ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• How life on land recovered after 'The Great Dying'
• Catching electrons in action in an antiferromagnetic nanowire
• Researchers discover how 'cryptic species' respond differently to coral bleaching
• The potential economic impact of volcano alerts
• Jupiter's 'dawn storm' auroras are surprisingly Earth-like
• Picking up a book for fun positively affects verbal abilities
• Non-DNA mechanism is involved in transmitting paternal experience to offspring
• Lightning strikes played a vital role in life's origins on Earth
• What happened to Mars's water? It is still trapped there
• 'Swarmalation' used to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots
• Not just CO2: Rising temperatures also alter photosynthesis in a changing climate
• Controlling sloshing motions in sea-based fish farming cages improves fish welfare
• Brain disease research reveals differences between sexes
• Worlds with underground oceans may be more conducive to life than worlds with surface oceans like Earth
• Double trouble for drug-resistant cancers
• Consumption of added sugar doubles fat production
• A new way to measure human wellbeing towards sustainability
• 94% of older adults prescribed drugs that raise risk of falling
• Smart quantum technologies for secure communication
• Ancient light illuminates matter that fuels galaxy formation
• How varying climate conditions impact vulnerable species
• Commercial truck electrification is within reach
• The bald truth: Altered cell divisions cause hair thinning
• How hummingbirds hum
• Pick up the pace! Slow walkers four times more likely to die from COVID-19, study finds
• Video-led feedback program reduces behavior problems in children as young as 12 months

How life on land recovered after 'The Great Dying' Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:46 PM PDT A new study shows in detail how life recovered from 'The Great Dying' in comparison to two smaller extinction events. The international study team showed for the first time that this mass extinction was harsher than other events due to a major collapse in diversity. Ultimately, characterizing communities -- especially those that recovered successfully -- provides valuable insights into how modern species might fare as humans push the planet to the brink.

Catching electrons in action in an antiferromagnetic nanowire Posted: 16 Mar 2021 03:36 PM PDT The electron is one of the fundamental particles in nature we read about in school. Its behavior holds clues to new ways to store digital data. A new study explores alternative materials to improve capacity and shrink the size of digital data storage technologies. Specifically, the team found that chromium-doped nanowires with a germanium core and silicon shell can be an antiferromagnetic semiconductor.

Researchers discover how 'cryptic species' respond differently to coral bleaching Posted: 16 Mar 2021 03:36 PM PDT Researchers used molecular genetics to differentiate among corals that look nearly identical and to understand which species best coped with thermal stress.

The potential economic impact of volcano alerts Posted: 16 Mar 2021 03:36 PM PDT A new study suggests that, when a Volcano Alert remains elevated at any level above 'normal' due to a period of volcanic unrest, it can cause a decline in the region's housing prices and other economic indicators. The authors argue that federal policymakers may need to account for the effects of prolonged volcanic unrest -- not just destructive eruptions -- in the provision of disaster relief funding.

Jupiter's 'dawn storm' auroras are surprisingly Earth-like Posted: 16 Mar 2021 01:50 PM PDT The midnight births of the dramatic bright surges in Jupiter's aurora known as dawn storms are captured in a new study of data from the Juno space probe.

Picking up a book for fun positively affects verbal abilities Posted: 16 Mar 2021 01:50 PM PDT A new study shows that the more people read any kind of fiction the better their language skills are likely to be. Researchers found that people who enjoyed reading fiction for leisure and who identified as a reader scored higher on language tests, whereas those who read to access specific information scored more poorly on the same tests.

Non-DNA mechanism is involved in transmitting paternal experience to offspring Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:21 AM PDT A new study has made a significant advance in the field of epigenetics by identifying how environmental information is transmitted by non-DNA molecules in the sperm. It is a discovery that advances scientific understanding of the heredity of paternal life experiences and potentially opens new avenues for studying disease transmission and prevention.

Lightning strikes played a vital role in life's origins on Earth Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:21 AM PDT Lightning strikes were just as important as meteorites in creating the perfect conditions for life to emerge on Earth, according to new research. This shows that life could develop on Earth-like planets through the same mechanism at any time if atmospheric conditions are right.

What happened to Mars's water? It is still trapped there Posted: 16 Mar 2021 10:21 AM PDT Analyzing Mars's atmosphere and rock record, scientists from Caltech and JPL find that an ocean's worth of water was sequestered in the crust of Mars billions of years ago.

'Swarmalation' used to design active materials for self-regulating soft robots Posted: 16 Mar 2021 08:23 AM PDT Engineers have designed a system of self-oscillating flexible materials that display a distinctive mode of dynamic self-organization. In addition to exhibiting the swarmalator behavior, the component materials mutually adapt their overall shapes as they interact in a fluid-filled chamber. These systems can pave the way for fabricating collaborative, self-regulating soft robotic systems.

