ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Ocean currents predicted on Saturn's moon Enceladus
• Turning wood into plastic
• Narcissism driven by insecurity, not grandiose sense of self
• Exposure to flame retardants early in pregnancy linked to premature birth
• Ocean's mammals at crucial crossroads
• Changes in ocean chemistry show how sea level affects global carbon cycle
• Moderate daily caffeine intake during pregnancy may lead to smaller birth size
• New documentation: Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated
• Wisdom, loneliness and your intestinal multitude
• Soft robotic dragonfly signals environmental disruptions
• 'Climbing droplets' could lead to more efficient water harvesting
• Ancient megafaunal mutualisms and extinctions as factors in plant domestication
• The very first structures in the Universe
• Arctic sponge survival in the extreme deep-sea
• New insights into close encounters between albatross and fishing vessels
• Revealing nano big bang: Scientists observe the first milliseconds of crystal formation
• How tiny machines become capable of learning
• Technology uses 'single' approach to develop electronics, acoustics
• Scientists find evidence that novel coronavirus infects the mouth's cells
• Failed your New Year resolution again? Join the club
• Revealing complex behavior of a turbulent plume at the calving front of a Greenlandic glacier
• Lawyers used sheepskin as anti-fraud device for hundreds of years to stop fraudsters pulling the wool over people’s eyes
• Want a longer, healthier life? Resolve your arguments by day's end
• Frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home linked to increased risk of early death
• Engineers make filters from tree branches to purify drinking water
• Anabolic androgenic steroids accelerate brain aging
• Even small increases in NO2 levels could be linked to heightened risk of heart and respiratory death
• Leaky blood-brain barrier linked to brain tissue damage in brain aging disease
• Genome sequenced for pesky pumpkin pathogen
• COVID-19 vaccines may not produce sufficient antibody response in transplant recipients
• Ancient Maya houses show wealth inequality is tied to despotic governance
• Decline in black cherry regeneration may herald wider forest change
• Shining a healing light on the brain
• Deadly heat waves will be common in South Asia, even at 1.5 degrees of warming
• Zooming in on muscle cells
• Greenland caves: Time travel to a warm Arctic
• Repurposed heart and flu drugs may help body fight sepsis
• Small robot swimmers that heal themselves from damage
• Researchers optimize materials design using computational technologies
• A novel marker of adult human neural stem cells discovered
• Lung cancer resistance: the key is glucose
• Female salmon are dying at higher rates than male salmon
• Lighting up bone repair
• Tiny currents may impact vital ocean food source
• Floating solar farms could help reduce impacts of climate change on lakes and reservoirs
• The world's earliest stone technologies are likely to be older than previously thought
• Study illuminates the molecular details of lung development
• Searching for hints of new physics in the subatomic world

Ocean currents predicted on Saturn's moon Enceladus Posted: 25 Mar 2021 04:02 PM PDT New research could inform where to one day search for signs of life on Saturn's moon Enceladus.

Turning wood into plastic Posted: 25 Mar 2021 04:02 PM PDT Plastics are one of the world's largest polluters, taking hundreds of years to degrade in nature. A research team has created a high-quality bioplastic from wood byproducts that they hope can solve one of the world's most pressing environmental issues.

Narcissism driven by insecurity, not grandiose sense of self Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:02 PM PDT Narcissism is driven by insecurity, and not an inflated sense of self, finds a new study, which may also explain what motivates the self-focused nature of social media activity.

Exposure to flame retardants early in pregnancy linked to premature birth Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:02 PM PDT Expectant women are more likely to give birth early if they have high blood levels of a chemical used in flame retardants compared with those who have limited exposure, a new study finds.

Ocean's mammals at crucial crossroads Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:01 PM PDT The ocean's mammals are at a crucial crossroads - with some at risk of extinction and others showing signs of recovery, researchers say.

Changes in ocean chemistry show how sea level affects global carbon cycle Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:01 PM PDT A new analysis of strontium isotopes in marine sediments has enabled scientists to reconstruct fluctuations in ocean chemistry related to changing climate conditions over the past 35 million years. The results provide new insights into the inner workings of the global carbon cycle and, in particular, the processes by which carbon is removed from the environment through the deposition of carbonates.

