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.

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.

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...

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 –...

Even resilient common species are not immune to environmental crisis

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...

Scientists discover how proteins form crystals that tile a microbe's shell

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.

Even with early treatment, HIV still attacks young brains

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...

Paper-based test could diagnose Lyme disease at early stages

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

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

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.

Australian desalination plant attracts fish

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...