ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Researchers use artificial intelligence to predict which COVID-19 patients will need a ventilator to breathe
• Novel mechanism links genetic defect in IBD patients to gut leakiness
• Prior exposure to common cold coronaviruses enhances immune response to SARS-CoV-2
• Optimal lifting of COVID-19 restrictions would follow pace of vaccination, study suggests
• High incarceration rates fuel COVID-19 spread and undermine US public safety, study finds
• Scientists create a labor-saving automated method for studying electronic health records
• These geckos crash-land on rainforest trees but don't fall, thanks to their tails
• Researchers identify new source for earthquakes and tsunamis in the Greater Tokyo Region
• Brain-inspired memory device
• Less air pollution and more access to green or blue spaces: A recipe to improve the life quality of people with COPD
• Does our mind’s eye match real life? New study shows differences in how we perceive images
• Anatomy of the impact of a protostellar jet in the Orion Nebula
• Highly dynamic sex chromosomes in cichlid fishes
• Researchers discover test to predict which patients with rare blood disease will respond to only FDA-approved treatment, and identify alternative therapy
• COVID-19 cited in significant increase in healthcare-associated infections in 2020
• A simple T-cell test to show the full picture of body's immune response to COVID-19
• Less salt, more protein: Researchers address dairy processing's environmental, sustainability issues
• Deadlines may be effective in building support for climate change action
• Painful fractures: Large eggs push small hens to the breaking point, study finds
• Quantum emitters: Beyond crystal clear to single-photon pure
• Many of the fastest-evolving human genes linked to evolutionary changes in brain development
• Going up: Birds and mammals evolve faster if their home is rising
• TRACS set the stage in flatworm regeneration
• New evidence supports idea that America's first civilization was made up of 'sophisticated' engineers
• With time and without masks, COVID-19 vaccines wane in protection, study finds
• Decades after toxic exposure, 9/11 first responders may still lower their risk of lung injury
• Indigenous and local communities key to successful nature conservation
• New molecular device has unprecedented reconfigurability reminiscent of brain plasticity
• Machine learning tool detects the risk of genetic syndromes in children with diverse backgrounds
• Physicists find 'magnon' origins in 2D magnet
• Beyond dopamine: New reward circuitry discovered
• Having MS plus depression may be tied to increased risk of early death
• Nasal cartilage relieves osteoarthritis in the knee
• Long-lasting disinfectant promises to help fight pandemics
• Patterns of income and urbanization impact mammal biodiversity in the concrete jungle
• Immunotherapy for HPV+ head and neck cancer: Awakening the force within
• Immune cell betrayal explains why we become more susceptible to cold as we age

Researchers use artificial intelligence to predict which COVID-19 patients will need a ventilator to breathe Posted: 02 Sep 2021 02:48 PM PDT Researchers have developed an online tool to help medical staff quickly determine which COVID-19 patients will need help breathing with a ventilator. The tool, developed through analysis of CT scans from nearly 900 COVID-19 patients diagnosed in 2020, was able to predict ventilator need with 84 percent accuracy.

Novel mechanism links genetic defect in IBD patients to gut leakiness Posted: 02 Sep 2021 02:48 PM PDT A team of researchers has identified a novel mechanism by which loss-of-function mutations in the gene PTPN2, found in many patients with inflammatory bowel disease, or IBD, affect how intestinal epithelial cells maintain a barrier.

Prior exposure to common cold coronaviruses enhances immune response to SARS-CoV-2 Posted: 02 Sep 2021 02:47 PM PDT Researchers have shown that certain immune cells, which are found in people previously exposed to common cold coronaviruses, enhance the body's immune response to SARS-CoV-2, both during natural infection and following vaccination. The researchers also report that this 'cross-reactive immunity' decreases with age. This phenomenon may help to explain why older people are more susceptible to severe disease and why their vaccine-induced immunity is often weaker than that of young people.

Optimal lifting of COVID-19 restrictions would follow pace of vaccination, study suggests Posted: 02 Sep 2021 02:47 PM PDT A new analysis suggests that, in order to boost freedoms and protect against overwhelming new waves of COVID-19, the pace at which restrictions to reduce spread are lifted must be directly tied to the pace of vaccination.

High incarceration rates fuel COVID-19 spread and undermine US public safety, study finds Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:51 AM PDT U.S. jails function as 'infectious disease incubators' for surrounding communities, as high rates of viral transmission cause COVID-19 cases to multiply and 'boomerang' back to communities. A new national study shows that reducing jail populations, mask mandates, school closures and nursing home restrictions are the most important government policies for reducing COVID-19 spread.

Scientists create a labor-saving automated method for studying electronic health records Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:51 AM PDT A new, automated, artificial intelligence-based algorithm can learn to read patient data from electronic health records. In a side-by-side comparison, scientists showed that their method accurately identified patients with certain diseases as well as the traditional, 'gold-standard' method, which requires much more manual labor to develop and perform.

