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SpaceX’s Spacecraft Just Had a Near Miss With an Unidentified Object
15hEarlier today, SpaceX and NASA successfully launched four astronauts into orbit on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The launch went by without a hitch — but the crew of four did just experience a scare while en route to the International Space Station. “The NASA/SpaceX team was informed of the possible conjunction by US Space Command,” NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries told Futurism. “The o
Oxford Malaria vaccine proves highly effective in Burkina Faso trial
1dVaccine developed by scientists at Jenner Institute, Oxford, shows up to 77% efficacy in trial over 12 months A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford Univers
Climate crisis has shifted the Earth’s axis, study shows
1dMassive melting of glaciers has tilted the planet’s rotation, showing the impact of human activities The massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said. The planet’s geographic north and south poles are the po
Pink supermoon will light up the night this Monday
22hThe Pink Moon, the second largest full moon of the year, will light up the sky from Sunday through Wednesday.
One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces Covid infection rate by 65% – study
1dAnalysis of test results from more than 350,000 people finds older people just as protected as younger Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces coronavirus infections by nearly two-thirds and protects older and more vulnerable people as much as younger, healthy individuals, a study has found. The results fr
Bitcoin Crashes, Wiping Over $200 Billion Off Crypto Market
16hBitcoin Drop The value of Bitcoin, along with several other digital currencies, plummeted on Friday, following US president Joe Biden’s announcement of a significant capital gains tax hike, CNBC reports . The value of the digital currency fell to just below $50,000, its lowest since early March. According to CoinMarketCap, the drop represented the wiping out of $200 billion in market value — a st
UK scientists find evidence of human-to-cat Covid transmission
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1dTwo Human Cat Covid UK
Researchers in Glasgow find two cases where cats were infected by owners with coronavirus symptoms Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Two cases of human-to-cat transmission of Covid-19 have been identified by researchers. Scientists from the University of Glasgow found the cases of Sars-CoV-2 transmission as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the
Low-Skill Workers Aren’t a Problem to Be Fixed
23hRecently, I was mesmerized by a prep cook. At a strip-mall Korean restaurant, I caught a glimpse of the kitchen and stood dumbfounded for a few minutes, watching a guy slicing garnishes, expending half the energy I would if I were doing the same at home and at twice the speed. The economy of his cooking was magnetic. He moved so little, but did so much. Being a prep cook is hard, low-wage, and es
Silver coins unearthed in New England may be loot from one of the 'greatest crimes in history'
19hA handful of Arabian silver coins found in New England may be the last surviving relics of history's most notorious act of piracy — and perhaps one of the most famous pirates who ever lived.
NASA Launches Astronauts to the ISS on a Reused SpaceX Rocket
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23hSpaceX NASA ISS C. Dragon
The six-month mission is another step toward a moonshot, as SpaceX's Elon Musk says he will land Starship on the lunar surface by 2024.
The effects of solar flares on Earth's magnetosphere
19hPlanet Earth is surrounded by a system of magnetic fields known as the magnetosphere. This vast, comet-shaped system deflects charged particles coming from the sun, shielding our planet from harmful particle radiation and preventing solar wind (i.e., a stream of charged particles released from the sun's upper atmosphere) from eroding the atmosphere.
Malaria vaccine trial raises hopes of beating disease
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1dOxford Malaria Vaccine
Jab developed by University of Oxford team proves 77% effective in Burkina Faso mid-stage tests
Sixty-year-old question on DNA replication timing sequence answered
17hOver the last 60 years, scientists have been able to observe how and when genetic information was replicated, determining the existence a "replication timing program," a process that controls when and in what order segments of DNA replicate. However, scientists still cannot explain why such a specific timing sequence exists. In a study published today in Science, Dr. David Gilbert and his team hav
Great Malaria Vaccine News
18hExcellent news today: we have word of the most effective malaria vaccine yet discovered. A year-long trial in Burkina Faso has shown 77% efficacy, which is by far the record, and which opens the way to potentially relieving a nearly incalculable burden of disease and human suffering. This is a collaboration between the University of Oxford (Jenner Institute et al .), the KEMRI Wellcome Trust in K
Hubble captures giant star on the edge of destruction
19hThe expanding shell of gas and dust that surrounds the star is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to the nearest star beyond the Sun, Proxima Centauri.
Climate has shifted the axis of the Earth
19hGlacial melting due to global warming is likely the cause of a shift in the movement of the poles that occurred in the 1990s.
Scientists make further step towards understanding dark energy
19hThe extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) collaboration has released its latest scientific results. These results include two studies on dark energy led by Prof. Zhao Gongbo and Prof. Wang Yuting, respectively, from National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC).
Astronomers see first hint of the silhouette of a spaghettified star
19hFor decades astronomers have been spotting bursts of electromagnetic radiation coming from black holes. They assumed those are the result of stars being torn apart, but they have never seen the silhouette of the actual material ligaments. Now a group of astronomers, including lead author Giacomo Cannizzaro and Peter Jonker from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research/Radboud University, has
Wild horses flourish in Chernobyl 35 years after explosion
1dDown an overgrown country road, three startled wild horses with rugged coats and rigid manes dart into the flourishing overgrowth of their unlikely nature reserve: the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
No Transgenerational Effects of Chernobyl Radiation Found
1dThe genomes of the children of people exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident appear to carry no trace of the incident.
Among COVID-19 survivors, an increased risk of death, serious illness
1dResearchers showed that COVID-19 survivors — including those not sick enough to be hospitalized — have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the virus. They also have catalogued the numerous diseases associated with COVID-19, providing a big-picture overview of the long-term complications of COVID-19 and revealing the massive burden this disease is likely to place
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An advancement in the synthesis of unique soft magnetic CoCuFeNiZn high entropy alloy thin films
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87786-8
Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal
1d* High-level vaccine efficacy of 77% in African children achieve WHO-specified efficacy goal of 75%* Vaccine, trialled in 450 children, shows favourable safety profile and was well-tolerated* Vaccine candidate, R21/Matrix-M, has excellent potential for large-scale manufacturing and low-cost supply
Pregnant women with COVID-19 face high mortality rate
1dIn a worldwide study of 2,100 pregnant women, those who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were 20 times more likely to die than those who did not contract the virus.
Ancient Indigenous forest gardens promote a healthy ecosystem
1dA new study by historical ecologists finds that Indigenous-managed forests — cared for as 'forest gardens' — contain more biologically and functionally diverse species than surrounding conifer-dominated forests and create important habitat for animals and pollinators.
Heartbeat can help detect signs of consciousness in patients after a coma
19hA new study conducted jointly by the University of Liège (Belgium) and the École normale supérieure – PSL (France) shows that heart brain interactions, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), provide a novel diagnostic method for patients with disorders of consciousness. This study is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
Vaccines Are Effective Against the New York Variant, Studies Find
1dThe research adds to a growing number of findings suggesting the Pfizer and Moderna shots are protective against the variants identified so far.
Thomas Brock, Whose Discovery Paved the Way for PCR Tests, Dies at 94
1dIn 1966, he found heat-resistant bacteria in a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. That led to the development of the chemical process behind the coronavirus test.
What Do Women Want? For Men to Get Covid Vaccines.
1dAs the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back.
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Biden, Calling for Action, Commits U.S. to Halving Its Climate Emissions
1dAddressing leaders at a virtual summit meeting he convened, the president cast the fight against global warming as an economic opportunity for the world.
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Biden Wants to Slash Emissions. Success Would Mean a Very Different America.
1dHitting the targets could require a rapid shift to electric vehicles, the expansion of forests nationwide, development of complex new carbon-capture technology and many other changes, researchers said.
Man's Ancient Friend: 6,000-Year-Old Dog Remains Found On Arabian Peninsula
15hAs archeologists in Saudi Arabia excavated an ancient tomb last year, they were surprised to find what's believed to be the earliest example of dog domestication in the region. (Image credit: Royal Commission for AlUla, Discovery and the University of Western Australia)
The Rise of Ron DeSantis
22hUpdated at 6:35 p.m. ET on April 23, 2021. I first met Ron DeSantis at the Republican Jewish Coalition convention in Las Vegas in April 2016. DeSantis was then a second-term House member with an eye on Marco Rubio’s Senate seat. Rubio had pledged in 2014 that he would not seek reelection if he ran for president in 2016; he would later change his mind. DeSantis was likely anticipating Rubio’s reve
SpaceX Rocket Launches With Astronauts Aboard
23hThe company's third crewed spacecraft took off from Florida early Friday. (Image credit: John Raoux/AP)
Watch Live: SpaceX Launch of 4 Astronauts for NASA
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1dSpaceX NASA Four ISS
The mission, known as Crew-2, is the third to carry people to the International Space Station.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew-2 Rocket Launch: How to Watch
1dIt will be the third flight of the company’s Crew Dragon capsule with people onboard.
Climate Change Is Literally Changing the Tilt of the Earth
1dPolar Drift Over the course of history, the Earth’s north and south poles have drifted around. While that’s a normal and natural process, research published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that climate change has drastically sped up that planetary tilting during recent decades. It turns out that water plays a major role in the planet’s weight distribution, Space.com r
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Proxima Centauri shoots out humongous flare, with big implications for alien life
18hScientists have detected the largest stellar flare ever recorded from Proxima Centauri. The finding changes what we know about stellar flares and the potential for alien life around red dwarfs.
'Pizzly' bear hybrids are spreading across the Arctic thanks to climate change
21hThe hybrids may have an advantage over polar bears because their jaws enable them to eat a more diverse range of foods.
Covid: Scientists find more evidence of human-to-cat transmission
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21hTwo Human Cat Covid UK
Researchers at Glasgow University identified two cases where they believe cats developed Covid-19 after their owners.
It’s Dinner Time on the Space Station. Lobster or Beef Bourguignon?
1dEarth’s gastronomical delights are being adapted to life in orbit.
John Kerry Says Climate Change Is An 'Existential' Crisis
11hJohn Kerry, Biden's special envoy for climate, says climate change is an existential crisis. "And the question is, are we behaving as if it is? And the answer is no." (Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Covering the Planet in Forests Still Wouldn’t Stop Climate Change
14hCarbon Cycle Anyone who’s taken a science class has probably learned that burning things puts carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while plants swap it out for oxygen. So it’s not surprising that so many plans and corporate pledges to help reduce the ravages of climate change involve planting more and more trees . That’s great, and reforestation in areas where tree cover has been removed will only
Scientists Say The Rush To Do COVID Research Led To A Whole Lot Of Waste
15hThat's the perspective in new papers in Lancet Global Health that assess the nearly a quarter of a million studies on treatments for COVID-19. (Image credit: Lily Padula for NPR)
The King of AIDS Treatments Is Turning to COVID-19
16hAt the LGBTQ senior community where John James lives in Philadelphia, residents keep busy with trips to the garden or—before the pandemic—screenings of Strangers on a Train in the rec room. James does not care for any of that right now. Each morning, he combs through medical-research databases and downloads every paper he can find on COVID-19 treatments, scribbling notes about the parts that stan
Search Party Discovers “Object” During Search for Lost Submarine
18hCountdown Time is running out in the search for a lost Indonesian navy submarine with 53 people on board. The navy lost contact with the vessel , the German-built KRI Nanggala-402, early Wednesday morning local time off the north coast of Bali. Officials fear the crew may soon run out of oxygen — if they’ve made it this far, supplies will reportedly only last until tomorrow. Magnetic Object But t
Greta Thunberg becomes 'bunny hugger' on Twitter
21hClimate activist updates her social media biography following Boris Johnson comments at climate summit.
I Think You Should Leave Was Right About Everything
21hTwo years ago, WIRED referred to Tim Robinson’s Netflix sketch series as not “particularly good.” We regret the error.
An ancient coronavirus swept across East Asia 25,000 years ago
22hAn ancient coronavirus may have infected the ancestors of people living in modern-day East Asia tens of thousands of years ago.
A Vaccine Can Be Bad for a Person but Awesome for All People
22hThe safety pause in giving the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is up for debate again—a battle in a Secret War of Denominators and risk-benefit philosophies.
In a Huge First, SpaceX Just Launched Astronauts to The ISS on a Recycled Rocket
23hSpace travel is set to get a whole lot cheaper.
Many Older Adults Lack Even Simple, Helpful Equipment
1dRailings, grab bars, shower chairs and other inexpensive devices can make it easier to continue living at home, but not enough older people acquire them.
Japan declares targeted state of emergency as Covid cases surge
1dYoshihide Suga under pressure to act after sharp rise in infections in Tokyo, only months before Olympics Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Japan has declared a targeted state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures in an attempt to halt a surge in coronavirus cases, just three months before the Tokyo Olympics . The measures will go into effect in the f
Disastrous Climate Tipping Points Could Be Reversed – If We Act Fast, Scientists Warn
1dLet's not squander this opportunity.
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Asteroid’s 22m-year journey from source to Earth mapped in historic first
1dFlight path of Kalahari’s six-tonne asteroid is first tracing of meteorite shedding rock to solar system origin Astronomers have reconstructed the 22m-year-long voyage of an asteroid that hurtled through the solar system and exploded over Botswana, showering meteorites across the Kalahari desert. It is the first time scientists have traced showering space rock to its source – in this case Vesta,
Chernobyl radiation damage 'not passed to children'
1dA study found no mutations associated with a parent's exposure in the 1986 nuclear accident.
Meet BV-1, the Newest COVID Variant To Be Terrified Of
1dScientists at Texas A&M University ran a routine genetic screen on samples of a COVID-19 patient — and discovered a troubling new variant of the coronavirus. The variant, named BV-1 because it was found in Brazos Valley, Texas, seems to be more infectious than the original version of the coronavirus that first swept the globe, CNBC reports , and preliminary testing suggests that it can also resis
Why Are There No Horse-Sized Rabbits? We Finally Know The Evolutionary Answer
8hIt's more complicated than you might think.
We May Finally Understand How The Tangled Proteins in Dementia Cause Cells to Die
10hA mechanism that's never been confirmed before.
Elon Musk Says SpaceX Can Still Land Astronauts on Moon by 2024
12hCrunch Time SpaceX launched a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station on Friday morning, and CEO Elon Musk says he has even more ambitious plans for the future. The goal of NASA’s Artemis missions is to get human astronauts back to the surface of the Moon by 2024. It’s an ambitious deadline — one that even Steve Jurczyk, the acting NASA Administrator who took over when Trump le
April's Full Moon Is 2021's First Supermoon! Here's When to Look For It
12hAnd there's another coming soon.
A creature of mystery: New Zealand’s love-hate relationship with eels
13hNative species have been revered, feared, hunted and tamed. Now experts hope revulsion can give way to fascination For many years, the top-rated attraction in the Tasman district of New Zealand was a cafe famed for its rural setting, seafood chowder – and tame eels. For a few dollars you could buy a pottle of mince and a wooden stick to take down to the stream, where a blue-black mass was shining
Mark Zuckerberg Says He’s So Excited About New Project That He’s Forgetting to Eat
13hForgetting to Eat Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is just like us. The billionaire is so excited about his work, he says, that he can hardly keep it together. “Do you ever get so excited about what you’re working on that you forget to eat meals?” the CEO wrote in a Thursday status update (remember those?) on his Facebook profile. “Keeps happening,” he added. “I think I’ve lost 10 pounds in the last
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Study: Underwater Volcanoes Could Power the Entire US
16hExplosive Force Underwater volcanic eruptions release enormous amounts of energy, forming undersea rivers of lava and dispersing massive clouds of ash. Now, scientists have found a new way to calculate just how much energy is being released after each explosion by looking at how volcanic rock fragments known as “tephra” get launched across the sea for miles, Vice reports — enough energy, they say
Första effektiva malariavaccin ger 77 procents skydd
17hEtt effektivt malariavaccin som just utvecklats väcker hopp hos forskare.
2 Competing Impulses Will Drive Post-pandemic Social Life
19hA post-pandemic discussion question: You get home from work on a Friday night and change into sweatpants. It’s been an exhausting week. A text message comes in. Your good friend wants to know if you’d like to meet up last minute for a drink, which is something that’s safe to do again. You’d love to catch up, but you’re pretty tired. Do you go? This choose-your-own-adventure—or choose-your-own-lac
Leonardo da Vinci didn’t carve the notorious 'Flora' bust, experts find
19hNew analysis of a bust attributed to Leonardo da Vinci has determined that the famed artwork wasn't da Vinci's. Rather, it was crafted from sperm whale wax in the 19th century.
SpaceX Sends Four Astronauts Into Space On Reused Spacecraft
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19hSpaceX NASA ISS C. Dragon
Crew-2 SpaceX and NASA have launched yet another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The spacecraft, boosted by a Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:49 am EDT. Despite this being the third time a Crew Dragon astronauts were carried into space on board a Crew Dragon, it was the first time Space
Meet the Black Physicians Bringing Covid Vaccines to Hard-Hit Philadelphia Communities
20hThe Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium is leveraging their medical expertise and connections to provide testing and vaccines where measures are most needed
Could covid lead to a lifetime of autoimmune disease?
