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• Metformin use reduces risk of death for patients with COVID-19 and diabetes, study finds
• COVID-19 reduced U.S. life expectancy, especially among Black and Latino populations
• How plants produce defensive toxins without harming themselves
• Scientists discover electric eels hunting in a group
• New state of matter in one-dimensional quantum gas
• Flip the script: Cardiac rehabilitation is underused, but a simple change could fix that
• Measuring the belowground world
• Greenland melting likely increased by bacteria in sediment
• Following the hops of disordered proteins could lead to future treatments of Alzheimer's disease
• Toadlet peptide transforms into a deadly weapon against bacteria
• Cancer models created by mechanical engineers offer new insight into tumor growth
• Population density and virus strains will affect how regions can resume normal life
• Lead poisoning of children
• Geologic history written in garnet sand
• Turn off that camera during virtual meetings, environmental study says
• Reverse engineering 3D chromosome models for individual cells
• Borrowing from birds, experts reduce search times for novel high-entropy alloys to seconds
• Posidonia marine seagrass can catch and remove plastics from the sea
• Feces and algorithms: Artificial Intelligence to map our intestinal bacteria
• Teeth pendants speak of the elk's prominent status in the Stone Age
• Galaxies hit single, doubles, and triple (growing black holes)
• Biochemical pathway that protects cells from ferroptosis discovered
• Physical frailty syndrome: A cacophony of multisystem dysfunction
• Mapping our sun's backyard
• The richer you are, the more likely you'll social distance, study finds
• Physical virology shows the dynamics of virus reproduction
• New classification marks paradigm shift in how conservationists tackle climate change
• Deep learning outperforms standard machine learning in biomedical research applications
• New way to control electrical charge in 2D materials: Put a flake on it
• Study demonstrates efficacy of new treatment for neurofibromatosis type 1-related tumors
• 600-year-old marine sponge holds centuries-old climate records
• Cancer research reveals how mutations in a specific gene cause different types of disease
• Strategies to improve water quality
• New method makes better predictions of material properties using low quality data
• Spectacular fossil discovery: 150 million-year-old shark was one of the largest of its time
• Micro-climate molds and reshapes northern insect communities, herbivory and predation
• Scientists artificially infect mosquitoes with human malaria to advance treatment
• New insight into why breastfed babies have improved immune systems
• How aerosols are formed
• A highly sensitive technique for measuring the state of a cytoskeleton
• Giant map of the sky sets stage for ambitious DESI survey
• Penned release of green geckos has potential to help preserve threatened native species
• Males of all ages more affected by COVID-19 than females, study finds
• A rift in the retina may help repair the optic nerve
• Doubling the number of known gravitational lenses
• Climate change is hurting children's diets, global study finds
• Acting quickly after heart attack symptoms start can be a heart saver
• SolarEV City concept: Building the next urban power and mobility systems
• A climate in crisis calls for investment in direct air capture, new research finds
• Human-induced climate change caused the northwestern Pacific warming record in August 2020
• How the brain paralyzes you while you sleep
• Scientists discover the secret of Galápagos' rich ecosystem
• Bees respond to wildfire aftermath by producing more female offspring
• Short term low carbohydrate diet linked to remission of type 2 diabetes
• Early warning sign for heart disease

Metformin use reduces risk of death for patients with COVID-19 and diabetes, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:40 PM PST Use of the diabetes drug metformin -- before a diagnosis of COVID-19 -- is associated with a threefold decrease in mortality in COVID-19 patients with Type 2 diabetes, according to a new study. Diabetes is a significant comorbidity for COVID-19. This beneficial effect remained, even after correcting for age, sex, race, obesity, and hypertension or chronic kidney disease and heart failure.

COVID-19 reduced U.S. life expectancy, especially among Black and Latino populations Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST A new study finds that due to COVID-19 deaths last year, life expectancy at birth for Americans will shorten by 1.13 years to 77.48 years -- the largest single-year decline in life expectancy in at least 40 years.

