69 articles from MONDAY 14.10.2019

Investing in love and affection pays off for species that mate for life

The males of species that form long-lasting pair-bonds, like many birds, often continue to make elaborate displays of plumage, colors and dances after they mate with a female. While their time and energy might be better spent taking care of their offspring, these displays also encourage the female to invest more of their energy into the brood.

Renewables overtake hydrocarbons in UK electricity generation: study

Renewable sources generated more of Britain's electricity than fossil fuels for the first time last quarter, according to analysis by specialist website "Carbon Brief" published Monday. "In the third quarter of 2019, the UK's windfarms, solar panels, biomass and hydro plants generated more electricity than the combined output from power stations fired by coal, oil and gas," said the website....

Not cross bunnies: can a pet rabbit ever be happy?

A study of more than 6,000 rabbits treated by vets has found that many lead sad lives. Here’s how to make sure they stay healthy and avoid lonelinessThere are thought to be more than 1.5m pet rabbits in the UK, and a large proportion of them could be leading very sad lives. A study of more than 6,000 rabbits treated by vets found alarming health conditions such as overgrown nails and teeth,...

Unlocking the biochemical treasure chest within microbes

An international team of scientists has developed a genetic engineering tool that makes producing and analyzing microbial secondary metabolites -- the basis for many important agricultural, industrial, and medical products -- easier than ever before, and could even lead to breakthroughs in biomanufacturing.

Air pollution linked to 'missed' miscarriages in China: study

Exposure to airborne pollutants increases the risk of "missed" miscarriages in which a fetus dies without a pregnant woman experiencing any noticeable symptoms, researchers said Monday. Previous studies have shown a correlation between air pollution and pregnancy complications, but the new research -- published in Nature Sustainability journal by a team of researchers from Chinese universities --...

Lakes worldwide are experiencing more severe algal blooms

The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes. Researchers used 30 years of data from the Landsat 5 near-Earth satellite and created a partnership with Google Earth Engine to reveal long-term trends in summer algal blooms in 71 large lakes in 33 countries on six continents.

Microbleeds may worsen outcome after head injury

Using advanced imaging, researchers have uncovered new information regarding traumatic microbleeds, which appear as small, dark lesions on MRI scans after head injury but are typically too small to be detected on CT scans. The findings published in Brain suggest that traumatic microbleeds are a form of injury to brain blood vessels and may predict worse outcomes. The study was conducted in part by...

How mucus tames microbes

New research reveals that glycans -- branched sugar molecules found in mucus -- can prevent bacteria from communicating with each other and forming infectious biofilms, effectively rendering the microbes harmless.

How to control friction in topological insulators

Topological insulators are innovative materials that conduct electricity on the surface, but act as insulators on the inside. Physicists have begun investigating how they react to friction. Their experiment shows that the heat generated through friction is significantly lower than in conventional materials. This is due to a new quantum mechanism, the researchers report.

The nano-guitar string that plays itself

Scientists have created a nano-electronic circuit which vibrates without any external force. Just as a guitar string vibrates when plucked, the wire -- 100,000 times thinner than a guitar string -- vibrates when forced into motion by an oscillating voltage. The surprise came when they repeated the experiment without the forcing voltage. Under the right conditions, the wire oscillated of its own...

Dementia spreads via connected brain networks

Scientists used maps of brain connections to predict how brain atrophy would spread in individual patients with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), adding to growing evidence that the loss of brain cells associated with dementia spreads via the synaptic connections between established brain networks.

Shipment tracking for 'fat parcels' in the body

Without fat, nothing works in the body: These substances serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks -- including for the envelopes of living cells. Numerous diseases are related to disorders in the fat metabolism, such as obesity or cancer. Researchers are now demonstrating how the fat metabolism can be monitored down to the individual liver cell of a mouse with the greatest...

Evolutionary history of oaks

Oaks have a complex evolutionary history that has long eluded scientists. New research, however, provides the most detailed account to date of the evolution of oaks, recovering the 56-million-year history that has made the oaks one of the most diverse, abundant and important woody plant groups to the ecology and economy of the northern hemisphere.

Unique sticky particles formed by harnessing chaos

New research shows that unique materials with distinct properties akin to those of gecko feet - the ability to stick to just about any surface -- can be created by harnessing liquid-driven chaos to produce soft polymer microparticles with hierarchical branching on the micro- and nanoscale.

Scientists reveal mechanism of electron charge exchange in molecules

Through a new scanning transmission electron microscopy method, researchers are able to observe electron distribution between atoms and molecules and uncover clues to the origins of ferroelectricity, the capacity of certain crystals to possess spontaneous electric polarization that can be switched by the application of an electric field. The research also revealed the mechanism of charge transfer...