23hWhen Aaron Ring began testing blood samples collected from covid-19 patients who had come through Yale–New Haven Hospital last March and April, he expected to see a type of immune protein known as an autoantibody in at least some of them. These are antibodies that have gone rogue and started attacking the body’s own tissue; they’re known to show up after some severe infections. Researchers at New
US Dragon crewship launches to space station
23hFour astronauts leave Florida in a Dragon capsule bound for the International Space Station.
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Stop talking about AI ethics. It’s time to talk about power.
1dAt the turn of the 20th century, a German horse took Europe by storm. Clever Hans, as he was known, could seemingly perform all sorts of tricks previously limited to humans. He could add and subtract numbers, tell time and read a calendar, even spell out words and sentences—all by stamping out the answer with a hoof. “A” was one tap; “B” was two; 2+3 was five. He was an international sensation—an
New galaxy clusters found hiding in plain sight
1dMIT astronomers have discovered new and unusual galactic neighborhoods that previous studies overlooked. Their results , published in March, suggest that roughly 1 percent of galaxy clusters look atypical and can be easily misidentified as a single bright galaxy. As researchers launch new cluster-hunting telescopes, they must heed these findings or risk having an incomplete picture of the univers
DMI har opklaret mysterium om radioaktivt russisk udslip
1dMatematiske modeller afslører, hvor et radioaktivt udslip i Rusland stammer fra.
Australia resists calls for tougher climate targets
1dThe country remains out of step with other major nations by refusing to commit to deeper emissions cuts.
Australia news live: NSW Health testing dock workers who boarded Covid ship; vaccine rollout reset
1dFifteen Sydney waterfront workers waiting on coronavirus test results after boarding ship carrying infected sailors; national cabinet decision to offer all over-50s AstraZeneca vaccine from 17 May welcomed. Follow the latest updates live Scott Morrison claims future generations will ‘thank us’ despite no new emissions pledge Malcolm Turnbull accuses resources minister Keith Pitt of living in ‘coa
It’s Shockingly Easy to Drive a Tesla Without Anybody in the Driver’s Seat
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1dCR Tesla Autopilot
An eye-opening investigation by Consumer Reports found that a 2020 Tesla Model Y could “easily” be driven “even with no one in the driver’s seat” while on a closed track, CNBC reports . The news comes after the latest high profile Tesla crash , which left two dead this past weekend in Texas. That crash involved a 2019 Tesla Model S — not the Model Y that was used during Consumer Reports ‘ testing
Coffee waste: Companies offer up new solutions
1dA new crop of coffee companies have solutions to cut waste in their industry.
A student's physics project could make quantum computers twice as reliable
1dA remarkably simple change in the codes used to correct errors in quantum computers could half the number of destabilizing mistakes in these systems.
US lifts pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccine after advisers say benefits outweigh risk
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12hCDC & Johnson
The vaccine was temporarily halted while scientists investigated rare but dangerous blood clots US health officials have lifted an 11-day pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccinations following a recommendation by an expert panel. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the benefits of the single-dose Covid-19 shot outweigh a rare risk of blood clots. Panel members said i
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Scientists Say They’ve Invented a “Highly Effective” Malaria Vaccine
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17hOxford Malaria Vaccine
Scientists from the University of Oxford have developed a vaccine that they say gives “unprecedented” protection against malaria, a deadly mosquito-borne disease that killed more than 400,000 people worldwide last year. In a phase II clinical trial — currently under review by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet — the team found that the vaccine protected young children from the West Africa
Environmental scientists: Up to 20% of global groundwater wells at risk of going dry
19hA pair of environmental scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has found that up to 20% of all the groundwater wells in the world are at risk of going dry in the near future. In their paper published in the journal Science, Scott Jasechko and Debra Perrone describe their analysis of groundwater well construction data from millions of wells around the world. James Famiglietti an
How Europe will beat China on batteries
20hChina produces 80 percent of electric vehicle batteries. To achieve battery independence, Europe is ramping up production. And the U.S.? Action is needed, and quick. Tesla's Gigafactory near Berlin, still under construction in October last year. Credit: Michael Wolf , CC BY-SA 3.0 This is a map of the future — the future of battery cell production in Europe. If and when all projects on this map a
Octopus 'Teachers' Demonstrate They Feel Emotional Pain
22hAs a documentary about a cephalopod contends for an Oscar, a new study reveals the sophistication of the animals’ inner experiences — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
When Should You Wear a Mask Outside? Here's a Simple Way to Know
1dRemember to always keep it with you.
Show Your Immune System Some Love
1dIf the immune system ran its own version of The Bachelor , antibodies would, hands down, get this season’s final rose. These Y-shaped molecules have acquired some star-caliber celebrity in the past year, due in no small part to COVID-19. For months, their potentially protective powers have made headlines around the globe; we test for them with abandon , and anxiously await the results. Many peopl
Fears Covid anxiety syndrome could stop people reintegrating
3hExclusive: compulsive hygiene habits and fear of public places could remain for some after lockdown lifted, researchers say Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Scientists have expressed concern that residual anxiety over coronavirus may have led some people to develop compulsive hygiene habits that could prevent them from reintegrating into the outside world, even though
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J.&.J. Vaccine Will Be Available Again Soon
7hU.S. experts weigh the risks for younger women and cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder, and lift the pause in giving the one-shot vaccine.
Biden’s Climate Summit Sets Up a Bigger Test of American Power
12hThere were notable pledges of action, but several important greenhouse gas polluters were conspicuously silent. It showed the challenges that lie ahead.
‘No data’ linking Covid vaccines to menstrual changes, US experts say
14hSome have reported changes amid vaccine rollout but experts say ‘one unusual period is no cause for alarm’ Experts are trying to assuage concerns and combat misinformation about how the Covid-19 vaccines may affect menstrual cycles and fertility, after anecdotal reports that some people experienced earlier, later , heavier or more painful periods following the jab. “So far, there’s no data linkin
Scientists Hook Neural Interface to Powered Exoskeleton
16hA team of scientists hooked up a robotic exoskeleton to a neural interface, allowing a patient who lost his foot and lower leg to control the powered system with his thoughts. By combining the robotic prosthesis with sensors that could pick up the signals sent down to the foot by the man’s brain, the system allowed for a far greater range of movement and more control than exoskeletons are typical
Children of Chernobyl parents have no higher number of DNA mutations
17hStudy was one of the first to evaluate alterations in human mutation rates in response to manmade disaster For decades popular culture has portrayed babies born to the survivors of nuclear accidents as mutants with additional heads or at high risk of cancers. But now a study of children whose parents were exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 suggests they carry no more DNA mut
Watch an Astronaut Play Piano on the ISS as the Earth Drifts in the Background
19hFarewell ISS In a bittersweet video uploaded to YouTube, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi took the time to say farewell to the International Space Station by playing a somber tune on a Yamaha electric keyboard, as the Earth drifts in the background. The video was uploaded on the same day SpaceX and NASA launched yet another crew of four astronauts. Noguchi will soon return back down to Earth on
Using a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions
19hA team of researchers from China, the Netherland and Saudi Arabia has used a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes creating what they describe as a molecular compass to measure weak van der Waals interactions using a new type of electron microscopy developed in the Netherlands.
New biosensor designed to detect toxins and more
21hA device from Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers is not quite the Star Trek "tricorder" medical scanner, but it's a step in the right direction. The Portable EnGineered Analytic Sensor with aUtomated Sampling (PEGASUS) is a miniaturized waveguide-based optical sensor that can detect toxins, bacterial signatures, viral signatures, biothreats, white powders and more, from samples such as blo
Mars-directed coronal mass ejection erupts from the sun
21hNASA's STEREO-A and ESA/NASA's SOHO spacecraft detected a coronal mass ejection, or CME, leaving the sun on April 17 at 12:36 p.m. EDT. This CME did not impact Earth but did move toward Mars, passing the planet in the late evening and early morning hours of April 21 and 22.
Apple’s Ransomware Mess Is the Future of Online Extortion
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22hREvil Apple Quanta
This week, hackers stole confidential schematics from a third-party supplier and demanded $50 million not to release them.
Now for AI’s Latest Trick: Writing Computer Code
22hPrograms such as GPT-3 can compose convincing text. Some people are using the tool to automate software development and hunt for bugs.
A Harvard Scientist Is Selling His Genetic Code as an NFT
1dFamed geneticist and Harvard University professor George Church has launched a genetic sequencing service called Nebula Genomics — and the company is putting Church’s own DNA for sale as a non-fungible token (NFT). “As one of the first genomes ever sequenced, Professor Church’s DNA carries a great deal of historical significance to the field of personal genomics as it has been used in countless s
Paper Claiming Cigarettes Protect Against COVID Retracted for Ties to Tobacco Industry
1dA controversial study published last year in the European Respiratory Journal claimed that “current smoking was not associated with adverse outcome” in COVID-19 patients. It was a highly unusual conclusion, as COVID-19 primarily attacks the lungs, and — as the World Health Organization has pointed out — smoking impairs lung function, increasing the risk of respiratory infections, including corona
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CDC Panel Recommends Unpausing Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine in The US
9hExperts: The benefits outweigh the risks.
The Power of a Skeptical Captain America
11hThis article contains spoilers through the entirety of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame . Superlative television should always know what it wants to be, and on that front, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has felt more like Marvel’s exercise in trying things out than a series with a fully realized sense of self. Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebas
Astronauts on SpaceX Flight Encounter Space Junk Danger
13hThe crew were forced to put their spacesuits during their trip to the space station.
The CDC Reviews J&J, India Battles an Outbreak, and More News
15hCatch up on the most important updates from this week.
Elon Musk Appears to Have Stolen This Guy’s Meme
18hMeme Theft On April 9, 2021, Elon Musk posted a meme on Twitter. In it, two muscular arms labeled “Pfizer Crew” and “Moderna Gang” dramatically clasp hands to form an alliance, labeled “Slutty Summer.” The meme, unlike our overly reductive description of it, is pretty funny. It was also apparently stolen. The novelist Miles Klee wrote this week in SFGate that he created and posted the image just
Researchers realize high-efficiency frequency conversion on integrated photonic chip
18hA team led by Prof. GUO Guangcan and Prof. ZOU Changling from the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences realized efficient frequency conversion in microresonators via a degenerate sum-frequency process, and achieved cross-band frequency conversion and amplification of converted signal through observing the cascaded nonlinear optical effects inside the mic
Deaths and Excess Deaths in Brazil
20hBy misinterpreting excess mortality statistics, Nobel Laureate Michael Levitt minimizes the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil (and also America). The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
What’s Really Holding the Democrats Back
21hJoe Manchin, West Virginia’s Democratic senator, has put everyone on notice : Under no circumstances will he vote to eliminate the Senate filibuster. If the support of at least 10 Republicans is needed to pass legislation, progressives have little hope for their agenda. At least that’s what many seem to think. But eliminating the filibuster probably wouldn’t matter as much as they believe it woul
Naturally GM: Crops steal genes from other species to accelerate evolution
1dGrass crops are able to bend the rules of evolution by borrowing genes from their neighbors, giving them a competitive advantage, a new study has revealed.
Photos of the Week: Happy Cows, Bird Paradise, Big Merino
1dA deadly second wave of COVID-19 in India, a moose in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, a world-record attempt in Bangkok, a totem-pole gift in Washington State, a flowered forest in Belgium, a helicopter flying on Mars, surfing in Australia, and much more
End of an era for the International Space Station as Russia departs
1dMoscow’s departure brings two decades of rare co-operation with West to a close
Podcast: When Can I Take Off My Mask?
1dThe coronavirus pandemic has led businesses and governments to perform “hygiene theater,” which can give a false sense of security. But how do we thread the needle between being too cautious and too cavalier? Derek Thompson joins James Hamblin and Maeve Higgins to help us understand. Listen to their conversation on the podcast Social Distance : Subscribe to Social Distance to receive new episodes
How the US Might Reach Biden's New Climate Goal
1dThe president wants the country to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Here's what it will take to actually succeed.
Why Lawmakers Are Interested in Apple’s and Google’s ‘Rents’
1dYou can’t understand the app store debate without knowing a crucial piece of antitrust jargon.
‘We’re the poo crew’: sleuths test for Covid by reading signs in sewage
1hScientists in Exeter are identifying Covid through human faeces – this could be be expanded to monitor other diseases Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage They call themselves the “poo crew” – a team of health detectives who are tracking down and heading off Covid outbreaks by reading the signs in our sewage. And they are expanding. Earlier this month, the Environmental M
No One Is Saving Myanmar
4hSince Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on February 1, an initial sense of shock has given way to vibrant protests, and most of the ire has been concentrated on the junta: Hundreds of thousands of people in towns and cities from the foothills of the Himalayas to the far southern border on the edges of the Andaman Sea have marched in defiance of an armed forces known for its durability and
From corals to crops: How life protects the plans for its cellular power stations
15hAn international team of researchers led by the University of Bergen has uncovered how organisms from crops to corals may avoid deadly DNA damage during evolution.
Perovskites under pressure: Hot electrons cool faster
16hIn solar cells, about two third of the energy of sunlight is lost. Half of this loss is due to a process called 'hot carrier cooling' where high energy photons lose their excess energy in the form of heat before being converted to electricity. Scientists at AMOLF have found a way to manipulate the speed of this process in perovskites by applying pressure to the material. This paves the way for mak
Synthetic gelatin-like material mimics lobster underbelly's stretch and strength
18hA lobster's underbelly is lined with a thin, translucent membrane that is both stretchy and surprisingly tough. This marine under-armor, as MIT engineers reported in 2019, is made from the toughest known hydrogel in nature, which also happens to be highly flexible. This combination of strength and stretch helps shield a lobster as it scrabbles across the seafloor, while also allowing it to flex ba
Researchers create strong, fast, waterproof adhesive
19hIn the modern world, adhesives are largely considered a solved problem. Even underwater, glues can be used in a wide range of maritime applications.
Scientists Should Never Stop Being Students
19hBeing too comfortable with the universe as it’s “supposed to be” is harmful to creative thinking — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Blood Clots and the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: What We Know So Far
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20hCDC & Johnson
Infectious disease physician-scientist Wilbur Chen discusses the rare cases of blood clots linked to the immunization — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Oscars 2021: Time to Watch Yet Another Covid-Era Awards Show
20hPart of this year’s event will be held at a train station. Frankly, that tracks.
SpaceX launches third crew in less than a year with recycled rocket and capsule
21hEvent marks first time SpaceX reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for Nasa SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit on Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding company. The astronauts from the US, Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early on Saturday morning, following a 23-hour
Fighting Games Like Mortal Kombat Have Come a Long Way
22hThe genre has long relied on racial and gender stereotypes. Recent strides in diversity have made it better (and more fun) to choose your fighter.
Book Review: Lessons From the Rise and Fall of Ancient Cities
1dIn “Four Lost Cities,” Annalee Newitz illuminates what we can glean from the growth and decline of early civilizations. From central Turkey to the Mississippi floodplains, each of these cities share a common point of failure: Prolonged periods of political instability coupled with environmental crisis.
Astronauts Launching to Space Are Vaccinated Against Covid-19
1dAll four members of SpaceX's Crew-2 mission got their shots recently.
With new optical device, engineers can fine tune the color of light
1dAmong the first lessons any grade school science student learns is that white light is not white at all, but rather a composite of many photons, those little droplets of energy that make up light, from every color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
UK Covid live news: India added to UK’s coronavirus red list as travel ban begins
1dLatest updates: India joined UK red list from 4am, with returning British citizens and residents now having to quarantine at government-approved hotels People in England could get Covid passports for foreign travel by 17 May UK’s south Asian diaspora despairs as India joins Covid red list One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces infection rate by 65% – study Welsh government accused of ‘playing p
Så funkar de olika coronavaccinen
1dDet finns enligt WHO just nu 275 olika covidvaccin under utveckling. I klippet ser du vilka fyra vaccintyper som godkänts och används i många länder och hur de fungerar.
Australia set to host clinical trial of genetically modified Covid nasal spray vaccine
1dAustralian company applies for permission to conduct trial of men and women aged 18 to 55 Australia is set to host the first human clinical trial of a genetically modified adenovirus vaccine for Covid-19 delivered via nasal spray. Avance Clinical, an Australian contract research organisation, has applied to the office of the gene technology regulator for permission to conduct the phase 1 clinical
Why GSK will struggle to mount AstraZeneca-style revival
1dNew activist shareholder may not have quick answers to drugmaker’s underlying problems
5 Surprising Ways to Help Save the Planet
1dWhat do an electronic turtle egg, an Arctic seed bank, and carbon-eating machines have in common? They’re helping us be optimistic this Earth Day.
