ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Sex and the symbiont: Can algae hookups help corals survive?
• How a city’s design creates congestion
• Metals supercharge promising method to bury harmful carbon dioxide under the sea
• Those earrings are so last year – but the reason you're wearing them is ancient
• Wind energy can deliver vital slash to global warming
• Early Homo sapiens groups in Europe faced subarctic climates
• New research 'sniffs out' how associative memories are formed
• Hubble finds early, massive galaxies running on empty
• Engineers discover way to turn organic waste into renewable biofuel additives using radiation
• 'Ultra-potent' antibody against SARS-CoV-2 variants isolated
• Poorly circulated room air raises potential exposure to contaminants by up to six times
• Strength training can burn fat too, myth-busting study finds
• 'Second-hand' psychological stress can lead to depression in mice, finds study
• Some animal species can survive successfully without sexual reproduction
• Quantum cryptography Records with Higher-Dimensional Photons
• Genetic regulation of blood cells: Proximity of a gene to a genetic change plays an important role
• Dog parasite is developing resistance to treatments
• An experimental loop for simulating nuclear reactors in space
• Human learning can be duplicated in solid matter
• Tube-shaped robots roll up stairs, carry carts, and race one another
• Winged microchip is smallest-ever human-made flying structure
• Earless worms 'listen' through their skin
• Unveiling galaxies at cosmic dawn that were hiding behind the dust
• Functioning of terrestrial ecosystems is governed by three main factors
• Global cancer risk from burning organic matter comes from unregulated chemicals
• Blowing up medieval gunpowder recipes
• Intermittent fasting can help manage metabolic disease
• Gigantic cavity in space sheds new light on how stars form
• Children’s dislike of cauliflower, broccoli could be written in their microbiome
• Color coding molecular mirror images
• Maritime rope could be adding billions of microplastics to the ocean every year
• Sonic hedgehog protein pathway stimulation could help Parkinson's patients
• Scientists ID sterol essential for oil accumulation in plants
• Infants have more microplastics in their feces than adults
• Hoverflies navigate using sun and body clock
• Predicting a riot: Social inequality leads to vandalism in experiments
• How proteins help yeast adapt to changing conditions
• Sticking to low-fat dairy may not be the only heart healthy option, study shows
• New guidelines to improve reporting standards of studies that investigate causal mechanisms

Sex and the symbiont: Can algae hookups help corals survive? Posted: 22 Sep 2021 03:15 PM PDT Scientists have discovered that symbiotic single-celled algae that live inside of and feed corals can reproduce not only by mitosis, but also sexually. Encouraging sex in these algae can accelerate their evolution to produce strains better able to help reefs cope with climate change.

How a city’s design creates congestion Posted: 22 Sep 2021 01:19 PM PDT City planners predict that as more people move into urban areas, traffic jams will get worse. That's why sustainability experts propose a new way to analyze traffic congestion. Using more precise measures to describe the shape of cities and considering other socioeconomic factors, the model, which was applied to nearly 100 American cities, could lead to a better understanding of the link between congestion and land use.

Metals supercharge promising method to bury harmful carbon dioxide under the sea Posted: 22 Sep 2021 12:58 PM PDT Researchers have found a way to supercharge the formation of carbon dioxide-based crystal structures that could someday store billions of tons of carbon under the ocean floor for centuries, if not forever.

Those earrings are so last year – but the reason you're wearing them is ancient Posted: 22 Sep 2021 11:33 AM PDT Shell beads found in a cave in Morocco are at least 142,000 years old. The archaeologists who found them say they're the earliest known evidence of a widespread form of human communication.

Wind energy can deliver vital slash to global warming Posted: 22 Sep 2021 11:33 AM PDT Implementing advance wind energy scenarios could achieve a reduction in global warming atmospheric average temperatures of 0.3 to 0.8 degrees Celsius by the end of the century, according to new research.

Early Homo sapiens groups in Europe faced subarctic climates Posted: 22 Sep 2021 11:32 AM PDT Using oxygen stable isotope analysis of tooth enamel from animals butchered by humans at the site of Bacho Kiro Cave, Bulgaria, researchers show that human groups belonging to an early wave of dispersal of our species into Europe were faced with very cold climatic conditions while they occupied the cave between about 46,000 and 43,000 years ago. Archaeological remains at Bacho Kiro Cave currently represent the oldest known remnants of Upper Palaeolithic Homo sapiens in Europe, and thus open a unique window into the time when our species started to move out of the Levant and establish itself across the mid latitudes of Eurasia as part of an archaeological phenomenon called the Initial Upper Palaeolithic.

New research 'sniffs out' how associative memories are formed Posted: 22 Sep 2021 10:30 AM PDT Has the scent of freshly baked chocolate chip cookies ever taken you back to afternoons at your grandmother's house? Has an old song ever brought back memories of a first date? The ability to remember relationships between unrelated items (an odor and a location, a song and an event) is known as associative memory.

