Top Science News

April 15, 2022

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Ozone Heating the Planet More Than We Realize

Fish in aquarium tank | (c) Yuttana Joe / stock.adobe.com

Study Shows: Fish Can Calculate

Illustration of Mars | (c) Tryfonov / stock.adobe.com

First Ever Sounds from Mars

Genome sequence and DNA | (c) majcot / stock.adobe.com

Complete, Gapless Sequence of a Human Genome

Mar. 31, 2022 — New research reveals ozone in the lower atmosphere in particular contributed to warming in the Southern Ocean - which absorbs much of the planet's excess heat - more than previously realized. The ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — Cichlids and stingrays can perform simple addition and subtraction in the number range of one to five, according to new research. It is not known what the animals need their mathematical abilities ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — NASA's Perseverance rover, which has been surveying the surface of Mars since February 2021, has for the first time recorded the acoustic environment of the Red ...

Mar. 31, 2022 — Scientists have published the first complete, gapless sequence of a human genome, two decades after the Human Genome Project produced the first draft human genome sequence. According to researchers, ...

Latest Top Headlines

updated 10:46pm EDT

Study Explores Effects of Extended Spaceflight on Brain

Apr. 12, 2022 — Scientists from the U.S., Europe and Russia are part of a team releasing the results of a large collaborative study involving the effects of long duration spaceflight on the ...

Landmark Study Implicates Specific Genes in Schizophrenia

Apr. 6, 2022 — The largest ever genetic study of schizophrenia has identified large numbers of specific genes that could play important roles in the psychiatric disorder. A group of hundreds of researchers across 45 countries analysed DNA from 76,755 people with schizophrenia and 243,649 without it to better understand the genes and biological processes underpinning the condition. The new study found a much ...

Key to Success of Drug-Resistant Bacteria

Apr. 8, 2022 — Researchers have uncovered how Gram-negative bacteria -- which cause a variety of drug-resistant infections -- build their protective outer layer, which could lead to more effective ...

Old Skins Cells Reprogrammed to Regain Youthful Function

Apr. 8, 2022 — Scientists have developed a new technique for rejuvenating skin cells. This technique has allowed researchers to rewind the cellular biological clock by around 30 years according to molecular measures, significantly longer than previous reprogramming methods. The partially rejuvenated cells showed signs of behaving more like youthful cells in experiments simulating a skin wound. This research, ...

Neptune Is Cooler Than We Thought: Study Reveals Unexpected Changes in Atmospheric Temperatures

Apr. 11, 2022 — New research has revealed how temperatures in Neptune's atmosphere have unexpectedly fluctuated over the past two ...

Differences Between the Moon’s Near and Far Sides Linked to Colossal Ancient Impact

Apr. 8, 2022 — New research shows how the impact that created the Moon's South Pole -- Aitken basin is linked to the stark contrast in composition and appearance between the two sides of the ...

Engineered Crystals Could Help Computers Run on Less Power

Apr. 8, 2022 — In a new study, engineers describe a major breakthrough in the design of a component of transistors -- the tiny electrical switches that form the building blocks of computers -- that could significantly reduce their energy consumption without sacrificing speed, size or ...

Most Precise Ever Measurement of W Boson Mass to Be in Tension With the Standard Model

Apr. 7, 2022 — Scientists have achieved the most precise measurement to date of the mass of the W boson, one of nature's force-carrying particles. The measured value shows tension with the value expected based on the Standard Model of particle ...

Dynamic Rivers Contributed to Amazon's Rich Bird Diversity

Apr. 8, 2022 — One of the most contentious questions in evolutionary biology is, how did the Amazon become so rich in species? A new study focused on birds examines how the movements of rivers in the Amazon have contributed to that area's exceptional biological diversity. The researchers found that as small river systems change over time, they spur the evolution of new species. The findings also reveal ...

