316 articles from THURSDAY 7.1.2021
How an internet lie about the Capitol invasion turned into an instant conspiracy theory
Just as well-known, easily identifiable far-right figures livestreamed themselves invading the Capitol in Washington, DC, a lie started spreading around the Trump-supporting internet: What if the mob was actually a group of antifa activists trying to make the president’s supporters look bad? The rumor was false, and debunked repeatedly—not least by the words and actions of the MAGA...
Ontario students call on teachers to pressure pension fund to divest from fossil fuels
An environmental coalition is appealing to Ontario teachers to pressure their pension fund to divest from companies that develop or transport fossil fuel...
New mechanism underlying male infertility
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 22:47
One essential component of each eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures that protrude from most of the cells in our body, contain many microtubules. An example of flagell is the sperm tail, which is essential for male fertility and thus for sexual...
Insights into the Yellowstone hotspot
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 22:47
The Yellowstone hotspot is well known for generating supereruptions in the geologic past that are far more explosive than historic examples. The origin and sustained longevity of the hotspot is less understood but is focused on two competing models, where the ascent of hot mantle is derived from either a deep-seated mantle plume or a shallow mantle source.
Cancer cells hibernate like bears to evade harsh chemotherapy
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 22:47
Researchers show that cancer cells hijack an evolutionary conserved program to survive chemotherapy. Furthermore, the researchers show that novel therapeutic strategies aimed at specifically targeting cancer cells in this slow-dividing state can prevent cancer regrowth.
Mysterious family life of notorious saber-toothed tiger
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 22:47
New research indicates adolescent offspring of the menacing saber-toothed predator, Smilodon fatalis, were more momma's cubs than independent warriors.
Researchers offer approaches for the sustainable expansion of the U.S. seafood industry
The "Executive Order on Promoting American Seafood Competitiveness and Economic Growth," issued by the Trump administration in May 2020, lays out a plan to expand the U.S. seafood industry, especially aquaculture, and enhance American seafood competitiveness in the global market.
New discovery sheds light on the mysterious family life of notorious sabre-toothed tiger
New research indicates adolescent offspring of the menacing saber-toothed predator, Smilodon fatalis, were more momma's cubs than independent warriors.
NASA Selects 4 Concepts for Small Missions to Study Universe’s Secrets
Portal origin URL: NASA Selects 4 Concepts for Small Missions to Study Universe’s SecretsPortal origin nid: 467412Published: Thursday, January 7, 2021 - 15:56Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA has chosen four small-scale astrophysics missions for further concept development in a new program called Pioneers.Portal image: neutron stars...
Emotionally appealing ads may not always help consumer memory
In almost all successful advertising campaigns, an appeal to emotion sparks a call-to-action that motivates viewers to become consumers. But according to research from a University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign expert who studies consumer information-processing and memory, emotionally arousing advertisements may not always help improve consumers' immediate memory.
Researchers propose a framework for evaluating the impacts of climate change on California's water and energy systems
As the planet continues to warm, the twin challenges of diminishing water supply and growing energy demand will intensify. But water and energy are inextricably linked. For instance, nearly a fifth of California's energy goes toward water-related activities, while more than a tenth of the state's electricity comes from hydropower. As society tries to adapt to one challenge, it needs to ensure it...
Energy sorghum may combine best of annual, perennial bioenergy crops
Large perennial grasses like miscanthus are a primary target for use as bioenergy crops because of their sustainability advantages, but they take several years to establish and aren't ideal for crop rotation. Maize and other annual crops are easier to manage with traditional farming but are tougher on the environment.
Insights into the Yellowstone hotspot
The Yellowstone hotspot is well known for generating supereruptions in the geologic past that are far more explosive than historic examples. The origin and sustained longevity of the hotspot is less understood but is focused on two competing models, where the ascent of hot mantle is derived from either a deep-seated mantle plume or a shallow mantle source.
Research confirms increase in river flooding and droughts in U.S., Canada
The number of "extreme streamflow" events observed in river systems have increased significantly across the United States and Canada over the last century, according to a study from Dartmouth College.
Winds and jet streams found on the closest brown dwarf
A University of Arizona-led research team has found bands and stripes on the brown dwarf closest to Earth, hinting at the processes churning the brown dwarf's atmosphere from within.
Space Station, Cygnus test technology for 5G communications, other benefits
A Northrop Grumman Cygnus supply craft carried a load of new scientific experiments to the International Space Station in early October. That is only one of the jobs the craft has, though. Once it undocks from the station Cygnus will continue operations by hosting a two-week test of emerging technologies known as SharkSat.