Study proposes greater emphasis on dangers of alcohol in overdose prevention campaigns

A new American study suggests that ingesting large quantities of alcohol often leads to the intake of other psychotropic substances such as cannabis and opioids, also pointing out that mixing alcohol with drugs amplifies the risks of severe accidents and death. Since the start of the opioid crisis sweeping across the United States, a large part of national harm-reduction campaigns have been...

Allen Institute kicks brain wave recording into overdrive with Neuropixels probe

Seattle's Allen Institute for Brain Science is sharing 70 trillion bytes' worth of data documenting electrical activity in mouse brains, collected by a new type of silicon probe that can monitor hundreds of neurons simultaneously. The Neuropixels system, developed by an international collaboration that includes the Allen Institute, could be adapted to record brain activity in human...

Shipment tracking for 'fat parcels' in the body

Without fat, nothing works in the body: Fats serve as energy suppliers and important building blocks, including for the envelopes of living cells. Numerous diseases are related to disorders in fat metabolism such as obesity and cancer. Researchers from the LIMES Institute at the University of Bonn are now demonstrating how fat metabolism can be monitored down to the individual liver cell of a...

Interstellar comet just like ones from our solar system – astronomers

Scientists tracking 2I/Borisov say some formation processes may be common between stars The first interstellar comet to be tracked by astronomers as it hurtles through the solar system is unremarkable in every way apart from where it comes from, researchers have said.Scientists reached the conclusion after observing 2I/Borisov with two of the most powerful telescopes on Earth. They decided that it...

Lakes worldwide are experiencing more severe algal blooms

The intensity of summer algal blooms has increased over the past three decades, according to a first-ever global survey of dozens of large, freshwater lakes, which was conducted by Carnegie's Jeff Ho and Anna Michalak and NASA's Nima Pahlevan and published by Nature.

Unique sticky particles formed by harnessing chaos

New research from North Carolina State University shows that unique materials with distinct properties akin to those of gecko feet—the ability to stick to just about any surface—can be created by harnessing liquid-driven chaos to produce soft polymer microparticles with hierarchical branching on the micro- and nanoscale.

2I/Borisov: Interstellar comet with a familiar look

A new comet discovered by amateur astronomer Gennady Borisov is an outcast from another star system, yet its properties are surprisingly familiar, a new study led by Jagiellonian University researchers shows. The team's findings are being published in Nature Astronomy on 14 October 2019.

Unlocking the biochemical treasure chest within microbes

Secondary metabolites—the compounds produced by microbes to mediate internal and external messaging, self-defense, and chemical warfare—are the basis for hundreds of invaluable agricultural, industrial, and medical products. And given the increasing pace of discovery of new, potentially valuable secondary metabolites, it's clear that microbes have a great deal more to offer.

Study reveals how mucus tames microbes

More than 200 square meters of our bodies—including the digestive tract, lungs, and urinary tract—are lined with mucus. In recent years, scientists have found some evidence that mucus is not just a physical barrier that traps bacteria and viruses, but it can also disarm pathogens and prevent them from causing infections.

How to control friction in topological insulators

Topological insulators are innovative materials that conduct electricity on the surface, but act as insulators on the inside. Physicists at the University of Basel and the Istanbul Technical University have begun investigating how they react to friction. Their experiment shows that the heat generated through friction is significantly lower than in conventional materials. This is due to a new...

Alphabet of 140 puzzle pieces programs origami

How can a single origami crease pattern be folded into two precisely defined target shapes? Researchers at AMOLF and Leiden University have created an "alphabet" of 140 origami "puzzle pieces" that allows them to do just that, as described today in Nature Physics. This discovery could help in the construction of origami robots and toward designing smart programmable materials.

Researchers map the evolutionary history of oaks

How oaks are related has long posed a challenge to scientists. Dr. Andrew Hipp, senior scientist at The Morton Arboretum, led an international team of 24 scientists to unravel the history of global oak diversity for the first time using DNA sequencing of 260 oak species, combined with genomic mapping and fossil data.

Converting absorbed photons by 2-oxocarboxylic acids into highly reactive singlet oxygen

Researchers at the University of Kentucky found that when aqueous solutions with pyruvic acid, a 2-oxocarboxylic acid, were exposed to light, the generated triplet excited state could efficiently convert dissolved molecular oxygen into highly singlet oxygen. This finding is expected to contribute to areas such as environmental, life, and medical sciences in the future.