Top Science News

October 2, 2020

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Illustration depicting | (c) (c) anibal / Adobe

Modern Humans, Neanderthals, in Europe Earlier

Plastic bottles and | (c) (c) vladimirzuev / Adobe

Plastic-Eating Enzyme 'Cocktail' Created

Early human scene, | (c) (c) ginettigino / Adobe

The Ancient Neanderthal Hand in Severe COVID-19

Inside a nuclear fusion | (c) (c) dani3315 / Adobe

Zero-Emissions Power: Fusion Reactor Design

Sep. 28, 2020 — Modern humans arrived in westernmost Europe 41,000 to 38,000 years ago, about 5,000 years earlier than previously known, according to an ...

Sep. 28, 2020 — The same team who re-engineered the plastic-eating enzyme PETase have now created an enzyme 'cocktail' which can digest plastic up to six times ...

Sep. 30, 2020 — Genetic variants that leave their carrier more susceptible to severe COVID-19 are inherited from Neanderthals, a new study ...

Sep. 29, 2020 — SPARC is planned to be the first experimental device ever to achieve a 'burning plasma' -- a self-sustaining fusion reaction in which different isotopes of the element hydrogen fuse together to form ...

Latest Top Headlines

updated 1:01pm EDT

Sick with a cold, | (c) (c) terovesalainen / Adobe

Can the Common Cold Help Protect You from COVID-19?

Sep. 29, 2020 — A new study provides evidence that the seasonal colds you've had in the past could protect you from COVID-19. The study also suggests that immunity to COVID-19 is likely to last a long time -- maybe even ...

Coronavirus illustration | (c) (c) Production Perig / Adobe

Some Severe COVID-19 Cases Linked to Genetic Mutations or Antibodies That Attack the Body

Sep. 24, 2020 — Two new studies offer an explanation for why COVID-19 cases can be so variable. A subset of patients has mutations in key immunity genes; other patients have auto-antibodies that target the same components of the immune system. Both circumstances ...

Global spread of | (c) (c) solvod / Adobe

How Coronavirus Took Hold in North America and in Europe

Sep. 10, 2020 — Early interventions were effective at stamping out coronavirus infections before they spread, according to a new study. Combining virus genomics with epidemiologic simulations and travel records, the research shows that in both the United States and in Europe, sustained transmission networks became ...

People social distancing | (c) (c) Photocreo Bednarek / Adobe

COVID-19 Study Links Strict Social Distancing to Much Lower Chance of Infection

Sep. 10, 2020 — Using public transportation, visiting a place of worship, or otherwise traveling from the home is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of testing positive with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, while practicing strict social distancing is ...

This composite is a | (c) ESA/Rosetta/NAVCAM, CC BY-SA IGO

Comet Discovered to Have Its Own Northern Lights

Sep. 21, 2020 — Comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has its own far-ultraviolet aurora, data reveal. It is the first time such electromagnetic emissions in the far-ultraviolet have been documented on a celestial object other than a planet ...

Planet Venus (stock | (c) (c) Igor_Filonenko / Adobe

Possible Marker of Life Spotted on Venus

Sep. 14, 2020 — Astronomers have discovered a rare molecule -- phosphine -- in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments. Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes -- floating free ...

This Hubble Space | (c) NASA, ESA, G. Caminha (University of Groningen), M.

New Hubble Data Suggests There Is an Ingredient Missing from Current Dark Matter Theories

Sep. 10, 2020 — Recent observations have found that something may be missing from the theories of how dark matter behaves. This missing ingredient may explain why researchers have uncovered an unexpected discrepancy between observations of the dark matter ...

Moon (stock | (c) (c) taffpixture / Adobe

Has Earth's Oxygen Rusted the Moon for Billions of Years?

Sep. 2, 2020 — To the surprise of many planetary scientists, the oxidized iron mineral hematite has been discovered at high latitudes on ...

