Top Science News

Oct. 17, 2024 — Microorganisms do not just colonize the body of mammals during infections. Billions of microbes can be found on and in healthy humans and animals at any given time, communicating with each other via chemical signals and thus influencing their health. In two studies, researchers have now conducted a detailed study of the microbiome, i.e. the totality of all microorganisms, in humans and zoo ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Scientists have discovered a new process in our immune systems that leads to the production of an important family of anti-viral proteins called interferons. They hope the discovery will now lead to new, effective therapies for people with some autoimmune and infectious diseases.Researchers have found that a natural metabolite called Itaconate can ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — A global team of researchers has made a groundbreaking discovery that saves the lives of patients suffering from toxic epidermal necrolysis. This rare but often fatal reaction to common medications causes widespread detachment of the skin. Using innovative spatial proteomics -- one of the most advanced molecular biology tools -- the team ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — A new study opens the door to cutting-edge solutions that could contribute to the realization of a system capable of processing quantum information in a simple yet powerful way. The work presents a method for manipulating the photonic states of light in a never-before-seen way, offering greater control over the evolution of photon propagation. ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — By combining visible light and electrochemistry, researchers have enhanced the conversion of carbon dioxide into valuable products and stumbled upon a surprising discovery. The team found that visible light significantly improved an important chemical attribute called selectivity, opening new avenues not only for CO2 conversion but also for many ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Imagine tires that charge a vehicle as it drives, streetlights powered by the rumble of traffic, or skyscrapers that generate electricity as the buildings naturally sway and shudder. These energy innovations could be possible thanks to researchers developing environmentally friendly materials that produce electricity when compressed or exposed to ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Scientists have discovered toxic 'Forever Chemicals' present in samples of drinking water from around the ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Scientists found that cellulose diacetate foam (CDA) is the fastest degrading bioplastic in an ocean environment. This new foam material is demonstrated to be a viable replacement for Styrofoam products and single-use plastics, like food packaging trays, as it achieves all the benefits of plastic but doesn't contribute to plastic pollution. This biodegradable bioplastic foam was evaluated in a ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — A new study gets scientists closer to more fully understanding where viruses fit into the global ocean picture of cycling nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and, of particular interest, carbon. Researchers report on their creation of a catalog of genes that viruses 'stole' from the marine microbes they infected across all of the world's oceans, identifying and organizing almost 23,000 genes ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Many plankton journey from the cold, dark depths of our oceans to the surface, only to eventually drift down again into the darkness in a perpetual rhythm. Yet, how single-celled phytoplankton, most of which have no appendages to help them swim, make this pilgrimage has remained a mystery. Researchers now describe a species of bioluminescent ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — An ecologically realistic 24-year field study of grasslands showed that elevated levels of carbon dioxide nearly tripled species losses attributed to nitrogen ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Increased risk for autism appears to be linked to the Y chromosome, a study has found, offering a new explanation for the greater prevalence of autism in ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — CBT for insomnia significantly reduces postpartum depression symptoms, directly and indirectly, by improving mood and alleviating insomnia throughout ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Initial prescriptions of benzodiazepines, a class of drugs used to treat anxiety and sleep problems after a stroke may include too many pills for adults ages 65 or older, finds new ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Neuroscientists have uncovered a mechanism that controls the reactivation of neural stem cells, which are crucial for repairing and regenerating brain cells. The research offers exciting potential for advancing our understanding and treatment of common neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Despite having no greater chance of developing problems after high risk cardiovascular surgery, women are more likely than men to die from postoperative complications, a new study suggests. The quality of a hospital where the procedure was performed did not affect the disparity between sexes. Researchers say the 'failure to rescue' is an issue for the entire United States health care ...

Oct. 10, 2024 — A new study has shed light on why some children and adolescents develop mental health disorders like PTSD, anxiety, or depression after experiencing a traumatic ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — A recent study found that good physical fitness from childhood to adolescence is linked to better mental health in adolescence. These results are significant and timely, as mental health problems are currently a major societal challenge, affecting up to 25%--30% of young people. These findings suggest that improving physical fitness from childhood can help prevent mental health ...

