ScienceDaily: All - November 16, 2023
Today's top research news
Hunger hormones impact decision-making brain area to drive behavior
A hunger hormone produced in the gut can directly impact a decision-making part of the brain in order to drive an animal's behavior, finds a new study.
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Depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in the world, but current anti-depressants have yet to meet the needs of many patients. Neuroscientists recently discovered a small molecule that can effectively alleviate stress-induced depressive symptoms in mice by preventing aversive memory formation with a lower dosage, offering a new direction for developing anti-depressants in the future.
Breakthrough in bladder cancer research
For 40 years, chemotherapy has been the standard treatment for bladder cancer patients who can tolerate this medicine. However, the results were limited, and lasting results were rare. In recent years, two groundbreaking phase-3 clinical studies have focused on a new form of treatment to improve this. They investigated the effects of combining immunotherapy and chemotherapy.
Blinking on a quiz show offers clues to human response under stress
Quiz shows, where contestants answer rapid-fire questions in a high-stress, high-stakes environment, are an integral part of TV programming -- and now they are demonstrating that they have research value, according to a new study.
New global stocktake: Healthy forests could store much more carbon
Natural carbon reservoirs will play a major role at the COP28 world climate conference in the United Arab Emirates. In a recent study, a team of more than two hundred researchers worldwide presents new estimates of the storage potential of forests around the globe. According to the study, forests could ideally absorb 328 billion tons (gigatons, Gt for short) of carbon. However, as many formerly forested areas are now used for agriculture and as settlement areas, the potential is reduced to 226 Gt. 139 Gt of this (61%) could be achieved by protecting existing forests alone. The remaining 87 Gt (39%) could be realized by reconnecting previously fragmented forest landscapes and managing them sustainably.
Birds set foot near South Pole in Early Cretaceous, Australian tracks show
The discovery of 27 avian footprints on the southern Australia coast -- dating back to the Early Cretaceous when Australia was still connected to Antarctica -- opens another window onto early avian evolution and possible migratory behavior.
More than meows: How bacteria help cats communicate
Many mammals, from domestic cats and dogs to giant pandas, use scent to communicate with each other. A new study shows how domestic cats send signals to each other using odors derived from families of bacteria living in their anal glands.
Nuclear expansion failure shows simulations require change
A team of researchers looked back at a model that predicted nuclear power would expand dramatically in order to assess the efficacy of energy policies implemented today.
New studies of brain activity explain benefits of electroconvulsive therapy
Researchers have shed new light on why electroconvulsive therapy has such a high success rate, a mystery that has puzzled doctors and scientists for almost a century. Findings could help improve this controversial treatment.
Realistic talking faces created from only an audio clip and a person's photo
A team of researchers has developed a computer program that creates realistic videos that reflect the facial expressions and head movements of the person speaking, only requiring an audio clip and a face photo. DIverse yet Realistic Facial Animations, or DIRFA, is an artificial intelligence-based program that takes audio and a photo and produces a 3D video showing the person demonstrating realistic and consistent facial animations synchronised with the spoken audio (see videos).
Preventing hydrogen vehicle aging during sudden stops
Engineers enhance hydrogen fuel cell durability via tungsten oxide coating.
New 'patch' uses natural body motion to fix disc herniation
A tension-activated repair patch used in animal trials plugs holes in discs in the spine like car tire patches and could prevent further disease progression.
Smaller hippocampus linked to cognitive decline
With the rise of new drugs that can target the amyloid-beta plaques in the brain that are an early sign of Alzheimer's disease, new ways are needed to determine whether memory loss and thinking problems are due to Alzheimer's disease or another neurodegenerative disorder. A new study shows that shrinkage in the hippocampus area of the brain is associated with cognitive decline, even in people who don't have amyloid plaques in the brain. The hippocampus plays a role in memory.
Plants that survived dinosaur extinction pulled nitrogen from air
Ancient cycad lineages that survived the extinction of the dinosaurs may have done so by relying on symbiotic bacteria in their roots to fix atmospheric nitrogen. The finding came from an effort to understand ancient atmospheres, but became an insight into plant evolution instead.
Scientists piece together DNA repair pathway implicated in breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers
Medical researchers have learned more about an enzyme found to be overly expressed in patients with hereditary breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and prostate cancer.
Ice cores from Earth's highest tropical peak provide insight into climate variability
A new study examines ice cores from the summit of the highest tropical mountain in the world, and finds unique insight into the climate record of the Amazon Basin over the last six decades.
Scientists identify T-cell differentiation nodes to improve cancer-killing
Scientists mapped the gene regulatory networks responsible for progressive differentiation states of tumor-infiltrating T cells, using a technology known as single-cell CRISPR screening to knock out or genetically perturb multiple genes potentially involved.
How bacteria recognize viral invasion and activate immune defenses
Bacteria have an array of strategies to counter viral invasion, but how they first spot a stranger in their midst has long been a mystery.
People with obesity burn less energy during day
A study found people who have a healthy weight use more energy during the day, when most people are active and eat, while those who have obesity spend more energy during the night, when most people sleep. Researchers also found that, during the day, those with obesity have higher levels of the hormone insulin -- a sign that the body is working harder to use glucose, an energy-packed sugar.
Exposure to air pollution in utero may affect reproductive system development
From invisible wafts of diesel exhaust to sun-choking plumes of orange smoke, air pollution is known to damage respiratory well-being. Now, research suggests another reason to hold our breath: Polluted air also may hurt reproductive health. In a study of air pollution data in relation to markers of reproductive development in infancy, Rutgers researchers found certain pollutants may negatively alter anogenital distance, a measure of prenatal exposure to hormones.
Can gene expression predict if a brain tumor is likely to grow back?
Doctors often prescribe radiation along with surgery to treat a brain tumor called meningioma that originates in the protective membranes surrounding the brain. But side effects from radiation can be serious, including memory loss and cognitive decline, so it's important to know which patients really need it. Now, researchers at UC San Francisco and Northwestern Medicine, in collaboration with 10 other medical centers, have found a highly accurate way to predict the best treatment for patients based on patterns of gene expression -- which genes are turned on and off -- in their tumors.
