ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Do some diabetes drugs reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s?
• Monoclonal antibody may prevent malaria
• COVID vaccine booster randomized clinical trial in transplant patients proves third shot is very effective
• People with stroke who walk 30 minutes per day may have 54% lower risk of early death
• Novel technique seamlessly converts ammonia to 'green' hydrogen
• Study shows differences in rapidly processing sensory feedback among people with autism spectrum disorder
• New study analyzes role of scent compounds in the coevolution of bats and pepper plants
• Engineers uncover the secrets of fish fins
• Protecting Earth from space storms
• Treating the ‘root’ cause of baldness with a dissolvable microneedle patch
• Understanding lung damage in patients with COVID-19
• Food scientists create national atlas for deadly listeria
• A robotic fish tail and an elegant math ratio could inform design of next-gen underwater drones
• Assigned classroom seats can promote friendships between dissimilar students, study finds
• Global warming begets more warming, new paleoclimate study finds
• ‘Sticky questions’ raised by study on coral reefs
• Belief in social Darwinism linked to dysfunctional psychological characteristics, study finds
• Marine bacteria in Canadian Arctic capable of biodegrading diesel and oil
• Most of UC San Diego's COVID-19 cases detected early by wastewater screening
• Getting oxygenated blood to exercising muscles
• Changes in growth patterns due to climate change
• Dendrimers: The tiny tentacles shown to evade our immune response
• Fine aerosols emitted during talking and singing may play a crucial role in COVID-19 transmission: Singapore study
• New study unveils novel technology for plasma separation using magnets
• Human Lyme Borreliosis and Puumala hantavirus infection incidence follow rodent abundance variations in Northern Europe
• Researchers discover new limit of trapping light at the nanoscale
• Less is more: 'Reduction' allows for cleaner and more efficient catalytic reactions
• Impenetrable optical OTP security platform
• Problems in thinking and attention linked to COVID-19 infection
• A COVID-19 vaccine strategy to give the body ‘border protection’
• New electronic phenomenon discovered
• Tiny bubbles: Treating asthma with gene silencing nanocapsules
• Brain signals that help memories form may influence blood sugar
• Future battery cost: Crucial for the success of the mobility and energy transition
• 'Experienced' mouse mothers tutor other females to parent, helped by hormone oxytocin
• Like humans, apes communicate to start and end social interactions
• A clean US hydrogen economy is within reach, but needs a game plan, energy researchers say
• Anatomy of an earthquake series
• Engineers clean up water pollution with sunlight
• Why sunflowers face east
• Where have all the birds gone?
• Science alone won’t save humpback dolphins
• Magnetic patterns hidden in meteorites reveal early Solar System dynamics
• New findings on how ketamine prevents depression
• Global eradication of COVID-19 should not be dismissed, new analysis finds
• A novel virtual reality technology to make MRI a new experience
• Striking gold: A pathway to stable, high-activity catalysts from gold nanoclusters
• Shared antibodies may push COVID-19 variants, study finds
• Neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 sugar coat
• Shark diversity unaffected when the dinosaurs were wiped out, study finds
• Mutation-mapping tool could yield stronger COVID boosters, universal vaccines

Do some diabetes drugs reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s? Posted: 11 Aug 2021 02:52 PM PDT People taking certain drugs to lower blood sugar for type 2 diabetes had less amyloid in the brain, a biomarker of Alzheimer's disease, when compared to both people with type 2 diabetes not taking the drugs and people without diabetes. The new study also found people taking these drugs, called dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors, showed slower cognitive decline than people in the other two groups.

Monoclonal antibody may prevent malaria Posted: 11 Aug 2021 02:52 PM PDT One dose of a new monoclonal antibody prevented malaria for up to nine months in people who were exposed to the malaria parasite. The small, carefully monitored clinical trial is the first to demonstrate that a monoclonal antibody can prevent malaria in people.

COVID vaccine booster randomized clinical trial in transplant patients proves third shot is very effective Posted: 11 Aug 2021 02:52 PM PDT Scientists have conducted a first-in-the-world randomized placebo-controlled trial of third dose COVID-19 booster vaccine for transplant patients that shows substantially improved protection.

People with stroke who walk 30 minutes per day may have 54% lower risk of early death Posted: 11 Aug 2021 02:51 PM PDT A new study shows that people who walk or garden at least three to four hours per week, or bike at least two to three hours per week, or the equivalent after having a stroke may have a 54% lower risk of early death from any cause. The study found the most benefit for younger stroke survivors. When people under the age of 75 exercised at least that amount, their risk of early death was reduced by 80%.

