ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Bringing atoms to a standstill: Miniaturizing laser cooling
• Giant sand worm discovery proves truth is stranger than fiction
• New insights into the link between sunlight exposure and kidney damage
• Abnormal hyperactivation in the brain may be an early sign of Alzheimer's
• Squeezing a rock-star material could make it stable enough for solar cells
• Designing customized 'brains' for robots
• Spitting Cobra venom reveals how evolution often finds the same answer to a common problem
• A closer look at T cells reveals big differences in mild vs. severe COVID-19 cases
• Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities
• When a story is breaking, AI can help consumers identify fake news
• Why older adults must go to the front of the vaccine line
• How to get more electric cars on the road
• Researchers prove fish-friendly detection method more sensitive than electrofishing
• 'Aging well' greatly affected by hopes and fears for later life
• COVID-19 infection in immunodeficient patient cured by infusing convalescent plasma, doctors report
• New graphene nanochannel water filters
• Vegan diet significantly remodels metabolism in young children
• Detailed tumour profiling
• Survey: Frequent reports of missed medical care in US adults during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic
• New, simplified genetic test effectively screens for hereditary cancers
• Randomized trials could help to return children safely to schools, study finds
• Study defines small-cell lung cancer subtypes and distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities for each type
• Scientists make pivotal discovery on mechanism of Epstein-Barr virus latent infection
• Mathematical framework enables accurate characterization of shapes
• Early humans used chopping tools to break animal bones and consume the bone marrow
• Using VR training to boost our sense of agency and improve motor control
• Cartilage matrix as natural biomaterial for cartilage regeneration
• Hope for a vaccination against Staphylococcus areus infections?
• Balancing brain cell activity
• Saturn's tilt caused by its moons, researchers say
• Butterfly wing clap explains mystery of flight
• Age provides a buffer to pandemic's mental health impact, researchers say
• Researchers ID potential target for anti-viral drugs to battle COVID
• 'Smiling eyes' may not signify true happiness after all
• What happens to your body during tailgating
• Oldest carbonates in the solar system: Flensburg meteorite
• California harbor porpoises rebound after coastal gillnetting stopped
• Innovations through hair-thin optical fibers
• Rocks show Mars once felt like Iceland
• See how they run: 'Exercise protein' doubles running capacity, restores function and extends healthy lifespans in older mice
• Tiny high-tech probes reveal how information flows across the brain
• The physics behind tumor growth
• Saturn's moon Titan: Largest sea is 1,000-feet deep
• World's largest lakes reveal climate change trends
• This Great Lakes fish may have evolved to see like its ocean ancestors did
• Immune system mounts a lasting defense after recovery from COVID-19, researchers find
• CRISPR technology to cure sickle cell disease
• Indigenous lands: A haven for wildlife
• Message in a bottle: Info-rich bubbles respond to antibiotics
• COVID-19 is dangerous for middle-aged adults, not just the elderly
• Producing green hydrogen through the exposure of nanomaterials to sunlight
• Much of Earth's nitrogen was locally sourced
• Scientists discover how the potentially oldest coral reefs in the Mediterranean developed
• A display that completely blocks off counterfeits
• Burial practices point to an interconnected early Medieval Europe
• Estrogen receptors in mom's placenta critical during viral infection
• Climate change puts hundreds of coastal airports at risk of flooding
• Turbulence model could help design aircraft capable of handling extreme scenarios
• Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer
• Search for axions from nearby star Betelgeuse comes up empty

Bringing atoms to a standstill: Miniaturizing laser cooling Posted: 21 Jan 2021 01:31 PM PST Scientists have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms down to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, the first step in employing them on microchips to drive a new generation of super-accurate atomic clocks, enable navigation without GPS, and simulate quantum systems.

Giant sand worm discovery proves truth is stranger than fiction Posted: 21 Jan 2021 01:31 PM PST Researchers have found evidence that large ambush-predatory worms -- some as long as two meters -- roamed the ocean floor near Taiwan over 20 million years ago.

New insights into the link between sunlight exposure and kidney damage Posted: 21 Jan 2021 01:31 PM PST A new collaborative study reveals unexpected insights into how skin exposure to ultraviolet light can worsen clinical symptoms in autoimmune diseases such as lupus.

Abnormal hyperactivation in the brain may be an early sign of Alzheimer's Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:38 PM PST A psychology and neuroscience professor has just targeted an early biomarker of the disease.

Squeezing a rock-star material could make it stable enough for solar cells Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:10 PM PST A promising lead halide perovskite is great at converting sunlight to electricity, but it breaks down at room temperature. Now scientists have discovered how to stabilize it with pressure from a diamond anvil cell. The required pressure is well within the reach of industrial manufacturing requirements.

