ScienceDaily: Featured - December 24, 2023
Featured research news
Reindeer sleep while chewing their cud
Researchers report that the more time reindeer spend ruminating, the less time they spend in non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep. EEG recordings revealed that reindeer's brainwaves during rumination resemble the brain waves present during non-REM sleep, and these brainwave patterns suggest that the reindeer are more 'rested' after ruminating. The researchers speculate that this multitasking might help reindeer get enough sleep during the summer months, when food is abundant and reindeer feed almost 24/7 in preparation for the long and food-sparse arctic winter.
Researchers study a million galaxies to find out how the universe began
Researchers have analyzed more than one million galaxies to explore primordial fluctuations that seeded the formation of the structure of the entire universe.
NASA images/shutterstock.com
Light color is less important for the internal clock than originally thought
Light in the evening is thought to be bad for sleep. However, does the color of the light play a role? Researchers compared the influence of different light colors on the human body. The researchers' findings contradict the results of a previous study in mice.
How technology and economics can help save endangered species
A lot has changed in the world since the Endangered Species Act (ESA) was enacted 50 years ago in December 1973. Experts are now discuss how the ESA has evolved and what its future might hold.Â
Organic compounds in asteroids formed in colder regions of space
Analysis of organic compounds -- called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) -- extracted from the Ryugu asteroid and Murchison meteorite has found that certain PAHs likely formed in the cold areas of space between stars rather than in hot regions near stars as was previously thought. The findings open new possibilities for studying life beyond Earth and the chemistry of objects in space.
Astronomers detect seismic ripples in ancient galactic disk
 A new snapshot of an ancient, far-off galaxy could help scientists understand how it formed and the origins of our own Milky Way.  At more than 12 billion years old, BRI 1335-0417 is the oldest and furthest known spiral galaxy in our universe. The researchers were able to not only capture the motion of the gas around BRI 1335-0417, but also reveal a seismic wave forming -- a first in this type of early galaxy. Â
New 1.5-billion-pixel image shows Running Chicken Nebula in unprecedented detail
While many holiday traditions involve feasts of turkey, soba noodles, latkes or Pan de Pascua, this year, the European Southern Observatory is bringing you a holiday chicken. The so-called Running Chicken Nebula, home to young stars in the making, is revealed in spectacular detail in this 1.5-billion-pixel image captured by the VLT Survey Telescope.
NASA's Hubble watches 'spoke season' on Saturn
A new photo of Saturn was taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on October 22, 2023, when the ringed planet was approximately 850 million miles from Earth. Hubble's ultra-sharp vision reveals a phenomenon called ring spokes.
Supernova encore: Second lensed supernova in a distant galaxy
In November 2023, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope observed a massive cluster of galaxies named MACS J0138.0-2155. Through an effect called gravitational lensing, first predicted by Albert Einstein, a distant galaxy named MRG-M0138 appears warped by the powerful gravity of the intervening galaxy cluster. In addition to warping and magnifying the distant galaxy, the gravitational lensing effect caused by MACS J0138 produces five different images of MRG-M0138.
Five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs from Southeast Asia
A new study identifies five new species of soft-furred hedgehogs from Southeast Asia. The study used DNA analysis and physical characteristics to describe two entirely new species of soft-furred hedgehogs and elevate three subspecies to the level of species.
Insects already had a variety of defense strategies in the Cretaceous
Analyses of amber show that insect larvae were already using a wide variety of tactics to protect themselves from predators 100 million years ago.
An archaeological find in the Huescan Pyrenees allowed researchers to identify for the first time livestock management strategies and feeding practices which demonstrate how the first high mountain societies, at the start of the Neolithic period, were already carrying out complex livestock and farming activities, instead of being limited to the transhumance of sheep and goats.
Supercomputer helped astronomers develop PRIYA, the largest suite of hydrodynamic simulations yet made of large-scale structure in the universe.
Common insect species are suffering the biggest losses
Insect decline is being driven by losses among the locally more common species, according to a new study. The meta-analysis of 923 locations around the world notes two significant trends: 1) the species with the most individuals (the highest abundance) are disproportionately decreasing in number, and 2) no other species have increased to the high numbers previously seen. This likely explains the frequent observation that there are fewer insects around now than ten, twenty, or thirty years ago.Â
A research team has uncovered a previously undetected mechanism in mice -- starring the genetic molecule RNA -- that could explain how each sensory cell, or neuron, in mammalian noses becomes tailored to detect a specific odor chemical.
New brain-like transistor mimics human intelligence
Researchers develop transistor that simultaneously processes and stores information like the human brain. Transistor goes beyond categorization tasks to perform associative learning. Transistor identified similar patterns, even when given imperfect input. Previous similar devices could only operate at cryogenic temperatures; new transistor operates at room temperature, making it more practical.
