ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Diet modifications - including more wine and cheese - may help reduce cognitive decline
• Electric 'knob' tunes chemical reaction rates in quantum gas
• Embryonic development in a petri dish
• What caused the ice ages? Tiny ocean fossils offer key evidence
• Blocking protein restores strength, endurance in old mice
• Single-crystal technology holds promise for next-generation lithium-ion batteries
• Making cheaper, biocompatible E-skin electrodes
• Bacteria release climate-damaging carbon from thawing permafrost
• Low oxygen levels in lakes and reservoirs may accelerate global change
• New algorithm will prevent misidentification of cancer cells
• Amino acid recycling in cells: Autophagy helps cells adapt to changing conditions
• Ferrets, cats and civets most susceptible to coronavirus infection after humans
• Under wraps: X-rays reveal 1,900-year-old mummy's secrets
• A look at the sun's dusty environment
• One-two punch: Sea urchins stuck belly-up in low-oxygen hot water
• Human egg cells are imperfect surprisingly often
• A gene from ancient bacteria helps ticks spread Lyme disease
• How seaweed-munching crabs could help save coral reefs
• Inhaled vaccine induces fast, strong immune response in mice and non-human primates
• Energy-efficient magnetic RAM: A new building block for spintronic technologies
• 'Electronic amoeba' finds approximate solution to traveling salesman problem in linear time
• Getting the right grip: Designing soft and sensitive robotic fingers
• Cataloging nature's hidden arsenal: Viruses that infect bacteria
• Symbiotic relationship between California oaks and mutualist fungi as a buffer for climate change
• New 'sea dragon' discovered off UK coastline
• Regions in Europe at risk of nitrate leaching
• Natural antibiotics produced in wounds increase sleep and survival after injury
• 'Sparkling' clean water from nanodiamond-embedded membrane filters
• DeepLabCut-Live! real-time marker-less motion capture for animals
• Neuropeptide discoveries could someday help defeat the dreaded cockroach
• New blended solar cells yield high power conversion efficiencies

Diet modifications - including more wine and cheese - may help reduce cognitive decline Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST The foods we eat may have a direct impact on our cognitive acuity in our later years, according to new research. The study is the first of its kind to connect specific foods with cognitive decline. The findings show cheese protected against age-related cognitive problems and red wine was related to improvements in cognitive function.

Electric 'knob' tunes chemical reaction rates in quantum gas Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST Building on their newfound ability to induce molecules in ultracold gases to interact with each other over long distances, researchers have used an electric 'knob' to influence molecular collisions and dramatically raise or lower chemical reaction rates.

Embryonic development in a petri dish Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST By growing mouse stem cells in a special gel, a research team succeeded to grow structures similar to parts of an embryo. The trunk-like structures develop the precursors for neural, bone, cartilage and muscle tissues from cellular clumps within five days. This could allow the investigation of the effects of pharmacological agents more effectively in the future -- and on a scale that would not be possible in living organisms.

What caused the ice ages? Tiny ocean fossils offer key evidence Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Since the discovery that atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) concentrations were lower during past ice ages, the cause has been a mystery. Now, fossils of ocean algae reveal that a weakening in upwelling in the Antarctic Ocean kept more CO2 in the deep ocean during the ice ages. This brings scientists closer to a complete explanation for the glacial cycle and suggests that upwelling will strengthen under anthropogenic global warming, altering global climate and ocean ecosystems.

Blocking protein restores strength, endurance in old mice Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST A single protein is a master regulator of mouse muscle function during aging, a new study finds. Blocking this protein increased muscle strength and endurance in old animals. It may play a role in age-related muscle weakening in humans.

Single-crystal technology holds promise for next-generation lithium-ion batteries Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Scientists have improved a promising battery technology, creating a single-crystal, nickel-rich cathode that is hardier and more efficient than before. It's one step toward improved lithium-ion batteries that are common in electric vehicles today. Increasing nickel content in the cathode is on the drawing board of lithium-ion battery makers largely because of its relatively low cost, wide availability and low toxicity compared to other key battery materials, such as cobalt.

