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28 articles from ScienceDaily

Personalizing treatment for severe limb injuries

Scientists have developed an innovative technique using small wearable sensors to gather data on how people -- who have suffered from a traumatic hand amputation -- use a prothesis versus a transplanted hand in everyday life. So far, the data shows people with a transplanted hand demonstrate a more balanced use of their hands than those who use a prothesis.

Higher olive oil intake associated with lower risk of CVD mortality

Consuming more than 7 grams (>1/2 tablespoon) of olive oil per day is associated with lower risk of cardiovascular disease mortality, cancer mortality, neurodegenerative disease mortality and respiratory disease mortality, according to a new study. The study found that replacing about 10 grams/day of margarine, butter, mayonnaise and dairy fat with the equivalent amount of olive oil is associated...

Gauging the resilience of complex networks

Whether a transformer catches fire in a power grid, a species disappears from an ecosystem, or water floods a city street, many systems can absorb a certain amount of disruption. But how badly does a single failure weaken the network? And how much damage can it take before it tips into collapse?

New approach can help identify young children most at risk for obesity

Newly developed risk scores synthesize genetic information into an easy-to-interpret metric that could help clinicians identify young children most at risk of developing obesity. The study used a novel statistical methods to establish scoring criteria using data collected from children from birth to three years of age.

New neural circuits discovered that regulate spatial learning and memory in the brain’s hippocampal formation

A research team has discovered new neural circuits that regulate spatial learning and memory in the brain's hippocampal formation. The team identified novel functional roles of new circuit connections between the venal CA1 region and dorsal CA3 regions of the hippocampus and demonstrated that genetic inactivation of this projection impairs object-related spatial learning and memory, but does not...

Researchers develop optical biopsy system that detects liver cancer

Researchers have developed an optical biopsy system that can distinguish between cancerous and healthy liver tissue. The technology makes use of diffuse reflectance spectroscopy and lifetime fluorescence measurements to evaluate makers of cellular metabolism that differ between healthy and cancerous cells. The system has higher accuracy than traditional biopsies, possibly making liver cancer...

Unexpected benefits from food competitors

A research team has found that gravid tobacco hawkmoths (Manduca sexta) show an unusual preference for Datura plants that are already infested with leaf beetles when laying their eggs. The beetles and their larvae actually compete with tobacco hornworms, the larvae of Manduca, for food. Plants infested by beetles change their odor profile and increase the production of the substance alpha-copaene,...

Measuring trust in AI

Prompted by the increasing prominence of artificial intelligence (AI) in society, researchers investigated public attitudes toward the ethics of AI. Their findings quantify how different demographics and ethical scenarios affect these attitudes. As part of this study, the team developed an octagonal visual metric, analogous to a rating system, which could be useful to AI researchers who wish to...

Will this new superpower molecule revolutionize science?

Researchers report the creation of an artificial molecule with superpowers. It has the potential to revolutionize nanotechnology -- and it also explains one of Nature's intriguing enigmas; why do we have a right hand and a left hand? The researchers describe their supermolecule as a marriage between DNA and peptides.

A crowning achievement in understanding head development

To understand how cranial neural crest cells (CNCCs) help form many more body parts than the skull and facial skeleton, scientists from the lab of Gage Crump created a series of atlases over time to understand the molecular decisions by which CNCCs commit to forming specific tissues in developing zebrafish. The researchers labeled and tracked CNCCs throughout the lifetime of zebrafish. With the...

Cancer therapy using on-site synthesis of anticancer drugs

Researchers have successfully treated cancer in mice using metal catalysts that assemble anticancer drugs together inside the body. This study is the first report of therapeutic in vivo synthetic chemistry being used to make anticancer substances where they are needed simply by injecting their ingredients through a vein. Because this technique avoids indiscriminate tissue damage, it is expected to...