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45 articles from ScienceDaily

Ancient reptile had mammal-like tooth enamel

A new study by paleontologists shows that one type of ancient reptiles evolved a special type of tooth enamel, similar to that of mammals, with high resistance to wear and tear. The study is the first to report this kind of enamel in a fossil reptile.

Silver nanocubes make point-of-care diagnostics easier to read

Engineers have shown that nanosized silver cubes can make diagnostic tests that rely on fluorescence easier to read by making them more than 150 times brighter. Combined with an emerging point-of-care diagnostic platform already shown to be able to detect small traces of viruses and other biomarkers, the approach could allow such tests to become much cheaper and more widespread.

Powerful new AI technique detects and classifies galaxies in astronomy image data

Researchers have developed a powerful new computer program called Morpheus that can analyze astronomical image data pixel by pixel to identify and classify all of the galaxies and stars in large data sets from astronomy surveys. Morpheus is a deep-learning framework that incorporates a variety of artificial intelligence technologies developed for applications such as image and speech recognition.

New software supports decision-making for breeding

Researchers have developed an innovative software program for the simulation of breeding programs. The ''Modular Breeding Program Simulator'' (MoBPS) enables the simulation of complex breeding programs in animal and plant breeding and is designed to assist breeders in their everyday decisions. In addition to economic criteria in breeding, the research team strives for goals such as sustainability,...

How memory function could be preserved after brain injury

A new study examining the effect of the immune receptor known as Toll-like Receptor 4, or TLR4, on how memory functions in both the normal and injured brain has found vastly different cellular pathways contribute to the receptor's effects on excitability in the uninjured and injured brain. Further, the researchers found novel mechanisms for how TLR4 regulates memory function in the normal,...

Little skates could hold the key to cartilage therapy in humans

Unlike humans and other mammals, the skeletons of sharks, skates, and rays are made entirely of cartilage and they continue to grow that cartilage throughout adulthood. New research finds that adult skates go one step further than cartilage growth: They can also spontaneously repair injured cartilage. This is the first known example of adult cartilage repair in a research organism. The team also...

What we can't see can help us find things

Anyone who's ever tried to find something in a hurry knows how helpful it is to think about the lost item's color, size and shape. But surprisingly, traits of an object that you can't see also come into play during a search, researchers found.