ScienceDaily: Latest Science News

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• Ecologists sound alarm on plastic pollution
• A scientific first: How psychedelics bind to key brain cell receptor
• Scientists discover what happens in our brains when we make educated guesses
• Curve at tip of shoes eases movement but may lead to weaker muscles, problems
• Hubble captures crisp new portrait of Jupiter's storms
• Curbing land clearing for food production is vital to reverse biodiversity declines
• Venus' ancient layered, folded rocks point to volcanic origin
• Emissions could add 15 inches to 2100 sea level rise
• How much will polar ice sheets add to sea level rise?
• Understanding the movement patterns of free-swimming marine snails
• Could breadfruit be the next superfood? Researchers say yes
• New calculation refines comparison of matter with antimatter
• Higher dementia risk in women with prolonged fertility
• Time-restricted feeding improves health without altering the body's core clock
• Formation of the Alps: Detaching and uplifting, not bulldozing
• Engineered bacteria churn out cancer biomarkers
• New cause of syndromic microcephaly identified
• Plant nutrient delivery breakthrough
• Sturdy fabric-based piezoelectric energy harvester takes us one step closer to wearable electronics
• Climate change threatens Komodo dragons
• Saharan dust reaching Amazon quantified
• Why the dose matters: Study shows levels and anti-tumor effectiveness of a common drug vary widely
• Sea ice triggered the Little Ice Age
• Secret of plant dietary fiber structure revealed
• 0.5°C of additional warming has a huge effect on global aridity
• Research shows potential of gene editing in barley
• 'Floating' graphene on a bed of calcium atoms
• New estimates for the rise in sea levels due to ice sheet mass loss under climate change
• Potential target identified for migraine therapy
• Mathematical modelling to prevent fistulas
• Metformin for type 2 diabetes patients or not? Researchers now have the answer
• Climate change impacts astronomical observations
• Discovery of microbes with mixed membranes sheds new light on early evolution of life
• Ocean acidification puts deep-sea coral reefs at risk of collapse
• Self-imaging of a molecule by its own electrons
• Smoking linked to bleeding in the brain in large, long-term study of twins
• Improving the efficacy of cellular therapies
• Live imaging method brings structural information to mapping of brain function
• Children who take steroids at increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clots
• Researchers 3D print tiny multicolor microstructures
• Effective pathway to convert CO2 into ethylene
• Typhoid: Study confirms Vi-DT conjugate vaccine is safe and immunogenic in children 6-23 months
• The key to happiness: Friends or family?
• New smart drug delivery system may help treatment for neurological disorders
• Turbulence affects aerosols and cloud formation
• World's smallest ultrasound detector created
• The persistence of plastic
• Medical robotic hand? Rubbery semiconductor makes it possible
• New gene implicated in neuron diseases
• Discoveries made in how immune system detects hidden intruders
• New data processing module makes deep neural networks smarter
• New photoactivation mechanism for polymer production
• Reforestation can only partially restore tropical soils
• Tortoise hatchlings are attracted to faces from birth
• A ferry protein in the pancreas protects it from the stress induced by a high-fat diet

Ecologists sound alarm on plastic pollution Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:13 PM PDT Ecologists examining plastic pollution entering oceans, rivers and lakes around the world annually, outline potential impacts of various mitigation strategies over the coming decade. The researchers estimate the scale of human response needed to reduce future emissions and manage what's already floating around out there and recommend a fundamental shift to a framework based on recycling where end-of-life plastic products are valued rather than becoming waste.

A scientific first: How psychedelics bind to key brain cell receptor Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:12 PM PDT For the first time, scientists solved the high-resolution structure of these compounds when they are actively bound to the 5-HT2A serotonin receptor on the surface of brain cells. This discovery is already leading to the exploration of more precise compounds that could eliminate hallucinations but still have strong therapeutic effects. Psilocybin - the psychedelic compound in mushrooms - has already been granted breakthrough status by the FDA to treat depression.

Scientists discover what happens in our brains when we make educated guesses Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:12 PM PDT Researchers have identified how cells in our brains work together to join up memories of separate experiences, allowing us to make educated guesses in everyday life. By studying both human and mouse brain activity, they report that this process happens in a region of the brain called the hippocampus.

Curve at tip of shoes eases movement but may lead to weaker muscles, problems Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:12 PM PDT The scientists found that the more curved a toe spring is, the less power the foot inside the shoe has to exert when pushing off from the ground while walking. That means foot muscles are doing less work, and this, the researchers hypothesize, may have consequences such as less endurance and make people more susceptible to medical conditions like plantar fasciitis.

Hubble captures crisp new portrait of Jupiter's storms Posted: 17 Sep 2020 03:04 PM PDT Hubble's sharp view is giving researchers an updated weather report on the monster planet's turbulent atmosphere, including a remarkable new storm brewing, and a cousin of the famous Great Red Spot region gearing up to change color -- again.