Archaeopteryx fossil | (c) (c) Cheattha / Adobe

Dinosaur Feather Study Debunked

Sep. 30, 2020 — A new study provides substantial evidence that the first fossil feather ever to be discovered does belong to the iconic bird-like dinosaur, Archaeopteryx. This debunks a recent theory that the fossil feather originated from a ...

Illustration of | (c) (c) Elenarts / Adobe

Evidence That Prehistoric Flying Reptiles Probably Had Feathers Refuted

Sep. 28, 2020 — Experts have examined the evidence that prehistoric flying reptiles called pterosaurs had feathers and believe they were, in ...

Ocean bubbles (stock | (c) (c) kichigin19 / Adobe

Process That Might Have Led to First Organic Molecules

Sep. 8, 2020 — New research identifies a process that might have been key in producing the first organic molecules on Earth about 4 billion years ago, before the origin of life. The process, which is similar to what might have occurred in some ancient underwater hydrothermal vents, may also have relevance to the ...

Erupting volcano (stock | (c) (c) Ingo Bartussek / Adobe

Ancient Volcanoes Once Boosted Ocean Carbon, but Humans Are Now Far Outpacing Them

Sep. 14, 2020 — A new study of an ancient period that is considered the closest natural analog to the era of modern human carbon emissions has found that massive volcanism sent great waves of carbon into the oceans over thousands of years -- but that nature did not ...

Unconscious Learning Underlies Belief in God?

Person and shadow, | (c) (c) Jorm S / Adobe

Brain Circuit Damaged by Social Isolation

Diabetes diagnosis | (c) (c) Vitalii Vodolazskyi / Adobe

Artificial Pancreas for Type 1 Diabetes in Kids

Female Chromosomes: Resilience to Alzheimer's

Sep. 9, 2020 — Individuals who can unconsciously predict complex patterns, an ability called implicit pattern learning, are likely to hold stronger beliefs that there is a god who creates patterns of events in the ...

Aug. 31, 2020 — Researchers have identified specific sub-populations of brain cells in the prefrontal cortex, a key part of the brain that regulates social behavior, ...

Aug. 26, 2020 — A clinical trial at four pediatric diabetes centers in the United States has found that a new artificial pancreas system -- which automatically ...

Aug. 26, 2020 — Women live longer than men with Alzheimer's because their sex chromosomes give them genetic protection from the ravages of the disease. Women get two 'doses' of a gene that only exists on the X ...

Latest Health Headlines

updated 1:01pm EDT

Planaria Flatworms Can Be Alternative Screening Tool to Avoid Rabbit Skin Testing

Oct. 1, 2020 — A new, accurate screening tool for clinical skin products has been developed which uses flatworms rather than ...

A First in-Depth Look at the Latent Virus Reservoir of Individuals Living With HIV

Sep. 30, 2020 — Scientists have mapped out an atlas of the reservoir cells of eight individuals living with HIV, which they recently ...

Cannabinoids Associated With Negative Respiratory Health Effects in Older Adults With COPD

Sep. 30, 2020 — Cannabinoids, a class of prescription pills that contain synthetically-made chemicals found in marijuana, are associated with a 64 per cent increase in death among older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to the first published data on the impact of cannabinoids on the respiratory health of individuals with the ...

Autoimmune Disease: UM171 Saves Another Life

Sep. 30, 2020 — A recently developed UM171 molecule was used in a blood transplant by a medical team on a young man suffering from severe aplastic anemia, an autoimmune ...

'I'll Sleep When I'm Dead': The Sleep-Deprived Masculinity Stereotype

Sep. 29, 2020 — In the United States, the average American sleeps less than the minimum seven hours of sleep per night recommended by the Center for Disease Control, and nearly half of Americans report negative consequences from insufficient sleep. This problem appears to be especially prevalent in men, who report getting significantly less sleep, on average, than ...

