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• Engineers combine light and sound to see underwater
• Microfluidic system with cell-separating powers may unravel how novel pathogens attack
• Researchers explore population size, density in rise of centralized power in antiquity
• An escape route for seafloor methane
• Study shows strong links between music and math, reading achievement
• The 'smell' of coral as an indicator of reef health
• Recycled concrete could be a sustainable way to keep rubble out of landfill
• COVID-19 shutdowns disproportionately affected low-income black households
• The wily octopus: King of flexibility
• Report assesses promises and pitfalls of private investment in conservation
• Esports: Fit gamers challenge ‘fat’ stereotype
• Separating gases using flexible molecular sieves
• Plastic contaminants harm sea urchins
• How 'smell training' could help overcome post-viral smell distortions
• How SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain
• Wuhan mass screening identifies hundreds of asymptomatic cases
• Molecular mechanism of long-term memory discovered
• Unintended impact of conversation policies revealed
• Experiments unravelling the mystery of Mars' moon Phobos
• Customized programming of human stem cells
• Teaching computers the meaning of sensor names in smart home
• Future Brahmaputra River flooding as climate changes may be underestimated, study says
• Pyroclasts protect the paintings of Pompeii buried but damage them when they are unearthed
• Genetic treatment plus exercise reverses fatigue in mice with muscle wasting disease
• Combination therapy might improve outcomes in treatment-resistant liver cancer
• Black bear gut biome surprisingly simple
• Chemical compounds in foods can inhibit a key SARS-CoV-2 enzyme, study finds
• How telemedicine may ease ER overcrowding
• Math enables custom arrangements of liquid 'nesting dolls'
• First meta-analysis shows promise for yoga, meditation, mindfulness in concussion
• Ultrathin spray-applied MXene antennas are ready for 5G
• AI model uses retinal scans to predict Alzheimer's disease
• Protein commonly screened for in pregnancy is linked to gestational diabetes
• Mothers' stress may lead to preterm births, faster aging in children
• Preschool children can't see the mountains for the cat
• Experimental vaccine for deadly tickborne virus effective in cynomolgus macaques
• Research unlocks new information about reading through visual dictionary in the brain
• Big data saves lives, and patient safeguards are needed
• Seismic guidelines underestimate impact of 'The Big One' on metro Vancouver buildings
• Older adults with dementia exhibit financial 'symptoms' up to six years before diagnosis
• Discoveries highlight new possibilities for magnesium batteries
• Caribbean coral reefs under siege from aggressive algae
• Earthquake scenario for large German city
• New method identifies adaptive mutations in complex evolving populations
• Computer-aided creativity in robot design
• Emissions growth slower than worst-case projections
• HIV-like virus edited out of primate genome
• Area burned by severe fire increased 8-fold in western US over past four decades
• Connection between gut bacteria and vitamin D levels
• How lockdown may lead to 'avoidable harm' for the health of under 16s
• The genetic blueprint that results in foot-and-mouth being so infectious
• Cereal, olive and vine pollen reveal market integration in Ancient Greece
• How stable is the Antarctic ice sheet?
• Puzzling 'cold quasar' forming new stars in spite of active galactic nucleus
• Genes unlock clues to the evolution and survival of the Great Barrier Reef
• Getting to the core of nuclear speckles
• Game changer in thermoelectric materials could unlock body-heat powered personal devices
• Rethink COVID-19 infection control to keep primary schools open this winter, governments urged
• Headset over earphone: Cancelling out unnecessary and unwanted noise
• Warbler coloration shaped by evolution via distinct paths

Engineers combine light and sound to see underwater Posted: 30 Nov 2020 05:19 PM PST Engineers have developed an airborne method for imaging underwater objects by combining light and sound to break through the seemingly impassable barrier at the interface of air and water.

Microfluidic system with cell-separating powers may unravel how novel pathogens attack Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:58 PM PST To develop effective therapeutics against pathogens, scientists need to first uncover how they attack host cells. An efficient way to conduct these investigations on an extensive scale is through high-speed screening tests called assays.

Researchers explore population size, density in rise of centralized power in antiquity Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:58 PM PST A group of researchers developed Power Theory, a model emphasizing the role of demography in political centralization, and applied it to the shift in power dynamics in prehistoric northern coastal societies in Peru. To test the theory, the team created a summed probability distribution (SPD) from 755 radiocarbon dates from 10,000-1,000 B.P. Researchers found a correlation between the tenets of Power Theory and power structure changes in early Peruvian societies.