How plants produce defensive toxins without harming themselves Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST Scientists describe the biosynthesis and exact mode of action of diterpene glycosides in wild tobacco. These antiherbivory compounds attack the cell membrane. To protect themselves from their own toxins, tobacco plants store them in a non-toxic form. Autotoxicity and the protection against it seem to play a greater role in the evolution of plant defenses than previously thought.

Scientists discover electric eels hunting in a group Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST Deep in the Brazilian Amazon River basin, scientists discovered a small, river-fed lake filled with more than 100 adult electric eels. Researchers witnessed the electric eels working together to herd small fish into tightly packed balls. Groups of up to 10 eels periodically split off to form cooperative hunting parties. Those smaller groups then surrounded the prey and launched simultaneous electric attacks. The findings overturn the idea that these serpentine fish are exclusively solitary predators.

New state of matter in one-dimensional quantum gas Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST By adding some magnetic flair to an exotic quantum experiment, physicists produced an ultra-stable one-dimensional quantum gas with never-before-seen 'scar' states - a feature that could someday be useful for securing quantum information.

Flip the script: Cardiac rehabilitation is underused, but a simple change could fix that Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST Making doctors opt out from prescribing cardiac rehabilitation instead of opting in increased referrals by roughly 70 percent

Measuring the belowground world Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:39 PM PST Life above ground depends on the soil and its countless inhabitants. Yet, global strategies to protect biodiversity have so far paid little attention to this habitat. Researchers call for greater consideration of soils in international biodiversity strategies, far beyond agriculture. The researchers explain their plan for systematic recording to enable comprehensive policy advisory.

Greenland melting likely increased by bacteria in sediment Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:38 PM PST Bacteria are likely triggering greater melting on the Greenland ice sheet, possibly increasing the island's contribution to sea-level rise, according to scientists. That's because the microbes cause sunlight-absorbing sediment to clump together and accumulate in the meltwater streams, according to new study. The findings can be incorporated in climate models, leading to more accurate predictions of melting, scientists say.

Following the hops of disordered proteins could lead to future treatments of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:38 PM PST Researchers have used machine learning techniques to predict how proteins, particularly those implicated in neurological diseases, completely change their shapes in a matter of microseconds.

Toadlet peptide transforms into a deadly weapon against bacteria Posted: 14 Jan 2021 01:38 PM PST Researchers have discovered remarkable molecular properties of an antimicrobial peptide from the skin of the Australian toadlet. The discovery could inspire the development of novel synthetic drugs to combat bacterial infections.

Cancer models created by mechanical engineers offer new insight into tumor growth Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST Engineers have developed in vitro -- in the lab -- lymphatic vessel model to study the growth of tumor emboli, collections of tumor cells within vessels that are often associated with increased metastasis and tumor recurrence.

Population density and virus strains will affect how regions can resume normal life Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST As a new, apparently more transmissible version of the virus that causes COVID-19 has appeared in several countries, new research finds that the transmissibility of viral strains and the population density of a region will play big roles in how vaccination campaigns can help towns and cities return to more normal activities. The findings suggest that directing vaccines toward densely populated counties would help to interrupt transmission of the disease.

Lead poisoning of children Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST A remediation and public education effort at an abandoned battery recycling facility in Bangladesh eliminated most lead soil contamination, but levels of the toxic metal in children living near the site did not decrease nearly as much. The discrepancy reveals the scope of other lead exposure sources and the challenge they present to public health.

Geologic history written in garnet sand Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST Researchers probe deep secrets of trapped inclusions in garnet sand from Papua New Guinea.

Turn off that camera during virtual meetings, environmental study says Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST A new study says that despite a record drop in global carbon emissions in 2020, a pandemic-driven shift to remote work and more at-home entertainment still presents significant environmental impact due to how internet data is stored and transferred around the world.

