ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• World's protected areas need more than a 'do not disturb' sign
• Stellar feedback and an airborne observatory; scientists determine a nebula younger than believed
• Unlocking richer intracellular recordings
• Engineer cautions pregnant women about speed bumps
• Joyful screams perceived more strongly than screams of fear or anger
• Life expectancy lower near superfund sites
• Northern star coral study could help protect tropical corals
• New way to monitor and prevent nerve cell deterioration after TBI
• Study warns of 'oxygen false positives' in search for signs of life on other planets
• Inside the protein channel that keeps bacteria alive
• COVID-19 in our dust may help predict outbreaks, study finds
• Aging signatures across diverse tissue cells in mice
• Gene therapy shows promise in treating rare eye disease in mice
• US tuna fisheries: Nexus of climate change, sustainable seafood
• Amoeba biology reveals potential treatment target for lung disease
• Elusive particle may point to undiscovered physics
• Age of hotly debated skull from early human Homo erectus determined, new specimens discovered
• New method for putting quantum correlations to the test
• Molecular assembly line to design, test drug compounds streamlined
• Tremors triggered by typhoon talas tell tales of tumbling terrain
• Machine learning can help slow down future pandemics
• New approach to centuries-old 'three-body problem'
• No batteries? No sweat! Wearable biofuel cells now produce electricity from lactate
• Atom interferometry demonstrated in space
• Common drug could be used to prevent certain skin cancers
• Powered prosthetic ankles can restore a wide range of functions for amputees
• People may trust computers more than humans
• Smell you later: Exposure to smells in early infancy can modulate adult behavior
• Study suggests new advice for medics treating high blood pressure
• Practicing 'mindfulness' in summer camp benefits campers and counselors alike
• Multiple factors shape timing of birth in mule deer
• Combining mask wearing, social distancing suppresses COVID-19 virus spread
• Snow chaos in Europe caused by melting sea-ice in the Arctic
• A molecule that responds to light
• Simple genetic modification aims to stop mosquitoes spreading malaria
• Using emotion and humor to combat science misinformation
• Megafauna extinction mystery: Size isn't everything
• Tree hydraulics and water relations: Why trees die as a result of drought
• Social comparisons drive income's effect on happiness in states with higher inequality
• Researchers' work will help the pipeline industry limit the destructive power of bubbles
• Rescuing street art from vandals' graffiti
• Ancient ammonoids' shell designs may have aided buoyancy control
• Basketball Mathematics scores big at inspiring kids to learn
• Study links structural brain changes to behavioral problems in children who snore
• Frog species with 6 sex chromosomes offer new clues on evolution of complex XY systems
• Spotting cows from space
• Scientists watch 2D puddles of electrons emerge in a 3D superconducting material
• Plastic planet: Tracking pervasive microplastics across the globe
• Study reveals cancer immunotherapy patients at most risk of life-threatening side effects
• Study reveals crucial details on skin-related side effects of cancer immune therapies
• Researchers engineer probiotic yeast to produce beta-carotene
• Bubbles speed up energy transfer
• Study showing how the brain retrieves facts and may help people with memory problems
• 165 new cancer genes identified with the help of machine learning
• Following atoms in real time could lead to better materials design

World's protected areas need more than a 'do not disturb' sign Posted: 13 Apr 2021 02:07 PM PDT More than 4 million square kilometers have been designated as protected areas globally in the past decade, without documentation of how effective such areas across the globe are at protecting.

Stellar feedback and an airborne observatory; scientists determine a nebula younger than believed Posted: 13 Apr 2021 02:07 PM PDT Researchers studied RCW 120 to analyze the effects of stellar feedback, and found that RCW 120 must be less than 150,000 years old, which is very young for such a nebula.

Unlocking richer intracellular recordings Posted: 13 Apr 2021 02:06 PM PDT A forward-thinking group of researchers has identified a flexible, low-cost, and biocompatible platform for enabling richer intracellular recordings.

Engineer cautions pregnant women about speed bumps Posted: 13 Apr 2021 12:40 PM PDT Slow down. Baby on board. Future baby on board. New research determines that accelerating over speed bumps poses a danger for pregnant women and their fetuses.

Joyful screams perceived more strongly than screams of fear or anger Posted: 13 Apr 2021 11:49 AM PDT The human scream signals more than fear of imminent danger or entanglement in social conflicts. Screaming can also express joy or excitement. For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that non-alarming screams are even perceived and processed by the brain more efficiently than their alarming counterparts.

Life expectancy lower near superfund sites Posted: 13 Apr 2021 11:49 AM PDT Living near a hazardous waste or Superfund site could cut your life short by about a year, according to a new study. The study is the first nationwide review of all hazardous waste sites and not just the 1,300 sites on the national priority list managed by the federal government.

