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PM2.5 polluters disproportionately and systemically affect people of color in the United States
Racial-ethnic minorities in the United States are exposed to disproportionately high levels of ambient fine particulate air pollution (PM 2.5 ), the largest environmental cause of human mortality. However, it is unknown which emission sources drive this disparity and whether differences exist by emission sector, geography, or demographics. Quantifying the PM 2.5 exposure caused by each emitter ty
3h

LATEST

Michael Collins, Apollo 11 astronaut, dies aged 90
Collins, known as the ‘forgotten astronaut’, kept command module flying while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the moon American astronaut Michael Collins, who was part of the Apollo 11 original moon landing crew and kept the command module flying while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 90, his family said on Wednesday. Coll
4h
Single dose of Covid vaccine can nearly halve transmission of virus, study finds
Research from Public Health England suggests that protection conferred a fortnight after vaccination See all our coronavirus coverage A single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine can slash transmission of the virus by up to half, according to a Public Health England study. The PHE finding offers further hope that the pandemic can be brought under control as it indicates that vaccinated people are far less
21h
Scientists find way to remove polluting microplastics with bacteria
Sticky property of bacteria used to create microbe nets that can capture microplastics in water to form a recyclable blob Microbiologists have devised a sustainable way to remove polluting microplastics from the environment – and they want to use bacteria to do the job. Bacteria naturally tend to group together and stick to surfaces, and this creates an adhesive substance called “biofilm” – we se
14h
UK Covid live: 60m vaccine booster shots secured for use later this year
Latest updates: Matt Hancock says UK has now secured 60m doses of Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to be used for booster shots later this year UK orders 60m more doses of Pfizer Covid vaccine for booster jabs UK drops plans for mandatory Covid passports in pubs and restaurants NHS app will be used as Covid ‘vaccine passport’ for foreign travel UK sends oxygen ventilators to India – but no Covid vaccines
5h
Bill Gates Funded the Company Releasing Gene-Hacked Mosquitoes
The British biotech company Oxitec is moving ahead with its controversial plan to release hundreds of millions of gene-hacked mosquitoes , an experimental new form of targeted pest control, in the Florida Keys. The goal is essentially to introduce a new genetically altered version of the Aedes aegypti mosquito — which can spread diseases like dengue and malaria — that can only hatch male, non-bit
1h
The CDC Is Still Repeating Its Mistakes
Yesterday, the CDC released more relaxed mask guidelines for outdoor activities, as well as new charts for indoor and outdoor recommendations. The more permissive guidelines were a welcome step forward, but they’re still frustrating. By issuing recommendations that are simultaneously too timid and too complicated, the CDC is repeating a mistake that’s hounded America’s pandemic response. The new
3h
Ion beams mean a quantum leap for color-center qubits
Achieving the immense promise of quantum computing requires new developments at every level, including the computing hardware itself. A Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab)-led international team of researchers has discovered a way to use ion beams to create long strings of "color center" qubits in diamond. Their work is detailed in the journal Applied Physics Letters.
8h
Quasi-periodic dipping detected in an ultraluminous X-ray source
Astronomers have performed a timing analysis of the ultraluminous X-ray source NGC 247 ULX-1 using ESA's XMM-Newton spacecraft. The study detected quasi-periodic dipping in the X-ray light curve of this source. The finding is reported in a paper published April 22 on the arXiv pre-print server.
8h
Cave deposits show surprising shift in permafrost over the last 400,000 years
Nearly one quarter of the land in the Northern Hemisphere, amounting to some 9 million square miles, is layered with permafrost—soil, sediment, and rocks that are frozen solid for years at a time. Vast stretches of permafrost can be found in Alaska, Siberia, and the Canadian Arctic, where persistently freezing temperatures have kept carbon, in the form of decayed bits of plants and animals, locked
3h
Multiple carbon incorporation strategies support microbial survival in cold subseafloor crustal fluids
Biogeochemical processes occurring in fluids that permeate oceanic crust make measurable contributions to the marine carbon cycle, but quantitative assessments of microbial impacts on this vast, subsurface carbon pool are lacking. We provide bulk and single-cell estimates of microbial biomass production from carbon and nitrogen substrates in cool, oxic basement fluids from the western flank of th
3h
Here Come The Cicadas
People in D.C. and other cities are starting to see periodical cicadas. The red-eyed flying insects known as Brood X emerge every 17 years. (Image credit: Ed Reschke/Getty Images)
1d
China Is Planning an Interstellar Space Mission
Heading Out China just announced that it plans to send two space probes out beyond the farthest reaches of the solar system — and, in doing so, become the second country ever to launch an interstellar space mission. Wu Weiren, the designer-in-chief of China’s Lunar Exploration Program, announced that the two space probes are expected to cross into interstellar space just in time for the 100th ann
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China Launching First Module of New Space Station This Week
China is getting ready to launch the core module for its Tianhe, or “Heavenly Harmony,” space station on board a Long March 5B rocket, The Associated Press reports . If all goes according to plan, the module could make its way into orbit as soon as Thursday night, the culmination of decades of preparation and development. China was never part of the ISS due to the US objecting to its space progra
5h
Silicon Valley CEO Fired for Microdosing LSD at Work
The CEO of a Silicon Valley-based startup was dismissed for taking LSD at work. The executive, Justin Zhu of $2 billion marketing platform Iterable, wasn’t going on wild psychedelic trips on the job. Instead, he was microdosing — taking a minuscule amount — of the psychedelic drug in an apparent effort to boost his focus, according to Bloomberg . The company’s co-founder, Andrew Boni, told employ
6h
The Real Reason Young Adults Seem Slow to ‘Grow Up’
Every generation, it seems, bemoans the irresponsibility and self-indulgence of the one that follows. Even Socrates described the folly of youth in ancient Greece, lamenting: “Youth now love luxury. They have bad manners and contempt for authority.” However, in recent years, commentators have argued that something is distinctly stunted about the development of today’s young adults. Many have poin
9h
Fears of Covid ‘tsunami’ in Fiji after outbreak found to be Indian variant
Covid-19 outbreak in Pacific nation has forced lockdowns across the country, after the island nation avoided transmission for a year Fijian health officials are bracing for a “tsunami” of Covid-19 cases, after the Indian variant was detected in the Pacific nation this week, with lockdowns announced in an attempt to stem the outbreak. The Pacific country had largely managed to avoid community tran
18h
COVID Is Killing So Many People in India That They’re Burning Bodies in Parking Lots
India’s horrific coronavirus surge continues, with about 330,000 new cases and over 2,700 COVID deaths reported on Monday. The death toll has climbed so high and so quickly that the country’s crematoriums, much like its healthcare system , have become completely overwhelmed. And now funeral pyres are popping up anywhere there’s room. That includes mass cremations in parking lots and other open sp
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‘Big-brained’ mammals may just have small bodies, study suggests
Examination of 1,400 living and extinct species finds evolutionary selection may not be reason for larger brains Big-brained mammals are typically considered intelligent – but a study has found that the body size of a species could have evolved smaller to adapt to environmental changes, making the brain appear proportionally bigger. In other words, relative brain size may have nothing to do with
3h
A Backdoor Lets the Immune System Monitor the Brain
A hundred years ago, the Japanese scientist Y. Shirai published a mysterious finding: When Shirai transplanted tumor tissue into a mouse’s body, the tissue was destroyed by its immune system. But when tumors were grafted in various places in the mouse’s brain, they grew. Tumors seemed to be able to safely hide in the brain, escaping the immune system’s notice. Similar results soon piled up, and s
7h
Antarctic peninsula named in recognition of Aberdeen geologist’s work
Malcolm Hole spent seven years working on island of volcanological significance A geologist who spent seven years working in the Antarctic has had a peninsula on the continent named after him in recognition of his work. Dr Malcolm Hole became only the second person to visit Rothschild Island when he arrived there in 1985 and part of it has now been called the Hole peninsula. Continue reading…
9h
Not Everything Should Be a Moral Reckoning
Over the weekend, NBC announced that Elon Musk, the billionaire CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, will host the next episode of Saturday Night Live . This decision makes business sense, because Musk has a large fan base. It makes creative sense, too: His eccentricity is good fodder for sketch comedy. But critics began objecting on moral grounds, first on social media, where some adopted the hashtag #boyco
10h
Coronavirus live news: rich nations must help India, says Fauci; Delhi’s crematorium crisis
Study in England says single treatment can have dramatic impact on curbing spread ; Fiji fears ‘Covid tsunami’ after India variant outbreak; New Zealand donates $1m; Mutations, politics, vaccines: the factors behind India’s Covid crisis Harry and Meghan to join Biden at concert to boost global vaccination Global faith leaders call for drug firms to vaccinate world See all our coronavirus coverage
17h
How Mask Guidelines Have Changed
Officials offered mixed messages about masks in the early days of the coronavirus pandemic before embracing them as a simple but effective tool for slowing the spread of Covid-19.
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Non-hallucinogenic psychedelics: scientists close in on compound
Discovery could accelerate development of easy-to-use treatments for mental health conditions Researchers have identified a psychedelic that doesn’t trigger hallucinations, a key discovery that could allow scientists to accelerate the development of easy-to-use treatments for mental health and neurological conditions. Researchers are racing to harness the therapeutic potential of psychedelics for
6h
Brazil Rejects the Gamaleya Vaccine
We have two pieces of news about the Gamaleya Institute’s “Sputnik-V” vaccine today. Neither of them are going to be enjoyable to go into. First off, many may have heard that the Brazilian regulatory authorities had a hearing yesterday to see if this vaccine would be approved for use there. They have turned it down , for several reasons. ( Update: here are their slides , in Portuguese ). Among th
6h
The Chauvin Trial’s Jury Wasn’t Like Other Juries
The jury convicted the former Minnesota police officer Derek Chauvin on the weight of the evidence before it: video footage, expert testimony, and eyewitness accounts. But even with all that evidence, convictions don’t happen on their own. Twelve people, selected by lot from the public, must come to a unanimous decision. That jury—who it comprised, how those people saw the world—was of enormous c
8h
Long COVID
Medical experts are just starting to bring long COVID into focus, but there is still much we don't know. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
10h
Elon Musk: Tesla Production “Makes World War II Look Trivial”
Are You Sure Tesla CEO Elon Musk chose a bold comparison when he discussed the electric automaker’s quarterly results this week, saying that the challenges Tesla faced were tougher than a world war. Managing supply chain and production issues was a “logistical problem that makes World War II look trivial,” Musk told investors during a Monday conference call, according to Insider . “I’m not kiddin
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'Not one iota lonely': Michael Collins on flying solo during Apollo 11 moon landing – video
Michael Collins, who was part of the Apollo 11 moon landing crew and kept the command module flying while Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to walk on the moon, has died at the age of 90, his family said on Wednesday. He was sometimes known as the ‘forgotten astronaut’ because he did not get to land on the moon, while Armstrong and Aldrin became household names. But his role
1h
The World’s Richest Men Are Brawling Over the Moon
The full moon looked stunning this week. The lunar phase coincided with the moon’s closest approach to Earth, making the object look bigger and brighter than usual. It glowed orangey-pink low in the sky—a trick of the atmosphere—and then blanched brilliant white as it rose into the darkness. Meanwhile, down here, a couple of space billionaires are sparring over how to reach it. In one corner is J
6h
Mars Helicopter Snaps Photo of Mars Rover, Way Down on the Surface
Hello Down There During its third heroic flight on the surface of Mars on April 25, NASA’s Mars Ingenuity helicopter managed to catch its big brother, the agency’s Perseverance rover, in the frame of a newly-released photo. The tiny helicopter managed to take the shot from an altitude of 16 feet and a distance of 279 feet away from the rover. It’s a magnificent photo — and the first time we’ve ev
7h
An Unorthodox Allergy Clinic Seeks to Disrupt Medicine
The Southern California Food Allergy Institute began as a one-man operation in a hospital basement. The clinic’s website now boasts a 99 percent success rate with thousands of patients in remission from once life-threatening allergies. But some are asking: Is the novel treatment approach too good to be true?