Curbing land clearing for food production is vital to reverse biodiversity declines Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT Preserving terrestrial biodiversity requires more ambitious land-conservation targets to be established and met. At the same time, 'bending the curve' on biodiversity loss needs more efficient food production, and healthier and less wasteful consumption and trade. If undertaken with 'unprecedented ambition and coordination,' these efforts provide an opportunity to reverse terrestrial biodiversity loss by 2050.

Venus' ancient layered, folded rocks point to volcanic origin Posted: 17 Sep 2020 10:55 AM PDT Researchers has found that some of the oldest terrain on Venus, known as tesserae, have layering that seems consistent with volcanic activity. The finding could provide insights into the enigmatic planet's geological history.

Emissions could add 15 inches to 2100 sea level rise Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:28 AM PDT An international effort that brought together more than 60 ice, ocean and atmosphere scientists from three dozen international institutions has generated new estimates of how much of an impact Earth's melting ice sheets.

How much will polar ice sheets add to sea level rise? Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:28 AM PDT Over 99% of terrestrial ice is bound up in the ice sheets covering Antarctic and Greenland. Even partial melting of this ice due to climate change will significantly contribute to sea level rise. But how much exactly? For the first time ever, glaciologists, oceanographers, and climatologists from 13 countries have teamed up to make new projections.

Understanding the movement patterns of free-swimming marine snails Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:28 AM PDT New research looks at the swimming and sinking kinematics of nine species of warm water pteropods (sea snails) to shed light on their ecology, predator-prey interactions, and vertical distributions. By using a high-speed stereophotogrammetry system, investigators were able to focus on how the shell shape, body geometry, and body size affect their swimming behavior from a fluid mechanics perspective, while image analysis and metabarcoding related swimming behaviors to night time and daytime vertical distributions.

Could breadfruit be the next superfood? Researchers say yes Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:28 AM PDT A fruit used for centuries in countries around the world is getting the nutritional thumbs-up from a team of researchers. Breadfruit, which grows in abundance in tropical and South Pacific countries, has long been a staple in the diet of many people. The fruit can be eaten when ripe, or it can be dried and ground up into a flour and repurposed into many types of meals.

New calculation refines comparison of matter with antimatter Posted: 17 Sep 2020 09:28 AM PDT An international collaboration of theoretical physicists has published a new calculation relevant to the search for an explanation of the predominance of matter over antimatter in our universe. The new calculation gives a more accurate prediction for the likelihood with which kaons decay into a pair of electrically charged pions vs. a pair of neutral pions.

Higher dementia risk in women with prolonged fertility Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT Women with a longer reproductive period had an elevated risk for dementia in old age, compared with those who were fertile for a shorter period, a population-based study.

Time-restricted feeding improves health without altering the body's core clock Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT For the first time, scientists have studied the early effects of time-restricted feeding on the daily periodic oscillations of metabolites and genes in muscle, and metabolites in blood. The findings find that time-restricted feeding does not influence the muscle's core clock, and opens the door to more research on how these observed changes improve health.

Formation of the Alps: Detaching and uplifting, not bulldozing Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT Researchers have used a computer model to test a new hypothesis about the formation of the Alps while simulating seismic activity in Switzerland. This will help improve current earthquake risk models.

Engineered bacteria churn out cancer biomarkers Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT Pity the glycan. A lab has created these very tools by commandeering simple, single-celled microorganisms - namely E. coli bacteria - and engineering them to explore the complex process of glycosylation and the functional role that protein-linked glycans play in health and disease.

New cause of syndromic microcephaly identified Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT A team of international collaborators identifies a new cause of syndromic microcephaly caused by LMNB1 mutations that disrupt the nuclear envelope.

Plant nutrient delivery breakthrough Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT The collaboration revealed that the symbiotic relationship between plants and fungi provides nitrates to plants, which could lead to reduced fertilizer use.

Sturdy fabric-based piezoelectric energy harvester takes us one step closer to wearable electronics Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT Researchers presented a highly flexible but sturdy wearable piezoelectric harvester using the simple and easy fabrication process of hot pressing and tape casting. This energy harvester, which has record high interfacial adhesion strength, will take us one step closer to being able to manufacture embedded wearable electronics.

Climate change threatens Komodo dragons Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:54 AM PDT The world's largest lizard, the Komodo dragon, could be driven to extinction by climate change unless significant measures to intervene are taken soon.

Saharan dust reaching Amazon quantified Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT A new study quantified the amount of Saharan dust reaching the Amazon to better understand how dust could impact soil fertility in the region. Intense tropical weathering and local biomass burning have both contributed to nutrient-poor soil in the Amazon Basin.