Keeping sperm cells on track
An essential component of every eukaryotic cell is the cytoskeleton. Microtubules, tiny tubes consisting of a protein called tubulin, are part of this skeleton of cells. Cilia and flagella, which are antenna-like structures that protrude from most of the cells in our body, contain many microtubules. An example of flagell is the sperm tail, which is essential for male fertility and thus for sexual...
Flexitarianism, buying used and more: Green habits that are on the rise
In this week's issue of our environment newsletter, we look at some sustainable personal habits that have been growing in popularity, and explore ways to ease children's anxiety about climate...
Research confirms increase in river flooding and droughts in US, Canada
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:57
Research demonstrates that increases in the frequency of both high- and low-flow extreme streamflow events 'are, in fact, widespread.'
Functional seizures associated with stroke, psychiatric disorders
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:57
In a large-scale study of electronic health records investigators determined the prevalence of functional seizures and characterized comorbidities associated with them. Functional seizures are sudden attacks or spasms that look like epileptic seizures but do not have the aberrant brain electrical patterns of epilepsy. The research team confirmed associations between functional seizures and...
Emotionally appealing ads may not always help consumer memory
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:57
Emotional appeals in advertisements may not always help improve consumers' immediate recall of a product, says a new article.
What is surgical smoke and what can be done about it?
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:57
Surgical smoke poses a health risk to everyone in the operating room. Perioperative teams exposed to surgical smoke report twice as many respiratory health issues as the general public. The smoke can even contain viruses. Researchers suggest that policies and laws mandating the evacuation of surgical smoke from operating rooms are the best way to reduce the negative health impacts on perioperative...
Chemists invent shape-shifting nanomaterial with biomedical potential
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:56
Made of synthetic collagen, the new nanomaterial may have a range of biomedical applications, from controlled-release drug delivery to tissue engineering.
MRI frequently underestimates tumor size in prostate cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:56
Improving imaging processes will lead to more successful treatments and help reduce morbidity in men with the disease.
Striped or spotted? Winds and jet streams found on the closest brown dwarf
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:56
Using high-precision brightness measurements from NASA's TESS space telescope, astronomers found that the nearby brown dwarf Luhman 16B's atmosphere is dominated by high-speed, global winds akin to Earth's jet stream system. This global circulation determines how clouds are distributed in the brown dwarf's atmosphere, giving it a striped appearance.
COVID-19 outcomes for patients on immunosuppressive drugs on par with non-immunosuppressed patients, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/7 19:56
People taking immunosuppressive drugs to prevent organ transplant rejection or to treat inflammatory or autoimmune diseases do not fare worse than others on average when they are hospitalized with COVID-19, according to a new study.
A broadly protective antibody that targets the flavivirus NS1 protein
There are no approved flaviviral therapies and the development of vaccines against flaviruses has the potential of being undermined by antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE). The flavivirus nonstructural protein 1 (NS1) is a promising vaccine antigen with low ADE risk but has yet to be explored as a broad-spectrum therapeutic antibody target. Here, we provide the structural basis of NS1 antibody...
A noninflammatory mRNA vaccine for treatment of experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis
The ability to control autoreactive T cells without inducing systemic immune suppression is the major goal for treatment of autoimmune diseases. The key challenge is the safe and efficient delivery of pharmaceutically well-defined antigens in a noninflammatory context. Here, we show that systemic delivery of nanoparticle-formulated 1 methylpseudouridine-modified messenger RNA (m1 mRNA) coding for...
A ubiquitous tire rubber-derived chemical induces acute mortality in coho salmon
In U.S. Pacific Northwest coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch), stormwater exposure annually causes unexplained acute mortality when adult salmon migrate to urban creeks to reproduce. By investigating this phenomenon, we identified a highly toxic quinone transformation product of N-(1,3-dimethylbutyl)-N'-phenyl-p-phenylenediamine (6PPD), a globally ubiquitous tire rubber antioxidant. Retrospective...
Anterior cingulate inputs to nucleus accumbens control the social transfer of pain and analgesia
Empathy is an essential component of social communication that involves experiencing others’ sensory and emotional states. We observed that a brief social interaction with a mouse experiencing pain or morphine analgesia resulted in the transfer of these experiences to its social partner. Optogenetic manipulations demonstrated that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and its projections to...