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• Cooperation under pressure: Lessons from the COVID-19 swab crisis
• Mystery of the seadragon solved
• The case for onboard carbon dioxide capture on long-range vehicles
• The fewer forests, the more space giant anteaters need, study finds
• What if our history was written in our grammar?
• ‘Shadow waveguide’ casts complex acoustic patterns to control particles
• Key mechanisms behind synapse degeneration in Alzheimer’s brain discovered
• Magnets could offer better control of prosthetic limbs
• Emberometer could gauge threat of wildfire-spreading embers
• Package delivery robots' environmental impacts: Automation matters less than vehicle type
• Transformation in the particle zoo
• Small changes in diet could help you live healthier, more sustainably
• From mathematics to medicine: Applying complex mathematics to analyze fMRI data
• Tailoring wearable technology and telehealth in treating Parkinson's disease
• Videos capture lethal progress of COVID-19 virus
• Protecting largest, most prolific fish may boost productivity of fisheries
• Lonely flies, like many humans, eat more and sleep less
• Plastics aren’t what we think. New study finds they’re a tad rubbery, paving the way for better products
• Both early experiences and gene expression influence impulsivity in chicks
• Does Alzheimer’s disease start inside nerve cells?
• Progress continues in ensuring safety for nation’s high school athletes
• Inhibitor drug entinostat ‘primes’ the body to better respond to anti-cancer treatment with immunotherapy
• Urban lights keep insects awake at night
• Prior training can accelerate muscle growth even after extended idleness
• How a Parkinson’s disease-linked protein attacks a cell’s powerhouses
• Sounds and words are processed separately and simultaneously in the brain
• Scientists reveal how landmark CFC ban gave planet fighting chance against global warming
• Leaky sewers are likely responsible for large amounts of medications in streams
• Genetic histories and social organization in Neolithic and Bronze Age Croatia
• Thwaites glacier: Significant geothermal heat beneath the ice stream
• Autophagy: The unlikely hero that balances zinc and iron in plants
• Discovery of prehistoric mammals suggests rapid evolution of mammals after dinosaur extinction
• Bee flight suffers under temperature extremes
• Scientists develop alternative cement with low carbon footprint
• Obstructive sleep apnea is common in kids and may impact blood pressure, heart health
• New evidence that fetal membranes can repair themselves after injury
• Aging cuttlefish can remember the details of last week’s dinner
• Sharing the love helps male acorn woodpeckers father more chicks
• Cancer therapy breakthrough in vitro using self-assembled drugs
• Previously unrecognized genetic mutation may underlie some cases of sudden infant death

Cooperation under pressure: Lessons from the COVID-19 swab crisis Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:37 PM PDT A major crisis that accompanied the rise of the pandemic was lack of availability of the nasopharyngeal swab -- necessary for testing for COVID-19, which in turn, was necessary to get a grip on the pandemic. An account of how one group addressed that crisis is published this week Journal of Clinical Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

Mystery of the seadragon solved Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:37 PM PDT The genome of the seadragon, a very unusual fish, has been decoded. Seadragons (Phyllopetryx taeniolatus) live off the coast in western and southern Australia. Evolutionary biologists have now found the genetic basis for some external characteristics of the seadragon, like its lack of teeth and its distinct leaf-like appendages. The team also localized the sex-determination gene in the seadragon genome.

The case for onboard carbon dioxide capture on long-range vehicles Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:37 PM PDT A research team offers a practical way to make ships CO2 neutral -- or even CO2 negative -- with CO2-capturing solid oxide fuel cells. After 'burning' traditional carbon-based fuels, the fuel cell generates concentrated CO2 that can be stored on-board the ship. From there, the CO2 can either be sequestered or recycled into a renewable hydrocarbon fuel.

The fewer forests, the more space giant anteaters need, study finds Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:37 PM PDT Giant anteaters living in less forested habitats make use of larger home ranges, according to a new study. This behavior may allow them to incorporate forest patches into their territory, the authors say.

