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• Could Mario Kart teach us how to reduce world poverty and improve sustainability?
• COVID-19 causes 'unexpected' cellular response in the lungs, research finds
• Engineering researchers visualize the motion of vortices in superfluid turbulence
• Rewriting evolutionary history and shape future health studies
• New pig brain maps facilitate human neuroscience discoveries
• Modern human brain originated in Africa around 1.7 million years ago
• Chronic sinus inflammation appears to alter brain activity
• Researchers illuminate mystery of sea turtles' epic migrations
• Green chemistry and biofuel: The mechanism of a key photoenzyme decrypted
• Two studies support key role for immune system in shaping SARS-CoV-2 evolution
• PLD3 gene contributes to risk of Alzheimer's disease
• Discovery of rare 'quadruply imaged quasars' can help solve cosmological puzzles
• Can a 3D printed beetle model simulate the real thing?
• Regional habitat differences identified for threatened piping plovers on Atlantic coast
• Caught speeding: Clocking the fastest-spinning brown dwarfs
• 'Emotional' reviews predict business success, new study shows
• Novel algorithm reveals birdsong features that may be key for courtship
• 'Pain is always a perception': Physical therapy can help prevent, treat opioid use disorder
• Pulp mill waste hits the road instead of the landfill
• Bacteria help plants grow better
• Scant evidence that 'wood overuse' at Cahokia caused collapse
• Altering traumatic memories
• Curiosity rover explores stratigraphy of Gale crater
• Sign-language exposure impacts infants as young as 5 months old
• NASA's NICER finds X-ray boosts in the Crab Pulsar's radio bursts
• Autism gene study finds widespread impact to brain's growth signaling network
• More than 5,000 tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to Earth each year
• Graphene: Everything under control in a quantum material
• How people decide when they have so many choices
• Mars didn't dry up in one go
• Corals carefully organize proteins to form rock-hard skeletons
• Study calls for urgent climate change action to secure global food supply
• Introduced honeybee may pose threat to native bees
• Complete chromosome 8 sequence reveals novel genes and disease risks
• Fostered flamingos just as friendly
• Artificial Intelligence could 'crack the language of cancer and Alzheimer's'
• A new agent for brain diseases: mRNA
• New insight into formation of the human embryo
• Research shows cytonemes distribute Wnt proteins in vertebrate tissue
• STING gene methylation allows melanoma to evade the immune system
• Enantioselective synthesis of indole derivatives
• Living fossils: Microbe discovered in evolutionary stasis for millions of years
• Energy transmission by gold nanoparticles coupled to DNA structures
• 'Bug brain soup' expands menu for scientists studying animal brains
• How birds defend against brood parasites
• Dogs act jealously even when they don't see their rival
• How to tame a restless genome
• Biologists create better method to culture cells for testing drug toxicity
• Asteroid crater on Earth provides clues about Martian craters
• The truth about doublespeak: Is it lying or just being persuasive?
• After Hurricane Maria, rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico sought out new social relationships
• Light shed on the coordination of neural stem cell activation
• Why lists of worldwide bird species disagree
• Carbon dots from human hair boost solar cells
• Gorillas do not bluff when they chest beat: Honest signalling indicates body size
• How did 500 species of a fish form in a lake? Dramatically different body clocks
• A breakthrough that enables practical semiconductor spintronics
• Early dispersal of neolithic domesticated sheep into the heart of central Asia
• Parkinson's, cancer, type 2 diabetes share a key element that drives disease
• New test to study language development in youth with Down syndrome

Could Mario Kart teach us how to reduce world poverty and improve sustainability? Posted: 08 Apr 2021 01:56 PM PDT A new study shows how the principles of Mario Kart -- especially the parts of it that make the game fun for players -- can be applied to reduce world poverty and improve sustainability in farming and agriculture.

COVID-19 causes 'unexpected' cellular response in the lungs, research finds Posted: 08 Apr 2021 01:34 PM PDT Scientists have discovered a surprising response in lung cells infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which might explain why the disease is so difficult to treat. The researchers suggest testing a new pairing of drugs to combat the disease.