Novel technique seamlessly converts ammonia to 'green' hydrogen Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:29 PM PDT A recent study has announced a breakthrough in technology that efficiently converts liquid ammonia into hydrogen.

Study shows differences in rapidly processing sensory feedback among people with autism spectrum disorder Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:29 PM PDT In an effort to better characterize -- and quantify -- sensorimotor abilities and their impact on the development of people with ASD, scientists have published research that compared the fine motor control and eye movements of more than 200 people from age 5 to 29. The study showed key differences in the ways that individuals with ASD processed or reacted to stimuli compared to those who were more neurotypical, with implications for future research across age range, intelligence and setting.

New study analyzes role of scent compounds in the coevolution of bats and pepper plants Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:29 PM PDT A study reports on how bats and pepper plants in Central America have co-evolved to help each other survive.

Engineers uncover the secrets of fish fins Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT Want to swim like a fish? A new study unravels how fish fins manage to be so strong yet flexible at the same time.

Protecting Earth from space storms Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT A major space weather event could have a catastrophic impact on Earth, disabling communications and electrical systems. Researchers are using the Frontera supercomputer to develop new geomagnetic forecasting methods and improve the Geospace Model used by NOAA for operational purposes. They hope to increase the lead time for space weather events from 30 minutes to 1-3 days, localize space weather forecasts, and provide uncertainty estimates.

Treating the ‘root’ cause of baldness with a dissolvable microneedle patch Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT Although some people say that baldness is the 'new sexy,' for those losing their hair, it can be distressing. An array of over-the-counter remedies are available, but most of them don't focus on the primary causes: oxidative stress and insufficient circulation. Now, researchers have designed a preliminary microneedle patch containing cerium nanoparticles to combat both problems, regrowing hair in a mouse model faster than a leading treatment.

Understanding lung damage in patients with COVID-19 Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT A severe course of COVID-19 disease is not caused by the direct destruction of the lung due to the multiplication of the virus. New research shows that inflammatory processes and the endothelium of the lung are involved.

Food scientists create national atlas for deadly listeria Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT Among the deadliest of foodborne pathogens, Listeria monocytogenes soon may become easier to track down in food recalls and other investigations, thanks to a new genomic and geological mapping tool created by food scientists.

A robotic fish tail and an elegant math ratio could inform design of next-gen underwater drones Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT Researchers built a fishlike robot that uses a programmable artificial tendon to tune its own tail stiffness while swimming in a water channel. The results were impressive: The robot could swim over a wider range of speeds while using almost half as much energy as the same robot with a fixed-stiffness tail.

Assigned classroom seats can promote friendships between dissimilar students, study finds Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT A study conducted in Hungarian schools showed that seating students next to each other boosted their tendency to become friends -- both for pairs of similar students and pairs of students who differed in their educational achievement, gender, or ethnicity.

Global warming begets more warming, new paleoclimate study finds Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT Global warming begets more, extreme warming, new paleoclimate study finds. Researchers observe a 'warming bias' over the past 66 million years that may return if ice sheets disappear.

‘Sticky questions’ raised by study on coral reefs Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT A new study on the impact of climate change on coral reefs is raising sticky questions about conservation. It found coral in more polluted and high traffic water handled extreme heat events better than a more remote, untouched reef.

Belief in social Darwinism linked to dysfunctional psychological characteristics, study finds Posted: 11 Aug 2021 01:28 PM PDT A new survey study links belief in the concept of social Darwinism with certain dysfunctional psychological characteristics, such as exploitative attitudes towards others, hostility, and low self-esteem.

Marine bacteria in Canadian Arctic capable of biodegrading diesel and oil Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:16 AM PDT Marine bacteria in the frigid waters of the Canadian Arctic are capable of biodegrading oil and diesel fuel, according to a new study.

Most of UC San Diego's COVID-19 cases detected early by wastewater screening Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Part of UC San Diego's Return to Learn program, wastewater screening helped prevent outbreaks by detecting 85 percent of cases early, allowing for timely testing, contact tracing and isolation.

Getting oxygenated blood to exercising muscles Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Researchers have discovered a certain type of blood vessel cell in muscles that multiplies rapidly upon exercise, thereby forming new blood vessels. Researchers can use this to find novel therapies for vascular disorders of the muscle.

Changes in growth patterns due to climate change Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Geologists investigated the extent to which the growth of belemnites and changes to their appearance depend on ecological reactions and whether these changes are evidence of environmental crises that could have a serious impact on the climate in future.

