ScienceDaily: Featured - July 28, 2024
Featured research news
'Dancing molecules' heal cartilage damage
New therapy uses synthetic nanofibers to mimic the natural signaling of a protein that is crucial for cartilage formation and maintenance. Researchers found that intensifying the motion of molecules within the nanofibers led to more components needed for regeneration. After just four hours, the treatment activated the gene expression necessary to generate cartilage. Therapy could be used to treat osteoarthritis, which affects nearly 530 million people worldwide.
New understanding of fly behavior has potential application in robotics, public safety
Scientists have identified an automatic behavior in flies that helps them assess wind conditions -- its presence and direction -- before deploying a strategy to follow a scent to its source. The fact that they can do this is surprising -- can you tell if there's a gentle breeze if you stick your head out of a moving car? Flies aren't just reacting to an odor with a preprogrammed response: they are responding in context-appropriate manner. This knowledge potentially could be applied to train more sophisticated algorithms for scent-detecting drones to find the source of chemical leaks.
Lampreys possess a 'jaw-dropping' evolutionary origin
Lampreys are one of only two living jawless vertebrates Jaws are formed by a key stem cell population called the neural crest New research reveals the gene regulatory changes that may explain morphological differences between jawed and jawless vertebrates.
Image: Gena Melendrez/Shutterstock.com
Researchers develop state-of-the-art device to make artificial intelligence more energy efficient
Engineering researchers have demonstrated a state-of-the-art hardware device that could reduce energy consumption for artificial intelligent (AI) computing applications by a factor of at least 1,000.
New drug shows promise in clearing HIV from brain
An experimental drug originally developed to treat cancer may help clear HIV from infected cells in the brain, according to a new study. By targeting infected cells in the brain, drug may clear virus from hidden areas that have been a major challenge in HIV treatment.
Chemical analyses find hidden elements from renaissance astronomer Tycho Brahe's alchemy laboratory
Danish Tycho Brahe was most famous for his contributions to astronomy. However, he also had a well-equipped alchemical laboratory where he produced secret medicines for Europe's elite.
Nitrogen emissions have a net cooling effect: But researchers warn against a climate solution
An international team of researchers has found that nitrogen emissions from fertilizers and fossil fuels have a net cooling effect on the climate. But they warn increasing atmospheric nitrogen has further damaging effects on the environment, calling for an urgent reduction in greenhouse gas emissions to halt global warming.
New Zealand's flightless birds are retreating to moa refuges
Researchers have found New Zealand's endangered flightless birds are seeking refuge in the locations where six species of moa last lived before going extinct.
Warming has more impact than cooling on Greenland's 'firn'
A new study finds disproportionate effects of temperature shifts on an icy glacier layer.
A recipe for zero-emissions fuel: Soda cans, seawater, and caffeine
Engineers discovered that when the aluminum in soda cans is purified and mixed with seawater, the solution produces hydrogen -- which can power an engine or fuel cell without generating carbon emissions. The reaction can be sped up by adding caffeine.
A noninvasive colorectal cancer screening test that can be done at home could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer death by 33%, according to a new study.
How evolution tamed a deadly virus and why we should still worry
Over the last century, a once-deadly mosquito-borne virus has evolved so that it no longer sickens humans. New research shows that changes in the virus's ability to target human cells paralleled the decline in illness and death. The findings offer important lessons in virology that may help guide better preparedness for future outbreaks of other viral diseases.
Researchers have developed somersaulting spin qubits for universal quantum logic. This achievement may enable efficient control of large semiconductor qubit arrays. The research group recently published their demonstration of hopping spins and somersaulting spins.
New groups of methane-producing organisms in Yellowstone
The team verified that microbes found in Yellowstone National Park hot springs produce methane to grow.
Dark matter flies ahead of normal matter in mega galaxy cluster collision
Astronomers have untangled a messy collision between two massive clusters of galaxies in which the clusters' vast clouds of dark matter have decoupled from the so-called normal matter.
How Saharan dust regulates hurricane rainfall
New research underscores the close relationship between dust plumes transported from the Sahara Desert in Africa, and rainfall from tropical cyclones along the U.S. Gulf Coast and Florida.
Neuroscientists discover brain circuitry of placebo effect for pain relief
Researchers have discovered a novel pain control pathway that links the cingulate cortex in the front of the brain, through the pons region of the brainstem, to cerebellum in the back of the brain.
Researchers record images and data of a shark experiencing a boat strike
Researchers have captured what they believe is the first ever video of a shark or any large marine animal being struck by a boat.
Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey
Scientists have discovered that the serrated edges of Komodo dragons' teeth are tipped with iron. The study gives new insight into how Komodo dragons keep their teeth razor-sharp and may provide clues to how dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus rex killed and ate their prey.
A tunable metasurface can control optical light in space and time, offering a path toward new ways of wirelessly and securely transmitting large amounts of data both on Earth and in space.
How Rembrandt combined special pigments for golden details of The Night Watch
Chemists have for the first time established how Rembrandt applied special arsenic sulfide pigments to create a 'golden' paint.
Scientists assess how large dinosaurs could really get
A study looks at the maximum possible sizes of dinosaurs, using the carnivore, Tyrannosaurus rex, as an example. Using computer modelling, experts produced estimates that T. Rex might have been 70% heavier than what the fossil evidence suggests.
Whale shark tracked for record-breaking four years
Researchers have been tracking a 26-foot endangered whale shark -- named 'Rio Lady' -- with a satellite transmitter for more than four years -- a record for whale sharks and one of the longest tracking endeavors for any species of shark.
A new analysis of rocks thought to be at least 2.5 billion years old helps clarify the chemical history of Earth's mantle -- the geologic layer beneath the planet's crust. The findings hone scientists' understanding of Earth's earliest geologic processes, and they provide new evidence in a decades-long scientific debate about the geologic history of Earth. Specifically, the results provide evidence that the oxidation state of the vast majority of Earth's mantle has remained stable through geologic time and has not undergone major transitions, contrary to what has been suggested previously by other researchers.
Building a molecular brain map to understand Alzheimer's disease
Resulting atlas of the aging human brain holds molecular insights into the brain's vulnerability and resilience.
Trees reveal climate surprise -- bark removes methane from the atmosphere
Tree bark surfaces play an important role in removing methane gas from the atmosphere.
Images of nearest 'super-Jupiter' open a new window to exoplanet research
Using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), astronomers imaged a new exoplanet that orbits a star in the nearby triple system Epsilon Indi. The planet is a cold super-Jupiter exhibiting a temperature of around 0 degrees Celsius and a wide orbit comparable to that of Neptune around the Sun. This measurement was only possible thanks to JWST's unprecedented imaging capabilities in the thermal infrared. It exemplifies the potential of finding many more such planets similar to Jupiter in mass, temperature, and orbit. Studying them will improve our knowledge of how gas giants form and evolve in time.
New study confirms mammal-to-mammal avian flu spread
A new study provides evidence that a spillover of avian influenza from birds to dairy cattle across several U.S. states has now led to mammal-to-mammal transmission -- between cows and from cows to cats and a raccoon.
The unintended consequences of success against malaria
The insecticide-treated bed nets and insecticide sprays that were so effective in preventing mosquito bites -- and therefore malaria -- are increasingly viewed as the causes of household pest resurgence after pests became resistant to pesticides, according to a new article.
Taco-shaped arthropod fossils gives new insights into the history of the first mandibulates
Palaeontologists are helping resolve the evolution and ecology of Odaraia, a taco-shaped marine animal that lived during the Cambrian period. Fossils reveal Odaraia had mandibles. Palaeontologists are finally able to place it as belonging to the mandibulates, ending its long enigmatic classification among the arthropods since it was first discovered in the Burgess Shale over 100 years ago and revealing more about early evolution and diversification.
Butterflies accumulate enough static electricity to attract pollen without contact
Butterflies and moths collect so much static electricity whilst in flight, that pollen grains from flowers can be pulled by static electricity across air gaps of several millimeters or centimeters.
A prototype device harvests drinking water from the atmosphere, even in arid places.
3D-printed microstructure forest facilitates solar steam generator desalination
Faced with the world's impending freshwater scarcity, researchers turned to solar steam generators, which are emerging as a promising device for seawater desalination. The team sought design inspiration from trees and harnessed the potential of 3D printing. They present technology for producing efficient SSGs for desalination and introduces a novel method for printing functional nanocomposites for multi-jet fusion. Their SSGs were inspired by plant transpiration and are composed of miniature tree-shaped microstructures, forming an efficient, heat-distributing forest.
Hunter-gatherers kept an 'orderly home' in the earliest known British dwelling
Archaeological evidence from the world-famous Mesolithic site of Star Carr in North Yorkshire has shown that hunter-gatherers likely kept an orderly home by creating 'zones' for particular domestic activities.
Tropical plant species are as threatened by climate change as widely feared, study confirms
Biologists who set out to better understand the effects of climate change on plant species in tropical mountain regions found that even small variations in temperature and moisture can have massive impacts, threatening not only plants that live there, but also the ecosystems they support. A study based on labor-intensive fieldwork and analysis in tropical mountain regions shows that a warmer and drier climate will lead to massive losses of plant species.