12h
Political leaders must ensure Covid vaccines aren’t the preserve of the rich | Jeremy Farrar
If those who can afford to share treatments and equipment choose not to, this pandemic will drag on for all of us Report: leading scientists urge UK to share Covid vaccines with poorer nations Dr Jeremy Farrar is director of the Wellcome Trust, a global charitable foundation In the last few days, major powers have responded to the horrific crisis unfolding in India. The US government’s decision t
15h
Tesla Just Sold a Large Amount of the Bitcoin It Just Bought
Earlier this year, Tesla bought $1.5 billion worth of Bitcoin and started selling its vehicles using the cryptocurrency as well. But now, the Elon Musk-led company is ready to cash in on some of the tokens it has accumulated, selling some ten percent of its Bitcoin to boost Q1 revenues by $101 million, as the BBC reports. “It is our intent to hold what we have long term and continue to accumulate
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Scientists Grow Coral in Lab, in Glimmer of Hope for Dying Reefs
As warming oceans wreak havoc on vulnerable coral reef habitats, scientists are trying to gain insight into what makes them grow — and perhaps find ways to slow or reverse their demise. As detailed in a new study published this week in the journal Marine Biotechnology , a team of researchers in Japan have managed to successfully establish cell lines in a coral, meaning that they were able to cult
1h
Former Generals Warn That France Could Descend Into Civil War
Controversial Warning About 1,000 current and former French soldiers — including 20 retired generals — signed onto a bizarre, racist letter in the right-wing publication Valeurs Actuelles warning of a potential civil war in the country’s future. The French government was quick to condemn the letter, The BBC reports , in part because service members are required by law to remain neutral on both po
4h
Russian Vaccine Behavior
In the last post , I mentioned the Twitter response to the Brazilian rejection of the Gamaleya vaccine. I believe that the official blue-check-marked “Sputnik V” Twitter account is run by the Russian Direct Investment Fund, the sovereign-wealth part of the Russian state that is in charge of rolling out the vaccine to different countries. In that case, the Russian Sovereign Wealth Fund needs to cl
5h
How Indians are crowdsourcing aid as covid surges
Sohini Chattopadhyay had almost given up her medical quest before deciding to try one last bizarre idea. Chattopadhyay, 30, and her friends were looking for a plasma donor for a childhood pal who was battling covid-19 in the eastern Indian city of Kolkata. The woman’s oxygen levels were plummeting, and doctors said that “convalescent plasma,” from blood donated by a covid survivor, might provide
12h
The pioneering technology that is uncovering the mysteries of the 'kraken'
The legend of the "kraken" has captivated humans for millennia. Stories of deep-sea squid dragging sailors and even entire ships to their doom can be found in everything from ancient Greek mythology to modern-day movie blockbusters. It is therefore ironic that the species that inspired these stories, the giant squid Architeuthis dux, is camera-shy. In fact, filming this species in the wild has pro
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Space Junk Is Literally Making the Sky Brighter, Astronomer Say
Night Light The ever-growing mess of debris orbiting the planet is becoming a serious problem for astronomers. As these old pieces of satellites, rockets, and other miscellanea catch sunlight, they can reflect it down to Earth and elsewhere, creating a noticeable increase in the brightness of the night sky that makes it considerably harder to study the cosmos, according to preliminary research pu
2h
Mapping the electronic states in an exotic superconductor
Scientists characterized how the electronic states in a compound containing iron, tellurium, and selenium depend on local chemical concentrations. They discovered that superconductivity (conducting electricity without resistance), along with distinct magnetic correlations, appears when the local concentration of iron is sufficiently low; a coexisting electronic state existing only at the surface (
3h
New Leak Shows the User Interface of Tesla’s Cybertruck
Cybetruck UI The head of user interface design at Tesla has left the company — and on the way out the door, Electrek reports , leaked some spicy images and videos of the UI of the upcoming and much-hyped Cybertruck . Pawel Pietryka has been with the electric car company since 2016 and has gone to found his own design firm called Moderne Grafik Anstalt. Now, the portfolio shown on the new firm’s w
4h
The Christian church so holy that Muslims hold its keys
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is not just the holiest site in Christianity; it is also emblematic of the religion's deep divisions. As the map below shows, six denominations each control part of the church, with only some parts held in common. Each "territory" is jealously guarded and sometimes fought over. The church's keys are held by… two Muslim families. The most infamous ladder in all Chr
4h
Podcast: AI finds its voice
Today’s voice assistants are still a far cry from the hyper-intelligent thinking machines we’ve been musing about for decades. And it’s because that technology is actually the combination of three different skills: speech recognition, natural language processing and voice generation. Each of these skills already presents huge challenges. In order to master just the natural language processing par
6h
The Vertebrate Genomes Project introduces a new era of genome sequencing
The Vertebrate Genomes Project (VGP) today announces their flagship study and associated publications focused on genome assembly quality and standardization for the field of genomics. This study includes 16 diploid high-quality, near error-free, and near complete vertebrate reference genome assemblies for species across all taxa with backbones (i.e., mammals, amphibians, birds, reptiles, and fishe
6h
Scientists don spacesuits to explore Hawaiian lava tubes as if they were on Mars
Imagine trying to pick up a pebble or scrape microbes off a cave wall in a bulky spacesuit with puffy gloves on, under a time constraint because you don't want to run out of oxygen. That's what the analog astronauts do daily at the HI-SEAS moonbase habitat in Hawaii as they prepare for future missions to the moon and Mars, says Michaela Musilova of the International MoonBase Alliance (IMA) and dir
9h
Biden’s Misstep in India
The Biden administration’s announcement on Monday that it would soon export tens of millions of doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine completed a dramatic policy U-turn. It came after a tumultuous week in which the administration’s carefully constructed pandemic-diplomacy plan fell apart as the COVID-19 crisis in India worsened. The Biden administration needs to learn from this misstep and demonstrate
11h
Study suggests how to build a better 'nanopore' biosensor
Researchers have spent more than three decades developing and studying miniature biosensors that can identify single molecules. In 5 to 10 years, when such devices may become a staple in doctors' offices, they could detect molecular markers for cancer and other diseases and assess the effectiveness of drug treatment to fight those illnesses.
1d
The Pandemic Made Her Sick, Even Before She Caught COVID-19
In the summer of 2009, when Diana was three and a half years old, her health took a tumble. She began to run high fevers and vomit, and gain weight at a baffling pace. She made several trips to the emergency room over the course of two months before doctors finally diagnosed her with two rare, life-threatening conditions. The first, atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome, went after her kidneys, “and
1d
Steering light to places it isn't supposed to go
Light that is sent into a photonic crystal can't go deeper than the so-called Bragg length. Deeper inside the crystal, light of a certain color range can simply not exist. Still, researchers of the University of Twente, the University of Iowa and the University of Copenhagen managed to break this law: They steered light into a crystal using a programmed pattern, and demonstrated that it will reach
8h
Time for a mass extinction metrics makeover
Researchers at Yale and Princeton say the scientific community sorely needs a new way to compare the cascading effects of ecosystem loss due to human-induced environmental change to major crises of the past.
9h
Company Says It Will Host “Galactic Combat” MMA Fights in Space
Space Fights Making incredible use of recent advances in space travel technology, the production company Iervolino Entertainment and the startup Space 11 just announced the creation of “Galactic Combat,” a new format of mixed martial arts fights that will take place in space with zero gravity. Despite sounding unbelievably metal, it’s a bizarre plan with questionable odds of success. As Space New
55min
Europe pins hopes on vaccine campaigns as Covid curbs relaxed
Leaders across continent look to gathering pace of vaccinations as key to easing restrictions Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage European leaders are lifting restrictions across a lockdown-weary bloc as they take what Italy’s prime minister, Mario Draghi, has admitted is a “calculated risk” that accelerating vaccination campaigns will keep stubbornly high infection rate
6h
What cities need now
Urban technology projects have long sought to manage the city—to organize its ambiguities, mitigate its uncertainties, and predict or direct its growth and decline. The latest, “ smart city ” projects, have much in common with previous iterations. Again and again, these initiatives promise novel “solutions” to urban “problems.” The hype is based partly on a belief that technology will deliver unp
10h
Espresso, latte or decaf? Genetic code drives your desire for coffee
Whether you hanker for a hard hit of caffeine or favor the frothiness of a milky cappuccino, your regular coffee order could be telling you more about your cardio health than you think. In a new study of 390,435 people, researchers found causal genetic evidence that cardio health – as reflected in blood pressure and heart rate – influences coffee consumption.
8h
How megacities could lead the fight against climate change
In 2050, 2.5 billion more people will live in cities than do today. As the world grows more urbanized, many cities are becoming more populous while also trying to reduce carbon emissions and blunt the impacts of climate change. In the coming decades, cities will be engines of economic growth. But they must also play a key role in confronting climate change; the world’s 100 most populous cities ar
10h
Better amputations
Most amputations sever the muscle pairs that control joints such as the elbow or ankle, disrupting the sensory feedback about the limb’s position in space that would help patients control a prosthesis. But a surgical technique developed by MIT researchers appears to leave amputees with both greater control and less pain than people who have had conventional amputations. In agonist-antagonist myon
18h
Scientists see chemical short-range order in medium-entropy alloy
Chinese scientists have made direct observations of face-centered cubic VCoNi (medium)-entropy alloys (MEA) and for the first time proposed a convincing identification of subnanoscale chemical short-range order (CSRO). This achievement undisputedly resolves the pressing question of if, what and why CSRO exists, and how to explicitly identify CSRO.
2h
72% of all people live in countries with biocapacity deficits and below-average income
A team of researchers from the Global Footprint Network, the Munasinghe Institute for Development, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and Missouri Botanical Garden has found that approximately 72% of people globally live in countries with a biocapacity deficit and also have below-average incomes. In their paper published in the journal Nature Sustainability, the group describes examining data o
8h
Childhood air pollution exposure linked to poor mental health at age 18
Childhood exposure to air pollution, such as nitrogen oxides and fine particulate matter, is a risk factor for mental illness at age 18. It is less of a factor than family history, but equal to lead, according to a new study. The finding comes from a cohort of 2,000 twins born in England and Wales in 1994-1995 and followed to young adulthood.