An escape route for seafloor methane Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:58 PM PST A study has solved the mystery of how and why columns of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, can stream out of solid sea-floor formations known as methane hydrates.

Study shows strong links between music and math, reading achievement Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:04 PM PST A music educator thought that if he could just control his study for the myriad factors that might have influenced previous ones - race, income, education, etc. -- he could disprove the notion of a link between students' musical and mathematical achievement. Nope. His new study showed statistically significant associations between the two at both the individual and the school-district levels.

The 'smell' of coral as an indicator of reef health Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:04 PM PST A study conducted in the southern Great Barrier Reef reveals the chemical diversity of emissions from healthy corals. The researchers found that across the reef-building coral species studied on Heron Island, the abundance and chemical diversity of their gas emissions fell significantly during heat stress experiments. With the increasing frequency of heat stress events, understanding coral emissions may prove to be a key reef conservation tool.

Recycled concrete could be a sustainable way to keep rubble out of landfill Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:03 PM PST Results of a new five-year study of recycled concrete show that it performs as well, and in several cases even better, than conventional concrete. Researchers conducted side-by-side comparisons of recycled and conventional concrete within two common applications -- a building foundation and a municipal sidewalk. They found that the recycled concrete had comparable strength and durability after five years of being in service.

COVID-19 shutdowns disproportionately affected low-income black households Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:03 PM PST Researchers report that low-income Black households experienced greater job loss, more food and medicine insecurity, and higher indebtedness in the early months of COVID-19 compared to white or Latinx low-income households.

The wily octopus: King of flexibility Posted: 30 Nov 2020 12:03 PM PST Octopuses have the most flexible appendages known in nature, according to a new study. In addition to being soft and strong, each of the animal's eight arms can bend, twist, elongate and shorten in many combinations to produce diverse movements. Researchers filmed 10 octopuses over many months while presenting them with a variety of challenges, and recorded 16,563 examples of these arm movements.

Report assesses promises and pitfalls of private investment in conservation Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Scientists, lawyers, investors and economists explore how privately financed conservation projects can generate both financial returns and positive conservation outcomes.

Esports: Fit gamers challenge ‘fat’ stereotype Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST A new survey of 1400 participants from 65 countries has found esports players are up to 21 per cent healthier weight than the general population, hardly smoke and also drink less.

Separating gases using flexible molecular sieves Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Researchers have made reported some exciting findings relating to metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), a class of porous materials, which could benefit a wide range of important gas separation processes.

Plastic contaminants harm sea urchins Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Plastics in the ocean can release chemicals that cause deformities in sea urchin larvae, new research shows.

How 'smell training' could help overcome post-viral smell distortions Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Smell loss is a prominent symptom of Covid-19 and the pandemic is leaving many people with long-term smell loss or smell distortions such as parosmia. Parosmia happens when people experience strange and often unpleasant smell distortions. Instead of smelling lemon you may smell petrol. New research shows that parosmia is associated with a recovery of smell performance among patients who undergo 'smell training' (sniffing at least four different odours twice a day every day for several months).

How SARS-CoV-2 reaches the brain Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Researchers have studied the mechanisms by which the novel coronavirus can reach the brains of patients with COVID-19. The results show that SARS-CoV-2 enters the brain via nerve cells in the olfactory mucosa.

Wuhan mass screening identifies hundreds of asymptomatic cases Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST A mass screening program of 10 million Wuhan residents identified 300 asymptomatic cases in May, but none were infectious, according to a new study. Researchers found no 'viable' virus in the asymptomatic cases and the close contacts of these positive asymptomatic cases did not test positive. But these findings do not show that the virus can't be passed on by asymptomatic carriers. Rather, mask-wearing, hand washing, social distancing and lockdown have helped reduce Covid-19 virulence.

Molecular mechanism of long-term memory discovered Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Researchers have discovered a molecular mechanism that plays a central role in intact long-term memory. This mechanism is also involved in physiological memory loss in old age.

Unintended impact of conversation policies revealed Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST New research shows how conservation polices can avoid having unintended consequences for local ecosystems and people. The research shows that the PNMS policies which restrict industrial offshore fishing could drive up offshore fish prices and, in turn, increase tourists' consumption of reef fish.