Researchers have found a link between some of the largest and smallest objects in the cosmos: supermassive black holes and dark matter particles. Their new calculations reveal that pairs of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) can merge into a single larger black hole because of previously overlooked behavior of dark matter particles, proposing a solution to the longstanding 'final parsec problem' in astronomy.
Development of 'living robots' needs regulation and public debate
Researchers are calling for regulation to guide the responsible and ethical development of bio-hybrid robotics -- a ground-breaking science which fuses artificial components with living tissue and cells.
Converting captured carbon to fuel: Study assesses what's practical and what's not
A new analysis sheds light on major shortfalls of a recently proposed approach to capture CO2 from air and directly convert it to fuel using electricity. The authors also provide a new, more sustainable, alternative.
Breakthrough in skeletal muscle regeneration
In a finding that opens the door to the development of targeted therapies for various muscle disorders, newly published research identifies key mechanisms of skeletal muscle regeneration and growth of muscles following resistance exercise.
Team develops safe and long-cyclable lithium metal battery for high temperatures
In recent years, batteries have become ubiquitous in consumers' daily lives. However, existing commercial battery technologies, which use liquid electrolytes and carbonaceous anodes, have certain drawbacks such as safety concerns, limited lifespan, and inadequate power density particularly at high temperatures.
Boosting fruit intake during midlife can ward off late-life blues
In a large Singapore cohort study involving over 13,000 participants spanning close to 20 years, higher consumption of fruits during midlife was found to be associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms at late-life.
An over- or under-synchronized brain may predict psychosis
Is it possible to assess an individual's risk of psychosis? Identifying predictive markers is a key challenge in psychiatry. A team now shows that overly strong or weak interconnections between certain brain areas could be a predictive marker of the disease.
Smell of human stress affects dogs' emotions leading them to make more pessimistic choices
Dogs experience emotional contagion from the smell of human stress, leading them to make more 'pessimistic' choices, new research finds. Researchers tested how human stress odors affect dogs' learning and emotional state.
Controlling mosquito populations through genetic breeding
Researchers have found a new way to identify genetic targets useful for control of mosquito populations, potentially offering an alternative to insecticides. Their study focused on the genetic basis of species incompatibility. They crossed Ae. aegypti, a major global arboviral disease vector, and its sibling species, Ae. mascarensis, from the Indian Ocean. When offspring is crossed back with one parent, about 10 percent of the progeny becomes intersex and is unable to reproduce.
Male elephants signal 'let's go' with deep rumbles
Male elephants use infrasonic rumbles to signal group departures, revealing complex vocal coordination and strong social bonds.
Are AI-chatbots suitable for hospitals?
Large language models may pass medical exams with flying colors but using them for diagnoses would currently be grossly negligent. Medical chatbots make hasty diagnoses, do not adhere to guidelines, and would put patients' lives at risk. A team has systematically investigated whether this form of artificial intelligence (AI) would be suitable for everyday clinical practice. Despite the current shortcomings, the researchers see potential in the technology. They have published a method that can be used to test the reliability of future medical chatbots.
Birds need entertainment during avian flu lockdowns
Birds need varied activities during avian flu lockdowns, new research shows.
Scientists use AI to predict a wildfire's next move
Researchers have developed a new model that combines generative AI and satellite data to accurately forecast wildfire spread.
Chimpanzees gesture back and forth quickly like in human conversations
When people are having a conversation, they rapidly take turns speaking and sometimes even interrupt. Now, researchers who have collected the largest ever dataset of chimpanzee 'conversations' have found that they communicate back and forth using gestures following the same rapid-fire pattern.
Deep-ocean floor produces its own oxygen
An international team of researchers has discovered that metallic minerals on the deep-ocean floor produce oxygen -- 13,000 feet below the surface. Discovery challenges long-held assumptions that only photosynthetic organisms generate Earth's oxygen. Minerals at the abyssal seafloor appear to act like geobatteries to produce oxygen in a process that does not require sunlight.
Life signs could survive near surfaces of Enceladus and Europa
Europa and Enceladus, icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn respectively, have evidence of oceans beneath their crusts. A NASA experiment suggests -- if these oceans support life -- signatures of that life in the form of organic molecules (like amino acids and nucleic acids) could survive just under the surface ice despite the harsh, ionizing radiation on these worlds. If robotic landers were to go to these moons to look for life signs, they would not have to dig very deep to find amino acids that have survived being altered or destroyed by radiation.