4h
Spring forest flowers likely key to bumblebee survival
For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America, with habitat destruction a primary culprit in those losses. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded landscapes.
8h
Protecting the world’s vanishing coral reefs
As soon as he could walk, Tom Goreau ’70 was swimming in the warm waters off Jamaica, where he grew up. He recalls water so consistently clear and blue he could see all the way down to the corals and marine life blanketing the bottom. His dad would dive below, releasing streams of bubbles that Goreau would follow. This was the 1950s, before scuba gear was commercially available. So Goreau’s fathe
18h
Research on Lake Victoria cichlids uncovers the processes of rapid species adaptation
Biologists use the term "adaptive radiation" to describe a phenomenon in which new species rapidly evolve from an ancestral species, often in response to changes in the local environment that lead to new biological niches becoming available. To understand this process, biologists often turn to the cichlids of Lake Victoria, in which over 500 species of the fish have evolved over the past 14,600 ye
3h
Ageing impairs critical final egg maturation stage
Age may influence an a human egg cell's ability to process gene products essential for the last steps of its development. The final maturation stage is critical for reproduction because it provides the material early embryos need to develop normally and survive. The researchers also found that abnormal BMI also impacted oocyte development, but through different root mechanisms compared to the fert
5h
Senator Slams Musk for Talking About Deadly Tesla Crash
Chiming In Two men died earlier this month when a Tesla Model S crashed into a tree — and caught national attention when police said that there was nobody in the driver’s seat, prompting widespread speculation that the car’s self-driving capabilities might have been engaged at the time of the crash. Then, Tesla CEO Elon Musk pushed back against that narrative of the crash, saying that data logs s
3h
Researchers develop a novel raman spectroscopy platform to characterize IDPs in dilute solution
It is challenging to analyze proteins at low concentrations, especially for those in a mixture of various conformations such as intrinsically disordered proteins (IDPs). A research team led by Prof. Huang Jinqing, Assistant Professor of Department of Chemistry at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has developed optical tweezers-coupled Raman spectroscopy that can directly
6h
How technology helped archaeologists dig deeper
Construction workers in New York’s Lower Manhattan neighborhood were breaking ground for a new federal building back in 1991 when they unearthed hundreds of coffins . The more they dug, the more they found—eventually uncovering nearly 500 individuals, many buried with personal items such as buttons, shells, and jewelry. Further investigation revealed that the remains were all between 200 and 300
10h
D-Lab project leads to solar career in Africa
When she started her junior year after a corporate internship that left her feeling unfulfilled, Jodie Wu ’09 was questioning her path as an engineer. Participating in a D-Lab class project in Tanzania revealed a way to use her passion for engineering to help serve emerging markets in Africa while also having an impact. Wu recalls being naïve the first time she traveled to Africa: “As a student,
18h
Knocking on the door of innovation in Chile
Growing up in Chile, where her family owned a minimarket, Rocio Fonseca, SM ’14, was taught to expect a life limited by her family’s social class. In her early professional years, as the first in her family to have gone to college, she often ran into the cultural barriers of her country’s traditional business environment. Potential bosses wanted to know who her parents were, or expected her to ha
18h
Newest address on campus
New Vassar, MIT’s new undergrad dorm, opened in January across the street from the Henry Steinbrenner Stadium and Track with the goal of promoting a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle. The 450-bed residence emphasizes four core values chosen by its founders’ group: well-being, inclusiveness, adventure, and kindness. Dining options will eventually include a cooking pod program that will let students
18h
Incentives could turn costs of biofuel mandates into environmental benefits
Researchers examined the economic and environmental costs of the Renewable Fuels Standard mandates through 2030, including the impact on water quality in the Mississippi River basin and Gulf of Mexico. Models showed maintaining the corn ethanol mandate will lead to substantial social and environmental costs because it incentivizes expanded corn production. But the cellulosic ethanol mandate can pr
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Fiction: Unpaired
They drilled a hole in my skull on the 43rd floor of an empty skyscraper in Lower Manhattan. One of those towers where they told people to go and work from home and they never came back. Floor-to-ceiling windows, beige and white walls, spaces that felt impossibly big now that the cubicle dividers have vanished. One of those places where somebody pays to keep the lights on all night, every night,
10h
Politics and the pandemic have changed how we imagine cities
Science fiction is full of cities imagined from the ground up, but an author who writes about a real place has to engage with real cultures and real histories. It takes a special kind of world-building skill to develop a city when its origins are already known. The Membranes , a fascinating new book out in June by Chi Ta-wei, meets this challenge. It presents metropolitan Taiwan in 2100 as utterl
10h
Emerson Yearwood ’80
Emerson Yearwood, who has spent most of his career as an attorney in the communications sector, is dedicated to supporting students of color at MIT through his giving and volunteerism. His current focus is the Black Alumni of MIT Community Advancement Program and Fund (BCAP), which supports student proposals for public service projects that address the needs of underserved communities of color on
18h
Scientists reveal how brain cells in Alzheimer's go awry, lose their identity
Despite the prevalence of Alzheimer's, there are still no treatments, in part because it has been challenging to study how the disease develops. Now, scientists have uncovered new insights into what goes awry during Alzheimer's by growing neurons that resemble — more accurately than ever before — brain cells in older patients. And like patients themselves, the afflicted neurons appear to lose th
23h
Measuring the Moon's nano dust is no small matter
Like a chameleon of the night sky, the moon often changes its appearance. It might look larger, brighter or redder, for example, due to its phases, its position in the solar system or smoke in Earth's atmosphere. (It is not made of green cheese, however.)
3h
Rio de Janeiro is making a digital map of one of Brazil’s largest favelas
Finding your way through Rocinha in Rio de Janeiro is not easy. The buildings are densely and turbulently arranged in a manner that defies traditional identification systems like street names and numbers. Rocinha is a favela , one of the largest among hundreds of unplanned settlements that have sprung up on the outskirts of Brazilian cities since the 19th century. More than 5% of the country’s po
10h
Fishing in African waters
Industrial fleets from countries around the world have been increasingly fishing in African waters, but with climate change and increasing pollution threatening Africa's fish stocks, there is a growing concern of the sustainability of these marine fisheries if they continue to be exploited.
21h
Researchers identify a psychedelic-like drug without the hallucinogenic side effects
Psychedelic drugs have shown promise for treating neuropsychiatric disorders like depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. However, due to their hallucinatory side effects, some researchers are trying to identify drugs that could offer the benefits of psychedelics without causing hallucinations. Researchers now report they have identified one such drug through the development of a genetically
3h
Hot and cold space radio testing
ESA's newest radio-frequency test facility allows direct measurement of antenna systems in the very vacuum conditions and thermal extremes they will work in, including the chill of deep space. It will soon be put to work testing the Juice mission's radiometer—destined to probe the thin atmospheres of Jupiter's largest moons.
8h
The outer bounds of big questions
Christopher Rose ’79, SM ’81, PhD ’85, earned three MIT degrees in electrical engineering but has always been drawn to many disciplines. As a professor of engineering at Brown University, he’s working at the frontiers of communications theory, while as an administrator, he’s striving to enhance student and faculty diversity across STEM disciplines. And he’s most famous—at least by Wikipedia stand
18h
Why cities will come back stronger after covid
The coronavirus pandemic presents a cruel irony for urban dwellers. What good are cities if the very quality that makes them so dynamic—the ease of connecting with people and gathering in large groups for everything from a baseball game to an opera—now renders them more dangerous than before? That question lies at the heart of concerns over the future of cities in a post-covid world. Social dista
10h
Foreign industrial fleets could threaten fishing in African waters
African waters have been contributing to the global supply of fish for years, with three of the four most productive marine ecosystems in the world near the continent. African countries' Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZs) contributed over 6 million metric tons of fish to the world's food supply, supporting food security and livelihood in the continent, while generating $15 billion to the African gros
1d
Elon Musk’s SNL Hosting Gig Is a Trap
Elon Musk is an eyebrow-raising choice of host for Saturday Night Live . He’s a controversy-courting tech CEO with a tenuous connection to the entertainment industry. He’s never seemed interested in performing sketch comedy. And his Twitter following of more than 50 million accounts eclipses SNL ’s audience—this season, the series’ highest-rated episode drew about 9 million viewers . Musk, in sho
1h
A pioneering study: Plant roots act like a drill
In an interdisciplinary research project carried out at Tel Aviv University, researchers from the School of Plant Sciences affiliated with the George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences collaborated with their colleagues from the Sackler Faculty of Medicine in order to study the course of plant root growth. The plant researchers were aided by a computational model constructed by cancer researchers st
3h
Spring forest flowers likely key to bumble bee survival, study finds
For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America, with habitat destruction a primary culprit in those losses. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new Illinois-based study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded l
6h
Slum dwellers in India get unique digital addresses
Fourteen-year-old Neha Dashrath was ecstatic when the pizza arrived. It was the first time she’d ever ordered from a food delivery app. “I always felt shy when my friends talked about ordering food from apps,” she says. “Now I, too, can show off.” Dashrath lives in Laxmi Nagar, a slum in Pune, Maharashtra, alongside some 5,400 other Indians. Cramped brick and tin structures line crooked lanes wid
10h
Stress slows the immune response in sick mice
The neurotransmitter noradrenaline, which plays a key role in the fight-or-flight stress response, impairs immune responses by inhibiting the movements of various white blood cells in different tissues, researchers report. The fast and transient effect occurred in mice with infections and cancer, but for now, it's unclear whether the findings generalize to humans with various health conditions.
3h
Socioeconomic deprivation modifies genetic influence on higher education
A comprehensive study from Uppsala University demonstrates that socioeconomic deprivation modifies genetic effects on higher education and abstract reasoning. The paper illustrates how genes play a greater role in educational attainment in more socioeconomically deprived regions of the United Kingdom. The study was recently published in the American Journal of Psychiatry.
