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36 articles from ScienceDaily

Stress testing 'coral in a box'

Coral death is impacting oceans worldwide as a consequence of climate change. The concern is that corals cannot keep pace with the rate of ocean warming. In particular, because a temperature increase of only one degree Celsius can make the difference between healthy and dying coral reefs. Some corals, however, are more resistant to increasing temperatures. In order to effectively protect coral...

'Bystander Effect' not exclusive to humans

A rat is less likely to help a trapped companion if it is with other rats that aren't helping, according to new research that showed the social psychological theory of the ''bystander effect'' in humans is present in these long-tailed rodents.

COVID-19 brain complications found across the globe

Cases of brain complications linked to COVID-19 are occurring across the globe, a new review has shown. The research found that strokes, delirium and other neurological complications are reported from most countries where there have been large outbreaks of the disease.

Physicists use oscillations of atoms to control a phase transition

The goal of ''Femtochemistry'' is to film and control chemical reactions with short flashes of light. Using consecutive laser pulses, atomic bonds can be excited precisely and broken as desired. So far, this has been demonstrated for selected molecules. Researchers have now succeeded in transferring this principle to a solid, controlling its crystal structure on the surface.

The best (and worst) materials for masks

It's intuitive and scientifically shown that wearing a face covering can help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But not all masks are created equal, according to new research.

How colliding neutron stars could shed light on universal mysteries

Researchers have discovered an unusual pulsar - one of deep space's magnetized spinning neutron-star 'lighthouses' that emits highly focused radio waves from its magnetic poles. It is unusual because the masses of its two neutron stars are quite different -- with one far larger than the other. The breakthrough provides clues about unsolved mysteries in astrophysics -- including the expansion rate...

New molecular tool precisely edits mitochondrial DNA

The precision editing technologies that have revolutionized DNA editing in the cell nucleus have been unable to reach the mitochondrial genome. Now, researchers have broken this barrier with a new type of molecular editor that can make precise C* G-to-T* A nucleotide changes in mitochondrial DNA. The editor, engineered from a bacterial toxin, enables modeling of disease-associated mtDNA mutations,...

Study could rewrite Earth's history

New research has found evidence to suggest that the Earth's first continents were not formed by subduction in a modern-like plate tectonics environment as previously thought, and instead may have been created by an entirely different process.

Animals who try to sound 'bigger' are good at learning sounds

Some animals fake their body size by sounding 'bigger' than they actually are. Researchers studied 164 different mammals and found that animals who lower their voice to sound bigger are often skilled vocalists. Both strategies -- sounding bigger and learning sounds -- are likely driven by sexual selection, and may play a role in explaining the origins of human speech evolution.