Ocean Water Samples Yield Treasure Trove of RNA Virus Data

Apr. 7, 2022 — Ocean water samples collected around the world have yielded a treasure trove of new data about RNA viruses, expanding ecological research possibilities and reshaping our understanding of how these small but significant submicroscopic particles ...

Century-Old Malaria Parasite Puzzle Solved as Ape Origin Traced

Apr. 6, 2022 — Scientists have solved a 100-year-old mystery about the evolutionary links between malaria parasites that infect humans and ...

Researchers Rejuvenate Mouse Organs Through Cellular Reprogramming

Apr. 6, 2022 — Scientists have observed signs of rejuvenation in the pancreas, liver, spleen, and blood of mice after applying one cycle of cell reprogramming. To achieve this, the researchers have characterized rejuvenation by studying molecular marks in the DNA, gene expression, and cell ...

Antibiotic Resistance: Tiny Jumping Genes

How We Smell a Rose: Painting or Symphony?

HIV Replication Clue: Key to Possible Cure?

New Cell Type in Human Lungs

Apr. 5, 2022 — Biomedical engineers believe they have discovered the physical mechanism that causes high doses of antibiotics to promote the spread of antibiotic resistance between bacteria. The culprit, they say, ...

Apr. 4, 2022 — What happens when we smell a rose? How does our brain process the essence of its fragrance? Is it like a painting -- a snapshot of the flickering ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — Scientists are using new advances in CRISPR gene-editing technology to uncover new biology that could lead to longer-lasting treatments and new ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — A new type of cell that resides deep within human lungs and may play a key role in human lung diseases has been ...

Latest Health Headlines

updated 10:46pm EDT

New Knowledge on Lymphoid Cell Maturity Could Lead to More Effective IBD Therapies

Apr. 15, 2022 — A research group has analyzed how certain immune cells known as innate lymphoid cells (ILCs) develop into mature cells that play a part in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). The findings could pave the way for more effective treatments against IBD, a disease that causes considerable suffering and that is linked to an increased risk of colorectal ...

From Cell Fat to Cell Fate

Apr. 14, 2022 — A cell's production of fat molecules can be a key factor in determining what that cell will ...

Human Fetuses Evolved to Slow Shoulder Growth for Easier Delivery

Apr. 14, 2022 — The growth of human shoulders slows down just before birth and speeds up thereafter; this alleviates the problem of shoulder dystocia. Computed tomography was used to obtain cross-sectional representations of the clavicle in humans, chimpanzees, and Japanese macaques; the researchers then looked at different shoulder-width to birth-risk correlations between humans and the two other ...

Novel Therapeutic Agents May Reduce the Oncogenesis of Metastatic Prostate Cancer

Apr. 13, 2022 — Researchers have found that treating prostate cancer cells with novel cyclin-dependent kinase 19 (CDK19) and homologous cyclin-dependent kinase 8 (CDK8) inhibitors reduces their potential to migrate into and invade surrounding structures. These molecules may be used as single or combination therapy for patients with advanced disease to prevent and ...

A Key Brain Region for Substance Use Disorders Now Has a Searchable Atlas of Distinct Cell Populations

Apr. 15, 2022 — In a work of systematic biology that advances the field, researchers have identified 16 distinct cell populations in a complex area of the midbrain called the ventral tegmental area, or VTA. The VTA is important for its role in the dopamine neurotransmission involved in reward-directed behavior. Substance use disorders involve dysregulation of ...

Decoding a Direct Dialog Between the Gut Microbiota and the Brain

Apr. 15, 2022 — Gut microbiota by-products circulate in the bloodstream, regulating host physiological processes including immunity, metabolism and brain functions. Scientists have discovered that hypothalamic neurons in an animal model directly detect variations in bacterial activity and adapt appetite and body temperature accordingly. These findings demonstrate that a direct dialog occurs between the gut ...