Hubble finds early, massive galaxies running on empty Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:19 AM PDT When the universe was about 3 billion years old, just 20% of its current age, it experienced the most prolific period of star birth in its history. But when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) in northern Chile gazed toward cosmic objects in this period, they found something odd: six early, massive, 'dead' galaxies that had run out of the cold hydrogen gas needed to make stars. Without more fuel for star formation, these galaxies were literally running on empty.

Engineers discover way to turn organic waste into renewable biofuel additives using radiation Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:19 AM PDT The renewable proportion of petrol is set to increase to 20 per cent over the coming years, meaning the discovery of a new production pathway for these additives could help in the fight to cut carbon dioxide emissions and tackle climate change. Engineers propose a process to generate one such additive, solketal, using waste from both biochemical and nuclear industries -- termed a nuclear biorefinery.

'Ultra-potent' antibody against SARS-CoV-2 variants isolated Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:19 AM PDT Researchers have discovered an 'ultra-potent' monoclonal antibody against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, including the delta variant.

Poorly circulated room air raises potential exposure to contaminants by up to six times Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:19 AM PDT Having good room ventilation to dilute and disperse indoor air pollutants has long been recognized, and with the COVID-19 pandemic its importance has become all the more heightened. But new experiments show that certain circumstances will result in poor mixing of room air, meaning airborne contaminants may not be effectively dispersed and removed by building level ventilation.

Strength training can burn fat too, myth-busting study finds Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:19 AM PDT A new systematic review and meta-analysis shows we can lose around 1.4 per cent of our entire body fat through strength training alone, which is similar to how much we might lose through cardio or aerobics.

'Second-hand' psychological stress can lead to depression in mice, finds study Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Few studies have explored the effect of psychological stressors on behavior, and neurogenesis, in the context of depression. With the elucidation of a vicarious social defeat stress mouse model, scientists have successfully endeavored in connecting the dots between psychological stress and depression.

Some animal species can survive successfully without sexual reproduction Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Studying a species of beetle mite, an international research team has demonstrated for the first time that animals can survive over very long periods of time (possibly millions of years) entirely without sex.

Quantum cryptography Records with Higher-Dimensional Photons Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT A new and much faster quantum cryptography protocol has been developed: Usually, quantum cryptography is done with photons that can be in two different states. Using eight different states, cryptographic keys can be generated much faster and with much more robustness against interference.

Genetic regulation of blood cells: Proximity of a gene to a genetic change plays an important role Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have gained significant new insight into the genetic regulation of blood cells. They achieved this by analyzing a dataset that included more than 31,000 study participants, to date the largest dataset of its kind.

Dog parasite is developing resistance to treatments Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Right now, U.S. veterinarians rely on three types of drugs to kill the hookworms, but the parasites appear to becoming resistant to all of them. Dog hookworms can also infect humans.

An experimental loop for simulating nuclear reactors in space Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Nuclear thermal propulsion, which uses heat from nuclear reactions as fuel, could be used one day in human spaceflight, possibly even for missions to Mars. Its development, however, poses a challenge. The materials used must be able to withstand high heat and bombardment of high-energy particles on a regular basis. A nuclear engineering doctoral student is contributing to research that could make these advancements more feasible.

Human learning can be duplicated in solid matter Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have found that learning -- a universal feature of intelligence in living beings -- can be mimicked in synthetic matter, a discovery that in turn could inspire new algorithms for artificial intelligence (AI).

Tube-shaped robots roll up stairs, carry carts, and race one another Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT Researchers have designed a 4D-printed soft robot that self-assembles when heated and can take on challenging tasks like rolling uphill and navigating a bumpy and unpredictable landscape.

Winged microchip is smallest-ever human-made flying structure Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT By studying the aerodynamics of wind-dispersed seeds, researcher developed a flying microchip (or 'microflier') that catches the wind and passively flies through the air. Packed with ultra-miniaturized technology, including sensors and wireless communication capabilities, these microfliers could be used to monitor air pollution, airborne disease and more.

Earless worms 'listen' through their skin Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT A species of roundworm that is widely used in biological research can sense and respond to sound, despite having no ear-like organs.

Unveiling galaxies at cosmic dawn that were hiding behind the dust Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:18 AM PDT While investigating the data of young, distant galaxies observed with the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array, astronomers noticed unexpected emissions coming from seemingly empty regions in space that, a global research team confirmed, came actually from two hitherto undiscovered galaxies heavily obscured by cosmic dust. This discovery suggests that numerous such galaxies might still be hidden in the early Universe, many more than researchers were expecting.

Functioning of terrestrial ecosystems is governed by three main factors Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:17 AM PDT A large international research team has identified three key indicators that together summarize the integrative function of terrestrial ecosystems: 1. the capacity to maximize primary productivity, 2. the efficiency of using water, and 3. the efficiency of using carbon. The monitoring of these key indicators will allow a description of ecosystem function that shapes the ability to adapt, survive and thrive in response to climatic and environmental changes.