Making cheaper, biocompatible E-skin electrodes Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Materials scientists have improved electrical conductivity in a polymer electrode for E-skin applications. Their approach is simple and cheap, but further enhancements are needed for the polymer to become a viable alternative to more expensive gold electrodes.

Bacteria release climate-damaging carbon from thawing permafrost Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Around a quarter of the ground in the northern hemisphere is permanently frozen. These areas are estimated to contain about twice as much carbon as the world's current atmosphere. New research says that these permafrost soils are not only increasingly thawing out as the Earth becomes warmer, but also releasing that carbon, which accelerates the thawing.

Low oxygen levels in lakes and reservoirs may accelerate global change Posted: 10 Dec 2020 09:03 AM PST Ultimately, this study is crucial for how researchers, and the general public, think about how freshwater ecosystems produce greenhouse gases in the future. With low oxygen concentrations increasing in lakes and reservoirs across the world, these ecosystems will produce higher concentrations of methane in the future, leading to more global warming.

New algorithm will prevent misidentification of cancer cells Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Researchers have developed a computer algorithm that can identify differences in cancer cell lines based on microscopic images, a unique development towards ending misidentification of cells in laboratories.

Amino acid recycling in cells: Autophagy helps cells adapt to changing conditions Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Scientists have shown for the first time how specific metabolites produced by autophagy are utilized by a cell. They discovered that in budding yeast adapting to respiratory growth, autophagy -- an intracellular recycling system -- recycles the amino acid serine to trigger growth through mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism. This study shows how the recycling function of autophagy is crucial for adaptation to fluctuating environmental conditions.

Ferrets, cats and civets most susceptible to coronavirus infection after humans Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST An analysis of ten different species finds that humans -- followed by ferrets and, to a lesser extent cats, civets and dogs -- are the most susceptible animals to SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Under wraps: X-rays reveal 1,900-year-old mummy's secrets Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Researchers used powerful X-rays to see the preserved remains of an ancient Egyptian girl without disturbing the linen wrappings. The results of those tests point to a new way to study mummified specimens.

A look at the sun's dusty environment Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Scientists say that how dust moves and transforms around the sun may give them new insights to how Earth and its neighboring planets formed more than 4.5 billion years ago.

One-two punch: Sea urchins stuck belly-up in low-oxygen hot water Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Low oxygen seawater (hypoxia) may be more stressful to reef organisms than high water temperatures and ocean acidity, which are usually considered the most serious stressors associated with global change. Researchers test all three by flipping sea urchins.

Human egg cells are imperfect surprisingly often Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST More than 7% of human oocytes contain at least one exchangeless chromosome pair, demonstrating a remarkably high level of meiotic recombination failure, finds a new study. The findings suggest that right from the get-go of human egg cell development, a striking proportion of oocytes are predestined to be chromosomally abnormal. But the frequency of exchangeless chromosomes is not affected by maternal age.

A gene from ancient bacteria helps ticks spread Lyme disease Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST One reason ticks spread Lyme disease so well goes back to a unique evolutionary event. Researchers discovered that an antibacterial enzyme in ticks, Dae2, protects them from bacteria found on human skin, while still allowing them to harbor Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. Ticks acquired the gene for this enzyme 40 million years ago from an unknown species of ancient bacteria.

How seaweed-munching crabs could help save coral reefs Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Coral reefs are facing a steep decline today for many reasons, including climate change, overfishing, pollution, disease, and more. What's taking their place is lots and lots of seaweed. But researchers now have some encouraging news: native crabs can help to combat the seaweed and restore the reef.

Inhaled vaccine induces fast, strong immune response in mice and non-human primates Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Researchers demonstrate in a new study that a phage-based inhalation delivery system for vaccines generates potent antibody responses in mice and non-human primates, without causing lung damage. The findings suggest that a safe and effective lung delivery system could one day be used for vaccines and therapeutics against respiratory diseases.

