ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Muscle cell secrets
• The secret behind male ornaments
• Gut microbiota plays a role in brain function and mood regulation
• Two, six, many: Emergence of collective behavior
• What makes hard workouts so effective
• 'The robot made me do it': Robots encourage risk-taking behavior in people
• The pressure sensor of the venus flytrap
• Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals occur in 27-million-year cycle
• Artificial intelligence improves control of powerful plasma accelerators
• Test your heart health by climbing stairs
• Scientists build whole functioning thymus from human cells
• Water on Mars not as widespread as previously thought
• Persistence of Zika virus in the brain causes long-term problems in mice
• Exoplanet around distant star resembles reputed 'Planet Nine' in our solar system
• Promising treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, PMDD
• Discovery suggests new promise for nonsilicon computer transistors
• Beating the heat: Oxidation in novel coating material for aircraft gas turbine engines
• Researcher adds to timeline of human evolution by studying an island fox
• Researchers suggest stool transplants can battle serious infections
• Engaged dads can reduce adolescent behavioral problems, improve well-being
• How soil fungi respond to wildfire
• Brains work harder while processing descriptions of motion in other languages
• Multiple semiconductor type switching to boost thermoelectric conversion of waste heat
• Hydrogels with fine-toothed molecular combs may make enduring glucose-monitoring implants

Muscle cell secrets Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:55 AM PST A muscle fiber consists of just one cell, but many nuclei. A team has now shown just how varied these nuclei are. The study can help us better understand muscle diseases such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

The secret behind male ornaments Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:55 AM PST In many species all over the animal kingdom, males have eye-catching characteristics. Although often impractical, they are beneficial in finding a mate. Scientists have now mapped the genetic bases of such a male ornament in a fish.

Gut microbiota plays a role in brain function and mood regulation Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:55 AM PST Depression is a mental disorder that affects more than 264 million people of all ages worldwide. Understanding its mechanisms is vital for the development of effective therapeutic strategies. Scientists recently conducted a study showing that an imbalance in the gut bacterial community can cause a reduction in some metabolites, resulting in depressive-like behaviors. These findings show that a healthy gut microbiota contributes to normal brain function.

Two, six, many: Emergence of collective behavior Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:55 AM PST Phase transitions describe dramatic changes in properties of a macroscopic system - like the transition from a liquid to a gas. Starting from individual ultracold atoms, physicists were able to observe the emergence of such a transition with an increasing number of particles.

What makes hard workouts so effective Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:54 AM PST High-intensity interval training strengthens the heart even more than moderate exercise does. Now researchers have found several answers to what makes hard workouts so effective.

'The robot made me do it': Robots encourage risk-taking behavior in people Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST New research has shown robots can encourage humans to take greater risks in a simulated gambling scenario than they would if there was nothing to influence their behaviors. Increasing our understanding of whether robots can affect risk-taking could have clear ethical, practical and policy implications, which this study set out to explore.

The pressure sensor of the venus flytrap Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST The display of a smartphone reacts to finger pressure. The carnivorous Venus flytrap, on the other hand, even notices when a lightweight like a fly lands on it. Special genes make this possible.

Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals occur in 27-million-year cycle Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:31 AM PST Mass extinctions of land-dwelling animals--including amphibians, reptiles, mammals, and birds -- follow a cycle of about 27 million years, coinciding with previously reported mass extinctions of ocean life, according to a new analysis.

Artificial intelligence improves control of powerful plasma accelerators Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:31 AM PST Researchers have used AI to control beams for the next generation of smaller, cheaper accelerators for research, medical and industrial applications.

Test your heart health by climbing stairs Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:31 AM PST Climbing four flights of stairs in less than a minute indicates good heart health, according to new research.

Scientists build whole functioning thymus from human cells Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:30 AM PST Researchers have rebuilt a human thymus, an essential organ in the immune system, using human stem cells and a bioengineered scaffold. Their work is an important step towards being able to build artificial thymi which could be used as transplants.

Water on Mars not as widespread as previously thought Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:30 AM PST Scientists created planetwide maps of where water might be found on Mars. It is probably scarcer than previously thought, they concluded.