Dendrimers: The tiny tentacles shown to evade our immune response Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT New research demonstrates that dendrimers, tiny synthetic particles, can avoid detection by our immune system and could be used to develop a new system to deliver drugs into the body without triggering a reaction.

Fine aerosols emitted during talking and singing may play a crucial role in COVID-19 transmission: Singapore study Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT A new study has revealed that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) particles can be aerosolized by an infected person during talking and singing. Researchers concluded that fine respiratory aerosols may play a significant role in SARS-CoV-2 transmission, especially in an indoor environment, and hence, should be taken into consideration when planning infection prevention measures.

New study unveils novel technology for plasma separation using magnets Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT A recent study has unveiled a hemolysis-free and highly efficient blood plasma separation platform.

Human Lyme Borreliosis and Puumala hantavirus infection incidence follow rodent abundance variations in Northern Europe Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT A recent study shows the association between bank vole abundance variations and the incidence of Lyme Borreliosis and Puumala hantavirus infections. The study showed that the abundance variations of the reservoir hosts of wildlife originated pathogens have importance in estimating the risks these pathogens pose to humans. The results of the work can be taken into account in the risk communication by health authorities.

Researchers discover new limit of trapping light at the nanoscale Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Physicists have reached a new threshold of light-matter coupling at the nanoscale.

Less is more: 'Reduction' allows for cleaner and more efficient catalytic reactions Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT In an ongoing effort to accelerate catalytic reactions, oxidation of metal complexes using light has emerged as a standard method to synthesize aromatic compounds. Now, researchers have demonstrated a high-yield synthesis pathway through reduction of rhodium complexes, using a newly designed catalyst that enables electron-deficient elements to be added to aromatic compounds, opening up possibilities to synthesize bioactive products and functional materials.

Impenetrable optical OTP security platform Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT An anticounterfeiting smart label and security platform which makes forgery fundamentally impossible has been proposed. The device accomplishes this by controlling a variety of information of light including the color, phase, and polarization in one optical device.

Problems in thinking and attention linked to COVID-19 infection Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Evidence of cognitive deficits in people who have recovered from COVID-19 has been discovered in a new study of over 80,000 individuals.

A COVID-19 vaccine strategy to give the body ‘border protection’ Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT A simple addition to injected COVID-19 vaccines could enhance their effectiveness and provide 'border protection' immunity in areas like the nose and mouth to supplement antibodies in the bloodstream, new research suggests.

New electronic phenomenon discovered Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:15 AM PDT Physics researchers at the University of North Florida's Atomic LEGO Lab discovered a new electronic phenomenon they call 'asymmetric ferroelectricity'. The research demonstrated this phenomenon for the first time in engineered two-dimensional crystals.

Tiny bubbles: Treating asthma with gene silencing nanocapsules Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:14 AM PDT Researchers are developing novel asthma therapeutics using gene-silencing nanocapsules in a bid to help patients who aren't benefiting from existing treatments.

Brain signals that help memories form may influence blood sugar Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:14 AM PDT A set of brain signals known to help memories form may also influence blood sugar levels, finds a new study in rats.

Future battery cost: Crucial for the success of the mobility and energy transition Posted: 11 Aug 2021 10:12 AM PDT A group of researchers has published a comparative study of battery cost predictions from the past decade. In the study, assumptions from more than 50 scientific publications that analyze the costs of lithium-ion, solid-state, lithium-sulfur and lithium-air batteries, resulting costs are compared and the academic opinion is consolidated into a cost trend.

'Experienced' mouse mothers tutor other females to parent, helped by hormone oxytocin Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT Watching a mother mouse gather her pups into the family's nest trains other female mice without pups to perform the same parenting task, a new study shows. Furthermore, these observations lead to the production of oxytocin in the brains of virgin female mice, biochemically shaping their maternal behaviors even before they have pups of their own.

Like humans, apes communicate to start and end social interactions Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT When we're talking to another person, we probably wouldn't leave without saying goodbye; that would just be impolite. Apes seem to do something similar, researchers report in a study, in which they documented apes purposefully using signals to start and then end interactions -- a behavior not seen outside of the human species until now. They also found that the social and power dynamics between the interacting apes affected the communication efforts used, which the researchers say mirrors patterns similar to human politeness.

A clean US hydrogen economy is within reach, but needs a game plan, energy researchers say Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT Addressing climate change requires not only a clean electrical grid, but also a clean fuel to reduce emissions from industrial heat, long-haul heavy transportation, and long-duration energy storage. Hydrogen and its derivatives could be that fuel, argues a recent commentary , but a clean U.S. H2 economy will require a comprehensive strategy and a 10-year plan. The commentary suggests that careful consideration of future H2 infrastructure, including production, transport, storage, use, and economic viability, will be critical to the success of efforts aimed at making clean H2 viable on a societal scale.

