281 articles from THURSDAY 2.7.2020
Marijuana use while pregnant boosts risk of children's sleep problems
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 21:37
As many as 7% of moms-to-be use marijuana while pregnant, and that number is rising fast as more use it to quell morning sickness. But new research suggests such use could have a lasting impact on the fetal brain, influencing children's sleep for as much as a decade.
Why are the offspring of older mothers less fit to live long and prosper?
The offspring of older mothers don't fare as well as those of younger mothers, in humans and many other species. They aren't as healthy, or they don't live as long, or they have fewer offspring themselves. A longstanding puzzle is why evolution would maintain this maternal effect in so many species, since these late-born offspring are less fit to survive and reproduce.
US says leaking nuclear waste dome is safe; Marshall Islands leaders don't believe it
In response to a directive from Congress, the Department of Energy released a report this week assessing the risks of a 50-year-old cracking and crumbling concrete nuclear waste repository in the Marshall Islands, but the findings did little to ease the concerns of Marshallese leaders in the Central Pacific.
Research reflects how AI sees through the looking glass
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 21:24
Intrigued by how reflection changes images in subtle and not-so-subtle ways, a team of researchers used artificial intelligence to investigate what sets originals apart from their reflections. Their algorithms learned to pick up on unexpected clues such as hair parts, gaze direction and, surprisingly, beards - findings with implications for training machine learning models and detecting faked...
Carbon-loving materials designed to reduce industrial emissions
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
Researchers are advancing gas membrane materials to expand practical technology options for reducing industrial carbon emissions.
New technique in which drugs make bacteria glow could help fight antibiotic resistance
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
A new technique could help reduce antibiotic prescribing by predicting which drugs could be effective in fighting bacteria within minutes.
Patients may be exposed to hormone-disrupting chemicals in medication, medical supplies
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
Health care providers may unintentionally expose patients to endocrine- disrupting chemicals (EDCs) by prescribing certain medications and using medical supplies, according to a new perspective.
Scientists reveal why tummy bugs are so good at swimming through your gut
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
Researchers have solved the mystery of why a species of bacteria that causes food poisoning can swim faster in stickier liquids, such as within guts.
Rising water temperatures could endanger the mating of many fish species
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
In a new meta-study, experts have published ground-breaking findings on the effects of climate change for fish stock around the globe.
How the body fights off urinary tract infections
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:47
Some people are better protected than others against urinary tract infections. This may be because their bodies produce more of a protein called uromodulin. An interdisciplinary research team has now found out exactly how this helper protein brings relief when nature calls and how this knowledge might benefit the treatment and prevention of these painful inflammations.
Why are the offspring of older mothers less fit to live long and prosper?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
In a new study in rotifers (microscopic invertebrates), scientists tested the evolutionary fitness of older-mother offspring in several real and simulated environments, including laboratory culture, under threat of predation in the wild, or with reduced food supply. They confirmed that this effect of older maternal age, called maternal effect senescence, does reduce evolutionary fitness of the...
Sniffing out smell: How the brain organizes information about odors
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
Neuroscientists describe for the first time how relationships between different odors are encoded in the brain. The findings suggest a mechanism that may explain why individuals have common but highly personalized experiences with smell, and inform efforts better understand how the brain transforms information about odor chemistry into the perception of smell.
New light-based method for faster and 'green' production of building blocks for medicines
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
Researchers have developed a new method to convert gaseous, low-weight hydrocarbons into more complex molecules by illuminating the hydrocarbons with light in the presence of a suitable catalyst.
Grassroots dog vaccinations can help stop rabies, but not alone
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
While scientists are trying to find a vaccine for COVID-19, the rabies virus continues to kill 59,000 people every year. But unlike COVID, a vaccine has existed for more than a century. Vaccinating dogs can stop the spread to humans, but systemic challenges make that easier said that done. In a new study, scientists where grassroots campaigns to stop rabies work -- and where they need to be...
Anaplasmosis bacterium tinkers with tick's gene expression to spread to new hosts
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host.
New method measures temperature within 3D objects
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:41
Engineers have made it possible to remotely determine the temperature beneath the surface of certain materials using a new technique they call depth thermography. The method may be useful in applications where traditional temperature probes won't work, like monitoring semiconductor performance or next-generation nuclear reactors.
Moss protein corrects genetic defects of other plants
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:40
Almost all land plants employ an army of molecular editors who correct errors in their genetic information. Researchers have now transferred one of these proofreaders from the moss Physcomitrium patens (previously known as Physcomitrella patens) into a flowering plant. Surprisingly, it performs its work there as reliably as in the moss itself.
Early marriage may lead to unsafe drinking behavior by those with higher genetic risk
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:40
Getting married early in life may increase the risk of problematic drinking behavior among people who are genetically predisposed to drink more.
Newer variant of COVID-19-causing virus dominates global infections
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:40
New research shows that a specific change in the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus virus genome, previously associated with increased viral transmission and the spread of COVID-19, is more infectious in cell culture.
Tiny mineral particles are better vehicles for promising gene therapy
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:40
Researchers have developed a safer and more efficient way to deliver a promising new method for treating cancer and liver disorders and for vaccination.
Crystal structure discovered almost 200 years ago could hold key to solar cell revolution
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/2 20:40
Solar energy researchers are shining their scientific spotlight on materials with a crystal structure discovered nearly two centuries ago.
New light-based method for faster 'green' production of building blocks for medicines
In industry, gaseous hydrocarbons such as ethane and methane are frequently changed into molecules that can act as building blocks for pharmaceuticals and agrochemicals. Typically, these processes take place at high temperatures and pressures, and can also produce large amounts of pollutants. Researchers at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) have developed a new method for the immediate...
Rising water temperatures could endanger the mating of many fish species
In a new meta-study, experts from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research (AWI) have published groundbreaking findings on the effects of climate change for fish stocks around the globe. As they report, the risks for fish are much higher than previously assumed, especially given that in certain developmental stages, they are especially sensitive to rising water...
Anaplasmosis bacterium tinkers with tick's gene expression to spread to new hosts
For the first time, scientists have shown that the bacterium that causes the tick-borne disease anaplasmosis interferes with tick gene expression for its survival inside cells and to spread to a new vertebrate host. Girish Neelakanta of Old Dominion University and colleagues report these findings in a study published July 2nd in PLOS Genetics.
Crystal structure discovered almost 200 years ago could hold key to solar cell revolution
Solar energy researchers at Oregon State University are shining their scientific spotlight on materials with a crystal structure discovered nearly two centuries ago.