Persistence of Zika virus in the brain causes long-term problems in mice Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST The Zika virus can remain in mouse brain for extended periods, leading to long-term neurological and behavioral consequences, according to a new study.

Exoplanet around distant star resembles reputed 'Planet Nine' in our solar system Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Astronomers think planets can exist in orbits far from their star, and propose a two-step process: interactions with the star or inner planets kick it out of the inner system, and then a passing star stabilizes the orbit to keep it bound. Such a scenario could explain the hypothesized 'Planet Nine' in our solar system. Astronomers has now confirmed that one binary star system, HD 106906, has a planet in a bound, highly eccentric orbit.

Promising treatment for premenstrual dysphoric disorder, PMDD Posted: 10 Dec 2020 04:47 AM PST The mental symptoms of premenstrual dysphoric disorder improve following treatment with a progesterone receptor modulator. The mechanism of action of the study drug provides insights into the potential molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder and its treatment.

Discovery suggests new promise for nonsilicon computer transistors Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:07 PM PST An alloy material called InGaAs could be suitable for high-performance computer transistors, according to researchers. If operated at high-frequencies, InGaAs transistors could one day rival those made of silicon.

Beating the heat: Oxidation in novel coating material for aircraft gas turbine engines Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST Ytterbium silicide (Yb-Si) is a promising coating material for the high-temperature sections of aircraft gas turbine engines. Although Yb-Si is heat-resistant and prevents formation of structurally harmful SiO2 in the coating, its oxidation mechanisms are unclear. In a recent study, scientists demonstrate how the Yb to Si ratio in the material, and the surrounding atmosphere, affect the oxidation processes in Yb-Si, opening doors to more energy efficient gas turbines.

Researcher adds to timeline of human evolution by studying an island fox Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST Nearly two decades ago, a small-bodied 'human-like' fossil, Homo floresiensis, was discovered on an island in Indonesia. Some scientists have credited the find, now nicknamed 'Hobbit,' as representative of a human ancestor who developed dwarfed features after living on the island, while others suggest it represents a modern human suffering from some type of disease because of its distinct human-like face and small brain.

Researchers suggest stool transplants can battle serious infections Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST Could number two be number one when it comes to combating recurrent Clostridium difficile (CDI) infections? Using genetic material analysis and machine learning, researchers have pinpointed several key factors to ensure successful fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), which have proven successful in treating bacterial infections in the gut including illnesses like C. difficile, Crohn's Disease, Colitis and even obesity, explains lead author.

Engaged dads can reduce adolescent behavioral problems, improve well-being Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST In low-income families, fathers who are engaged in their children's lives can help to improve their mental health and behavior, according to a new study.

How soil fungi respond to wildfire Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST When wildfires swept through the North Bay in 2017, a graduate student saw a unique opportunity to study how fire affected his research subject: soil fungi.

Brains work harder while processing descriptions of motion in other languages Posted: 09 Dec 2020 02:06 PM PST Different languages describe motion differently, according to distinct lexical rules. And though we may not consciously notice those rules, we follow them -- and researchers have found they affect how our brains perceive and process descriptions of physical movement.

Multiple semiconductor type switching to boost thermoelectric conversion of waste heat Posted: 09 Dec 2020 11:04 AM PST Scientists demonstrate double charge carrier type switching of tin SnSe semiconductor by doping of antimony Sb. The SnSe carrier type switches from p-type to n-type, and re-switches to p-type as doping increases, due to the switching of major Sb substitution site from Se to Sn, promising reliable charge polarity control, leading to realization of SnSe-based p/n homojunction thermoelectric device for converting waste heat into electricity and new insights on impurity doping of compound semiconductors.

Hydrogels with fine-toothed molecular combs may make enduring glucose-monitoring implants Posted: 09 Dec 2020 11:03 AM PST Scientists reported they have designed a hydrogel membrane that may be used to house optical glucose sensing materials, toward building a biosensor for monitoring sugar levels in diabetics.

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