ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Researchers discover unknown childhood genetic condition and its potential cure
• ECMO life support offers sickest COVID-19 patients a chance to survive, but a slimmer one than once thought
• European fishing communities face their own specific climate risks
• Wiggling worms suggest link between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's
• How sepsis need not be fatal
• New tool predicts changes that may make COVID variants more infectious
• Expanding the genetic code with quadruplet codons
• What are ideal blood sugar levels for preventing repeat strokes, heart attacks?
• Stress of COVID-19 pandemic caused irregular menstrual cycles, study found
• Extending LIGO's reach into the cosmos
• Glioma subtype may hold the secret to the success of immunotherapies
• Correlated electrons ‘tango’ in a perovskite oxide at the extreme quantum limit
• Team rewires a behavioral circuit in the worm using hydra parts
• Clover growth in Mars-like soils boosted by bacterial symbiosis
• Exoskeleton research demonstrates the importance of training
• Strikingly simple means of diagnosing ecosystem health uncovered
• Strict lineage tracing crucial to nerve cell regeneration research
• Weight or energy: ACL recovery results and implications for returning to sport
• How mercury gets into the sea
• Understanding hearing loss from noise damage through gene expression changes
• Mars’ surface shaped by fast and furious floods from overflowing craters
• Back pain: Psychological treatment shown to yield strong, lasting pain relief, alter brain networks
• 'Is that a bacon sandwich?' Fruit flies react to smells while asleep
• Human behavior sabotages CO2-reducing strategies
• Quantum dots enable infrared lasing at room temperature in silicon photonics
• Researchers use classical music to make protein songs more pleasant to listen to
• Study identifies protein important for motor coordination and exercise performance
• Hippocampus is the brain’s storyteller
• Researchers identify and clear efficiency hurdle for organic solar cells
• Study shows fragile X treatment can incur resistance, suggests ways around it
• Scientists find vital link to identify people at risk of aneurysms
• Entire genome of Eurasian spruce bark beetle now revealed
• Photonic chip is key to 'nurturing' quantum computers
• Robust gene networks from the depths of our evolutionary history
• When to break from the herd to make a better decision
• From recycling to upcycling: A smarter way of dealing with plastic
• An algorithm to predict psychotic illnesses
• Investigating the potential for life around the galaxy’s smallest stars
• Science backs nature as key to children’s health
• EMS ketamine use on agitated patients on cocaine increases intubation 5.75-fold, study finds
• Two new species of large predatory dinosaur discovered on Isle of Wight, UK
• Zebrafish anticipate the future to avoid virtual danger
• AI-driven dynamic face mask adapts to exercise, pollution levels
• Great apes' consonant and vowel-like sounds travel over distance without losing meaning
• Zeroing in on the origins of Earth’s 'single most important evolutionary innovation'
• How high-fat diets allow cancer cells to go unnoticed
• Life expectancy gap between black and white Americans closes nearly 50 percent in 30 years
• Cruise ships must be effectively regulated to minimize serious environment and health impact
• Birds' eye size offers clues to coevolutionary arms race between brood parasites, hosts
• Study suggests R rate for tracking pandemic should be dropped in favour of 'nowcasts'
• Soft pressure sensor breakthrough solves field's most challenging bottleneck
• Signs of ecosystem collapse in significant PNG wetland

Researchers discover unknown childhood genetic condition and its potential cure Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:22 PM PDT International group of researchers identify new childhood genetic condition and a potential cure that can be delivered during pregnancy.

ECMO life support offers sickest COVID-19 patients a chance to survive, but a slimmer one than once thought Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:21 PM PDT The life-support system called ECMO can rescue COVID-19 patients from the brink of death, but not at the rates seen early in the pandemic, a new study finds. Where once about 60 percent of such patients survived at least 90 days in spring 2020, by the end of the year it was just under half.

European fishing communities face their own specific climate risks Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:38 PM PDT Of all European fisheries and coastal communities, the ones in the UK and the Eastern Mediterranean have the highest risk of being affected by climate change. To reduce climate risks, researchers are advising regional policy makers to focus on sustainable and diverse fisheries management.

Wiggling worms suggest link between vitamin B12 and Alzheimer's Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:38 PM PDT Worms lose their wiggle when they get Alzheimer's disease, but researchers found that worms fed a diet of E. coli with higher levels of vitamin B12 were given a layer of protection from the dreaded degenerative brain disease.

How sepsis need not be fatal Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:38 PM PDT Researchers have identified molecular biomarkers, pathways and immune cell dynamics associated with sepsis that could be therapeutically targeted to prevent the condition from leading to death.