Oct. 8, 2024 — Countries across the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region can overcome major shared environmental challenges such as water scarcity and air pollution by harnessing the power of 'green education' to nurture a new generation of ...

Oct. 8, 2024 — Exposure to high levels of heat may both impact the growth of fetuses during pregnancy and infants up to the age of ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new study has found that folate may weaken the link between blood-lead levels in pregnant women and autistic-like behaviors in their ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Australian researchers have identified a new, brain-based measure of chronic sleepiness that could be diagnosed in just two minutes, predicting whether someone is safe to drive, operate machinery, or even alert enough to sit an ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Researchers have developed a method to control the direction of heat flow in crystals. This miniature device could eventually be used to create advanced thermal-management systems in electronic devices to prevent ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — Novel chemical compounds from a fungus could provide new perspectives for treating colorectal cancer, one of the most common and deadliest cancers worldwide. Researchers have reported on the isolation and characterization of a previously unknown class of metabolites (terpene-nonadride heterodimers). One of these compounds effectively kills colorectal cancer cells by attacking the enzyme DCTPP1, ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — It is usually not possible to look inside cloudy liquids, but researchers have now managed to do ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — An international team of astronomers has figured out that a famous brown dwarf is actually a pair of tight-knit brown dwarfs, weighing about 38 and 34 times the mass of Jupiter, that whip around each other every 12 ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Teleoperated robots for gathering moon dust are a step closer, according to new ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new method using the Allen Telescope Array to search for interplanetary radio communication in the TRAPPIST-1 star ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — Experts have announced that the Sun has reached its solar maximum period, which could continue for the next year. Scientists will not be able to determine the exact peak of this solar maximum period for many months because it's only identifiable after they've tracked a consistent decline in solar activity after that peak. However, scientists have identified that the last two years on the Sun have ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — In a pilot study, researchers have used artificial intelligence to detect antibiotic resistance in bacteria. This is an important first step toward integrating GPT-4 into clinical ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — A paper has solved a major hurdle facing researchers working with diamond by creating a novel way of bonding diamonds directly to materials that integrate easily with either quantum or conventional electronics. With this technique, the team directly bonded diamond with materials including silicon, fused silica, sapphire, thermal oxide, and lithium niobate without an intermediary substance to act ...

Oct. 8, 2024 — Researchers introduces the first toroidal, light-driven micro-robot that can move autonomously in viscous liquids, such as mucus. This innovation marks a major step forward in developing micro-robots capable of navigating complex environments, with promising applications in fields such as medicine and environmental ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new world record in wireless transmission, promising faster and more reliable wireless communications, has been set by researchers. The total bandwidth of 145GHz is more than five times higher than the previous wireless transmission world ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Alaska's Iliamna Lake harbor seals have been difficult to study because of their remoteness. They weren't even identified as harbor seals until 2013. Now, a new genetic study has found significant differences, indicating that the Iliamna seals may represent a unique, endemic form of harbor seal. Findings suggest they may be evolutionarily, ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — As the world's native bee populations are declining, crop production requiring pollinators increasingly relies on commercial pollination services. In the U.S., the beekeeping industry is in great demand, and truckloads of bee colonies travel the country to accommodate crop growers. A new study looks at pollination contracts between beekeepers and ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — Bacteria-based therapies represent an exciting breakthrough in cancer treatment, harnessing their remarkable ability to specifically target and attack tumors. To fully harness the potential of this approach, an efficient and safe method for producing natural anticancer bacteria is needed. Now, researchers from Japan have developed a novel scaffold-based method to culture antitumor bacteria. This ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — Marine heatwaves and cold spells are occurring both on the ocean surface and below, with ocean currents influencing their ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — From Tasmania to Madagascar to New Guinea, islands make up just over five per cent of Earth's land yet are home to 31 per cent of the world's plant species. A new study shows that of all plants classified as threatened worldwide, more than half are unique to islands, facing risks from habitat loss, climate warming and invasive ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — Plastic pollution -- tiny bits of plastic, smaller than a grain of sand -- is everywhere, a fact of life that applies even to newborn ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — Each year millions of Pacific salmon make a grand journey from the ocean to their freshwater spawning grounds at the end of their life cycles. This migration has rippling effects through food webs and ecosystems along the way. Whether they decompose or are consumed by other animals, these salmon deliver both nutrients and contaminants they have accumulated in their bodies after spending most of ...