Exercise May Protect Brain Volume by Keeping Insulin and BMI Levels Low

Apr. 13, 2022 — Studies have shown that exercise helps protect brain cells. A new study looking at the mechanisms involved in this relationship suggests that the role exercise plays in maintaining insulin and body mass index levels may help protect brain volume and thus help stave off ...

Novel Root Cause of Tau-Induced Neurodegeneration

Apr. 13, 2022 — A newly observed pathway of tau-induced neuron damage is a novel target for drug development in Alzheimer's disease and other disorders, researchers have ...

Pollution from Cooking Emissions Hangs in the Air

Apr. 14, 2022 — Organic aerosols -- such as those released in cooking -- may stay in the atmosphere for several days, because of nanostructures formed by fatty acids as they are released into the ...

Lies That 'Might' Eventually Come True Seem Less Unethical

Apr. 14, 2022 — People may be willing to condone statements they know to be false and even spread misinformation on social media if they believe those statements could become true in the future, according to new ...

Most Older Adults Want to 'Age in Place' but Many Haven't Taken Steps to Help Them Do So

Apr. 13, 2022 — The vast majority of people over 50 say it's important that they keep living in their current homes for as long as possible. But a new poll shows many of them haven't planned or prepared for 'aging in place,' and a sizable percentage might have a hard time paying for in-home ...

Physics Models Better Define What Makes Pasta Al Dente

Apr. 13, 2022 — Researchers examined how pasta swells, softens, and becomes sticky as it takes up water. They combined measurements of pasta parameters, such as expansion, bending rigidity, and water content to solve a variety of equations to form a theoretical model for the swelling dynamics of starch materials. The team observed how the noodles come together when lifted from a plate by a fork. This provided ...

Gravitational Waves and Monster Black Holes

Scientists Have Spotted the Farthest Galaxy Ever

Astronomers Detect Galactic Space Laser

Extreme Weather On Ultra-Hot Jupiters

Apr. 7, 2022 — Our universe is a chaotic sea of ripples in space-time called gravitational waves. Astronomers think waves from orbiting pairs of supermassive black holes in distant galaxies are light-years long and ...

Apr. 7, 2022 — An international team of astronomers has spotted the most distant astronomical object ever: a galaxy. Shining only ~300 million years after the Big Bang, it may be home to the oldest stars in the ...

Apr. 7, 2022 — A powerful radio-wave laser, called a 'megamaser', has been observed by the MeerKAT telescope in South Africa. The record-breaking find is the most distant megamaser of its kind ever detected, at ...

Apr. 6, 2022 — Astronomers have discovered bloated Jupiter-sized worlds that are so precariously close to their parent star they are being roasted at seething temperatures above 3,000 degrees Fahrenheit. That's hot ...

Latest Physical/Tech Headlines

updated 10:46pm EDT

Engineers Enlist AI to Help Scale Up Advanced Solar Cell Manufacturing

Apr. 15, 2022 — Perovskite materials could potentially replace silicon to make solar cells that are far thinner, lighter, and cheaper. But turning these materials into a product that can be manufactured competitively has been a long struggle. A new system using machine learning could speed the development of optimized production methods, and help make this next generation of solar power a ...

Methane from Waste Should Not Be Wasted: Exploring Landfill Ecosystems

Apr. 15, 2022 — Scientists explore microbial communities flourishing in leachate, a liquid percolating through solid waste in a landfill. They find that the composition and behavior of specific microbes found in arid landfills, like those in Arizona, are distinct from similar communities in more subtropical or temperate climates. Microbial composition also differs depending on the age of the landfill ...

Hybrid Quantum Bit Based on Topological Insulators

Apr. 14, 2022 — With their superior properties, topological qubits could help achieve a breakthrough in the development of a quantum computer designed for universal applications. So far, no one has yet succeeded in unambiguously demonstrating a quantum bit, or qubit for short, of this kind in a lab. Scientists have now succeeded in integrating a topological insulator into a conventional superconducting ...

