155 articles from WEDNESDAY 4.5.2022
New technology reduces heavy-duty diesel emissions to meet stringent CARB 2027 NOx requirements
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 23:08
Engineers have demonstrated the effectiveness of new technology to cut diesel emissions. The advancement successfully reduced heavy-duty diesel engine nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions to meet the California Air Resources Board (CARB) 2027 standards.
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to deadly reef disease
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 23:08
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to a deadly disease that has been spreading across Florida's reefs since 2014, according to a new study. The findings showed that stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) infects baby corals with similar severity and mortality that we see in adult colonies. This is the first study to show the impacts of any coral disease on baby corals.
Higher antioxidant levels linked to lower dementia risk
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 23:08
People with higher levels of antioxidants in their blood may be less likely to develop dementia, according to a new study.
Neuroscientists find multiple brain regions control speech, challenging common assumption
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 23:08
Neurobiologists give new meaning to the term 'motor mouth'. By carefully mapping neural networks in marmoset and macaque monkeys, they determined that multiple areas in the brain's frontal lobe control the muscles of vocalization and could provide a foundation for complex speech.
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to deadly reef disease, study finds
Baby corals are just as susceptible as adults to a deadly disease that has been spreading across Florida's reefs since 2014, according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The findings showed that stony coral tissue loss disease (SCTLD) infects baby corals with similar severity and mortality that we see in adult...
Getting a better view of landslide risk with LiDAR
In the mountains of North Carolina, landslides are no joke. Triggered by heavy rains, mountainside soils can become saturated and "unstuck." As a result, what starts as a small landslide can quickly escalate into a huge debris flow that uproots trees and dislodges boulders, scouring everything in its path as it quickly flows downhill at speeds up to 30 mph. The cost—in both infrastructure and...
Uncovering warped protein interactions in cancer
Scientists at Emory have revealed widespread distortions of a cell's protein interaction machinery resulting from cancer-causing mutations. They developed a process resembling ground-penetrating radar, for its ability to map the hidden landscape of anti-cancer drug opportunities.
To refine water forecasts, Western cities map snow by plane
At a tiny airport surrounded by mountains, a three-person crew takes off for the inaugural flight above the headwaters of the Colorado River to measure the region's snow by air.
New study provides insight on Britons living in the EU post-Brexit
A new picture of Britons living in the EU post-Brexit flags the "deep transformation" that has come with the removal of freedom of movement.
California's 2020 wildfire season: Report summarizes record-breaking fire year and calls for shift in strategy
Just over 9,900 wildfires burned about 4.3 million acres in 2020. That's more than twice the previous record of acres burned in California. Yet it is about average compared to burn rates likely experienced before Euro-American settlement, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, that summarizes the 2020 fire season and examines its drivers.
Mentioning 'white privilege' increases online polarization, finds a new study
If there's an online discussion about race, using the term "white privilege" can create a polarized situation, say University of Michigan researchers.
Will climate change increase the risk of aflatoxin in US corn?
As climate change continues to alter weather patterns around the planet including the Midwest, researchers at Michigan State University (MSU) are modeling the impact on crops such as corn.
Scientists discover comet's hourglass-shaped dust trail
Researchers from Finland, Canada, and Russia have discovered an unusual, hourglass-shaped dust trail of the comet 17P/Holmes. The particles that formed the dust trail were released by the most powerful of the thus-far documented outbursts by a comet. It happened in October 2007. Astronomers carried out observations of the cometary dust trail using telescopes in Australia, Finland, and the U.S. The...
Major 2020 Alaska quake triggered neighboring 2021 temblor
A study of two powerful earthquakes in adjacent areas off the Alaska Peninsula in 2020 and 2021 shows a connection between the two. It also suggests they may be a part of an 80-year rupture cascade along the fault.
The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna reaches a crucial milestone
LISA, the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna, has reached an important milestone: it has passed the comprehensive "Mission Formulation Review" (MFR) and now enters the next phase of development. The review team, consisting of experts from ESA, NASA, the scientific community and industry, identified no showstoppers and confirmed that LISA has successfully reached a maturity sufficient to proceed to...
Researchers develop new evolutionary approach for identifying proteins that functionally interact
Jacob Steenwyk, a graduate student in biological sciences, and collaborators at Vanderbilt, Tel Aviv University and University of Wisconsin-Madison measured the coevolution of pairs of genes shared across budding yeasts to identify the genes that participate in the same cellular or molecular functions.
New black hole sonifications with a remix are now available for listening
Since 2003, the black hole at the center of the Perseus galaxy cluster has been associated with sound. This is because astronomers discovered that pressure waves sent out by the black hole caused ripples in the cluster's hot gas that could be translated into a note—one that humans cannot hear, some 57 octaves below middle C. Now a new sonification brings more notes to this black hole sound...
A 'factory reset' for the brain may cure anxiety, drinking behavior, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 21:36
Gene editing may be a potential treatment for anxiety and alcohol use disorder in adults who were exposed to binge drinking in their adolescence, according to the results of an animal study. The researchers used a gene-editing tool called CRISPR-dCas9 in their experiments to manipulate the histone acetylation and methylation processes at the Arc gene in models of adult rats.
Will climate change increase the risk of aflatoxin in U.S. corn?
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 21:12
As climate change continues to alter weather patterns around the planet including the Midwest, researchers are modeling the impact on crops such as corn.
Hundreds of injured singers profiled
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 21:12
An analysis of more than 400 singers who sought treatment for vocal injuries provides a wealth of data on a topic that's often considered taboo to discuss in the singing community.
