279 articles from WEDNESDAY 27.1.2021
A newly discovered circuit helps fish to prioritize
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
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...
Mira's last journey: Exploring the dark universe
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
Scientists used a supercomputer to perform one of the five largest cosmological simulations ever -- the Last Journey. This simulation will provide crucial data for sky maps to aid leading cosmological experiments.
Parkinson's disease risk and severity is tied to a channel in cells' 'recycling centers'
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
Genetic variations associated with both increases and reductions in risk of the neurodegenerative disease alter the action of ion channels within cellular organelles called lysosomes, a new study finds.
Blood pressure can be controlled without drugs after spinal cord injury
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
Researchers have created the first platform to understand the mechanisms underlying blood pressure instability after spinal cord injury. The discovery has led to a new cutting-edge solution. Spinal cord stimulators can bridge the body's autonomous regulation system, controlling blood pressure without medication.
Scientists jump-start two people's brains after coma
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
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.
On nights before a full moon, people go to bed later and sleep less, study shows
For centuries, humans have blamed the moon for our moods, accidents and even natural disasters. But new research indicates that our planet's celestial companion impacts something else entirely—our sleep.
Pioneering research unravels hidden origins of Eastern Asia's 'land of milk and honey'
A study has revealed for the first time the ancient origins of one of the world's most important ecosystems by unlocking the mechanism which determined the evolution of its mountains and how they shaped the weather there as well as its flora and fauna.
A mild way to upcycle plastics used in bottles into fuel and other high-value products
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 20:00
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...
Cell death shines a light on the origins of complex life
Organelles continue to thrive after the cells within which they exist die, a team of University of Bristol scientists have found, overturning previous assumptions that organelles decay too quickly to be fossilized.
'Achilles' heel' of cancer cells revealed
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:59
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
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:59
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.
Optical scanner design for adaptive driving beam systems can lead to safer night driving
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:59
Researchers have come up with an alternative to conventional adaptive driving beam systems: a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) optical scanner that relies on the piezoelectric effect of electrically induced mechanical vibrations.
Forests with diverse tree sizes and small clearings hinder wildland fire growth
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:59
A new 3D analysis shows that wildland fires flare up in forests populated by similar-sized trees or checkerboarded by large clearings and slow down where trees are more varied.
Controlling pain after surgery doesn't have to mean opioids, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:59
As surgeons balance the need to control their patients' post-surgery pain with the risk that a routine operation could become the gateway to long-term opioid use or addiction, a new study shows the power of an approach that takes a middle way.
Juicing technique could influence healthfulness of fresh-squeezed juice
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 19:55
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.
Doomsday Clock hovers dangerously close to midnight, as experts warn of 'crossroads' on climate change
The Doomsday Clock, introduced in 1947 as a symbolic representation of how close humanity is to destroying civilization, remains at 100 seconds to midnight, as experts warn the world is at a 'crossroads' on climate change, but see some positive...
Research shows oceanic shark populations have dropped 71% since 1970
Globally, the abundance of oceanic sharks and rays dropped more than 70 per cent between 1970 and 2018, according to a study published Wednesday in the journal Nature. Of the 31 species of sharks and rays, 24 are threatened with...
'Doomsday Clock' stuck at 100 seconds to midnight
The "Doomsday Clock" illustrating the perils facing the planet and mankind will remain at 100 seconds to midnight this year amid the threats of the coronavirus pandemic, nuclear war and climate change.
Researchers use car collisions with deer to study mysterious animal-population phenomena
For at least a century, ecologists have wondered at the tendency for populations of different species to cycle up and down in steady, rhythmic patterns.
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...
Geological phenomenon widening the Atlantic Ocean
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/27 18:24
An upsurge of matter from deep beneath the Earth's crust could be pushing the continents of North and South America further apart from Europe and Africa, new research has found.