Northern star coral study could help protect tropical corals Posted: 13 Apr 2021 10:47 AM PDT As the Rhode Island legislature considers designating the Northern Star Coral an official state emblem, researchers are finding that studying this local creature's recovery from a laboratory-induced stressor could help better understand how to protect endangered tropical corals.

New way to monitor and prevent nerve cell deterioration after TBI Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a new way to prevent brain nerve cells from deteriorating after injury, which also revealed a potential mechanistic link between TBI and AD. Their discovery also yielded a new blood biomarker of nerve cell degeneration after injury, which is significant because there is an urgent need for mechanism-based blood biomarkers that can diagnose TBI and stage its severity.

Study warns of 'oxygen false positives' in search for signs of life on other planets Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT In the search for life on other planets, the presence of oxygen in a planet's atmosphere is one potential sign of biological activity that might be detected by future telescopes. A new study, however, describes several scenarios in which a lifeless rocky planet around a sun-like star could evolve to have oxygen in its atmosphere.

Inside the protein channel that keeps bacteria alive Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT A novel method for studying how one crucial membrane protein functions may pave the way for a new kind of broad-spectrum antibiotic.

COVID-19 in our dust may help predict outbreaks, study finds Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT A study done in rooms where COVID-19 patients were isolated shows that the virus's RNA can persist up to a month in dust. The study did not evaluate whether dust can transmit the virus to humans. It could, however, offer another option for monitoring COVID-19 outbreaks in specific buildings, including nursing homes, offices or schools.

Aging signatures across diverse tissue cells in mice Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT Researchers have identified molecular signatures of the aging process in mice.

Gene therapy shows promise in treating rare eye disease in mice Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:43 AM PDT A gene therapy protects eye cells in mice with a rare disorder that causes vision loss, especially when used in combination with other gene therapies, shows a new study.

US tuna fisheries: Nexus of climate change, sustainable seafood Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:10 AM PDT A new study published in Elementa by researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz and NOAA examines traditional aspects of seafood sustainability alongside greenhouse gas emissions to better understand the 'carbon footprint' of US tuna fisheries.

Amoeba biology reveals potential treatment target for lung disease Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:10 AM PDT In a series of experiments that began with amoebas -- single-celled organisms that extend podlike appendages to move around -- scientists say they have identified a genetic pathway that could be activated to help sweep out mucus from the lungs of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease a widespread lung ailment.

Elusive particle may point to undiscovered physics Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:10 AM PDT The muon is a tiny particle, but it has the giant potential to upend our understanding of the subatomic world and reveal an undiscovered type of fundamental physics.

Age of hotly debated skull from early human Homo erectus determined, new specimens discovered Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:10 AM PDT A new study verifies the age and origin of one of the oldest specimens of Homo erectus -- a very successful early human who roamed the world for nearly 2 million years. In doing so, the researchers also found two new specimens at the site -- likely the earliest pieces of the Homo erectus skeleton yet discovered.

New method for putting quantum correlations to the test Posted: 13 Apr 2021 09:10 AM PDT An international team of physicists has identified a new technique for testing the quality of quantum correlations. Quantum computers run their algorithms on large quantum systems by creating quantum correlations across all of them. It is important to verify the quantum correlations achieved are of the desired quality. However, carrying out checks is resource-intensive so the team has proposed a new technique that significantly reduces the number of measurements while increasing the resilience against noise.

Molecular assembly line to design, test drug compounds streamlined Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:41 AM PDT Researchers have fine-tuned the molecular assembly line that creates antibiotics via engineered biosynthesis.

Tremors triggered by typhoon talas tell tales of tumbling terrain Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:41 AM PDT A new method was developed for high-resolution detection of landslides based on seismic data. This method was applied to detect landslides that occurred during the transit of Typhoon Talas across western Japan in 2011. Multiple landslides were detected and located, including one in Shizuoka Prefecture, 400 km east of the typhoon's track. The results show that large and small landslides may follow the same scaling relationships. This method may help develop landslide emergency alert technology.

Machine learning can help slow down future pandemics Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:41 AM PDT Artificial intelligence could be one of the keys for limiting the spread of infection in future pandemics. In a new study, researchers have investigated how machine learning can be used to find effective testing methods during epidemic outbreaks, thereby helping to better control the outbreaks.

New approach to centuries-old 'three-body problem' Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:41 AM PDT The "three-body problem," the term coined for predicting the motion of three gravitating bodies in space, is essential for understanding a variety of astrophysical processes as well as a large class of mechanical problems, and has occupied some of the world's best physicists, astronomers and mathematicians for over three centuries. Their attempts have led to the discovery of several important fields of science; yet its solution remained a mystery.