The gene-edited pig heart given to a dying patient was infected with a pig virus
The pig heart transplanted into an American patient earlier this year in a landmark operation carried a porcine virus that may have derailed the experiment and contributed to his death two months later, say transplant specialists. David Bennett Sr. was near death in January when he received a genetically edited pig heart in a pioneering…
Links between paranormal beliefs and cognitive function described by 40 years of research
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
In a review of 71 studies that explored links between belief in paranormal phenomena and cognitive function, most of the findings align with the hypothesis that such beliefs are associated with cognitive differences or deficits.
Scientists identify the most extreme heatwaves ever recorded globally
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
A new study has revealed the most intense heatwaves ever across the world -- and remarkably some of these went almost unnoticed decades ago.
Scientists engineer new tools to electronically control gene expression
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
Researchers have created an improved method for turning genes on and off using electrical signals.
Researchers find link between Parkinson's gene and vocal issues that could lead to earlier diagnosis
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
Neuroscientists found that higher levels of the alpha-synuclein protein in the brain can lead to changes in vocal production.
Patients with past cancer history not associated with higher risk of COVID-19-related death or hospitalization
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
Patients diagnosed with cancer more than one year ago and those not receiving active treatment were no more vulnerable to worse COVID-19 outcomes than patients without cancer, according to a new study.
California's 2020 wildfire season
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
A new study summarizing the 2020 California wildfire year said just over 9,900 wildfires burned 4.3 million acres in 2020. That's twice the previous record but only average compared to burn rates before Euro-American settlement. Fire severity is the far greater concern.
Major 2020 Alaska quake triggered neighboring 2021 temblor
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 20:45
A study of two powerful earthquakes in adjacent areas off the Alaska Peninsula in 2020 and 2021 shows a connection between the two. It also suggests they may be a part of an 80-year rupture cascade along the fault.
Jaws hold crucial knowledge on the fate of sharks
Jaws was the only word needed to give the iconic 1970's thriller about a great white with a preference for humans its eerie title. Though a strong and important player at the top of the foodchain, sharks face a range of enemies: overfishing, habitat loss, pollution, climate change and human fear resulting in the use of shark control programs in some locations.
Researchers use silicon nanoparticles to visualize coalescence of quantized vortices that occur in superfluid helium
Scientists from the Graduate School of Engineering Science at Osaka University have shown how silicon nanoparticles can become trapped inside the vortices that form inside superfluid helium. This work opens up new possibilities in optical research for other quantum properties of superfluid helium, such as the optical manipulation of quantized vortices due to the strong interaction between light...
Scientists engineer new tools to electronically control gene expression
Researchers, led by experts at Imperial College London, have developed a new method that allows gene expression to be precisely altered by supplying and removing electrons.
Scientists identify the most extreme heatwaves ever recorded globally
A new study has revealed the most intense heatwaves ever across the world—and remarkably some of these went almost unnoticed decades ago.
Experts develop a common language for trigger and content warnings
Experts from the University of Nottingham have developed a common language to use on trigger and content warnings, after their research found that current warnings do not adequately take account of the needs of the intended audience.
Chicago police data study yields index for identifying networks of criminal cops
New research led by Northwestern University can help officials identify hidden networks of officers engaging in misconduct and criminal behavior within police organizations. The study shows that police misconduct is a group phenomenon that contributes to a disproportionate number of arrests in minority communities.
Daily steroids safe and slows progression of duchenne muscular dystrophy, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 19:56
New research recommends daily steroid doses for children with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, marking a significant change in how the disease is treated.
New study reviews anti-cancer activity of sustained release capsaicin formulations
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 19:56
A study provides the first published in-depth description of the anti-cancer activity of capsaicin sustained release formulations. Capsaicin is naturally found in chili peppers and is the agent that provides the hot and spicy taste when eating chili peppers.
Bye, bye, biopsy? Handheld device could painlessly identify skin cancers
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 19:56
A new device uses millimeter-wave imaging -- the same technology used in airport security scanners -- to scan a patient's skin to detect if they have skin cancer. Millimeter-wave rays harmlessly penetrate about 2mm into human skin, so the team's imaging technology provides a clear 3D map of scanned skin lesions.
A new 225-million-year-old reptile from Brazil
Maehary bonapartei represents a small reptile that is considered to be the most basal of the evolutionary lineage that gave rise to pterosaurs. A study in PeerJ focuses on this latest find while also demonstrating that Faxinalipterus minimus is not a winged reptile, contrary to what was previously supposed.
The lifesaving Covid-19 treatments offering hope amid Australia’s high case numbers
With Australia’s Covid cases per capita among the highest in the world, new antivirals such as Paxlovid and Lagevrio as well as intravenous treatments like sotrovimab are offering some hope for the severely ill, elderly and immunocompromised. However Australia’s peak body for GPs says some people at greatest risk of dying from Covid are being prevented from accessing these treatments.Medical...
Sun releases moderate solar flare
The Sun emitted a moderate solar flare on May 4, 2022, peaking at 5:00 a.m. ET. NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory, which watches the Sun constantly, captured an image of the event.
Advance in understanding cell division could lead to new cancer treatments
A protein called CDC7, long thought to play an essential role early in the cell division process, is in fact replaceable by another protein called CDK1, according to a study by investigators at Weill Cornell Medicine and the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. The finding represents a fundamental advance in cell biology and may lead to new cancer therapies, since cancers frequently alter the molecular...
How mosquito brains encode human odor so they can seek us out
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 19:08
Some strains of Aedes aegypti -- the mosquito that carries Zika, malaria and dengue fever -- have evolved to bite humans almost exclusively. A team has now discovered how they target us so precisely.
The quest for an ideal quantum bit
- ScienceDaily
- 22/5/4 19:08
Scientists have developed a qubit platform formed by freezing neon gas into a solid, spraying electrons from a light bulb's filament onto it, and trapping a single electron there. This system shows great promise as an ideal building block for quantum computers.