What if our history was written in our grammar? Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:37 PM PDT Humans have been always on the move, creating a complex history of languages and cultural traditions dispersed over the globe. An international team has now traced families of related languages over more than 10,000 years by combining data from genetics, linguistics and musicology using novel digital methods. Their findings: grammar reflects best the common prehistory of a population and therefore mirrors genetics more than any other cultural feature.

‘Shadow waveguide’ casts complex acoustic patterns to control particles Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:36 PM PDT Engineers have devised a new approach to using sound waves to conduct complex manipulations of tiny particles suspended in liquid. Dubbed a 'shadow waveguide,' the technique uses only two sound sources to create a tightly confined, spatially complex acoustic field inside a chamber without requiring any interior structure. The technology offers acoustic tweezers abilities with applications in fields such as chemical reaction control, micro-robotics, drug delivery, and cell and tissue engineering.

Key mechanisms behind synapse degeneration in Alzheimer’s brain discovered Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:36 PM PDT Neurobiologists have uncovered the long-sought-after mechanisms behind the maintenance and decline of key synapses implicated in brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease. The researchers identified the main components driving amyloid beta-associated synapse degeneration, which is found in the brains of people with Alzheimer's. The findings suggest an alternative approach to addressing neurodegenerative disorders: protect synapses by directly blocking the toxic actions of amyloid beta.

Magnets could offer better control of prosthetic limbs Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:36 PM PDT Researchers have developed a new strategy that could offer much more precise control of prosthetic limbs. After inserting small magnetic beads into muscle tissue, they can accurately measure the length of a muscle as it contracts, and this measurement can be relayed to a robotic prosthesis within milliseconds.

Emberometer could gauge threat of wildfire-spreading embers Posted: 18 Aug 2021 12:32 PM PDT As wildfire fronts advance through landscapes or communities on the ground, they also attack from above, launching volleys of glowing embers into the air. Also known as firebrands, these specks of burning debris can glide for up to 40 kilometers (approximately 24 miles) before landing and can cause up to 90% of home and business fires during wildfires.

Package delivery robots' environmental impacts: Automation matters less than vehicle type Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Whether a robot or a person delivers your package, the carbon footprint would essentially be the same, according to a new study that could help inform the future of automated delivery as the pandemic fuels a dramatic rise in online shopping.

Transformation in the particle zoo Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT An international study has found evidence of a long-sought effect in accelerator data. The so-called 'triangle singularity' describes how particles can change their identities by exchanging quarks, thereby mimicking a new particle. The mechanism also provides new insights into a mystery that has long puzzled particle physicists: Protons, neutrons and many other particles are much heavier than one would expect. This is due to peculiarities of the strong interaction that holds the quarks together. The triangle singularity could help to better understand these properties.

Small changes in diet could help you live healthier, more sustainably Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Eating a hot dog could cost you 36 minutes of healthy life, while choosing to eat a serving of nuts instead could help you gain 26 minutes of extra healthy life, according to a new study.

From mathematics to medicine: Applying complex mathematics to analyze fMRI data Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Mathematical research is aiding in the analysis of fMRI data. fMRI is the preeminent class of signals collected from the brain in vivo and is irreplaceable in the study of brain dysfunction in many medical fields, including psychiatry, neurology and pediatrics.

Tailoring wearable technology and telehealth in treating Parkinson's disease Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Wearable health technologies are vastly popular with people wanting to improve their physical and mental health. Everything from exercise, sleep patterns, calories consumed and heart rhythms can be tracked by a wearable device. But timely and accurate data is also especially valuable for doctors treating patients with complicated health conditions using virtual care.

Videos capture lethal progress of COVID-19 virus Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Video images capture for the first time in live animals the inexorable spread of the COVID-19 virus, tracking the infection as it moved from the noses of mice to the lungs and other organs over the course of six days, in a new study.

Protecting largest, most prolific fish may boost productivity of fisheries Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:52 AM PDT Management of many of the largest fisheries in the world assumes incorrectly that many small fish reproduce as well as fewer large ones with similar total masses, a new analysis has found. That can lead to overharvesting the largest, most prolific fish that can contribute the most to the population.