8h
Wood without trees
Like meat production, logging and agriculture can exact a heavy environmental toll. Now an MIT team has proposed a way to circumvent that by growing certain plant tissues in the lab—an idea somewhat akin to cultured meat. The researchers, in Luis Fernando Velásquez-García’s group at the Micro­systems Technology Laboratories, grew wood-like plant tissue indoors, without soil or sunlight. They star
18h
Uncertainty of future Southern Ocean carbon dioxide uptake cut in half
The Southern Ocean dominates the oceanic uptake of human-made CO2. But how much carbon dioxide can it actually absorb in the future? This long-standing question remained unresolved as projections of different generation of climate models repeatedly showed a wide range of future Southern Ocean CO2 sink estimates. Climate scientists from Bern have now been able to reduce this large uncertainty by ab
3h
What Would We Do If an Asteroid Hit Earth? NASA Is Simulating It This Week
About a month ago, an asteroid that was estimated to be at least a quarter-mile wide zoomed past Earth at a speed of 77,000 miles per hour. Though it was 1.25 million miles away even at its closest, the asteroid (called, unimaginatively, Object 2001 FO32) was considered “close” to Earth; in the grand scheme of the entire galaxy and beyond, 1.25 million miles isn’t much. Though space is replete wi
7h
People of color hardest hit by air pollution from nearly all sources
Various studies show that people of color are disproportionately exposed to air pollution in the United States. However, it was unclear whether this unequal exposure is due mainly to a few types of emission sources or whether the causes are more systemic. A new study that models peoples' exposure to air pollution – resolved by race-ethnicity and income level – shows that exposure disparities among
46min
The shape of light changes vision
Vision is a complex process that has been successfully deciphered by many disciplines—physics, biochemistry, physiology, neurology, etc.: The retina captures light, the optic nerve transmits electrical impulses to the brain, which ultimately generates the perception of an image. Although this process takes some time, recent studies have shown that the first stage of vision, the perception of light
3h
Building 7 dome restoration
The Building 7 dome, designed by William Welles Bosworth to give MIT a suitably grand entrance on Mass Ave, was completed in 1939. In 2019, an 80-year checkup seemed warranted, and a study initiated by the Facilities Department found deterioration of the building exterior and waterproofing. Restoration of the Little Dome began in July 2020; it includes masonry, metal flashing, and skylight repair
18h
The shape of light changes our vision
The perception of light is extremely fast. But the analysis was carried out on molecules in solution in the laboratory. Scientists reproduced the experiment on mice, in order to observe the processing of light by a living organism in all its complexity. This study shows that light energy alone does not define the response of the retina. Its shape also has an impact on the signal sent to the brain
46min
New computer model helps brings the sun into the laboratory
Every day, the sun ejects large amounts of a hot particle soup known as plasma toward Earth where it can disrupt telecommunications satellites and damage electrical grids. Now, scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and Princeton University's Department of Astrophysical Sciences have made a discovery that could lead to better predictions of t
3h
Black hole-neutron star collisions may help settle dispute over Universe's expansion
A new study simulated 25,000 scenarios of black holes and neutron stars colliding, aiming to see how many would likely be detected by instruments on Earth in the mid- to late-2020s. The researchers found that, by 2030, instruments on Earth could sense ripples in space-time caused by up to 3,000 such collisions, and that for around 100 of these events, telescopes would also see accompanying explosi
6h
How can we stop mankind from stagnating?
Fast growth of the global human population has long been regarded as a major challenge that faces mankind. Presently, this challenge is becoming even more serious than before, in particular because many natural resources are estimated to deplete before the end of this century.
6h
Cape Town fights for energy independence
Power outages are a way of life in Africa’s most industrialized country. Over the last decade, South Africa’s electricity grid has come apart at the seams and failed to deliver dependable power. As renewable energy gets cheaper, South African cities such as Cape Town have demanded the right to find their own sources. The primary culprit in South Africa’s power woes is the aging national electrici
10h
Can “democracy dollars” keep real dollars out of politics?
Teresa Mosqueda used to spend her days asking people to run for office. A union leader and third-generation Mexican-American from Seattle, she figured the most effective way to address working families’ issues was to encourage people who had once experienced them to enter politics. But when people would ask her to run, Mosqueda would decline, citing an obstacle faced by most Americans: she couldn
10h
The next normal
One morning at the start of the spring semester, I was surprised by a most welcome sound outside: the voices of students! I could not resist going to the window. Even bundled up against the cold, the students were obviously excited to be back on campus—or in the case of first-years, to be on campus for the first time. It gave me a tremendous lift. And it also led me to contemplate what MIT will b
18h
A path to graphene topological qubits
In the quantum realm, electrons can group together to behave in interesting ways. Magnetism is one of these behaviors that we see in our day-to-day life, as is the rarer phenomena of superconductivity. Intriguingly, these two behaviors are often antagonists, meaning that the existence of one of them often destroys the other. However, if these two opposite quantum states are forced to coexist artif
3h
Breakthrough purification of fossil pollen using a new large-particle on-chip sorter
Particle sorting is fundamental to biological and medical research, although existing methods are unable to sort large-sized particles via high-throughput sorting. In a new report, Y. Kasai and a research team in Japan, Germany and Poland presented a new on-chip sorting method based on traveling vortices generated by on-demand microjet flows. The method allowed high-throughput sorting using an act
8h
Tool to track marine litter polluting the ocean
In an effort to fight the millions of tons of marine litter floating in the ocean, researchers have developed a new virtual tool to track this debris. Their work will help provide answers to help monitor and deal with the problem of marine litter.
46min
Soil bacteria evolve with climate change
While evolution is normally thought of as occurring over millions of years, researchers at the University of California, Irvine have discovered that bacteria can evolve in response to climate change in 18 months. In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, biologists from UCI found that evolution is one way that soil microbes might deal with global warming.
3h
A minty-fresh solution: Using a menthol-like compound to activate plant immune mechanisms
Although plants may look fairly inactive to casual observers, research into plant biology has shown that plants can send each other signals concerning threats in their local environments. These signals take the form of airborne chemicals, called volatile organic compounds (VOCs), released from one plant and detected by another, and plant biologists have found that a diverse class of chemicals call
3h
Physicists net neutron star gold from measurement of lead
Nuclear physicists have made a new, highly accurate measurement of the thickness of the neutron 'skin' that encompasses the lead nucleus in experiments. The result, which revealed a neutron skin thickness of .28 millionths of a nanometer, has important implications for the structure and size of neutron stars.
23h
Following nature's cue, researchers build successful, sustainable industrial networks
By translating the pattern of interconnections between nature's food chains to industrial networks, researchers have delineated guidelines for setting up successful industrial communities. The researchers said this guidance can facilitate economic growth, lower emissions and reduce waste while simultaneously ensure that partnering industries can recover from unexpected disturbances.
1d
In wild soil, predatory bacteria grow faster than their prey
Predatory bacteria—bacteria that eat other bacteria—grow faster and consume more resources than non-predators in the same soil, according to a new study out this week from Northern Arizona University. These active predators, which use wolfpack-like behavior, enzymes, and cytoskeletal 'fangs' to hunt and feast on other bacteria, wield important power in determining where soil nutrients go. The resu
3h
Space tourism—20 years in the making—is finally ready for launch
For most people, getting to the stars is nothing more than a dream. On April 28, 2001, Dennis Tito achieved that lifelong goal—but he wasn't a typical astronaut. Tito, a wealthy businessman, paid US$20 million for a seat on a Russian Soyuz spacecraft to be the first tourist to visit the International Space Station. Only seven people have followed suit in the 20 years since, but that number is pois
3h
Scientists harness molecules into single quantum state
Being able to build and control systems of quantum particles, which are among the smallest objects in the universe, is the key to developing quantum technology. That goal is now a step closer thanks to scientists who just figured out how to bring multiple molecules at once into a single quantum state — one of the most important goals in quantum physics.
3h
A case for simplifying gene nomenclature across different organisms
Constantina Theofanopoulou wanted to study oxytocin. Her graduate work had focused on how the hormone influences human speech development, and now she was preparing to use those findings to investigate how songbirds learn to sing. The problem was that birds do not have oxytocin. Or so she was told.
3h
Research gives trees an edge in landfill clean-up
A research team from the USDA Forest Service and the University of Missouri has developed a new contaminant prioritization tool that has the potential to increase the effectiveness of environmental approaches to landfill clean-up.
3h
From the bowels of the earth to the sky: Rethinking civilization growth
President Biden's energy summit is emblematic of an emerging mindset that is set to redefine our relation to the planet. 150 years of unchecked industrial and economic growth have changed humanity in profound ways but at a high and untenable environmental cost. We must move from the plundering mindset that sucked our prosperity from the bowels of the Earth to one that collects the energy that the
5h
Testing the 'two-hit' model for developmental defects
A mutation that deletes a large segment of human chromosome 16 and is associated with neurodevelopmental disorders doesn't work alone. A new functional assay demonstrates how the deletion could be sensitizing the genome such that "second hits"—mutations in other parts of the genome—may genetically interact with the deletion to exacerbate the symptoms. Different second hit mutations found in differ
8h
The Atlantic Daily: Design Your Own Ideal Post-pandemic Social Life
Every 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. In the coming months, much of the country will exit this pandemic with a better sense of how they’d like to spend their time. They’ll divide into two camps , my colleague Joe Pinsker predicts: Tea
9h
Canola growth environments and genetics shape their seed microbiomes
Just as humans receive the first members of their microbiomes from their mothers, seeds may harbor some of the first microorganisms plants encounter. While these initial microbes could become influential players in the plants' microbiomes, the microbial communities that colonize seeds have not received as much attention as root, shoot, or soil microbiomes. To understand how seed microbiomes are as
1d
Single photon switch advance
The ability to turn on and off a physical process with just one photon is a fundamental building block for quantum photonic technologies. Realizing this in a chip-scale architecture is important for scalability. Researchers have demonstrated the use of 'Rydberg states' in solid state materials (previously shown in cold atom gases) to enhance nonlinear optical interactions to unprecedented levels i
18min
Skipping the second shot could prolong pandemic, study finds
Though more than 131 million Americans have received at least one dose of COVID-19 vaccine to date, public confusion and uncertainty about the importance of second doses and continued public health precautions threaten to delay a U.S. return to normalcy, according to Cornell-led research published April 28 in the New England Journal of Medicine.
28min
The Wizard Hits Another Boat! | Deadliest Catch
Stream Full Episodes of Deadliest Catch: discovery+ ► https://www.discoveryplus.com/show/deadliest-catch discovery ► https://go.discovery.com/tv-shows/deadliest-catch/ Subscribe to Discovery: http://bit.ly/SubscribeDiscovery Join us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DeadliestCatch https://www.facebook.com/Discovery Follow us on Twitter: https://twitter.com/DeadliestCatch https://twitter.com/D
34min
Uncertainty of future Southern Ocean CO2 uptake cut in half
The Southern Ocean dominates the oceanic uptake of humanmade CO2. But how much carbon dioxide can it actually absorb in the future? This long-standing question remained unresolved as projections of different generation of climate models repeatedly showed a wide range of future Southern Ocean CO2 sink estimates. Climate scientists have now been able to reduce this large uncertainty by about 50 perc
46min
Reducing blue light with a new type of LED that won't keep you up all night
To be more energy efficient, many people have replaced their incandescent lights with light-emitting diode (LED) bulbs. However, those currently on the market emit a lot of blue light, which has been linked to eye troubles and sleep disturbances. Now, researchers have developed a prototype LED that reduces — instead of masks — the blue component, while also making colors appear just as they do i
46min
Researchers investigate structural changes in snap-frozen proteins
Researchers at the University of Bonn and the Research Center caesar have succeeded in ultra-fast freezing proteins after a precisely defined period of time. They were able to follow structural changes on the microsecond time scale and with sub-nanometer precision. Owing to its high spatial and temporal resolution, the method allows tracking rapid structural changes in enzymes and nucleic acids. T
52min
Team makes single photon switch advance
The ability to turn on and off a physical process with just one photon is a fundamental building block for quantum photonic technologies. Realizing this in a chip-scale architecture is important for scalability, which amplifies a breakthrough by City College of New York researchers led by physicist Vinod Menon. They've demonstrated for the first time the use of "Rydberg states" in solid state mate
1h
El Nino can help predict cacao harvests up to two years in advance
When seasonal rains arrive late in Indonesia, farmers often take it as a sign that it is not worth investing in fertilizer for their crops. Sometimes they opt out of planting annual crops altogether. Generally, they're making the right decision, as a late start to the rainy season is usually associated with the state of El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and low rainfall in the coming months.
