ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Edoxaban may be effective treatment for atrial fibrillation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement
• The physics behind a tardigrade's lumbering gait
• Common pesticide may contribute to global obesity crisis
• Scientists discover a new type of infrared polaritons at the surface of bulk crystals
• Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness
• Global sand and gravel extraction conflicts with half of UN Sustainable Development Goals
• Rare barley mutation with potential
• Carbon neutrality – a new policy brief for municipalities world wide
• Breakthrough in sizing nanoparticles using fluid-filled tubes
• Observing a higher-dimensional topological state with metamaterials
• Guidelines on heart failure management
• Maternal voice reduces pain in premature babies
• Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent disease in millions
• Drones could deliver defibrillators to cardiac arrest victims faster than ambulances
• 'Humanized' mouse model selects better match for organ transplant
• Unravelling the mystery of brown dwarfs
• Neurons in visual cortex of the brain ‘drift’ over time
• A new model for group decision-making shows how 'followers' can influence the outcome
• Ultrafast electron microscopy leads to pivotal discovery
• Scientists developing contraceptive that stops sperm in its tracks
• Artificial intelligence re-stained images of tissue biopsy expedite diagnoses
• Archaic laws prevent conservationists from bidding on public resources; experts think this should change
• Researchers use stem cells to make insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells
• Heat stress in dairy cows damages health of calves

Edoxaban may be effective treatment for atrial fibrillation after transcatheter aortic valve replacement Posted: 29 Aug 2021 05:19 AM PDT A new study compares edoxaban anticoagulant with the standard of care in large randomized clinical trial.

The physics behind a tardigrade's lumbering gait Posted: 27 Aug 2021 03:41 PM PDT Animals as small and soft as tardigrades seldom have legs and almost never bother walking. But a new study finds that water bears propel themselves through sediment and soil on eight stubby legs, in a manner resembling that of insects 500,000 times their size.

Common pesticide may contribute to global obesity crisis Posted: 27 Aug 2021 03:41 PM PDT Researchers discovered that chlorpyrifos, which is banned for use on foods in Canada but widely sprayed on fruits and vegetables in many other parts of the world, slows down the burning of calories in the brown adipose tissue of mice. Reducing this burning of calories, a process known as diet-induced thermogenesis, causes the body to store these extra calories, promoting obesity. Scientists made the discovery after studying 34 commonly used pesticides and herbicides in brown fat cells and testing the effects of chlorpyrifos in mice fed high calorie diets.

Scientists discover a new type of infrared polaritons at the surface of bulk crystals Posted: 27 Aug 2021 10:37 AM PDT An international team has reported the observation of ghost polaritons, which are a new form of surface waves carrying nanoscale light strongly coupled with material oscillations and featuring highly collimated propagation properties.

Moderate-vigorous physical activity is the most efficient at improving fitness Posted: 27 Aug 2021 10:37 AM PDT In the largest study performed to date to understand the relationship between habitual physical activity and physical fitness, researchers have found that higher amount of time spent performing exercise (moderate-vigorous physical activity) and low-moderate level activity (steps) and less time spent sedentary, translated to greater physical fitness.

Global sand and gravel extraction conflicts with half of UN Sustainable Development Goals Posted: 27 Aug 2021 10:37 AM PDT Sand and gravel are the most mined materials in the world, with between 32 and 50 billion tons extracted globally each year. They are being extracted faster than they can be replaced. But according to a new study, the human and environmental costs of this extraction on lower and middle-income countries have been largely overlooked.

Rare barley mutation with potential Posted: 27 Aug 2021 09:15 AM PDT The importance of the root system for agricultural yields is often underestimated. Whether roots can access water and nutrients effectively also determines the resilience of important crops to drought and climate change. Researchers have discovered and described a mutant in barley: Its roots grow downwards much more sharply than usual. This discovery potentially provides a starting point for breeding more drought-resistant varieties.

Carbon neutrality – a new policy brief for municipalities world wide Posted: 27 Aug 2021 09:15 AM PDT How to design efficient demo areas for urban carbon sequestration? In the latest policy brief research groups focus on the main principles of urban demonstration areas using biochars for carbon sequestration.

Breakthrough in sizing nanoparticles using fluid-filled tubes Posted: 27 Aug 2021 09:15 AM PDT Scientists have discovered that the mass and size of nano-particles can be simultaneously measured by passing the nanoparticles, in their native solution, through an inexpensive and simple mechanical tube.

Observing a higher-dimensional topological state with metamaterials Posted: 27 Aug 2021 09:15 AM PDT Linked Weyl surfaces, a novel type of topological phase that exists in five-dimensional space, have now been experimentally observed. The work provides a unique platform for exploring various topological phases, the transition between them, and the corresponding boundary effects in five dimensions.