Designing customized 'brains' for robots Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Researchers have developed an automated way to design customized hardware that speeds up a robot's operation. The system, called robomorphic computing, accounts for the robot's physical layout in suggesting an optimized hardware architecture.

Spitting Cobra venom reveals how evolution often finds the same answer to a common problem Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST A study of spitting cobras reveals how a combination of venom components have evolved to create an instantly painful venom, not once, but on three separate occasions.

A closer look at T cells reveals big differences in mild vs. severe COVID-19 cases Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST How long does immunity to SARS-CoV-2 last following infection? Researchers have uncovered an interesting clue. Their new study suggests that people with severe COVID-19 cases may be left with more of the protective 'memory' T cells needed to fight reinfection.

Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.

When a story is breaking, AI can help consumers identify fake news Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Warnings about misinformation are now regularly posted on Twitter, Facebook, and other social media platforms, but not all of these cautions are created equal. New research from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute shows that artificial intelligence can help form accurate news assessments -- but only when a news story is first emerging.

Why older adults must go to the front of the vaccine line Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST A new global, mathematical modeling study shows that in most cases prioritizing older adults for COVID-19 vaccines saves the most lives. It also found that, in some cases, more lives could be saved and infections prevented if those who've already tested positive step to the back of the line.

How to get more electric cars on the road Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Researchers reveal the kinds of infrastructure improvements that would make the biggest difference in increasing the number of electric cars on the road, a key step toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation.

Researchers prove fish-friendly detection method more sensitive than electrofishing Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Delivering a minor electric shock into a stream to reveal any fish lurking nearby may be the gold standard for detecting fish populations, but it's not much fun for the trout. Scientists have found that sampling stream water for evidence of the presence of various species using environmental DNA, known as eDNA, can be more accurate than electrofishing, without disrupting the fish.

'Aging well' greatly affected by hopes and fears for later life Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST If you believe you are capable of becoming the healthy, engaged person you want to be in old age, you are much more likely to experience that outcome, a recent study shows.

COVID-19 infection in immunodeficient patient cured by infusing convalescent plasma, doctors report Posted: 21 Jan 2021 12:09 PM PST Under FDA emergency-use authorization, doctors successfully resolved COVID-19 in a seriously ill, immunodeficient woman using a very high-neutralizing antibody-titer convalescent plasma from a recovered COVID-19 patient. However, further study suggested that use of convalescent plasma may not be warranted in many cases, for two reasons: 1) titer levels are too low in many convalescent plasmas, and 2) there are high endogenous neutralizing antibody titers already present in COVID-19 patients prior to infusion.

New graphene nanochannel water filters Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:24 AM PST Researchers have shown that tiny channels between graphene sheets can be aligned in a way that makes them ideal for water filtration.

Vegan diet significantly remodels metabolism in young children Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:23 AM PST Researchers report a comprehensive pilot study on the metabolic effects of full vegan diet on young children. The study found vegan children to have remarkably altered metabolism and lower vitamin A and D status compared to children with no special diet.

Detailed tumour profiling Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:22 AM PST As part of a clinical study, researchers are conducting a thorough and highly precise investigation into the molecular and functional properties of tumors. Their goal is to help physicians to better determine which treatment will best match every patient's cancer and thus be most effective.

Survey: Frequent reports of missed medical care in US adults during the early phase of the COVID-19 pandemic Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:22 AM PST Two out of five individuals delayed or missed medical care in the early phase of the pandemic -- from March through mid-July 2020.

New, simplified genetic test effectively screens for hereditary cancers Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:22 AM PST Researchers have developed a new integrated genetic/epigenetic DNA-sequencing protocol known as MultiMMR that can identify the presence and cause of mismatch repair (MMR) deficiency in a single test from a small sample of DNA in colon, endometrial, and other cancers. This alternative to complex, multi-step testing workflows can also determine causes of MMR deficiency often missed by current clinical tests.

Randomized trials could help to return children safely to schools, study finds Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:22 AM PST Schools are closing again in response to surging levels of COVID-19 infection, but staging randomized trials when students eventually return could help to clarify uncertainties around when we should send children back to the classroom, according to a new study.

Study defines small-cell lung cancer subtypes and distinct therapeutic vulnerabilities for each type Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Researchers have developed the first comprehensive framework to classify small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) into four unique subtypes, based on gene expression, and have identified potential therapeutic targets for each type in a study.

Scientists make pivotal discovery on mechanism of Epstein-Barr virus latent infection Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Researchers have discovered a new enzymatic function of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) protein EBNA1, a critical factor in EBV's ability to transform human cells and cause cancer. Study provides new indications for inhibiting EBNA1 function, opening up fresh avenues for development of therapies to treat EBV-associated cancers.

