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• Evolution of tropical biodiversity hotspots: Look to harsh species-poor areas
• Controlling multiple wavelengths of light from a single source
• Rewiring stroke survivors brains could alleviate depression
• 'Pizza' can help address the dark matter mystery?
• Artificial intelligence helps scientists develop new general models in ecology
• Record resolution in X-ray microscopy
• Last Interglacial: warming amplified in mountain environments
• New analysis method for predicting the risks and effects of immunotherapy
• Artificial visual system of record-low energy consumption for the next generation of AI
• Artificial Chemist 2.0: quantum dot R&D in less than an hour
• Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the magic threshold of 30% efficiency
• Different forms of sugar impact hunger-suppressing hormones in young adults
• Using CRISPR, new technique makes it easy to map genetic networks
• Atom-thin transistor uses half the voltage of common semiconductors, boosts current density
• Preschool program linked with better social and emotional skills years later
• Role of quantum vibrations in electron transfer
• Natural environmental conditions facilitate the uptake of microplastics into living cells
• Bosses need appreciation, too
• Faster and more efficient information transfer
• When it comes to feeling pain, touch or an itch, location matters
• A potential therapy for one of the leading causes of heart disease
• New and unexplored dimension in the study of protein-protein interactions
• A better kind of cybersecurity strategy
• Tiny bubbles on electrodes key to speeding up chemical processes

Evolution of tropical biodiversity hotspots: Look to harsh species-poor areas Posted: 11 Dec 2020 08:55 AM PST Researchers argue that tropical species form faster in harsh species-poor areas but accumulate in climatically moderate areas to form hotspots of species diversity. Drawing on decades of expeditions and research in the tropics and the scientists' own knowledge and sampling of tropical bird diversity, the team assembled a large and complete phylogenomic dataset for a detailed investigation of tropical diversification.

Controlling multiple wavelengths of light from a single source Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST Researchers have synthesized a collection of nanoparticles, known as carbon dots, capable of emitting multiple wavelengths of light from a single particle. Additionally, the team discovered that the dispersion of the carbon dots, or the interparticle distance between each dot, influences the properties of the light the carbon dots emit. The discovery will allow researchers to understand how to control these carbon dots and create new, environmentally responsible displays, lighting, and sensing technology.

Rewiring stroke survivors brains could alleviate depression Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST Researchers have made a major breakthrough in the treatment of depression after stroke, using a high frequency brain stimulation device to improve low moods.

'Pizza' can help address the dark matter mystery? Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST A research team developed a novel multiple-cell cavity ('pizza cavity') haloscope that will extend the axion search band to higher-frequency regions.

Artificial intelligence helps scientists develop new general models in ecology Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST The automation of scientific discoveries is here to stay. Among others, a machine-human cooperation found a hitherto unknown general model explaining the relation between the area and age of an island and the number of species it hosts.

Record resolution in X-ray microscopy Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST Researchers have succeeded in setting a new record in X-ray microscopy. With improved diffractive lenses and more precise sample positioning, they were able to achieve spatial resolution in the single-digit nanometer scale.

Last Interglacial: warming amplified in mountain environments Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST Speleothems turned out to be a great stroke of luck: dripstones from two caves in the Swiss Alps provide for the first time a continuous reconstruction of temperatures during the Last Interglacial period. A new study shows that high alpine regions were affected by stronger temperature increases than lower altitudes.

New analysis method for predicting the risks and effects of immunotherapy Posted: 11 Dec 2020 07:06 AM PST In a new study, researchers have been able to show differences in how Rituximab, a monoclonal antibody drug, interacts with the blood of healthy individuals compared to patients with chronic lymphatic leukemia. This has awakened hopes that this analysis method could pave the way for important breakthroughs in immunotherapy research and treatment.

Artificial visual system of record-low energy consumption for the next generation of AI Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:30 AM PST Researchers have built an ultralow-power consumption artificial visual system to mimic the human brain, which successfully performed data-intensive cognitive tasks. Their experiment results could provide a promising device system for the next generation of artificial intelligence (AI) applications.

