ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Increasing ocean temperature threatens Greenland's ice sheet
• Domino effects and synchrony in seizure initiation
• Newly discovered subset of brain cells fight inflammation with instructions from the gut
• Promising way to find new cancer drugs
• Immune cells found in the brain are behind the depression experienced in inflammation
• The surprises of color evolution
• Watching decision making in the brain
• CHEOPS finds unique planetary system
• What's in a name? A new class of superconductors
• NASA's Roman mission will probe galaxy's core for hot Jupiters, brown dwarfs
• First observation of the early link between proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease
• Stimulating brain pathways shows origins of human language and memory
• Puzzling six-exoplanet system with rhythmic movement challenges theories of how planets form
• Graphene: Increased market penetration by 2025
• Optimal information about the invisible
• Dinosaur embryo find helps crack baby tyrannosaur mystery
• New galaxy sheds light on how stars form
• When galaxies collide
• New route to chemically recyclable plastics
• Adding or subtracting single quanta of sound
• GEFS: Searching beyond seismology for earthquake precursors
• Global demand for cancer surgery set to surge
• Global ice loss increases at record rate
• New skull of tube-crested dinosaur reveals evolution of bizarre crest
• Microbes fuelled by wind-blown mineral dust melt the Greenland ice sheet
• Nanomedicine's 'crown' is ready for its close up
• Nuclear war could trigger big El Niño and decrease seafood
• Continuous monitoring of proteins a game-changer for patients with deteriorating health
• Women influenced coevolution of dogs and humans
• From fins to limbs
• The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions

Increasing ocean temperature threatens Greenland's ice sheet Posted: 25 Jan 2021 04:18 PM PST Scientists have for the first time quantified how warming coastal waters are impacting individual glaciers in Greenland's fjords. Their work can help climate scientists better predict global sea level rise from the increased melting.

Domino effects and synchrony in seizure initiation Posted: 25 Jan 2021 04:18 PM PST In a brain with a neurological disorder like epilepsy, synchronization between groups of neurons can grow to a dangerous extent when a collection of brain cells begins to emit excess electricity. Researchers used a mathematical model to explore the interplay between neurons that leads to these transitions in synchronization during the onset of seizures.

Newly discovered subset of brain cells fight inflammation with instructions from the gut Posted: 25 Jan 2021 04:18 PM PST Astrocytes are the most abundant type of cells within the central nervous system (CNS), but they remain poorly characterized. Researchers have long assumed that astrocytes' primary function is to provide nutrients and support for the brain's more closely scrutinized nerve cells; over the years, however, increasing evidence has shown that astrocytes can also actively promote neurodegeneration, inflammation, and neurological diseases.

Promising way to find new cancer drugs Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:46 AM PST The enzymes in human cells known as histone deacetylases, or HDACs, are targets for a handful of anticancer drugs because of their ability to affect gene expression. Now, researchers have developed a new method to investigate how these enzymes work on a molecular level. This new method can also help identify more precise possible anti-cancer drug candidates at a very high pace.

Immune cells found in the brain are behind the depression experienced in inflammation Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:46 AM PST Special immune cells found in the brain, microglia, play a key role in the processes that make you feel uneasy and depressed in correlation with inflammation. This is the conclusion of a study using mice. The results suggest that microglial cells contribute to the negative mood experienced during several neurological diseases, and maybe also depression.

The surprises of color evolution Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:45 AM PST Nature is full of color. For flowers, displaying color is primarily a means to attract pollinators. Insects use their color vision not only to locate the right flowers to feed on but also to find mates. The evolutionary interaction between insects and plants has created complex dependencies that can have surprising outcomes.

Watching decision making in the brain Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:45 AM PST Neuroscientists and engineers have developed a system that can show the neural process of decision making in real time, including the mental process of flipping between options before expressing a final choice.

CHEOPS finds unique planetary system Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:45 AM PST The CHEOPS space telescope detects six planets orbiting the star TOI-178. Five of the planets are in a harmonic rhythm despite very different compositions - a novelty.

What's in a name? A new class of superconductors Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:45 AM PST A new theory that could explain how unconventional superconductivity arises in a diverse set of compounds might never have happened if a team of physicists had chosen a different name for their 2017 model of orbital-selective superconductivity.

NASA's Roman mission will probe galaxy's core for hot Jupiters, brown dwarfs Posted: 25 Jan 2021 11:45 AM PST NASA's Roman Space Telescope will conduct a microlensing survey to reveal worlds that are similar to the planets in our solar system. Now, a new study shows that the same survey will also unveil more extreme planets and planet-like bodies in the heart of the galaxy, thanks to their gravitational tug on the stars they orbit.

First observation of the early link between proteins linked to Alzheimer's disease Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:32 AM PST Researchers demonstrate, for the first time in humans, how the first deposits of tau proteins in the brainstem are associated with neurophysiological processes specific to the early stages of Alzheimer's disease development.

Stimulating brain pathways shows origins of human language and memory Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:32 AM PST Scientists have identified that the evolutionary development of human and primate brains may have been similar for communication and memory.

Puzzling six-exoplanet system with rhythmic movement challenges theories of how planets form Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST Using a combination of telescopes, including the Very Large Telescope of the European Southern Observatory (ESO's VLT), astronomers have revealed a system consisting of six exoplanets, five of which are locked in a rare rhythm around their central star. The researchers believe the system could provide important clues about how planets, including those in the Solar System, form and evolve.

