315 articles from MONDAY 18.5.2020
First tunable, chip-based 'vortex microlaser' and detector
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:50
To break through a looming bandwidth bottleneck, engineers are exploring some of light's harder-to-control properties. Now, two new studies have shown a system that can manipulate and detect one such property: orbital angular momentum. Critically, they are the first to do so on small semiconductor chips and with enough precision that it can be used as a medium for transmitting information.
Scientists find brain center that 'profoundly' shuts down pain
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:50
A research team has found a small area of the brain in mice that can profoundly control the animals' sense of pain. Somewhat unexpectedly, this brain center turns pain off, not on. It's located in an area where few people would have thought to look for an anti-pain center, the amygdala, which is often considered the home of negative emotions and responses, like the fight or flight response and...
Even biodiverse coral reefs still vulnerable to climate change and invasive species
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
A new study reveals clear evidence highlighting the importance of fish biodiversity to the health of spectacular tropical coral reef ecosystems. However, the study's results show that even though strong relationships between diversity and a healthy ecosystem persist, human-driven pressures of warming oceans and invasive species still diminish ecosystems in various ways.
How climate killed corals
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
A squad of climate-related factors is responsible for the massive Australian coral bleaching event of 2016. If we're counting culprits: it's two by sea, one by land.
Early visual experience drives precise alignment of cortical networks for binocular vision
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Researchers identify three distinct cortical representations that develop independent of visual experience but undergo experience-dependent reshaping, an essential part of cortical network alignment and maturation.
Emissions from road construction could be halved using today's technology
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
The construction sector accounts for a quarter of carbon dioxide emissions, in Sweden and globally. Researchers studied the construction of an eight km stretch of road and calculated how emissions could be reduced now and by 2045, looking at everything from materials choice, production technology, supply chains and transport.
Highly efficient charge-to-spin interconversion in graphene heterostructures
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Physicists described a route to design the energy-efficient generation, manipulation and detection of spin currents using nonmagnetic two-dimensional materials. The research team observed highly efficient charge-to-spin interconversion via the gate-tunable Rashba-Edelstien effect (REE) in graphene heterostructures.
South Asia faces increased threat of extreme heat, extreme pollution, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Scientists know that extreme heat has a negative impact on the human body -- causing distress in the respiratory and cardiovascular systems -- and they know that extreme air pollution can also have serious effects. But as climate change impacts continue globally, how often will humans be threatened by both of those extremes when they occur simultaneously?
Releasing molecular 'brake' kick-starts immune cell function
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
The immune system's ability to marshal specialized cells to fight off infection relies in part on tiny molecules called microRNAs, which act as a release for the 'brakes' that keep cells dormant until needed, according to a new study.
Mother roundworms have ultra-protective instincts
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Biologists have learned animals can alert future offspring of dangers they will encounter when born. In studies with roundworms and mouse cells, researchers showed how mothers pass chemical signals to their unfertilized eggs, where the warning is stored in the egg cells and passed to offspring after birth.
High five! It's possible to create proximity online
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Despite physical distance, it's possible to create proximity between family members located in different places. This is according to a study that has investigated how video calls bring family members together. The results show that proximity in video calls is established mainly by way of the body and the senses, e.g. by giving a digital high five.
A new brick in the wall: Bacterial cell wall intermediate found
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
An accumulation of an unexpected intermediate of the peptidoglycan recycling pathway that is able to modulate the synthesis and structure of the cell wall, has been found.
A new tool to map the flow of info within living cells
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Researchers created a way to study the intricacies of intercellular signaling -- when, where, and how tiny parts of cells communicate -- to make cells move. The work provides insights into the movement mechanisms in healthy cells and what these change might look like disease states, such as cancer metastasis.
COVID-19: Study reports 'staggering' death rate in U.S. among those infected who show symptoms
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
A new study finds the national U.S. rate of death among people infected with the novel coronavirus -- SARS-CoV-2 -- that causes COVID-19 and who show symptoms is 1.3 percent, the study found. The comparable rate of death for the seasonal flu is 0.1 percent.
Global study confirms influential theory behind loss aversion
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
A new global study offers a powerful confirmation of one of the most influential frameworks in all of behavioral sciences and behavioral economics: prospect theory, which when introduced in 1979 led to a sea change in understanding the irrational and paradoxical ways individuals make decisions and interpret risk. The new study in 19 countries and 13 languages replicates the original study that...
Mindfulness training shows promise for people with MS
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
New research suggests mindfulness training may help multiple sclerosis patients in two very different ways: regulating negative emotions and improving processing speed. People with MS who underwent the four-week mindfulness training not only improved more compared to those who did nothing - they also improved compared to those who tried another treatment, called adaptive cognitive training.
No evidence of an influence of dark matter on the force between nuclei
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Although most of the universe is made up of dark matter, very little is known about it. Physicists have used a high-precision experiment to look for interaction between dark matter and normal matter.
Early Bird uses 10 times less energy to train deep neural networks
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
Engineers have found a way to train deep neural networks for a fraction of the energy required today. Their Early Bird method finds key network connectivity patterns early in training, reducing the computations and carbon footprint for training deep learning.
Cancer researchers locate drivers of tumor resistance
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:49
How do tumors change their behavior and resist anticancer therapies? Cancer biologists have documented genetic signals that promote the conversion of cancer cells into those that resist therapy.
What does drought mean for endangered California salmon?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:48
Droughts threatens California's endangered salmon population -- but pools that serve as drought refuges could make the difference between life and death for these vulnerable fish.
New model gives wineries better data from existing tests
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:48
Scientists present a new model that allows winemakers to get measurements in their wine that previously required difficult, tedious, or expensive testing.
Genome study links DNA changes to the risks of specific breast cancer subtypes
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:48
An analysis of genetic studies covering 266,000 women has revealed 32 new sites on the human genome where variations in DNA appear to alter the risks of getting breast cancer.
Graphene-reinforced carbon fiber may lead to affordable, stronger car materials
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:48
A new way of creating carbon fibers -- which are typically expensive to make -- could one day lead to using these lightweight, high-strength materials to improve safety and reduce the cost of producing cars, according to a team of researchers. Using a mix of computer simulations and laboratory experiments, the team found that adding small amounts of the 2D graphene to the production process both...
Maintaining heart health may protect against cognitive decline
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/18 20:48
People with a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease have increased cognitive decline, including an increase in typical markers of Alzheimer's disease, suggesting that monitoring and controlling for heart disease may be key to maintaining and improving cognitive health later in life.
How crop and animal sensors are making farming smarter
Installing wireless sensors among crops and attaching 'smart' ear tags to livestock could help farmers produce more food with less impact on the environment.