Experiments unravelling the mystery of Mars' moon Phobos Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST There is no weather in space - but there is weathering: Celestial bodies are bombarded by high energy particles. On the Mars moon Phobos, the situation is complicated: It is hit by particles from the sun, but it is partly shielded by Mars. New experiments explain what is going on, in 2024 a space mission will reach Phobos and check the results.

Customized programming of human stem cells Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:15 AM PST Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS) have the potential to convert into a wide variety of cell types and tissues. However, the 'recipes' for this conversion are often complicated and difficult to implement. Researchers have now found a way to systematically extract hundreds of different cells quickly and easily from iPS using transcription factors.

Teaching computers the meaning of sensor names in smart home Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Researchers have use natural language processing techniques to overcome one of the major difficulties associated with smart homes, namely that the systems developed to infer activities in one environment do not work when they are applied to a different one, because both the sensors and the activities are different. The group has come up with the innovative idea of using words to represent the activation of both sensors and human activity.

Future Brahmaputra River flooding as climate changes may be underestimated, study says Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A new study looking at seven centuries of water flow in south Asia's mighty Brahmaputra River suggests that scientists are underestimating the river's potential for catastrophic flooding as climate warms.

Pyroclasts protect the paintings of Pompeii buried but damage them when they are unearthed Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A study shows that pyroclasts may be putting the conservation of the paintings of Pompeii at risk. Specifically, the ions leached from these materials and the underground ion-rich waters from the volcanic rocks may be causing the salts in the paintings to crystallize. In addition, the use of fluorine as a marker is proposed to monitor in situ the extent of the damage sustained by the murals.

Genetic treatment plus exercise reverses fatigue in mice with muscle wasting disease Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Adding exercise to a genetic treatment for myotonic dystrophy type 1 was more effective at reversing fatigue than administering the treatment alone in a study using a mouse model of the disease. In fact, exercise alone provided some benefit whereas the genetic treatment alone did not. This study has implications for patients with fatigue due to genetics-related musculoskeletal diseases and other types of illness-induced fatigue.

Combination therapy might improve outcomes in treatment-resistant liver cancer Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A combination cancer therapy that is effective against treatment-resistant hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by inhibiting tumor growth and increasing survival has been identified. The dual therapy -- which combines the multikinase inhibitor drug regorafenib to 'reprogram' the tumor immune microenvironment, and programmed cell death 1 antibodies to stimulate anti-tumor immunity -- improved survival in mouse models of HCC beyond what each therapy could have achieved alone.

Black bear gut biome surprisingly simple Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST In recent decades, researchers have found that most mammals' guts are surprisingly complex environments - home to a variety of microbial ecosystems that can profoundly affect an animal's well-being. Scientists have now learned that the bear appears to be an exception, with its gut playing host to a microbial population that varies little across the intestinal tract.

Chemical compounds in foods can inhibit a key SARS-CoV-2 enzyme, study finds Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Chemical compounds in foods or beverages like green tea, muscadine grapes and dark chocolate can bind to and block the function of a particular enzyme, or protease, in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a new study by plant biologists.

How telemedicine may ease ER overcrowding Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Researchers have found that the adoption of telemedicine in the emergency room significantly shortened average length of stay and wait time.

Math enables custom arrangements of liquid 'nesting dolls' Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Researchers have developed a new way to examine, predict and engineer interactions between multiple liquid phases, including arrangements of mixtures with an arbitrary number of separated phases.

First meta-analysis shows promise for yoga, meditation, mindfulness in concussion Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Chronic concussion symptoms are notoriously difficult to treat. But a researcher who is also a yoga instructor and has been teaching yoga for 17 years - is hoping that a recent study, the first-ever meta-analysis looking at the use of yoga, meditation, and mindfulness-based interventions for the effective treatment of chronic concussion symptoms, will offer hope to those still struggling with their symptoms.

Ultrathin spray-applied MXene antennas are ready for 5G Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST New antennas so thin that they can be sprayed into place are also robust enough to provide a strong signal at bandwidths that will be used by fifth-generation (5G) mobile devices. Performance results for the antennas, which are made from a new type of two-dimensional material called MXene, could have rammifications for mobile, wearable and connected 'internet of things' technology.

