ScienceDaily: All - September 12, 2024
Today's top research news
One of world's fastest ocean currents is remarkably stable, study finds
Scientists found that the strength of the Florida Current, the beginning of the Gulf Stream system and a key component of the global Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation, or AMOC, has remained stable for the past four decades.
Image: Peter Hermes Furian/Shutterstock.com
New insights could help prevent psychosis relapses in youth and young adults
New findings could help clinicians understand the course of delusions in youth and young adults that signal the need for a timely intervention to prevent a full relapse of psychosis.
Biogeochemists make recommendations for tackling 'hidden' phosphorus
As the world tries to mitigate agriculture's effect on the environment, much of the story can be found in the soils, which stores and cycles nutrient elements of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Biogeochemist are set to find answers, but, the challenge is first being able to accurately measure where phosphorus has accumulated in the <100 years since humans began to increase the amount of the nutrient element in the biosphere.
New, rare type of small cell lung cancer identified
A team of doctors and researchers have identified a new, rare type of small cell lung cancer that primarily affects younger people who have never smoked.
Light pollution a new Alzheimer's risk factor
Outdoor light at night could be a significant risk factor in Alzheimer's disease, according to new research from Rush.
Human 'molecular map' contributes to the understanding of disease mechanisms
Scientists have created an intricate molecular map of the human body and its complex physiological processes based on the analysis of thousands of molecules in blood, urine and saliva samples from 391 volunteers. The data was integrated to create a powerful, interactive visual web-based tool called Connecting Omics (COmics) that can be used to investigate the complex molecular make-up of humans and discover underlying traits associated with various diseases.
Can having a stroke change your sleep?
People who have had a stroke may be more likely to sleep too much or too little compared to those without prior stroke, according to a new study. The study does not prove that stroke causes abnormal sleep; it only shows an association.
Magnetic field maps of the sun's corona
Astronomers have achieved a major breakthrough in solar physics by successfully producing detailed maps of the Sun's coronal magnetic fields. This milestone promises to enhance our understanding of the Sun's atmosphere and how its changing conditions lead to impacts on Earth's technology-dependent society. The corona, or the Sun's outer atmosphere, greatly influences solar winds and space weather events like solar flares and coronal mass ejections. However, the magnetic forces that drive these events and the corona are challenging to measure.
Self-medicating gorillas and traditional healers provide clues for new drug discovery
Four plants consumed by wild gorillas in Gabon and used by local communities in traditional medicine show antibacterial and antioxidant properties, researchers report.
Researchers have developed a flexible, durable electronic prototype that can harvest energy from body heat and turn it into electricity that can be used to power small electronics, such as batteries, sensors or LEDs. This device is also resilient -- it still functions even after being pierced several times and then stretched 2,000 times.
Newly discovered antimicrobial could prevent or treat cholera
Researchers identified the first known microcin, a group of naturally produced antimicrobials, that targets the strains of bacteria that cause cholera.
Microscale robot folds into 3D shapes and crawls
Researchers have created microscale robots less than 1 millimeter in size that are printed as a 2D hexagonal 'metasheet' but, with a jolt of electricity, morph into preprogrammed 3D shapes and crawl.
Genes with strong impact on menopause timing also link to cancer risk
The team first looked at variation in data from genetic sequencing of 106,973 post-menopausal female participants in the UK Biobank study. Researchers focused on rare types of genetic changes which cause a loss of the protein, and investigated their effect on the timing of menopause. The genetic changes studied are all rare in the population, however their influence on menopause is five times greater than the impact of any previously identified common genetic variant.
Many clinical trials of new cancer drugs may be inappropriately excluding some people with Duffy-null phenotype, a trait found predominantly in people of African or Middle Eastern descent, researchers report in a new study.
Researchers uncover shared cellular mechanisms across three major dementias
Researchers have for the first time identified degeneration-associated 'molecular markers' -- observable changes in cells and their gene-regulating networks -- that are shared by several forms of dementia that affect different regions of the brain. Critically, the research also identified markers specific to different forms of dementia, and the combined findings represent a potential paradigm shift in the search for causes, treatments and cures.
Risk of secondary cancers after CAR T therapy may be similar to risk after other cancer treatments
The frequency of second primary malignancies (SPMs) arising in cancer survivors following treatment with CAR T-cell therapy was statistically comparable to the frequency of SPMs following other standard-of-care therapies, according to a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Mirror, mirror, in my tank, who's the biggest fish of all?
Researchers have demonstrated that bluestreak cleaner wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) checked their body size in a mirror before choosing whether to attack fish that were slightly larger or smaller than themselves, saying it was the first time for a non-human animal to be demonstrated to possess some mental states that are elements of private self-awareness.
Scientists expand the genetic alphabet to create new proteins
It's a dogma taught in every introductory biology class: Proteins are composed of combinations of 20 different amino acids, arranged into diverse sequences like words. But researchers trying to engineer biologic molecules with new functions have long felt limited by those 20 basic building blocks and strived to develop ways of putting new building blocks -- called non-canonical amino acids -- into their proteins. Now, scientists have designed a new paradigm for easily adding non-canonical amino acids to proteins.