New tool predicts changes that may make COVID variants more infectious Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:38 PM PDT Researchers have created a novel framework that can predict with reasonable accuracy the amino-acid changes in the virus' spike protein that may improve its binding to human cells and confer increased infectivity to the virus. The tool could enable the computational surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 and provide advance warning of potentially dangerous variants with an even higher binding affinity potential. This can aid in the early implementation of public health measures to prevent the virus's spread and perhaps even may inform vaccine booster formulations.

Expanding the genetic code with quadruplet codons Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:37 PM PDT Cells working with an expanded genetic code could make more diverse medicines. A new study shows scientists are within striking distance.

What are ideal blood sugar levels for preventing repeat strokes, heart attacks? Posted: 29 Sep 2021 01:01 PM PDT Blood sugar control has always been important for people with diabetes when it comes to preventing a stroke. But a new study finds for people with diabetes who have a stroke, there may be an ideal target blood sugar range to lower the risk of different types of vascular diseases like a stroke or heart attack later on.

Stress of COVID-19 pandemic caused irregular menstrual cycles, study found Posted: 29 Sep 2021 12:57 PM PDT Women and people who menstruate experienced irregularities in their menstrual cycle because of increased stress during the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study has found.

Extending LIGO's reach into the cosmos Posted: 29 Sep 2021 12:57 PM PDT New mirror coatings will increase the volume of space LIGO can probe in its next run.

Glioma subtype may hold the secret to the success of immunotherapies Posted: 29 Sep 2021 12:42 PM PDT A common mutation in gliomas sensitizes them to immunotherapy, a finding which researchers believe could have broader therapeutic implications for all glioma patients.

Correlated electrons ‘tango’ in a perovskite oxide at the extreme quantum limit Posted: 29 Sep 2021 12:41 PM PDT Scientists have found a rare quantum material in which electrons move in coordinated ways, essentially 'dancing.' Straining the material creates an electronic band structure that sets the stage for exotic, more tightly correlated behavior -- akin to tangoing -- among Dirac electrons, which are especially mobile electric charge carriers that may someday enable faster transistors.

Team rewires a behavioral circuit in the worm using hydra parts Posted: 29 Sep 2021 11:28 AM PDT New research highlights the development of HySyn, a system designed to synthetically reconnect neural circuits using neuropeptides from Hydra, a small, freshwater organism, into the model organism C. elegans.

Clover growth in Mars-like soils boosted by bacterial symbiosis Posted: 29 Sep 2021 11:28 AM PDT Clover plants grown in Mars-like soils experience significantly more growth when inoculated with symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria than when left uninoculated, researchers report.

Exoskeleton research demonstrates the importance of training Posted: 29 Sep 2021 11:27 AM PDT New research shows that the benefits people could reap from exoskeletons rely heavily on having time to train with the device.

Strikingly simple means of diagnosing ecosystem health uncovered Posted: 29 Sep 2021 11:27 AM PDT Scientists say the health of a terrestrial ecosystem can be largely determined by three variables: vegetations' ability to uptake carbon, its efficiency in using carbon and its efficiency in using water.

Strict lineage tracing crucial to nerve cell regeneration research Posted: 29 Sep 2021 09:58 AM PDT Stem cell scientists find that stringent lineage tracing is crucial for studies of nerve cell regeneration.

Weight or energy: ACL recovery results and implications for returning to sport Posted: 29 Sep 2021 09:58 AM PDT Scientists discovered the importance of factoring both weight and jump height into the tests that are used to clear athletes to resume physical activity following an ACL injury.

How mercury gets into the sea Posted: 29 Sep 2021 09:43 AM PDT Mercury released into the atmosphere by industry enters the sea and from there makes its way into the food chain. Now, an analysis by the University of Basel has revealed how the harmful substance enters seawater in the first place. This is not primarily via rainfall, as previously assumed, but rather also involves gas exchange. Measures to reduce mercury emissions could therefore take effect faster than previously thought.

Understanding hearing loss from noise damage through gene expression changes Posted: 29 Sep 2021 09:43 AM PDT A team led by researchers has published an online interactive atlas representing the changes in the levels of RNA made in the different cell types of ears of mice, after damage due to loud noise. From this analysis, the research teams identified a handful of drug candidates that may be able to prevent or treat the damage, and ultimately preserve hearing.

Mars’ surface shaped by fast and furious floods from overflowing craters Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT On Earth, river erosion is usually a slow-going process. But on Mars, massive floods from overflowing crater lakes had an outsized role in shaping the Martian surface, carving deep chasms and moving vast amounts of sediment, according to a new study.

