ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• More than half of Hudson River tidal marshes were created accidentally by humans
• Identifying where to reforest after wildfire
• Zika virus affects eye development before but not after birth
• Humpback whale songs provide insight to population changes
• Land ecosystems are becoming less efficient at absorbing CO2
• Ice sheet uncertainties could mean sea level will rise more than predicted
• Monkeys, like humans, persist at tasks they've already invested in
• New material system to convert and generate terahertz waves developed
• New mechanism of force transduction in muscle cells discovered
• Discovery of chromophores that emit light in the ultraviolet region when excited with visible light
• Study sets baseline for sleep patterns in healthy adult dogs
• Engineers reveal molecular secrets of cephalopod powers
• Like tentacles catching fish
• Artificial Intelligence that can run a simulation faithful to physical laws
• Compressive fluctuations heat ions in space plasma
• Social holidays improve overall well-being
• Individuals with high ADHD-traits are more vulnerable to insomnia
• The 'crazy beast' that lived among the dinosaurs
• Machine intelligence accelerates research into mapping brains
• Cell atlas of tropical disease parasite may hold key to new treatments
• Fibrous protein finding may lead to improved bioprinting, tissue engineering
• Growing human organs for transplantation with new proof-of-concept
• How long's too long? Effects of crosslinker length on anion-exchange membrane fuel cells
• Protein linked to progressive lung scarring in scleroderma patients
• Green revolution saved over 100 million infant lives in developing world
• Machine learning boosts the search for 'superhard' materials
• Can white dwarfs help solve the cosmological lithium problem?
• Scientists create entangled photons 100 times more efficiently than previously possible
• Exercise for low back pain beneficial but no one agrees on why
• Method finds hidden warning signals in measurements collected over time
• Can mammogram screening be more effective?
• Artificial intelligence classifies supernova explosions with unprecedented accuracy
• Errant DNA boosts immunotherapy effectiveness
• Optogenetic method can reveal how gut microbes affect longevity

More than half of Hudson River tidal marshes were created accidentally by humans Posted: 18 Dec 2020 01:51 PM PST In a new study of tidal marsh resilience to sea level rise, geologists observed that Hudson River Estuary marshes are growing upward at a rate two to three times faster than sea level rise, 'suggesting that they should be resilient to accelerated sea level rise in the future,' he says.

Identifying where to reforest after wildfire Posted: 18 Dec 2020 01:51 PM PST Forest managers can now look to a newly enhanced, predictive mapping tool to learn where forests are likely to regenerate on their own and where replanting efforts may be beneficial. This study also indicates a not-so-evergreen future of fewer conifers.

Zika virus affects eye development before but not after birth Posted: 18 Dec 2020 12:27 PM PST A new study finds that Zika infection during the first trimester of pregnancy can impact fetal retinal development and cause congenital ocular anomalies. The virus does not appear to affect ocular growth post-natally.

Humpback whale songs provide insight to population changes Posted: 18 Dec 2020 10:19 AM PST Following reports of unusually low whale numbers that began in 2015-16, researchers examined song chorusing recorded at six sites off Maui.

Land ecosystems are becoming less efficient at absorbing CO2 Posted: 18 Dec 2020 10:19 AM PST Land ecosystems currently play a key role in mitigating climate change. The more carbon dioxide (CO2) plants and trees absorb during photosynthesis, the process they use to make food, the less CO2 remains trapped in the atmosphere where it can cause temperatures to rise. But scientists have identified an unsettling trend - as levels of CO2 in the atmosphere increase, 86 percent of land ecosystems globally are becoming progressively less efficient at absorbing it.

Ice sheet uncertainties could mean sea level will rise more than predicted Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:25 AM PST Sea level could rise higher than current estimates by 2100 if climate change is unchallenged, according to a new assessment.

Monkeys, like humans, persist at tasks they've already invested in Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:25 AM PST Humans are generally reluctant to give up on something they've already committed time and effort to. It's called the 'sunk costs' phenomenon, where the more resources we sink into an endeavor, the likelier we are to continue -- even if we sense it's futile. A new study shows that both capuchin monkeys and rhesus macaques are susceptible to the same behavior and that it occurs more often when the monkeys are uncertain about the outcome.