Smart Cruise Control Steers Drivers Toward Better Decisions

Sep. 29, 2020 — Smart cruise control, better human decisions. Engineers study how cars and trucks move cooperatively on the road, respond to each other's environmental sensors and react as a group to lessen traffic jams and protect the humans ...

First 'Pathoconnectome' Could Point Toward New Treatments for Neurodegenerative Diseases

Sep. 29, 2020 — Scientists have achieved another first in the field of connectomics, which studies the synaptic connections between neurons. The lab has produced the first pathoconnectome, showing how eye disease alters retinal ...

Deep Learning Model Provides Rapid Detection of Stroke-Causing Blockages

Sep. 29, 2020 — A sophisticated type of artificial intelligence (AI) called deep learning can help rapidly detect blockages in the arteries that supply blood to the head, potentially speeding the onset of life-saving treatment, according to a ...

Yoga and Meditation Reduce Chronic Pain

Oct. 1, 2020 — A mindfulness-based stress reduction course was found to benefit patients with chronic pain and depression, leading to significant improvement in participant perceptions of pain, mood and functional capacity, according to a new study. Most of the study respondents (89%) reported the program helped them find ways to better cope with their pain while 11% remained ...

Forgetting Past Misdeeds to Justify Future Ones

Sep. 29, 2020 — Proven fact: we remember our altruistic behavior more easily than selfish actions or misdeeds that go against our own moral sense. Described as 'unethical amnesia' by scientists, it is generally explained by self-image maintenance. But could these selective oversights, not necessarily conscious, have a more strategic aim? To find out, a team of behavioral economists recruited 1322 volunteers in ...

Screen Time Can Change Visual Perception -- And That's Not Necessarily Bad

Sep. 30, 2020 — The coronavirus pandemic has shifted many of our interactions online, with Zoom video calls replacing in-person classes, work meetings, conferences and other events. Will all that screen time damage our vision? Maybe not. It turns out that our visual perception is highly adaptable, according to new ...

Is Your Drinking Water Toxic? This App May Help You Find out

Sep. 23, 2020 — Since fracking sites use a diverse mix of chemical ingredients, often individuals and researchers are in the dark about the health consequences of living near a particular well. Now, a new, interactive tool allows community members and scientists to find out which toxins may be lurking in their drinking ...

Most Massive Gravitational-Wave Source Yet

Teide Observatory in | (c) (c) sotavento1000 / Adobe

Catching Magnetic Details of the Sun

This illustration shows | (c) NASA, ESA, and E. Wheatley

Giant Halo Around Andromeda Galaxy

Quantum computing | (c) (c) vchalup / Adobe

Cosmic Rays May Soon Stymie Quantum Computing

Sep. 2, 2020 — Researchers have detected a signal from what may be the most massive black hole merger yet observed in gravitational waves. The product of the merger ...

Sep. 1, 2020 — GREGOR, the largest solar telescope in Europe, has obtained unprecedented images of the fine-structure of the Sun. Following a major redesign of GREGOR's optics, the Sun can be observed at a higher ...

Aug. 27, 2020 — In a landmark study, scientists using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have mapped the immense halo of gas enveloping the Andromeda galaxy, our nearest large galactic ...

Aug. 26, 2020 — Infinitesimally low levels of radiation, such as from incoming cosmic rays, may soon stymie progress in quantum ...

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 1:01pm EDT

Timing the Life of Antimatter Particles May Lead to Better Cancer Treatment

Oct. 1, 2020 — Experts have devised a simple way to glean more detailed information out of standard medical imaging scans. A research team made up of atomic physicists and nuclear medicine experts has designed a timer that can enable PET scanners to detect the oxygen concentration of tissues throughout patients' bodies. This upgrade to PET scanners may lead to a future of better cancer treatment by quickly ...