Graphene: Increased market penetration by 2025 Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST Graphene Flagship experts identify key opportunities in graphene commercialisation after a comprehensive three-year analysis of production methods and potential applications.

Optimal information about the invisible Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST Laser beams can be used to precisely measure an object's position or velocity. Normally, a clear, unobstructed view of this object is required. Irregular environments scatter the light beam - but as it turns out, precisely this effect can be used to obtain optimum information in difficult situations.

Dinosaur embryo find helps crack baby tyrannosaur mystery Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST They are among the largest predators ever to walk the Earth, but experts have discovered that some baby tyrannosaurs were only the size of a border collie dog when they took their first steps.

New galaxy sheds light on how stars form Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST Detailed observations of molecular gas in a tidal dwarf galaxy have important implications for our understanding of how stars are formed.

When galaxies collide Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST It was previously thought that collisions between galaxies would necessarily add to the activity of the massive black holes at their centers. However, researchers have performed the most accurate simulations of a range of collision scenarios and have found that some collisions can reduce the activity of their central black holes. The reason is that certain head-on collisions may in fact clear the galactic nuclei of the matter which would otherwise fuel the black holes contained within.

New route to chemically recyclable plastics Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:31 AM PST As the planet's burden of rubber and plastic trash rises unabated, scientists increasingly look to the promise of closed-loop recycling to reduce waste. A team of researchers announces the discovery of a new polybutadiene molecule - from a material known for over a century and used to make common products like tires and shoes - that could one day advance this goal through depolymerization.

Adding or subtracting single quanta of sound Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:23 AM PST Researchers perform experiments that can add or subtract a single quantum of sound -- with surprising results when applied to noisy sound fields.

GEFS: Searching beyond seismology for earthquake precursors Posted: 25 Jan 2021 08:23 AM PST To predict when earthquakes are likely to occur, seismologists often use statistics to monitor how clusters of seismic activity evolve over time. However, this approach often fails to anticipate the time and magnitude of large-scale earthquakes, leading to dangerous oversights in current early-warning systems. For decades, studies outside the seismology field have proposed that these major, potentially devastating seismic events are connected to a range of non-seismic phenomena -- which can be observed days or even weeks before these large earthquakes occur. So far, however, this idea hasn't caught on in the wider scientific community.

Global demand for cancer surgery set to surge Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST A new modelling study predicts demand for cancer surgery will rise by 52 per cent within two decades, with low-income countries bearing the greatest burden.

Global ice loss increases at record rate Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST The rate at which ice is disappearing across the planet is speeding up, according to new research. And the findings also reveal that the Earth lost 28 trillion tons of ice between 1994 and 2017 - equivalent to a sheet of ice 100 meters thick covering the whole of the UK.

New skull of tube-crested dinosaur reveals evolution of bizarre crest Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST The first new skull discovered in nearly a century from a rare species of the iconic, tube-crested dinosaur Parasaurolophus was announced today. The exquisite preservation of the skull, especially the bizarre tube-shaped nasal passage, finally revealed the structure of the crest after decades of disagreement.

Microbes fuelled by wind-blown mineral dust melt the Greenland ice sheet Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST Scientists have identified a key nutrient source used by algae living on melting ice surfaces linked to rising sea levels. They discovered that phosphorus containing minerals may be driving ever-larger algal blooms on the Greenland Ice Sheet.

Nanomedicine's 'crown' is ready for its close up Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST An international team of researchers has developed a new method to better understand how nanomedicines -- emerging diagnostics and therapies that are very small yet very intricate -- interact with patients' biomolecules.

Nuclear war could trigger big El Niño and decrease seafood Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST A nuclear war could trigger an unprecedented El Niño-like warming episode in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, slashing algal populations by 40 percent and likely lowering the fish catch, according to a new study. The research shows that turning to the oceans for food if land-based farming fails after a nuclear war is unlikely to be a successful strategy - at least in the equatorial Pacific.

Continuous monitoring of proteins a game-changer for patients with deteriorating health Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:43 AM PST A world-first discovery could become a game-changer for patients at risk of rapid health deterioration, such as heart complications, stroke, sepsis and cancer. Researchers developed an antibody as a biosensor, to continuously monitor rapid changes in the concentration of EGFR, a protein present on cancer cells and in body fluids.

Women influenced coevolution of dogs and humans Posted: 25 Jan 2021 06:40 AM PST A cross-cultural analysis found several factors may have played a role in building the relationship between humans and dogs, including temperature, hunting and surprisingly - gender. The analysis used ethnographic information from 144 traditional, subsistence-level societies from all over the globe. People were more likely to regard dogs as a type of person if the dogs had a special relationship with women -- such as having names and being treated as family.

From fins to limbs Posted: 22 Jan 2021 11:06 AM PST In a new study an international team of researchers examined three-dimensional digital models of the bones, joints, and muscles of the fins and limbs of two extinct early tetrapods and a closely related fossil fish and discover these early tetrapods had a very distinct pattern of muscle leverage that didn't look like a fish fin or modern tetrapod limbs and their limbs were more adapted for propulsion rather than weight bearing.

The seven rocky planets of TRAPPIST-1 seem to have very similar compositions Posted: 22 Jan 2021 08:23 AM PST Astrophysicists have measured the densities of the seven planets of the exoplanetary system TRAPPIST-1 with extreme precision, the values obtained indicating very similar compositions for all the planets. This fact makes the system even more remarkable and helps to better understand the nature of these fascinating worlds.

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