ScienceDaily: All - October 30, 2023
Today's top research news
Want to achieve your goals? Get angry
While often perceived as a negative emotion, anger can also be a powerful motivator for people to achieve challenging goals in their lives, according to new research.
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A wave theory for a neurochemical balance in the brain
Scientists describe a new kind of neurochemical wave in the brain. Their research unveils the existence of traveling waves of the neurochemical acetylcholine in the striatum, a region of the brain responsible for motivating actions and habitual behaviors.
How to protect biocatalysts from oxygen
There are high hopes for hydrogen as the key to the energy transition. A specific enzyme group found in algae and in bacteria can produce molecular hydrogen simply by catalyzing protons and electrons. However, the enzyme group is so sensitive to oxygen that commercial use of the hydrogen produced by this process as a green energy source is not yet possible. Researchers have now increased the oxygen stability of a hydrogen-producing enzyme by genetically generated channel blockages.
Monitoring nuclear weapons stockpiles with radio waves
Monitoring whether states are complying with disarmament treaties is not an easy task. An international team has been exploring remote monitoring with the help of two antennas and a couple of mirrors.
Heat-related cardiovascular deaths in the U.S. may more than double within decades
In nationwide projections, elderly and Black adults are most at risk for cardiovascular death due to extreme heat, finds a new study.
Virtual meetings tire people because we're doing them wrong
New research suggests sleepiness during virtual meetings is caused by mental underload and boredom. Earlier studies suggested that fatigue from virtual meetings stems from mental overload, but new research shows that sleepiness during virtual meetings might actually be a result of mental underload and boredom.
Using lasers to 'heat and beat' 3D-printed steel could help reduce costs
Researchers have developed a new method for 3D printing metal that could help reduce costs and make more efficient use of resources.
Selenium reduces mixtures of environmental pollutants' harmful effects on health
A study in mice demonstrates that exposure to contaminating mixtures of metals and drug residue increases damage to health, and evaluates the positive effects of a diet enriched in selenium to reduce this harm.
Cat-ching criminals with DNA from pet hairs
Cat hair could be the purr-fect way to catch criminals, according to researchers.
Intestinal bacteria metabolite promotes capture of antigens by dendritic cells
Dendritic cells are immune cells that capture and present antigens to T cells, activating an immune response. Researchers have discovered that short-chain fatty acids produced by intestinal bacteria regulate a crucial step in this process, the extension of dendritic 'arms.' This breakthrough finding could potentially lead to the development of disease prevention strategies involving beneficial bacteria and new drugs targeting the regulation of dendritic cell function.
Controlling organoids with light
Organoids help researchers understand biological processes in health and in disease. It is, however, difficult to influence the way in which they organize themselves into complex tissues. Now a group has found a new way to do so.
Insulin icodec, a once-weekly basal injection to treat type 1 diabetes, has the potential to be as effective in managing the condition as daily basal insulin treatments, according to new research. The results of the year-long phase 3 clinical trial could revolutionize the future of diabetes care and help millions of people better manage their condition.
Drawing a tube of blood could assess ALS risk from environmental toxin exposure
Investigators have developed a new risk score that assesses a person's risk for developing ALS, as well as for survival after diagnosis, using a blood sample based on exposure to toxins in the environment, a new study shows.
Wireless device makes magnetism appear in non-magnetic materials
Researchers have succeeded in bringing wireless technology to the fundamental level of magnetic devices. The emergence and control of magnetic properties in cobalt nitride layers (initially non-magnetic) by voltage, without connecting the sample to electrical wiring, represents a paradigm shift that can facilitate the creation of magnetic nanorobots for biomedicine and computing systems where basic information management processes do not require wiring.
The genetic heritage of the Denisovans may have left its mark on our mental health
A research team has identified the most widespread genetic contribution by Denisovans to date. The study reveals that the genetic variant observed, which affects zinc regulation, could have signified an evolutionary advantage in our ancestors' adaptation to the cold. The study also reveals that this genetic adaptation may have predisposed modern humans to neuropsychiatric disorders.