Study of 'breakthrough' cases suggests COVID testing may be here to stay
1dTwo new cases helped scientists confirm what many have come to suspect: that people can get infected by SARS-CoV-2 variants even after successful vaccination. The findings suggest continued testing may be needed to prevent future outbreaks in a post-vaccine world.
Mars has right ingredients for present-day microbial life beneath its surface, study finds
1dNew research suggests that rocks in the Martian crust could produce the same kind of chemical energy that supports microbial life deep beneath Earth's surface.
COVID-19 Vaccines Appear Safe During Pregnancy: Early Data
1dScientists at the US CDC report no red flags in a preliminary analysis of the safety of Pfizer/BioNTech's and Moderna's mRNA-based immunizations among expectant mothers.
This Is What The Future of Farming Looks Like
1dWhat do most people think of when imagining a farm? Typically: Acres upon acres of crops, fed by an extensive irrigation system, with tons of pesticides and heavy machinery— in other words, an image of modern farming that’s simply dated. Today’s most technically advanced farms don’t require nearly as much water or chemicals, and take up just a fraction of the footprint. How? The answer is simple:
How we know whether and when to pay attention
1dInternational team of researchers identifies cognitive computations underlying human predictive behavior.
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More belly weight increases danger of heart disease even if BMI does not indicate obesity
1dResearch on how obesity impacts the diagnosis, management and outcomes of heart and blood vessel disease, heart failure and arrhythmias is summarized in a new statement. Waist circumference, an indicator of abdominal obesity, should be regularly measured as it is a potential warning sign of increased cardiovascular disease risk. Interventions that lead to weight loss improve risk factors yet may n
Fast skeletal myosin-binding protein-C regulates fast skeletal muscle contraction [Physiology]
1dFast skeletal myosin-binding protein-C (fMyBP-C) is one of three MyBP-C paralogs and is predominantly expressed in fast skeletal muscle. Mutations in the gene that encodes fMyBP-C, MYBPC2, are associated with distal arthrogryposis, while loss of fMyBP-C protein is associated with diseased muscle. However, the functional and structural roles of fMyBP-C…
Vaccines neutralize New York coronavirus variant in lab dishes
17hThe studies analyzed antibodies drawn from vaccinated people.
Avenue 5 Is Funny but Needs More Variety
17hThe HBO show, from Veep creator Armando Iannucci, has all of that show's comedy, but not as many of its layers.
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US approves resumption of J&J’s Covid-19 vaccine
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18hJ&J Johnson &
Regulators conclude benefits of the single-shot jab outweigh the risk of rare blood clots
Asteroid that hit Botswana in 2018 likely came from Vesta
21hAn international team of researchers searched for pieces of a small asteroid tracked in space and then observed to impact Botswana on June 2, 2018. Guided by SETI Institute meteor astronomer Peter Jenniskens, they found 23 meteorites deep inside the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and now have published their findings online in the journal Meteoritics and Planetary Science.
60 sekunder: Därför kan vi inte bara vaccinera äldre och riskgrupper
5hUnga och friska personer insjuknar oftast inte lika allvarligt i covid-19 som äldre och personer i riskgrupper. Men även unga riskerar att drabbas om smittspridningen fortsätter och vaccineringen dröjer.
The science of spin: Asteroseismologists confirm older stars rotate faster than expected
1dStars spin faster than expected as they age according to a new study which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory.
The Overcrowded Space Station Doesn’t Have Enough Beds
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1dSpaceX NASA ISS C. Dragon
Slumber Party On Friday, SpaceX will launch a crew of four astronauts up to the International Space Station (ISS). But when they get there, the existing ISS crew won’t exactly be able to roll out the red carpet. In fact, there won’t even be enough room for all the astronauts to claim a bed. Sleeping arrangements are in short supply on the ISS, NPR reports . There are seven permanent beds, but the
Highly effective malaria vaccine could be a game-changer, early trial suggests
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15hOxford Malaria Vaccine
A new malaria vaccine showed to be 77% effective in early clinical trials, the first to pass the World Health Organization's efficacy goal.
It’s Official: Apple Is Now a Silicon Company
20hPlus: A conversation with Steve Jobs, how Facebook can fix its reputation, and the week in cyclones.
New study predicts human exodus in Bangladesh due to sea-level rise
20hRising sea levels and more powerful cyclonic storms, phenomena driven by the warming of oceans due to climate change, puts at immediate or potential risk an estimated 680 million people living in low-lying coastal zones (a number projected to reach more than one billion by 2050). In nations like Bangladesh these populations are already moving to escape sea-level rise.
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New chemistry makes 'magic' drug improvements easier
19hIn the last decade, scientists discovered a quirk of drug chemistry: If you add on a simple one-carbon building block to a drug, it can make the drug more potent, less toxic, or more stable.
Body's natural pain killers can be enhanced
12hA study in cells and mice finds a opioid-receptor modifying compound works to relieve pain using the body's own pain-killers, with fewer side effects than opioids.
Chernobyl's liquidators didn’t pass on radiation damage to their children
15hExposure to Chernobyl radiation increased the risk of thyroid cancer by breaking DNA strands, but the effects didn't carry to the next generation.
Talking Brains, Hardware, and Privacy With Facebook’s AR Guru
21hThis week, Andrew “Boz” Bosworth, the head of Facebook Reality Labs, joins us to talk about how his team is thinking about the future of mixed reality.
A superluminous supernova from a massive progenitor star
19hStars greater than about eight solar-masses end their lives spectacularly as supernovae. These single-star supernovae are called core collapse supernovae because their dense cores, composed primarily of iron at this late stage of their lives, are no longer able to withstand the inward pressure of gravity and they collapse before exploding. Core collapse supernovae that display strong atomic hydrog
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12-åriga Mika ska vaccineras: ”Inte glad över det”
5hIsrael kommer att börja vaccinera barn från tolv års åldern. Det är nödvändigt för att nå flockimmunitet. Men en del föräldrar är tveksamma.
How do you test a helicopter bound for Mars?
19hThe Ingenuity helicopter may be the first vehicle ever to fly on Mars, but Mars was not the first place it has ever flown. Before packaging it up and blasting it to the Red Planet, engineers at JPL gave the helicopter a trial run in a special wind tunnel designed with help from researchers at Caltech.
Can our passion for pets help reset our relationship with nature?
1hAs lockdown puppy sales soar and the cats of Instagram are liked by millions, endangered species are vanishing from the planet. Can pets teach us how to care about all animals? It was the carefree summer of 2019, and I was on a beach in San Francisco – surrounded by a thousand corgis. Sand is not the natural environment for dogs whose legs are only as long as ice lollies. But this was Corgi Con,
Digital neuroscience can help alleviate the mental health crisis
16hThe pandemic has inflicted a heavy toll, but new online tools offer cheap and accessible therapy
15 forskere i en ørken skal redde verden i ny dansk dokumentar
1dFilmen ’Solutions’ har premiere på CPH:DOX i dag og forsøger at løse problemer som klimakrisen og økonomisk ulighed.
3D motion tracking system could streamline vision for autonomous tech
1dA new real-time, 3D motion tracking system developed at the University of Michigan combines transparent light detectors with advanced neural network methods to create a system that could one day replace LiDAR and cameras in autonomous technologies.
A Helicopter Flew on Mars for the First Time. A Space Physicist Explains Why That’s Such a Big Deal
19hOn Monday of this week, the Ingenuity helicopter—which landed on Mars with the Perseverance rover in February— took off from the Martian surface. More importantly, it hovered for about 30 seconds, 3 meters above the surface and came right back down again. It may not sound like a huge feat, but it is. Ingenuity’s flight is the first powered flight of an aircraft on another planet. It marks a miles
Huh, Turns Out Space Food Has Gone From Gross to “Pretty Fantastic”
1dAstronaut food has come a long way. When French astronaut Thomas Pesquet jets off to the International Space Station tomorrow morning on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, he can look forward to some pretty fantastic meals, as The New York Times reports in a fascinating new feature. Rather than squeezing apple sauce or chocolate pudding out of toothpaste-like tubes, Pesquet will be enjoying deli
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US and Iranian researchers collaborate on Lake Urmia restoration
14hIn a rare exchange, scientists and water resources engineers from Iran and Utah are collaborating on a bold scientific study to restore one of the world's largest saline lakes.
California's wildfire season has lengthened, and its peak is now earlier in the year
1dResearchers have analyzed CALFIRE wildfire statistics from 2000 to 2019, comparing them with data from 1920 to 1999, to learn that the annual burn season has lengthened in the past two decades and that the yearly peak has shifted from August to July.
The Surreality of Documenting 2020
21hPhotographs by Peter van Agtmael Image above: A scene from inside a funeral home in Queens, New York In the early months of 2020, the photographer Peter van Agtmael covered a gun-rights rally in Richmond, Virginia, and a Trump rally in Charlotte, North Carolina. Van Agtmael had been working as a photojournalist for 16 years, documenting the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and life across the United
Why bad times call for good data
1d‘A fragile statistical infrastructure can mean the difference between life and death for millions’
Social mobility study to assess lockdown effect on teenagers in England
20hAcademics will follow progress of 10,000 poorer students affected by the Covid-19 pandemic Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Disruption to the lives and careers of 16-year-olds following the Covid-19 pandemic is to be the subject of a government-funded study that tracks 10,000 children in England into adulthood. The research will establish whether pupils achieve lower
Study uncovers human-to-cat transmission of the virus that causes COVID-19
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1dTwo Human Cat Covid UK
New research provides evidence that people have transmitted SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, to cats during the pandemic in the UK. The study, which is published in Veterinary Record, detected the virus last year in cats that developed mild or severe respiratory disease.
Lithium treats intellectual defects in mouse model of Bardet-Biedl Syndrome
1dMice with symptoms that mimic Bardet-Biedl Syndrome (BBS) have difficulty with learning and generating new neurons in the hippocampus. However, according to a new study, these mental defects can be successfully treated with lithium.
Watch Blood Cells Stream around an Air Bubble–It's Very Soothing.
17hA microscopy enthusiast captured a video of his own blood cells in action — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
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What Doomed the Great City of Cahokia? Not Ecological Hubris, Study Says
51minExcavations at the city, famous for its pre-Columbian mounds, challenge the idea that residents destroyed the city through wood clearing.
How a space doctor keeps astronauts healthy on the ISS
1dFrom muscle loss to radiation exposure and the psychological effects of confinement, spaceflight takes a toll on those lucky enough to experience it.
Flexible diet may help leaf-eating lemurs resist deforestation
15hFruits and veggies are good for you and if you are a lemur, they may even help mitigate the effects of habitat loss.
The Books Briefing: The New Literature of Burnout
19hThe author Brontez Purnell’s short story “Early Retirement” focuses on Antonio, a struggling actor who is unfulfilled by his job. One night, Antonio drinks too much and blacks out in the middle of a performance, experiencing a “cool and complete dissociation onstage.” He is booted from the cast the next day. Purnell’s story illustrates a common experience of disillusionment in modern-day work cul
There aren't enough trees in the world to offset society's carbon emissions – and there never will be
20hOne morning in 2009, I sat on a creaky bus winding its way up a mountainside in central Costa Rica, light-headed from diesel fumes as I clutched my many suitcases. They contained thousands of test tubes and sample vials, a toothbrush, a waterproof notebook and two changes of clothes.
Mutationerna EU håller extra koll på
1dEU:s ECDC har en lista på tio nya varianter av covid-19 man håller särskild koll på förutom de brittiska, sydafrikanska och brasilianska. Vissa coronavarianter verkar inte vaccinen fungera lika bra mot.
Ankle exoskeleton enables faster walking
19hIn lab tests, researchers found that an optimized ankle exoskeleton system increased participants' walking speed by about 40 percent compared with their regular speed. The researchers hope someday to help restore walking speed in older adults.
Feeling confinement in the gut: Microbiome alterations common in astronauts
19hCrew members who took part in the Mars500 experiment showed significant changes in their gut microbiota from their 520 days in confinement, according to a new study by scientists at Université de Montreal and McGill University.
Survey tool underestimating damage from fish farming and platforms
20hThe camera system used to survey seabeds could be seriously underestimating disturbances to ecosystems, according to new research from Heriot-Watt University.
‘Mad honey’: The rare hallucinogen from the mountains of Nepal
18hMad honey is produced by bees who feed on specific species of rhododendron plants, which grow in mountainous regions like those surrounding the Black Sea. People have used mad honey for centuries for recreational, medicinal, and military purposes. Low doses cause euphoria and lightheadedness, while high doses cause hallucinations and, in rare cases, death. Mad honey is still harvested and sold to
Research paves way for improved lasers, communications
1dNew photonics research paves the way for improved lasers, high-speed computing and optical communications for the Army.
Ground and satellite observations map building damage after Beirut explosion
1dDays after the 4 August 2020 massive explosion at the port of Beirut in Lebanon, researchers were on the ground mapping the impacts of the explosion in the port and surrounding city. The goal was to document and preserve data on structural and façade damage before rebuilding.
Expedition hauls tons of plastic out of remote Hawaii atolls
1dA crew returned from the northernmost islands in the Hawaiian archipelago this week with a boatload of marine plastic and abandoned fishing nets that threaten to entangle endangered Hawaiian monk seals and other animals on the uninhabited beaches stretching more than 1,300 miles north of Honolulu.
The US is the biggest carbon emitter in history. Where do other nations stand?
1dIt's not just the United States—other major polluters around the world have also been falling behind the climate goals they set for themselves under the Paris agreement.
Experimental drug shows potential against Alzheimer's disease
12hResearchers have designed an experimental drug that reversed key symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice. The drug works by reinvigorating a cellular cleaning mechanism that gets rid of unwanted proteins by digesting and recycling them.
U.S. Commits to Greater CO2 Reductions, China and India Do Not
18hAt climate summit, Japan, Canada and the E.U. also announce ambitious targets, while Russia and Australia resist — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Chemists show ions' staged release from gold-silver nanoparticles could be useful property
1dThere's gold in them thar nanoparticles, and there used to be a lot of silver, too. But much of the silver has leached away, and researchers want to know how.
Circulating mitochondrial N-formyl peptides contribute to secondary nosocomial infection in patients with septic shock [Medical Sciences]
1dSecondary infections typically worsen outcomes of patients recovering from septic shock. Neutrophil [polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs)] migration to secondarily inoculated sites may play a key role in inhibiting progression from local bacterial inoculation to secondary infection. Mitochondrial N-formyl peptide (mtFP) occupancy of formyl peptide receptor-1 (FPR1) has been shown to suppress…
U.S. asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies
19hThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) largely remedies Superfund sites containing asbestos by capping them with soil to lock the buried toxin in place. But new research suggests that this may actually increase the likelihood of human exposure to the cancer-causing mineral.
Detailed look at intriguing property of chiral materials
1dA new study is advancing scientists' understanding of magneto-chiral dichroism. The research focuses on light-matter interactions in chiral materials under a magnetic field.
How plants and animals steal genes from other species to accelerate evolution
19hLittle did biologist Gregor Mendel know that his experiments with sweet peas in a monastery garden in Brno, Czech Republic, would lay the foundations for our understanding of modern genetics and inheritance. His work in the 19th century helped scientists to establish that parents pass their genetic information onto their offspring, and in turn, they pass it on to theirs.
The Red Sea is no longer a baby ocean
19hIt is 2,250 kilometers long, but only 355 kilometers wide at its widest point—on a world map, the Red Sea hardly resembles an ocean. But this is deceptive. A new, albeit still narrow, ocean basin is actually forming between Africa and the Arabian Peninsula. Exactly how young it is and whether it can really be compared with other young oceans in Earth's history has been a matter of dispute in the g
Fossils of 'giant cloud rats' discovered in Philippine caves
12hScientists have discovered the fossils of three new species of giant cloud rats that lived alongside ancient humans in the Philippines. These fluffy, squirrel-like creatures may have been a source of food for the ancient humans.
SpaceX launches 3rd crew with recycled rocket and capsule
20hSpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk's rapidly expanding company.
A breakthrough astrophysics code rapidly models stellar collisions
12hA new breakthrough astrophysics code, named Octo-Tiger, simulates the evolution of self-gravitating and rotating systems of arbitrary geometry using adaptive mesh refinement and a new method to parallelize the code to achieve superior speeds. This new code to model stellar collisions is more expeditious than the established code used for numerical simulations.
Immune system, not COVID virus, may pose greatest risk to pregnant women
21hScientists investigated whether the COVID-19 virus could be affecting placental tissue of infected expectant mothers. Their analysis found that while evidence of the virus in the placenta is rare, the placenta in infected mothers tended to exhibit a much higher level of immune system activity than those of non-infected pregnant women, they report.
SpaceX og Nasa sender astronauter i rummet med en ‘genbrugsraket’
22hFire astronauter er blevet sendt op til Den Internationale Rumstation, hvor de skal være i seks måneder.
