive ecological interactions.
Chronic renal failure: Discovery of a crucial biomarker
Scientists have identified microRNA able to protect small blood vessels and support kidney function after severe injury.
Different versions of APOE protein have varying effect on microglia in Alzheimer's disease
A new study suggests how APOE2 is protective while APOE4 increases disease risk by regulating the brain's immune cells.
How brain stimulation alleviates symptoms of Parkinson's disease
Persons with Parkinson's disease increasingly lose their mobility over time and are eventually unable to walk. Hope for these patients rests on deep brain stimulation, also known as a brain pacemaker. In a current study, researchers investigated whether and how stimulation of a certain region of the brain can have a positive impact on ambulatory ability and provide patients with higher quality of life. To do this, the researchers used a technique in which the nerve cells are activated and deactivated via light.
Stirling research could extend biopesticide effectiveness
Alterations to the diet of pests could impact how quickly they can adapt to biopesticides.
Discovery offers new insights into skin healing in salmon
Scientists have discovered cells in the skin of Atlantic salmon that offer new insights into how wounds heal, tissues regenerate, and cellular transitions support long-term skin health.
How you handle your home life can boost work performance, shows new study
A new study shows that people who proactively reorganise their family routines -- such as adjusting childcare schedules or redistributing domestic responsibilities -- are more likely to demonstrate adaptability and innovation at work.
Unconditional cash transfers following childbirth increases breastfeeding
The U.S. is facing a maternal health crisis with higher rates of maternal mortality than any other high-income country. Social and economic factors, including income, are recognized determinants of maternal morbidity and mortality. In addition, more than half of pregnancy-related deaths (deaths occurring during pregnancy or within one year after delivery) occur in the postpartum year. In what is believed to be the first review to summarize evidence on the effect of unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) on postpartum health outcomes in the U.S., researchers have found strong evidence that UCTs increase breastfeeding rates and result in little to no difference in postpartum mood.
Why after 2000 years we still don't know how tickling works
How come you can't tickle yourself? And why can some people handle tickling perfectly fine while others scream their heads off? Neuroscientists argue that we should take tickle research more seriously.
Emotional responses crucial to attitudes about self-driving cars
When it comes to public attitudes toward using self-driving cars, understanding how the vehicles work is important -- but so are less obvious characteristics like feelings of excitement or pleasure and a belief in technology's social benefits.
Taking a statin medication is an effective, safe, and low-cost way to lower cholesterol and reduce risk of cardiovascular events. Despite clinicians recommending that many patients with diabetes take statins, nearly one-fifth of them opt to delay treatment. In a new study, researchers found that patients who started statin therapy right away reduced the rate of heart attack and stroke by one third compared to those who chose to delay taking the medication.
New fuel cell could enable electric aviation
Engineers developed a fuel cell that offers more than three times as much energy per pound compared to lithium-ion batteries. Powered by a reaction between sodium metal and air, the device could be lightweight enough to enable the electrification of airplanes, trucks, or ships.
Weight loss linked to nerve cells in the brain
A specific group of nerve cells in the brain stem appears to control how semaglutide affects appetite and weight -- without causing nausea.