2h
CCNY team makes single photon switch advance
The ability to turn on and off a physical process with just one photon is a fundamental building block for quantum photonic technologies. Realizing this in a chip-scale architecture is important for scalability, which amplifies a breakthrough by CCNY researchers led by physicist Vinod Menon. They've demonstrated for the first time the use of "Rydberg states" in solid state materials (previously sh
2h
Seasonal water resource on the Upper Indus
Seasonally occurring fields of aufeis (icing) constitute an important resource for the water supply of the local population in the Upper Indus Basin. Geographers have now examined the spreading of aufeis and, for the first time, created a full inventory of these more than 3,700 aufeis fields. They are important for these high mountain areas between South and Central Asia, particularly with respect
2h
Preclinical discovery triggers wound healing, skin regeneration
Difficult-to-treat, chronic wounds in preclinical models healed with normal scar-free skin after treatment with an acellular product. Derived from platelets, the purified exosomal product, known as PEP, was used to deliver healing messages into cells of preclinical animal models of ischemic wounds. The research team documented restoration of skin integrity, hair follicles, sweat glands, skin oils
2h
Researchers identify genes linked to severe repetitive behaviors
Extreme repetitive behaviors such as hand-flapping, body-rocking, skin-picking, and sniffing are common to a number of brain disorders including autism , schizophrenia , Huntington's disease , and drug addiction . These behaviors, termed stereotypies, are also apparent in animal models of drug addiction and autism. In a new study published in the European Journal of Neuroscience , researchers at
2h
Nucleic acid ligands act as a PAM and agonist depending on the intrinsic ligand binding state of P2RY2 [Biochemistry]
G protein–coupled receptors (GPCRs) play diverse roles in physiological processes, and hence the ligands to modulate GPCRs have served as important molecules in biological and pharmacological approaches. However, the exploration of novel ligands for GPCR still remains an arduous challenge. In this study, we report a method for the discovery…
2h
ADAM9 enhances Th17 cell differentiation and autoimmunity by activating TGF-{beta}1 [Immunology and Inflammation]
The a disintegrin and metalloproteinase (ADAM) family of proteinases alter the extracellular environment and are involved in the development of T cells and autoimmunity. The role of ADAM family members in Th17 cell differentiation is unknown. We identified ADAM9 to be specifically expressed and to promote Th17 differentiation. Mechanistically, we…
2h
Loss of resilience preceded transformations of pre-Hispanic Pueblo societies [Sustainability Science]
Climate extremes are thought to have triggered large-scale transformations of various ancient societies, but they rarely seem to be the sole cause. It has been hypothesized that slow internal developments often made societies less resilient over time, setting them up for collapse. Here, we provide quantitative evidence for this idea….
2h
New frontier for 3D printing develops state-of-the-art soft materials able to self-heal
The scientific community is focusing its research into the multiple applications of hydrogels, polymeric materials which contain a large amount of water, that have the potential to reproduce the features of biological tissues. This aspect is particularly significant in the field of regenerative medicine, which for a long time has already recognized and been using the characteristics of these mater
2h
Daily briefing: Muon mystery sets physics alight
Nature, Published online: 26 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01133-5 How physicists might fix a possible crack in the standard model. Plus, how a historic funding boom might transform the NSF and how to write a great personal statement.
3h
IPK scientists identify networks for spikelet formation in barley
In a long-standing research project, an international research team led by the Leibniz Institute of Plant Genetics and Crop Plant Research (IPK) has used lasers to excise and analyse the finest tissue parts involved in barley spikelet organ formation. The results are of immense importance for further comparative studies among other grass or cereal crops and have recently been published in the jour
3h
Cave deposits reveal Pleistocene permafrost thaw, absent predicted levels of CO2 release
Expanding the study of prehistoric permafrost thawing to North America, researchers found evidence in mineral deposits from caves in Canada that permafrost thawing took place as recently as 400,000 years ago, in temperatures not much warmer than today. But they did not find evidence the thawing caused the release of predicted levels of carbon dioxide stored in the frozen terrain.
3h
Preprints: How draft academic papers have become essential in the fight against COVID
Since the first reported case of COVID-19, cities across the world have shut down, people have stopped socializing and going to work, economies have taken a hit and there have been far too many deaths. But at the same time the scientific community has come together and produced an immense amount of knowledge on the virus, developing multiple vaccines in less than a year.
3h
Forest measuring satellite passes tests with flying colors
With challenges imposed by the COVID pandemic, engineers building and testing ESA's Biomass satellite have had to come up with some clever working methods to keep on track whilst adhering to safety rules. The result is that the satellite structure is not only complete, but has also undergone a series of demanding tests to ensure it will withstand the rigors of liftoff—all bringing the launch of th
3h
The science of picky shoppers
There are hard-to-please customers in almost every industry, with certain people being picky about which clothes, houses and even romantic partners they will consider.
3h
Population genomic evidence of Plasmodium vivax Southeast Asian origin
Plasmodium vivax is the most common and widespread human malaria parasite. It was recently proposed that P. vivax originates from sub-Saharan Africa based on the circulation of its closest genetic relatives ( P. vivax-like ) among African great apes. However, the limited number of genetic markers and samples investigated questions the robustness of this hypothesis. Here, we extensively characteri
3h
DEAD-box helicases modulate dicing body formation in Arabidopsis
Eukaryotic cells contain numerous membraneless organelles that are made from liquid droplets of proteins and nucleic acids and that provide spatiotemporal control of various cellular processes. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the formation and rapid stress-induced alterations of these organelles are relatively uncharacterized. Here, we investigated the roles of DEAD-box helicases in
3h
Synthesis of 13C-enriched amino acids with 13C-depleted insoluble organic matter in a formose-type reaction in the early solar system
Solvent-soluble organic matter (SOM) in meteorites, which includes life’s building molecules, is suspected to originate from the cold region of the early solar system, on the basis of 13 C enrichment in the molecules. Here, we demonstrate that the isotopic characteristics are reproducible in amino acid synthesis associated with a formose-type reaction in a heated aqueous solution. Both thermochem
3h
Pooled CRISPR screening identifies m6A as a positive regulator of macrophage activation
m 6 A RNA modification is implicated in multiple cellular responses. However, its function in the innate immune cells is poorly understood. Here, we identified major m 6 A "writers" as the top candidate genes regulating macrophage activation by LPS in an RNA binding protein focused CRISPR screening. We have confirmed that Mettl3- deficient macrophages exhibited reduced TNF-α production upon LPS s
3h
Southern Ocean anthropogenic carbon sink constrained by sea surface salinity
The ocean attenuates global warming by taking up about one quarter of global anthropogenic carbon emissions. Around 40% of this carbon sink is located in the Southern Ocean. However, Earth system models struggle to reproduce the Southern Ocean circulation and carbon fluxes. We identify a tight relationship across two multimodel ensembles between present-day sea surface salinity in the subtropical
3h
Strain-driven autonomous control of cation distribution for artificial ferroelectrics
In past few decades, there have been substantial advances in theoretical material design and experimental synthesis, which play a key role in the steep ascent of developing functional materials with unprecedented properties useful for next-generation technologies. However, the ultimate goal of synthesis science, i.e., how to locate atoms in a specific position of matter, has not been achieved. He
3h
Ultrafast pulse shaping modulates perceived visual brightness in living animals
Vision is usually assumed to be sensitive to the light intensity and spectrum but not to its spectral phase. However, experiments performed on retinal proteins in solution showed that the first step of vision consists in an ultrafast photoisomerization that can be coherently controlled by shaping the phase of femtosecond laser pulses, especially in the multiphoton interaction regime. The link bet
3h
The evolution of mammalian brain size
Relative brain size has long been considered a reflection of cognitive capacities and has played a fundamental role in developing core theories in the life sciences. Yet, the notion that relative brain size validly represents selection on brain size relies on the untested assumptions that brain-body allometry is restrained to a stable scaling relationship across species and that any deviation fro
3h
Dynamics and healing behavior of metallosupramolecular polymers
Self-healing or healable polymers can recuperate their function after physical damage. This process involves diffusion of macromolecules across severed interfaces until the structure of the interphase matches that of the pristine material. However, monitoring this nanoscale process and relating it to the mechanical recovery remain elusive. We report that studying diffusion across healed interface
3h
Charge transport physics of a unique class of rigid-rod conjugated polymers with fused-ring conjugated units linked by double carbon-carbon bonds
We investigate the charge transport physics of a previously unidentified class of electron-deficient conjugated polymers that do not contain any single bonds linking monomer units along the backbone but only double-bond linkages. Such polymers would be expected to behave as rigid rods, but little is known about their actual chain conformations and electronic structure. Here, we present a detailed
3h
Increasing Pleistocene permafrost persistence and carbon cycle conundrums inferred from Canadian speleothems
Permafrost carbon represents a potentially powerful amplifier of climate change, but little is known about permafrost sensitivity and associated carbon cycling during past warm intervals. We reconstruct permafrost history in western Canada during Pleistocene interglacials from 130 uranium-thorium ages on 72 speleothems, cave deposits that only accumulate with deep ground thaw. We infer that perma
3h
Crystal critters: Self-ejection of crystals from heated, superhydrophobic surfaces
Mineral or crystal fouling (the accumulation of precipitants on a material and damage associated with the same) is a pervasive problem in water treatment, thermoelectric power production, and numerous industrial processes. Growing efforts have focused on materials engineering strategies (e.g., superhydrophobicity) to prevent fouling. Here, we present a curious phenomenon in which crystals self-ej
3h
Hormone autocrination by vascularized hydrogel delivery of ovary spheroids to rescue ovarian dysfunctions
The regeneration potential of implantable organ model hydrogels is applied to treat a loss of ovarian endocrine function in women experiencing menopause and/or cancer therapy. A rat ovariectomy model is used to harvest autologous ovary cells while subsequently producing a layer-by-layer form of follicle spheroids. Implantation of a microchannel network hydrogel with cell spheroids [vascularized h
3h
Transcriptional landscapes of floral meristems in barley
Organ development in plants predominantly occurs postembryonically through combinatorial activity of meristems; therefore, meristem and organ fate are intimately connected. Inflorescence morphogenesis in grasses (Poaceae) is complex and relies on a specialized floral meristem, called spikelet meristem, that gives rise to all other floral organs and ultimately the grain. The fate of the spikelet d
3h
Low-energy room-temperature optical switching in mixed-dimensionality nanoscale perovskite heterojunctions
Long-lived photon-stimulated conductance changes in solid-state materials can enable optical memory and brain-inspired neuromorphic information processing. It remains challenging to realize optical switching with low-energy consumption, and new mechanisms and design principles giving rise to persistent photoconductivity (PPC) can help overcome an important technological hurdle. Here, we demonstra
3h
The hypothalamus predates the origin of vertebrates
The hypothalamus coordinates neuroendocrine functions in vertebrates. To explore its evolutionary origin, we describe integrated transcriptome/connectome brain maps for swimming tadpoles of Ciona , which serves as an approximation of the ancestral proto-vertebrate. This map features several cell types related to different regions of the vertebrate hypothalamus, including the mammillary nucleus, t
3h
Selectively steering photon spin angular momentum via electron-induced optical spin Hall effect
The development of the optical spin Hall effect (OSHE) realizes the splitting of different spin components, contributing to the manipulation of photon spin angular momentum that acts as the information carrier for quantum technology. However, OSHE with optical excitation lacks active control of photon angular momentum at deep subwavelength scale because of the optical diffraction limit. Here, we
3h
Exposing unsaturated Cu1-O2 sites in nanoscale Cu-MOF for efficient electrocatalytic hydrogen evolution
Conductive metal-organic framework (MOF) materials have been recently considered as effective electrocatalysts. However, they usually suffer from two major drawbacks, poor electrochemical stability and low electrocatalytic activity in bulk form. Here, we have developed a rational strategy to fabricate a promising electrocatalyst composed of a nanoscale conductive copper-based MOF (Cu-MOF) layer f
3h
Treating severe COVID-19 cases
Long non-coding RNA molecules (lncRNAs) are potential regulators of anti-viral response during severe SARS-CoV-2 infection. Researchers constructed a gene co-expression network that measures the relationship of gene expression patterns across a group of samples. They identified four differentially expressed lncRNAs strongly correlated to the protein-coding genes in a novel network enriched for dif
3h
Business school research is broken—here's how to fix it
Researchers from Erasmus School of Economics, IESE Business School, and New York University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that examines what business schools do wrong when conducting academic research and what changes they can make so that research contributes to improving society.