Fighting harmful bacteria with nanoparticles
1dMulti-resistant pathogens are a serious and increasing problem in today's medicine. Where antibiotics are ineffective, these bacteria can cause life-threatening infections. Researchers are currently developing nanoparticles that can be used to detect and kill multi-resistant pathogens that hide inside our body cells. The team published the study in the current issue of the journal Nanoscale.
Major Everglades restoration project to break ground this year
1dA key project in the restoration of the Everglades moved forward Thursday with the signing of an agreement between Florida and the federal government to construct a huge reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee.
Covid-19 Ravages India in Unexpected New Wave
19hIn our weekly news roundup: Researchers have suggested a range of possible causes for this new spike, including loosening public health standards, large political and religious gatherings, and the presence of more transmissible new variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.
Climate-friendly microbes chomp dead plants without releasing heat-trapping methane
1dThe tree of life just got a little bigger: A team of scientists from the U.S. and China has identified an entirely new group of microbes quietly living in hot springs, geothermal systems and hydrothermal sediments around the world. The microbes appear to be playing an important role in the global carbon cycle by helping break down decaying plants without producing the greenhouse gas methane.
Hybrid av människa och apa skapades i labb: “Moralisk limbo”
1dForskare tillförde mänskliga stamceller i apembryon som blev upp till tre veckor gamla. Om det är etiskt försvarbart råder det delade meningar om bland forskare.
Cones Derived from Human Stem Cells Help Mice See: Study
17hResearchers insert functioning cone photoreceptors into the retinas of mice with advanced eye disease, improving their vision.
Researchers uncover activation mechanism of a cell growth protein that can trigger cancer
19hThere are many different types of cancer, but they all have one thing in common: errors in the signals that control normal cell behavior can cause uncontrolled cell growth and cell division, leading to a tumor. An enzyme called SHP2 plays a key role in this regard. SHP2 is a signaling molecule that in its activated state stimulates cell proliferation. In a normal healthy body, the rates of cell pr
High school junior's consumer seismometer delivers low-cost earthquake early warning
16hA Southern California high school junior has built a low-cost seismometer device that delivers earthquake early warnings for homes and businesses. Costing less than $100 for her to make today, the seismometer could someday be a regular household safety device akin to a smart smoke detector, says its inventor Vivien He.
Average-risk individuals may prefer stool-based test over colonoscopy for cancer screening
1dWhen given a choice, most individuals with an average risk of colorectal cancer said they would prefer a stool-based screening test for colorectal cancer over colonoscopy, the method most often recommended by health care providers.
Faster air exchange in buildings not always beneficial for coronavirus levels
1dVigorous and rapid air exchanges might not always be a good thing when it comes to levels of coronavirus particles in a multiroom building, according to a new modeling study. Particle levels can spike in downstream rooms shortly after rapid ventilation.
Using exoplanets as dark matter detectors
1dIn the continuing search for dark matter in our universe, scientists believe they have found a unique and powerful detector: exoplanets. Astrophysicists suggest dark matter could be detected by measuring the effect it has on the temperature of exoplanets, which are planets outside our solar system.
Seismicity on Mars full of surprises, in first continuous year of data
16hThe SEIS seismometer package from the Mars InSight lander has collected its first continuous Martian year of data, revealing some surprises among the more than 500 marsquakes detected so far.
The Atlantic Daily: Our Personal Relationships With Nature Are Changing
19hEvery weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox. “Outside, fires raged and seas rose and viruses attacked,” my colleague Megan Garber writes. “Inside, not knowing what else to do, I kept watering all the plants.” This Earth Day, Megan has a thou
J&J coronavirus vaccine can resume in US, CDC advisory panel recommends
11hA CDC advisory panel voted to recommend that the U.S. resume administering the Johnson & Johnson vaccine for people 18 years of age and older.
Simple entropies for complicated molecules
21hChemists of the University of Bonn developed a computational tool for the analysis of conformational entropies of flexible molecules. Their method enables the thermodynamic investigation of complicated chemical systems by combination of modern quantum chemical and classical models. In a successful attempt of simplifications, important contributions to the entropy can be calculated with minimal use
How Real-World Data Can Help Us Better Prepare for the Next Pandemic
1dRapid testing is important, but there’s a wealth of other information that could have offered us quicker insight into the spread of COVID — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
New alloy can directly reduce the weight of heat removal systems by a third
16hThe new alloys created by NUST MISIS scientists in cooperation with LG Electronics will help reduce the weight of radiators and heat removal systems in electric vehicles and consumer electronics by one third. The research results are published in the Journal of Magnesium and Alloys.
Biden administration proposes restoring California's right to set car pollution rules
16hThe Transportation Department announced Thursday it was withdrawing part of a Trump-era rule that blocked states from setting their own tough car pollution standards, reversing actions by the Trump administration that weakened California's ability to fight climate change.
Bacteria and viruses infect our cells through sugars: Now researchers want to know how they do it
19hMost infectious bacteria and viruses bind to sugars on the surface of our cells. Now researchers from the University of Copenhagen have created a library of tens of thousands of natural cells containing all the sugars found on the surface of our cells. The library may help us understand the role played by sugars and their receptors in the immune system and the brain, the researchers behind the stu
GPS tracking could help tigers and traffic coexist in Asia
19hMore than 100,000 tigers ranged across Asia a century ago, from the Indian subcontinent to the Russian Far East. Today they are endangered, with only about 4,000 tigers left in the wild. The greatest threats they face are habitat loss and degradation, illegal hunting and declines in their prey.
Major fly pest genetically modified in the lab to produce more males
19hMediterranean fruit flies, an agricultural pest, have been modified in a lab experiment so more males are born than females, reducing their numbers.
Scientists probe mysterious melting of Earth's crust in western North America
19hA group of University of Wyoming professors and students has identified an unusual belt of igneous rocks that stretches for over 2,000 miles from British Columbia, Canada, to Sonora, Mexico.
New species of dumbo octopus identified using minimally invasive techniques
1dA new species of deep-sea dwelling dumbo octopus called Grimpoteuthis imperator sp. nov. has been described using a combination of MRI, micro-CT and minimally invasive gene analysis rather than traditional dissection methods. The findings are presented in the open access journal BMC Biology.
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Climate change impacts conservation sites across the Americas
19hA continental-scale network of conservation sites is likely to remain effective under future climate change scenarios, despite a predicted shift in key species distributions.
MERS DNA vaccine induces immunity, protects from virus challenge in preclinical model
13hA synthetic DNA vaccine candidate for Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) induced potent immune responses and afforded protective efficacy in non-human primate models when given intradermally in abbreviated, low-dose immunization regimen.
Not all gloom: World leaders tout success at climate summit
17hWorld leaders joined President Joe Biden at the virtual climate summit Friday to share their stories how nations can break free of climate-damaging fossil fuels—from Kenyans leapfrogging from kerosene lamps to geothermal power and Israeli start-ups scrambling to improve battery storage.
How is a molecular machine assembled?
19hThe conversion of light into chemical energy by plants and photosynthetic microorganisms is one of the most important processes in nature, removing climate-damaging CO2 from the atmosphere. Protein complexes, so-called photosystems, play the key role in this process. An international research team shed light for the first time on the structure and function of a transition state in the synthesis of
Högutbildade mest förberedda på katastrof
23hAtt förbereda sig inför en katastrof genom prepping och hamstring är vanligare bland personer med hög utbildning och högre inkomst. Det visar studier av människors beteende under coronapandemin. Under pandemin har olika strategier för att hantera en riskabel samhällssituation fått en ny aktualitet. Till en början syntes en kraftig ökning av hamstring, då människor fyllde på förråden med mat och h
Two retractions spotlight the ethical challenges of consent for case reports
23hCureus has retracted a pair of case studies after the authors revealed that the informed consent they’d received from the patients had been revoked. The fate of articles — both by authors in the United Kingdom — highlight the precariousness of papers that rely on consent from patients or, in one instance, their proxies. One … Continue reading
COVID-19 pathophysiology may be driven by an imbalance in the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22713-z The SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 is involved in the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone System (RAAS). Over-activation of RAAS in swine results in a disease state similar to that of COVID-19 in human patients, suggesting that COVID-19 pathophysiology may be driven, at least in part, by an imbalance of this hormonal syste
Finding new life for wine-grape residue
1dCalifornia produces nearly 4 million tons of world-class wine each year, but with that comes thousands of tons of residue like grape skins, seeds, stems and pulp. What if scientists could harness that viticultural waste to help promote human health?
Collaborative research could help fine-tune the production of antimalarials, chemo drugs
1dMuch of common pharmaceutical development today is the product of laborious cycles of tweaking and optimization. In each drug, a carefully concocted formula of natural and synthetic enzymes and ingredients works together to catalyze a desired reaction. But in early development, much of the process is spent determining what quantities of each enzyme to use to ensure a reaction occurs at a specific
Jane Austen quote encoded in a polymer
1dUsing a novel molecular-data-storage technique, researchers have encoded a quote from Jane Austen's classic novel Mansfield Park in a series of oligomers, which a third party could read back without prior knowledge of the structures that encoded the passage.
Artificial intelligence model predicts which key of the immune system opens the locks of coronavirus
1dA new artificial intelligence (AI) method is helping researchers link immune cells to their targets and, for example, uncouple which white blood cells recognize SARS-CoV-2. The tool has broad applications in understanding the function of the immune system in infections, autoimmune disorders, and cancer.
Membranes unlock potential to vastly increase cell-free vaccine production
1dResearchers discovered that enriching cell-free vaccine extracts with cellular membranes increased the yields of protein-based vaccines by five-fold, significantly broadening access to potentially lifesaving medicines.
Life satisfaction among young people linked to collectivism
1dAn international group of scientists from Italy, the USA, China and Russia have studied the relationship between collectivism, individualism and life satisfaction among young people aged 18-25 in four countries. They found that the higher the index of individualistic values at the country level, the higher the life satisfaction of young people's lives.
Tesla-autopilot kan snydes til at køre uden chauffør
1dBilen registrerer ikke, når førersædet er tomt. Ingeniørerne bag undersøgelsen kalder resultaterne for skræmmende og utilstrækkelige.
Plummeting sperm counts are threatening the future of human existence, and plastics could be to blame
1dsubmitted by /u/monkfreedom [link] [comments]
Automated, multiparametric monitoring of respiratory biomarkers and vital signs in clinical and home settings for COVID-19 patients [Engineering]
14hCapabilities in continuous monitoring of key physiological parameters of disease have never been more important than in the context of the global COVID-19 pandemic. Soft, skin-mounted electronics that incorporate high-bandwidth, miniaturized motion sensors enable digital, wireless measurements of mechanoacoustic (MA) signatures of both core vital signs (heart rate, respiratory rate,…
COVID, Quickly, Episode 5: Vaccine Safety in Pregnancy, Blood Clots and Long-Haul Realities
17hToday we bring you the fifth episode in our podcast series: COVID, Quickly. Every two weeks, Scientific American ’s senior health editors Tanya Lewis and Josh Fischman catch you up on the essential developments in the pandemic: from vaccines to new variants and everything in between.
A “Decisive Decade” for Climate Action
21hAfter four years of backsliding on tackling climate change, it is good to see the US once again taking it seriously and trying to lead the world on climate action. Good intensions are necessary, but insufficient, however. The Biden Administration pledges a 50-52% decrease in CO2 emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. That sounds ambitious, and it is, but it is also not enough. It helps clarify how b
Ancient Indigenous forest gardens promote a healthy ecosystem: SFU study
1dA new study by Simon Fraser University historical ecologists finds that Indigenous-managed forests–cared for as "forest gardens"–contain more biologically and functionally diverse species than surrounding conifer-dominated forests and create important habitat for animals and pollinators.
60-year scientific mystery solved
18hOver the last 60 years, scientists have been able to observe how and when genetic information was replicated, determining the existence a "replication timing program", a process that controls when and in what order segments of DNA replicate. However, scientists still cannot explain why such a specific timing sequence exists. In a study published today in Science, Dr. David Gilbert and his team hav
High dose of vitamin D fails to improve condition of moderate to severe COVID-19 patients
18hA clinical trial was conducted with 240 patients who were given 200,000 IU of vitamin D3 on admission to hospital. The supplementation did not reduce length of stay or affect the proportion requiring intensive care
A Jane Austen quote encoded in plastic molecules demonstrates the potential for a new kind of data storage
19hThe words "if one scheme of happiness fails, human nature turns to another" were originally published in 1814 in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park. At the time, the words were printed using revolutionary steam-powered printers that could roll through over a thousand sheets of paper an hour.
Quantum steering for more precise measurements
8hQuantum systems consisting of several particles can be used to measure magnetic or electric fields more precisely. A young physicist has now proposed a new scheme for such measurements that uses a particular kind of correlation between quantum particles.
Salad or cheeseburger? Your co-workers shape your food choices
13hEmployees' cafeteria purchases — both healthy and unhealthy foods — were influenced by their co-workers' food choices, found a large, two-year study of hospital employees. The study made innovative use of cash register data to gain insights into how individuals' social networks shape their health behavior. The research suggests we might structure future efforts aimed at improving population heal
Recreating the earliest stages of life
19hIn their effort to understand the very earliest stages of life and how they can go wrong, scientists are confronted with ethical issues surrounding the use of human embryos. The use of animal embryos is also subject to restrictions rooted in ethical considerations. To overcome these limitations, scientists have been trying to recreate early embryos using stem cells.
'Like a metronome': Stalagmite growth found to be surprisingly constant
19hTo look inside a stalagmite is to look back in time tens of thousands of years to see how the Earth's climate patterns have shaped the world we live in today.
Individual receptors caught in the act of coupling
19hA new imaging technique developed by scientists at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital captures movies of receptors on the surface of living cells in unprecedented detail and could pave the way to a trove of new drugs.
Scientists glimpse signs of a puzzling state of matter in a superconductor
19hHigh-temperature superconductors are famous for conducting electricity with no loss, but no one knows how they do it. Now scientists have observed the signature of an exotic state of matter called 'pair density waves' in a cuprate superconductor and confirmed that it intertwines with another exotic state — a step toward understanding how these materials work.
Witnessing police stops more likely to cause emotional distress for youth of color
21hPolice stops of people of color escalating in violence or death have gained national attention since the death of George Floyd last May.
On a changing planet, NASA goes green
21h"NASA is a scientific leader, globally and nationally," said Denise Thaller, director of NASA's Environmental Management Division. "We embody that focus on the stewardship of the Earth, so we need to lead by example. We need to evaluate everything we do and make sure we're reducing our impacts on the Earth while we study the Earth."
The global economic response to climate change: what's the plan?
1dWorld leaders participating in the virtual Earth Day summit are unanimous: fighting climate change will be good for economic growth worldwide.
Analyse: Teleselskaber bevarer eneret på mobilteknologi næste 20 år
1dPLUS. Når nye 5G-frekvenser kun fordeles mellem mobiloperatører med landsdækkende netværk, så vil vi på den korte bane se en hurtig og effektiv udrulning af 5G i Danmark. Men kritikere frygter det sker på bekostning af danske virksomheders mulighed for at innovation og nytænkning.
Law professor argues for removing police from traffic enforcement
1dUniversity of Arkansas law professor Jordan Blair Woods challenges the conventional wisdom that only police can enforce traffic laws.
Teaching pupils to 'think like Da Vinci' will help them to take on climate change
1dA radically reformed approach to education, in which different subjects teach connected themes, like climate change or food security, is being proposed by researchers, who argue that it would better prepare children for future crises.
SpaceX aims for 3rd crew launch hour before Friday's sunrise
1dSpaceX aimed to launch its third crew a little before sunrise Friday, this time using a recycled capsule and rocket.
1d
Svært ved at komme ud af sengen? Sådan vænner du dig til at træne om morgenen
3minDu kan gøre meget for at skubbe til din døgnrytme, siger ekspert.
Global experts define how to assess quality of care for patients with atrial fibrillation
1hThe first internationally agreed quality indicators for the management and outcomes of adults with atrial fibrillation are presented today at EHRA 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The document is published in EP Europace, a journal of the ESC. Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disorder, affecting more than 40 million people globally
1892: Middelgrundsfortet får et andet fundament end andre søforter
1hVed et foredrag i Ingeniørforeningen fortalte ingeniørkaptajn C. Hansen, der havde stor erfaring med vandbygningsarbejde, om Middelgrundsfortets grundbygning, som pga. størrelsen og vanddybden brød med tidligere anlæg.
Age-related muscle loss and walking abilities predict outcomes after lung cancer surgery
5hA new study by researchers from Nagoya University revealed that preoperative sarcopenia and exercise intolerance are associated with higher risks of medium-to-long-term mortality in patients with non-small-cell lung cancer.
Distinction between behaviorism and cognitivism?
7hBehviorism: all behavior can be understood to be innate behaviors that are modified by conditioning. Congitivism: the way cognitive processes (processing sensory inputs, decision making, memory) effect behavior. I don't see how these are alternative or opposed with each other. The cognitive processes listed above underpin the stimulus-response interaction that behaviorists focus their attention o
The distinction between Cognitivism and Information processing theory?