No batteries? No sweat! Wearable biofuel cells now produce electricity from lactate Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:40 AM PDT Wearable electronic devices and biosensors are great tools for health monitoring, but it has been difficult to find convenient power sources for them. Now, a group of scientists has successfully developed and tested a wearable biofuel cell array that generates electric power from the lactate in the wearer's sweat, opening doors to electronic health monitoring powered by nothing but bodily fluids.

Atom interferometry demonstrated in space Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:40 AM PDT A team of scientists has managed to successfully perform atom interferometry in space - on board a sounding rocket.

Common drug could be used to prevent certain skin cancers Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:40 AM PDT New data suggests that an oral drug currently used in the clinical setting to treat neuromuscular diseases could also help prevent a common form of skin cancer caused by damage from ultraviolet-B radiation from the sun.

Powered prosthetic ankles can restore a wide range of functions for amputees Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:40 AM PDT A recent case study demonstrates that, with training, neural control of a powered prosthetic ankle can restore a wide range of abilities, including standing on very challenging surfaces and squatting. The researchers are currently working with a larger group of study participants to see how broadly applicable the findings may be.

People may trust computers more than humans Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:40 AM PDT Despite increasing concern over the intrusion of algorithms in daily life, people may be more willing to trust a computer program than their fellow humans, especially if a task becomes too challenging, according to new research from data scientists.

Smell you later: Exposure to smells in early infancy can modulate adult behavior Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT The smells that newborn mice are exposed to affect many social behaviors later in life, but how this happens is still a mystery. Scientists have now discovered the molecules necessary for imprinting.

Study suggests new advice for medics treating high blood pressure Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT Researchers found no evidence that diastolic blood pressure - the bottom reading on a test - can be harmful to patients when reduced to levels that were previously considered to be too low.

Practicing 'mindfulness' in summer camp benefits campers and counselors alike Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT A project shows how implementing an evidence-based mindfulness program in a summer camp setting decreases emotional distress in school age children and empowers campers and counselors alike - enhancing camper-counselor relationships. Mindfulness - a state of consciousness that fosters awareness - has the potential to help regulate emotions and behaviors. Mindful breathing, mindful bodies, and mindful listening assisted in bringing awareness to campers in the program and provided skills to address stressful experiences.

Multiple factors shape timing of birth in mule deer Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT Scientists now challenge the long-held assumption that animals match offspring birth with the peak green-up of forage at the birth site.

Combining mask wearing, social distancing suppresses COVID-19 virus spread Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT Studies show wearing masks and social distancing can contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but their combined effectiveness is not precisely known. In a new study, researchers developed a network model to study the effects of these two measures on the spread of airborne diseases like COVID-19. The model shows viral outbreaks can be prevented if at least 60 percent of a population complies with both measures.

Snow chaos in Europe caused by melting sea-ice in the Arctic Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT The April snow falling on fruit blossoms in Europe these days may be directly connected to the loss of the sea ice in the Barents Sea in the Arctic.  That was definitely the case in 2018 when the sudden cold spell known as 'Beast from the East' descended on the mid-latitudes of the continent,  a new study shows.

A molecule that responds to light Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT Light can be used to operate quantum information processing systems, e.g. quantum computers, quickly and efficiently. Researchers have now significantly advanced the development of molecule-based materials suitable for use as light-addressable fundamental quantum units. They have demonstrated for the first time the possibility of addressing nuclear spin levels of a molecular complex of europium(III) rare-earth ions with light.

Simple genetic modification aims to stop mosquitoes spreading malaria Posted: 13 Apr 2021 08:06 AM PDT Altering a mosquito's gut genes to make them spread antimalarial genes to the next generation of their species shows promise as an approach to curb malaria.

Using emotion and humor to combat science misinformation Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:55 AM PDT An expert examines why it's so difficult to detect science misinformation and suggests that using humor may help combat the issue.

Megafauna extinction mystery: Size isn't everything Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT The rapid extinction of giant animals including wombat-like creatures as big as cars, birds more than two metres tall, and lizards more than seven metres long that once roamed the Australian continent is a puzzle that has long engaged researchers.

Tree hydraulics and water relations: Why trees die as a result of drought Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT When trees die during a period of drought, they die of thirst. Researchers have demonstrated in a field study that a rapid collapse in the hydraulic system is responsible for tree death. And they found out that the trees possibly die more rapidly than previously thought.

Social comparisons drive income's effect on happiness in states with higher inequality Posted: 13 Apr 2021 06:25 AM PDT Americans were found to be happier in states with higher wealth inequality when they had people of similar backgrounds -- some richer, some poorer -- to compare themselves with.

Researchers' work will help the pipeline industry limit the destructive power of bubbles Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:14 AM PDT Researchers have answered key questions to help prevent damage and improve the safety of hydraulic systems used for pipelines, water turbines and other applications.

