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46 articles from ScienceDaily

New way to image whole organisms in 3D brings key skin color pigment into focus

To understand the biological underpinnings of skin and hair pigmentation and related diseases such as albinism or melanoma, scientists and doctors need quantitative, three-dimensional information about the architecture, content and location of pigment cells. Researchers have developed a new technique that allows scientists to visualize every cell containing melanin pigment in 3D, in whole...

Increase in fatal opioid overdoses after hospital discharge

The period after hospital discharge is a high-risk time for people who use illicit opioids such as heroin, according to new research. Fatal opioid overdoses are four times more likely in the first two days after hospital discharge than at other times, and people who use illicit drugs need extra support when being discharged from hospital.

One in three kids with food allergies say they’ve been bullied because of their condition

Living with a food allergy can greatly impact a child's everyday life -- from limiting participation in social activities to being treated differently by peers. While previous research indicates many kids experience food allergy-related bullying, a new study found that offering kids with food allergies a multi-question assessment gives a more accurate picture of the size and scope of the problem.

Weed goes off script to resist herbicides

Cementing waterhemp's reputation as a hard-to-kill weed in corn and soybean production systems, researchers have now documented the weed deviating from standard detoxification strategies to resist an herbicide that has never been commercialized.

New measurement method promises spectacular insights into the interior of planets

At the heart of planets, extreme states are to be found: temperatures of thousands of degrees, pressures a million times greater than atmospheric pressure. They can therefore only be explored directly to a limited extent -- which is why the expert community is trying to use sophisticated experiments to recreate equivalent extreme conditions. Researchers have adapted an established measurement...

Gene linked to evolution of limb development identified

A new study gives insight into how limb development evolved in vertebrates. The findings identify a gene that plays a central role in the evolution of limb development in vertebrates. By manipulating this gene in mice, researchers were able to activate an ancestral form of limb development seen in early tetrapods (four-legged vertebrates).

Large scale solar parks cool surrounding land

Researchers studying two solar parks, situated in arid locations, found they produced 'cool islands' extending around 700 meters from the solar park boundaries. The temperature of surrounding land surface was reduced by up to 2.3 degrees at 100 meters away from the solar park, with the cooling effects reducing exponentially to 700 meters. This new discovery is important as it shows the solar park...

Growing potential for toxic algal blooms in the Alaskan Arctic

Changes in the northern Alaskan Arctic ocean environment have reached a point at which a previously rare phenomenon -- widespread blooms of toxic algae -- could become more commonplace, potentially threatening a wide range of marine wildlife and the people who rely on local marine resources for food. That is the conclusion of a new study about harmful algal blooms (HABs) of the toxic algae...

Smuggling light through opaque materials

Electrical engineers have discovered that changing the physical shape of a class of materials commonly used in electronics can extend their use into the visible and ultraviolet parts of the electromagnetic spectrum. Already commercially used in detectors, lenses and optical fibers, chalcogenide glasses may now find a home in applications such as underwater communications, environmental monitoring...

Simultaneous optical and electrical tracking of heart activity

It is still elusive to what extent interactions between different cell types of the heart influence the normal heart rhythm and possibly trigger life-threatening arrhythmias. A new measurement method combines optical and electrical recording of cardiac ventricular activation which, in conjunction with optogenetics, will permit finding comprehensive answers to these questions.

A robot that finds lost items

Researchers developed a fully-integrated robotic arm that fuses visual data from a camera and radio frequency (RF) information from an antenna to find and retrieve object, even when they are buried under a pile and fully out of view.

Spider silk’s supposed 'healing properties' might have no basis in science

As far back as ancient Rome, spider silk has been used as a remedy to treat everything from skin lesions to warts. In the past, doctors have covered open wounds in cobwebs or advised patients to place cocoons on infected teeth. In modern times, however, the literature contains conflicting reports of whether or not spider silk has antimicrobial properties. Researchers have now revisited these old...