7hI have struggled to see the distinction between these terms. They are both used to describe the idea which superseded behaviorism – that the mind can be modelled essentially as a computer. Help would be appreciated! submitted by /u/GanonR [link] [comments]
[Academic] Face-name memory experiment (Everyone welcome)
7hHi! We are two students of cognitive science at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden conducting a study on face-name memory as part of our Bachelor’s thesis. The study aims to investigate people’s ability to learn the names of new people. The study takes about 10-15 minutes to complete. If possible, do not use Safari for the experiment (it sometimes produces an error in Safari). Link to experim
Interview with Lisa Feldman Barrett, author of Seven and a Half Lessons About the Brain.
7hsubmitted by /u/palsh7 [link] [comments]
(MMU) Internal Talk on Interdisciplinary Approaches to the Design of Language Experiments
7hsubmitted by /u/Broad-Fuel4116 [link] [comments]
Facial Action Coding System (FACS) Tutorials | Action Unit 11 (AU11)
7hsubmitted by /u/Broad-Fuel4116 [link] [comments]
Hi all, I recently ran a talk at the Brainstorm conference called ‘How do stressful life events affect the brain and how we think?’ I have recently posted it to make it accessible to all of you, I hope you enjoy it! (References in the video description)
7hsubmitted by /u/ava_flava123 [link] [comments]
Study paves the way for new photosensitive materials
8hScientists are investigating the molecular dynamics of titania clusters. Such research is a basic step toward the development of more efficient photocatalysts.
Hungry fruit flies are extreme ultramarathon fliers
8hNew research indicates that the common fruit fly can travel tens of kilometers in a single flight when in search of food.
Silver ions hurry up, then wait as they disperse
8hChemists quantify the release mechanism of silver ions from gold-silver nanoparticle alloys. The nanoparticles are being studied for use as catalyst in hydrogen evolution and other applications.
Machine learning model generates realistic seismic waveforms
8hA new machine-learning model that generates realistic seismic waveforms will reduce manual labor and improve earthquake detection, according to a new study.
Malaria vaccine has striking early success after decades of disappointment
9hBut observers await repeat of 77% efficacy in larger African phase 3 trial of Oxford vaccine
Give Kids A Love Of STEM With These $95 Introduction To Coding Courses
10hThe future will involve a lot of coding . We’re networking everything, from our cars to nature itself, so the earlier we understand how code works, the better off we’ll be. Twin Science’s Introduction To Coding bundle, currently 34% off , has two kits that give kids educational toys to play with that make it fun to code. The kits are developed by Twin Science, with a goal of creating science educ
Genetic effects of Chernobyl radiation
12hResearchers utilized genomic tools to investigate potential health effects of exposure to ionizing radiation, a known carcinogen, as a result of the 1986 Chernobyl accident. One study found no evidence that genetic changes associated with radiation exposure are passed to children, while the second study documented the genetic changes in the tumors of people who developed thyroid cancer after being
Force transmission between cells orchestrates collective cellular motion
12hHow do the billions of cells communicate in order to perform tasks? The cells exert force on their environment through movement – and in doing so, they communicate. They work as a group in order to infiltrate their environment, perform wound healing and the like. They sense the stiffness or softness of their surroundings and this helps them connect and organize their collective effort. But when th
A new method for fighting 'cold' tumors
12hResearchers address cold tumors in new research. Working with mouse models of head and neck cancers, researchers studied the role of T cells in tumor treatment.
Newly-discovered molecule provides dual protection against vascular inflammation
12hA mitochondrial peptide called MOCCI has a surprising sidekick, and they work together to regulate inflammation and immunity, researchers reveal.
Tarantulas: How 120-million-year-old creatures conquered the globe
12hScary-looking tarantulas actually prefer to keep to themselves and stay in their burrows. Their sedentary nature makes a puzzle of their presence in so many places around the world. Researchers discover that this is because they've been around a very long time and rode drifting continental land masses to their contemporary positions. Whenever a movie script calls for the protagonist to be menaced
Simple robots, smart algorithms
12hInspired by a theoretical model of particles moving around on a chessboard, new robot swarm research led by Georgia Tech shows that, as magnetic interactions increase, dispersed "dumb robots" can abruptly gather in large, compact clusters to accomplish complex tasks. Researchers report that these "BOBbots" (behaving, organizing, buzzing bots) are also capable of collectively clearing debris that i
Microbiologist Thomas Brock Dies at 94
12hBrock's discovery of a thermophile bacteria at Yellowstone National Park in 1966 eventually enabled the development of PCR.
Anti-aging compound improves muscle glucose metabolism in people
12hIn the first clinical trial of nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN), researchers have found that the compound previously demonstrated to counteract aspects of aging and improve metabolic health in mice also has clinically relevant effects in people.
Researchers trace spinal neuron family tree
12hSpinal cord nerve cells branching through the body resemble trees with limbs fanning out in every direction. But this image can also be used to tell the story of how these neurons, their jobs becoming more specialized over time, arose through developmental and evolutionary history. Researchers have traced the development of spinal cord neurons using genetic signatures and revealed how different su
Biden fills out science team with NOAA, DOE, and diplomacy picks
13hNominees include government veterans and newcomers
How a historic funding boom might transform the US National Science Foundation
13hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01076-x Proposed budget increases for the research funding agency could bolster US innovation efforts, but some worry this will change the agency’s mission.
From toxic ions to single-atom copper
13hUH researchers offer conclusive research for understanding how bacteria found in copper mines convert toxic copper ions to stable single-atom copper. Their research demonstrates how copper-resistant bacterium from a copper mine in Brazil convert copper sulfate ions into zero-valent metallic copper.
How oxygen radicals protect against cancer
13hOxygen radicals in the body are generally considered dangerous because they can trigger something called oxidative stress, which is associated with the development of many chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease. In studies on mice, scientists at Goethe University Frankfurt have now discovered how oxygen radicals, conversely, can also reduce the risk of cancer and mitigate damag
Researchers show how 'theory of mind' influences advertising skepticism
13hProduct marketers should be clear in their messaging to avoid customer skepticism that makes them feel duped, according to new research. At issue in a new study was a social-cognitive construct called theory of mind, which considers how well people assess the mental states and apparent goals of others. Turns out, it affects a person's evaluation and willingness to buy a product.
Stress test finds cracks in the resistance of harmful hospital bugs
13hResearch has identified critical factors that enable dangerous bacteria to spread disease by surviving on surfaces in hospitals and kitchens.
Targeting drug-resistant breast cancer with estrogen
13hResearchers at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center show better long-term control of drug-resistant breast cancer growth in mice by switching between estrogen and anti-estrogen therapies. An ongoing clinical trial will determine whether this cycling strategy is effective in human patients with advanced breast cancer. By studying molecular characteristics of cancer cell
Researchers develop a programme to find cipher vulnerabilities
13hAnastasia Malashina, a doctoral student at HSE University, has proposed a new method to assess vulnerabilities in encryption systems, which is based on a brute-force search of possible options of symbol deciphering. The algorithm was also implemented in a programme, which can be used to find vulnerabilities in ciphers. The results of the study were published in a paper 'Software development for th
These Stylish Sneakers Protect Your Feet Like Heavy Duty Work Boots
13hEveryone knows good shoes are important. The problem is we often have to choose between form and function. If you want to wear sneakers, which are comfortable and stylish, you have to sacrifice durability and safety. If you want to wear work boots, which offer the most protection, you have to endure bulky shoes that leave your feet sweaty and exhausted. But what if you didn’t have to choose? What
Minimally invasive retinal reattachment procedure leads to superior photoreceptor integrity
13hA new study reinforces pneumatic retinopexy (PnR) as the better first-line retinal reattachment technique to achieve the best visual outcomes.
3D printed models provide clearer understanding of ground motion
13hIt seems like a smooth slab of stainless steel, but look a little closer, and you'll see a simplified cross-section of the Los Angeles sedimentary basin. Researchers are printing 3D models like the metal Los Angeles proxy to provide a novel platform for seismic experiments.
Researchers show enhanced electrode-water interactions in metal-free aqueous batteries
14hBatteries are a part of everyday modern life, powering everything from laptops, phones and robot vacuums to hearing aids, pacemakers and even electric cars. But these batteries potentially pose safety and environmental risks.
Scientists provide new insights into the citric acid cycle
14hResearchers have new insights into the citric acid cycle: Certain bacteria can use this central metabolic pathway 'backwards', but to do so they must have very high concentrations of the enzyme citrate synthase and of carbon dioxide. This pathway may be a relic from the early development of life.
Is raising the sales age of tobacco reducing youth smoking?
14hA new study, conducted by three UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center researchers, studies young adult smoking trends three years after the start of California's law raising the sales age of tobacco to 21.
New therapy target for malignant melanomas in dogs
14hScientists have shown that the biological molecule PD-L1 is a potential target for the treatment of metastasized oral malignant melanoma in dogs.
Plant provenance influences pollinators
14hInsect decline poses challenges for the pollination of wild and cultivated plants. Landscape ecologists have now discovered that the diversity of insects that interact with plant communities is influenced not only by plant species but also by the geographical provenance of seeds.
SMART breakthrough in materials discovery enables 'twistronics' for bulk systems
14hResearchers have discovered a new way to control light emission from materials. While recent discoveries focused on manipulation of atomically-thin 2D materials, the new breakthrough can be used to stack technologically-relevant 3D materials at a twist angle. The discovery can be significant for applications in medicine, environmental or information technologies.
Monkeys are less cuddly with each other when dealing with an infection, study finds
14hResearchers studied wild vervet monkey troops in South Africa, tracking both their social grooming behavior and their parasite load. The results showed evidence that monkeys carrying certain gastrointestinal parasites do not groom others as much as those without the parasite, and that routes of transmission may not be as clear cut as biologists think.
Nanobody cocktails potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 D614G N501Y variant and protect mice [Microbiology]
14hNeutralizing antibodies are important for immunity against SARS-CoV-2 and as therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Here, we identified high-affinity nanobodies from alpacas immunized with coronavirus spike and receptor-binding domains (RBD) that disrupted RBD engagement with the human receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and potently neutralized SARS-CoV-2. Epitope.
Energy landscapes of fast-folding proteins pushing the limits of atomic force microscope (AFM) pulling [Biophysics and Computational Biology]
14hProtein folding is a complex diffusive process on a high-dimensional energy surface (1, 2). Gaining detailed insight into the folding energy landscape is an experimental challenge. First, most measurements can observe only one coordinate and provide one-dimensional (1D) projections (Fig. 1A). Second, even though a single-molecule experiment can yield folding/unfolding…
A tale of two receptors: Bmp heterodimers recruit two type I receptors but use the kinase activity of only one [Developmental Biology]
14hBone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) are members of the larger transforming growth factor β (TGF-β) family of cytokines that play diverse roles in embryonic development, adult tissue homeostasis, and human disease (1). BMPs are grouped into subfamilies based on sequence similarity, and can signal as either homodimers or heterodimers. It has…
A nanobody toolbox targeting dimeric coiled-coil modules for functionalization of designed protein origami structures [Biochemistry]
14hCoiled-coil (CC) dimers are widely used in protein design because of their modularity and well-understood sequence–structure relationship. In CC protein origami design, a polypeptide chain is assembled from a defined sequence of CC building segments that determine the self-assembly of protein cages into polyhedral shapes, such as the tetrahedron, triangular…
CD4+ T cells require Ikaros to inhibit their differentiation toward a pathogenic cell fate [Immunology and Inflammation]
14hThe production of proinflammatory cytokines, particularly granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), by pathogenic CD4+ T cells is central for mediating tissue injury in inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. However, the factors regulating the T cell pathogenic gene expression program remain unclear. Here, we investigated how the Ikaros transcription factor regulates the global…
Evolutionary and functional analysis of an NRPS condensation domain integrates {beta}-lactam, -amino acid, and dehydroamino acid synthesis [Biochemistry]
14hNonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) are large, multidomain biosynthetic enzymes involved in the assembly-line–like synthesis of numerous peptide natural products. Among these are clinically useful antibiotics including three classes of β-lactams: the penicillins/cephalosporins, the monobactams, and the monocyclic nocardicins, as well as the vancomycin family of glycopeptides and the depsipept
Ferroelectricity and multiferroicity in anti-Ruddlesden-Popper structures [Physics]
14hCombining ferroelectricity with other properties such as visible light absorption or long-range magnetic order requires the discovery of new families of ferroelectric materials. Here, through the analysis of a high-throughput database of phonon band structures, we identify a structural family of anti–Ruddlesden–Popper phases A4X2O (A=Ca, Sr, Ba, Eu, X=Sb, P,…
Probing the binding specificities of human Siglecs by cell-based glycan arrays [Biochemistry]
14hSiglecs are a family of sialic acid–binding receptors expressed by cells of the immune system and a few other cell types capable of modulating immune cell functions upon recognition of sialoglycan ligands. While human Siglecs primarily bind to sialic acid residues on diverse types of glycoproteins and glycolipids that constitute…
The MDAR (Materials Design Analysis Reporting) Framework for transparent reporting in the life sciences [Medical Sciences]
14hTransparency in reporting benefits scientific communication on many levels. While specific needs and expectations vary across fields, the effective interpretation and use of research findings relies on the availability of core information about research materials, study design, data, and experimental and analytical methods. For preclinical research, transparency in reporting is…
Individual error correction drives responsive self-assembly of army ant scaffolds [Engineering]
14hAn inherent strength of evolved collective systems is their ability to rapidly adapt to dynamic environmental conditions, offering resilience in the face of disruption. This is thought to arise when individual sensory inputs are filtered through local interactions, producing an adaptive response at the group level. To understand how simple…
Ion mobility-mass spectrometry reveals the role of peripheral myelin protein dimers in peripheral neuropathy [Chemistry]
14hPeripheral myelin protein (PMP22) is an integral membrane protein that traffics inefficiently even in wild-type (WT) form, with only 20% of the WT protein reaching its final plasma membrane destination in myelinating Schwann cells. Misfolding of PMP22 has been identified as a key factor in multiple peripheral neuropathies, including Charcot-Marie-Tooth…
A unique mode of keratinocyte death requires intracellular acidification [Developmental Biology]
14hThe stratum corneum (SC), the outermost epidermal layer, consists of nonviable anuclear keratinocytes, called corneocytes, which function as a protective barrier. The exact modes of cell death executed by keratinocytes of the upper stratum granulosum (SG1 cells) remain largely unknown. Here, using intravital imaging combined with intracellular Ca2+- and pH-responsive…
Production, composition, and mode of action of the painful defensive venom produced by a limacodid caterpillar, Doratifera vulnerans [Evolution]
14hVenoms have evolved independently several times in Lepidoptera. Limacodidae is a family with worldwide distribution, many of which are venomous in the larval stage, but the composition and mode of action of their venom is unknown. Here, we use imaging technologies, transcriptomics, proteomics, and functional assays to provide a holistic…
Coronavirus News Roundup, April 17–April 23
14hPandemic highlights for the week — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Violence-legitimizing verses in religious scriptures increase support for lethal violence
15hExtremist perpetrators of violence often quote verses from their religion's holy scriptures that authorize, or even prescribe, attacks on enemies of the faith. However, whether the religious motivation that extremist perpetrators of violence emphasize is causally related to their actions is often doubted. Now, WZB researchers Ruud Koopmans and Eylem Kanol can prove for the first time that verses i
Cracking the code of the Dead Sea Scrolls
15hThe Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered some seventy years ago, are famous for containing the oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) and many hitherto unknown ancient Jewish texts. But the individual people behind the scrolls have eluded scientists, because the scribes are anonymous. Now, by combining the sciences and the humanities, researchers have cracked the code, which enables them t
Changing views on atherosclerosis
15hAtherosclerosis — hardening of the arteries — is now involved in the majority of deaths worldwide, and advances in our understanding of the biology of the disease are changing traditional views and opening up new avenues for treatment.
Author Correction: Strain rate dependency of dislocation plasticity
15hNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22963-x
Daily briefing: Malaria vaccine shows early signs of promise
15hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01106-8 A malaria vaccine is effective in children in a small trial. Plus, the US pledges to dramatically slash greenhouse-gas emissions, and one of the world’s longest-running experiments.
A PLOS Medicine Collection on Plasmodium vivax–a neglected cause of malaria
15hStrenuous efforts to prevent in recent decades have brought great benefits, particularly against disease caused by Plasmodium falciparum in countries in Africa and the Americas. But malaria caused by its "stealthier and more resilient cousin", P. vivax, now needs to be confronted with high priority, say Lorenz von Seidlein and Nicholas White of the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in
Successful cancer therapy using artificial metalloenzymes to deliver drugs
15hResearchers led by Katsunori Tanaka and Kenward Vong at the RIKEN Cluster for Pioneering Research (CPR) in Japan have combined cancer therapy drugs with a cancer cell-selective delivery system made from an artificial enzyme. The system reduced tumor onset and growth in mice.