Moderate daily caffeine intake during pregnancy may lead to smaller birth size Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:01 PM PDT Pregnant women who consumed the caffeine equivalent of as little as half a cup of coffee a day on average had slightly smaller babies than pregnant women who did not consume caffeinated beverages, according to a new study.

New documentation: Old-growth forest carbon sinks overestimated Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:00 PM PDT The claim that old-growth forests play a significant role in climate mitigation, based upon the argument that even the oldest forests keep sucking CO2 out of the atmosphere, is being refuted. Researchers document that this argument is based upon incorrectly analyzed data and that the climate mitigation effect of old and unmanaged forests has been greatly overestimated. Nevertheless, they reassert the importance of old-growth forest for biodiversity.

Wisdom, loneliness and your intestinal multitude Posted: 25 Mar 2021 12:00 PM PDT Scientists have taken the connection between wisdom, loneliness and biology one step further, reporting that wisdom and loneliness appear to influence -- and/or be influenced by -- microbial diversity of the gut.

Soft robotic dragonfly signals environmental disruptions Posted: 25 Mar 2021 09:08 AM PDT Engineers have developed an electronics-free, entirely soft robot shaped like a dragonfly that can skim across the water and react to environmental conditions such as pH, temperature or the presence of oil. The proof-of-principle demonstration could be the precursor to more advanced, autonomous, long-range environmental sentinels for monitoring a wide range of potential telltale signs of problems.

'Climbing droplets' could lead to more efficient water harvesting Posted: 25 Mar 2021 09:08 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that a novel surface they developed to harvest water from the air encourages tiny water droplets to move spontaneously into larger droplets. When researchers placed microdroplets of water on their liquid-lubricant surface, the microdroplets propelled themselves to climb, without external force, into larger droplets along an oily, ramp-shaped meniscus that forms from the lubricant around the larger droplets. The 'coarsening droplet phenomenon' formed droplets large enough for harvesting.

Ancient megafaunal mutualisms and extinctions as factors in plant domestication Posted: 25 Mar 2021 08:54 AM PDT The development of agriculture is often thought of as a human innovation in response to climate change or population pressure. A new manuscript challenges that concept, suggesting that plants that had already evolved adaptive traits for life among large-bodied grazing and browsing animals were more likely to prosper on a highly disturbed anthropogenic landscape.

The very first structures in the Universe Posted: 25 Mar 2021 08:53 AM PDT The first moments of the Universe can be reconstructed mathematically even though they cannot be observed directly. Physicists have greatly improved the ability of complex computer simulations to describe this moment, discovering that a complex network of structures can form in the first trillionth of a second after the Big Bang. These microscopic clumps have masses of only a few grams and fit into volumes much smaller than particles.

Arctic sponge survival in the extreme deep-sea Posted: 25 Mar 2021 07:12 AM PDT Researchers from the SponGES project collected year-round video footage and hydrodynamic data from the mysterious world of a deep-sea sponge ground in the Arctic.

New insights into close encounters between albatross and fishing vessels Posted: 25 Mar 2021 07:12 AM PDT A novel analysis of encounters between albatross and commercial fishing vessels across the North Pacific Ocean is giving researchers important new understanding about seabird-vessel interactions that could help reduce harmful encounters.

Revealing nano big bang: Scientists observe the first milliseconds of crystal formation Posted: 25 Mar 2021 07:12 AM PDT Scientists recruited a world-leading microscope to capture atomic-resolution, high-speed images of gold atoms self-organizing, falling apart, and then reorganizing many times before settling into a stable, ordered crystal.

How tiny machines become capable of learning Posted: 25 Mar 2021 07:11 AM PDT Living organisms, from bacteria to animals and humans, can perceive their environment and process, store and retrieve this information. They learn how to react to later situations using appropriate actions. A team of physicists have developed a method for giving tiny artificial microswimmers a certain ability to learn using machine learning algorithms.

Technology uses 'single' approach to develop electronics, acoustics Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT An innovator developed a new approach to creating popular thin films for devices across a broad range of fields, including optics, acoustics and electronics. Epitaxial lithium niobate (LNO) thin films are an attractive material for electronics and other devices. These films offer flexibility and other properties that are important to manufacturers.

Scientists find evidence that novel coronavirus infects the mouth's cells Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT Scientists has found evidence that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, infects cells in the mouth. The findings point to the possibility that the mouth plays a role in transmitting SARS-CoV-2 to the lungs or digestive system via saliva laden with virus from infected oral cells. A better understanding of the mouth's involvement could inform strategies to reduce viral transmission within and outside the body.

