ScienceDaily: All - November 05, 2024
Today's top research news
Bacteria breakthrough could accelerate mosquito control schemes
Mosquito larvae grow faster if they're exposed to particular bacteria, according to a new study that could help global health programs.
Image: SKphotographer/Shutterstock.com
Persistent problems with AI-assisted genomic studies
Researchers are warning that artificial intelligence tools gaining popularity in the fields of genetics and medicine can lead to flawed conclusions about the connection between genes and physical characteristics, including risk factors for diseases like diabetes.
Scientists tackle farm nutrient pollution with sustainable, affordable designer biochar pellets
What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? Researchers now show it's possible and economical.
AI for real-time, patient-focused insight
New trigger proposed for record-smashing 2022 Tonga eruption
Fifteen minutes before the massive January 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai volcano, a seismic wave was recorded by two distant seismic stations. The researchers propose that the seismic wave was caused by a fracture in a weak area of oceanic crust beneath the volcano's caldera wall. That fracture allowed seawater and magma to pour into and mix together in the space above the volcano's subsurface magma chamber, explosively kickstarting the eruption.
Satellite imagery may help protect coastal forests from climate change
A new study details how climate change transforms coastal wetlands in North Carolina from forest to marshland or even open water, and how satellite imagery may help better direct conservation efforts to preserve those areas.
The secrets of baseball's magic mud
The unique properties of baseball's famed 'magic' mud, which MLB equipment managers applied to every ball in the World Series, have never been scientifically quantified -- until now. Researchers now reveal what makes the magic mud so special.
Cobalt-copper tandem converts carbon dioxide to ethanol
The continuing release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a major driver of global warming and climate change with increased extreme weather events. Researchers have now presented a method for effectively converting carbon dioxide into ethanol, which is then available as a sustainable raw material for chemical applications.
From compliance to conversation: New guidelines push for ethical reflection in research reporting
A new study highlights key challenges and tensions in research ethics, particularly in light of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence, and calls for the adoption of new research ethics policies.
Evolutionary biologists report they have analyzed a fossil of an extinct giant meat-eating bird -- which they say could be the largest known member of its kind -- providing new information about animal life in northern South America millions of years ago.
AI tool AlphaFold can now predict very large proteins
The AI tool AlphaFold has been improved so that it can now predict the shape of very large and complex protein structures. Researchers have also succeeded in integrating experimental data into the tool. The results are a step toward more efficient development of new proteins for, among other things, medical drugs.
Childhood overweight is associated with socio-economic vulnerability
More children have overweight in regions with high rates of single parenthood, low education levels, low income and high child poverty. The pandemic may also have reinforced this trend.
Nanoscale transistors could enable more efficient electronics
Nanoscale 3D transistors made from ultrathin semiconductor materials can operate more efficiently than silicon-based devices, leveraging quantum mechanical properties to potentially enable ultra-low-power AI applications.
Space: A new frontier for exploring stem cell therapy
Stem cells grown in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have unique qualities that could one day help accelerate new biotherapies and heal complex disease, researchers say. The research analysis finds microgravity can strengthen the regenerative potential of cells. Microgravity is weightlessness or near-zero gravity.
Lying, sitting or all-fours position?
Whether lying on their back, all-fours position, sitting upright or squatting -- women adopt different birthing positions during childbirth. What has not yet been researched is how the respective final birthing position affects the satisfaction of the woman giving birth. Researchers have now investigated precisely this.
Dance of electrons measured in the glow from exploding neutron-stars
The temperature of elementary particles has been observed in the radioactive glow following the collision of two neutron stars and the birth of a black hole. This has, for the first time, made it possible to measure the microscopic, physical properties in these cosmic events. Simultaneously, it reveals how snapshot observations made in an instant represents an object stretched out across time.
Synthetic genes engineered to mimic how cells build tissues and structures
Researchers have developed synthetic genes that function like the genes in living cells. The artificial genes can build intracellular structures through a cascading sequence that builds self-assembling structures piece by piece. The discovery offers a path toward using a suite of simple building blocks that can be programmed to make complex biomolecular materials, such as nanoscale tubes from DNA tiles. The same components can also be programmed to break up the design for different materials.
Remote medical interpreting is a double-edged sword in healthcare communication, researchers find
Remote medical interpreting (RMI) may be hindering healthcare communication rather than helping it, according to a new study.
High levels of omega-3, omega-6 may protect against cancer
In addition to lowering your cholesterol, keeping your brain healthy and improving mental health, new research suggests omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help ward off a variety of cancers.
BESSY II: New procedure for better thermoplastics
Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team has now investigated at BESSY II how a new process enables thermoplastic blends with a high interfacial strength to be made from two base materials: Images taken at the new nano station of the IRIS beamline showed that nanocrystalline layers form during the process, which increase material performance.
Domino effect in the Amazon region
The Amazon region is a global hotspot of biodiversity and plays a key role in the climate system because of its ability to store large amounts of carbon and its influence on the global water cycle. The rain forest is threatened, however, by climate change as well as by intensified deforestation activities. An international team has now investigated how a change in Atlantic circulation would impact the Amazon Rain Forest.
New research estimates carbon emissions from 22 million stream reaches across the US
Using a sophisticated new modeling approach, researchers have estimated carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters to 22 million U.S. lakes, rivers and reservoirs. It marks the first time this approach has been applied at a continental scale, and reveals previous methods may have overestimated CO2 emissions by as much as 25%.
Astronomers discover the fastest-feeding black hole in the early universe
Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang that is consuming matter at a phenomenal rate -- over 40 times the theoretical limit. While short lived, this black hole's 'feast' could help astronomers explain how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early Universe.
How the keto diet could one day treat autoimmune disorders
Scientists have long suspected the keto diet might be able to calm an overactive immune system and help some people with diseases like multiple sclerosis. Now, they have reason to believe it could be true. Scientists have discovered that the diet makes the gut and its microbes produce two factors that attenuated symptoms of MS in mice.