AI model uses retinal scans to predict Alzheimer's disease Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A form of artificial intelligence designed to interpret a combination of retinal images was able to successfully identify a group of patients who were known to have Alzheimer's disease, suggesting the approach could one day be used as a predictive tool, according to an interdisciplinary study.

Protein commonly screened for in pregnancy is linked to gestational diabetes Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Laboratory research and analysis of epidemiological data show that low levels of a protein commonly seen in screening tests for chromosomal disorders during the first trimester of pregnancy is associated with adipose tissue remodeling, glucose resistance and gestational diabetes mellitus in pregnant women.

Mothers' stress may lead to preterm births, faster aging in children Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Why do some people age faster than others? A new study indicates that a mother's stress prior to giving birth may accelerate her child's biological aging later in life. A second study from the same research group found that women suffering from high stress during the months and even years before conception -- defined as feeling overwhelmed and unable to cope -- had shorter pregnancies than other women.

Preschool children can't see the mountains for the cat Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Imagine seeing an image of a cat in front of a wide scene of mountains and being told just to remember the mountains if you saw them in a later picture. As an adult, that's not hard to do. But a new study shows that, even when told to pay attention to the mountain, preschool children focus so much on the cat that they won't later recognize the same mountain.

Experimental vaccine for deadly tickborne virus effective in cynomolgus macaques Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST An experimental vaccine developed in Europe to prevent infection by Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFV) has protected cynomolgus macaques in a new collaborative study. The study comes about three years after the same research group developed the macaque model for CCHFV. No specific treatments or vaccines for CCHFV exist.

Research unlocks new information about reading through visual dictionary in the brain Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST The uniquely human ability to read is the cornerstone of modern civilization, yet very little is understood about the effortless ability to derive meaning from written words. Scientists have now identified a crucial region in the temporal lobe, know as the mid-fusiform cortex, which appears to act as the brain's visual dictionary.

Big data saves lives, and patient safeguards are needed Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST The use of big data to address the opioid epidemic in Massachusetts poses ethical concerns that could undermine its benefits without clear governance guidelines that protect and respect patients and society, a new study concludes.

Seismic guidelines underestimate impact of 'The Big One' on metro Vancouver buildings Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Scientists examining the effects of a megathrust earthquake in the Pacific Northwest say tall buildings across Metro Vancouver will experience greater shaking than currently accounted for by Canada's national seismic hazard model.

Older adults with dementia exhibit financial 'symptoms' up to six years before diagnosis Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A new study found that Medicare beneficiaries who go on to be diagnosed with dementia are more likely to miss payments on bills as early as six years before a clinical diagnosis.

Discoveries highlight new possibilities for magnesium batteries Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Researchers have reported a breakthrough in the development of magnesium batteries, allowing them to operate at room temperature and deliver a power density comparable to that of lithium-ion batteries.

Caribbean coral reefs under siege from aggressive algae Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Human activity endangers coral health around the world. A new algal threat is taking advantage of coral's already precarious situation in the Caribbean and making it even harder for reef ecosystems to grow. Just-published research details how an aggressive, golden-brown, crust-like alga is rapidly overgrowing shallow reefs, taking the place of coral that was damaged by extreme storms and exacerbating the damage caused by ocean acidification, disease, pollution, and bleaching.

Earthquake scenario for large German city Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST What if there is a major earthquake near Cologne? This scenario is subject of the 'Risk Analysis in Civil Protection 2019' report that was recently submitted to the German Bundestag. On the basis of extensive research, experts have listed in detail effects to be expected. What Germans usually only know from abroad results from modeling a strong earthquake near the megacity of Cologne: ground shaking, damaged and destroyed houses, blocked roads, many injured and dead.

New method identifies adaptive mutations in complex evolving populations Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST A scientist has developed a method to study how HIV mutates to escape the immune system in multiple individuals, which could inform HIV vaccine design.

Computer-aided creativity in robot design Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST RoboGrammar is a new system that automates and optimizes robot design. The system creates arthropod-inspired robots for traversing a variety of terrains. It could spawn more inventive robot forms with enhanced functionality.

Emissions growth slower than worst-case projections Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST New research reveals that emissions are not growing as fast as the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's assessments have indicated -- and that the IPCC is not using the most up-to-date climate scenarios in its planning and policy recommendations.