Failed your New Year resolution again? Join the club Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT New research which surveyed participants from the UK and Australia has found that despite having the best intentions, most people give up on their New Year resolutions within the first month.

Revealing complex behavior of a turbulent plume at the calving front of a Greenlandic glacier Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT Scientists have succeeded in continuous monitoring of a subglacial discharge plume, providing a deeper understanding of the glacier-fjord environment.

Lawyers used sheepskin as anti-fraud device for hundreds of years to stop fraudsters pulling the wool over people’s eyes Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT Medieval and early modern lawyers chose to write on sheepskin parchment because it helped prevent fraud, new analysis suggests.

Want a longer, healthier life? Resolve your arguments by day's end Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT A recent study found that when people feel they have resolved an argument, the emotional response associated with that disagreement is significantly reduced and, in some situations, almost entirely erased.

Frequent consumption of meals prepared away from home linked to increased risk of early death Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT Dining out is a popular activity worldwide, but there has been little research into its association with health outcomes. Investigators looked at the association between eating out and risk of death and concluded that eating out very frequently is significantly associated with an increased risk of all-cause death, which warrants further investigation.

Engineers make filters from tree branches to purify drinking water Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:48 AM PDT Filters made from tree branches can purify drinking water sources, a new study finds. Prototypes of these xylem filters, tested in India, show promise as a low-cost, natural filtration option.

Anabolic androgenic steroids accelerate brain aging Posted: 25 Mar 2021 05:45 AM PDT Anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS), a synthetic version of the male sex hormone testosterone, are sometimes used as a medical treatment for hormone imbalance, and its use is known to have many side effects, ranging from acne to heart problems to increased aggression. A new study now suggests that AAS can also have deleterious effects on the brain, causing it to age prematurely.

Even small increases in NO2 levels could be linked to heightened risk of heart and respiratory death Posted: 24 Mar 2021 04:51 PM PDT Even small increases in nitrogen dioxide levels in the air may be linked to increases in cardiovascular and respiratory deaths, according to new research.

Leaky blood-brain barrier linked to brain tissue damage in brain aging disease Posted: 24 Mar 2021 02:08 PM PDT Now a new study has found that people with cerebral small vessel disease who have blood-brain barrier leakage had more brain tissue damage over two years than people with less blood-brain barrier leakage.

Genome sequenced for pesky pumpkin pathogen Posted: 24 Mar 2021 02:08 PM PDT Pumpkin growers dread the tiny tan scabs that form on their fruit, each lesion a telltale sign of bacterial spot disease. The specks don't just mar the fruit's flesh, they provide entry points for rot-inducing fungus and other pathogens that can destroy pumpkins and other cucurbits from the inside out. Either way, farmers pay the price, with marketable yields reduced by as much as 90%.

COVID-19 vaccines may not produce sufficient antibody response in transplant recipients Posted: 24 Mar 2021 02:08 PM PDT When clinical trials were conducted to determine the immunogenicity -- the ability to elicit an immune response -- for the first two vaccines marshaled against SARS-CoV-2the virus that causes COVID-19, one group was not among those included: people who have received solid organ transplants and others (such as those with autoimmune disorders) who are immunocompromised.

Ancient Maya houses show wealth inequality is tied to despotic governance Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:51 PM PDT Archaeologists examined the remains of houses in ancient Maya cities and compared them with other Mesoamerican societies; they found that the societies with the most wealth inequality were also the ones that had governments that concentrated power with a smaller number of people.

Decline in black cherry regeneration may herald wider forest change Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:51 PM PDT Reasons for more than a decade of black cherry regeneration decline in the Allegheny Hardwood Regions are not well-understood; a team of scientists looked at five leading hypotheses; they found that the most likely factors are pathogens and reduced nitrogen availability, and that black cherry may actually be a story of change on a much bigger scale.

Shining a healing light on the brain Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:51 PM PDT Scientists report a novel noninvasive treatment for brain disorders based on breakthroughs in both optics and genetics. It involves stimulation of neurons by means of radioluminescent nanoparticles injected into the brain and exposed to X-rays.