Mathematical framework enables accurate characterization of shapes Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST In nature, many things have evolved that differ in size, color and, above all, in shape. While the color or size of an object can be easily described, the description of a shape is more complicated. Researchers have now outlined a new and improved way to describe shapes based on a network representation that can also be used to reassemble and compare shapes.

Early humans used chopping tools to break animal bones and consume the bone marrow Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Researchers found that stone tools of the type known as 'chopping tools' were used to break open the bones of animals. Tools of this type were used for over two million years. They were found in large quantities at prehistoric sites all over the Old World, but no one understood their exact function.

Using VR training to boost our sense of agency and improve motor control Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Patients with motor dysfunctions are on the rise across Japan as its population continues to age. A researcher has developed a new method of rehabilitation using virtual reality to increase the sense of agency over our body and aid motor skills.

Cartilage matrix as natural biomaterial for cartilage regeneration Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST A working group develops strategies for regeneration of articular cartilage and has found that natural cartilage matrix is suitable as a biomaterial for improved cartilage regeneration.

Hope for a vaccination against Staphylococcus areus infections? Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST With an epitope-based immunization, scientists have described a new vaccination strategy against Staphylococcus aureus.

Balancing brain cell activity Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Electrical trigger sites in neurons surprisingly change with experience; they are either becoming smaller with increasing number of experiences and, vice versa, they grow larger when less input arrives in the brain.

Saturn's tilt caused by its moons, researchers say Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:21 AM PST Scientists have just shown that the influence of Saturn's satellites can explain the tilt of the rotation axis of the gas giant. Their work also predicts that the tilt will increase even further over the next few billion years.

Butterfly wing clap explains mystery of flight Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST The fluttery flight of butterflies has so far been somewhat of a mystery to researchers, given their unusually large and broad wings relative to their body size. Now researchers have studied the aerodynamics of butterflies in a wind tunnel. The results suggest that butterflies use a highly effective clap technique, therefore making use of their unique wings. This helps them rapidly take off when escaping predators.

Age provides a buffer to pandemic's mental health impact, researchers say Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST Older adults are managing the stress of the coronavirus pandemic better than younger adults, reporting less depression and anxiety despite also experiencing greater general concern about COVID-19, according to a recent study.

Researchers ID potential target for anti-viral drugs to battle COVID Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST Researchers have published the first structural biology analysis of a section of the COVID-19 viral RNA called the stem-loop II motif. This is a non-coding section of the RNA, which means that it is not translated into a protein, but it is likely key to the virus's replication.

'Smiling eyes' may not signify true happiness after all Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST A smile that lifts the cheeks and crinkles the eyes is thought by many to be truly genuine. But new research casts doubt on whether this joyful facial expression necessarily tells others how a person really feels inside.

What happens to your body during tailgating Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST Researchers simulated a tailgating situation with a small group of overweight but healthy men and examined the impact of the eating and drinking on their livers using blood tests and a liver scan.

Oldest carbonates in the solar system: Flensburg meteorite Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST A meteorite that fell in northern Germany in 2019 contains carbonates which are among the oldest in the solar system; it also evidences the earliest presence of liquid water on a minute planet.

California harbor porpoises rebound after coastal gillnetting stopped Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:20 AM PST Harbor porpoises have rebounded in a big way off California. Their populations have recovered dramatically since the end of state set-gillnet fisheries that years ago entangled and killed them in the nearshore waters they frequent. These coastal set-gillnet fisheries are distinct from federally-managed offshore drift-gillnet fisheries. They have been prohibited in inshore state waters for more than a decade. The new research indicates that the coastal set gillnets had taken a greater toll on harbor porpoise than previously realized.

Innovations through hair-thin optical fibers Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Scientists have built hair-thin optical fiber filters in a very simple way. They are not only extremely compact and stable, but also color-tunable. This means they can be used in quantum technology and as sensors for temperature or for detecting atmospheric gases.

Rocks show Mars once felt like Iceland Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST A comparison of chemical and climate weathering of sedimentary rock in Mars' Gale Crater indicate the region's mean temperature billions of years ago was akin to current conditions on Iceland.

See how they run: 'Exercise protein' doubles running capacity, restores function and extends healthy lifespans in older mice Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST A new study shows that humans express a powerful hormone during exercise and that treating mice with the hormone improves physical performance, capacity and fitness. Researchers say the findings present new possibilities for addressing age-related physical decline.

Tiny high-tech probes reveal how information flows across the brain Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST A new study collected and analyzed the largest single dataset of neurons' electrical activity to glean principles of how we perceive the visual world around us. The study captures the hundreds of split-second electrical signals that fire when an animal is interpreting what it sees.

