ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

---

• Climate has shifted the axis of the Earth, study finds
• From toxic ions to single-atom copper
• Flexible diet may help leaf-eating lemurs survive deforestation
• Synthetic gelatin-like material mimics lobster underbelly's stretch and strength
• Newly discovered immune cell function vital to healing
• Heartbeat can help detect signs of consciousness in patients after a coma
• Muscle gene linked to type 2 diabetes
• First description of a new octopus species without using a scalpel
• Travel paths of primates show how their minds work
• Fight or flight response may hinge on protein in skeletal muscular system
• Climate change affects deep-sea corals and sponges differently
• Defense mechanisms in aphids can become a double-edged sword, sharpened by the seasons
• Skeletal defects may be ameliorated after immobility in the womb
• The largest assessment of global groundwater wells finds many are at risk of drying up
• Red Sea is no longer a baby ocean
• How philosophy can change the understanding of pain
• US asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies
• Bacteria and viruses infect our cells through sugars: Now researchers want to know how they do it
• Living cells: Individual receptors caught in the act of coupling
• Climate-friendly microbes chomp dead plants without releasing heat-trapping methane
• Teaching pupils to 'think like Da Vinci' will help them to take on climate change
• Scientists probe mysterious melting of Earth's crust in western North America
• Inspired by nature, the research to develop a new load-bearing material

Climate has shifted the axis of the Earth, study finds Posted: 25 Apr 2021 08:44 AM PDT Melting glaciers redistributed enough water to cause the direction of polar wander to turn and accelerate eastward during the mid-1990s, according to a new study.

From toxic ions to single-atom copper Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:07 PM PDT Researchers offer conclusive research for understanding how bacteria found in copper mines convert toxic copper ions to stable single-atom copper. Their research demonstrates how copper-resistant bacterium from a copper mine in Brazil convert copper sulfate ions into zero-valent metallic copper.

Flexible diet may help leaf-eating lemurs survive deforestation Posted: 23 Apr 2021 11:13 AM PDT A new study sequencing the genome of four species of sifakas (Propithecus), a genus of lemurs found in Madagascar's forests, reveals that these animals' taste for leaves runs all the way to their genes, which are also more diverse than expected for an endangered species. But they can also thrive on fruit and flowers, which may be an advantage over being strictly leaves-only or fruit-only in the face of forest fragmentation.

Synthetic gelatin-like material mimics lobster underbelly's stretch and strength Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:02 AM PDT Researchers fabricated a synthetic hydrogel that mimics the stretch and strength of a lobster's underbelly. The material could provide a blueprint for stretchy protective fabrics and artificial tissues.

Newly discovered immune cell function vital to healing Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death, is the result of oxygen deprivation as blood perfusion to affected tissue is prevented. To halt the development of the disease and to promote healing, re-establishment of blood flow is crucial. Researchers have now discovered that one of the most common immune cells in the human body, macrophages, play an important role in re-establishing and controlling blood flow, something that can be used to develop new drugs.

Heartbeat can help detect signs of consciousness in patients after a coma Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT A new study shows that heart brain interactions, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), provide a novel diagnostic method for patients with disorders of consciousness.

Muscle gene linked to type 2 diabetes Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT People with type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer muscle function than others. Now a research team has discovered that in type 2 diabetes, a specific gene is of great importance for the ability of muscle stem cells to create new mature muscle cells.

First description of a new octopus species without using a scalpel Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT A biologist brought a new octopus species to light from depths of more than 4,000 meters in the North Pacific Ocean. Researchers have now published the species description and named the animal 'Emperor dumbo' (Grimpoteuthis imperator). Just as unusual as the organism is the researchers' approach: in order to describe the new species, they did not dissect the rare creature, but instead used non-destructive imaging techniques.

Travel paths of primates show how their minds work Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Using data from 164 wild primate populations, the global survey examines the mental abilities that primates, including ourselves, use to know where and when to travel in the most efficient way.

Fight or flight response may hinge on protein in skeletal muscular system Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Researchers say a regulatory protein found in skeletal muscle fiber may play an important role in the body's fight or flight response when encountering stressful situations.