Oct. 14, 2024 — A joint research group has demonstrated that the majority of immigration to the Japanese Archipelago in the Yayoi and Kofun periods (between 3000 BCE and 538 CE) came from the Korean Peninsula. The researchers analyzed the complete genome of a 'Yayoi' individual and found that, among the non-Japanese populations, the results bore the most ...

Oct. 14, 2024 — Seven of the most common forest trees in Europe have been shown to be able to shelter their genetic diversity from major shifts in environmental conditions. This is despite their ranges having shrunk and the number of trees having fallen sharply during ice age ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — A new study shows that the patchwork of different ecosystems found in mountainous regions played a key role in the evolution of ...

Oct. 10, 2024 — They say that hindsight is 20/20, and though the theory of ecological speciation -- which holds that new species emerge in response to ecological changes -- seems to hold in retrospect, it has been difficult to demonstrate experimentally, until now. Biologists have identified a key connection between ecology and speciation in Darwin's finches, ...

Oct. 8, 2024 — Researchers are calling for reforms to Australia's environmental laws, as threatened fish species continue to be legally ...

Oct. 16, 2024 — A new review systematically shows the harmful effects of nano- and microplastics on bees and other beneficial insects. Their function as pollinators is impaired by the plastic particles. This harbors risks for global food ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — A new study suggests that large-scale adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) could lead to significant population-level health benefits. The research team used computer simulations to show that aggressive electrification of the U.S. vehicle fleet, coupled with an ambitious rollout of renewable electricity generation, could result in health benefits ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — Mental ill-health among students in higher education is a growing problem globally. Most efforts implemented to address ill-health involve individual treatment and adjustments to pedagogy. But more can and needs to be done at a structural or environmental level for higher education institutions to ensure learning and well-being among all ...

Oct. 15, 2024 — Researchers have shown that, just like declarative memories, short-term and long-term memories for motor skills form in different regions of the brain, with the cerebellum being critical for the formation of long-term skill ...

Oct. 10, 2024 — Researcherers say a pair of experiments with children ages 4 to 7 shows that, given children's natural skepticism and early exposure to the internet's boundless misinformation, it is crucial for adults to teach them practical fact-checking skills. Instead of attempting to completely sanitize their online environment researchers argue adults should ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — Dyslexia and dyscalculia are most commonly acknowledged as posing challenges linked to people's literacy and numeracy. However, a new study has shown those with the conditions may have previously unheralded strengths, namely reduced bias against others based on characteristics such as their disability, race or ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — If you smugly believe you're right in a disagreement with a friend or colleague, a new study suggests why you may actually be wrong. Researchers found that people naturally assume they have all the information they need to make a decision or support their position, even when they do ...

Sep. 26, 2024 — Using mathematical modeling, researchers found a way to maintain cooperation without relying on complex norms or ...

Sep. 18, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new framework to make complex AI tasks more accessible and transparent to users. The framework specializes in providing solutions to deep reinforcement learning (DRL) requests. The framework pairs developers, companies and individuals that have specific but out-of-reach AI needs with service providers who have the ...

Aug. 16, 2024 — Researchers developed a new method known as flash-within-flash Joule heating (FWF) that could transform the synthesis of high-quality solid-state materials, offering a cleaner, faster and more sustainable manufacturing ...