Global cancer risk from burning organic matter comes from unregulated chemicals Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:17 AM PDT Scientists have found that benzo(a)pyrene, traditionally measured to gauge risk of developing cancer from exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), is a poor proxy for this type of cancer risk.

Blowing up medieval gunpowder recipes Posted: 22 Sep 2021 09:13 AM PDT First used for battle in China in about 900 A.D., gunpowder spread throughout Eurasia by the end of the 13th century, eventually revolutionizing warfare as a propellant in firearms and artillery. Meanwhile, master gunners tinkered with gunpowder formulas, trying to find the ideal concoction. Now, researchers have recreated medieval gunpowder recipes and analyzed the energies released during combustion, revealing that the evolution of the perfect powder was a slow, trial-and-error process.

Intermittent fasting can help manage metabolic disease Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:09 AM PDT Eating your daily calories within a consistent window of 8-10 hours is a powerful strategy to prevent and manage chronic diseases such as diabetes and heart disease, according to a new article.

Gigantic cavity in space sheds new light on how stars form Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:09 AM PDT Astronomers have discovered an enormous cavity in space while mapping interstellar dust. The sphere-shaped phenomenon may explain how supernovae lead to star formation.

Children’s dislike of cauliflower, broccoli could be written in their microbiome Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:09 AM PDT Many children, as well as adults, dislike Brassica vegetables, such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage and Brussels sprouts. In the mouth, enzymes from these vegetables and from bacteria in saliva can produce unpleasant, sulfurous odors. Now, researchers have found that levels of these volatile compounds are similar in parent-child pairs, suggesting shared oral microbiomes. They also found that high levels cause children to dislike the vegetables.

Color coding molecular mirror images Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:08 AM PDT Researchers report a new method for distinguishing between enantiomers, molecules that are mirror images of each other. The procedure, relevant for the pharmaceutical industry, involves the chemical reaction of target enantiomers with color indicator compounds consisting of one-handed helical polymers, leading to solutions showing different colors in specific solvents between the enantiomers.

Maritime rope could be adding billions of microplastics to the ocean every year Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:08 AM PDT A new study has explored the potential for rope to become a source of microplastic pollution in the marine environment.

Sonic hedgehog protein pathway stimulation could help Parkinson's patients Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:08 AM PDT Levodopa, or L-dopa, is considered the most effective treatment for Parkinson's disease today. After a few years of treatment, however, almost all patients develop a debilitating side-effect called L-dopa induced dyskinesia, or LID, which causes involuntary movements in the limbs, face, and torso. Deep brain stimulation can alleviate LID, but the procedure is highly invasive and not all patients are eligible.

Scientists ID sterol essential for oil accumulation in plants Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:08 AM PDT Scientists seeking to unravel the details of how plants produce and accumulate oil have identified a new essential component of the assembly line. They discovered a particular sterol -- a molecule related to cholesterol -- that plays a key role in the formation of oil droplets. The findings may suggest new ways to engineer the oil content of a variety of plant tissues for potential applications in bioenergy, chemical engineering, and nutrition.

Infants have more microplastics in their feces than adults Posted: 22 Sep 2021 06:08 AM PDT Microplastics -- tiny plastic pieces less than 5 mm in size -- are everywhere, from indoor dust to food to bottled water. So it's not surprising that scientists have detected these particles in the feces of people and pets. Now, in a small pilot study, researchers have discovered that infants have higher amounts of one type of microplastic in their stool than adults. Health effects, if any, are uncertain.

Hoverflies navigate using sun and body clock Posted: 21 Sep 2021 04:58 PM PDT Hoverflies use a combination of the sun and their body clock to navigate when they fly south for the winter, new research shows.

Predicting a riot: Social inequality leads to vandalism in experiments Posted: 21 Sep 2021 04:57 PM PDT Social inequality can incite collective violence in an experimental setting, finds a new study.

How proteins help yeast adapt to changing conditions Posted: 21 Sep 2021 03:51 PM PDT Proteins in the brain called prions are well known for their involvement in causing disease, but a new study suggests they may help yeast cope with rapidly changing environmental conditions.

Sticking to low-fat dairy may not be the only heart healthy option, study shows Posted: 21 Sep 2021 11:01 AM PDT New research amongst the world's biggest consumers of dairy foods has shown that those with higher intakes of dairy fat - measured by levels of fatty acids in the blood - had a lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those with low intakes. Higher intakes of dairy fat were not associated with an increased risk of death.

New guidelines to improve reporting standards of studies that investigate causal mechanisms Posted: 21 Sep 2021 09:51 AM PDT A new guideline has been developed to help scientists publish their research accurately and transparently. The AGReMA Statement (A Guideline for Reporting Mediation Analyses) provides recommendations for researchers who want to describe mediation analysis in their paper. Mediation analysis is primarily used to understand causation, ie how an intervention works or why it does not.

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