ScienceDaily: All - November 01, 2024
Today's top research news
Low-level lead poisoning is still pervasive in the US and globally
Chronic, low-level lead poisoning is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease in adults and cognitive deficits in children, even at levels previously thought to be safe, Low-level lead poisoning is a risk factor for preterm. Annually 5.5 million deaths from cardiovascular disease attributed to low-level lead poisoning; accounts for a loss of 765 million IQ points in children.
Image: Pepermpron/Shutterstock.com
New methods for whale tracking and rendezvous using autonomous robots
Today, a research team has proposed a new reinforcement learning framework with autonomous drones to find sperm whales and predict where they will surface.
Sleeping for 2: Insomnia therapy reduces postpartum depression, study shows
CBT for insomnia significantly reduces postpartum depression symptoms, directly and indirectly, by improving mood and alleviating insomnia throughout treatment.
How fruit flies achieve accurate visual behavior despite changing light conditions
When light conditions rapidly change, our eyes have to respond to this change in fractions of a second to maintain stable visual processing. This is necessary when, for example, we drive through a forest and thus move through alternating stretches of shadows and clear sunlight. In situations like these, a corrective mechanism is required. Such a corrective 'gain control' mechanism exists in the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, where it acts directly downstream of the photoreceptors.
Immune system review provides insight into more effective biotechnology
As critical responders, macrophages can perceive helpful biotechnology as threats. If not created with the right materials or mechanical forces, these devices can trigger an immune response that can cause inflammation, scar tissue or device failure.
A novel neural network for preserving cultural heritage via 3D image reconstruction
Relief-type cultural heritage objects are commonly found in many historical sites worldwide, but often suffer from varying levels of damage and deterioration. Traditional methods for image reconstruction require extensive manual labor and specialized knowledge. Now, researchers have developed a novel neural network model that can reconstruct these reliefs as three-dimensional digital images from old photographs containing their pre-damage information. This innovative technology paves the way for accurate digital preservation of valuable cultural heritage objects.
New ESO image captures a dark wolf in the sky
For Halloween, the European Southern Observatory (ESO) reveals a spooktacular image of a dark nebula that creates the illusion of a wolf-like silhouette against a colourful cosmic backdrop. Fittingly nicknamed the Dark Wolf Nebula, it was captured in a 283-million-pixel image by the VLT Survey Telescope (VST) at ESO's Paranal Observatory in Chile.
Long COVID inflammation damages the heart, study finds
New research has found inflammatory markers in the blood of long COVID patients which could explain why many experience ongoing cardiovascular issues.
How life began on earth: modeling Earth's ancient atmosphere
This model reveals how vastly different the atmosphere was on ancient Earth, and how life may have first emerged.
Brighter nights and darker days could lead to an early grave
A study of more than 13 million hours of data, collected from light sensors worn by 89,000 people, has found exposure to bright nights and dark days is associated with an increased risk of death.
Why elephants never forget but fleas have, well, the attention span of a flea
Researchers have developed a model to calculate how quickly or slowly an organism should ideally learn in its surroundings. An organism's ideal learning rate depends on the pace of environmental change and its life cycle, they say.
Sleep apnea contributes to dementia in older adults, especially women
Sleep apnea, a common yet underdiagnosed sleep disorder, contributes to the development of dementia among adults -- particularly women, a new study suggests. At every age level, women with known or suspected sleep apnea were more likely than men to be diagnosed with dementia.
The silk thread that can turn clothes into charging stations
Imagine a sweater that powers electronics to monitor your health or charge your mobile phone while running. This development faces challenges because of the lack of materials that both conduct electricity stably and are well suited for textiles. Now a research group presents an ordinary silk thread, coated with a conductive plastic material, that shows promising properties for turning textiles into electricity generators.
How COVID-19 transformed family dinners
While the lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic led many families to eat more meals at home, they had an additional benefit: an increase in the quality of family time during those dinners, according to new research.
How local governments can lead the way in decarbonizing the U.S.
The success of the $1 trillion that was recently invested by the U.S. federal government to mitigate climate climate change through the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law largely depends on how well state and local governments spend the money, according to new a commentary.
New Illinois study explores adoption of robotic weeding to fight superweeds
Most corn and soybean fields in the U.S. are planted with herbicide-resistant crop varieties. However, the evolution of superweeds that have developed resistance to common herbicides is jeopardizing current weed management strategies. Agricultural robotics for mechanical weeding is an emerging technology that could potentially provide a solution. A new study looks at the types of farmers and fields more likely to adopt weeding robots and at what stage of resistance development.
Long-term benefits of weight-loss surgery in young people
Young people with severe obesity who underwent weight-loss surgery at age 19 or younger continued to see sustained weight loss and resolution of common obesity-related comorbidities 10 years later, according to results from a large clinical study.
COVID-19 pandemic worsened patient safety measures, study finds
A new study has found that the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted patient safety indicators in U.S. hospitals. The study examined data from the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators to assess trends in nursing-sensitive quality indicators from 2019 to 2022. The prevention of these very distressing, uncomfortable conditions is considered to be under the nurse's purview and directly influenced by nursing care.
First steps towards national screening for Barrett's esophagus
New research is exploring low-cost, non-invasive ways to diagnose Barrett's esophagus, a condition associated with deadly esophageal cancer, to find effective strategies to identify patients with this condition.
The dangerous pursuit of muscularity in men and adolescent boys
Men and adolescent boys are increasingly at risk of resorting to the dangerous use of anabolic steroids in a bid to achieve the desired muscular build modeled on social media, warn body image experts. A new review that focused specifically on men found that exposure to social media posts depicting ideal muscular male bodies is directly linked to a negative body image and greater odds of resorting to anabolic-androgenic steroid use.
Spin current observations from organic semiconductor side
Researchers have succeeded in observing the effects of spin current transfer and spin current generation from the non-magnetic side of a device, using a multilayer device consisting of a ferromagnetic layer and an organic semiconductor material.
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