Rescuing street art from vandals' graffiti Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:14 AM PDT Around the world, street art by famous and not-so-famous artists adorns highways, roads and alleys. In addition to creating social statements, works of beauty and tourist attractions, street art sometimes attracts vandals who add their unwanted graffiti, which is hard to remove without destroying the underlying painting. Now, researchers report novel, environmentally friendly techniques that quickly and safely remove over-paintings on street art.

Ancient ammonoids' shell designs may have aided buoyancy control Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:14 AM PDT Researchers previously focused on the roles of these complex structures in resisting pressure on the shell, but new researchers provide evidence for a different hypothesis. Complex sutures, they found, retained more liquid through surface tension, possibly helping the ammonoids fine-tune their buoyancy.

Basketball Mathematics scores big at inspiring kids to learn Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:14 AM PDT New study with 756 1st through 5th graders demonstrates that a six-week mashup of hoops and math has a positive effect on their desire to learn more, provides them with an experience of increased self-determination and grows math confidence among youth.

Study links structural brain changes to behavioral problems in children who snore Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:14 AM PDT A large study of children has uncovered evidence that behavioral problems in children who snore may be associated with changes in the structure of their brain's frontal lobe. The findings support early evaluation of children with habitual snoring (snoring three or more nights a week).

Frog species with 6 sex chromosomes offer new clues on evolution of complex XY systems Posted: 13 Apr 2021 05:13 AM PDT The O. swinhoana frog species is the first vertebrate known to retain descendant genes that now determine sex in mammals, birds, and fishes inherited from a common ancestor.

Spotting cows from space Posted: 12 Apr 2021 04:42 PM PDT Cows don't seem to have a whole lot going on most of the time. They're raised to spend their days grazing in the field, raised for the purpose of providing milk or meat, or producing more cows. So when students in an ecologist's lab found themselves staring intently at satellite image upon image of bovine herds at Point Reyes National Seashore, it was funny, in a 'Far Side' kind of way.

Scientists watch 2D puddles of electrons emerge in a 3D superconducting material Posted: 12 Apr 2021 04:42 PM PDT The emergence of 2D puddles of superconductivity within a 3D superconductor may be an example of how 3D superconductors reorganize themselves just before undergoing an abrupt shift into an insulating state. It also suggests a novel and potentially easier way to make 2D materials.

Plastic planet: Tracking pervasive microplastics across the globe Posted: 12 Apr 2021 01:19 PM PDT Really big systems, like ocean currents and weather, work on really big scales. And so too does your plastic waste, according to new research.

Study reveals cancer immunotherapy patients at most risk of life-threatening side effects Posted: 12 Apr 2021 01:19 PM PDT Immune checkpoint inhibitors boost a patient's immune response against cancer cells, but they can cause potentially life-threatening side effects in some individuals. New research may help clinicians determine which patients are most at risk.

Study reveals crucial details on skin-related side effects of cancer immune therapies Posted: 12 Apr 2021 01:19 PM PDT Immune checkpoint inhibitors are life-saving therapies against advanced cancer, but they can cause side effects, most commonly involving the skin. New research provides insights on the extent of these side effects, when they tend to arise, and which patients may be most at risk of experiencing them.

Researchers engineer probiotic yeast to produce beta-carotene Posted: 12 Apr 2021 01:18 PM PDT Researchers have genetically engineered a probiotic yeast to produce beta-carotene in the guts of laboratory mice. The advance demonstrates the utility of work the researchers have done to detail how a suite of genetic engineering tools can be used to modify the yeast.

Bubbles speed up energy transfer Posted: 12 Apr 2021 01:18 PM PDT An international collaboration of scientists witnessed bubble-mediated enhancement between two helium atoms using ultrafast lasers.

Study showing how the brain retrieves facts and may help people with memory problems Posted: 12 Apr 2021 11:27 AM PDT A shared set of systems in the brain may play an important role in controlling the retrieval of facts and personal memories utilized in everyday life, new research shows. Scientists say their findings may have relevance to memory disorders, including dementia, where problems remembering relevant information can impact on the daily life of patients.

165 new cancer genes identified with the help of machine learning Posted: 12 Apr 2021 11:27 AM PDT A new algorithm can predict which genes cause cancer, even if their DNA sequence is not changed. A team of researchers combined a wide variety of data, analyzed it with 'Artificial Intelligence' and identified numerous cancer genes. This opens up new perspectives for targeted cancer therapy in personalized medicine and for the development of biomarkers.

Following atoms in real time could lead to better materials design Posted: 12 Apr 2021 11:27 AM PDT Researchers have used a technique similar to MRI to follow the movement of individual atoms in real time as they cluster together to form two-dimensional materials, which are a single atomic layer thick.

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