279 articles from WEDNESDAY 27.1.2021

A newly discovered circuit helps fish to prioritize

Being constantly flooded by a mass of stimuli, it is impossible for us to react to all of them. The same holds true for a little fish. Which stimuli should it pay attention to and which not? Scientists have now deciphered the neuronal circuit that zebrafish use to prioritize visual stimuli. Surrounded by predators, a fish can thus choose its escape route from this predicament.

Lunar cycle has major effect on sleep, study suggests

Research finds people stay up later and sleep less before full moon, and do the opposite before new moonFolklore has saddled the moon with major responsibilities: moods, spikes in crime and even psychosis are blamed on the Earth’s only constant natural satellite. But could the “lunar effect” interfere with sleep?Scientists have long understood that human activity is facilitated by light, be...

Scientists jump-start two people's brains after coma

In 2016, a team reported that a 25-year-old man recovering from a coma had made remarkable progress following a treatment to jump-start his brain using ultrasound. Now, researchers report that two more patients with severe brain injuries have also made impressive progress thanks to the same technique.

A mild way to upcycle plastics used in bottles into fuel and other high-value products

Plastic is ubiquitous in people's lives. Yet, when plastic-containing items have fulfilled their missions, only a small amount is recycled into new products, which are often of lower quality compared to the original material. And, transforming this waste into high-value chemicals requires substantial energy. Now, researchers have combined a ruthenium-carbon catalyst and mild, lower-energy reaction...

'Achilles' heel' of cancer cells revealed

A new study shows, for the first time, how an abnormal number of chromosomes (aneuploidy) -- a unique characteristic of cancer cells that researchers have known about for decades -- could become a weak point for these cells. The study could lead to the development of future drugs that will use this vulnerability to eliminate the cancer cells.

Focusing on field analysis

One potential approach to developing a low-cost portable microscopy system is to use transparent microspheres in combination with affordable low-magnification objective lenses to increase image resolution and sensitivity.

Juicing technique could influence healthfulness of fresh-squeezed juice

With the New Year, many people are making resolutions to eat healthier, by eating more vegetables, for example. But those who don't like the taste or texture of some vegetables might prefer to drink them in a home-squeezed juice. Now, researchers have found that the choice of household juicing technique can influence the phytochemical content and antioxidant activity of common vegetable juices.

Mira's last journey: Exploring the dark universe

A team of physicists and computer scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory performed one of the five largest cosmological simulations ever. Data from the simulation will inform sky maps to aid leading large-scale cosmological experiments.

Ions in molten salts can 'go against the flow'

In a new article published in the scientific journal Communications Chemistry, a research group at Uppsala University show, using computer simulations, that ions do not always behave as expected. In their research on molten salts, they were able to see that, in some cases, the ions in the salt mixture they were studying affect one another so much that they may even move in the "wrong"...

Historically redlined neighborhoods are more likely to lack greenspace today

Historically redlined neighborhoods are more likely to have a paucity of greenspace today compared to other neighborhoods. The study by researchers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and the University of California, Berkeley and San Francisco, demonstrates the lasting effects of redlining, a racist mortgage appraisal practice of the 1930s that established and exacerbated...

Technology could upend DNA sequencing for diagnosing certain DNA mutations

Doctors are increasingly using genetic signatures to diagnose diseases and determine the best course of care, but using DNA sequencing and other techniques to detect genomic rearrangements remains costly or limited in capabilities. However, an innovative breakthrough developed by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center and the VCU Department of Physics promises to...