Eating avocado as part of your daily diet can help improve gut health, a new study shows. Avocados are a healthy food that is high in dietary fiber and monounsaturated fat. However, it was not clear how avocados impact the microbes in the gastrointestinal system or 'gut.'

Researchers have, for the first time, used unique DNA markers to provide forensic evidence for alleged poaching cases involving the Indian rhino.

Researchers have identified a type of immune cells that acts as a major driver of breast cancer growth by preventing the accumulation of a specific protein that induces anti-tumor responses. This new knowledge could be utilized for the development of novel immunotherapeutic approaches to treat the disease.

Evapotranspiration is an important process in the water cycle because it is responsible for 15% of the atmosphere's water vapor. Without that input of water vapor, clouds could not form, and precipitation would never fall. It is the process by which water is transferred from the land to the atmosphere by evaporation from the soil and other surfaces and by transpiration from plants.

Longstanding skepticism among Texans toward the climate movement has shifted, and attitudes in the nation's leading energy-producing state now mirror those in the rest of the United States, according to new research.

A model based solely on the past 40 years of weather events uses 7,000 times less computer power than today's weather forecasting tools. An A.I.-powered model could someday provide more accurate forecasts for rain, snow and other weather events.

After probing a persistent error in widely used models, researchers estimate that California will likely experience drier winters in the future than projected by some climate models, meaning residents may see less spring runoff, higher spring temperatures, and an increased risk of wildfire in coming years.

A long-term study of 1,449 people in Finland found that those who had better scores on standard metrics of cardiovascular health in midlife, especially for behavioral factors such as smoking, had a lower risk of dementia later in life.

Diverting urine away from municipal wastewater treatment plants and recycling the nutrient-rich liquid to make crop fertilizer would result in multiple environmental benefits when used at city scale, according to a new study.

Experts describe why temperature screening -- primarily done with a non-contact infrared thermometer (NCIT) -- doesn't work as an effective strategy for stemming the spread of COVID-19.

Oceanographers have an explanation for the Arctic's puzzling ocean turbulence: Their study suggests waters will become more turbulent as Arctic loses summertime ice.

Ideally, clinicians assess dysphagia through a clinical (bedside) evaluation and one of two standard tests: a videofluoroscopic swallow study or a flexible endoscopic evaluation of swallowing. However, during the pandemic, clinicians diagnosing and treating dysphagia in COVID-19 patients are putting themselves at risk by using these up close and physical techniques. Therefore, experts say, say...

New research offers clues to what goes on inside the minds of machines as they learn to see. Instead of attempting to account for a neural network's decision-making on a post hoc basis, their method shows how the network learns along the way, by revealing how much the network calls to mind different concepts to help decipher what it sees as the image travels through successive layers.

Plastics contain and leach hazardous chemicals, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) that threaten human health. An authoritative new report, Plastics, EDCs, & Health, from the Endocrine Society and the IPEN (International Pollutants Elimination Network), presents a summary of international research on the health impacts of EDCs and describes the alarming health effects of widespread...

The study of human emotions can be used to gauge the sensory acceptance of dairy products. A possible route to increase worldwide consumption of sheep milk kefir may be to improve its sensory acceptance, which can be a determining factor for its inclusion in daily diets. Scientists studied the effects of kefir sweetened with five different sugars on sensory acceptance and emotional profile in...

Rice University scientists find the ubiquitous, ''weak'' van der Waals force is sufficient to indent rigid nanosheets, hinting at applications in nanoscale optics or catalytic systems.

Neuroscientists have found reading computer code does not rely on the regions of the brain involved in language processing. Instead, it activates the 'multiple demand network,' which is also recruited for complex cognitive tasks such as solving math problems or crossword puzzles.

Scientists have disagreed about where powerful jets from black holes discharge their energy. A new study uses standard statistical techniques and relies on very few assumptions to determine that the jets release their energy in an area called the molecular torus, which is much farther away from the black hole's center than another prime candidate, the broadline region. This finding has...

Scientists often look to nature for cues when designing robots - some robots mimic human hands while others simulate the actions of octopus arms or inchworms. Now, researchers have designed a new soft robotic gripper that draws inspiration from an unusual source: pole beans.

A new device promises insight into how the building blocks of life form in outer space. It mimics how molecules come together in the freezing darkness of interstellar space.

Teeth and hard structures called dermal odontodes are evolutionarily related, arising from the same developmental system, a new study shows.

By borrowing nature's blueprints for photosynthesis, bioengineers have found a way to efficiently absorb and store large-scale, low-cost renewable energy from the sun - while sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide to use later as a biofuel.

A drug that boosts the removal of cellular debris in immune cells may increase the protective effects of vaccines in older adults, a new study shows.

Researchers succeed in the first enzyme-driven biocatalytic synthesis of nucleic acid building blocks. This facilitates the development of antiviral agents and RNA-based therapeutics.