333 articles from WEDNESDAY 16.6.2021

How sex trafficking trauma affects the way its survivors parent

A study of young immigrant mothers who are survivors of sex trafficking found that the trauma affected how they parented: It made them overprotective parents in a world perceived to be unsafe, it fueled emotional withdrawal when struggling with stress and mental health symptoms, and was a barrier to building confidence as mothers. Yet, they coped with such challenges through finding meaning in the...

Study points to a seed black hole produced by a dark matter halo collapse

Supermassive black holes, or SMBHs, are black holes with masses that are several million to billion times the mass of our sun. The Milky Way hosts an SMBH with mass a few million times the solar mass. Surprisingly, astrophysical observations show that SMBHs already existed when the universe was very young. For example, a billion solar mass black holes are found when the universe was just 6% of its...

Researchers uncover unique properties of a promising new superconductor

An international team of physicists led by the University of Minnesota has discovered that a unique superconducting metal is more resilient when used as a very thin layer. The research is the first step toward a larger goal of understanding unconventional superconducting states in materials, which could possibly be used in quantum computing in the future.

Pioneering chemistry approach could lead to more robust soft electronics

A new approach to studying conjugated polymers has made it possible for an Army-funded research team to measure, for the first time, the individual molecules' mechanical and kinetic properties during polymerization reaction. The insights gained could lead to more flexible and robust soft electronic materials, such as health monitors and soft robotics.

The give and take of mega-flares from stars

The long relationships between stars and the planets around them—including the Sun and the Earth—may be even more complex than previously thought. This is one conclusion of a new study involving thousands of stars using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Exploring the shallow underground world with a burrowing soft robot

We've seen robots take to the air, dive beneath the waves and perform all sorts of maneuvers on land. Now, researchers are exploring a new frontier: the ground beneath our feet. Taking their cues from plants and animals that have evolved to navigate subterranean spaces, they've developed a fast, controllable soft robot that can burrow through sand.

MPs vote 461 to 60 in favour of extending social restrictions in England to 19 July – as it happened

Latest updates: 60 MPs vote against government plans while former special adviser Dominic Cummings publishes messages purporting to show PM’s criticism of health secretary Matt HancockTory MPs speak out against delaying lifting of final restrictionsCummings texts show Johnson calling Matt Hancock ‘totally hopeless’PM plans to leave No 10 two years after next election, Cummings claimsAnalysis...

How a supermassive black hole originates

How do supermassive black holes in the early universe originate? A team led by a theoretical physicist has come up with an explanation: a massive seed black hole that the collapse of a dark matter halo could produce.

The give and take of mega-flares from stars

The long relationships between stars and the planets around them - including the Sun and the Earth - may be even more complex than previously thought. This is one conclusion of a new study involving thousands of stars using NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory.

Genetically engineered nanoparticle delivers dexamethasone directly to inflamed lungs

Nanoengineers have developed immune cell-mimicking nanoparticles that target inflammation in the lungs and deliver drugs directly where they're needed. As a proof of concept, the researchers filled the nanoparticles with the drug dexamethasone and administered them to mice with inflamed lung tissue. Inflammation was completely treated in mice given the nanoparticles, at a drug concentration where...

Inducing and tuning spin interactions in layered material

Magnetic-spin interactions that allow spin-manipulation by electrical control allow potential applications in energy-efficient spintronic devices. Researchers now describe the induction of such interactions in a layered material tantalum-sulfide by addition of iron atoms, and tuning by insertion of protons.

Several persistent chemicals found in fetal organs

Researchers found industrial chemicals in the organs of fetuses conceived decades after many countries had banned the substances. The researchers urge decision makers to consider the combined impact of the mix of chemicals that accumulate in people and nature.

Yeast mating -- more than meets the eye

Researchers have discovered a surprising asymmetry in the mating behavior of unicellular yeast that emerges solely from molecular differences in pheromone signaling. Their results might shed new light on the evolutionary origins of sexual dimorphism in higher eukaryotes.

New super-resolution microscopy method approaches the atomic scale

Scientists have developed a computational technique that greatly increases the resolution of atomic force microscopy, a specialized type of microscope that 'feels' the atoms at a surface. The method reveals atomic-level details on proteins and other biological structures under normal physiological conditions, opening a new window on cell biology, virology and other microscopic processes.

Machine learning can now reduce worry about nanoparticles in food

While crop yield has achieved a substantial boost from nanotechnology in recent years, the alarms over the health risks posed by nanoparticles within fresh produce and grains have also increased. In particular, nanoparticles entering the soil through irrigation, fertilizers and other sources have raised concerns about whether plants absorb these minute particles enough to cause toxicity.

Graphene 'camera' captures real-time electrical activity of beating heart

Scientists today track electrical signals and voltage changes in neurons and muscle cells by labeling individual cells or probing with electrodes. Scientists have now developed a new type of sensor that employs a sheet of graphene to get a continuous measure of electric field in these tissues. Electric fields change graphene's reflectance. The physicists found a way to amplify and measure the...

Damage control: Plants juggle genome maintenance and growth by being organized

Researchers have found that plants balance growth and genome maintenance by organizing their responses to damage. Plants can't replace dead cells as animals do, and must deal with DNA damage without halting growth. Combined control of the plant hormones cytokinin and auxin allows plants to organize different DNA damage responses while minimizing cell death. This study will have broad applications...

When small epigenomic signals matter: Regulatory elements that are directly involved in human neuronal brain functions

Although each organism has a unique genome, a single gene sequence, each individual has many epigenomes. An epigenome consists of chemical compounds and proteins that can bind to DNA and regulate gene action, either by activating or deactivating them or producing organ- or tissue-specific proteins. As it is a highly dynamic material, it can provide a large amount of information to shed light on...

Scientists identify properties that allow proteins to strengthen under pressure

A new rubber band stretches, but then snaps back into its original shape and size. Stretched again, it does the same. But what if the rubber band was made of a material that remembered how it had been stretched? Just as our bones strengthen in response to impact, medical implants or prosthetics composed of such a material could adjust to environmental pressures such as those encountered in...

New super-resolution microscopy method approaches the atomic scale

Scientists at Weill Cornell Medicine have developed a computational technique that greatly increases the resolution of atomic force microscopy, a specialized type of microscope that "feels" the atoms at a surface. The method reveals atomic-level details on proteins and other biological structures under normal physiological conditions, opening a new window on cell biology, virology and other...

What factors put Philippine birds at risk of extinction?

The lush forests and more than 7,000 islands of the Philippines hold a rich diversity of life, with 258 bird species who live nowhere but the Philippine archipelago. A new study from University of Utah researchers suggests that due to deforestation and habitat degradation, more bird species may be endangered that previously thought—including species that may not have been discovered yet. The...

Algorithm reveals the mysterious foraging habits of narwhals

An algorithm can predict when narwhals hunt—a task once nearly impossible to gain insight into. Mathematicians and computer scientists at the University of Copenhagen, together with marine biologists in Greenland, have made progress in gathering knowledge about this enigmatic Arctic whale at a time when climate change is pressuring the species.