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• Touchdown! NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover safely lands on Red Planet
• Temperature affects susceptibility of newts to skin-eating fungus
• The original antigenic sin: How childhood infections could shape pandemics
• First black hole ever detected is more massive than we thought
• Gut microbiome implicated in healthy aging and longevity
• Ancient relic points to a turning point in Earth's history 42,000 years ago
• Pandemic got you down? A little nature could help
• Genetics may play role in determining immunity to COVID-19
• New study examines leeches for role in major disease of sea turtles in Florida
• Combination therapy suppresses pancreatic tumor growth in mice
• The distribution of vertebrate animals redefines temperate and cold climate regions
• Real-time dialogue with a dreaming person is possible
• 'Classic triad' of symptoms misses positive COVID-19 cases, study finds
• Increasingly fragmented tiger populations may require 'genetic rescue'
• Cone snail venom shows potential for treating severe malaria
• New route to forming complex crystals
• Waste into wealth: Harvesting useful products from microbial growth
• New crystalline form of ice
• Oil spill has long-term immunological effects in dolphins
• Long-term, heavy coffee consumption and CVD risk
• Impact of COVID-19 in Africa 'vastly underestimated', warn researchers
• Damage to the heart found in more than half of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital
• Friends fur life help build skills for life
• Researchers solve riddle of plant immune system
• Discovery illuminates how thyroid hormone 'dims' metabolism
• Skies of blue: Recycling carbon emissions to useful chemicals and reducing global warming
• Learning from prostate cancer-detecting dogs to improve diagnostic tests
• Unusual breeding behavior reported in treefrogs for the first time
• Protein linked to Alzheimer's, strokes cleared from brain blood vessels
• Radiological images confirm 'COVID-19 can cause the body to attack itself'
• Changing livestock in ancient Europe reflect political shifts
• Climate change and suppression tactics are critical factors increasing fires

Touchdown! NASA's Mars Perseverance Rover safely lands on Red Planet Posted: 18 Feb 2021 01:20 PM PST The largest, most advanced rover NASA has sent to another world touched down on Mars Thursday, after a 203-day journey traversing 293 million miles (472 million kilometers).

Temperature affects susceptibility of newts to skin-eating fungus Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:28 AM PST Eastern newt populations in the northeastern United States and southeastern Canada are at greatest risk of infection with a new skin-eating fungus, Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal), according to a new study.

The original antigenic sin: How childhood infections could shape pandemics Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:28 AM PST A child's first influenza infection shapes their immunity to future airborne flu viruses - including emerging pandemic strains. But not all flu strains spur the same initial immune defense, according to new findings published today. The results are relevant to the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the senior author, who says they may explain age-based distributions of SARS-CoV-2 disease severity and susceptibility.

First black hole ever detected is more massive than we thought Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:28 AM PST New observations of the first black hole ever detected have led astronomers to question what they know about the Universe's most mysterious objects. The research shows the system known as Cygnus X-1 contains the most massive stellar-mass black hole ever detected without the use of gravitational waves.

Gut microbiome implicated in healthy aging and longevity Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:27 AM PST The gut microbiome is an integral component of the body, but its importance in the human aging process is unclear. Researchers have identified distinct signatures in the gut microbiome that are associated with either healthy or unhealthy aging trajectories, which in turn predict survival in a population of older individuals.

Ancient relic points to a turning point in Earth's history 42,000 years ago Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:27 AM PST The temporary breakdown of Earth's magnetic field 42,000 years ago sparked major climate shifts that led to global environmental change and mass extinctions, a new international study shows.

Pandemic got you down? A little nature could help Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:01 AM PST Researchers have long been aware of the positive impact of a connection with nature on psychological health and, according to a new study, the pandemic hasn't decreased the power of nature to improve mental well-being.

Genetics may play role in determining immunity to COVID-19 Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:01 AM PST Researchers report that individual immune response to SARS-CoV-2 may be limited by a set of variable genes that code for cell surface proteins essential for the adaptive immune system. The finding may help explain why COVID-19 immunity varies by individual.

New study examines leeches for role in major disease of sea turtles in Florida Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:00 AM PST Researchers are homing in on the cause of a major disease of sea turtles, with some of their latest findings implicating saltwater leeches as a possible factor. The results present the first evidence of a significant association between leeches and the disease in sea turtles, according to the researchers.

Combination therapy suppresses pancreatic tumor growth in mice Posted: 18 Feb 2021 11:00 AM PST Researchers have uncovered a potential new way to target pancreatic tumors that express high intratumoral interferon signaling (IFN).

The distribution of vertebrate animals redefines temperate and cold climate regions Posted: 18 Feb 2021 10:58 AM PST The distribution of vegetation is routinely used to classify climate regions worldwide, yet whether these regions are relevant to other organisms is unknown. Researchers have established climate regions based on vertebrate species' distributions in a new study. They found that while high-energy climate regions are similar across vertebrate and plant groups, there are large differences in temperate and cold climates.

Real-time dialogue with a dreaming person is possible Posted: 18 Feb 2021 08:40 AM PST Dreams take us to what feels like a different reality. They also happen while we're fast asleep. So, you might not expect that a person in the midst of a vivid dream would be able to perceive questions and provide answers to them. But a new study shows that, in fact, they can.

