ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• 'By-the-wind sailor' jellies wash ashore in massive numbers after warmer winters
• Christmas Island reptile-killer identified
• Muscle cramp? Drink electrolytes, not water
• Animal model opens way to test Alzheimer's disease therapies
• Chemical processes identified as key to understanding landslides
• Exposure to common chemical during pregnancy may reduce protection against breast cancer
• Scientists shrink pancreatic tumors by starving their cellular 'neighbors'
• A modified protein appears to trigger lung fibrosis after environmental exposure
• Four lichen species new to science discovered in Kenyan cloud forests
• Parental burnout hits individualist Western countries hardest
• Harbor porpoises attracted to oil platforms when searching for food
• Size matters when it comes to atomic properties

'By-the-wind sailor' jellies wash ashore in massive numbers after warmer winters Posted: 18 Mar 2021 07:15 AM PDT Thanks to 20 years of observations from thousands of citizen scientists, researchers have discovered distinct patterns in the mass strandings of by-the-wind sailors, also called Velella velella. Specifically, large strandings happened simultaneously from the northwest tip of Washington south to the Mendocino coast in California, and in years when winters were warmer than usual.

Christmas Island reptile-killer identified Posted: 18 Mar 2021 07:15 AM PDT With wild populations decimated, Lister's gecko and the blue-tailed skink only exist in captivity. Researchers have discovered a bacterium, which could cause their potential extinction.

Muscle cramp? Drink electrolytes, not water Posted: 18 Mar 2021 07:15 AM PDT If you reach for water when a muscle cramp strikes, you might want to think again. New research has revealed drinking electrolytes instead of pure water can help prevent muscle cramps.

Animal model opens way to test Alzheimer's disease therapies Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT Our knowledge of Alzheimer's disease has grown rapidly in the past few decades but it has proven difficult to translate fundamental discoveries about the disease into new treatments. Now researchers have developed a model of the early stages of Alzheimer's disease in rhesus macaques. The macaque model could allow better testing of new treatments.

Chemical processes identified as key to understanding landslides Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT A new study results are based on investigations of repeated mass movements and are expected to benefit planning, maintenance, and development of transportation infrastructure in affected areas.

Exposure to common chemical during pregnancy may reduce protection against breast cancer Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT Low doses of propylparaben - a chemical preservative found in food, drugs and cosmetics - can alter pregnancy-related changes in the breast in ways that may lessen the protection against breast cancer that pregnancy hormones normally convey, according to new research.

Scientists shrink pancreatic tumors by starving their cellular 'neighbors' Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT Scientists have demonstrated that blocking 'cell drinking,' or macropinocytosis, in the thick tissue surrounding a pancreatic tumor slowed tumor growth--providing more evidence that macropinocytosis is a driver of pancreatic cancer growth and is an important therapeutic target.

A modified protein appears to trigger lung fibrosis after environmental exposure Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT Research shows how cadmium and carbon black can trigger lung macrophages to produce a modified protein, citrullinated vimentin, which leads to lung fibrosis. Researchers also describe mechanistic steps in lung macrophages and lung fibroblasts that leads to the lung scarring. One enzyme involved in these steps, PAD2, may be a promising target to attenuate cadmium/carbon black-induced fibrosis. The study also reports a potential mouse disease model for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Four lichen species new to science discovered in Kenyan cloud forests Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT Some of the newly described lichen species from the Micarea genus may be unique to the biodiversity hotspot that is the Taita Hills in Kenya. The area may contain even more lichen species yet to be discovered.

Parental burnout hits individualist Western countries hardest Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT It's a first: approximately 100 scientists in 42 countries joined forces to learn about the incidence of parental burnout. They found that Western countries are the most affected by parental burnout. The cause? The often individualistic culture of Western countries. This international study, shows how culture, rather than socio-economic factors, plays a predominant role in parental burnout.

Harbor porpoises attracted to oil platforms when searching for food Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:56 AM PDT A large gathering of fish tempts harbour porpoises to search for food around oil and gas platforms, even though the noise from these industrial plants normally to scare the whales away. Decommissioned platforms may therefore serve as artificial reefs in the North Sea.

Size matters when it comes to atomic properties Posted: 18 Mar 2021 05:55 AM PDT A study has yielded new answers to fundamental questions about the relationship between the size of an atom and its other properties, such as electronegativity and energy. The results pave the way for advances in future material development. For the first time, it is now possible under certain conditions to devise exact equations for such relationships.

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