3D Printed 'Invisible' Fibers Can Sense Breath, Sound, and Biological Cells

Sep. 30, 2020 — From capturing your breath to guiding biological cell movements, 3D printing of tiny, transparent conducting fibers could be used to make devices which can 'smell, hear and touch' -- making it particularly useful for health monitoring, Internet of Things and biosensing ...

Microcomb-Injected Pulsed Lasers as Variable Microwave Gears

Sep. 29, 2020 — Optical frequency combs can link frequencies in the microwave domain to high-purity laser emissions, yielding unprecedented precision in time-keeping and metrology. Now scientists have generated variable low-noise microwave signals by building variable microwave gears with two compact optical frequency ...

How a Toxic Chromium Species Could Form in Drinking Water

Sep. 30, 2020 — The water crisis in Flint, Michigan, brought much-needed attention to the problem of potentially toxic metals being released from drinking water distribution pipes when water chemistry changes. Now, researcher have investigated how hexavalent chromium, known as Cr(VI), can form in drinking water when corroded cast iron pipes interact with residual disinfectant. Their findings could suggest new ...

Einstein's Description of Gravity Just Got Much Harder to Beat

Oct. 1, 2020 — Astrophysicists put general relativity to a new test with black hole ...

Stellar Explosion in Earth's Proximity, Eons Ago

Sep. 30, 2020 — When the brightness of the star Betelgeuse dropped dramatically a few months ago, some observers suspected an impending supernova - a stellar explosion that could also cause damage on Earth. While Betelgeuse has returned to normal, physicists have found evidence of a supernova that exploded near the Earth around 2.5 million years ...

Venus Might Be Habitable Today, If Not for Jupiter

Sep. 30, 2020 — Venus might not be a sweltering, waterless hellscape today, if Jupiter hadn't altered its orbit around the sun, according to new ...

Second Alignment Plane of Solar System Discovered

Sep. 29, 2020 — A study of comet motions indicates that the Solar System has a second alignment plane. Analytical investigation of the orbits of long-period comets shows that the aphelia of the comets, the point where they are farthest from the Sun, tend to fall close to either the well-known ecliptic plane where the planets reside or a newly discovered 'empty ecliptic.' This has important implications for ...

The Secretive Networks Used to Move Money Offshore

Sep. 29, 2020 — In 2016, the world's largest ever data leak dubbed "The Panama Papers" exposed a scandal, uncovering a vast global network of people -- including celebrities and world leaders, who used offshore tax havens, anonymous transactions through intermediaries and shell corporations to hide their wealth, grow their fortunes and avoid ...

Driving Behavior Less 'Robotic' Thanks to New Model

Sep. 29, 2020 — Researchers have now developed a new model that describes driving behavior on the basis of one underlying 'human' principle: managing the risk below a threshold level. This model can accurately predict human behavior during a wide range of driving tasks. In time, the model could be used in intelligent cars, to make them feel less ...

Machine Learning Homes in on Catalyst Interactions to Accelerate Materials Development

Sep. 29, 2020 — A machine learning technique rapidly rediscovered rules governing catalysts that took humans years of difficult calculations to reveal -- and even explained a deviation. The team that developed the technique believes other researchers will be able to use it to make faster progress in designing materials for a variety of ...

Brain Circuitry Shaped by Competition for Space as Well as Genetics

Sep. 29, 2020 — Complex brain circuits in rodents can organize themselves with genetics playing only a secondary role, according to a new computer modelling ...

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Environment News

October 2, 2020

View of Planet Earth | (c) (c) tsuneomp / Adobe

Patterns in 66 Million Years of Earth's Climate

Megalodon illustration | (c) (c) warpaintcobra / Adobe

True Size of Prehistoric Mega-Shark

African baobab tree | (c) (c) EcoView / Adobe

African Baobab: Genetics of Tree of Life

Planet Earth (stock | (c) (c) dell / Adobe

Earth May Have Always Been Wet

Sep. 10, 2020 — Scientists have compiled a continuous, high-fidelity record of variations in Earth's climate extending 66 million years into the past. The record ...