Integrating research and clinical care to uncover secrets of brain development
A subset of neurons related to memory and neuroplasticity continue to migrate into the brain through toddlerhood.
Meet 'Coscientist,' your AI lab partner
An artificial intelligence-driven system has autonomously learned about certain Nobel Prize-winning chemical reactions and designed a successful laboratory procedure to make them. The AI did so in just a few minutes and correctly on its first attempt. According to the authors, this is the first time that a non-organic intelligence planned, designed and executed this complex reaction that was invented by humans.
Cells of the future: A key to reprogramming cell identities
The intricate process of duplicating genetic information, referred to as DNA replication, lies at the heart of the transmission of life from one cell to another and from one organism to the next. This happens by not just simply copying the genetic information; a well-orchestrated sequence of molecular events has to happen at the right time. Scientists have recently uncovered a fascinating aspect of this process known as 'replication timing' (RT) and how special this is when life commences.
Rise of archery in Andes Mountains dated to 5,000 years ago -- earlier than previous research
Focusing on the Lake Titicaca Basin in the Andes mountains, anthropologists found through analysis of 1,179 projectile points that the rise of archery technology dates to around 5,000 years ago. Previous research held that archery in the Andes emerged around 3,000 years ago. The new research from UC Davis indicates that the adoption of bow-and-arrow technology coincided with both the expansion of exchange networks and the growing tendency for people to reside in villages.
World's smallest 'fanged' frogs found in Indonesia
Researchers have identified a species of frog new to science. The Indonesian amphibian is the size of a quarter, unlike its two-pound cousins, and has tiny fangs. Nearly uniquely among amphibians, they lay their eggs on the leaves of trees, and the males guard and tend to the nests.Â
Can we decode the language of our primate cousins?
Are we able to differentiate between the vocal emissions of certain primates? A team asked volunteers to categorize the vocalizations of three species of great apes (Hominidae) and humans. During each exposure to these ''onomatopoeia'', brain activity was measured. Unlike previous studies, the scientists reveal that phylogenetic proximity -- or kinship -- is not the only factor influencing our ability to identify these sounds. Acoustic proximity -- the type of frequencies emitted -- is also a determining factor. These results show how the human brain has evolved to process the vocal emissions of some of our closest cousins more efficiently.
Mysterious fruit shown to be the oldest known fossils of the Frankincense and Myrrh family
Early in the 1970s, paleontologists discovered strange fossilized fruits between hardened rock from one of the largest volcanic eruptions in Earth's history. The identity of these fossils remained elusive for the next several decades. Using CT scanning, scientists have now determined they are the oldest fossils from species in the Frankincense and Myrrh family.
Snowflakes swirling in turbulent air as they fall through a laser light sheet
A winter wonderland calls to mind piles of fluffy, glistening snow. But to reach the ground, snowflakes are swept into the turbulent atmosphere, swirling through the air instead of plummeting directly to the ground. Researchers found that regardless of turbulence or snowflake type, acceleration follows a universal statistical pattern that can be described as an exponential distribution.
Apes remember friends they haven't seen for decades
Apes recognize photos of groupmates they haven't seen for more than 25 years and respond even more enthusiastically to pictures of their friends, a new study finds. The work, which demonstrates the longest-lasting social memory ever documented outside of humans, and underscores how human culture evolved from the common ancestors we share with apes, our closest relatives.
AI's memory-forming mechanism found to be strikingly similar to that of the brain
An interdisciplinary team consisting of researchers has revealed a striking similarity between the memory processing of artificial intelligence (AI) models and the hippocampus of the human brain. This new finding provides a novel perspective on memory consolidation, which is a process that transforms short-term memories into long-term ones, in AI systems.
Exoplanets'climate -- it takes nothing to switch from habitable to hell
The Earth is a wonderful blue and green dot covered with oceans and life, while Venus is a yellowish sterile sphere that is not only inhospitable but also sterile. However, the difference between the two bears to only a few degrees in temperature. A team of astronomers has achieved a world's first by managing to simulate the entirety of the runaway greenhouse process which can transform the climate of a planet from idyllic and perfect for life, to a place more than harsh and hostile. The scientists have also demonstrated that from initial stages of the process, the atmospheric structure and cloud coverage undergo significant changes, leading to an almost-unstoppable and very complicated to reverse runaway greenhouse effect. On Earth, a global average temperature rise of just a few tens of degrees, subsequent to a slight rise of the Sun's luminosity, would be sufficient to initiate this phenomenon and to make our planet inhabitable.
Global inventory of sound production brings us one step closer to understanding aquatic ecosystems
Our understanding of which aquatic species produce sounds just took a big step forward. Scientists have created an inventory of species confirmed or expected to produce sound underwater. Â
Artificial intelligence can predict events in people's lives
Artificial intelligence can analyze registry data on people's residence, education, income, health and working conditions and, with high accuracy, predict life events.