297 articles from WEDNESDAY 26.8.2020
Artificial pancreas effectively controls type 1 diabetes in children age 6 and up
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 23:56
A clinical trial at four pediatric diabetes centers in the United States has found that a new artificial pancreas system -- which automatically monitors and regulates blood glucose levels -- is safe and effective at managing blood glucose levels in children as young as age six with type 1 diabetes.
Water efficiency achievable throughout U.S. without decrease in economic activity
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 23:56
Researchers have looked at how much water conservation can readily and affordably be achieved in each region and industry by looking at what conservation measures were already working and considering how much water is being used.
Progress toward a treatment for Krabbe disease
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 23:56
The inherited disease, which typically kills children before their second birthday, has no cure, but a new study in a canine model offers hope for an effective gene therapy with lasting results.
Thermodynamics of computation: A quest to find the cost of running a Turing machine
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 23:56
Turing machines are widely believed to be universal, in the sense that any computation done by any system can also be done by a Turing machine. In a new article, researchers present their work exploring the energetic costs of computation within the context of Turing machines.
Damage from whopper hurricanes rising for many reasons
A destructive storm is rising from warm waters. America and the world are getting more frequent and bigger multibillion dollar tropical catastrophes like Hurricane Laura, which is menacing the U.S. Gulf Coast, because of a combination of increased coastal development, natural climate cycles, reductions in air pollution and man-made climate change, experts say. It's a mess at least partially of...
Rigid social distancing rules for COVID-19 based on outdated science, say experts
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:50
Rules which stipulate a single specific physical distance (1 or 2 metres) between individuals to reduce the spread of covid-19 are based on outdated science and experiences of past viruses, say researchers in a new article.
Interventions stem antibiotic prescribing rates in telemedicine
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:50
Two different interventions both worked to significantly reduce the rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions made by physicians in a telemedicine practice, a new study shows. The finding could offer a new way to stem the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, particularly as telemedicine grows due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Placenta can indicate how body responds to opioids during pregnancy
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:50
Scientists have discovered possible biological markers that they hope could one day help identify the presence of an opioid use disorder during human pregnancy.
What is cerebral venous thrombosis? Study finds blood clot condition on the rise
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:13
Cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in one of the veins in the brain, preventing blood from draining out of the brain. A new analysis has found that the incidence of CVT in the United States is higher than previously reported and has increased over time.
U.S. political parties become extremist to get more votes
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:13
New mathematical modeling shows that U.S. political parties are becoming increasingly polarized due to their quest for voters -- not because voters themselves are becoming more extremist.
Neutralizing antibodies appear to protect humans from coronavirus infection
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 22:13
A Seattle fishing vessel that departed port in May returned 18 days later with an unusual haul: the first human evidence that neutralizing antibodies provide protection from reinfection by SARS-CoV-2.
Fires 'poisoning air' in Amazon: study
Rampant fires in the Amazon are "poisoning the air" of the world's biggest rainforest, causing a sharp rise in respiratory emergencies in a region already hit hard by COVID-19, said a study published Wednesday.
How low did it go? Scientists calculate Earth's Ice Age temperatures
Guided by ocean plankton fossils and climate models, scientists have calculated just how cold it got on Earth during the depths of the last Ice Age, when immense ice sheets covered large parts of North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The average global temperature during the period known as the Last Glacial Maximum from roughly 23,000 to 19,000 years ago was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit...
Native desert bighorn sheep in ecologically intact areas are less vulnerable to climate change
In the American Southwest, native desert bighorn sheep populations found in landscapes with minimal human disturbance, including several national parks, are less likely to be vulnerable to climate change, according to a new study led by Oregon State University.
New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:27
When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, tidal forces tear it apart, producing a bright flare of radiation as material from the star falls into the black hole. Astronomers study the light from these 'tidal disruption events' (TDEs) for clues to the feeding behavior of the supermassive black holes lurking at the centers of galaxies, and new observations help resolve crucial...
Study rules out dark matter destruction as origin of extra radiation in galaxy center
The detection more than a decade ago by the Fermi Gamma Ray Space Telescope of an excess of high-energy radiation in the center of the Milky Way convinced some physicists that they were seeing evidence of the annihilation of dark matter particles, but a team led by researchers at the University of California, Irvine has ruled out that interpretation.
