ScienceDaily: All - October 11, 2024
Today's top research news
To make children better fact-checkers, expose them to more misinformation -- with oversight
Researcherers say a pair of experiments with children ages 4 to 7 shows that, given children's natural skepticism and early exposure to the internet's boundless misinformation, it is crucial for adults to teach them practical fact-checking skills. Instead of attempting to completely sanitize their online environment researchers argue adults should focus on equipping children with tools to critically assess the information they encounter.
Image: WDgraph/Shutterstock.com
It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater
Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known commonly as PFAS, could take over 40 years to flush out of contaminated groundwater.
A look into 'mirror molecules' may lead to new medicines
Chemists have developed a new chemical reaction that will allow researchers to synthesize selectively the left-handed or right-handed versions of 'mirror molecules' found in nature and assess them for potential use against cancer, infection, depression, inflammation and a host of other conditions.
Loss of lake ice has wide-ranging environmental and societal consequences
The world's freshwater lakes are freezing over for shorter periods of time due to climate change. This shift has major implications for human safety, as well as water quality, biodiversity, and global nutrient cycles.
How a bunch of seemingly disorganized cells go on to form a robust embryo
Embryo development starts when a single egg cell is fertilized and starts dividing continuously. Initially a chaotic cluster, it gradually evolves into a highly organized structure. Scientists have now provided new insights into the process, emphasizing the critical role of both chaos and order.
A stiff material that stops vibrations and noise
Materials researchers have created a new composite material that combines two incompatible properties: stiff yet with a high damping capacity.
Understanding how smiling influences relationship building during real-life conversations
Smiling during conversations often elevates the experience of knowing someone, but this understanding has been subjective. A new study investigated the reciprocal relationship between people who indulge in smiling during face-to-face conversations. The researchers found that speakers smile more when listeners smile more, particularly in paired individuals of the same biological sex. These findings provide evidence of synchronized smiling behavior, highlighting the influence of facial expressions on interpersonal relationships.
Fossils and fires: Insights into early modern human activity in the jungles of Southeast Asia
Studying microscopic layers of dirt dug from the Tam Pa Ling cave site in northeastern Laos has provided a team of archaeologists further insights into some of the earliest evidence of Homo sapiens in mainland Southeast Asia. The site, which has been studied for the past 14 years, has produced some of the earliest fossil evidence of our direct ancestors in Southeast Asia but now a new study has reconstructed the ground conditions in the cave between 52,000 and 10,000 years ago.
The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures
A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.
Inspired by Spider-Man, a lab recreates web-slinging technology
Researchers took the imaginary scenes from Spider-Man seriously and created the first web-slinging technology in which a fluid material can shoot from a needle, immediately solidify as a string, and adhere to and lift objects.