ScienceDaily: All - October 02, 2023
Today's top research news
Brain biometrics help identify sports concussions
Novel brain biometrics could help inform whether an athlete is ready to return to play following a concussion, according to new research.
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Improved mangrove conservation could yield cash, carbon, coastal benefits
A shift in the way we think about the benefits mangroves provide to coastal regions could yield significant economic and biodiversity gains and protect millions from flooding, research has revealed.
When cells go boom: Study reveals inflammation-causing gene carried by millions
Researchers have found that a genetic change that increases the risk of inflammation, through a process described as ‘explosive’ cell death, is carried by up to 3% of the global population.
Metal-loving microbes could replace chemical processing of rare earths
Scientists have characterized the genome of a metal-loving bacteria with an affinity for rare earth elements. The research paves the way towards replacing the harsh chemical processing of these elements with a benign practice called biosorption.
Fair and sustainable futures beyond mining
Mining brings huge social and environmental change to communities: landscapes, livelihoods and the social fabric evolve alongside the industry. But what happens when the mines close? What problems face communities that lose their main employer and the very core of their identity and social networks?
Losing sleep? It might be time to check your blood pressure
Getting enough sleep has never been more difficult in today's fast-paced environment. Yet new research highlights why getting a good night’s sleep is critical to staying healthy. Their research unveils that women who struggled with getting enough sleep were at greater risk of developing hypertension, or high blood pressure.
Viruses dynamic and changing after dry soils are watered
Viruses in soil may not be as destructive to bacteria as once thought and could instead act like lawnmowers, culling older cells and giving space for new growth, according to research.
Scientists investigate Grand Canyon's ancient past to predict future climate impacts
A team explores relationship between warming post-Ice Age temperatures and intensifying summer monsoon rains on groundwater reserves.
'Impossible' millimeter wave sensor has wide potential
UC Davis researchers develop a proof-of-concept millimeter wave radar sensor that can detect extremely small vibrations and movements.
DNA from discarded whale bones suggests loss of genetic diversity due to commercial whaling
Commercial whaling in the 20th century decimated populations of large whales but also appears to have had a lasting impact on the genetic diversity of today’s surviving whales, new research shows.
Study indicates possible link between chronic stress and Alzheimer's disease
Researchers have published a study that addresses possible associations between chronic stress, mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The study shows how people aged between 18 and 65 with a previous diagnosis of chronic stress and depression were more likely than other people to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment or Alzheimer’s disease.
Examining the superconducting diode effect
Scientists have reviewed the superconducting diode effect, a quantum effect enabling dissipationless supercurrent to flow in only one direction. The SDE provides new functionalities for superconducting circuits and future ultra-low energy superconducting/hybrid devices, with potential for quantum technologies in both classical and quantum computing.
Next-generation printing: Precise and direct, using optical vortices
Researchers have succeeded in printing uniformly sized droplets with a diameter of approximately 100 µm using a liquid film of fluorescent ink. This ink, with a viscosity roughly 100 times that of water, was irradiated with an optical vortex, resulting in prints of exceptional positional accuracy at the micrometer scale.
Preventing spread of parasitic DNA in our genomes
Researchers have identified a new enzyme called PUCH, which plays a key role in preventing the spread of parasitic DNA in our genomes. These findings may reveal new insights into how our bodies detect and fight bacteria and viruses to prevent infections.
Breakthrough in the fight against resistance in metastatic breast cancer
A team of researchers has discovered that dormant tumor cells surviving chemotherapy can be targeted through the inhibition of a specific protein called P-glycoprotein (P-gp). This discovery opens up new possibilities for delaying relapse and is particularly relevant for aggressive triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), for which there are currently few effective treatments.
Calls for verbal abuse of children by adults to be formally recognized as form of child maltreatment
A new systematic review has highlighted the importance of identifying childhood verbal abuse by adults as a standalone subtype of child maltreatment, to ensure targeted prevention and address the lasting harm it can inflict.
New internet addiction spectrum: Where are you on the scale?
Young people (24 years and younger) spend an average of six hours a day online, primarily using their smartphones, according to new research. Older people (those 24 years and older) spend 4.6 hours online.
Water makes all the difference
Water is a major driving force in the formation of separate reaction compartments within cells.
Genetics of attraction: Mate choice in fruit flies
Genetic quality or genetic compatibility? What do female fruit flies prioritize when mating? Researchers show that both factors are important at different stages of the reproductive process and that females use targeted strategies to optimize the fitness of their offspring.
Colliding neutron stars provide a new way to measure the expansion of the Universe
In recent years, astronomy has seen itself in a bit of crisis: Although we know that the Universe expands, and although we know approximately how fast, the two primary ways to measure this expansion do not agree. Now astrophysicists suggest a novel method which may help resolve this tension.
Engineering study employs deep learning to explain extreme events
At the core of uncovering extreme events such as floods is the physics of fluids – specifically turbulent flows. Researchers leveraged a computer-vision deep learning technique and adapted it for nonlinear analysis of extreme events in wall-bounded turbulent flows, which are pervasive in numerous physics and engineering applications and impact wind and hydrokinetic energy, among others. Results show the technique employed can be invaluable for accurately identifying the sources of extreme events in a completely data-driven manner.