Not just CO2: Rising temperatures also alter photosynthesis in a changing climate Posted: 16 Mar 2021 08:23 AM PDT A new review explores how higher temperatures influence plant growth and viability despite higher concentrations of atmospheric CO2.

Controlling sloshing motions in sea-based fish farming cages improves fish welfare Posted: 16 Mar 2021 08:23 AM PDT Sea-based fish farming systems using net pens are hard on the environment and fish. A closed cage can improve fish welfare, but seawater must be continuously circulated through the cage. However, waves can cause the water to slosh inside the cage, creating violent motions and endangering the cage and fish. A study using a scale-model containment system shows why violent sloshing motions arise and how to minimize them.

Brain disease research reveals differences between sexes Posted: 16 Mar 2021 08:22 AM PDT Scientists highlight a growing body of research suggesting sex differences play roles in how patients respond to brain diseases, as well as multiple sclerosis, motor neuron disease, and other brain ailments. They are urging their colleagues to remember those differences when researching treatments and cures.

Worlds with underground oceans may be more conducive to life than worlds with surface oceans like Earth Posted: 16 Mar 2021 07:07 AM PDT One of the most profound discoveries in planetary science over the past 25 years is that worlds with oceans beneath layers of rock and ice are common in our solar system. Such worlds include the icy satellites of the giant planets, like Europa, Titan and Enceladus, and distant planets like Pluto.

Double trouble for drug-resistant cancers Posted: 16 Mar 2021 07:07 AM PDT New research identifies chemotherapy-resistant cancers' escape mechanism, which offers new anti-cancer treatment options.

Consumption of added sugar doubles fat production Posted: 16 Mar 2021 07:07 AM PDT Too much sugar is unhealthy - that we know, but it's not just down to the many calories. Even moderate amounts of added fructose and sucrose double the body's own fat production in the liver, researchers have shown. In the long term, this contributes to the development of diabetes or a fatty liver.

A new way to measure human wellbeing towards sustainability Posted: 16 Mar 2021 07:07 AM PDT The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are a blueprint to achieve a better life for all and to ensure that no one is left behind. The partly overlapping and contradictory objectives of the SDGs can however make it difficult to assess overall progress. A group of researchers have proposed a new, tailor-made metric that measures development based on long-term human wellbeing.

94% of older adults prescribed drugs that raise risk of falling Posted: 16 Mar 2021 07:06 AM PDT The study found that the percentage of adults 65 and older who were prescribed a fall- risk-increasing drug climbed to 94% in 2017, a significant leap from 57% in 1999. The research also revealed that the rate of death caused by falls in older adults more than doubled during the same time period.

Smart quantum technologies for secure communication Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:34 AM PDT Researchers have introduced a smart quantum technology for the spatial mode correction of single photons. The authors exploit the self-learning and self-evolving features of artificial neural networks to correct the distorted spatial profile of single photons.

Ancient light illuminates matter that fuels galaxy formation Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:34 AM PDT Using light from the Big Bang, an international team has begun to unveil the material which fuels galaxy formation.

How varying climate conditions impact vulnerable species Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:34 AM PDT Biologists analyzed tooth breakage and wear - both gross and micro - of Arctic foxes from Russia's Yamal Peninsula and found that varying climate conditions in the Arctic affect the animals that live there.

Commercial truck electrification is within reach Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:34 AM PDT Researchers make the case for prioritizing public policy to help move long-haul trucking from diesel to electric. Doing so will mean huge gains in addressing the climate crisis and avoiding premature deaths due to local vehicular pollution, which disproportionately affects communities of color.

The bald truth: Altered cell divisions cause hair thinning Posted: 16 Mar 2021 06:34 AM PDT Researchers have identified a novel mechanism underlying hair thinning and loss during aging. By studying cell division of hair follicle stem cells in young and aged mice, the researchers found that young mice properly balance typical symmetric and asymmetric cell divisions to regenerate hair follicles. However, during aging, an atypical type of asymmetric cell division emerges, leading to hair loss. This study could help develop new approaches to regulate organ aging and aging-associated diseases.

How hummingbirds hum Posted: 16 Mar 2021 05:37 AM PDT The hummingbird is named after its pleasant humming sound. But only now has it become clear how the wing generates this sound. Researchers observed hummingbirds using 12 high-speed cameras, 6 pressure plates and 2176 microphones. The soft and complex feathered wings generate sound in a fashion similar to how the simpler wings of insect do. These new insights could help make fans and drones quieter.

Pick up the pace! Slow walkers four times more likely to die from COVID-19, study finds Posted: 16 Mar 2021 05:37 AM PDT Slow walkers are almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19, and have over twice the risk of contracting a severe version of the virus, according to researchers in a new study.

Video-led feedback program reduces behavior problems in children as young as 12 months Posted: 15 Mar 2021 08:50 AM PDT A home-based parenting program to prevent childhood behavior problems, which very unusually focuses on children when they are still toddlers and, in some cases, just 12 months old, has proven highly successful during its first public health trial.

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