Energy-efficient magnetic RAM: A new building block for spintronic technologies Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Researchers demonstrate a new way to enhance the energy efficiency of the non-volatile magnetic memory.

'Electronic amoeba' finds approximate solution to traveling salesman problem in linear time Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:20 AM PST Researchers have, inspired by the efficient foraging behavior of a single-celled amoeba, developed an analog computer for finding a reliable and swift solution to the traveling salesman problem -- a representative combinatorial optimization problem.

Getting the right grip: Designing soft and sensitive robotic fingers Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:20 AM PST To develop a more human-like robotic gripper, it is necessary to provide sensing capabilities to the fingers. However, conventional sensors compromise the mechanical properties of soft robots. Now, scientists have designed a 3D printable soft robotic finger containing a built-in sensor with adjustable stiffness. Their work represents a big step toward safer and more dexterous robotic handling, which will extend the applications of robots to fields such as health and elderly care.

Cataloging nature's hidden arsenal: Viruses that infect bacteria Posted: 10 Dec 2020 04:47 AM PST A new approach for studying phage-bacteria interactions will help scientists study the intricate offensive and defensive chemical tactics used by parasite and host. These microscopic battles have implications for medicine, agricultural research, and climate science.

Symbiotic relationship between California oaks and mutualist fungi as a buffer for climate change Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST 'Happy families are all alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' So goes the first line of Leo Tolstoy's 'Anna Karenina.' Little did the Russian novelist know his famous opening line would one day be used to describe microbial communities, their health and their relationships to their hosts.

New 'sea dragon' discovered off UK coastline Posted: 09 Dec 2020 11:03 AM PST An amateur fossil hunter has unearthed a new type of prehistoric 'sea dragon' on the beach of the UK's Dorset coast.

Regions in Europe at risk of nitrate leaching Posted: 09 Dec 2020 09:49 AM PST Nutrient contamination of groundwater as a result of nitrogen-based fertilizers is a problem in many places in Europe. Scientists have shown that over a period of at least four months per year, nitrate can leach into the groundwater and surface water on about three-quarters of Europe's agricultural land. The proportion of areas at risk from nitrate leaching is thus almost twice as large as previously assumed.

Natural antibiotics produced in wounds increase sleep and survival after injury Posted: 09 Dec 2020 09:49 AM PST When wounded, our body sets off a complex immune response. As part of it, the wound produces small antimicrobial molecules to fight off the pathogens locally. Researchers have found that these natural antibiotics can also act as long-range molecular messengers.

'Sparkling' clean water from nanodiamond-embedded membrane filters Posted: 09 Dec 2020 09:49 AM PST Although most of the planet is covered by water, only a fraction of it is clean enough for humans to use. Therefore, it is important to recycle this resource whenever possible. Current purification techniques cannot adequately handle the very hot wastewater generated by some industries. But now, researchers have embedded amine-enhanced nanodiamond particles into membranes to address this challenge.

DeepLabCut-Live! real-time marker-less motion capture for animals Posted: 09 Dec 2020 09:49 AM PST Behavioral scientists introduce DeepLabCut-Live!, a deep-learning tool that can enable real-time feedback studies on animal movement and posture. The software features 'maker-less' real-time motion capture, can interface with lab hardware for neurological analysis, and is now available open source for use by researchers.

Neuropeptide discoveries could someday help defeat the dreaded cockroach Posted: 09 Dec 2020 09:49 AM PST Cockroaches are notorious for their abilities to survive and reproduce, much to humanity's chagrin. In addition to scurrying around at night, feeding on human and pet food, and generating an offensive odor, the pests can transmit pathogens and cause allergic reactions. Now, researchers have identified neuropeptides produced by the American cockroach (Periplaneta americana) that could someday be targeted by new, more selective and effective pesticides.

New blended solar cells yield high power conversion efficiencies Posted: 09 Dec 2020 08:51 AM PST Researchers have blended together various polymer and molecular semiconductors as photo-absorbers to create a solar cell with increased power efficiencies and electricity generation.

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