Sep. 3, 2020 — A new study has revealed the size of the legendary giant shark Megalodon, including fins that are as large as an adult ...

Aug. 27, 2020 — Baobab trees can live for more than a thousand years and provide food, livestock fodder, medicinal compounds, and raw materials. Scientists counted the significant tree's chromosomes -- information ...

Aug. 27, 2020 — A new study finds that Earth's water may have come from materials that were present in the inner solar system at the time the planet formed -- instead of far-reaching comets or asteroids delivering ...

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 1:01pm EDT

Someday, Even Wet Forests Could Burn Due to Climate Change

Sep. 30, 2020 — While today's fires are exacerbated by dry conditions, researchers found that forest fires 94 million years ago increased even in wet regions due to changes in global ...

How the Humboldt Squid's Genetic Past and Present Can Secure Its Future

Sep. 30, 2020 — Marine biologists studying the genetic structure of the Humboldt squid population found it is vulnerable to overfishing by fleets on its migration ...

Redefining Drought in the US Corn Belt

Sep. 30, 2020 — As the climate trends warmer and drier, global food security increasingly hinges on crops' ability to withstand drought. But are scientists and producers focusing on the right metric when measuring crop-relevant drought? Not exactly, according to new research from scientists, who urge the scientific community to redefine the ...

Mosquitoes Lost an Essential Gene With No Ill Effects

Sep. 30, 2020 — Scientists discovered mosquitoes are missing a gene that's critical for survival in other insects. Researchers noticed the missing gene and went on the hunt to find out how mosquitoes survive without it. She identified the first example of nature swapping out closely related genes, a phenomenon that poses caveats for studies using model organisms as proxies for other ...

Generating Renewable Hydrogen Fuel from the Sea

Sep. 29, 2020 — The power of the sun, wind and sea may soon combine to produce clean-burning hydrogen fuel, according to researchers. The team integrated water purification technology into a new proof-of-concept design for a sea water electrolyzer, which uses an electric current to split apart the hydrogen and oxygen in water ...

New Fire Containment Research Addresses Risk and Safety

Sep. 29, 2020 — Researchers address new ways to assess risks and evaluate fire fighting ...

Vessel Noise Present Year-Round at Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary

Sep. 29, 2020 — The environment in the Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuary off the coast of San Francisco is not a refuge from the noise generated by ship traffic, the first underwater marine acoustic study of the region has ...

Potential for Natural Forest Regrowth to Capture Carbon

Sep. 29, 2020 — A major new study that maps potential aboveground carbon accumulation rates for forest regrowth across the ...

Danish King Got Enshrined in His Own Clothes, Appeared With His Brothers' When Examined

Oct. 1, 2020 — Scientific analysis solve puzzle about the age and destiny of precious silk textiles from AD ...

Ice Age Manatees May Have Called Texas Home

Oct. 1, 2020 — Manatees don't live year-round in Texas, but these gentle sea cows are known to occasionally visit, swimming in for a 'summer vacation' and returning to warmer waters for the winter. New research has found fossil evidence for manatees along the Texas coast dating back to the most recent ice age. The discovery raises questions about whether manatees have been visiting for thousands of years, or if ...

Earthquake Forecasting Clues Unearthed in Strange Precariously Balanced Rocks

Oct. 1, 2020 — Naturally formed balancing boulders could be used to help scientists to forecast large earthquakes more ...

Mud-Slurping Chinless Ancestors Had All the Moves

Oct. 1, 2020 — Researchers have revealed our most ancient ancestors were ecologically diverse, despite lacking jaws and paired ...