Meteorite strikes may create unexpected form of silica
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:13
New research examining the crystal structure of the silica mineral quartz under shock compression is challenging longstanding assumptions about this ubiquitous material.
Researchers unravel two mysteries of COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:13
In one study, researchers have identified six molecules that can be used as biomarkers to predict how severely ill a patient will become. In another study, they reveal a new mechanism causing blood clots in COVID-19 patients and potential ways to treat them.
Study rules out dark matter destruction as origin of extra radiation in galaxy center
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:13
Through an analysis of the Fermi data and an exhaustive series of modeling exercises, researchers were able to determine that an observed excess of gamma rays could not have been produced by what are called weakly interacting massive particles, most popularly theorized as the stuff of dark matter.
Tethering together type 2 diabetes drugs increases efficacy of combination therapy
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:13
Biomedical engineers have shown that the effectiveness of a two-pronged type 2 diabetes treatment increases when the drugs are linked by a heat-sensitive tether rather than concurrently administered. The combination molecule forms a gel-like depot under the skin that slowly releases the drug. These findings suggest that this approach to combination drug design could be applied to disease therapies...
Native desert bighorn sheep in ecologically intact areas are less vulnerable to climate change
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 21:12
In the American Southwest, native desert bighorn sheep populations found in landscapes with minimal human disturbance, including several national parks, are less likely to be vulnerable to climate change.
18 whales die in Mauritius stranding
Eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius on Wednesday, the country's fisheries minister said, dismissing any link to a devastating oil spill earlier this month.
Fighting mosquito-borne diseases... with mosquitoes
For decades, researchers have scratched their heads over how to combat deadly mosquito-borne diseases such as dengue fever.
Laura strengthens into 'extremely dangerous' Category 4
Laura strengthened Wednesday into a menacing Category 4 hurricane, raising fears of a 20-foot storm surge that forecasters said would be "unsurvivable" and capable of sinking entire communities. Authorities implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to evacuate and worried that not enough had fled.
Testing traps to control lovely but destructive lionfish
The quest is on for a better way to kill beautiful but brutally destructive lionfish than shooting them one by one with spearguns.
New Nitrogen-Assembly Carbon catalyst has potential to transform chemical manufacturing
Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory have discovered a metal-free carbon-based catalyst that has the potential to be much less expensive and more efficient for many industrial concerns, including manufacturing of bio- and fossil fuels, electrocatalysis, and fuel cells.
Study of Asia's hillstream loaches reveals keys to fish family's land-walking abilities
In a study published in the Journal of Morphology, a team of researchers from New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), Florida Museum of Natural History, Louisiana State University and Thailand's Maejo University have successfully pieced together the ancestral relationships that make up the family tree of hillstream loaches (Balitoridae), detailing for the first time a range of unusual pelvic...
Why hurricanes hardly ever hit Europe
Hurricane season can be a frightening time for people near the East Coast of the US, but Europe rarely ever sees full-on hurricanes reach its...
Testing traps to control lovely but destructive lionfish
The quest is on for a better way to kill beautiful but brutally destructive lionfish than shooting them one by one with spearguns. One is a lobster trap with an entry too skinny for legal lobsters. “We don’t think we’ll ever eliminate them but if we can get them under control maybe we can get our ecosystem back,” said Thomas R. Matthews, research administrator for Florida’s Fish and...
Transplanted brown-fat-like cells hold promise for obesity and diabetes
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
A potential therapy for obesity would transplant HUMBLE (human brown-like) fat cells, human white fat cells that have been genetically modified using CRISPR to become similar to heat-generating brown fat cells.
Overlooked 'housekeeping' gene plays unexpected role in seizures
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
Molecules known as tRNAs are often overlooked in studies of disease processes. Researchers have found that a mutation in a tRNA gene called n-Tr20 -- expressed only in the brain -- can disrupt the landscape of entire cells, leading to chain reactions that alter brain function and behavior.