Back pain: Psychological treatment shown to yield strong, lasting pain relief, alter brain networks Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT A study of chronic back pain patients finds that more than two-thirds of those who underwent a novel, 4-week psychological treatment were pain-free or nearly pain-free afterward. Those in the treatment group also saw brain regions involved in pain processing quiet. For many, the benefits lasted at least one year.

'Is that a bacon sandwich?' Fruit flies react to smells while asleep Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT Researchers have tracked flies' ability to interpret information while asleep, showing which parts of the brain remain 'awake'.

Human behavior sabotages CO2-reducing strategies Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT To slow down climate change, societies tend to focus on two solutions for reducing greenhouse gas emissions: improving energy efficiency and developing and using renewable energy sources. A new study compared every U.S. state's CO2 emissions with their investment in the two solutions from 2009 to 2016. The authors found no statistically significant difference between energy efficiency improvement and renewable energy development -- both resulted in some reductions in CO2 emissions when considering all societal sectors, although renewable energy investment was slightly more impactful.

Quantum dots enable infrared lasing at room temperature in silicon photonics Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT Researchers report on having achieved a solution-processed infrared laser at room temperature compatible with CMOS technology and tunable to emit in the telecommunications window.

Researchers use classical music to make protein songs more pleasant to listen to Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT In recent years, scientists have created music based on the structure of proteins as a creative way to better popularize science to the general public, but the resulting songs haven't always been pleasant to the ear. In a new study, researchers use the style of existing music genres to guide the structure of protein song to make it more musical.

Study identifies protein important for motor coordination and exercise performance Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT Researchers have identified a protein that improves muscular metabolism, motor coordination and exercise performance in mice. The findings could be of therapeutic value for patients with muscle and neurological diseases, such as ALS.

Hippocampus is the brain’s storyteller Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT A new brain imaging study shows that the hippocampus is the brain's storyteller, connecting separate, distant events into a single narrative.

Researchers identify and clear efficiency hurdle for organic solar cells Posted: 29 Sep 2021 08:28 AM PDT Researchers have identified a key mechanism responsible for the lower efficiencies of organic solar cells and shown a way that this hurdle might be overcome.

Study shows fragile X treatment can incur resistance, suggests ways around it Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:19 AM PDT While the brain acquires resistance to continuous treatment with mGluR5 inhibitor drugs, lasting effects may still arise if dosing occurs intermittently and during a developmental critical period, a new study finds.

Scientists find vital link to identify people at risk of aneurysms Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:19 AM PDT A new study has measured a link between variations in size of the brain's arteries and the likelihood of a cerebral aneurysm, providing scientists with a new screening tool to monitor people at risk.

Entire genome of Eurasian spruce bark beetle now revealed Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:18 AM PDT Researchers have successfully mapped the entire genome of the Eurasian spruce bark beetle. The breakthrough paves the way for new research into bark beetles and better prospects for effective pest control of a species that can destroy more than 100 million cubic meters of spruce forest during a single year in Europe and Asia.

Photonic chip is key to 'nurturing' quantum computers Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:18 AM PDT Quantum computers are gaining pace. They promise to provide exponentially more computing power for certain very tricky problems. They do this by exploiting the peculiar behaviour of quantum particles, such as photons of light. A team has now shown how to protect qubits from errors using photons in a silicon chip.

Robust gene networks from the depths of our evolutionary history Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:18 AM PDT A sophisticated system guides the development of our limbs. Researchers have shed new light on the genetic toolkit used during evolution to create a range of different extremities such as fins, wings, hooves, toes and fingers.

When to break from the herd to make a better decision Posted: 29 Sep 2021 07:18 AM PDT People learn valuable information from how long others hesitate before making their decisions, a new study suggests.

From recycling to upcycling: A smarter way of dealing with plastic Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:42 AM PDT Researchers have developed a clean and cost-effective way to upcycle used plastic, transforming it into valuable nanomaterials and high-quality fuel.

An algorithm to predict psychotic illnesses Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:26 AM PDT Researchers have used the method of longitudinal network analysis applied to children, in order to detect the symptoms that herald the development of psychotic illness in the future.

Investigating the potential for life around the galaxy’s smallest stars Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:26 AM PDT When the world's most powerful telescope launches into space this year, scientists will learn whether Earth-sized planets in our 'solar neighborhood' have a key prerequisite for life -- an atmosphere.