Why the dose matters: Study shows levels and anti-tumor effectiveness of a common drug vary widely Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT When used to manage infections, the drug itraconazole is generally given at a single, fixed dose to all patients. But determining the correct dosage of the drug to help treat cancer isn't that simple, new research suggests.

Sea ice triggered the Little Ice Age Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT A new study finds a trigger for the Little Ice Age that cooled Europe from the 1300s through mid-1800s, and supports surprising model results suggesting that under the right conditions sudden climate changes can occur spontaneously, without external forcing.

Secret of plant dietary fiber structure revealed Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Researchers have uncovered the mechanics of how plant cell walls balance the strength and rigidity provided by cellulose with its ability to stretch and compress. This discovery helps explain how plant structures can range from floppy grasses to hard wood trees and is important for understanding dietary fiber properties in nutrition. The findings also have applications in medicine, agriculture and a range of other industries.

0.5°C of additional warming has a huge effect on global aridity Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT In a simulation study, researchers showed that limiting global warming to 1.5°C rather than 2°C will mitigate aridification in some regions of the world including the Mediterranean, western Europe, and southern Africa. However, Australia and some parts of Asia were simulated to become wetter rather than drier at both 1.5°C and 2°C of warming. These findings reveal the importance of targeted regional simulations of aridity levels to support policymaking decisions on global warming targets.

Research shows potential of gene editing in barley Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT An international team of plant scientists have shown the potential to rapidly improve the quality of barley grain through a genetic tool known as CRISPR or gene editing.

'Floating' graphene on a bed of calcium atoms Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Adding calcium to graphene creates an extremely-promising superconductor, but where does the calcium go? In a new study, a Monash-led team has for the first time confirmed what actually happens to those calcium atoms. Surprising everyone, the calcium goes underneath both the upper graphene sheet and a lower 'buffer' sheet, 'floating' the graphene on a bed of calcium atoms.

New estimates for the rise in sea levels due to ice sheet mass loss under climate change Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT An international consortium of researchers under the aegis of CMIP6 has calculated new estimates for the melting of Earth's ice sheets due to greenhouse gas emissions and its impact on sea levels, showing that the ice sheets could together contribute more than 40 cm by the end of 2100.

Potential target identified for migraine therapy Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Researchers have identified the protein GLT-1 as the neurotransmitter glutamate transporter in the brain that is related to cortical spreading depression, a pathological condition that underlies migraines. The researchers found that mice lacking GLT-1, but not other glutamate receptors, were more susceptible to cortical spreading depression than were controls. GLT-1 might therefore be a potential target for migraine therapy.

Mathematical modelling to prevent fistulas Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT It is better to invest in measures that make it easier for women to visit a doctor during pregnancy than measures to repair birth injuries. This is the conclusion from mathematicians, using Uganda as an example.

Metformin for type 2 diabetes patients or not? Researchers now have the answer Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Metformin is the first-line drug that can lower blood sugar levels in type 2 diabetes patients. One third of patients do not respond to metformin treatment and 5 per cent experience serious side effects, which is the reason many choose to stop medicating. Researchers have now identified biomarkers that can show in advance how the patient will respond to metformin treatment via a simple blood test.

Climate change impacts astronomical observations Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Already, climate change is having an impact on the conditions of space observation at the Very Large Telescope in the Atacama Desert. In future, new telescopes will have to be adapted to the expected changes, a new study.

Discovery of microbes with mixed membranes sheds new light on early evolution of life Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Current research suggests that more complex life-forms, including humans, evolved from a symbiosis event between bacteria and another single-celled organism known as archaea. However, evidence of a transition period in which the two organisms mixed where nowhere to be found. That is, until now. In the deep waters of the Black Sea, a team of scientists found microbes that can make membrane lipids of unexpected origin.

Ocean acidification puts deep-sea coral reefs at risk of collapse Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:53 AM PDT Deep-sea coral reefs face challenges as changes to ocean chemistry triggered by climate change may cause their foundations to become brittle, a study suggests.

Self-imaging of a molecule by its own electrons Posted: 17 Sep 2020 07:46 AM PDT Researchers have shown that high-resolution movies of molecular dynamics can be recorded using electrons ejected from the molecule by an intense laser field.

Smoking linked to bleeding in the brain in large, long-term study of twins Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:45 AM PDT Researchers in Finland found a link between smoking and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), a type of bleeding stroke, in a study of more than 16,000 pairs of twins over 42 years. The study found that bleeding in the brain can be explained to a greater degree by environmental risk factors, such as smoking, than by genetic influence.

Improving the efficacy of cellular therapies Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:45 AM PDT A new study deepens the understanding of the development of T cell, an important component of the immune system.

Live imaging method brings structural information to mapping of brain function Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:41 AM PDT Neuroscientists distinguish brain regions based on what they do, but now have a new way to overlay information about how they are built, too.