Tracing Regional Origin of Anything Biological: Strontium Isoscape Mapping

Apr. 13, 2022 — Tracing the regional origin of everything from milk to invasive bugs is now possible thanks to a new project. A strontium isotope map means biological material can be pinpointed to distinct geographical regions in ...

Nova Outbursts Are Apparently a Source for Cosmic Rays

Apr. 14, 2022 — The MAGIC telescopes have observed the nova RS Ophiuchi shining brightly in gamma rays at extremely high energy. The Gamma rays emanate from protons that are accelerated to very high energies in the shock front following the explosion. This suggests that novae are also a source of the ubiquitous cosmic radiation in the universe which consists mainly of protons rich in energy, which race through ...

Giant Stars Undergo Dramatic Weight Loss Program

Apr. 14, 2022 — Astronomers have found a slimmer type of red giant star for the first time. These stars have undergone dramatic weight loss, possibly due to a greedy companion. The discovery is an important step forward to understanding the life of stars in the Milky Way -- our closest stellar ...

Early Human Habitats Linked to Past Climate Shifts

Apr. 13, 2022 — A study provides clear evidence for a link between astronomically-driven climate change and human ...

Hubble Sheds Light on Origins of Supermassive Black Holes

Apr. 13, 2022 — Astronomers have identified a rapidly growing black hole in the early universe that is considered a crucial "missing link" between young star-forming galaxies and the first supermassive black holes. They used data from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope to make this ...

The Ethics of Research on 'Conscious' Artificial Brains

Apr. 12, 2022 — Authors lay out an ethical framework that assumes brain organoids already have consciousness. The paper argues that this framework is not exclusive to brain organoids and can be applied to anything that is perceived to hold ...

How to Compete With Robots

Apr. 13, 2022 — Rboticists and economists have developed a method for estimating the probability of jobs being automated by future intelligent robots and suggesting career transitions with lower risks and minimal retraining ...

Exposure Assessment for Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill: Health Outcomes

Apr. 14, 2022 — Mathematicians have developed statistical methods that lay the framework for the crucial first step of determining whether there are any linkages between exposures and health outcomes from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, which is considered the largest marine oil spill in the history of the ...

Graphene-hBN Breakthrough to Spur New LEDs, Quantum Computing

Apr. 14, 2022 — In a discovery that could speed research into next-generation electronics and LED devices, a research team has developed a reliable, scalable method for growing single layers of hexagonal boron nitride on ...

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Environment News

April 15, 2022

Climate Change: Fires, Debris Flows, Flash Floods

High Efficiency Carbon Dioxide Capture

'Flash Droughts' Coming On Faster

Support for 'Drunken Monkey' Hypothesis

Apr. 1, 2022 — The western United States this century is facing a greatly heightened risk of heavy rains inundating areas recently scarred by wildfires, new research warns. Such events can cause significant ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — Researchers have developed a new membrane technology that allows for more efficient removal of carbon dioxide from mixed gases, such as emissions from power ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — Just like flash floods, flash droughts come on fast -- drying out soil in a matter of days to weeks. These events can wipe out crops and cause huge economic losses. And according to scientists, the ...

Apr. 1, 2022 — Scientists analyzed the ethanol content of fruit eaten by spider monkeys in Panama, and found that the fruit regularly contained alcohol: between 1% ...

Latest Environment Headlines

updated 10:46pm EDT

Changes in Vegetation Shaped Global Temperatures Over Last 10,000 Years

Apr. 15, 2022 — Follow the pollen. Records from past plant life tell the real story of global temperatures. Warmer temperatures brought plants -- and then came even warmer temperatures, according to new model ...

Lost South American Wildflower Named 'Extinctus' Rediscovered (but Still Endangered)

Apr. 15, 2022 — This South American wildflower was presumed extinct -- to the point that its official scientific name is Gasteranthus extinctus. But now, scientists are reporting the first confirmed sightings in 40 years. This not only means that this one little flower made it, but that an important concept in conservation biology called Centinelan extinction ...

