218 articles from WEDNESDAY 18.12.2019
Grain traits traced to 'dark matter' of rice genome
Domesticated rice has fatter seed grains with higher starch content than its wild rice relatives—the result of many generations of preferential seed sorting and sowing. But even though rice was the first crop to be fully sequenced, scientists have only documented a few of the genetic changes that made rice into a staple food for more than half the world's population.
Health impact of support between African American couples when dealing with racial discrimination
Experiences of racial discrimination are a common source of stress for African Americans, and research shows discrimination can have a damaging impact on the physical and emotional health of African American individuals.
GISMO instrument maps inner Milky Way, sees cosmic 'candy cane'
A feature resembling a candy cane appears at the center of this colorful composite image of our Milky Way galaxy's central zone. But this is no cosmic confection. It spans 190 light-years and is one of a set of long, thin strands of ionized gas called filaments that emit radio waves.
New NASA-funded CubeSat poised to take Earth's temperature from space
All of a sudden, a tiny NASA-funded satellite, one of many passengers aboard the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft, shot into the sky on a mission to prove its new technology could change the way we measure Earth, and eventually, the Moon.
In Global South, urban sanitation crisis harms health, economy
Cities in the "global south"—densely populated urban areas that are part of low-income countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America—should phase out pit latrines, septic tanks and other on-site methods of human waste management.
Research provides new design principle for water-splitting catalysts
Scientists have long known that platinum is by far the best catalyst for splitting water molecules to produce hydrogen gas. A new study by Brown University researchers shows why platinum works so well—and it's not the reason that's been assumed.
New York could ban plastic foam containers statewide under Cuomo proposal
Gov. Andrew Cuomo is proposing a statewide ban on plastic foam containers, including products like coffee cups and packing peanuts.
First human ancestors to leave Africa died out in Java, scientists say
Dating of bones from Indonesia confirm Homo erectus roamed planet for 1.8m yearsThe last known resting place of Homo erectus, one of the most successful human ancestors and the first to walk fully upright, has been traced to a floodplain near the longest river on the Indonesian island of Java.A dozen partial skulls and two shinbones, discovered in a bonebed near the Solo river in the 1930s, but...
Police unfazed by app feature pinpointing speed traps
Ontario police forces aren't concerned by the fact that drivers can use navigation apps to pinpoint and broadcast their location to other...
One in five US high school students vaped marijuana in 2019, report says
Vaping nicotine is still more popular but vaping marijuana grew more quickly, according to surveyAbout one out of five high school students in the US say they vaped marijuana in the past year, and its popularity has been booming faster than nicotine vaping, according to a report released Wednesday. Related: Pelosi says Democrats have 'no choice' but to impeach Trump as formal debate begins –...
Miawpukek First Nation to study genetic links with ancient Beothuk
A DNA testing project will look for possible descendants of the ancient Indigenous people, who have long been thought to be...
Satellite launches to study planets in other solar systems
A European spacecraft launched from South America Wednesday on a three-year mission to study planets in other solar systems and determine if any are capable of sustaining...
Animal-assisted interventions positive for people's health
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
The impact of animal-assisted interventions for both patients and health services could be substantial, but more rigorous research is needed.
Even resilient common species are not immune to environmental crisis
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
Researchers have found that the effective population size and genetic diversity of Singapore's Cynopterus brachyotis, believed to remain widely unaffected by urbanization, has shrunk significantly over the last 90 years - revealing that the current biodiversity crisis may be much broader than widely assumed, affecting even species thought to be common and tolerant of fragmentation and habitat...
Submarine cables to offshore wind farms transformed into a seismic network
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
A fiber optic network in the North Sea was used to record seismicity.
Scientists discover how proteins form crystals that tile a microbe's shell
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
Many microbes wear beautifully patterned crystalline shells, which protect them from a harsh world and can even help them reel in food. Now scientists have zoomed in on the very first step in microbial shell-building: nucleation, where squiggly proteins crystallize into sturdy building blocks. What they found helps explain how the shells assemble themselves so quickly.
Newly discovered retinal structure may enhance vision for some birds
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
A newly discovered retinal structure in the eyes of certain kinds of songbirds might help the animals find and track insect prey more easily.
Even with early treatment, HIV still attacks young brains
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
The majority of children living with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa. While early antiretroviral therapy has ensured less deadly outcomes for children living with and exposed to HIV, the virus still may affect the brain, disrupting neurodevelopment. Michael Boivin, director of the Psychiatry Research Program in the MSU College of Osteopathic Medicine, has set out to understand exactly how HIV...
Preparing for extreme sea levels depends on location, time
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
Using historical data from tide gauges that line US coasts, researchers created an extreme sea level indicator that identifies how much of a role different major weather and ocean forces have played in affecting extreme sea levels in coastal areas around the country.
Paper-based test could diagnose Lyme disease at early stages
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:02
After a day hiking in the forest, the last thing a person wants to discover is a tick burrowing into their skin. Days after plucking off the bloodsucking insect, the hiker might develop a rash resembling a bull's-eye, a tell-tale sign of Lyme disease. Yet not everybody who contracts Lyme disease gets the rash. Now, researchers have devised a blood test that quickly and sensitively diagnoses the...
Artificial intelligence identifies previously unknown features associated with cancer recurrence
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:01
Artificial intelligence (AI) technology has successfully found features in pathology images from human cancer patients, without annotation, that could be understood by human doctors. Further, the AI identified features relevant to cancer prognosis that were not previously noted by pathologists, leading to a higher accuracy of prostate cancer recurrence compared to pathologist-based diagnosis.
New tool reveals DNA structures that influence disease
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:01
Disruption of certain DNA structures -- called topologically associating domains, or TADs -- is linked with the development of disease, including some cancers. With its newly created algorithm that quickly locates and helps elucidate the complex functions of TADs, an international team of researchers is making it easier to study these important structures and help prevent disease.
Forgetfulness might depend on time of day
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 15:01
Researchers have identified a gene in mice that seems to influence memory recall at different times of day and tracked how it causes mice to be more forgetful just before they normally wake up.
Australian desalination plant attracts fish
- ScienceDaily
- 19/12/18 14:58
With growing populations and climate uncertainty, water security is a global concern. Many nations operate desalination plants, which remove salt from seawater to make it drinkable. These facilities typically discharge excess salt as hypersaline brine back into the ocean, with uncertain ecological effects. Now, researchers report that a large desalination plant in Australia has the unexpected...