The physics behind tumor growth Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Researchers have developed a predictive theory for tumor growth that approaches the subject from a new point of view. Rather than focusing on the biological mechanisms of cellular growth, the researchers instead use thermodynamics and the physical space the tumor is expanding into to predict its evolution from a single cell to a complex cancerous mass.

Saturn's moon Titan: Largest sea is 1,000-feet deep Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Far below the gaseous atmospheric shroud on Saturn's largest moon, Titan, lies Kraken Mare, a sea of liquid methane. Astronomers have estimated that sea to be at least 1,000-feet deep near its center - enough room for a potential robotic submarine to explore.

World's largest lakes reveal climate change trends Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Sixteen years of remote sensing data reveals that in Earth's largest freshwater lakes, climate change influences carbon fixation trends.

This Great Lakes fish may have evolved to see like its ocean ancestors did Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST In the dark waters of Lake Superior, a fish species adapted to regain a genetic trait that may have helped its ancient ancestors see in the ocean, a study finds. 'Evolution is often thought of as a one-way process, at least over deep time, but in this example, over 175 million years, we have this reversal back to a much earlier ancestral state,' one of the researchers says.

Immune system mounts a lasting defense after recovery from COVID-19, researchers find Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Study participants continued to improve their antibodies months after initial infection, potentially due to exposure to remnants of the virus hidden in the gut.

CRISPR technology to cure sickle cell disease Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST A new article reports two patients appear to have been cured of beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease after their own genes were edited with CRISPR-Cas9 technology. The two researchers who invented this technology received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2020.

Indigenous lands: A haven for wildlife Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:19 AM PST Indigenous peoples' lands may harbor a significant proportion of threatened and endangered species globally, according to new research.

Message in a bottle: Info-rich bubbles respond to antibiotics Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:18 AM PST Researchers describe the effects of antibiotics on membrane vesicles, demonstrating that such drugs actively modify the properties of vesicle transport. Under the influence of antibiotics, MVs were produced and released by bacteria in greater abundance and traveled faster and further from their origin. The work sheds new light on these important information-carrying entities, implicated in many cellular communication processes, including antibiotic resistance.

COVID-19 is dangerous for middle-aged adults, not just the elderly Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:18 AM PST COVID-19 has been spreading rapidly over the past several months, and the U.S. death toll has now reached 400,000. As evident from the age distribution of those fatalities, COVID-19 is dangerous not only for the elderly but for middle-aged adults, according to a new study.

Producing green hydrogen through the exposure of nanomaterials to sunlight Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST Researchers are paving the way towards the production of green hydrogen.

Much of Earth's nitrogen was locally sourced Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST Scientists show evidence that nitrogen acquired during Earth's formation came from both the inner and outer regions of the protoplanetary disk. The study has implications for signs of potential habitability of exoplanets.

Scientists discover how the potentially oldest coral reefs in the Mediterranean developed Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST A new study brings unprecedented insights into the environmental constraints and climatic events that controlled the formation of the potentially oldest coral reefs in the Mediterranean.

A display that completely blocks off counterfeits Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST A research team has developed nanostructures capable of polarized optical encryption.

Burial practices point to an interconnected early Medieval Europe Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST Changes in Western European burial practices spread rapidly during the 6th - 8th centuries AD, providing strong evidence that early Medieval Europe was a well-connected place with a shared culture.

Estrogen receptors in mom's placenta critical during viral infection Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST A team of researchers has found a mechanism that protects a fetus from harm when the mother's innate immune system responds to a viral infection. Inflammation that would harm the fetus is dampened by a cell-surface estrogen receptor called GPER1 that is especially abundant in the placenta and fetal tissues.

Climate change puts hundreds of coastal airports at risk of flooding Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST Scientists have found that 269 airports are at risk of coastal flooding now. A temperature rise of 2C - consistent with the Paris Agreement - would lead to 100 airports being below mean sea level and 364 airports at risk of flooding. If global mean temperature rise exceeds this then as many as 572 airports will be at risk by 2100, leading to major disruptions without appropriate adaptation.

Turbulence model could help design aircraft capable of handling extreme scenarios Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:17 AM PST To help build aircraft that can better handle violent turbulence, researchers developed a new model that allows engineers to incorporate the physics of an entire vortex collision into their design codes.

Strange colon discovery explains racial disparities in colorectal cancer Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:16 AM PST The colons of African-Americans and people of European descent age differently, new research reveals, helping explain racial disparities in colorectal cancer.

Search for axions from nearby star Betelgeuse comes up empty Posted: 21 Jan 2021 10:13 AM PST A search for axions from nearby star Betelgeuse has come up empty, significantly narrowing the search for hypothetical dark matter particle.

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