Light Amplification Accelerates Chemical Reactions in Aerosols

Apr. 14, 2022 — Aerosols in the atmosphere react to incident sunlight. This light is amplified in the interior of the aerosol droplets and particles, accelerating reactions. Researchers have now been able to demonstrate and quantify this effect and recommend factoring it into future climate ...

Declining Nitrogen Availability Found in Our Nitrogen-Rich World

Apr. 14, 2022 — Following years of attention to surplus nitrogen in the environment, our evolving understanding has led to new concerns about nitrogen insufficiency in areas of the world that do not receive significant inputs of nitrogen from human activities. A multi-institutional team of researchers now describes the causes of declining nitrogen availability and how it affects ecosystem ...

Rain, Floods and Green Infrastructure: Are Cities Mitigating the Hazards Equitably?

Apr. 15, 2022 — New research combines demographic data with the distribution of GI and geographic areas prone to rainwater flooding in Portland, Phoenix and Atlanta and asks whether these cities are equitably building GI to mitigate flood ...

How to Balance Biodiversity Goals With Limited Economic Resources

Apr. 14, 2022 — In 2019, a landmark report gave the world its first report card on biodiversity loss. There was one crystal clear conclusion: human actions threaten more species with global extinction than ever before. Now, a research team has reviewed combining conservation with practical economic tools using a case study of Colombia, South America, a high priority but underfunded country for biodiversity ...

Huge Amazon Swamp Carbon Stores Under Threat

Apr. 14, 2022 — The largest peatlands in the Amazon rainforest, which hold a vast, concentrated amount of carbon, are under increasing threat from changing land use, research ...

Seafloor Spreading Has Been Slowing Down

Apr. 14, 2022 — A new global analysis of the last 19 million years of seafloor spreading rates found they have been slowing down. Geologists want to know why the seafloor is getting ...

New Study Confirms Potential of Geoelectrical Methods in Search for Hidden Graves

Apr. 12, 2022 — New research is helping law enforcement agents, forensic scientists and historians uncover attempts to hide ...

Research Reveals Human-Driven Changes to Distinctive Foraging Patterns in North Pacific Ocean

Apr. 14, 2022 — The first large-scale study of its kind has uncovered more than 4,000 years' worth of distinctive foraging behavior in a species once driven to the brink of ...

Diverse Life Forms May Have Evolved Earlier Than Previously Thought

Apr. 13, 2022 — Researchers analyzed a fist-sized rock from Quebec, Canada, estimated to be between 3.75 and 4.28 billion years old. In an earlier article, the team found tiny filaments, knobs and tubes in the rock which appeared to have been made by bacteria. However, not all scientists agreed that these structures -- dating about 300 million years earlier than what is more commonly accepted as the first sign ...

Black Rhino Extinction Risk Sharply Increased by Killing of Specific Female Rhinos

Apr. 13, 2022 — New research has examined data from the Critically Endangered Kenyan black rhino populations which suggest that individuals really matter when assessing the impact of poaching on species' survival ...

What Controls Human Flocking Behavior?

Turbocharger for Memory Found in Brain Cells

Leaded gasoline sign on | (c) David A Litman / stock.adobe.com

Leaded Gas Shrank IQ of Half Of Americans: Study

Climate Change: New IPCC Report

Mar. 22, 2022 — Researchers have developed a new model to predict human flocking behavior based on optics and other sensory ...

Mar. 17, 2022 — Scientists have long known that learning requires the flow of calcium into and out of brain cells. But researchers have now discovered that floods of calcium originating from within neurons can also ...

Mar. 7, 2022 — Researchers calculate that exposure to car exhaust from leaded gas during childhood stole a collective 824 million IQ points from over 170 million ...

