132 articles from MONDAY 9.9.2019

How we make decisions depends on how uncertain we are

A new study on how we use reward information for making choices shows how humans and monkeys adopt their decision-making strategies depending on the uncertainty of information present. The findings challenge one of the most fundamental assumptions in economics, neuroeconomics and choice theory that decision-makers typically evaluate risky options in a multiplicative way when in fact this only...

Acute periodontal disease bacteria love colon and dirt microbes

Mythbuster: The idea that bacterial collaborations within microbiomes, like in the mouth, have evolved to be generous and exclusive very much appears to be wrong. In an extensive experiment, lavish collaborations ensued between random microbes. And some bacteria from the same microbiome were stingy with one another.

The diet-microbiome connection in inflammatory bowel disease

A change in diet is a go-to strategy for treating inflammatory bowel diseases like Crohn's. In dogs with a similar illness, researchers tracked specific changes in the microbiome as the pets went into remission. The team's findings, which mirror what is seen in children with Crohn's, could inform the design of improved therapeutic diets.

Fermilab achieves world-record field strength for accelerator magnet

To build the next generation of powerful proton accelerators, scientists need the strongest magnets possible to steer particles close to the speed of light around a ring. For a given ring size, the higher the beam's energy, the stronger the accelerator's magnets need to be to keep the beam on course.

NASA estimates Hurricane Dorian's massive rainfall track

On Monday morning, September 9, Hurricane Dorian was a post-tropical storm after a mid-latitude weather front and cold seas had altered its tropical characteristics over the weekend. NASA compiled data on Hurricane Dorian and created a map that showed the heavy rainfall totals it left in its wake from the Bahamas to Canada.

Birds string together meaningless sounds to make 'words'

A new study sheds light on whether animal vocalizations, like human words, are constructed from smaller building blocks. By analyzing calls of the Australian chestnut-crowned babbler, the researchers have for the first time identified the meaning-generating building blocks of a non-human communication system.

'Superblocks' model could prevent almost 700 premature deaths every year in Barcelona

The city of Barcelona could prevent 667 premature deaths every year by implementing the proposed "Superblocks" project in its entirety. This result would be achieved mainly as a result of decreased air pollution (NO2), but reductions in traffic noise and mitigation of heat island effects would also be contributing factors. These were some of the conclusions of a recent study published in...

Good at math? It means little if you're not confident

Being good at math relates to better financial and medical outcomes -- unless you don't have confidence in your own abilities with numbers, new research suggests. In two studies, researchers found that the key to success in personal finances and dealing with a complex disease was a match between a person's math abilities and how comfortable and assured he or she felt using those skills.

To reduce pollution, policymakers should broaden focus beyond smokestacks

Emissions from air pollutants are associated with premature mortality. Between 2008 and 2014, air pollution health damage from fine particulate matter exposure fell by 20 percent in the United States. There are four sectors in the U.S. economy that together are responsible for over 75 percent of air pollution damage but contribute less than 20 percent to national GDP: agriculture, utilities,...

Building blocks of bird babble identified

A new study by an international team headed by the University of Zurich sheds light on whether animal vocalizations, like human words, are constructed from smaller building blocks. By analyzing calls of the Australian chestnut-crowned babbler, the researchers have for the first time identified the meaning-generating building blocks of a non-human communication system.

Employee contract structures in startups can be determining factors of success

Conventional wisdom in the startup community is that with the right incentives, the venture can meet and exceed expectations, and a major component of this is how you structure your contracts for founders and early employees. New research has found that when it comes to those contracts, it may be less about incentive, and more about identifying the right people to incentivize.

World-record field strength for accelerator magnet

Scientists have announced that they achieved the highest magnetic field strength ever recorded for an accelerator steering magnet, setting a world record of 14.1 teslas, with the magnet cooled to 4.5 kelvins or minus 450 degrees Fahrenheit. The previous record of 13.8 teslas, achieved at the same temperature, was held for 11 years.

New models suggest Titan lakes are explosion craters

Using radar data from NASA's Cassini spacecraft, recently published research presents a new scenario to explain why some methane-filled lakes on Saturn's moon Titan are surrounded by steep rims that reach hundreds of feet high. The models suggests that explosions of warming nitrogen created basins in the moon's crust.

Ages of the Navajo Sandstone

The real Jurassic Park was as an ancient landscape home to a vast desert covered mostly in sand dunes as far as the eye could see, where dinosaurs and small mammals roamed southern Utah. The Navajo Sandstone is known for its beautiful red and tan crossbedded sandstones that grace many of the national parks and monuments in the southwest USA—for example Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, and Zion...

Watching music move through the brain

Scientists have observed how the human brain represents a familiar piece of music, according to research published in JNeurosci. Their results suggest that listening and remembering music involve different cognitive processes.

Ages of the Navajo Sandstone

The Navajo Sandstone is known for its beautiful red and tan crossbedded sandstones that grace many of the national parks and monuments in the southwest USA. The sands were deposited in dunes within the largest known sand sea (erg) in Earth's history during the Early Jurassic. These deposits show a record of desertification -- the process by which fertile lands become desert. How did this landscape...

Repetitive impacts key to understanding sports-associated concussions

Scientists have made a significant advance in our understanding of mild head trauma (concussive brain injury) and how it may be managed and treated in the future. It seems that repetitive impacts -- as opposed to single events -- cause the all-important damage to blood vessels in the brain. These repetitive impacts can be visualized via an MRI signal.

Eye on Neptune

Video Length: 3:15Neptune will be at opposition in September, providing sky watchers and astronomers the opportunity to observe this planet that is invisible to the naked eye, but that scientists would love to see more clearly. Read this story Video Links: Eye on Neptune -...