These Delicious Low Alcohol Apéritifs Offer More Hangouts and Less Hangovers
15hIf 2020 caused you to drink a lot more than normal, you’re not alone. Last year the average American drank 14-percent more often , with women’s alcohol consumption increasing by 17-percent. And when the pandemic first hit in 2020, online alcohol sales increased by a whopping 339% . Now, after a year of hard-drinking, the sober-curious trend is becoming even more popular with people who are tired
A non-immunological role for {gamma}-interferon-inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) in osteoclastic bone resorption
15hThe extracellular bone resorbing lacuna of the osteoclast shares many characteristics with the degradative lysosome of antigen-presenting cells. -Interferon–inducible lysosomal thiol reductase (GILT) enhances antigen processing within lysosomes through direct reduction of antigen disulfides and maintenance of cysteine protease activity. In this study, we found the osteoclastogenic cytokine RANKL
Spatially resolved cell polarity proteomics of a human epiblast model
15hCritical early steps in human embryonic development include polarization of the inner cell mass, followed by formation of an expanded lumen that will become the epiblast cavity. Recently described three-dimensional (3D) human pluripotent stem cell–derived cyst (hPSC-cyst) structures can replicate these processes. To gain mechanistic insights into the poorly understood machinery involved in epibla
Copper mining bacteria: Converting toxic copper ions into a stable single-atom copper
15hThe chemical synthesis of monoatomic metallic copper is unfavorable and requires inert or reductive conditions and the use of toxic reagents. Here, we report the environmental extraction and conversion of CuSO 4 ions into single-atom zero-valent copper (Cu 0 ) by a copper-resistant bacterium isolated from a copper mine in Brazil. Furthermore, the biosynthetic mechanism of Cu 0 production is propo
Surprising simplicity in the modeling of dynamic granular intrusion
15hGranular intrusions, such as dynamic impact or wheel locomotion, are complex multiphase phenomena where the grains exhibit solid-like and fluid-like characteristics together with an ejected gas-like phase. Despite decades of modeling efforts, a unified description of the physics in such intrusions is as yet unknown. Here, we show that a continuum model based on the simple notions of frictional fl
A combined molecular dynamics and experimental study of two-step process enabling low-temperature formation of phase-pure {alpha}-FAPbI3
15hIt is well established that the lack of understanding the crystallization process in a two-step sequential deposition has a direct impact on efficiency, stability, and reproducibility of perovskite solar cells. Here, we try to understand the solid-solid phase transition occurring during the two-step sequential deposition of methylammonium lead iodide and formamidinium lead iodide. Using metadynam
Programming active cohesive granular matter with mechanically induced phase changes
15hAt the macroscale, controlling robotic swarms typically uses substantial memory, processing power, and coordination unavailable at the microscale, e.g., for colloidal robots, which could be useful for fighting disease, fabricating intelligent textiles, and designing nanocomputers. To develop principles that can leverage physical interactions and thus be used across scales, we take a two-pronged a
Belief propagation for networks with loops
15hBelief propagation is a widely used message passing method for the solution of probabilistic models on networks such as epidemic models, spin models, and Bayesian graphical models, but it suffers from the serious shortcoming that it works poorly in the common case of networks that contain short loops. Here, we provide a solution to this long-standing problem, deriving a belief propagation method
Immune cell shuttle for precise delivery of nanotherapeutics for heart disease and cancer
15hThe delivery of therapeutics through the circulatory system is one of the least arduous and less invasive interventions; however, this approach is hampered by low vascular density or permeability. In this study, by exploiting the ability of monocytes to actively penetrate into diseased sites, we designed aptamer-based lipid nanovectors that actively bind onto the surface of monocytes and are rele
The structural plasticity of nucleic acid duplexes revealed by WAXS and MD
15hDouble-stranded DNA (dsDNA) and RNA (dsRNA) helices display an unusual structural diversity. Some structural variations are linked to sequence and may serve as signaling units for protein-binding partners. Therefore, elucidating the mechanisms and factors that modulate these variations is of fundamental importance. While the structural diversity of dsDNA has been extensively studied, similar stud
Multiple substrate recognition by yeast diadenosine and diphosphoinositol polyphosphate phosphohydrolase through phosphate clamping
15hThe yeast diadenosine and diphosphoinositol polyphosphate phosphohydrolase DDP1 is a Nudix enzyme with pyrophosphatase activity on diphosphoinositides, dinucleotides, and polyphosphates. These substrates bind to diverse protein targets and participate in signaling and metabolism, being essential for energy and phosphate homeostasis, ATPase pump regulation, or protein phosphorylation. An exhaustiv
Endogenous variation in ventromedial prefrontal cortex state dynamics during naturalistic viewing reflects affective experience
15hHow we process ongoing experiences is shaped by our personal history, current needs, and future goals. Consequently, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) activity involved in processing these subjective appraisals appears to be highly idiosyncratic across individuals. To elucidate the role of the vmPFC in processing our ongoing experiences, we developed a computational framework and analysis pi
Weaker bonding can give larger thermal conductance at highly mismatched interfaces
15hThermal boundary conductance is typically positively correlated with interfacial adhesion at the interface. Here, we demonstrate a counterintuitive experimental result in which a weak van der Waals interface can give a higher thermal boundary conductance than a strong covalently bonded interface. This occurs in a system with highly mismatched vibrational frequencies (copper/diamond) modified by a
Disrupting tumor onset and growth via selective cell tagging (SeCT) therapy
15hThis study presents the early framework of selective cell tagging (SeCT) therapy, which is the concept of preferentially labeling specific cells in vivo with chemical moieties that can elicit a therapeutic response. Using glycosylated artificial metalloenzyme (GArM)–based protein labeling, this study reports two separate functional strategies. In one approach, early tumor onset can be suppressed
Reconstitution of cargo-induced LC3 lipidation in mammalian selective autophagy
15hSelective autophagy of damaged mitochondria, protein aggregates, and other cargoes is essential for health. Cargo initiates phagophore biogenesis, which entails the conjugation of LC3 to phosphatidylethanolamine. Current models suggest that clustered ubiquitin chains on a cargo trigger a cascade from autophagic cargo receptors through the core complexes ULK1 and class III phosphatidylinositol 3-k
Hydraulic resistance induces cell phenotypic transition in confinement
15hCells penetrating into confinement undergo mesenchymal-to-amoeboid transition. The topographical features of the microenvironment expose cells to different hydraulic resistance levels. How cells respond to hydraulic resistance is unknown. We show that the cell phenotype shifts from amoeboid to mesenchymal upon increasing resistance. By combining automated morphological tracking and wavelet analys
Neural embeddings of scholarly periodicals reveal complex disciplinary organizations
15hUnderstanding the structure of knowledge domains is one of the foundational challenges in the science of science. Here, we propose a neural embedding technique that leverages the information contained in the citation network to obtain continuous vector representations of scientific periodicals. We demonstrate that our periodical embeddings encode nuanced relationships between periodicals and the
Three-dimensional microscale hanging drop arrays with geometric control for drug screening and live tissue imaging
15hExisting three-dimensional (3D) culture techniques are limited by trade-offs between throughput, capacity for high-resolution imaging in living state, and geometric control. Here, we introduce a modular microscale hanging drop culture where simple design elements allow high replicates for drug screening, direct on-chip real-time or high-resolution confocal microscopy, and geometric control in 3D.
Imaging the emergence of bacterial turbulence: Phase diagram and transition kinetics
15hWe experimentally study the emergence of collective bacterial swimming, a phenomenon often referred to as bacterial turbulence. A phase diagram of the flow of 3D Escherichia coli suspensions spanned by bacterial concentration, the swimming speed of bacteria, and the number fraction of active swimmers is systematically mapped, which shows quantitative agreement with kinetic theories and demonstrat
Comparative genomic analysis of sifakas (Propithecus) reveals selection for folivory and high heterozygosity despite endangered status
15hSifakas (genus Propithecus ) are critically endangered, large-bodied diurnal lemurs that eat leaf-based diets and show corresponding anatomical and microbial adaptations to folivory. We report on the genome assembly of Coquerel’s sifaka ( P. coquereli ) and the resequenced genomes of Verreaux’s ( P. verreauxi ), the golden-crowned ( P. tattersalli ), and the diademed ( P. diadema ) sifakas. We fi
How philosophy is making me a better scientist
15hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01103-x Rasha Shraim’s education helped her to think more deeply about ethics, logic and other big questions.
Ultra-fast photo-exfoliation
16hResearchers discovered, while exploring the photomechanical properties of diarylethene, that under irradiation with UV light the crystal of the compound peels off into micrometer-sized crystals at a world's fastest speed of 260 microseconds. As the material returns to its former molecular structure when exposed to visible light, the exfoliation method positions itself as a candidate for photoactua
Climate change affects deep-sea corals and sponges differently
16hCorals and sponges are important foundations in ocean ecosystems providing structure and habitats that shelter a high number of species like fish, crabs and other creatures, particularly in the seamounts and canyons of the deep sea. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have discovered that when it comes to climate change not all deep-sea corals and sponges are affected the same and some
Algorithm can tell if zebra finch tunes are love songs
16hA new algorithm reveals birdsong features that may be key for courtship. As reported in PLOS Computational Biology , researchers looked at how male zebra finches adapt their vocal signals for specific audiences. Though they may sing the same sequence of syllables during courtship interactions with females as when singing alone, they do so with subtle modifications. Humans can’t detect these diffe
Response options should be at the center of climate risk assessment and management
16hA team of researchers from the Africa Climate and Development Initiative (ACDI) led a global team of 21 climate risk scholars to better understand and inform decision making around climate change risks in Africa and globally by examining how the drivers of risk interact.
Fiber optic cable monitors microseismicity in Antarctica
16hAt the Seismological Society of America's 2021 Annual Meeting, researchers shared how they are using fiber optic cable to detect the small earthquakes that occur in ice in Antarctica.
DeepShake uses machine learning to rapidly estimate earthquake shaking intensity
16hA deep spatiotemporal neural network trained on more than 36,000 earthquakes offers a new way of quickly predicting ground shaking intensity once an earthquake is underway, researchers report at the Seismological Society of America (SSA)'s 2021 Annual Meeting.
Citizen science data tracks battle of birds vs bacteria
16hHouse finches are locked in a deadly cycle of immunity and new strains of bacterial infection in battling an eye disease that halved their population when it first emerged 25 years ago, according to new research from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology.
Study reports novel role of enzyme in plant immunity and defense gene expression
17hA recently published article in the Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions journal provides new evidence that pathogens are hijacking the plant immune system to cause disease while providing insights into a newly discovered mechanism.
Engineering single-molecule fluorescence with asymmetric nano-antennas
17hNIR fluorescence has shown great potential in bioscience, but low quantum-yield has largely impeded research on most NIR fluorophores. Here, scientists in China use asymmetric plasmonic nano-antennas to drastically enhance an NIR dye's single-molecule fluorescence intensity. The asymmetry provides an additional tuning parameter that offers new possibilities to modulate near-field and far-field pro
A Sir George Cayley moment on Mars | Brief letters
17hShell sponsorship | Sir George Cayley | Old friends reunited | Retrieving the Guardian | Obtaining the Guardian In Bob Ward’s point-missing riposte to George Monbiot’s criticism of the Science Museum’s acceptance of sponsorship from Shell, the words “Shell” and “sponsor” are notable by their absence ( Letters , 22 April). He doesn’t say if, as an adviser to the carbon capture exhibition, he thoug
Gauging groundwater
18h"Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water." It's a silly rhyme, but one that highlights a simple fact: Humans have long relied on wells — such as the one on the hill visited by Jack and Jill — for their primary drinking water supply.
Skeletal defects may be ameliorated after immobility in the womb
18hResearchers from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that some skeletal defects associated with a lack of movement in the womb during early development may still be ameliorated after such periods of immobility if movement resumes. The discovery was made using chicken embryos, which develop similarly to their human equivalents and which can be easily viewed as development takes place – raising h
Material mimicking lobster belly cracks the code for toughness
18hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01053-4 Who needs a shell? Crustacean’s lower surface spawns a synthetic substance that could lead to flexible armour.
Technology transfer: Career-boosting computing skills for girls in Argentina
18hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00980-6 Melina Masnatta describes how the non-profit organization that she co-founded helps young women in Argentina to learn programming, design, communication and leadership.
Sell yourself and your science in a compelling personal statement
18hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01101-z Don’t get bogged down in technical details, and balance the professional and the personal.
Daily briefing: Breathable oxygen has been made on Mars
18hNature, Published online: 22 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01094-9 Perseverance rover synthesizes oxygen from carbon dioxide on Mars. Plus, the first COVID-19 vaccine trials in children and more than 20 million years of life have been lost to the pandemic.
Engineers investigate: Why isn’t childbirth easier?
18hA civil engineering approach reveals a series of evolutionary trade-offs that have created a near-perfect balance between supporting childbirth and keeping organs intact on a day-to-day basis. Human reproduction is unique because of the comparatively tight fit between the birth canal and baby’s head, and it is likely to stay that way because of these competing biological imperatives, say the rese
The right amount of e-cigarette nicotine may cut smoking
18hE-cigarettes that deliver a cigarette-like amount of nicotine are associated with reduced smoking and reduced exposure to a major cancer-causing chemical in tobacco, a new study shows. The findings, which hold true even with concurrent smoking, provide new and important information for smokers who may be trying to use e-cigarettes as a means to cut down on their smoking habit and lower their expo
Research shows pain relieving effects of CBD
18hIn the first experimental pain study of CBD in humans, researchers led by Syracuse University's Martin De Vita and Stephen Maisto conclude that CBD pain relief is driven by both pharmacological action and psychological placebo effects. The research is published in the American Psychological Association's Journal of Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology.
Use of HINTS exam in emergency department is of limited value
18hThe diagnostic value of the Head-Impulse, Nystagmus, Test of Skew (HINTS) exam in the emergency department setting is limited.
Defense mechanisms in aphids can become a double-edged sword, sharpened by the seasons
18hIn a newly published study in Molecular Ecology a team of Drexel University scientists examined the biological variations in pea aphids, insects that reproduce frequently enough to evolve before our eyes, by tracing the prevalence of their protective endosymbiont, Hamiltonella defensa, which the insects use to ward off parasitoid wasps.
Comprehensive NICU discharge planning essential for at-home readiness
18hBeing a parent of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) infant does not come with its own playbook of instructions. Preparing to care for a medically needy infant requires the mastery of technical skills, knowledge, emotional comfort and confidence. After confirming that an infant is medically ready for discharge, the quality of NICU discharge training/teaching is the strongest predictor of discha
COVID-19 mother-to-newborn infection rates are low, but indirect risks exist
18hStudy reveals that, while mother-to-newborn transmission of the virus is rare, newborns of expectant mothers with COVID-19 can suffer indirect adverse health risks as a result of worsening maternal COVID-19 illness.
Association of maternal perinatal SARS-CoV-2 infection with neonatal outcomes during COVID-19 pandemic
18hWhat The Study Did: This study examines the test result positivity rate and health outcomes of maternal SARS-CoV-2 infection among perinatally exposed newborns.
Cardiac corrected QT interval changes among patients treated for COVID-19 infection during early phase of pandemic
18hWhat The Study Did: B aseline corrected QT interval (QTc) on 12-lead electrocardiograms and ensuing changes among patients with and without COVID-19 are evaluated in this study.
Simulated identification of silent COVID-19 infections among children; estimated future infection rates with vaccination
18hWhat The Study Did: This simulation modeling study estimates the benefits of identifying silent COVID-19 infections among children as a proxy for their vaccination.
DNA-based cancer vaccine triggers immune attack on tumors
18hResearchers have shown that personalized cancer vaccines made using DNA can program the immune system to attack malignant tumors, including breast and pancreatic cancers. The researchers conducted the study in mice with breast cancer and one patient with late-stage pancreatic cancer. The COVID-19 vaccines—designed using bits of genetic information that prime our immune systems to recognize and fi
UNH research: Climate change affects deep-sea corals and sponges differently
18hCorals and sponges are important foundations in ocean ecosystems providing structure and habitats that shelter a high number of species like fish, crabs and other creatures, particularly in the seamounts and canyons of the deep sea. Researchers at the University of New Hampshire have discovered that when it comes to climate change not all deep-sea corals and sponges are affected the same and some
Mount Sinai study finds that blood clotting drug commonly used for orthopedic surgeries does not increase complications for high-risk patients
18hMount Sinai Researchers Find That Blood Clotting Drug Commonly Used for Surgeries Does Not Increase Complications for High-Risk Patients
Ugens debat: Hvad støjer mest – grådighed eller nærighed?