Breakthrough research sheds light on the hidden effects of stress on sperm
A new study reveals that stress-induced changes in sperm motility occur after a stressful event, rather than during it and improves sperm performance. The discovery is essential in understanding how stress impacts the reproductive process to improve fetal development outcomes.
Throat problems could impair autonomic nervous system's ability to regulate blood pressure
Patients with throat problems were less able to regulate their blood pressure in a new study. The study shows reduced baroreflex sensitivity in patients with throat symptoms.
Unique nanodisk pushing photonic research forward
Researchers have succeeded in combining two major research fields in photonics by creating a nano-object with unique optical qualities. Since the object is a thousand times thinner than the human hair, yet very powerful, the breakthrough has great potential in the development of efficient and compact nonlinear optical devices.
Researchers improve search for cancer drivers
A computer algorithm can efficiently find genetic mutations that work together to drive cancer as well as other important genetic clues that researchers might someday use to develop new treatments for a variety of cancers. Researchers used a novel network computer model to find co-occurring mutations as well as other similarities among DNA sequence elements across several types of cancer. The model allows for easier searches for patterns in huge seas of cancer genetic data.
Advancing power grounding systems: A novel predictive model for soil resistivity
For the design of reliable power grounding systems for critical electrical infrastructure, soil resistivity investigation is crucial. However, soil resistivity depends on various geotechnical properties, necessitating the need for robust assessment methods. In a new study, researchers conducted a comprehensive investigation into the behavior and relationships between soil resistivity and key geotechnical parameters and developed a predictive model based on their findings. This model can lead to cost-effective and more reliable design of grounding systems.
Carbohydrate polymers could be a sweet solution for water purification
Water polluted with heavy metals can pose a threat when consumed by humans and aquatic life. Sugar-derived polymers from plants remove these metals but often require other substances to adjust their stability or solubility in water. Now, researchers report a sugar-like polymer that traps heavy metals within insoluble clumps for easy removal. In proof-of-concept tests, the polymer removed ionic cadmium and lead from river water spiked with these persistent contaminants.
Microorganisms can travel long distances in the troposphere
Analysis of air samples taken at altitudes of up to 3,000 meters above Japan has revealed the presence of a vast range of viable bacteria and fungi transported by air masses originating more than 2,000 kilometers away, in regions enriched with fertilizers and pesticides. The study reveals a new way in which human, animal and plant pathogens may travel to distant geographical regions.
Risky play exercises an ancestral need to push limits
Since their invention in the 1920s, jungle gyms and monkey bars have become both fixtures of playgrounds and symbols of childhood injury that anxious caretakers want removed. Anthropologists mark 100 years of the iconic playground equipment by arguing that risky play exercises a biological need passed on from apes and early humans for children to independently test and expand their physical and cognitive abilities in a context in which injury is possible but avoidable.
Boosting brain protein levels may slow decline from Alzheimer's
A study found that new monoclonal antibody drugs for Alzheimer's may slow cognitive impairment through boosting levels of a specific protein in the brain.
Cooling positronium with lasers
Most atoms are made from positively charged protons, neutral neutrons and negatively charged electrons. Positronium is an exotic atom composed of a single negative electron and a positively charged antimatter positron. It is naturally very short-lived, but researchers have now successfully cooled and slowed down samples of positronium using carefully tuned lasers. They hope this research will help others explore exotic forms of matter, and that such research might unlock the secrets of antimatter.
Sterilization rates among women rose after U.S. Supreme Court abortion ruling
Researchers found an increase in surgical sterilization among women after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion.
Astronomers track bubbles on star's surface
Astronomers have captured images of a star other than the Sun in enough detail to track the motion of bubbling gas on its surface. The images of the star, R Doradus, were obtained in July and August 2023. They show giant, hot bubbles of gas, 75 times the size of the Sun, appearing on the surface and sinking back into the star's interior faster than expected.
Brain-wide decision-making dynamics discovered
Neuroscientists have revealed how sensory input is transformed into motor action across multiple brain regions in mice. The research shows that decision-making is a global process across the brain that is coordinated by learning. The findings could aid artificial intelligence research by providing insights into how to design more distributed neural networks.
Atypical metabolite levels at birth may increase SIDS risk
Newborns who had an atypical pattern of metabolites were more than 14 times as likely to die of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), compared to infants who had more typical metabolic patterns, according to a new study. Metabolites are molecules produced by the body's various chemical reactions. Researchers found that infants who died of SIDS had a specific pattern of metabolites compared to infants who lived to their first year. The researchers believe that checking for this pattern could provide a way to identify infants at risk for SIDS.
Researchers combine the power of AI and the connectome to predict brain cell activity
With maps of the connections between neurons and artificial intelligence methods, researchers can now do what they never thought possible: predict the activity of individual neurons without making a single measurement in a living brain.