Lonely flies, like many humans, eat more and sleep less Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:06 AM PDT Single fruit flies quarantined in test tubes sleep too little and eat too much after only about one week of social isolation, according to a new study.

Plastics aren’t what we think. New study finds they’re a tad rubbery, paving the way for better products Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT A breakthrough could pave the way for better products, such as improved batteries, automobile paint and cellphone screens.

Both early experiences and gene expression influence impulsivity in chicks Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT Differences in impulsivity between individuals are linked to both experience and gene expression, according to a study on the ancestor of domestic chickens, the red junglefowl.

Does Alzheimer’s disease start inside nerve cells? Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT An experimental study has revealed that the Alzheimer's protein amyloid-beta accumulates inside nerve cells, and that the misfolded protein may then spread from cell to cell via nerve fibers. This happens at an earlier stage than the formation of amyloid-beta plaques in the brain, something that is associated with the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Progress continues in ensuring safety for nation’s high school athletes Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT Researchers began publishing annual reports and bi-annual updates examining the health and safety policies for secondary schools for each individual state and Washington, D.C. The evaluations are based on safety measures states can implement, including emergency action plans, having automatic external defibrillators on site, training coaches to look for signs of concussion, treatment of exertional heat stroke and others.

Inhibitor drug entinostat ‘primes’ the body to better respond to anti-cancer treatment with immunotherapy Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT Combining a histone deacetylase inhibitor drug with immunotherapy agents has been deemed safe, and may benefit some patients with advanced cancers that have not responded to traditional therapy, according to results of a phase 1 clinical trial.

Urban lights keep insects awake at night Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT New research sheds light on the effect urbanization has on the flesh fly species Sarcophaga similis. Through a series of laboratory and in-field experiments, scientists show that an increase in nighttime illumination and temperature, two of the major characteristics of urbanization, can postpone S. similis hibernation anywhere from 3 weeks to a month.

Prior training can accelerate muscle growth even after extended idleness Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT Skeletal muscles in mice appear to 'remember' prior training, aiding muscle growth and adaptability when retrained through exercise.

How a Parkinson’s disease-linked protein attacks a cell’s powerhouses Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT Inside cells, organelles called mitochondria carry out a medley of vital tasks. These structures generate energy and help to keep the cells' interior environment in a state of healthy equilibrium, among other functions. Now, scientists show in detail how alpha-synuclein, a protein associated with Parkinson's disease, can damage these cellular powerhouses.

Sounds and words are processed separately and simultaneously in the brain Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT After years of research, neuroscientists have discovered a new pathway in the human brain that processes the sounds of language. The findings suggest that auditory and speech processing occur in parallel, contradicting a long-held theory that the brain processed acoustic information then transformed it into linguistic information.

Scientists reveal how landmark CFC ban gave planet fighting chance against global warming Posted: 18 Aug 2021 10:05 AM PDT New modelling by the international team of scientists paints a dramatic vision of a scorched planet Earth without the Montreal Protocol, what they call the 'World Avoided'. This study draws a new stark link between two major environmental concerns -- the hole in the ozone layer and global warming. The research team reveals that if ozone-destroying chemicals, which most notoriously include CFCs, had been left unchecked then their continued and increased use would have contributed to global air temperatures rising by an additional 2.5°C by the end of this century.

Leaky sewers are likely responsible for large amounts of medications in streams Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:40 AM PDT Pharmaceutical compounds can harm the environment. However, in waterways that don't receive treated wastewater, these pollutants aren't expected to be present. Now, researchers have found that amounts of some medications carried by a stream in Baltimore were substantial, despite generally low concentrations over the course of a year. Because wastewater plants don't impact this stream, the high loads are likely coming from leaking sewer pipes, they say.

Genetic histories and social organization in Neolithic and Bronze Age Croatia Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT The field of Archaeogenetics has substantially contributed to a better understanding of how the movement and admixture of people across Europe during the Neolithic and Bronze Ages shaped genetic ancestries. However, not all regions are equally well represented in the archaeogenetic record. To fill this gap, researchers have now sequenced whole genomes of 28 individuals from two sites in present-day eastern Croatia and gained new insights into this region's genetic history and social structures.