Anatomy of an earthquake series Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT A new study focuses on the 2013 seismic sequence at the Castor platform of a former oil field, about 20 km offshore the coast of Valencia, Spain. During the initial phase of the development of a gas storage facility in the former oil field, thousands of earthquakes with magnitudes below 4.1 took place after the injection of gas into the depleted layers of the reservoir.

Engineers clean up water pollution with sunlight Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT In addition to providing vitamin D, helping flowers grow and creating the perfect excuse to head to the beach, sunlight also helps break down chemicals in streams, lakes and rivers. Researchers have developed a comprehensive reactive activity model that shows how singlet oxygen's reaction mechanisms perform against a diverse group of contaminants and computes their half-life in a natural aquatic environment.

Why sunflowers face east Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT Sunflowers face the rising sun because increased morning warmth attracts more bees and also helps the plants reproduce more efficiently, according to a new study.

Where have all the birds gone? Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT A new study has revealed that over the last 20,000 to 50,000 years, birds have undergone a major extinction event, inflicted chiefly by humans, which caused the disappearance of about 10 to 20 percent of all avian species. According to the researchers, the vast majority of the extinct species shared several features: they were large, they lived on islands, and many of them were flightless.

Science alone won’t save humpback dolphins Posted: 11 Aug 2021 08:31 AM PDT There are fewer than 500 Indian Ocean humpback dolphins (Sousa plumbea) remaining in South African waters. Science alone will not bring them back from the brink of extinction -- we also need a multi-stakeholder Conservation Management Plan to boost their numbers. This is according to research focusing on the conservation status of the little-known humpback dolphin which can be found along the south and east coast from False Bay to Kosi Bay.

Magnetic patterns hidden in meteorites reveal early Solar System dynamics Posted: 11 Aug 2021 07:08 AM PDT Researchers have developed a novel technique to investigate the dynamics of the early Solar System by analyzing magnetites in meteorites utilizing the wave nature of electrons.

New findings on how ketamine prevents depression Posted: 11 Aug 2021 06:16 AM PDT The discovery that the anaesthetic ketamine can help people with severe depression has raised hopes of finding new treatment options for the disease. Researchers have now identified novel mechanistic insights how the drug exerts its antidepressant effect.

Global eradication of COVID-19 should not be dismissed, new analysis finds Posted: 11 Aug 2021 06:15 AM PDT Eradicating COVID-19 across the globe is theoretically more feasible than for polio but much less so than it was for smallpox, according to an analysis by New Zealand researchers.

A novel virtual reality technology to make MRI a new experience Posted: 11 Aug 2021 06:15 AM PDT Researchers have created a novel interactive VR system to be used by patients when undertaking an MRI.

Striking gold: A pathway to stable, high-activity catalysts from gold nanoclusters Posted: 10 Aug 2021 03:45 PM PDT Precise metal nanoclusters (NCs) are ideal for developing practical catalysts for chemical reactions. However, their catalytic activity is reduced either due to protective molecules called 'ligands' surrounding them or aggregation resulting from ligand removal. In a new study, scientists elucidate the ligand removal mechanism for gold NCs and irradiate them with UV light to prevent aggregation, creating a high-functioning photocatalyst.

Shared antibodies may push COVID-19 variants, study finds Posted: 10 Aug 2021 11:31 AM PDT Researchers have found that people recovering from COVID-19 and those vaccinated against the causative virus, SARS-CoV-2, produce identical clones, or groups, of antibody-producing white blood cells.

Neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 sugar coat Posted: 10 Aug 2021 11:31 AM PDT Researchers have identified two sugar-binding proteins that impede the viral entry of circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. The team may have found the 'Achilles' heel' of the virus, with potential for pan-variant therapeutic interventions.

Shark diversity unaffected when the dinosaurs were wiped out, study finds Posted: 10 Aug 2021 11:31 AM PDT A global catastrophe 66 million years ago led to the extinction of all non-avian dinosaurs, and large marine reptiles like mosasaurs and plesiosaurs. But what happened to the sharks? According to a new study, shark-tooth diversity remained relatively constant across the mass extinction event at the end of the Cretaceous.

Mutation-mapping tool could yield stronger COVID boosters, universal vaccines Posted: 10 Aug 2021 10:08 AM PDT Researchers have developed a platform which can quickly identify common mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allow it to escape antibodies and infect cells, which could inform the development of more effective booster vaccines and tailored antibody treatments for patients with COVID-19.

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