Children who take steroids at increased risk for diabetes, high blood pressure, blood clots Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:41 AM PDT Children who take oral steroids to treat asthma or autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, and blood clots, according to new researchers. The study is the first to quantify these complications of oral steroids in a nationwide population of children.

Researchers 3D print tiny multicolor microstructures Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:41 AM PDT Researchers have developed an automated 3D printing method that can produce multicolor 3D microstructures using different materials. The new method could be used to make a variety of optical components including optical sensors and light-driven actuators as well as multimaterial structures for applications such as soft robotics and medical applications.

Effective pathway to convert CO2 into ethylene Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:40 AM PDT The scientists developed nanoscale copper wires with specially shaped surfaces to catalyze a chemical reaction that reduces greenhouse gas emissions while generating ethylene -- a valuable chemical simultaneously.

Typhoid: Study confirms Vi-DT conjugate vaccine is safe and immunogenic in children 6-23 months Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:40 AM PDT A new study shows that single-dose and two-dose regimens of Vi-DT typhoid conjugate vaccine (TCV) are safe and immunogenic in children 6-23 months of age, a group with high rates of typhoid fever in resource-limited settings.

The key to happiness: Friends or family? Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:40 AM PDT Think spending time with your kids and spouse is the key to your happiness? You may actually be happier getting together with your friends, a new study finds.

New smart drug delivery system may help treatment for neurological disorders Posted: 17 Sep 2020 05:40 AM PDT A research team has created a smart drug delivery system that reduces inflammation in damaged nervous tissues and may help treat spinal cord injuries and other neurological disorders. The system, which uses extremely thin biomaterials implanted in the body, also protects nerve fibers (axons) that connect nerve cells in injured neural tissues, according to a new study.

Turbulence affects aerosols and cloud formation Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT Turbulent air in the atmosphere affects how cloud droplets form. New research in a cloud chamber changes the way clouds, and therefore climate, are modeled.

World's smallest ultrasound detector created Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT Researchers have developed the world's smallest ultrasound detector. It is based on miniaturized photonic circuits on top of a silicon chip. With a size 100 times smaller than an average human hair, the new detector can visualize features that are much smaller than previously possible, leading to what is known as super-resolution imaging.

The persistence of plastic Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT The amount of synthetic microfiber we shed into our waterways has been of great concern over the last few years, and for good reason: Every laundry cycle releases in its wastewater tens of thousands of tiny, near-invisible plastic fibers whose persistence and accumulation can affect aquatic habitats and food systems, and ultimately our own bodies in ways we have yet to discover.

Medical robotic hand? Rubbery semiconductor makes it possible Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT A medical robotic hand could allow doctors to more accurately diagnose and treat people from halfway around the world, but currently available technologies aren't good enough to match the in-person experience. Now researchers have reported that they have designed and produced a smart electronic skin and a medical robotic hand capable of assessing vital diagnostic data by using a newly invented rubbery semiconductor.

New gene implicated in neuron diseases Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT Failures in a quality control system that protects protein-building fidelity in cells can lead to motor neuron degeneration and related diseases, according to a new study shows.

Discoveries made in how immune system detects hidden intruders Posted: 16 Sep 2020 12:48 PM PDT Research has led to better understanding on how components of the body's immune system find intruding or damaged cells, which could lead to novel approaches to viral and cancer treatments.

New data processing module makes deep neural networks smarter Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:11 AM PDT Artificial intelligence researchers have improved the performance of deep neural networks by combining feature normalization and feature attention modules into a single module that they call attentive normalization. The hybrid module improves the accuracy of the system significantly, while using negligible extra computational power.

New photoactivation mechanism for polymer production Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:10 AM PDT A team of researchers has demonstrated a way to use low-energy, visible light to produce polymer gel objects from pure monomer solutions. The work not only poses a potential solution to current challenges in producing these materials, it also sheds further light on the ways in which low energy photons can combine to produce high energy excited states.

Reforestation can only partially restore tropical soils Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:10 AM PDT Tropical forest soils play a crucial role in providing vital ecosystem functions. They provide nutrients for plants, store carbon and regulate greenhouse gases, as well as storing and filtering water, and protection against erosion. Scientists have investigated how the properties and ecosystem functions of tropical soils change when forests are cut down, and whether reforestation can reverse such soil degradation.

Tortoise hatchlings are attracted to faces from birth Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:10 AM PDT Tortoises are born with a natural preference for faces, according to new research.

A ferry protein in the pancreas protects it from the stress induced by a high-fat diet Posted: 16 Sep 2020 10:10 AM PDT Scientists have now uncovered a key mechanism by which pancreatic function is maintained in response to a high-fat diet. A protein present in pancreatic insulin-producing cells protects them from damage under the stress induced by a high-fat diet. As the world increases its intake of high-fat foods and as type 2 diabetes incidence rises as a result, this protein could be a novel therapeutic target for type 2 diabetes mellitus.

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