'Classic triad' of symptoms misses positive COVID-19 cases, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:59 AM PST Extending the symptoms that trigger a PCR test for COVID-19 could help detect around a third more cases of the disease, new research shows.

Increasingly fragmented tiger populations may require 'genetic rescue' Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST A new study reveals the lasting genetic impacts of increased isolation among different tiger subpopulations.

Cone snail venom shows potential for treating severe malaria Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST Using venom from a cone snail, a new study suggests these conotoxins may potentially treat malaria. The study provides important leads toward the development of new and cost-effective anti-adhesion or blockade-therapy drugs aimed at counteracting the pathology of severe malaria. Similarly, mitigation of emerging diseases like COVID-19 also could benefit from conotoxins as potential inhibitors of protein-protein interactions as treatment. Venom peptides from cone snails has the potential to treat myriad diseases using blockage therapies.

New route to forming complex crystals Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST When materials reach extremely small size scales, strange things begin to happen. One of those phenomena is the formation of mesocrystals.

Waste into wealth: Harvesting useful products from microbial growth Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST Researchers have been exploring how bacteria can convert organic waste into useful products. They describe for the first time how the chain elongation processes are carried out by microorganisms under normal conditions in soil.

New crystalline form of ice Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST Three years ago, chemists found evidence for the existence of a new variety of ice. Until then, 18 types of crystalline ice were known. The team now reports on the elucidation of the crystal structure of ice XIX using neutron diffraction.

Oil spill has long-term immunological effects in dolphins Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST A study has found long-term impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico on bottlenose dolphins' immune function.

Long-term, heavy coffee consumption and CVD risk Posted: 18 Feb 2021 06:45 AM PST In a world first genetic study, researchers found that that long-term, heavy coffee consumption - six or more cups a day - can increase the amount of lipids (fats) in your blood to significantly heighten your risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Impact of COVID-19 in Africa 'vastly underestimated', warn researchers Posted: 17 Feb 2021 06:58 PM PST The impact of COVID-19 in Africa has been vastly underestimated, warn researchers in a new study that showed that COVID-19 deaths accounted for 15 to 20 percent of all sampled deaths -- many more than official reports suggest and contradicting the widely held view that COVID-19 has largely skipped Africa and had little impact.

Damage to the heart found in more than half of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital Posted: 17 Feb 2021 06:58 PM PST Around 50 percent of patients who have been hospitalized with severe COVID-19 and who show raised levels of a protein called troponin have damage to their hearts. The injury was detected by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans at least a month after discharge, according to new findings.

Friends fur life help build skills for life Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:52 PM PST A new study finds children not only reap the benefits of working with therapy dogs -- they enjoy it too.

Researchers solve riddle of plant immune system Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:52 PM PST How do plants build resilience? An international research team studied the molecular mechanisms of the plant immune system. They were able to show a connection between a relatively unknown gene and resistance to pathogens.

Discovery illuminates how thyroid hormone 'dims' metabolism Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:52 PM PST Basic biology finding on thyroid hormone function could lead to new treatments for obesity, diabetes and related disorders

Skies of blue: Recycling carbon emissions to useful chemicals and reducing global warming Posted: 17 Feb 2021 02:51 PM PST Researchers optimize a novel process for the efficient conversion of carbon emissions into useful chemicals like acetate using microbes

Learning from prostate cancer-detecting dogs to improve diagnostic tests Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:11 PM PST New research demonstrates the ability of dogs to detect aggressive prostate cancer from urine samples and suggests that an artificial neural network could learn from this olfactory ability, with an eye toward replicating it in novel detection tools.

Unusual breeding behavior reported in treefrogs for the first time Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:11 PM PST Paranapiacaba Treefrogs mate and lay spawn in small pools of water inside the tanks of bromeliad plants, researchers report. The 3 cm-long tadpoles must then make their way to a stream to complete development.

Protein linked to Alzheimer's, strokes cleared from brain blood vessels Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:11 PM PST Amyloid deposits in the brain increase the risk of dementia and strokes. Researchers have identified an antibody that clears amyloid deposits from the brain without raising the risk of brain bleeds.

Radiological images confirm 'COVID-19 can cause the body to attack itself' Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:11 PM PST Muscle soreness and achy joints are common symptoms among COVID-19 patients. But for some people, symptoms are more severe, long lasting and even bizarre, including rheumatoid arthritis flares, autoimmune myositis or 'COVID toes.' A new has confirmed and illustrated the causes of these symptoms through radiological imaging.

Changing livestock in ancient Europe reflect political shifts Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:11 PM PST In ancient European settlements, livestock use was likely primarily determined by political structure and market demands, according to a new study.

Climate change and suppression tactics are critical factors increasing fires Posted: 17 Feb 2021 12:10 PM PST Both climate change and forest management have been blamed for wildfire hazards increasing across western North America, but the relative influence of these drivers is still heavily debated. The results of a recent study show that in some ecosystems, human-caused climate change is the predominant factor; in other places, the trend can also be attributed to a century of fire suppression that has produced dense, unhealthy forests.

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