These geckos crash-land on rainforest trees but don't fall, thanks to their tails Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:51 AM PDT Many arboreal lizards leap and glide from tree to tree, but what if they can't glide to a gentle, four-point landing? Researchers documented many such leaps of the common house gecko, and found that they often hit trees headfirst and rebounded violently. Their recovery strategy -- grab on with the back feet and leverage their tail to prevent falling. The team created a soft robot with reactive tail that could replicate this previously unknown fall-arresting behavior.

Researchers identify new source for earthquakes and tsunamis in the Greater Tokyo Region Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:51 AM PDT Researchers have discovered geologic evidence that unusually large earthquakes and tsunamis from the Tokyo region -- located near tectonic plate boundaries that are recognized as a seismic hazard source -- may be traceable to a previously unconsidered plate boundary.

Brain-inspired memory device Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:50 AM PDT Many electronic devices today are dependent on semiconductor logic circuits based on switches hard-wired to perform predefined logic functions. Physicists have developed a novel molecular memristor, or an electronic memory device, that has exceptional memory reconfigurability.

Less air pollution and more access to green or blue spaces: A recipe to improve the life quality of people with COPD Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:50 AM PDT A new study evaluates the association between a series of environmental factors and disease effects in over 400 patients.

Does our mind’s eye match real life? New study shows differences in how we perceive images Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:50 AM PDT A new study investigated how we visualize things that we have already seen, discovering that many adults are resistant to imagining their own vision as if it were a flat image -- seeing it in its fully processed, knowledge-laden form instead.

Anatomy of the impact of a protostellar jet in the Orion Nebula Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:50 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered the physical and chemical effects of the impact of a protostellar jet in the interior of the Orion Nebula. The observations show evidence of compression and heating produced by the shock front, and the destruction of dust grains, which cause a dramatic increase in the gas phase abundance of the atoms of iron, nickel, and other heavy elements in the Orion Nebula.

Highly dynamic sex chromosomes in cichlid fishes Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT The cichlids of Lake Tanganyika in Africa are highly diverse -- including with regard to sex chromosomes. These have changed extremely frequently in the course of the evolution of these fish and, depending on the species, can be of the type XY or ZW.

Researchers discover test to predict which patients with rare blood disease will respond to only FDA-approved treatment, and identify alternative therapy Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT New research has uncovered a precision medicine test using blood proteins to identify a novel patient subgroup of idiopathic multicentric Castleman disease (iMCD), a rare blood disorder, who are more likely to respond to siltuximab, the only FDA approved treatment for the disease. Prior research suggests that half of patients do not respond to the monoclonal antibody treatment, siltuximab. For those patients, rapid administration of other treatments is needed to prevent deterioration, so understanding who is likely to benefit is critical. This study also revealed that an existing drug approach, Janus kinase (JAK) inhibitors, which are already approved for treating certain cancers and rheumatoid arthritis, are a promising alternative treatment option for patients who do not respond to siltuximab. The study, is the largest to date for iMCD.

COVID-19 cited in significant increase in healthcare-associated infections in 2020 Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT After years of steady reductions in healthcare-associated infections, significantly higher rates of four out of six routinely tracked infections were observed in U.S. hospitals, according to a new analysis. Increases were attributed to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic, including more and sicker patients requiring more frequent and longer use of catheters and ventilators as well as staffing and supply challenges.

A simple T-cell test to show the full picture of body's immune response to COVID-19 Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT A new method enables scientists to simply and rapidly assess T-cell immune responses in people vaccinated against or recovering from COVID-19, and verify vaccine effectiveness.

Less salt, more protein: Researchers address dairy processing's environmental, sustainability issues Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT Researchers say the high salt content of whey -- the watery part of milk left behind after cheesemaking -- helps make it one of the most polluting byproducts in the food processing industry. In a new study, chemists demonstrate the first electrochemical redox desalination process used in the food industry, removing and recycling up to 99% of excess salt from whey while simultaneously refining more than 98% of whey's valuable protein content.

Deadlines may be effective in building support for climate change action Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT Human-caused climate change -- including increased extreme weather and climate events -- is here, according to the UN IPCC 2021 report, but the best way to communicate the concern is still debated. Deadline messaging has been criticized as causing people to feel hopelessness, despair and disengagement. However, a new study finds that this deadline messaging may be effective after all.

Painful fractures: Large eggs push small hens to the breaking point, study finds Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT The majority of laying hens in Denmark suffer from keel bone fractures, a new study reveals. The fractures appear to be the result of disproportionately large eggs, which push the hen's body to the breaking point.

Quantum emitters: Beyond crystal clear to single-photon pure Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT A research team has developed a technique that can isolate the desired quality emitter by reducing the noise surrounding the target with what they have dubbed a 'nanoscale focus pinspot.'

Many of the fastest-evolving human genes linked to evolutionary changes in brain development Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT More than 3,000 regions in the human genome are very different in people from in any other mammals, including our closest primate relatives. Now, a study has evidence to confirm that nearly half of these so-called human accelerated regions (HARs) have played an important role in rewriting the course of human brain development, offering important insight into the genetic basis of human evolution.