3h
Scientists identify networks for spikelet formation in barley
Organ development in plants mostly occurs through combinatorial activity of so-called meristems. Meristems are plant cells or tissues that give rise to new organs, similar to stem cells in human—including spikelets. Spikelets are components of the spike and form florets (flowers) themselves, which in turn produce grains after fertilization.
3h
Human antibiotic use threatens endangered wild chimpanzees
It's well established that infectious disease is the greatest threat to the endangered chimpanzees made famous by the field studies of Jane Goodall at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Now, new research led by scientists at Emory University shows that nearly half of the fecal samples from wild chimpanzees contain bacteria that is resistant to a major class of antibiotics commonly used by people in
3h
Geographers draw up full inventory of barely researched icing fields
Seasonally occurring fields of aufeis (icing) constitute an important resource for the water supply of the local population in the Upper Indus Basin. However, little research has been done on them so far. Geographers at the South Asia Institute of Heidelberg University have now examined the spreading of aufeis and, for the first time, created a full inventory of these aufeis fields. The more than
3h
Using cosmic-ray neutron bursts to understand gamma-ray bursts from lightning
Analysis of data from a lightning mapper and a small, hand-held radiation detector has unexpectedly shed light on what a gamma-ray burst from lightning might look like—by observing neutrons generated from soil by very large cosmic-ray showers. The work took place at the High Altitude Water Cherenkov (HAWC) Cosmic Ray Observatory in Mexico.
3h
How acidic are atoms?
The degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance is crucial for its chemical behavior. The decisive factor is the so-called proton affinity, which indicates how easily an entity accepts or releases a single proton. While it is easy to measure this for molecules, it has not been possible for surfaces. This is important because atoms on surfaces have very different proton affinities, depending on
4h
Bone collagen of fish shows individual history of migration and feeding habits
Collagen is a protein found widely in almost all cells of animals, and scientifically can be used to learn much about an animal's life history including human being in the present or in the past. Scientists at the Research Institute for Humanity and Nature (RIHN) and Japan Fisheries Research and Education Agency (FRA), Japan, prove this point for Japanese flounder by measuring isotope ratios in ve
4h
Improving air quality in China's Greater Bay Area
More than 70 million people live in China's Greater Bay Area, a booming megalopolis that includes Hong Kong, Macau, and nine other major cities. Air pollution is a major public health concern in this region and across China. Although recent emission reductions have lowered exposure to some pollutants, other emissions have increased, and health risks persist.
4h
Conversations, and how we end them
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01074-z How we feel about the duration of our conversations has rarely been studied. New research has asked people about the lengths of their conversations, and whether they end when they want them to.
4h
Most young men skip HPV vaccine
Few young men 18 to 21 years old have gotten the HPV vaccine, a new study shows. But a cancer found in the throat is now the leading cancer HPV causes—and 80% of those diagnosed are men. Using data from the 2010-2018 National Health Interview Surveys, Michigan Medicine researchers found that just 16% of men 18 to 21 years old had received at least one dose of the HPV vaccine at any age. In compar
4h
Severe COVID-19 cases can be predicted by new test
As of April 2021, more than 3 million people worldwide have died of COVID-19. Early in the pandemic, researchers developed accurate diagnostic tests and identified health conditions that correlated with worse outcomes. However, a clinical predictor of who faces the highest risk of being hospitalized, put on a ventilator or dying from the disease has remained largely out of reach.
4h
Team links fracking to higher heart attack risk
A new study links hydraulic fracking to an increased risk of heart attack, hospitalization, and death. The Marcellus Formation straddles the New York State and Pennsylvania border, a region that shares similar geography and population demographics. However, on one side of the state line unconventional natural gas development—or fracking —is banned, while on the other side it represents a multi-bi
4h
The diploid genome assemblies in marmoset shows huge variations
The international consortium today announces a series of publications in a special collection of Nature that resulted from the first phase of the Vertebrate Genome Project (VGP) to release 16 high quality reference genomes. The research group led by Professor Guojie Zhang of the Department of Biology has made substantial contributions to the VGP and this first wave of publications.
4h
Driving behaviors harbor early signals of dementia
Using naturalistic driving data and machine learning techniques, researchers have developed highly accurate algorithms for detecting mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older drivers. Naturalistic driving data refer to data captured through in-vehicle recording devices or other technologies in the real-world setting. These data could be processed to measure driving exposure, space and perfor
5h
Mayo Clinic preclinical discovery triggers wound healing, skin regeneration
Difficult-to-treat, chronic wounds in preclinical models healed with normal scar-free skin after treatment with an acellular product discovered at Mayo Clinic. Derived from platelets, the purified exosomal product, known as PEP, was used to deliver healing messages into cells of preclinical animal models of ischemic wounds. The Mayo Clinic research team documented restoration of skin integrity, ha
5h
Solar-powered desalination unit shows great promise
Freshwater accounts for only about 2.5% of water on Earth, so much of the world experiences serious water shortages. Scientists report the development of a highly efficient desalination device that uses a titanium-containing layer capable of absorbing solar energy. When sunlight strikes the layer, it heats rapidly and vaporizes the water. By placing the unit in a transparent container with a slope
5h
Exploiting non-line-of-sight paths for terahertz signals in wireless communications
After developing a link discovery method in 2020 using terahertz radiation, researchers addressed what would happen if a wall or other reflector creates a non-line-of-sight path from the base station to the receiver. They consider two different generic types of transmitters and explore how their characteristics can be used to determine whether an NLOS path contributes to the signal received by the
5h
Nontoxic, flexible energy converters could power wearable devices
Wearable electronics have increasingly become a part of everyday life, so researchers wondered if these could be powered by harvesting electricity from waste heat. Further inspiration came from a desire to ultimately fabricate energy converting devices from the same materials as the active devices themselves. The researchers report the design and fabrication of single-wall carbon nanotube thermoel
5h
Study reinforces benefits of long-term duel antiplatelet therapy for ACS patients
An analysis of the prospective Fuwai PCI Registry, confirms long-term dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is an optimal treatment option for acute coronary syndrome patients (ACS) following a percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The study shows long-term DAPT reduces ischemic events without increasing bleeding or other complications as compared to short-term DAPT treatments. The study was presen
6h
Late-breaking studies highlight new treatment protocols for cardiogenic shock patients
Two new studies, presented today as late-breaking clinical science at SCAI 2021 Scientific Sessions, provide new treatment insights for cardiogenic shock (CS) patients. A study of the SCAI cardiogenic shock stages consensus document confirms the accuracy of the shock classification. In addition, an analysis of the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative demonstrates use of a shock protocol emphasizi
6h
International COVID registry finds inequities in heart attack outcomes based on ethnicity
The latest, comprehensive data from The North American COVID-19 Myocardial Infarction (NACMI) Registry was presented today as late-breaking clinical research at the Society for Cardiovascular Angiography & Interventions (SCAI) 2021 Scientific Sessions. Results reveal in these series of STEMI activations during the COVID era, patients who tested positive for COVID-19 were less likely to receive dia
6h
Transition from an atomic to a molecular Bose–Einstein condensate
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03443-0 A Bose-Einstein condensate of molecules is produced by pairing atoms in an atomic condensate; this transition is the bosonic analog of the Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superfluid to BEC crossover in Fermi gases.
6h
Structural basis of GABAB receptor–Gi protein coupling
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03507-1 Cryo-electron microscopy structure of heterodimeric GABAB receptor in complex with Gi1 protein reveals that the mode of G-protein binding in this class-C G-protein-coupled receptor differs from that of other classes.
6h
Accelerated global glacier mass loss in the early twenty-first century
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03436-z Analysis of satellite stereo imagery uncovers two decades of mass change for all of Earth’s glaciers, revealing accelerated glacier shrinkage and regionally contrasting changes consistent with decadal climate variability.
6h
Strongly reducing magnesium(0) complexes
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03401-w Strongly reducing β-diketiminate complexes containing magnesium in its zero oxidation state are reported, among which is a compound with a linear triatomic Mg–Mg–Mg core.
6h
The central role of DNA damage in the ageing process
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03307-7 This Review examines the evidence showing that DNA damage is associated with ageing phenotypes, suggesting that it may have a central role as the cause of ageing.
6h
Somatic mutation landscapes at single-molecule resolution
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03477-4 NanoSeq is used to detect mutations in single DNA molecules and analyses show that mutational processes that are independent of cell division are important contributors to somatic mutagenesis.
6h
Ancient continental blocks soldered from below
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01087-8 A study of melting in the mantle under northern Canada more than one billion years ago shows that the oldest blocks of continent not only break apart but can also be repaired by the gluing action of major melting episodes.
6h
Highly reactive form of magnesium stabilized by bulky ligands
Nature, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01014-x Magnesium atoms typically lose two electrons to form chemical compounds. A reactive complex has finally been made in which magnesium keeps all of its electrons, and which can be thought of as a soluble form of the metal.
6h
Extended haplotype-phasing of long-read de novo genome assemblies using Hi-C
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-20536-y Methods to produce haplotype-resolved genome assemblies often rely on access to family trios. The authors present FALCON-Phase, a tool that combines ultra-long range Hi-C chromatin interaction data with a long read de novo assembly to extend haplotype phasing to the contig or scaffold level.