Smiling Really Does Give You a Positive Outlook

Seismograph (stock | (c) (c) Anna / Adobe

Lockdown: Human-Linked Earth Vibrations Down

Illustration of people | (c) (c) Mopic / Adobe

World Population to Shrink After Mid-Century

Abstract concept | (c) (c) JEGAS RA / Adobe

Why Some Words More Memorable Than Others

Aug. 13, 2020 — From Sinatra to Katy Perry, celebrities have long sung about the power of a smile -- how it picks you up, changes your outlook, and generally makes you feel better. But is it all smoke and mirrors, ...

July 23, 2020 — The lack of human activity during lockdown caused human-linked vibrations in the Earth to drop by an average of 50 percent between March and May ...

July 15, 2020 — With widespread, sustained declines in fertility, the world population will likely peak in 2064 at around 9.7 billion, and then decline to about 8.8 ...

June 29, 2020 — Researchers have found that our brains may recall some common words, like 'pig,' 'tank,' and 'door,' much more often than others, including 'cat,' 'street,' and 'stair.' By combining memory tests, ...

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 1:01pm EDT

800 Million Children Still Exposed to Lead

Oct. 1, 2020 — Every third child in the world has too much lead in their body, according to a new report from UNICEF and Pure ...

Satellite Imaging to Map Groundwater Use in California's Central Valley

Oct. 1, 2020 — Researchers report in a new study a way to improve groundwater monitoring by using a remote sensing technology (known as InSAR), in conjunction with climate and land cover data, to bridge gaps in the understanding of sustainable groundwater in California's San Joaquin ...

Decent Living for All Does Not Have to Cost the Earth

Oct. 1, 2020 — A new study reveals that decent living standards could be provided to the entire global population of 10 billion that is expected to be reached by 2050, for less than 40% of today's global energy. This is roughly 25% of that forecast by the International Energy Agency if current trends continue. This level of global energy consumption is roughly the same as that during the 1960s, when the ...

Natural Capital a Missing Piece in Climate Policy

Sep. 28, 2020 — Clean air, clean water and a functioning ecosystem are considered priceless. Yet accounting for the economic value of nature has large implications for climate policy, a new study ...

Busy Pictures Hinder Reading Ability in Children

Sep. 28, 2020 — A new study shows extraneous images draw attention from text, reducing comprehension in beginning ...

Meditation for Mind-Control

Sep. 23, 2020 — Scientists have discovered that mindful meditation can help subjects learn and improve the ability to mind-control brain computer interfaces ...

Sport and Memory Go Hand in Hand

Sep. 23, 2020 — If sport is good for the body, it also seems to be good for the brain. By evaluating memory performance following a sport session, neuroscientists demonstrate that an intensive physical exercise session improves memory. How? Through the action of endocanabinoids, molecules known to increase synaptic plasticity. School programs and strategies aimed at reducing the effects of neurodegeneration on ...

Quizzes Improve Academic Performance

Sep. 17, 2020 — Students who are quizzed over class material at least once a week tend to perform better on midterm and final exams compared to students who did not take quizzes, according to a new meta-analysis. The researchers found in addition to frequency, immediate feedback from instructors also seemed to positively impact student ...

Children Will Wait to Impress Others -- Another Twist on the Classic Marshmallow Test

Sep. 10, 2020 — When it comes to self-control, young children are better able to resist temptation and wait for greater rewards if they take into consideration the opinions of ...

Being a Selfish Jerk Doesn't Get You Ahead: Study

Aug. 31, 2020 — Two studies provide empirical evidence to settle the question of whether being aggressively Machiavellian helps people get ahead. The studies concluded that being a jerk provides no advantage in career advancement. Any power boost disagreeable people get from being intimidating is offset by their poor interpersonal relationships, the studies ...

Winning the Digital Transformation Race: Three Emerging Approaches for Leading Transition

July 28, 2020 — New research has outlined three new approaches that digital innovators can take to reduce the risk of failure and seize competitive advantage in the ...

When Power Is Toxic: Dominance Reduces Influence in Groups

July 16, 2020 — A new study finds that groups led by subordinate males outperform those led by dominant and aggressive ...

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