Deadly heat waves will be common in South Asia, even at 1.5 degrees of warming Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:51 PM PDT A new study projecting the amount of heat stress residents of the region will experience in the future finds with 2 degrees Celsius of warming, the population's exposure to heat stress will nearly triple.

Zooming in on muscle cells Posted: 24 Mar 2021 12:51 PM PDT An international team has produced the first high-resolution 3D image of the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of skeletal and heart muscle cells, by using electron cryo-tomography. Electron cryo-tomography capability of imaging structures directly in frozen muscle cells could translate into future medical treatments for muscle diseases and a better understanding of the aging process.

Greenland caves: Time travel to a warm Arctic Posted: 24 Mar 2021 11:28 AM PDT An international team of scientists presents an analysis of sediments from a cave in northeast Greenland, that cover a time period between about 588,000 to 549,000 years ago. This interval was warmer and wetter than today, the cave deposits provide an outlook in a possible future warmer world due to climate change.

Repurposed heart and flu drugs may help body fight sepsis Posted: 24 Mar 2021 11:28 AM PDT Researchers discovered that patient survival from sepsis is associated with higher platelet counts, and identified two currently available drugs that protect these blood cells and improve survival in mice with sepsis.

Small robot swimmers that heal themselves from damage Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:35 AM PDT Living tissue can heal itself from many injuries, but giving similar abilities to artificial systems, such as robots, has been extremely challenging. Now, researchers have developed small, swimming robots that can magnetically heal themselves on-the-fly after breaking into two or three pieces. The strategy could someday be used to make hardier devices for environmental or industrial clean up, the researchers say.

Researchers optimize materials design using computational technologies Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:35 AM PDT The process of fabricating materials is complicated, time-consuming and costly. Too much of one material, or too little, can create problems with the product, forcing the design process to begin again. Advancements in the design process are needed to reduce the cost and time it takes to produce materials with targeted properties.

A novel marker of adult human neural stem cells discovered Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:35 AM PDT Researchers have discovered BASP-1, a novel biomarker of adult human neural stem cells. With this newly discovered biomarker, scientists can better understand the relevance and intricate mechanisms of neurogenesis, which may lead to new future therapeutic approaches to treat and manage neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders associated with diminished neurogenesis.

Lung cancer resistance: the key is glucose Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:35 AM PDT Lung tumors are home to immune cells that affect their growth and resistance to treatment. Looking at neutrophils, scientists led by EPFL have discovered that the key might lie in the cells' ability to metabolize glucose, opening an entirely new target for improving radiotherapy.

Female salmon are dying at higher rates than male salmon Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Female adult sockeye from the Fraser River are dying at significantly higher rates than their male counterparts on the journey back to their spawning grounds, finds new research. For every male salmon that doesn't make it to their natal stream, at least two, sometimes three female salmon die.

Lighting up bone repair Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Researchers from TMDU fabricated a bright fluorescent bone replacement material, based on a precursor to bone tissue that's common in medical practice. The material will be useful in bone repair and dental implants, and facilitate bone regrowth while providing new diagnostic and prognostic functionalities.

Tiny currents may impact vital ocean food source Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Copepods are a vital part of Earth's aquatic ecosystems. A team of researchers recently published findings that shed light on how these miniature marvels move and cluster in the ocean.

Floating solar farms could help reduce impacts of climate change on lakes and reservoirs Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Floating solar farms could help to protect lakes and reservoirs from some of the harms of climate change, a new study suggests. However, given the complex nature of water bodies and differing designs of solar technologies, there could also be detrimental ecosystem impacts of deploying floating solar arrays.

The world's earliest stone technologies are likely to be older than previously thought Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT A new study has found that Oldowan and Acheulean stone tool technologies are likely to be tens of thousands of years older than current evidence suggests.

Study illuminates the molecular details of lung development Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Findings from a new study on lung development should empower the search for better treatments for lung diseases.

Searching for hints of new physics in the subatomic world Posted: 24 Mar 2021 08:34 AM PDT Quantum chromodynamics, or QCD, is the theory of the strong interaction between quarks and gluons. Lattice QCD uses supercomputers to explore 'tantalizing hints' of new physics in discrepancies between experimental and theoretical results. Carleton DeTar and Steven Gottlieb, two of the leading contemporary scholars of QCD research, are using the Frontera supercomputer at the Texas Advanced Computing Center to explore the 'anomalous magnetic moment of the muon' and measurements of the decay of B mesons.

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