Going up: Birds and mammals evolve faster if their home is rising Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT The rise and fall of Earth's land surface over the last three million years shaped the evolution of birds and mammals, a new study has found, with new species evolving at higher rates where the land has risen most.

TRACS set the stage in flatworm regeneration Posted: 02 Sep 2021 09:49 AM PDT A new study show that whole-body regeneration involves transcriptional changes in cells from all three germ layers (muscle, epidermis, and intestine) of the body, and that tissue from areas distant from, as well as nearby to the site of injury, contribute to the process of regeneration.

New evidence supports idea that America's first civilization was made up of 'sophisticated' engineers Posted: 02 Sep 2021 07:11 AM PDT New evidence discovered at Poverty Point in northern Louisiana by anthropologists challenges previous beliefs about how pre-modern hunter-gatherers behaved.

With time and without masks, COVID-19 vaccines wane in protection, study finds Posted: 02 Sep 2021 07:11 AM PDT A study of highly vaccinated health workers found that the more contagious delta variant, combined with the masking mandate end, was associated with increased breakthrough cases, paralleling exponential rise of COVID-19 infections in the San Diego community.

Decades after toxic exposure, 9/11 first responders may still lower their risk of lung injury Posted: 02 Sep 2021 07:11 AM PDT A new study shows that losing weight and treating excess levels of fat in the blood may help prevent lung disease in those exposed to dangerous levels of fine particles from fire, smoke and toxic chemicals.

Indigenous and local communities key to successful nature conservation Posted: 01 Sep 2021 04:14 PM PDT New research finds that Indigenous Peoples and local communities provide the best long-term outcomes for conservation. The research team studied the outcomes of 169 conservation projects around the world -- primarily across Africa, Asia and Latin America.

New molecular device has unprecedented reconfigurability reminiscent of brain plasticity Posted: 01 Sep 2021 04:14 PM PDT Researchers describe a novel molecular device with exceptional computing prowess. Reminiscent of the plasticity of connections in the human brain, the device can be reconfigured on the fly for different computational tasks by simply changing applied voltages. Furthermore, like nerve cells can store memories, the same device can also retain information for future retrieval and processing.

Machine learning tool detects the risk of genetic syndromes in children with diverse backgrounds Posted: 01 Sep 2021 04:14 PM PDT With an average accuracy of 88%, a deep learning technology offers rapid genetic screening that could accelerate the diagnosis of genetic syndromes, recommending further investigation or referral to a specialist in seconds, according to a new study. Trained with data from 2,800 pediatric patients from 28 countries, the technology also considers the face variability related to sex, age, racial and ethnic background.

Physicists find 'magnon' origins in 2D magnet Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:11 PM PDT Physicists have confirmed the topological origins of magnons, magnetic features they discovered three years ago in a 2D material that could prove useful for spintronics.

Beyond dopamine: New reward circuitry discovered Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:11 PM PDT The key to overcoming addictions and psychiatric disorders lives deep inside the netherworld of our brains and the circuitry that causes us to feel good. Just like space, this region of the brain needs more exploration. Researchers have now pushed the science forward on our reward pathways and found there is another pathway beyond dopamine.

Having MS plus depression may be tied to increased risk of early death Posted: 01 Sep 2021 01:10 PM PDT Depression is common in people with multiple sclerosis (MS), and a new study shows that people with both conditions may be more likely to die over the next decade than people with just one or neither condition. The study also found that people with MS and depression have an increased risk of developing vascular disease such as heart attack and stroke.

Nasal cartilage relieves osteoarthritis in the knee Posted: 01 Sep 2021 11:27 AM PDT Cartilage cells from the nasal septum can not only help repair cartilage injuries in the knee -- according to researchers, they can also withstand the chronic inflammatory tissue environment in osteoarthritis and even counteract the inflammation.

Long-lasting disinfectant promises to help fight pandemics Posted: 01 Sep 2021 11:27 AM PDT Researchers have developed a nanoparticle-based disinfectant that can continuously kill viruses on a surface for up to seven days -- a discovery that could be a powerful weapon against COVID-19 and other emerging pathogenic viruses.

Patterns of income and urbanization impact mammal biodiversity in the concrete jungle Posted: 01 Sep 2021 09:40 AM PDT New research suggests that while there is an association between income and diversity of medium to large mammals, another factor is stronger: 'urban intensity', or the degree to which wild lands have been converted to densely-populated, paved-over grey cities.

Immunotherapy for HPV+ head and neck cancer: Awakening the force within Posted: 01 Sep 2021 08:37 AM PDT The immune cells that are the major targets of immune checkpoint inhibitors (stem-like PD-1+ CD8 T cells) are present in HPV+ tumors from head and neck cancer patients, according to a new study. The results have implications for how immunotherapy could be used to treat this type of head and neck cancer.

Immune cell betrayal explains why we become more susceptible to cold as we age Posted: 01 Sep 2021 08:37 AM PDT With age, people become more susceptible to cold as well as inflammation and metabolic problems which can lead to a host of chronic diseases. Researchers have found one culprit in this process -- the same immune cells within fat that are designed to protect us from cold temperatures.

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