Climate change affects deep-sea corals and sponges differently Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Corals and sponges are important foundations in ocean ecosystems providing structure and habitats that shelter a high number of species like fish, crabs and other creatures, particularly in the seamounts and canyons of the deep sea. Researchers have discovered that when it comes to climate change not all deep-sea corals and sponges are affected the same and some could be threatened if average ocean temperatures continue to increase in the deep sea of the Northwest Atlantic.

Defense mechanisms in aphids can become a double-edged sword, sharpened by the seasons Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Scientists examined the biological variations in pea aphids, insects that reproduce frequently enough to evolve before our eyes, by tracing the prevalence of their protective endosymbiont, Hamiltonella defensa, which the insects use to ward off parasitoid wasps.

Skeletal defects may be ameliorated after immobility in the womb Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that some skeletal defects associated with a lack of movement in the womb during early development may still be ameliorated after such periods of immobility if movement resumes. The discovery was made using chicken embryos, which develop similarly to their human equivalents and which can be easily viewed as development takes place - raising hopes that the finding may also apply to humans and thus have important implications for therapeutic interventions.

The largest assessment of global groundwater wells finds many are at risk of drying up Posted: 23 Apr 2021 10:01 AM PDT 'Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.' It's a silly rhyme, but one that highlights a simple fact: Humans have long relied on wells -- such as the one visited by Jack and Jill -- for their primary drinking water supply.

Red Sea is no longer a baby ocean Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT The Red Sea is a fascinating and still puzzling area of investigation for geoscientists. Controversial questions include its age and whether it represents a special case in ocean basin formation or if it has evolved similarly to other, larger ocean basins. Researchers have now published a new tectonic model that suggests that the Red Sea is not only a typical ocean, but more mature than thought before.

How philosophy can change the understanding of pain Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT Researchers have investigated how philosophical approaches can be used to think in new ways about pain and its management. The researchers advocate not merely reducing chronic pain management to searching and treating underlying physical changes but instead adopting an approach that focuses on the person as a whole.

US asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT Efforts to prevent human exposure to asbestos may be mobilizing the cancer-causing mineral so that it can reach water supplies, based on new findings about how the fibers move through soil.

Bacteria and viruses infect our cells through sugars: Now researchers want to know how they do it Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:54 AM PDT Most infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells. The library may help us understand the role played by sugars and their receptors in the immune system and the brain, the researchers behind the study explain.

Living cells: Individual receptors caught in the act of coupling Posted: 23 Apr 2021 06:26 AM PDT A new imaging technique that can capture movies of individual receptors on the surface of living cells in unprecedented detail could pave the way to a trove of new drugs.

Climate-friendly microbes chomp dead plants without releasing heat-trapping methane Posted: 23 Apr 2021 05:57 AM PDT Scientists have identified a new phylum of microbes found around the world that appear to be playing an important (and surprising) role in the global carbon cycle by helping break down decaying plants without producing the greenhouse gas methane.

Teaching pupils to 'think like Da Vinci' will help them to take on climate change Posted: 23 Apr 2021 05:57 AM PDT Reforms to the school curriculum which mix the arts and sciences, so that these subjects 'teach together' around common themes like climate change and food security, will better prepare young people for the real-world challenges that will define their adult lives, researchers argue in a new paper.

Scientists probe mysterious melting of Earth's crust in western North America Posted: 23 Apr 2021 05:57 AM PDT An unusual belt of igneous rocks stretches for over 2,000 miles from British Columbia, Canada, to Sonora, Mexico, running through Idaho, Montana, Nevada, southeast California and Arizona.

Inspired by nature, the research to develop a new load-bearing material Posted: 22 Apr 2021 09:36 AM PDT Engineers have developed a new material that mimics human cartilage - the body's shock absorbing and lubrication system, and it could herald the development of a new generation of lightweight bearings.

You are subscribed to email updates from Latest Science News -- ScienceDaily. To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now.	Email delivery powered by Google
Google, 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway, Mountain View, CA 94043, United States