Reverse engineering 3D chromosome models for individual cells Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST A new computational technique that uses heat map data to reverse engineer highly detailed models of chromosomes and researchers have uncovered new information about the close spatial relationships that chromatin folding creates between genes.

Borrowing from birds, experts reduce search times for novel high-entropy alloys to seconds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:40 AM PST Computational materials science experts have enhanced an algorithm that borrows its approach from the nesting habits of cuckoo birds, reducing the search time for new high-tech alloys from weeks to mere seconds.

Posidonia marine seagrass can catch and remove plastics from the sea Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Posidonia oceanica seagrass can take and remove plastic materials that have been left at the sea, according to a new study.

Feces and algorithms: Artificial Intelligence to map our intestinal bacteria Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST The intestines and their bacteria are sometimes called our 'second brain', but studying these bacteria in their natural environment is difficult. Now researchers have developed a method that uses artificial intelligence to map intestinal bacteria using feces. The researchers thus hope to gain more knowledge of the role played by these bacteria in various diseases.

Teeth pendants speak of the elk's prominent status in the Stone Age Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST The elk was the most important animal to the people inhabiting the northern coniferous belt, with its incisors being perhaps the most coveted part of the body. Incisors were turned into pendants, which were attached using strings made of fibre or sinew. The manufacturing techniques of the thousands of elk tooth pendants discovered in the graves of hunter-gatherers who lived approximately 8,200 years ago depict a homogeneous culture and strict rules.

Galaxies hit single, doubles, and triple (growing black holes) Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST When three galaxies collide, what happens to the huge black holes at the centers of each? A new study using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and several other telescopes reveals new information about how many black holes are furiously growing after these galactic smash ups.

Biochemical pathway that protects cells from ferroptosis discovered Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST In an article published in Cell Metabolism, Moffitt Cancer Center researchers report on a newly discovered biochemical pathway that protects cells from a type of cell death called ferroptosis.

Physical frailty syndrome: A cacophony of multisystem dysfunction Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Aging experts synthesize converging evidence that the aging-related pathophysiology underpinning the clinical presentation of phenotypic frailty is a state of lower functioning due to severe dysregulation of the complex dynamics in our bodies that maintains health and resilience. When severity passes a threshold, the clinical syndrome and its phenotype are diagnosable. This paper summarizes evidence meeting criteria for physical frailty as a product of complex system dysregulation distinct from the cumulative-deficit-based frailty index of multimorbiditys.

Mapping our sun's backyard Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Astronomers have curated the most complete list of nearby brown dwarfs to date thanks to discoveries made by thousands of volunteers participating in the Backyard Worlds citizen science project. The list and 3D map of 525 brown dwarfs -- including 38 reported for the first time -- incorporate observations from a host of astronomical instruments including several NOIRLab facilities. The results confirm that the Sun's neighborhood appears surprisingly diverse relative to other parts of the Milky Way Galaxy.

The richer you are, the more likely you'll social distance, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST The higher a person's income, the more likely they were to protect themselves at the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States, economists find.

Physical virology shows the dynamics of virus reproduction Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST The reproductive cycle of viruses requires self-assembly, maturation of virus particles and, after infection, the release of genetic material into a host cell. New physics-based technologies allow scientists to study the dynamics of this cycle and may eventually lead to new treatments.

New classification marks paradigm shift in how conservationists tackle climate change Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST A new study introduces a classification called Resistance-Resilience-Transformation (RRT) that enables the assessment of whether and to what extent a management shift toward transformative action is occurring in conservation.

Deep learning outperforms standard machine learning in biomedical research applications Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Compared to standard machine learning models, deep learning models are largely superior at discerning patterns and discriminative features in brain imaging, despite being more complex in their architecture.

New way to control electrical charge in 2D materials: Put a flake on it Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Gaining control of the flow of electrical current through atomically thin materials is important to potential future applications in photovoltaics or computing. Physicists have discovered one way to locally add electrical charge to a graphene device.