Mount Everest summit success rates double, death rate stays the same over last 30 years
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
A new study finds that the success rate of summiting Mount Everest has doubled in the last three decades, even though the number of climbers has greatly increased, crowding the narrow route through the dangerous 'death zone' near the summit. However, the death rate for climbers has hovered unchanged at around 1% since 1990.
How cold was the ice age? Researchers now know
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
Scientists have nailed down the temperature of the last ice age -- the Last Glacial Maximum of 20,000 years ago - to about 46 degrees Fahrenheit.
Antarctic ice shelves vulnerable to sudden meltwater-driven fracturing, says study
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
A new study says that many of the ice shelves ringing Antarctica could be vulnerable to quick destruction if rising temperatures drive melt water into the numerous fractures that currently penetrate their surfaces. The shelves help slow interior glaciers' slide toward the ocean, so if they were to fail, sea levels around the world could surge rapidly as a result.
Additional data on blood thinner efficacy for COVID-19 and insight on best possible regimens
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:14
Early in the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers found that anticoagulation therapy was associated with improved survival among hospitalized COVID-19 patients. But many questions remained -- about the size of the potential benefit, and about what dosage of this therapy might be more effective. New research suggests some possible answers.
Key immune system protein discovered in plants
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:13
A new study has discovered the key calcium channel responsible for closing plant pores as an immune response to pathogen exposure. The findings are a major step toward understanding the defense mechanisms plants use to resist infection, which could eventually lead to healthier, more resistant and more productive crops.
Cosmic rays could pose a problem for future quantum computers
Quantum computing has the potential to handle complex problems at hyper-fast speeds. What makes this possible is the way it exploits qubits—typically subatomic particles such as electrons—that use quantum properties to represent numerous combinations beyond the 0 or 1 of conventional bits. When pairs of qubits are “entangled,” they can change each other’s state...
New neural network differentiates Middle and Late Stone Age toolkits
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:09
The change from Middle Stone Age (MSA) to Later Stone Age (LSA) marks a major cultural change amongst our hunter-gatherer ancestors, but distinguishing between these two industrial complexes is not straightforward. New researc demonstrates how machine learning can provide a valuable tool for archaeologists, and can identify what differentiates the MSA and LSA.
Don't forget to clean robotic support pets, study says
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:09
Robotic support pets used to reduce depression in older adults and people with dementia acquire bacteria over time, but a simple cleaning procedure can help them from spreading illnesses, according to a new study.
Why flat-faced dogs remain popular despite health problems
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:09
Owners of bulldogs, French bulldogs and pugs are highly likely to want to own their breed again in the future, and to recommend their breed to other owners, according to a new study. The development of breed loyalty toward these so-called brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs may lead to their continued proliferation and popularity, despite their substantial health risks.
New insights into mechanism of therapy to reduce liver fat and prevent fibrosis
- ScienceDaily
- 20/8/26 20:09
Researchers have taken an important step forward in the goal of developing a potential treatment for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.
Catching genes from chlamydiae allowed complex life to live without oxygen
An international team of researchers has discovered a new group of Chlamydiae—Anoxychlamydiales—living under the ocean floor without oxygen. These Chlamydiae have genes that allow them to survive without oxygen while making hydrogen gas. The researchers found that our single-cell ancestors 'caught' these hydrogen-producing genes from ancient Chlamydiae up to two-billion years ago—an event...
Mount Everest summit success rates double, death rate stays the same over last 30 years
As the world's tallest peak, Mount Everest draws more than 500 climbers each spring to attempt the summit during a small window of favorable conditions on the rugged Himalayan mountain that tops out at just over 29,000 feet.
Why flat-faced dogs remain popular despite health problems
Owners of bulldogs, French bulldogs and pugs are highly likely to want to own their breed again in the future, and to recommend their breed to other owners, according to a study published August 26, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Rowena Packer of the Royal Veterinary College, UK, and colleagues. The development of breed loyalty toward these so-called brachycephalic (flat-faced) dogs...
Difficult, complex decisions underpin the future of the world's coral reefs
Effective solutions to the climate challenge threatening the world's coral reefs require complex decisions about risk and uncertainty, timing, quality versus quantity as well as which species to support for the most robust and productive future, according to a science paper released today.