6h
Turn Any Space Into A Unique Art Experience With These Interactive Clouds
We’ve been fascinated by clouds as a species ever since we could look upward, and we’ve been trying to control them almost as long. The Interactive Cloud Lamp , from Richard Clarkson Studio, makes that dream a reality, bringing the natural light show of storms in clouds safely indoors. Richard Clarkson Studio is a Brooklyn-based art & design lab with a focus on the celestial. They’ve created piec
6h
New frontier for 3D printing developed state-of-the-art soft materials able to self-heal
The development of these materials may now be easier, and cheaper, thanks to the use of 3D printing: the researchers in the MP4MNT (Materials and Processing for Micro and Nanotechnologies) team of the Department of Applied Science and Technology of the Politecnico di Torino, coordinated by Professor Fabrizio Pirri, have demonstrated, for the first time, the possibility of manufacturing hydrogels w
6h
Cancer-linked mutation accelerates growth of abnormal stroke-causing brain blood vessels
Researchers have discovered an explanation for why cerebral cavernous malformations (CCMs)–clusters of dilated blood vessels in the brain–can suddenly grow to cause seizures or stroke. Specifically, they found that a specific, acquired mutation in a cancer-causing gene (PIK3CA) could exacerbate existing CCMs in the brain. Furthermore, repurposing an already existing anticancer drug showed promis
6h
Proposal of new universal nomenclature for oxytocin and vasotocin genes
Oxytocin and arginine vasopressin are two hormones in the endocrine system that can act as neurotransmitters and regulate -in vertebrates and invertebrates- a wide range of biological functions, such as bonding formation, breastfeeding, birth or arterial pressure. Biochemists in the pregenomic era, named these genes differently in different species, due to small protein coding differences.
6h
Brain's waste removal system may offer path to better outcomes in Alzheimer's therapy
Enhancing the brain's lymphatic system when administering immunotherapies may lead to better clinical outcomes for Alzheimer's disease patients, according to a new study in mice. Results published April 28 in Nature suggest that treatments such as the immunotherapies BAN2401 or aducanumab might be more effective when the brain's lymphatic system can better drain the amyloid-beta protein that accum
6h
Is forest harvesting increasing in Europe?
Yes, but not as much as reported last July in a controversial study published in Nature.Forest harvest has increased by just 6% in recent years, not 69% as reported by the European Commission's Joint Research Centre. The errors are due to satellite sensitivity and natural disturbances according to a response paper authored by 30 scientists from 13 European countries.
6h
UChicago scientists harness molecules into single quantum state
Being able to build and control systems of quantum particles, which are among the smallest objects in the universe, is the key to developing quantum technology. That goal is now a step closer thanks to University of Chicago scientist Cheng Chin, who just figured out how to bring multiple molecules at once into a single quantum state–one of the most important goals in quantum physics.
6h
CBD provides pain relief through pharmacological and placebo effects
Cannabidiol (CBD) is a compound of the cannabis plant that's significantly less psychoactive than THC, the active ingredient of marijuana. CBD is often used to treat chronic pain, but there's been a lack of empirical research on the cannabinoid's analgesic effects. The new study was designed to test whether CBD actually relieves pain or whether its perceived benefits are the result of expectation
6h
May Day: How electricity brought power to strikes
Areas in Sweden with early access to electricity at the start of the 1900s underwent rapid change. Electrification led to more strikes, but it was not those who were threatened by the new technology who protested. Instead, it was the professional groups who had acquired a stronger negotiating position—thanks to technological development, according to new research from Lund University.
6h
Researchers develop comprehensive pregnancy care management plan among Chinese pregnant women type 1 diabetes
The research team led by Prof. WENG Jianping from University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has implemented a comprehensive preconception-to-pregnancy management plan, namely CARNATION study, for women with type 1 diabetes (T1D), to reduce the risks of adverse pregnancy outcomes and improve the pregnancy care since 2015. The study was published in Diab
6h
Brazilian coronavirus variant likely to be more transmissible and able to evade immunity
A new study with the University of Copenhagen represented indicates that the coronavirus variant called P.1, which originated in Brazil, could pose a bigger threat than previously assumed. The researchers conclude that it is likely that P.1 is more transmissible than other strains of SARS-Cov2 and that might be able to evade immunity gained from previous infection with coronavirus.
6h
Job changes following breast cancer are frequent in some cases
Breast cancer diagnosis: 88 percent of patients survive the dangerous disease in the first five years. Work is important for getting back to normality. Researchers from the University of Bonn and the German Cancer Society investigated how satisfied former patients are with their occupational development over a period of five to six years. About half experienced at least one job change during the s
6h
Causes of extreme weather and climate events in China during 2020/21
During the summer of 2020, especially June and July, periods of extreme heavy rainfall occurred in China's Yangtze River Valley (YRV). These rain events caused the severest floods for the region since the summer of 1998. Despite this, the 2020 western North Pacific (WNP) typhoon season started slowly, but eventually produced 23 named tropical cyclones, still slightly below 27, the WNP seasonal ave
6h
The state of China's climate in 2020: Warmer and wetter again
The National Climate Center (NCC) of China has just completed a report that gives an authoritative assessment of China's climate in 2020. It provides a summary of China's climate as well as the major weather and climate events that took place throughout the year. This is the third consecutive year that the NCC has published an annual national climate statement in Atmospheric and Oceanic Science Le
6h
Show me your playlist and I'll tell you who you are
Every one of us has different taste in music. Some like rock, others like rap, classical, alternative, Israeli, international, and so on. Researchers from Tel Aviv and Ariel Universities decided to embark on a scientific assessment to determine whether there is a connection between musical taste and a person's identity. In other words, can a person be identified only by his or her music playlist?
7h
HKUST develops a novel raman spectroscopy platform to characterize IDPs in dilute solution
A research team led by Prof. HUANG Jinqing, Assistant Professor of Department of Chemistry at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), has developed optical tweezers-coupled Raman spectroscopy that can directly probe the structural features of alpha-synuclein, an IDP closely linked to Parkinson's disease, at the physiological concentration by focusing on individual protein molec
7h
Daily briefing: How philosophy can make you a better scientist
Nature, Published online: 27 April 2021; doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01150-4 Resources for scientists who want to think more deeply about ethics, logic and other big questions. Plus, what’s next for a promising malaria vaccine and the causes of Brazil’s devastating COVID surge.
7h
Antidepressant withdrawal or relapse? Docs can’t really tell
Doctors need more evidence to help patients stop taking antidepressants safely and effectively, a collaborative study has found. Mieke van Driel, an emeritus professor of general practice at the University of Queensland, says long-term antidepressant use was on the rise because people took antidepressants for much longer than guidelines recommended. “The difficulty of distinguishing between withd
7h
Sperm development linked to testicular cancer
Scientists led by Dr Jason Heaney from Baylor College of Medicine in Texas, USA, have found that a failure in the development of sperm cells can lead to the formation of testicular tumours in mice. These findings, published in the journal Development, provide new clues for understanding how testicular cancer arises in mammals.
7h
Listen: Kara Swisher explains the high costs of ‘Big Tech’
The so-called “Big Tech” industry has dramatically improved our daily lives, but at what cost? Few people have gotten a closer look at these companies than Kara Swisher, writer for The New York Times and podcast host—and she says we need to wrestle more with that question. Recently she shared her expertise with University of Chicago students as a fellow at the Institute of Politics. She taught a
7h
Improving quality of life for cats with renal disorders: Drugs with minimal reactions
Many cats develop chronic renal disorders as they age. As chronic renal disorders progress, the secretion of erythropoietin (EPO), a hematopoietic factor produced in the kidneys, is decreased, which causes renal anemia. Veterinary medicine, until now, has only had an option of using erythropoietin (human EPO) derived from human amino acid sequence to treat severe renal anemia. However, since human
7h
Cognitive neuroscience could pave the way for emotionally intelligent robots
Humans are inherently emotional and to better understand them, robots need to recognize emotions from human speech. Due to the complexity of auditory perception models, however, emotion recognition is a challenging task. In a new study, researchers from Japan and China design a novel feature that captures temporal and contextual information and extracts temporal variation of emotion using a parall
8h
Early MR scans found more people with broken-heart syndrome
In almost ten per cent of myocardial infarctions, no obvious cause in the coronary artery can be found. Some of the patients are diagnosed with broken-heart syndrome, while others are left without a diagnosis. A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden suggests that early magnetic resonance (MR) imaging of the heart can greatly increase the rate of diagnosis. The study has been published in
8h
Study: Significant decline in heart attack patients who sought care at peak of pandemic
Results from a retrospective observational study, reveal a 70% decline in the number of patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) during April 2020 compared to April 2019. While the number of patients with AMI seeking care at hospitals dropped during the pandemic, those that did receive care experienced more severe symptoms because of delays in patients seeking emergency services.
8h
New algorithm makes it easier for computers to solve decision making problems
Decision making problems involving multiple agents are often solved using policy iteration, in which a given policy generates a better one. However, the required amount of computation is often prohibitively large. In a new study, a computer scientist takes things to the next level with an approach where decisions are made sequentially and the computations grow only linearly with agents, drasticall
8h
Farvel til papir: Manualer til nye maskiner bliver digitale
PLUS. EU-Kommissionen foreslår at give dødsstødet til den obligatoriske printede papirudgave af manualer, vejledninger og dokumentation på nye maskiner, medmindre køberen insisterer på papir. Ifølge DI vil man både spare store mængder papir, kunne lave bedre manualer og samtidig spare ressourcer.
8h
'Strategic lies': New study looks at deliberate untruths used as a political tactic
It's Boris Johnson's word against that of his former alter ego, Dominic Cummings. And, depending where you have read or heard about the accusations and counter-accusations flying between the pair, one or both are being a trifle "economical with the truth." The fact that most of what people see will have originated in either leaks from unnamed witnesses, or via the as yet unsubstantiated claims on
8h
How behavioral rhythms are fine-tuned in the brain
Researchers at Kanazawa University examined a subset of GABA neurons in the circadian rhythm control center within the hypothalamus of the brain. They eliminated GABA signaling of vasopressin-producing neurons only in mice and found that it impaired circadian behavior. Specifically, time spent being active increased every day. Analysis showed a timing mismatch between the center's molecular clock
8h
Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions updates consensus guidelines on best practices
The Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) has released an expert consensus statement providing cardiologists, cath lab directors, and hospital leadership guidance for contemporary cath lab standards. The document, "SCAI Expert Consensus Update on Best Practices in the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory" will be presented today at the SCAI 2021 Virtual Scientific Sessions
8h
Spring forest flowers likely key to bumble bee survival, Illinois study finds
For more than a decade, ecologists have been warning of a downward trend in bumble bee populations across North America, with habitat destruction a primary culprit in those losses. While efforts to preserve wild bees in the Midwest often focus on restoring native flowers to prairies, a new Illinois-based study finds evidence of a steady decline in the availability of springtime flowers in wooded l
8h
Hubble, Now 31, Snaps Stunning Photo of Volatile Star
In celebration of the 31st anniversary of the launching of NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope, astronomers aimed the renowned observatory at a brilliant “celebrity star,” one of the brightest stars seen in our galaxy, surrounded by a glowing halo of gas and dust. The price for its opulence is “living on the edge.” The giant star is waging a tug-of-war between gravity and radiation to avoid self-destru
8h
Moral enhancement explained: Can science make us better people?