HIV-like virus edited out of primate genome Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists have successfully edited SIV - a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS - from the genomes of non-human primates.

Area burned by severe fire increased 8-fold in western US over past four decades Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:14 AM PST The number of wildfires and the amount of land they consume in the western US has substantially increased since the 1980s, a trend often attributed to ongoing climate change. Now, new research finds fires are not only becoming more common in the western US but the area burned at high severity is also increasing, a trend that may lead to long-term forest loss.

Connection between gut bacteria and vitamin D levels Posted: 30 Nov 2020 10:13 AM PST Researchers discovered that the makeup of a person's gut microbiome is linked to their levels of active vitamin D, and revealed a new understanding of vitamin D and how it's typically measured.

How lockdown may lead to 'avoidable harm' for the health of under 16s Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:36 AM PST Decreases in hospital attendances and admissions amid fears of COVID-19 may result in avoidable harm for under 16s, say researchers. Following lockdown, they found 'a striking decrease' in the number of children and young people attending the Paediatric Emergency Department at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital in the US and the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital in the UK. The researchers said: ''Children and adolescents presenting later on in their illness are more likely to have a negative outcome.''

The genetic blueprint that results in foot-and-mouth being so infectious Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:36 AM PST Scientists have conducted a 'molecular dissection' of a part of the virus that causes foot-and-mouth disease, to try and understand why the pathogen is so infectious. A team of scientists has investigated the significance of the unusual way the virus's genome - or genetic blueprint - codes for the manufacture of a protein called 3B. The protein is involved in the replication of the virus.

Cereal, olive and vine pollen reveal market integration in Ancient Greece Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:36 AM PST By analyzing sediment cores taken from six sites in southern Greece, an international team of researchers identified trends in cereal, olive, and vine pollen indicating structural changes in agricultural production between 1000 BCE and 600 CE. The researchers combine varying fields of scientific research to provide evidence for a market economy in ancient Greece characterized by integrated agricultural production and a major expansion of trade.

How stable is the Antarctic ice sheet? Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST As temperatures rise due to climate change, the melting of polar ice sheets is accelerating. An international team of scientists has now examined the dynamics of the East Antarctic Ice Sheet more closely using deep-sea sediments dating back approximately 2.5 million years. Their results indicate that, in a constantly warming climate, the ice masses of East Antarctica could be much less stable than previously thought.

Puzzling 'cold quasar' forming new stars in spite of active galactic nucleus Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST Using NASA's SOFIA telescope, researchers have found CQ 4479, a galaxy which never had been closely studied before, to be generating new stars in spite of a luminous AGN at the galaxy's center.

Genes unlock clues to the evolution and survival of the Great Barrier Reef Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST Innovative molecular techniques explain how corals on the east coast of Australia survived previous tough conditions--enabling the Great Barrier Reef to become the vast reef it is today. Scientists mapped the rise and fall of two coral populations on the reef, tracking which genes rapidly evolved to endure changing conditions, while measuring the flow of genes between locations.

Getting to the core of nuclear speckles Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST Scaffold of sub-cellular structures identified after a hundred years.

Game changer in thermoelectric materials could unlock body-heat powered personal devices Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST A breakthrough improvement in ultra-efficient thermoelectric materials, which can convert heat into electricity and vice versa, has great potential for applications ranging from low-maintenance, solid-state refrigeration to compact, zero-carbon power generation--possibly including small, personal devices powered by the body's own heat. Heat 'harvesting' takes advantage of the free, plentiful heat sources provided by body heat, automobiles, everyday living, and industrial process.

Rethink COVID-19 infection control to keep primary schools open this winter, governments urged Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST An urgent rethink of infection control policies to keep COVID-19 infection at bay in schools is needed if primary schools are to be kept open this winter, and the knock-on effects on their families avoided, argue children's infectious disease specialists in a new article.

Headset over earphone: Cancelling out unnecessary and unwanted noise Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST Researchers are exploring technology for those wanting a quieter life!

Warbler coloration shaped by evolution via distinct paths Posted: 30 Nov 2020 08:35 AM PST Two genes that are important for the diverse colors and patterns of warbler plumage have evolved through two very different processes, according to a new study. These evolutionary processes could help explain the rapid evolution of these songbirds into so many unique species.

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