New material system to convert and generate terahertz waves developed Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:25 AM PST Terahertz light holds enormous potential for tomorrow's technologies. It might succeed 5G by enabling extremely fast mobile communications connections and wireless networks. The bottleneck in the transition from gigahertz to terahertz frequencies has been caused by insufficiently efficient sources and converters. A research team with the participation of HZDR has now developed a material system to generate terahertz pulses much more effectively than before. It is based on graphene, coated with a metallic lamellar structure.

New mechanism of force transduction in muscle cells discovered Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:24 AM PST Researchers have now discovered how the muscle-specific adhesion molecule metavinculin modulates mechanical force transduction on the molecular level.

Discovery of chromophores that emit light in the ultraviolet region when excited with visible light Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:24 AM PST Fluorescence usually entails the conversion of light at shorter wavelengths to light at longer wavelengths. Scientists have now discovered a chromophore system that goes the other way around. When excited by visible light, the fluorescent dyes emit light in the ultraviolet region. According to the study, such light upconversion systems could boost the light-dependent reactions for which efficiency is important, such as solar-powered water splitting.

Study sets baseline for sleep patterns in healthy adult dogs Posted: 18 Dec 2020 08:24 AM PST A new canine sleep study could serve as a baseline for research on chronic pain and cognitive dysfunction in dogs, potentially improving detection and treatment of these conditions.

Engineers reveal molecular secrets of cephalopod powers Posted: 18 Dec 2020 06:45 AM PST Researchers have revealed the structure of a reflectin variant at the molecular level, and they have demonstrated a method for mechanically controlling the hierarchical assembly and optical properties of the protein. These findings are seen as key steps in exploiting many of the potentially useful attributes of the reflectin family.

Like tentacles catching fish Posted: 18 Dec 2020 06:45 AM PST Researchers decode the structure of the molecular complex that carries detoxifying enzymes in cells to the right place.

Artificial Intelligence that can run a simulation faithful to physical laws Posted: 18 Dec 2020 06:45 AM PST Researchers have successfully developed technology to simulate phenomena for which the detailed mechanism or formula are unexplained. They did this by using AI to create a model, which is faithful to the laws of physics, from observational data. This technology will hopefully enable these kinds of phenomena (e.g. wave motion and fracture mechanics) to be more accurately predicted by computer simulations.

Compressive fluctuations heat ions in space plasma Posted: 18 Dec 2020 06:44 AM PST New simulations carried out in part on the ATERUI II supercomputer in Japan have found that the reason ions exist at higher temperatures than electrons in space plasma is because they are better able to absorb energy from compressive turbulent fluctuations in the plasma. These finding have important implications for understanding observations of various astronomical objects such as the images of the accretion disk and shadow of the M87 supermassive black hole.

Social holidays improve overall well-being Posted: 18 Dec 2020 06:44 AM PST Social holidays improve holiday makers' overall satisfaction with life, as well as satisfaction with the quantity and quality of their leisure time, and social life, according to a new study. The study analyzed the effect of social holidays on holiday makers' subjective well-being and experience of inclusion.

Individuals with high ADHD-traits are more vulnerable to insomnia Posted: 18 Dec 2020 05:41 AM PST Individuals with high ADHD-traits that do not meet the criteria for a diagnosis are less able to perform tasks involving attentional regulation or emotional control after a sleepless night than individuals with low ADHD-traits, a new study reports.

The 'crazy beast' that lived among the dinosaurs Posted: 18 Dec 2020 05:41 AM PST New research describes a bizarre 66 million-year-old mammal that provides profound new insights into the evolutionary history of mammals from the southern supercontinent Gondwana - recognized today as Africa, South America, Australia, Antarctica, the Indian subcontinent, and the Arabian Peninsula.

Machine intelligence accelerates research into mapping brains Posted: 18 Dec 2020 05:41 AM PST Scientists have used machine intelligence to improve the accuracy and reliability of a powerful brain-mapping technique, a new study reports. Their development gives researchers more confidence in using the technique to untangle the human brain's wiring and to better understand the changes in this wiring that accompany neurological or mental disorders such as Parkinson's or Alzheimer's disease.

Cell atlas of tropical disease parasite may hold key to new treatments Posted: 18 Dec 2020 05:41 AM PST The first cell atlas of an important life stage of Schistosoma mansoni, a parasitic worm that poses a risk to hundreds of millions of people each year, has been developed.

Fibrous protein finding may lead to improved bioprinting, tissue engineering Posted: 17 Dec 2020 01:46 PM PST Fibrous proteins such as collagen and fibrinogen form a thin solid layer on the surface of an aqueous solution similar to the 'skin' that forms on warm milk, according to a team of Penn State Researchers, who believe this finding could lead to more efficient bioprinting and tissue engineering.