Artificial Chemist 2.0: quantum dot R&D in less than an hour Posted: 11 Dec 2020 05:30 AM PST A new technology, called Artificial Chemist 2.0, allows users to go from requesting a custom quantum dot to completing the relevant R&D and beginning manufacturing in less than an hour. The tech is completely autonomous, and uses artificial intelligence and automated robotic systems to perform multi-step chemical synthesis and analysis.

Perovskite/silicon tandem solar cells on the magic threshold of 30% efficiency Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST Scientists have set the current world record of 29.15% efficiency for a tandem solar cell made of perovskite and silicon. The tandem cell provided stable performance for 300 hours - even without encapsulation. To accomplish this, the group investigated physical processes at the interfaces to improve the transport of the charge carriers.

Different forms of sugar impact hunger-suppressing hormones in young adults Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:58 AM PST Drinks with sucrose compared to glucose may cause young adults to produce lower levels of appetite-regulating hormones, according to a new study.

Using CRISPR, new technique makes it easy to map genetic networks Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Scientists have developed an easy way to genetically profile a cell, including human cells, and rapidly determine all DNA sequences in the genome that regulate expression of a specific gene. This can help track down upstream genes that regulate disease genes, and potentially find new drug targets. The technique involves 'CRISPRing' the entire genome while giving each CRISPR guide RNA a unique barcode. Deep sequencing of pooled cells uniquely identifies control genes.

Atom-thin transistor uses half the voltage of common semiconductors, boosts current density Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Researchers report a new, two-dimensional transistor made of graphene and molybdenum disulfide that needs less voltage and can handle more current than today's semiconductors.

Preschool program linked with better social and emotional skills years later Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST A preschool enrichment program helps boost social and emotional skills that still have positive effects years later during middle and high school, according to a new study.

Role of quantum vibrations in electron transfer Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Scientists are reporting evidence that quantum vibrations participate in electron transfer, establishing with ultrafast laser spectroscopy that the vibrations provide channels through which the reaction takes place. Seeking to establish an experimental proof for a highly contested topic - the role of vibrations in processes fundamental to solar energy conversion - researchers set out to map the progress of a photoinduced electron transfer (ET) reaction.

Natural environmental conditions facilitate the uptake of microplastics into living cells Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST The environment is polluted by microplastics worldwide. A research team has now discovered that microplastic particles find their way into living cells more easily if they were exposed to natural aquatic environments, i.e. fresh water and seawater. Biomolecules occurring in the water are deposited on the microplastic surfaces, which promote the internalization of the particles into cells.

Bosses need appreciation, too Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST 'Tis the season to be grateful, even for your boss, according to a recent A new study suggests that when supervisors feel appreciated, it gives them a boost of energy and optimism. In the end, that's good for employees and the organization's bottom line.

Faster and more efficient information transfer Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST Physicists use antiferromagnetic rust to carry information over long distances at room temperature.

When it comes to feeling pain, touch or an itch, location matters Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST When you touch a hot stove, your hand reflexively pulls away; if you miss a rung on a ladder, you instinctively catch yourself. Both motions take a fraction of a second and require no forethought. Now, researchers have mapped the physical organization of cells in the spinal cord that help mediate these and similar critical 'sensorimotor reflexes.'

A potential therapy for one of the leading causes of heart disease Posted: 10 Dec 2020 11:57 AM PST After 15 years of unrelenting work, a team of scientists has discovered a potential drug candidate for heart valve disease that works in both human cells and animals and is ready to move toward a clinical trial.

New and unexplored dimension in the study of protein-protein interactions Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST Cells accumulate glutamate and related molecules under stress, and so formation of high-order protein assemblies under these conditions has important biological implications. Specifically, this would represent a mechanism by which the presence of stressor compounds in the cell could control DNA replication.

A better kind of cybersecurity strategy Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:21 AM PST The multilateral nature of cybersecurity today makes it markedly different than conventional security, according to a new study. The researchers' new model shows why countries that retaliate too much against online attacks can make things worse for themselves.

Tiny bubbles on electrodes key to speeding up chemical processes Posted: 10 Dec 2020 08:20 AM PST New research has shown the formation of bubbles on electrodes, usually thought to be a hindrance, can be beneficial, with deliberately added bubbles, or oil droplets, able to accelerate processes such as the removal of pollutants such as hydrocarbons from contaminated water and the production of chlorine.

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