A hygiene program for chromosomes
Researchers identified and characterized a new cellular compartment in vertebrate cells that might be a precursor of today's eucaryotic nucleus. The study reveals that mammalian cells recognize, cluster, sort and keep extrachromosomal DNA -- like transfected plasmid DNA and endogenous circular DNAs originating from telomeres of the chromosome -- away from chromosomal DNA. That suggests that there is a cell autonomous genome defense system.
New study uncovers potential treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
A research team has identified an important factor involved in the development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) caused by obesity.
New tool reveals how drugs affect men, women differently -- and will make for safer medications
Researchers have developed a powerful new tool to understand how medications affect men and women differently, and that will help lead to safer, more effective drugs in the future.
Researchers blow whistle on forensic science method
If forensic experts have access to a suspect's gun, they can compare the microscopic markings from discarded shell casings with those found at a crime scene. Finding and reporting a mismatch can help free the innocent, just as a match can incriminate the guilty. But new research reveals mismatches are more likely than matches to be reported as 'inconclusive' in cartridge-case comparisons.
In forming long-term memories, vascular cells are crucial
A new study reveals the crucial role of vascular system cells -- known as pericytes -- in the formation of long-term memories of life events -- memories that are lost in diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.
Is AI in the eye of the beholder?
Priming users about the motives of an AI agent had a significant impact on their perceptions of that agent and how effective they believed this AI mental health companion was, according to a new study. Not only did priming change users’ perceptions, it also changed how they interacted with the chatbot and how the chatbot responded, creating a feedback loop.
Discrimination alters brain-gut 'crosstalk,' prompting poor food choices and increased health risks
People frequently exposed to racial or ethnic discrimination may be more susceptible to obesity and related health risks in part because of a stress response that changes biological processes and how we process food cues, according to new research.
Investigators have developed a new approach for treating invasive bladder cancer without the need for surgical removal of the bladder. Removing the bladder is currently a standard approach when cancer has invaded the muscle layer of the bladder.
Plant chloroplasts promise potential therapy for Huntington's disease
A chloroplast enzyme safeguards plants against pathological protein aggregation that causes Huntington’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. New research may have found a way to 'copy' the mechanism for application in human cells.
Sustainable protection of rapidly subsiding coastlines with mangroves
Along the Asian coast lines there are many areas where rural communities experience alarming rates of sea level rises due to land subsidence up to 10 cm per year. This causes tremendous challenges on how to live there and protect these coasts. Scientists have now investigated the potential and limitation of mangrove restoration as a cost-effective and sustainable solution for coastal protection in rapidly subsiding areas.
Distributed workload in the fly brain
To distinguish motion patterns, a neuronal computation is performed three times in a row.
Climate and human land use both play roles in Pacific island wildfires past and present
It’s long been understood that human settlement contributes to conditions that make Pacific Islands more susceptible to wildfires, such as the devastating Aug. 8 event that destroyed the Maui community of Lahaina. But a new study from fire scientist shows that climate is an undervalued part of the equation.
A more effective experimental design for engineering a cell into a new state
A new machine-learning approach helps scientists more efficiently identify the optimal intervention to achieve a certain outcome in a complex system, such as genome regulation, requiring far fewer experimental trials than other methods.
Researchers studied thousands of fertility attempts hoping to improve IVF
By genetically testing nearly one thousand embryos, scientists have provided the most detailed analysis of embryo fate following human in vitro fertilization.
Researchers propose a unified, scalable framework to measure agricultural greenhouse gas emissions
Increased government investment in climate change mitigation is prompting agricultural sectors to find reliable methods for measuring their contribution to climate change. With that in mind, scientists have proposed a supercomputing solution to help measure individual farm field-level greenhouse gas emissions.
Dense measurement network links air pollution and common agricultural practice
The annual burning of crop residue in India causes widespread air pollution, particularly in the northwestern regions. A group of international researchers has used low-cost yet reliable instruments to gauge the effects of air pollution in these areas.
Metaphors for human fertilization are evolving, study shows
In a common metaphor used to describe human fertilization, sperm cells are competitors racing to penetrate a passive egg. But as critics have noted, the description is also a 'fairy tale,' rooted in cultural beliefs about masculinity and femininity. A new study by sociologists provides evidence that this metaphor remains widely used despite the profound shift in recent decades in social and scientific views about gender, sex, and sexuality. But her findings, based on interviews with a diverse sample of 47 individuals, also reveal that a more gender-egalitarian metaphor is circulating that describes sperm and egg as two halves of a whole.
Edges cause cilia to quickly synchronize their beating pattern
Border regions can cause cilia to coordinate their motion creating a unidirectional wave that is essential for biological functions. Scientists proposed a new model describing this synchronized pattern driven by the border region.
Groundbreaking mathematical proof: New insights into typhoon dynamics unveiled
A research team has provided irrefutable proof that certain spherical vortices exist in a stable state.