Science backs nature as key to children’s health Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:26 AM PDT The presence of greenspaces near homes and schools is strongly associated with improved physical activity and mental health outcomes in kids, according to a massive review of data from nearly 300 studies.

EMS ketamine use on agitated patients on cocaine increases intubation 5.75-fold, study finds Posted: 29 Sep 2021 06:26 AM PDT Patients with excited delirium often are administered ketamine by EMS before arriving at the hospital. Many of them are intoxicated or are using illicit substances, which may alter the properties of ketamine. A study explored if patients who received prehospital ketamine with concomitant substance intoxication have higher rates of subsequent intubation in the ER compared to those without confirmed substance usage. Among the results, cocaine intoxication had a statistically significant 5.75-fold increased rate of intubation.

Two new species of large predatory dinosaur discovered on Isle of Wight, UK Posted: 29 Sep 2021 05:03 AM PDT Bones found on the Isle of Wight likely belong to two new species of spinosaurid, a group of predatory theropod dinosaurs closely related to the giant Spinosaurus. Their unusual, crocodile-like skulls helped the group expand their diets, allowing them hunt prey on both land and in the water.

Zebrafish anticipate the future to avoid virtual danger Posted: 29 Sep 2021 05:03 AM PDT Scientists have discovered particular neurons in the brain that monitor whether predictions made by fish actually come true. By making use of a new virtual reality-outfitted aquarium where brain imaging of zebrafish can be done as they learn and navigate through virtual reality cues, researchers found neurons that allow efficient risk avoidance.

AI-driven dynamic face mask adapts to exercise, pollution levels Posted: 29 Sep 2021 05:02 AM PDT Researchers have developed a dynamic respirator that modulates its pore size in response to changing conditions, such as exercise or air pollution levels, allowing the wearer to breathe easier when the highest levels of filtration are not required.

Great apes' consonant and vowel-like sounds travel over distance without losing meaning Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT Scientists have shown that orangutan call signals believed to be closest to the precursors to human language, travel through forest over long distances without losing their meaning. This throws into question the accepted mathematical model on the evolution of human speech.

Zeroing in on the origins of Earth’s 'single most important evolutionary innovation' Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT Scientists estimate that oxygenic photosynthesis -- the ability to turn light and water into energy, releasing oxygen -- first evolved on Earth between 3.4 and 2.9 billion years ago.

How high-fat diets allow cancer cells to go unnoticed Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT The immune system relies on cell surface tags to recognize cancer cells. Researchers discovered mice who ate high-fat diets produced less of these tags on their intestinal cells, suppressing the ability of immune cells to identify and eliminate intestinal tumors. The high-fat diet also reduced the presence of certain bacteria in the mice's gut, which normally helps maintain the production of these tags.

Life expectancy gap between black and white Americans closes nearly 50 percent in 30 years Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT Persistent gaps in life expectancy between Black and white Americans have been highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, this gap has narrowed by nearly 50 percent in three decades, largely due to improvements among Black Americans, according to a new study.

Cruise ships must be effectively regulated to minimize serious environment and health impact Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT The cruise ship industry should be subject to global monitoring and effective legislation because of its continuous increasing impact on both the environment and human health and wellbeing, according to new research. The review finds that cruising is a major source of environmental pollution and degradation, with air, water, soil, fragile habitats and areas and wildlife affected.

Birds' eye size offers clues to coevolutionary arms race between brood parasites, hosts Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:38 PM PDT Eye size likely plays a role in the contest between avian brood parasites -- birds that lay their eggs in the nests of other species -- and their hosts, who sometimes detect the foreign eggs and eject or abandon them, scientists report.

Study suggests R rate for tracking pandemic should be dropped in favour of 'nowcasts' Posted: 28 Sep 2021 04:37 PM PDT When the COVID-19 pandemic emerged in 2020, the R rate became well-known shorthand for the reproduction of the disease. Yet a new study suggests it's time for 'A Farewell to R' in favour of a different approach based on the growth rate of infection rather than contagiousness.

Soft pressure sensor breakthrough solves field's most challenging bottleneck Posted: 28 Sep 2021 02:19 PM PDT Researchers solved one of the biggest problems with existing wearable pressure sensors: even the slightest amount of pressure, something as light as a tight long sleeve shirt over a sensor, can throw them off track -- and they did it by innovating a first-ever hybrid sensing approach that allows the device to possess properties of the two predominant types of sensors in use today.

Signs of ecosystem collapse in significant PNG wetland Posted: 28 Sep 2021 12:51 PM PDT A new study has identified warning signs of ecosystem collapse at a wetland of international significance in Papua New Guinea.

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