Engineering researchers visualize the motion of vortices in superfluid turbulence Posted: 08 Apr 2021 01:34 PM PDT Researchers have managed to visualize the vortex tubes in a quantum fluid, findings that could help researchers better understand turbulence in quantum fluids and beyond.

Rewriting evolutionary history and shape future health studies Posted: 08 Apr 2021 01:34 PM PDT The network of nerves connecting our eyes to our brains is sophisticated and researchers have now shown that it evolved much earlier than previously thought, thanks to an unexpected source: the gar fish.

New pig brain maps facilitate human neuroscience discoveries Posted: 08 Apr 2021 01:34 PM PDT For nearly a decade, scientists have relied on an MRI-based map, or atlas, of the pig brain - developed using 4-week-old pigs - to understand where and how nutrients and other interventions affect the developing brain. Now, scientists have updated that atlas, increasing its resolution by a factor of four, and they have also added a new atlas for adolescent 12-week-old pigs.

Modern human brain originated in Africa around 1.7 million years ago Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT The human brain as we know it today is relatively young. It evolved about 1.7 million years ago when the culture of stone tools in Africa became increasingly complex. A short time later, the new Homo populations spread to Southeast Asia, researchers have now shown using computed tomography analyses of fossilized skulls.

Chronic sinus inflammation appears to alter brain activity Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT The millions of people who have chronic sinusitis deal not only with stuffy noses and headaches, they also commonly struggle to focus and experience depression and other symptoms that implicate the brain's involvement in their illness. New research links sinus inflammation with alterations in brain activity, specifically with the neural networks that modulate cognition, introspection and response to external stimuli.

Researchers illuminate mystery of sea turtles' epic migrations Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT North Pacific loggerhead turtles' years-long oceanic journeys remain poorly understood. Using data from satellite tracking and other techniques, scientists reveal a unique phenomenon that may explain the endangered migrants' pathway.

Green chemistry and biofuel: The mechanism of a key photoenzyme decrypted Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT Scientists have decrypted the functioning of the enzyme FAP, useful for producing biofuels and for green chemistry.

Two studies support key role for immune system in shaping SARS-CoV-2 evolution Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT Two studies provide new evidence supporting an important role for the immune system in shaping the evolution of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

PLD3 gene contributes to risk of Alzheimer's disease Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:36 PM PDT A rare and controversial mutation in the phospholipase D3 (PLD3) protein -- previously linked to Alzheimer's disease -- interferes with PLD3's vital recycling function inside neurons, according to a new study.

Discovery of rare 'quadruply imaged quasars' can help solve cosmological puzzles Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT With the help of machine-learning techniques, a team of astronomers has discovered a dozen quasars that have been warped by a naturally occurring cosmic 'lens' and split into four similar images. Quasars are extremely luminous cores of distant galaxies that are powered by supermassive black holes.

Can a 3D printed beetle model simulate the real thing? Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT Zoology and biology researchers produce and test 3D printed beetle models to find out if they would be a feasible option when testing mate choice in these and possibly other insects.

Regional habitat differences identified for threatened piping plovers on Atlantic coast Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT Piping plovers, charismatic shorebirds that nest and feed on many Atlantic Coast beaches, rely on different kinds of coastal habitats in different regions along the Atlantic Coast, according to a new study.

Caught speeding: Clocking the fastest-spinning brown dwarfs Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT Astronomers have discovered the most rapidly rotating brown dwarfs known. They found three brown dwarfs that each complete a full rotation roughly once every hour. That rate is so extreme that if these 'failed stars' rotated any faster, they could come close to tearing themselves apart. Identified by NASA's Spitzer Space Telescope, the brown dwarfs were then studied by ground-based telescopes including Gemini North, which confirmed their surprisingly speedy rotation.

'Emotional' reviews predict business success, new study shows Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT A new study was able to predict the success of movies, commercials, books and restaurants by relying on the 'emotionality' of reviews instead of the star rating.

Novel algorithm reveals birdsong features that may be key for courtship Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new algorithm capable of identifying features of male zebra finch songs that may underlie the distinction between a short phrase sung during courtship, and the same phrase sung in a non-courtship context.