19hEfter Ingeniørens artikler om støjende varmepumper kræver en lokalpolitiker regler, der muliggør regulering af den samlede støj fra flere varmepumper. Læserne på ing.dk hæftede sig dog især ved, at meget støjsvage varmepumper findes – så det er i høj grad et spørgsmål om at betale.
Doctors Investigate Several Stillbirths Among Moms with COVID-19
19hAfter a handful of cases in Ireland, clinicians there are warning that the virus might infect the placenta in very rare instances and cause fetal distress, but a rise in stillbirths has not been seen in epidemiological studies.
What’s next for physics’ standard model? Muon results throw theories into confusion
19hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01033-8 Anomalies to fundamental theory have physicists trying to concoct new explanations.
'Planar and curved' pyrrole-fused azacoronenes
19hRecent study on synthetic approaches toward polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) such as graphene with a well-defined structure have attracted much attention. A research group at Ehime University has been studying the synthesis and fundamental properties of pyrrole-fused azacoronene (HPHAC), a nitrogen-containing PAH. HPHACs are composed of electron-rich pyrroles, which are easily oxidized, and
Quantifying the level of pollution in marinas
19hAn interdisciplinary group of Spanish scientists, bringing together biologists and chemists from the Universities of Seville, Huelva, the Autonomous University of Madrid and the Institute of Marine Sciences of Andalusia of the CSIC in Cadiz, have just published the results of their pioneering research studying the management of marinas. The group of scientists, led by the US professor José Manuel
Synthesis method expands material possibilities
19hSince the beginning of civilization, humans have exploited new materials to improve their lives, from the prehistoric Stone Age, Bronze Age, and Iron Age to the modern Silicon Age. With each period came technological breakthroughs that transformed the way we live. Consider the 1961 invention of the silicon chip, which paved the way for the digital revolution. Without this tiny electronic component
How highly magnetized neutron stars set off powerful cosmic explosions
19hRecent eruptions have helped researchers better understand magnetars
5 factors behind the Derek Chauvin guilty verdicts
19hFormer Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted April 20 on three charges in the death of George Floyd. Collectively, people across the country breathed a sigh of relief because far too often, the story has been police killing people of color with impunity, says Daniel Harawa . “I think it’s important to remember the extraordinary circumstances that led to the guilty verdict in this
Arena Pharmaceuticals presents clinician and patient reported outcomes data from phase 2b ADVISE trial evaluating etrasimod in adult atopic dermatitis during a late-breaking session at American Academy of Dermatology VMX
19hArena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (Nasdaq: ARNA) today announced data at a late-breaking session at the American Academy of Dermatology VMX Experience. Etrasimod, a novel investigational drug candidate to treat moderate-to-severe atopic dermatitis (AD), demonstrated statistical significance in both clinician and patient reported outcomes in the ADVISE Phase 2b clinical trial.
Hubble celebrates 31st birthday with giant star on the edge of destruction
19hIn celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launching of the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the celebrated observatory at one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy to capture its beauty.
Muscle gene linked to type 2 diabetes
19hPeople with type 2 diabetes tend to have poorer muscle function than others. Now a research team at Lund University in Sweden has discovered that in type 2 diabetes, a specific gene is of great importance for the ability of muscle stem cells to create new mature muscle cells. The findings are published in Nature Communications.
VR visualization supports research on molecular networks
19hNetworks offer a powerful way to visualize and analyze complex systems. However, depending on the size and complexity of the network, many visualizations are limited. Protein interactions in the human body constitute such a complex system that can hardly be visualized. Jörg Menche, Adjunct Principal Investigator at the CeMM Research Center for Molecular Medicine of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
This supermoon has a twist – expect flooding, but a lunar cycle is masking effects of sea level rise
19hA "super full moon" is coming on April 27, 2021, and coastal cities like Miami know that means one thing: a heightened risk of tidal flooding.
Unlocking Australia's biodiversity, one dataset at a time
19hThe Atlas of Living Australia (ALA) – Australia's national biodiversity database – uses cutting-edge digital tools to let people share, access and analyze data about local plants, animals and fungi, as well as environmental data like rainfall and temperature.
Dating in a jungle: Female praying mantises jut out weird pheromone gland to attract mates
19hPraying mantises are bizarre insects, yet many aspects of their biology remain unknown. Meanwhile, scientists have discovered that females of a South American species protrude a Y-shaped organ on their backs to release pheromones and attract males.
Fight or flight response may hinge on protein in skeletal muscular system
19hResearchers at the University of Cincinnati say a regulatory protein found in skeletal muscle fiber may play an important role in the body's fight or flight response when encountering stressful situations.
First description of a new octopus species without using a scalpel
19hAn biologist from the University of Bonn brought a new octopus species to light from depths of more than 4,000 meters in the North Pacific Ocean. Researchers in Bonn have now published the species description and named the animal "Emperor dumbo" (Grimpoteuthis imperator). Just as unusual as the organism is the researchers' approach: in order to describe the new species, they did not dissect the ra
Critical understanding of why and how solid-state batteries
19hResearchers from the Faraday Institution's SOLBAT project have made a significant step in understanding how and why solid-state batteries (SSBs) fail. A paper, published in Nature Materials on 22 April, provides answers to one important piece of the scientific puzzle.
Army, ASU publish human-autonomy communication tips
19hArmy and Arizona State University researchers identified a set of approaches to help scientists assess how well autonomous systems and humans communicate.
New data could inform youth-focused pandemic messaging
19hNewly published papers with data from polls of teens and young adults about COVID prevention show that messaging around their role in protecting others may resonate best in new efforts to promote prevention and vaccination.
Travel paths of primates show how their minds work
19hUsing data from 164 wild primate populations, the global survey examines the mental abilities that primates, including ourselves, use to know where and when to travel in the most efficient way.
Newly discovered immune cell function vital to healing
19hCardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death, is the result of oxygen deprivation as blood perfusion to affected tissue is prevented. To halt the development of the disease and to promote healing, re-establishment of blood flow is crucial. Researchers at Uppsala University have now discovered that one of the most common immune cells in the human body, macrophages, play an important role
Toward new solar cells with active learning
19hScientists from the Theory Department of the Fritz-Haber Institute in Berlin and Technical University of Munich use machine learning to discover suitable molecular materials. To deal with the myriad of possibilities for candidate molecules, the machine decides for itself which data it needs.
Urban design standards needed to protect Fraser River salmon, report finds
19hA joint research study by the Pacific Water Research Centre at Simon Fraser University and the Fraser Basin Council points to the use of certified, nature-based solutions for protecting salmon and aquatic habitats in the Lower Mainland.
The uncertainty of climate change is hurting us
19hTarik Benmarhnia didn't plan on ending up here, in an office overlooking the pier at UC San Diego's Scripps Institution of Oceanography. As a young student in France, he started out studying environmental engineering, with an interest in soil decontamination. During his schooling, he developed an interest in environmental justice. That eventually drove him to pursue a Ph.D. in epidemiology.
Navigating beneath the Arctic ice
19hThere is a lot of activity beneath the vast, lonely expanses of ice and snow in the Arctic. Climate change has dramatically altered the layer of ice that covers much of the Arctic Ocean. Areas of water that used to be covered by a solid ice pack are now covered by thin layers only 3 feet deep. Beneath the ice, a warm layer of water, part of the Beaufort Lens, has changed the makeup of the aquatic
Survey of Houston families reveals pandemic's unequal impact on wages and employment
19hDuring the pandemic, Blacks and Hispanics were more likely to experience lost wages or unemployment than whites, according to a new research brief from Rice University's Houston Education Research Consortium (HERC).
How do plants protect themselves against too much sunlight?
19hThat a switching protein plays a role in protecting a plant from too much sunlight was already known, but how exactly was not yet understood. The research group of Anjali Pandit has now discovered that this protein changes shape when there is too much sunlight. The results have been published in Nature Communications.
Freeze! Executioner protein caught in the act
19hA new molecular 'freeze frame' technique has allowed researchers to see key steps in how the protein MLKL kills cells.
Poor iodine levels in women pose risks to fetal intellectual development in pregnancy
19hAn increasing number of young women are at increased risk of having children born with impaired neurological conditions, due to poor iodine intake.
From individual receptors towards whole-brain function
19hIn the brain, more than a hundred molecular substances act as transmitters that control communication pathways between nerve cells via thousands of different receptor types. In a review article, an international research team discusses how the activation of certain nerve cell receptors affects neuronal networks in the brain. The authors from Bochum, Barcelona and Oxford present concepts to quantif
An easy-to-use platform is a gateway to AI in microscopy
19hA new, freely available platform helps non-experts use artificial intelligence to analyse microscopy images. The platform has been developed at Åbo Akademi University in Finland and Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciência, Portugal, and will be of big help in research and diagnostics using modern day microscopes.
How philosophy can change the understanding of pain
19hDr. Sabrina Coninx from Ruhr-Universität Bochum and Dr. Peter Stilwell from McGill University, Canada, have investigated how philosophical approaches can be used to think in new ways about pain and its management. The researchers advocate not merely reducing chronic pain management to searching and treating underlying physical changes but instead adopting an approach that focuses on the person as
Inhibitory effect of strawberry geranium on inflammatory response in skin keratinocytes
19hStrawberry geranium (Saxifraga stolonifera) has been used in Japan as a herbal medicine to treat wounds and swelling, and continues to be an ingredient in food and cosmetics. Pharmacological studies have shown that extracts of strawberry geranium have antioxidant and antitumor activities. However, the anti-inflammatory effect of strawberry geranium on the skin had not been well characterized.
The type of blood vessel damage determines its path to regeneration
19hResearchers from the University of Tsukuba discovered how cells marked by platelet-derived growth factor receptor alpha (PDGFRa+) residing predominantly in the outermost layer of blood vessels (adventitia) respond to vascular injury and contribute to neointima formation. By inducing various forms of vessel injury and tracking PDGFRa+ cells, they found that PDGFRa+ cells respond differently to vess
Red Sea is no longer a baby ocean
19hThe Red Sea is a fascinating and still puzzling area of investigation for geoscientists. Controversial questions include its age and whether it represents a special case in ocean basin formation or if it has evolved similarly to other, larger ocean basins. Researchers from Germany, Saudi Arabia and Iceland have now published a new tectonic model that suggests that the Red Sea is not only a typical
Finding clues to nephronophthisis in adults
19hResearchers at Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) have studied a number of adults with nephronophthisis for the first time with a view to identifying clinical, genetic and histopathological characteristics. This kidney disease, usually presenting in children, is challenging to diagnose in adults. The research findings suggest that older patients are less likely to have an underlying geneti
How the U.S. can speed the transition away from coal to meet key climate goals
20hCoal is in decline as an energy source. In recent decades, coal combustion has fallen from 50% of electricity generation to 20% of electricity generation in the United States, as natural gas and renewables like wind and solar have become increasingly cost-competitive.
New poll reveals public disconnect on food and climate change
20hThe seventh wave of the Michigan State University (MSU) Food Literacy and Engagement Poll sampled 2,001 Americans on their attitudes and knowledge of food, agriculture and climate change. Notably, 41% say they never or rarely seek information about where their food was grown or how it was produced.
Novel modeling tool seeks insight into eagle flight at wind plants
20hGolden eagles strike a cutting visage that, to put it mildly, grants the species an aura of regality. Occupying much of the Northern Hemisphere, many cultures view this species as a sacred messenger of the gods and kings and queens of the sky.
US asbestos sites made risky by some remediation strategies
20hEfforts to prevent human exposure to asbestos may be mobilizing the cancer-causing mineral so that it can reach water supplies, based on new findings about how the fibers move through soil.
COVID-19 mobility restrictions effective for short duration, study finds
20hAttempts at restricting people's mobility to control the spread of COVID-19 may be effective only for a short period, researchers said. A new study examines people's mobility for seven months during the pandemic in the United States using publicly available, anonymized mobile phone data.
Urban design standards needed to protect Fraser River salmon, SFU report finds
20hA joint research study by the Pacific Water Research Centre at Simon Fraser University and the Fraser Basin Council points to the use of certified, nature-based solutions for protecting salmon and aquatic habitats in the Lower Mainland.
NAOC scientists make further step towards understanding dark energy
20hBased on the extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) observations, scientists from the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences make a further step towards understanding dark energy.
Two pilots, rocket scientist, oceanographer flying SpaceX
20hSpaceX's third crew has an attack helicopter pilot, a former Air France pilot, a Japanese rocket scientist and an oceanographer.
Genförändrade bebisar i ett sammanhang
20hFrån ett forskarmöte i Hongkong i november 2018 kom nyheten om att världens första genmodifierade människor, tvillingsystrarna Lulu och Nana, var födda i Kina. Den kinesiske forskaren He Jiankui hade använt gensaxen crispr till att ändra ett arvsanlag för att göra dem motståndskraftiga mot hiv-smitta. Händelsen väckte en enorm debatt och ledde så småningom till att He Jiankui hamnade i fängelse.
Samvetets röst finns i kroppen
20hDet är svårt att inte gilla Patricia Churchland. För att vara filosof är hon ovanligt väl insatt i vad forskare inom neurovetenskap och många andra områden sysslar med. I böcker som Min hjärna och jag argumenterar hon för att den svåra och till synes eviga frågan om medvetandets natur kan ligga betydligt närmare en vetenskaplig lösning än vad de flesta filosofer föreställer sig. I sin nya bok Samv
Berättelser för nyfikna barn
20hCarl Wilhelm Scheele ägnade tonåren på 1750-talet åt att experimentera med kemikalier i köket. 250 år senare fick epidemiologen och ”forskningsinfluencern” Emma Frans upp ögonen för källkritik efter att hon blivit lurad och bortgjord av sin storebror. I den här antologin ligger fokus på historiska och samtida forskares barndom och målgruppen är också barn. Att få möta människorna bakom forskningen
Fremtidens fly skal flyve med superledende motorer og flydende brint
20hAirbus har sat gang i et treårigt eksperiment for at optimere en superledende flymotor kølet med flydende brint. Det kan måske være en løsning for fremtiden langdistancefly
Lasers and flames: Technique could refine performance of high-tech materials
20hIntroducing chemical impurities to a material for the sake of tailoring its properties or performance—sometimes called doping—has long proven vital in electronic engineering, especially the fabrication of semiconductors and other microelectronic components.
Author Correction: Effects of multi-domain cognitive training on working memory retrieval in older adults: behavioral and ERP evidence from a Chinese community study
20hScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88990-2
TPU scientists first study composition of pore waters in methane cold seep of eastern Arctic seas
20hYoung scientists of Tomsk Polytechnic University as a part of the team of Arctic researchers have studied pore waters in three areas of methane release on the surface. They first managed to define in details the composition of pore waters in the cold methane seeps of the Eastern Arctic seas. The research findings are published in the Water academic journal.
New study shows people with a high Omega-3 index less likely to die prematurely
20hA new research paper examining the relationship between the Omega-3 Index and risk for death from any and all causes has been published in Nature Communications. It showed that those people with higher omega-3 EPA and DHA blood levels (i.e., Omega-3 Index) lived longer than those with lower levels. In other words, those people who died with relatively low omega-3 levels died prematurely, i.e., all
NRG Oncology shows safety of stereotactic body radiotherapy to treat multiple metastases
20hThe results of the Phase I NRG-BR001 trial, conducted by the NCI National Clinical Trials Network group NRG Oncology, indicate that stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) treatment in standard doses was safe for 35 evaluable patients with a median of 3 metastases. There were no dose-limiting toxicities and over 50% of trial participants were alive at 2 years following treatment.
När lösningen på ett miljöproblem skapar nya
20hSolar geoengineering kallas en omstridd metod för att försöka kyla ner jorden genom att sprida reflekterande partiklar i atmosfären. Journalisten Elizabeth Kolbert tar upp ämnet i sin nya bok Under a white sky – the nature of the future, om människans försök att kontrollera naturen. 1 | Boken har titeln Under en vit himmel. Vad betyder det?
Real Life TS Book Club Discussion
20hJoin The Scientist on May 21 to discuss Brandon Taylor’s novel about a biochemistry graduate student navigating relationships inside and outside the lab.
A century of US data documents obesity’s racially skewed rise
21hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01049-0 An analysis also finds that obesity is common at a much younger age among people born in the early 1980s than those born in the late 1950s.
People with heart rhythm disorders warned over cannabis use
21h: A study of 2.4 million hospitalised cannabis users has found that those with an arrhythmia were 4.5 times more likely to die while in hospital than those without. The research is presented at EHRA 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). "People should be aware of this devastating outcome and be careful when using cannabis if they have a concomitant heart
How to decarbonize California transportation by 2045
21hTransportation is the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions in California. In order to achieve the state's goals of carbon neutrality by 2045 and avoid the worst impacts of climate change, decarbonizing this sector is essential. But such a transition is unlikely to occur rapidly without key policy intervention.