Guidelines on heart failure management Posted: 27 Aug 2021 09:15 AM PDT New guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic heart failure have just been published. Approximately 2% of adults worldwide have heart failure. Prevalence increases with age, from 1% in those under 55 years to more than 10% in people aged 70 and above. In developed countries, the most common causes are coronary artery disease and high blood pressure. Patients with heart failure have a poor prognosis and markedly reduced quality of life. The main symptoms are breathlessness, ankle swelling, and tiredness.

Maternal voice reduces pain in premature babies Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT A baby born prematurely often has to be separated from its parents and placed in an incubator in intensive care. For several weeks, he or she will undergo routine medical procedures that can be painful, without being relieved by too many pharmaceutical painkillers, which are risky for his or her development. So how can we act for the good of the baby? A team observed that when the mother spoke to her baby at the time of the medical intervention, the signs of the baby's expression of pain decreased and his oxytocin level -- the hormone involved in attachment and also linked to stress -- increased significantly, which could attest to better pain management.

Reducing sugar in packaged foods can prevent disease in millions Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT Cutting 20% of sugar from packaged foods and 40% from beverages could prevent 2.48 million cardiovascular disease events (such as strokes, heart attacks, cardiac arrests), 490,000 cardiovascular deaths, and 750,000 diabetes cases in the U.S. over the lifetime of the adult population.

Drones could deliver defibrillators to cardiac arrest victims faster than ambulances Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT A feasibility study has found that drones can be used to deliver life-saving defibrillators to people with suspected cardiac arrest in the community.

'Humanized' mouse model selects better match for organ transplant Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT A 'humanized' mouse model equipped with the immune system of a patient who needs an organ transplant beats current measures for identifying the best potential living donor, scientists report.

Unravelling the mystery of brown dwarfs Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT Brown dwarfs are astronomical objects with masses between those of planets and stars. The question of where exactly the limits of their mass lie remains a matter of debate, especially since their constitution is very similar to that of low-mass stars. So how do we know whether we are dealing with a brown dwarf or a very low mass star?

Neurons in visual cortex of the brain ‘drift’ over time Posted: 27 Aug 2021 05:24 AM PDT New research reveals that neurons in the visual cortex -- the part of the brain that processes visual stimuli -- change their responses to the same stimulus over time. Although other studies have documented 'representational drift' in neurons in the parts of the brain associated with odor and spatial memory, this result is surprising because neural activity in the primary visual cortex is thought to be relatively stable.

A new model for group decision-making shows how 'followers' can influence the outcome Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:02 PM PDT From small committees to national elections, group decision-making can be complicated -- and it may not always settle on the best choice. That's partly because some members of the group do research on their own, and others take their cues from the people around them. A new mathematical framework predicts that decision-making groups have a critical threshold of people who get their information from others. Below that threshold, the group chooses the high-quality outcome. Above it, the group can end up choosing the better or worse option.

Ultrafast electron microscopy leads to pivotal discovery Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:02 PM PDT Researchers used ultrafast electron microscopy to study a nanoscale phenomenon that occurs in less than a few hundred quadrillionths of a second. Insights from the study could aid in the development of new sensors and quantum devices.

Scientists developing contraceptive that stops sperm in its tracks Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:02 PM PDT Engineered antibodies immobilize sperm in animal study, paving the way for nonhormonal contraceptive for women.

Artificial intelligence re-stained images of tissue biopsy expedite diagnoses Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:02 PM PDT In lifesaving situations, expedient and accurate diagnostic tools are critical to aid pathologists in examining biopsied tissue samples looking for signs of diseases. Engineers found a new path to achieve that with virtual re-staining of tissue images that is both faster than human-performed special stains and just as accurate.

Archaic laws prevent conservationists from bidding on public resources; experts think this should change Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:01 PM PDT Updating the laws, the researchers say, will allow the true value of public resources to be revealed in an environmental market. It will give different groups equal footing in auctions, and create a more stable, actionable path toward conservation, to the benefit of both industry and the environment.

Researchers use stem cells to make insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells Posted: 26 Aug 2021 02:01 PM PDT The human body can be genetically inclined to attack its own cells, destroying the beta cells in the pancreas that make insulin, which helps convert sugar into energy. Called Type 1 diabetes, this disorder can occur at any age and can be fatal if not carefully managed with insulin shots or an insulin pump to balance the body's sugar levels.

Heat stress in dairy cows damages health of calves Posted: 26 Aug 2021 09:21 AM PDT As scientists continue to explore the wide-ranging effects of heat stress on the health of dairy cattle, a new study adds to the growing understanding of the negative influences of heat stress, not just throughout the lifespan but across generations.

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