'Pain is always a perception': Physical therapy can help prevent, treat opioid use disorder Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT A professor is working to address opioid misuse in an unconventional way: through physical therapy. She and her colleagues have enhanced physical therapy instruction to emphasize the profession's role in preventing and treating opioid use disorder.

Pulp mill waste hits the road instead of the landfill Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:23 PM PDT Waste materials from the pulp and paper industry have long been seen as possible fillers for building products like cement, but for years these materials have ended up in the landfill. Now, researchers are developing guidelines to use this waste for road construction in an environmentally friendly manner.

Bacteria help plants grow better Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT A current study by scientists sheds light on an unusual interdependence: Maize can attract special soil bacteria that, in turn, help the plants to grow better. In the long term, the results could be used to breed new varieties that use less fertilizer and therefore have less impact on the environment.

Scant evidence that 'wood overuse' at Cahokia caused collapse Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT Archaeologists excavated around earthen mounds and analyzed sediment cores to test a persistent theory about the collapse of Cahokia, the pre-Columbian Native American city in southwestern Illinois that was once home to more than 15,000 people.

Altering traumatic memories Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT Scientists could be a step closer to finding a way to reduce the impact of traumatic memories.

Curiosity rover explores stratigraphy of Gale crater Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT Gale Crater's central sedimentary mound (Aeolis Mons or, informally, Mount Sharp) is a 5.5-km-tall remnant of the infilling and erosion of this ancient impact crater. Given its thickness and age, Mount Sharp preserves one of the best records of early Martian climatic, hydrological, and sedimentary history.

Sign-language exposure impacts infants as young as 5 months old Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT While it isn't surprising that infants and children love to look at people's movements and faces, recent research studies exactly where they look when they see someone using sign language. The research uses eye-tracking technology that offers a non-invasive and powerful tool to study cognition and language learning in pre-verbal infants.

NASA's NICER finds X-ray boosts in the Crab Pulsar's radio bursts Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:22 PM PDT A global science collaboration using data from NASA's Neutron star Interior Composition Explorer (NICER) telescope on the International Space Station has discovered X-ray surges accompanying radio bursts from the pulsar in the Crab Nebula. The finding shows that these bursts, called giant radio pulses, release far more energy than previously suspected.

Autism gene study finds widespread impact to brain's growth signaling network Posted: 08 Apr 2021 12:21 PM PDT A genetic mutation linked to autism causes significant undergrowth of brain tissue. An existing medicine appears to rescue the condition in mouse studies.

More than 5,000 tons of extraterrestrial dust fall to Earth each year Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:15 AM PDT Every year, our planet encounters dust from comets and asteroids. These interplanetary dust particles pass through our atmosphere and give rise to shooting stars. Some of them reach the ground in the form of micrometeorites. An international program conducted for nearly 20 has determined that 5,200 tons per year of these micrometeorites reach the ground.

Graphene: Everything under control in a quantum material Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:15 AM PDT In a new study, a team of researchers demonstrates that graphene's nonlinearity can be very efficiently controlled by applying comparatively modest electrical voltages to the material.

How people decide when they have so many choices Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:15 AM PDT It's one thing to decide among a few snacks available at a friend's house. But what do people do when they're faced with a vending machine offering 36 options? A new study using eye-tracking technology suggests that the amount of time people spend looking at individual items may actually help them decide. Findings showed that people tended to choose snacks they spent more time looking at, sometimes even over snacks that they rated more highly.

Mars didn't dry up in one go Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT A research team has discovered that the Martian climate alternated between dry and wetter periods, before drying up completely about 3 billion years ago.

Corals carefully organize proteins to form rock-hard skeletons Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Scientists have shown that coral structures consist of a biomineral containing a highly organized organic mix of proteins that resembles what is in our bones. Their study shows that several proteins are organized spatially -- a process that's critical to forming a rock-hard coral skeleton.

Study calls for urgent climate change action to secure global food supply Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT New research has found climate change will have a substantial impact on global food production and health if no action is taken by consumers, food industries, government, and international bodies.

Introduced honeybee may pose threat to native bees Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT A study has found the introduced European honeybee could lead to native bee population decline or extinction when colonies compete for the same nectar and pollen sources in urban gardens and areas of bush.