Growing human organs for transplantation with new proof-of-concept Posted: 17 Dec 2020 01:46 PM PST With the number of people who suffer from organ failures and the growing need for available organs for transplant, finding a new way to provide organs and therapeutic options to transplant patients is a critical need. In a new article, researchers show for the first time that newly established stem cells from pigs could provide a solution, laying the groundwork for growing transplantable human organs.

How long's too long? Effects of crosslinker length on anion-exchange membrane fuel cells Posted: 17 Dec 2020 01:46 PM PST Anion exchange membrane (AEM) fuel cells (AEMFCs), which produce electricity using hydrogen, are considered an alternative to currently used proton exchange membrane fuel cells. However, AEMs have problems with stability in alkaline conditions, which can be overcome by crosslinking -- but effects of crosslinker length on AEMFC performance are not well understood. Now, scientists have elucidated such effects for oxygen-containing crosslinkers and, using an optimally long crosslinker, produced a novel AEMFC with greater performance.

Protein linked to progressive lung scarring in scleroderma patients Posted: 17 Dec 2020 12:40 PM PST Osteopontin is discovered as the culprit behind systemic sclerosis patients' main cause of death: lung fibrosis. However, a repurposed immunosuppressive drug may combat the pro-inflammatory protein.

Green revolution saved over 100 million infant lives in developing world Posted: 17 Dec 2020 11:52 AM PST New research shows that since modern crop varieties were introduced in the developing world starting in 1961, they have substantially reduced infant mortality, especially for male babies and among poor households.

Machine learning boosts the search for 'superhard' materials Posted: 17 Dec 2020 11:52 AM PST Superhard materials are in high demand in industry, from energy production to aerospace, but finding suitable new materials has largely been a matter of trial and error based on classical materials such as diamonds. Now researchers have reported a machine learning model that can accurately predict the hardness of new materials, allowing scientists to more readily find compounds suitable for use in a variety of applications.

Can white dwarfs help solve the cosmological lithium problem? Posted: 17 Dec 2020 11:52 AM PST For the first time, lithium has been identified and measured in the atmosphere of a white dwarf. The finding provides clues for what's become of the lithium expected from the Big Bang.

Scientists create entangled photons 100 times more efficiently than previously possible Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:54 AM PST Super-fast quantum computers and communication devices could revolutionize countless aspects of our lives -- but first, researchers need a fast, efficient source of the entangled pairs of photons such systems use to transmit and manipulate information. Researchers have done just that, not only creating a chip-based photon source 100 times more efficient that previously possible, but bringing massive quantum device integration within reach.

Exercise for low back pain beneficial but no one agrees on why Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:54 AM PST A new evidence review has found there is still no consensus between researchers about why exercise works for low back pain patients - despite decades of studies on the topic.

Method finds hidden warning signals in measurements collected over time Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:53 AM PST Researchers have developed a deep learning-based algorithm to detect anomalies in time series data. The technology could provide advance warning of potential failures in systems ranging from satellites to computer data centers.

Can mammogram screening be more effective? Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:53 AM PST Economists have identified an important challenge in designing age-related guidelines for when to start breast cancer screenings: Women who start getting mammograms at age 40 may be healthier than the population of 40-year-old women as a whole, with a lower incidence of breast cancer at that age.

Artificial intelligence classifies supernova explosions with unprecedented accuracy Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:53 AM PST Scientists have trained machine learning software to classify supernovae without the traditional use of spectra. The project -- the first to use real supernovae data to inform its artificial intelligence -- is 82% accurate. Currently, scientists take spectra of 10-percent of the ~10,000 supernovae discovered each year. When the Rubin Observatory goes online, only 0.1-percent of the expected supernovae discoveries will be further studied without the new software.

Errant DNA boosts immunotherapy effectiveness Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:53 AM PST DNA that ends up where it doesn't belong in cancer cells can unleash an immune response that makes tumors more susceptible to immunotherapy, the results of two new studies indicate. The findings suggest that delivering radiation - which triggers DNA release from cells - before immunotherapy could be an effective way to fight cancers that are challenging to treat.

Optogenetic method can reveal how gut microbes affect longevity Posted: 17 Dec 2020 10:52 AM PST Optogenetics offers a direct way to manipulate gut bacterial metabolism in a temporally, quantitatively and spatially controlled manner and enhance host fitness.

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