Partiklar från vulkanutbrott ökade luftvägsbesvär
22hLuftvägsproblemen bland befolkningen ökade markant i Reykjavik under ett av Islands största vulkanutbrott för sex år sedan. De negativa hälsoeffekterna ökade mest när svaveldioxiden kom tillbaka från Atlanten i form av nedfallande partiklar. Den aktuella forskningen baseras på data om luftkvalitet och från vårdregister i Reykjavik under det stora utbrottet 2014–2015 från det isländska lavafältet
Orsaker bakom svåra hemorrojder kartlagda
22hTrots att det är vanligt med hemorrojder finns det relativt lite kunskap om varför bara vissa drabbas. Ny forskning har kartlagt hittills okända orsaker bakom besvären. I slutet av mag- tarmkanalen där avföringen kontrolleras, bildas ibland blodfyllda kuddar, så kallade hemorrojder. Om trycket på kuddarna ökar kan de svälla och orsakar klåda, smärta, blödningar och andra besvär som på olika sätt
Coronapod: Kids and COVID vaccines
22hNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01083-y As clinical trials to test COVID vaccines in children begin, what are the key questions researchers want to answer?
Venstre kræver ministersvar om brandskum: »Det er noget arrigt pis det her«
22hPLUS. Ingen har overblik over forureninger på brandøvelsespladser. Myndigheder burde have grebet ind for 10 år siden, mener Venstre.
PODCAST: Hvilken slags raket skal vi flyve til Månen med?
22hNasas valg faldt i denne uge på SpaceX’ Starship som fartøjet, der skal landsætte astronauter på Månen, som er en oplagt øvelsesplatform for Elon Musks Mars-mission. Lastbilproducenterne må finde nye veje for at nedbringe CO-aftrykket.
Retraction Note: Therapeutic effect of molecular hydrogen in corneal UVB-induced oxidative stress and corneal photodamage
22hScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-89085-8
Udvalgte nordjyder tilbydes COVID-19-vaccination hos egen læge
22hEt pilotforsøg i Region Nordjylland skal afklare, om man kan få flere sårbare og syge borgere vaccineret mod COVID-19, hvis den lokale læge er omdrejningspunkt. 15 lægeklinikker deltager.
Få timers ilt tilbage: USA melder sig i jagten på savnet indonesisk ubåd
23hI går offentliggjorde Indonesien, at man har fundet af et objekt med et kraftigt magnetisk felt på 50-100 meters dybde.
Publisher Correction: A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple longevity genes
23hNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22613-2
Forskere: Genanvendelig plast er fremtiden – men alt for dyrt
1dForskerne bag genanvendeligt plastmateriale arbejder på at nedbringe produktionsomkostninger og klimaaftryk.
Markant fald i trivsel hos ansatte på Regionshospital Nordjylland under coronapandemien
1dTo trivselsundersøgelser blandt de ansatte på Regionshospital Nordjylland gennemført under henholdsvis første og anden bølge af COVID-19 viser, at trivslen er faldet markant blandt alle medarbejdergrupper. »Anden bølge har trukket tænder ud, og det ses som et mærkbart fald i trivslen,« siger professor bag undersøgelserne
Neural network based 3D tracking with a graphene transparent focal stack imaging system
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22696-x Transparent photodetectors based on graphene stacked vertically along the optical axis have shown promising potential for light field reconstruction. Here, the authors develop transparent photodetector arrays and implement a neural network for real-time 3D optical imaging and object tracking.
Sub-second and ppm-level optical sensing of hydrogen using templated control of nano-hydride geometry and composition
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22697-w Detecting hydrogen is important for development of renewable energy sources. Here, the authors present lightweight optical hydrogen sensors based on a metasurface of PdCo nano-patchy particle arrays, which achieve sensitive hydrogen detection in less than 1 s, and without risk of sparking.
Genomic profile of advanced breast cancer in circulating tumour DNA
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22605-2 Circulating tumour DNA can provide useful information on disease burden. Here, the authors analysed circulating tumour DNA from 800 patients from a breast cancer clinical trial and investigate the subclonal nature of the disease, and identify DNA mutations associated with resistance and poor survival.
Protein design and variant prediction using autoregressive generative models
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22732-w The ability to design functional sequences is central to protein engineering and biotherapeutics. Here the authors introduce a deep generative alignment-free model for sequence design applied to highly variable regions and design and test a diverse nanobody library with improved properties for selection experim
Co-delivery of IOX1 and doxorubicin for antibody-independent cancer chemo-immunotherapy
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22407-6 Some chemotherapeutic drugs, such as doxorubicin, induce immunogenic cell death (ICD) and promote anti-tumor immune responses. Here the authors report that the histone demethylase inhibitor 5-carboxy-8-hydroxyquinoline (IOX1) reduces the expression of PD-L1 in cancer cells and enhances doxorubicin-induced ICD,
Reaction-diffusion in a growing 3D domain of skin scales generates a discrete cellular automaton
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22525-1 The adult ocellated lizard skin colour pattern is effectively generated by a stochastic cellular automaton (CA) of skin scales. Here authors use reaction diffusion (RD) numerical simulations in 3D on realistic lizard skin geometries and demonstrate that skin thickness variation on its own is sufficient to cause
VPS39-deficiency observed in type 2 diabetes impairs muscle stem cell differentiation via altered autophagy and epigenetics
1dNature Communications, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22068-5 Insulin resistance and lower muscle strength in relation to mass are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes. Here, the authors report alterations in muscle stem cells from individuals with type 2 diabetes that may contribute to these phenotypes through VPS39 mediated effects on autophagy and epigenetics.
Webcast: Maintaining good mental health during COVID
1dNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-00944-w Nature gets advice on mental well-being from researchers grappling with the pandemic.
Minority representation in US science workforce sees few gains
1dNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01089-6 Proportion of Black and Hispanic researchers has changed little in the past few years.
Patching up your health
1dResearchers from Osaka University and JOANNEUM RESEARCH develop ultrathin piezoelectric flexible patches that harvest the body's energy to monitor the patient's pulse and blood pressure. This work may lead to novel biosensors and self-powered wearable electronics.
Ämnesomsättning och sömn nycklar till gåtan ALS
1dForskare har länge misstänkt att bland annat förändringar i kroppens ämnesomsättning påverkar utvecklingen av den obotliga och dödliga neurologiska sjukdomen ALS. Nu har en grupp forskare i Lund och Australien för första gången påvisat sjukdomsförändringar hos ALS-patienter i de hjärnceller som tillverkar ämnen som reglerar just ämnesomsättning och sömn. Fynden ger ökad kunskap om sjukdomens bakom
Arbejdspsykolog om coronapres: Ledere skal få den enkelte medarbejder til at føle sig værdsat
1dEn uforudsigelig pandemi og mange nye kolleger har sat sine mentale spor hos landets sygehusansatte. Anerkendelse af det hårde arbejde kan forbedre trivslen, siger arbejdspsykolog.
Author Correction: HNRNPA2/B1 is upregulated in endocrine-resistant LCC9 breast cancer cells and alters the miRNA transcriptome when overexpressed in MCF-7 cells
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87869-6
Short term survival of critically ill COVID-19 Egyptian patients on assisted ventilation treated by either Dexamethasone or Tocilizumab
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88086-x
Myoinositol plus α-lactalbumin supplementation, insulin resistance and birth outcomes in women with gestational diabetes mellitus: a randomized, controlled study
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88329-x
Projected incremental changes to extreme wind-driven wave heights for the twenty-first century
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87358-w
Liver fat scores do not reflect interventional changes in liver fat content induced by high-protein diets
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87360-2
Serum syndecan-1 reflects organ dysfunction in critically ill patients
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88303-7
Study on the characteristics of nitrogen dioxide adsorption and storage of coal residue in coal-fired power plants in goaf
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87855-y
New blood markers may reveal heart attack in chest pain patients
1dWhen a patient with chest pain arrives at hospital, time is of the essence. Doctors must quickly rule heart attack in or out and start treatment as soon as possible. A new study reveals blood biomarkers that could help. By analyzing blood samples from patients with chest pain, researchers found a unique fingerprint of heart attack in the form of blood biomarkers. The results could help doctors to
Købte Google-domæne for 24 kroner og lukkede søgemaskinen i flere timer
1dEn argentinsk borger købte tidligere på ugen Googles argentinske domæne 'google.com.ar', efter det var til salg hos en domæneforhandler. I timerne efter var søgemaskinen ude af drift i landet.
Brought in by humans, beavers threaten Patagonia forest
1dThe Karukinka natural park on Chile's side of the Tierra del Fuego archipelago guards a treasure trove of ancient beech trees saved from the chainsaws of loggers.
Astronauts arrive at pad for SpaceX flight on used rocket
1dFour astronauts arrived at their launch pad early Friday morning for a SpaceX flight to the International Space Station, the company's third bon voyage for a NASA crew in under a year.
SpaceX set for pre-dawn launch to ISS
1dSpaceX is set to launch its third crew to the International Space Station an hour before sunrise Friday, recycling a rocket and spacecraft for the first time.
Using spatial distance strategically with luxury and popular product displays
1dResearchers from Nanjing University, National Sun Yat-sen University, and Northwestern University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that shows that the spatial distance between products and consumers can affect perceived value and willingness to pay.
Ny ledende overlæge i Regionspsykiatrien Midt
1d64-årige Preben Friis er pr. 1. maj ny ledende overlæge i Regionspsykiatrien Midt – en stilling han den seneste tid har været konstitueret i.
Gravide kvinder klarede sig godt psykisk under første nedlukning
1dPandemiens første måneder gav ingen øget forekomst af hverken angst- eller depressionssymptomer blandt danske gravide kvinder. Det viser en ny undersøgelse fra Forskningsenheden for Almen Praksis på Københavns Universitet.
Växter kan vara känsliga för buller
1dTidigare studier har visat att buller kan ställa till det för både människor och djur. Så kallade ljudföroreningar kan orsaka högt blodtryck, sömnsvårigheter och ökade stressnivåer hos människor.
Schneider Shorts 23.04.2021
1dSchneider Shorts 23 April 2021: exciting COVID-19 clinical trials, blood tests for depression, photoshopped plant science, more tea with Professor Seeberger, chocolate diets, amazing cancer cures, and an Italian mystery troll obsessed with me.
One million coronavirus sequences: popular genome site hits mega milestone
1dNature, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01069-w GISAID’s impressive effort to understand the spread of COVID-19 has seen scientists upload sequences from most nations on Earth.
Par-programmering styrker kode-selvtilliden hos jyske studerende
1dEt forsøg på IBA Erhvervsakademi Kolding viser, at web- og multimedie-studerende får bedre selvtillid, når der programmeres i par. Det kan skubbe de studerende længere i retning af det, som virksomhederne efterspørger.
Why We Love to Be Grossed Out – Facts So Romantic
1dDisgust may not be a straightforward extension of the immune system’s aversion to harmful substances, but rather “a psychological nebula, lacking definite boundaries, discrete internal structure, or a single center of gravity,” says psychologist Nina Strohminger. Photograph by Star Stock / Flickr Nina Strohminger, perhaps not unlike many fans of raunchy comedies and horror flicks, is drawn to dis
Forskere: Grib til lommerne eller glem landbrugets klimamål
1dPLUS. Der er masser af grøn teknologi til landbruget. Men regeringen tøver, og klimamålene syner efterhånden mere sorte end grønne.
Unmet basic needs push cancer screenings aside
1dWomen with low incomes sometimes don’t receive Pap smears and other cancer prevention screenings because they are focused on more pressing needs such as housing, food, and other necessary expenses, research finds. Encouraging women to have timely Pap smears and/or HPV tests could improve cancer detection and save lives, the study shows. More than half of cervical cancer cases in the United States
At-risk people know PrEP prevents HIV but few take it
1dCisgender sexual minority men and transgender women are aware of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), a daily pill for HIV-negative people to prevent HIV infection, but few currently take it, researchers report. For the study in the journal AIDS and Behavior , researchers surveyed 202 young sexual minority men and transgender women—two high-priority populations for HIV prevention—to better understand
"Klara and the Sun" and what General AI might mean for our social lives
1dhttps://spinningtowardssingularity.substack.com/p/love-cant-be-artificially-programmed If this newsletter is of interest to you, please share and/or subscribe. 🙂 submitted by /u/dolphineggs [link] [comments]
Navigating a Digital Planet: Why Students can Never Know Enough Technology
1dTechnology has irrevocably shaped the way all students learn inside and outside the classroom. This technological shift in education has allowed us to improve the way we process, deliver, and receive information. We recently discovered just how imperative technology is to virtual learning environments when faced with a seemingly unyielding pandemic, not to mention how debilitating it would be wit
Underwater Volcanoes Generate Enough Energy to Power the Entire US, Study Finds
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Paris to Berlin in an hour by train? Here's how it could happen.
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Japan to Have Blockchain-Based Stock Exchange in 2022. The exchange reportedly planned by SBI and SMFG is expected to be the first of its kind in Japan.
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Israeli innovation will allow oxygen to be produced from moon's surface
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New tech curtain raiser for cheap reliable stored solar energy: Technology that stores clean energy by heating particles with captured sunlight is cost-effective & reliable, modeling from Australian National University shows
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British company developing plan to connect 10 gigawatts of wind and solar in Morocco with the United Kingdom via 3,800 km undersea cable
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Quantum Astronomy Could Create Telescopes Hundreds of Kilometers Wide. Astronomers hope to use innovations from the subatomic world to construct breathtakingly large arrays of optical observatories
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Stanford Researchers Use Ankle Exoskeleton to Increase Walking Speed
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Kroger is amassing a robot army to battle Amazon, Walmart
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European Longevity Initiative has submitted a concrete proposal for healthy longevity support on the EU level with a detailed commentary on the EU Healthy Aging green paper. If you are European, please endorse and comment on the proposal, it could have a real impact!
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Over 15,000 People Want the FTC to Fight for Our Right to Repair
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Texas Likely To Add Record Utility-Scale Solar Capacity – Texas Will Add 10 Gigawatts Of Utility-Scale Solar Capacity By The End Of 2022. One-Third Of The Utility-Scale Solar Capacity Planned To Come Online In The United States In The Next Two Years (30 Gigawatts) Will Be In Texas.
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University of Manchester scientists have cast new light on how our skin repairs itself, bringing the possibility of regeneration of the organ a step closer
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Samsung Allows You To Turn an Old Galaxy Phone Into a New IoT Device
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China Is Set to Launch First Module of Massive Space Station – After the core module reaches space, China plans at least 10 more launches of other major modules, as well as crewed and cargo missions, to complete the station’s assembly by the end of 2022.
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Breakthrough Sets Stage for Biotech to Generate 1 Billion Vaccine Doses in Less Than a Month
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The erosion of personal ownership – Everything from your fridge to your tractor can change without your permission.
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The Chinese Blue Guardian Project will use high-level remote sensing AI satellites to locate and identify various types of marine waste including plastic buildup and floating garbage, & oil spills.
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NASA's Perseverance rover just turned CO2 into oxygen. The technology could help future astronauts breathe on Mars.
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Cadillac rolls out $60,000 Lyriq EV as it phases out gas engines
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Russia to Quit Int’l Space Station in 2025 – Reports – The Moscow Times – Russia’s space agency Roscosmos said it plans to form its own orbiting outpost after international agreements on the use of ISS expire in 2024, according to Interfax.
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Why The Chip Shortage Is So Hard To Overcome – Semiconductor Producers Are Trying To Increase Output, But The Small Gains Are Unlikely To Fix The Shortfalls Hampering Production Of Everything From Cars To Home Appliances To PCs
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Wildfire smoke may spark eczema and itch
1dAir pollution from wildfires may harm the skin, worsening symptoms of eczema and itch, according to a new study. Wildfire smoke is known to exacerbate heart and lung conditions, triggering a host of respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms, ranging from a runny nose and cough to a potentially life-threatening heart attack or stroke. During the two weeks in November 2018 when wildfire smoke from th
Bagsiden: Morseapparatet stod på alle stationer
1dChris Bagge ville gerne have opklaret funktionerne i dette apparat, og det fik han grundig hjælp til.
Common antibiotic effective in healing coral disease lesions
1dAn antibiotic used to treat bacterial infections in humans is showing promise in treating stony coral, found throughout the tropical western Atlantic, including several areas currently affected by stony coral tissue loss disease. Preserving M. cavernosa colonies is important due to its high abundance and role as a dominant reef builder in the northern section of Florida's Coral Reef. Results show
Know your ally: Cooperative male dolphins can tell who's on their team
1dWhen it comes to friendships and rivalries, male dolphins know who the good team players are. New findings reveal that male dolphins form a social concept of team membership based on cooperative investment in the team.
Higher mushroom consumption is associated with a lower risk of cancer
1d, according to a new study. The systematic review and meta-analysis examined 17 cancer studies published from 1966 to 2020. Analyzing data from more than 19,500 cancer patients, researchers explored the relationship between mushroom consumption and cancer risk.