Complete chromosome 8 sequence reveals novel genes and disease risks Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT A full assembly of human chromosome 8 has now been completed. Its DNA content and arrangement are of interest in primate and human evolution, in several immune and developmental disorders, and in chromosome sequence structure and function generally. This chromosome has a fast-evolving region with a highly accelerated mutation rate in humans and human-like species. Also, comparative studies with ape and macaque sequences are helping to chart the evolutionary history of the chromosome 8 centromere.

Fostered flamingos just as friendly Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Flamingo chicks raised by foster parents from another flamingo species develop normally, scientists say.

Artificial Intelligence could 'crack the language of cancer and Alzheimer's' Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Powerful algorithms can 'predict' the biological language of cancer and neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's, scientists have found. Big data produced during decades of research was fed into a computer language model to see if artificial intelligence can make more advanced discoveries than humans.

A new agent for brain diseases: mRNA Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Researchers prepared a nanomicelle delivery system to transport BDNF mRNA to the site of ischemic injury. The nanomicelle successfully produced BDNF and prevented the death of neurons when dosed 2 days after ischemia in rats. Long-term experiments showed significant improvements in memory compared with untreated rats. The findings are expected to extend the potential treatment window for preventing neuronal death after ischemic attack, and significantly improve outcomes for patients.

New insight into formation of the human embryo Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Pioneering research led has provided new insight into formation of the human embryo.

Research shows cytonemes distribute Wnt proteins in vertebrate tissue Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Scientists have made a pivotal breakthrough in understanding the way in which cells communicate with each other.

STING gene methylation allows melanoma to evade the immune system Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Researchers demonstrate how an important defect in STING gene expression in melanoma cells contributes to their evasion from immune cell detection and destruction.

Enantioselective synthesis of indole derivatives Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Indole, and structures derived from it, are a component of many natural substances, such as the amino acid tryptophan. A new catalytic reaction produces cyclopenta[b]indoles -- frameworks made of three rings that are joined at the edges -- very selectively and with the desired spatial structure. The rates of the different steps of the reaction play a critical role.

Living fossils: Microbe discovered in evolutionary stasis for millions of years Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Research has revealed that a group of microbes found deep underground in three continents have been at an evolutionary standstill for millions of years. The discovery could have significant implications for biotechnology applications and scientific understanding of microbial evolution.

Energy transmission by gold nanoparticles coupled to DNA structures Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Using DNA structures as scaffolds, scientists hae shown that precisely positioned gold nanoparticles can serve as efficient energy transmitters.

'Bug brain soup' expands menu for scientists studying animal brains Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT By mashing up brains from various insect species, neuroscientists introduce a practical technique for quantifying the neurons that make up the brains of invertebrate animals. In addition to revealing interesting insights into the evolution of insect brains, the work provides a more meaningful metric than traditional studies measuring brain size or weight.

How birds defend against brood parasites Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other bird species, forcing the hosts to do the hard work of raising the unrelated young. A team of scientists wanted to simulate the task of piercing an egg - a tactic that only a minority of host birds use to help grasp and eject the foreign eggs. Their study offers insight into some of the physical challenges the discriminating host birds face.

Dogs act jealously even when they don't see their rival Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT Dogs are one of humanity's most-beloved animal companions. They share our homes and seem to reciprocate our affections. But could this emotional bond extend into feelings of jealousy? To help answer that question, a team of researchers gauged the reactions of a group of dogs when their owners appeared to shower attention on a perceived rival.

How to tame a restless genome Posted: 08 Apr 2021 10:14 AM PDT LTR retrotransposons are small stretches of DNA that can move around the genome. Researchers figured out how cells keep these 'jumping genes' anchored, preventing them from landing in the wrong place.

Biologists create better method to culture cells for testing drug toxicity Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Researchers have discovered that by changing two components of the media used to culture the cells, they can make liver cancer cells behave more like normal liver cells. Rather than using standard serum containing glucose, they used serum from which the glucose had been removed using dialysis and added galactose to the media. This changes the metabolism of the cells making them behave more like normal liver cells.