Moral enhancement is the idea that technology can be used to make us more moral people. Proponents argue that we need to be better people in order to solve global problems. Ideas on how to use this ethically abound, but no solid consensus exists yet. People have been artificially enhancing themselves for a long time. Caffeine and other stimulants improve our cognitive performance and might have m
8h
Flare ups and crustal removal in northeast Japan
The crustal record is the geologist's book for studying the history of the Earth. It contains information to understand important aspects such as when the earliest crustal rocks separated from the mantle; the origin and evolution of life; the inception and development of plate tectonics, oceans, atmosphere and the magnetic field.
8h
A Central African shield amalgamation tale: Earth's next supercontinent
The Earth has a 4.6-billion-year history; since about 1.9 billion years ago, it has been punctuated by a quasi-cyclic formation and break up of supercontinents—large landmasses that comprised the majority of the Earth's continental crust. The formation and disruption of supercontinents had great impact on the environment, climate and possibly Earth's interior.
8h
3 reasons climate prompts some to not have kids
Overconsumption, overpopulation, and uncertainty about the future are top concerns of people who say climate change is affecting their decision whether or not to have children, a survey finds. Many survey respondents worried about bringing children into a world with an uncertain future . However, many also suggested children provide hope for a better and brighter tomorrow. When deciding whether t
9h
High turnover, low wages and disparities magnified during the pandemic for direct support professionals
New research from the University of Minnesota's Institute on Community Integration and the National Alliance for Direct Support Professionals provides insight on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the staff—called direct support professionals (DSPs)—who support people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). These staff assist with daily activities, employment supports and comm
9h
Policies designed to protect public health from fracking may be ineffective in practice
Frequent use of exemptions may undermine public health protections of oil and gas setback policies, according to a new study led by researchers at the research institute PSE Healthy Energy, Harvard University, and Nicholas Institute for Environmental Solutions at Duke University. The study, published April 28, 2021 in Energy Policy, is the first to assess the effectiveness of distance-based setbac
9h
Tidig MR-undersökning hittade fler med brustet hjärta
Hos närmare en av tio som får hjärtinfarkt hittas ingen uppenbar orsak i kranskärlen. En del av patienterna får brustet hjärta-diagnosen takotsubo, medan andra förblir odiagnostiserade. Tidig magnetkameraundersökning av hjärtat kan ge fler en diagnos, enligt en studie från Karolinska institutet. Hjärtinfarkt är en av de vanligaste folksjukdomarna i västvärlden och beror oftast på att en blodpropp
10h
On the perils of scientific collaboration from thousands of miles away
Collaborations can be fraught. Ask David Ocjius. Ocjius, an emeritus professor of molecular and cell biology at the University of California, Merced, and a department chair at the University of the Pacific, is up to four retractions, five corrections and an expression of concern in papers he wrote with collaborators in China and elsewhere. Ocjius … Continue reading
11h
Scientists' discovery of blood clotting mechanism could lead to new antithrombotic drugs
Scientists have identified the specific structural element of von Willebrand Factor that allows it to bind with platelets and initiate blood clotting. The team says that the specific unit, which they call the discontinuous autoinhibitory module, or AIM, is a prime site for new drug development. The work is described in an article published last week in Nature Communications, "Activation of von Wil
12h
Initiation and amplification of SnRK2 activation in abscisic acid signaling
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22812-x SnRK2 kinase activity is rapidly activated in response to ABA. Here the authors show that initial activation of SnRK2s is achieved by B2 and B3 RAF kinase-mediated phosphorylation of the activation loop and that transphosphorylation between SnRK2s then amplifies the response.
12h
Recurrent deletions in clonal hematopoiesis are driven by microhomology-mediated end joining
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22803-y The mutational mechanisms that produce insertions and deletions that lead to clonal hematopoiesis are poorly understood. Here the authors show evidence that frequent deletions that are relevant to myeloid malignancies could be produced by PARP1-dependent microhomology-mediated end joining.
12h
Nanoscale electric-field imaging based on a quantum sensor and its charge-state control under ambient condition
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22709-9 Previous work has demonstrated electric-field detection with nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond; however, nanoscale electric-field imaging has not been shown. Here, the authors use individual nitrogen-vacancy centers to map out electric field contours from a tip of an atomic force microscope with 10 nm resolut
12h
Chromosome-scale assembly and analysis of biomass crop Miscanthus lutarioriparius genome
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22738-4 The genus Miscanthus has great potential for bio-energy production due to its high biomass yield and strong stress resistance. Here, the authors report the genome assembly of the diploid M. lutarioriparius, showing it has an allotetraploid origin and an expanded number of genes in families related to stress res
12h
IP6-assisted CSN-COP1 competition regulates a CRL4-ETV5 proteolytic checkpoint to safeguard glucose-induced insulin secretion
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22941-3 Mediators of insulin signalling are targets of cullin-RING ubiquitin ligases (CRL) that mediate protein degradation, but the role of protein degradation in insulin signalling is incompletely understood. Here, the authors identified a glucose-responsive CRL4-COP1-ETV5 proteolytic axis that promotes insulin secre
12h
Reductive evolution and unique predatory mode in the CPR bacterium Vampirococcus lugosii
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22762-4 The Candidate Phyla Radiation (CPR) constitutes a large group of bacterial lineages with small cell sizes and limited biosynthetic capabilities. Here, Moreira et al. study the biology and genome of Vampirococcus lugosii, an epibiotic parasite of other bacteria, supporting parasitism as a common lifestyle of CPR
12h
3D-printed self-healing hydrogels via Digital Light Processing
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22802-z Self-healing hydrogels can mimic the damage repair behaviour of living tissues, but such hydrogels have only been processed via extrusion-based additive manufacturing technology. Here, the authors demonstrate a rapidly self-healing hydrogel which can be processed by DLP printing.
12h
The long non-coding RNA MIR31HG regulates the senescence associated secretory phenotype
Nature Communications, Published online: 28 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22746-4 Senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) involves secretion of factors such as pro-inflammatory cytokines. Here the authors show that MIR31HG regulates the expression and secretion of a subset of SASP components that induce paracrine invasion, through interaction with YBX1 and induction of IL1A translat
12h
Do you people think we will see more rapid changes from 2020 – 2030 than 2000 – 2020 ? What are the changes you are looking for ?
I have read a lot about singularity, exponential growth etc. long back. For people old enough to remember 2000 seems like a completely different world, especially if you are coming from a developing world. Although i am confident of technological development happening fast i am not so sure about other societal changes. Counter intuitively does anyone feel that oligopolies like FAANG or IP protect
12h
Kartan visar Bretagne – för 4 000 år sedan
Gravhällen från Saint-Bélec i yttersta delen av Bretagne-halvön hittades redan 1900 och ristningar på den tolkades tidigt som en karta. Men vad den föreställer har forskare inte lyckats lista ut förrän nu, med hjälp av avancerade bildanalyser. Ristningen avbildar ett 2×3 mil, eller 60 000 hektar, stort område i omgivningarna. En slående struktur på gravhällen är en långsmal triangulär fördjupning,
14h
Corona up your NOse
"Prior going to the grocery store, after the grocery store, you'd spray it in your nose, for instance, or you go to day care or someone coughs on you," – Dr Chris Miller, co-founder of SaNOtize.
15h
Treating neurological symptoms of CHARGE syndrome
CHARGE syndrome is a rare genetic disorder affecting about 1 in 10,000 newborns. It can lead to neurological and behavioural disorders for which no treatment is currently available. Dr. Kessen Patten and his team, from the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) have just discovered a compound that could alleviate these symptoms. The results of their research were published in the jo
17h
Can genetics predict bothersome hot flashes?
Hot flashes are a hallmark of the menopause transition. Yet, they don't strike with the same frequency or severity for all women. A new study suggests that some of the same genetic factors that affect a woman's reproductive life cycle may also help predict her likelihood of having bothersome hot flashes. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menop
17h
[Academic] CHANCE TO WIN £20 AMAZON VOUCHER: Ready, Steady, Go! Behavioural Judgement Task
Complete a 10min task and be in with a chance to win £20 Amazon Voucher. We are a research team in Psychology at Royal Holloway, University of London. We are carrying out a study on the effects of exposure to visual stimuli on perception. You will be asked to concentrate on a short video and then complete a short task. PLEASE NOTE : You must be 18+ to take part. We are testing healthy participant
22h
Discrimination in Women's Health: Medical Gender Bias
Hello everyone! I am studying further into the topic of health for women and gender bias' impacts. I am conducting an interview/survey to get further insight. Participants must be female, 18-35, and living in the Southern region of the U.S. If you choose to participate, your voice will be heard and can greatly contribute to addressing this issue in women's health. Thank you in advance. Please com
22h
Research Study: The REACT Study (Boston, MA)
Hi everyone! My name is Meghan and I am a researcher at Mass General. I'm writing to share some information about a study in my unit that's currently recruiting. If you or someone you know are interested, please feel free to share this info and/or PM me. Thank you. REACT is a 12-week study for females ages 14- 35 who have missed their period in the past 6 months because of exercise activity or re
22h
Digital advisory services for smallholder families in Africa and Asia
Smallholders produce two thirds of all food worldwide. Yet the majority of these approximately 500 million farmers lives in poverty. Their production is susceptible to the impacts of climate change. At the same time, they have poor access to information on agricultural practices that could help them increase production, conserve resources, and sustain their livelihoods.
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This Outrageously Affordable VR Gear Makes Virtual Sex a Reality for Everyone
Since the earliest days of virtual reality, it was always assumed that virtual sex would someday be a reality. While it used to be confined to the world of science fiction, advancements in VR technology are quickly making VR sex a real-world fact. Today, there’s a near limitless supply of adult virtual reality videos avaible to consumers. And thanks to the outrageously affordable KIIROO’s Titan V
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Do senior faculty publish as much as their younger colleagues?
An Academic Analytics Research Center (AARC) study published in the journal Scientometrics found that senior faculty (scholars who earned their terminal degree 30 or more years ago) research publication activity exceeded expectations based on age cohort population for book chapters and book publications, and senior scholars largely kept pace in terms of journal article publications. "Across all di
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4 hep C drugs make remdesivir 10x better at fighting coronavirus
Four drugs used to treat hepatitis C render remdesivir 10 times better at inhibiting the coronavirus in cell cultures, according to a new study. Remdesivir is currently the only antiviral drug approved in the US for treating COVID-19 patients. The results, published in Cell Reports , indicate that a mixture containing remdesivir and a repurposed hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug could potentially func
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Blue Origin Challenges NASA Selection of SpaceX for Lunar Lander
Earlier this month, NASA announced that it had chosen SpaceX’s Starship as the human landing system (HLS) for the upcoming Artemis program. In a few years, astronauts could return to the moon for the first time in decades, and they’ll be stepping off a SpaceX vessel when they do it…unless Blue Origin gets its way. The private spaceflight firm founded by Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos has filed a c
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