Feb. 28, 2022 — Human-induced climate change is causing dangerous and widespread disruption in nature and affecting the lives of billions of people around the world, despite efforts to reduce the risks. People and ...

Latest Society/Education Headlines

updated 10:46pm EDT

Study Links Fracking, Drinking Water Pollution, and Infant Health

Apr. 11, 2022 — New research documents the pollution of public water supplies caused by shale gas development, commonly known as fracking, and its negative impact of infant health. These findings call for closer environmental regulation of the industry, as levels of chemicals found in drinking water often fall below regulatory ...

Lead as a Social Determinant of Child and Adolescent Physiological Stress and Behavior

Apr. 11, 2022 — Lead is an environmental neurotoxicant that causes neurocognitive deficits and cardiovascular and metabolic disorders. It also disproportionately affects socially disadvantaged communities. The association between lead exposure and children's IQ has been well studied, but few studies have examined the effects of blood lead on children's ...

U.S., EU Responsible for the Majority of Ecological Damage Caused by Excess Use of Raw Materials, Study Finds

Apr. 8, 2022 — High-income nations are responsible for 74 percent of the global excess in resource extraction over the 1970-2017 period, driven primarily by the United States and the countries of the European Union. This is demonstrated in an international study, which determines national responsibility for ecological breakdown by calculating the extent to which ...

New Evidence Suggests California's Environmental Policies Preferentially Protect Whites

Apr. 7, 2022 — Asian and Hispanic communities experience significantly more air pollution from economic activity compared to predominantly white neighborhoods across the state of California, according to new ...

Machine Learning Predicts Conduct Disorder in Kids

Apr. 12, 2022 — Conduct disorder (CD) is a common yet complex psychiatric disorder featuring aggressive and destructive behavior. Factors contributing to the development of CD span biological, psychological, and social domains. Researchers have identified a myriad of risk factors that could help predict CD, but they are often considered in isolation. Now, a new study uses a machine-learning approach for the ...

Trainee Teachers Made Sharper Assessments About Learning Difficulties After Receiving Feedback from AI

Apr. 11, 2022 — A trial which used artificial intelligence to train new teachers to spot potential learning difficulties in pupils found that the approach significantly improved their assessment skills. 178 trainees assessed six fictionalised pupils for potential signs of conditions such as dyslexia and ADHD. Half received feedback in the form of a pre-written ...

Human Gene Variant Produces Attention Deficit Disorder-Like Problems in Mice

Apr. 7, 2022 — Mutant mice are providing scientists with a new neurobiological framework to understand the brain changes observed in distractible humans who carry a common gene variant whose frequency has been associated with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). The scientists demonstrate that mice that express the variant adopt an inattentive ...

After 'Mama,' Children’s First Words Include 'This' and 'That'

Apr. 7, 2022 — Across languages and cultures, words that help direct caregivers' attention are likely to be among the first children learn and use frequently, according to a new study of early vocabulary development in an Indigenous ...

Subsidy Would Improve Fruit and Veggie Intake by as Much as 15%, Say Economists

Mar. 30, 2022 — High fixed costs for retailing fresh fruit and vegetables means that they cost 40% more than would be efficient, unlike unhealthy alternatives, which trade close to marginal cost, a new study ...

People Underestimate Others' Desire for Constructive Feedback

Mar. 24, 2022 — People consistently underestimate others' desire for constructive feedback and therefore don't provide it, even when it could improve another person's performance on a ...

How Campus Design and Architecture Influence Interaction Among Researchers

Mar. 24, 2022 — A new study examines the relationship between physical proximity, social networking, and collaboration on a university ...

Heat Stress for Cattle May Cost Billions by Century's End, Study Finds

Mar. 10, 2022 — Climate change poses a potentially devastating economic threat to low-income cattle farmers in poor countries due to increasing heat stress on the animals. Globally, by the end of this century those producers may face financial loss between $15 and $40 billion ...

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