Asteroid crater on Earth provides clues about Martian craters Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT The 15-million-year-old Nördlinger Ries is an asteroid impact crater filled with lake sediments. A research team has now discovered a volcanic ash layer in the crater. In addition, they show that the ground under the crater is sinking in the long-term, which provides important insights about craters on Mars, such as those currently being explored by the NASA Curiosity and Perseverance Rovers.

The truth about doublespeak: Is it lying or just being persuasive? Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Doublespeak, or the use of euphemisms to sway opinion, lets leaders avoid the reputational costs of lying while still bringing people around to their way of thinking, a new study has found.

After Hurricane Maria, rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico sought out new social relationships Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Natural disasters have a way of bringing people together to rebuild. Now, researchers have found that the same is true for rhesus macaques. The new study reports that after a major hurricane hit Puerto Rico, macaques living on Cayo Santiago Island became more tolerant of each other and sought new social connections.

Light shed on the coordination of neural stem cell activation Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Scientists have successfully performed 3D visualization and spatial and temporal distribution analysis of neural stem cell activation in the adult brain of a zebrafish vertebrate model. Their findings demonstrate for the first time that activation events for these cells are coordinated in time and space. In particular, these results may help improve our understanding of regulation processes triggered during brain tumor formation.

Why lists of worldwide bird species disagree Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Biologists set out to compare four main lists of bird species worldwide to find out how the lists differ -- and why. They found that although the lists agree on most birds, disagreements in Southeast Asia and the Southern Ocean could mean that some species are missed by conservation ecologists.

Carbon dots from human hair boost solar cells Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:24 AM PDT Researchers have used carbon dots, created from human hair waste sourced from a barbershop, to create a kind of 'armor' to improve the performance of cutting-edge solar technology.

Gorillas do not bluff when they chest beat: Honest signalling indicates body size Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT The gorilla chest beat is one of the most emblematic sounds in the animal kingdom. However, until recently it was unclear what information gorillas were conveying when they gave these impressive displays. A team of international researchers show that chest beats reliably indicate the body size of the chest beater. Body size indicates competitive ability in gorillas. Therefore this information is likely to be crucial for rival males as well as females in influencing mate choice.

How did 500 species of a fish form in a lake? Dramatically different body clocks Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT Despite the dramatic difference between day and nightlife, how fish exploit different times of day has not been studied systematically. Scientists explored alterations in the circadian timing of activity and the duration of rest-wake cycles in Lake Malawi's cichlids and identified the first single nocturnal species. Timing and duration of rest and activity varies dramatically, and continuously, between populations of Lake Malawi cichlids, providing a system for exploring the molecular and neural basis underlying variation in nocturnal activity.

A breakthrough that enables practical semiconductor spintronics Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT It may be possible in the future to use information technology where electron spin is used to store, process and transfer information in quantum computers. It has long been the goal of scientists to be able to use spin-based quantum information technology at room temperature. Researchers have now constructed a semiconductor component in which information can be efficiently exchanged between electron spin and light at room temperature and above.

Early dispersal of neolithic domesticated sheep into the heart of central Asia Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT Along the Tian Shan and Alay mountain ranges of Central Asia, sheep and other domestic livestock form the core economy of contemporary life. Although it was here that the movements of their ancient predecessors helped to shape the great trade networks of the Silk Road, domestic animals were thought to have come relatively late to the region. A new study reveals that the roots of animal domestication in Central Asia stretch back at least 8,000 years -- making the region one of the oldest continuously inhabited pastoral landscapes in the world. The findings push back the presence of domesticated animals in the region by some 3,000 years.

Parkinson's, cancer, type 2 diabetes share a key element that drives disease Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a direct link between a master sensor of cell stress and a protein that protects the power stations of cells. The same pathway is also tied to type 2 diabetes and cancer, which could open a new avenue for treating all three diseases.

New test to study language development in youth with Down syndrome Posted: 08 Apr 2021 08:23 AM PDT A team tested and validated elaborated language sampling (ELS) as a reliable set of procedures for collecting, measuring and analyzing the spoken language of youth with Down syndrome in a naturalistic setting. They found that ELS can be used to detect meaningful changes in communication skills of individuals with Down syndrome.

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