Thwaites glacier: Significant geothermal heat beneath the ice stream Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Ice losses from Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica are currently responsible for roughly four percent of the global sea-level rise. This figure could increase, since virtually no another ice stream in the Antarctic is changing as dramatically as the massive Thwaites Glacier. Until recently, experts attributed these changes to climate change and the fact that the glacier rests on the seafloor in many places, and as such comes into contact with warm water masses. But there is also a third, and until nowone of the most difficult to constrain, influencing factors. In a new study, German and British researchers have shown that there is a conspicuously large amount of heat from Earth's interior beneath the ice, which has likely affected the sliding behavior of the ice masses for millions of years. This substantial geothermal heat flow, in turn, are due to the fact that the glacier lies in a tectonic trench, where the Earth's crust is significantly thinner than it is e.g. in neighboring East Antarctica.

Autophagy: The unlikely hero that balances zinc and iron in plants Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Nutrient imbalances can adversely impact crop health and agricultural productivity. The trace elements zinc and iron are taken up by the same 'transporters' in plants; so, zinc deficiency can result in excess uptake of iron. How does the plant cope with this imbalance? Researchers reveal that autophagy, the process of intracellular self-degradation, may have an unexpected role in restoring zinc-iron balance in plants.

Discovery of prehistoric mammals suggests rapid evolution of mammals after dinosaur extinction Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Scientists have discovered three new species of ancient creatures from the dawn of modern mammals that hint at rapid evolution immediately after the mass extinction of the dinosaurs.

Bee flight suffers under temperature extremes Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Rising temperatures could help some northern-latitude bees fly better, but more frequent extreme weather events could push them past their limits.

Scientists develop alternative cement with low carbon footprint Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Researchers have developed a climate-friendly alternative to conventional cement. Carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions can be reduced during production by up to two thirds when a previously unused overburden from bauxite mining is used as a raw material. The alternative was found to be just as stable as the traditional Portland cement.

Obstructive sleep apnea is common in kids and may impact blood pressure, heart health Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Children and adolescents can experience sleep-disordered breathing and obstructive sleep apnea, like adults. An estimated 1-6% of all children and adolescents have obstructive sleep apnea. The sleep disruptions and pauses in breathing from sleep apnea may be linked to obesity, lipid disorders, elevated blood pressure and changes in heart structure in kids.

New evidence that fetal membranes can repair themselves after injury Posted: 18 Aug 2021 05:39 AM PDT Scientists have shown that fetal membranes are able to heal after injury.

Aging cuttlefish can remember the details of last week’s dinner Posted: 17 Aug 2021 04:30 PM PDT Cuttlefish can remember what, where, and when specific things happened - right up to their last few days of life, researchers have found.

Sharing the love helps male acorn woodpeckers father more chicks Posted: 17 Aug 2021 04:30 PM PDT A new long-term study finds that male acorn woodpeckers breeding polygamously in duos or trios of males actually fathered more offspring than males breeding alone with a single female, contrary to conventional thinking among biologists that monogamous males necessarily produce more offspring than those in polygamous groups. For females, polygamy is less of a slam dunk but co-breeding duos left behind the same number of offspring as the birds that coupled up, while female trios left behind fewer offspring than either group.

Cancer therapy breakthrough in vitro using self-assembled drugs Posted: 17 Aug 2021 04:30 PM PDT A team of scientists has discovered chemical systems that self-assemble into molecular capsules which are highly toxic towards human cancer cells of a range of different tumor types, and which have demonstrated unprecedented cancer selectivity in the laboratory that in some cases are many thousands of times more toxic to the cancer cells compared to healthy, normal cells.

Previously unrecognized genetic mutation may underlie some cases of sudden infant death Posted: 17 Aug 2021 10:14 AM PDT A previously healthy infant who suffered aborted sudden cardiac death was found to have a de novo genetic mutation in the SOS1 gene. Such mutations are typical of Noonan syndrome and suggests the syndrome may be a cause of unrecognized sudden death in infancy.

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