Study demonstrates efficacy of new treatment for neurofibromatosis type 1-related tumors Posted: 14 Jan 2021 10:01 AM PST Based on preclinical studies of an investigational drug to treat peripheral nerve tumors, researchers have shown that the drug, cabozantinib, reduces tumor volume and pain in patients with the genetic disorder neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1).

600-year-old marine sponge holds centuries-old climate records Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:37 AM PST Scientists used a 600-year-old marine sponge to reconstruct a record of ocean temperature in the North Atlantic revealing past volcanic activity as well as the current global warming trend from the release of carbon dioxide and other heat trapping gasses into Earth's atmosphere and absorbed by the oceans.

Cancer research reveals how mutations in a specific gene cause different types of disease Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:37 AM PST Leading cancer expert solve long-standing question of how various types of mutations in just one gene cause different types of diseases.

Strategies to improve water quality Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST Illinois residents value efforts to reduce watershed pollution, and they are willing to pay for environmental improvements, according to a new study from agricultural economists.

New method makes better predictions of material properties using low quality data Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST By combining large amounts of low-fidelity data with smaller quantities of high-fidelity data, nanoengineers have developed a new machine learning method to predict the properties of materials with more accuracy than existing models. Crucially, their approach is also the first to predict the properties of disordered materials -- those with atomic sites that can be occupied by more than one element, or can be vacant.

Spectacular fossil discovery: 150 million-year-old shark was one of the largest of its time Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST A team led by Sebastian Stumpf from the University of Vienna describes an well-preserved skeleton of the ancient shark Asteracanthus. This rare fossil find comes from the famous Solnhofen limestones in Bavaria, which was formed in a tropical-subtropical lagoon landscape during the Late Jurassic, about 150 million years ago. The almost complete skeleton shows that Asteracanthus was two-and-a-half meters long, which makes this ancient shark one of the largest of its time.

Micro-climate molds and reshapes northern insect communities, herbivory and predation Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST Climate and changes in it have direct impacts on species of plant and animals - but climate may also shape more complex biological systems like food webs. Now a research group has investigated how micro-climate shapes each level of the ecosystem, from species' abundances in predator communities to parasitism rates in key herbivores, and ultimately to damage suffered by plants. The results reveal how climate change may drastically reshape northern ecosystems.

Scientists artificially infect mosquitoes with human malaria to advance treatment Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST Scientists have identified novel antiplasmodial lead compounds for mass drug administration and vector control to eliminate malaria.

New insight into why breastfed babies have improved immune systems Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST Research has revealed new insight into the biological mechanisms of the long-term positive health effects of breastfeeding.

How aerosols are formed Posted: 14 Jan 2021 08:19 AM PST Researchers conducted an experiment to investigate the initial steps in the formation of aerosols. Their findings are now aiding efforts to better understand and model that process - for example, the formation of clouds in the atmosphere.

A highly sensitive technique for measuring the state of a cytoskeleton Posted: 14 Jan 2021 07:27 AM PST Researchers have developed a highly sensitive technique to quantitatively evaluate the extent of cytoskeleton bundling from microscopic images. Until now, analysis of cytoskeleton organization was typically made by manually checking microscopic images. The new method uses microscopic image analysis techniques to automatically measure the cytoskeleton organization. The researchers expect it to dramatically improve our understanding of various cellular phenomena related to cytoskeletal bundling.

Giant map of the sky sets stage for ambitious DESI survey Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:58 AM PST Astronomers using images from Kitt Peak National Observatory and Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory have created the largest ever map of the sky, comprising over a billion galaxies. The ninth and final data release from the ambitious DESI Legacy Imaging Surveys sets the stage for a ground-breaking 5-year survey with the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), which aims to provide new insights into the nature of dark energy.

Penned release of green geckos has potential to help preserve threatened native species Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:58 AM PST Researchers outlined how they translocated 19 barking geckos to Mana Island, using the method of penned release - enclosing them in a 100m² pen for three months so they get used to the site and hopefully establish a breeding population.

