ScienceDaily: All - September 27, 2024
Today's top research news
These fish use legs to taste the seafloor
Sea robins are unusual animals with the body of a fish, wings of a bird, and walking legs of a crab. Now, researchers show that the legs of the sea robin aren't just used for walking. In fact, they are bona fide sensory organs used to find buried prey while digging.
Image: nozawa satoshi/Shutterstock.com
Genetic rescue for rare red foxes?
A study shows inbreeding is affecting a small, isolated red fox population in the Lassen Peak region of California. Genetic rescue could be a viable option for the recovery of montane red foxes.
Dead coral skeletons hinder reef regeneration by sheltering seaweed
The structural complexity of coral reefs creates a vibrant underwater city populated by a diverse assortment of characters. Ironically, this same complexity can impede coral recovery after disturbances.
A method of 'look twice, forgive once' can sustain social cooperation
Using mathematical modeling, researchers found a way to maintain cooperation without relying on complex norms or institutions.
This rocky planet around a white dwarf resembles Earth -- 8 billion years from now
A 2020 microlensing event was caused by a planetary system with an Earth-like planet and brown dwarf. The star type was uncertain. The team has determined that the star is a white dwarf, a system resembling what our sun-Earth system will look like in 8 billion years. The good news: the planet survived its star's red giant phase, so maybe Earth will too. The bad news: it's still uninhabitable.
Programming cells to target brain tumors
Glioblastoma is the most common and most aggressive primary brain tumor, with an average survival after diagnosis of less than two years, and against which current treatments remain ineffective. In recent years, immunotherapies have given patients renewed hope, albeit with relatively modest success. A team has succeeded in identifying a specific marker on the surface of tumour cells, and in generating immune cells carrying an antibody to destroy them. Furthermore, these cells, called CAR-T cells, appear to be capable of targeting diseased cells in the tumor that do not carry this antigen, while sparing healthy cells.
Unexpected immune response may hold key to long-term cancer remission
Results from a preclinical study in mice and a collaborative clinical study in patients show that the type 2 immune response -- associated with parasitic infection and thought to play a negative role in cancer immunity -- is positively correlated with long-term cancer remission.
Grazing zooplankton severely impacted by nanoplastic particles
Researchers have studied how nanoplastic affects aquatic organisms in lakes and rivers. The results are surprising and the researchers are the first to show that some species are being wiped out, while others -- such as cyanobacteria that contribute to algal blooms -- are completely unaffected.
ESO telescope captures the most detailed infrared map ever of our Milky Way
Astronomers have published a gigantic infrared map of the Milky Way containing more than 1.5 billion objects -- the most detailed one ever made. Using the European Southern Observatory's VISTA telescope, the team monitored the central regions of our Galaxy over more than 13 years. At 500 terabytes of data, this is the largest observational project ever carried out with an ESO telescope.
Who lives in the treetops? DNA-collecting drone provides insights
Squinting into the treetops won't reveal the tiny organisms up there. But these creatures leave clues, in the form of DNA, on the leaves and branches. Now, researchers report that they have developed a way to collect this genetic material: a drone with a specialized fabric probe. The team flew the drone above the rainforest and, based on DNA collected by the probe, identified the invertebrates in the canopy.
Pregnant women who sleep less than 7 hours a night may have children with developmental delays
Pregnant women who do not get enough sleep may be at higher risk of having children with neurodevelopmental delays, according to new research.
New continuous reaction process can help turn plant waste into sustainable aviation fuel
Scientists successfully tested a new way to produce sustainable jet fuel from lignin-based agricultural waste. The team's research demonstrated a continuous process that directly converts lignin polymers, one of the chief components of plant cells, into a form of jet fuel that could help improve performance of sustainably produced aviation fuels.
A cure for psoriasis: Could a faulty iron hormone in the skin be the key?
Scientists believe the hormone hepcidin, when produced in the skin, may be the root cause of psoriasis -- a chronic and sometimes debilitating skin disease that affects 2-3% of the global population.
Central mechanism of inflammation decoded
The formation of pores by a particular protein, gasdermin D, plays a key role in inflammatory reactions. During its activation, an inhibitory part is split off. More than 30 of the remaining protein fragments then combine to form large pores in the cell membrane, which allow the release of inflammatory messengers. As methods for studying these processes in living cells have so far been inadequate, the sequence of oligomerization, pore formation and membrane incorporation has remained unclear. An international research team has succeeded in answering this question with the help of antibody fragments, so-called nanobodies, which they have identified.
Scientists discover important blood pressure 'switch'
The findings could open the door to better ways to treat high blood pressure.
NASA's Hubble finds that a black hole beam promotes stellar eruptions
In a surprise finding, astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have discovered that the blowtorch-like jet from a supermassive black hole at the core of a huge galaxy seems to cause stars to erupt along its trajectory. The stars, called novae, are not caught inside the jet, but apparently in a dangerous neighborhood nearby.
Unique straining affects phase transformations in silicon, a material vital for electronics
Scientists have used pressure with a twisting shear to permanently deform silicon, an important material for electronics. The resulting changes in silicon's microstructure produce material phases that feature different and potentially useful properties.
AI trained on evolution's playbook develops proteins that spur drug and scientific discovery
The key insight with a new strategy for training protein engineering models, called EvoRank, is to harness the natural variations of millions of proteins generated by evolution over deep time and extract the underlying dynamics needed for workable solutions to biotech challenges.
Signs of developing asthma are evident in the first year of life
What factors lead to chronic respiratory disease? Researchers investigated this question using health data from about 780 infants. Their analysis shows that children's risk of developing asthma later in life can be more reliably predicted by observing the dynamic development of symptoms during the first year of life.
Treatment for major cause of recurrent pregnancy loss
Amongst women who experience recurrent pregnancy loss, around 20% test positive for a specific antibody that targets the mother's own body. A research team has now found a treatment that drastically increases these women's chances of carrying to full-term without complications.
Fluoride-free batteries: Safeguarding the environment and enhancing performance
A research team has developed a new fluorine-free binder and electrolyte designed to advance eco-friendly, high-performance battery technology.
Light at the end of the tunnel for night shift workers
The use of circadian-informed lighting, where artificial lighting is synchronised to the natural biological rhythms or a person's 'body-clock', significantly improves quality of sleep and work performance for night shift workers, a major new trial has found. The trial is amongst the first tightly controlled in-laboratory studies to have simultaneously evaluated circadian-lighting effects on markers of body-clock timing, work-shift cognitive performance, and sleep following an abrupt transition to night shift work.
AI could predict breast cancer risk via 'zombie cells'
Women worldwide could see better treatment with new AI technology which enables better detection of damaged cells and more precisely predict the risk of getting breast cancer, shows new research.
Study finds certain MS therapies may not slow disability progression
In people with primary progressive multiple sclerosis (MS), a new study has found no difference in the amount of time before disability worsened between people taking certain medications and those not receiving treatment.
When a child hurts, validating their pain may be the best first aid
Researchers say that parents and doctors should be mindful of how they talk to and treat children experiencing pain -- no matter how big or small the injury -- knowing that these foundational experiences can be carried forward into adulthood.