Males of all ages more affected by COVID-19 than females, study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:57 AM PST Males are more likely to test positive for COVID-19, more likely to have complications and more likely to die from the virus than females, independent of age, according to a new study.

A rift in the retina may help repair the optic nerve Posted: 14 Jan 2021 06:57 AM PST In experiments in mouse tissues and human cells, researchers say they have found that removing a membrane that lines the back of the eye may improve the success rate for regrowing nerve cells damaged by blinding diseases.

Doubling the number of known gravitational lenses Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST Data from the DESI (Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument) Legacy Imaging Surveys have revealed over 1200 new gravitational lenses, approximately doubling the number of known lenses. Discovered using machine learning trained on real data, these warped and stretched images of distant galaxies provide astronomers with a flood of new targets with which to measure fundamental properties of the Universe such as the Hubble constant, which describes the expanding Universe.

Climate change is hurting children's diets, global study finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST An international study of 107,000 children finds that higher temperatures are an equal or even greater contributor to child malnutrition than the traditional culprits of poverty, inadequate sanitation, and poor education. The 19-nation study is the largest investigation to date of the relationship between our changing climate and children's diet diversity. Of the six regions examined--in Asia, Africa, and Central and South America--five had significant reductions in diet diversity associated with higher temperatures.

Acting quickly after heart attack symptoms start can be a heart saver Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST The degree of heart muscle damage from a heart attack is associated with how long it takes from when heart attack symptoms start to when patients receive an artery-clearing procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI. The longer the time period before PCI, called symptom-to-balloon time, the more significant and damaging the heart attack.

SolarEV City concept: Building the next urban power and mobility systems Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST Cities are responsible for 60-70% of energy-related CO2 emissions. As the world is increasingly urbanized, it is crucial to identify cost-effective pathways to decarbonize. Here, we propose a ''SolarEV City'' concept, in which integrated systems of cities' roof-top PVs with EVs as batteries can supply affordable and dispatchable CO2-free electricity for citie's dwerllers, which can reduce CO2 emission by 54-95% with 26-41% of potential cost savings by 2030.

A climate in crisis calls for investment in direct air capture, new research finds Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST There is a growing consensus among scientists as well as national and local governments representing hundreds of millions of people, that humanity faces a climate crisis that demands a crisis response. New research explores one possible mode of response: a massively funded program to deploy direct air capture (DAC) systems that remove carbon dioxide directly from the ambient air and sequester it safely underground.

Human-induced climate change caused the northwestern Pacific warming record in August 2020 Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST A new study revealed that the record-warm sea surface temperature over the northwestern Pacific in August 2020 could not be expected to occur without human-induced climate changes. Such extremely warm condition is likely to become a new normal climate in August by the mid-21st century, needing the prompt implementation of adaptation measures for anthropogenic global warming.

How the brain paralyzes you while you sleep Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST Researchers have discovered a group of neurons in the mouse brainstem that suppress unwanted movement during rapid eye movement sleep.

Scientists discover the secret of Galápagos' rich ecosystem Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST New research has unlocked the mystery of how the Galápagos Islands, a rocky, volcanic outcrop, with only modest rainfall and vegetation, is able to sustain its unique wildlife habitats.

Bees respond to wildfire aftermath by producing more female offspring Posted: 14 Jan 2021 05:54 AM PST Researchers have found that the blue orchard bee, an important native pollinator, produces female offspring at higher rates in the aftermath of wildfire in forests.

Short term low carbohydrate diet linked to remission of type 2 diabetes Posted: 13 Jan 2021 04:31 PM PST Patients with type 2 diabetes who follow a strict low carbohydrate diet for six months may experience greater rates of remission compared with other recommended diets without adverse effects, a new study suggests.

Early warning sign for heart disease Posted: 13 Jan 2021 01:12 PM PST The build-up of calcium in a major artery outside of the heart could predict future heart attack or stroke, a new study has demonstrated.

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