161 articles from THURSDAY 30.6.2022

Lost in space: returned astronauts struggle to recover bone density, study finds

Lack of gravity and weightlessness means the longer astronauts stay in space, the more bone mass they loseAstronauts lose decades’ worth of bone mass in space that many do not recover even after a year back on Earth, researchers have found, warning that it could be a “big concern” for future missions to Mars.Previous research has shown astronauts lose between 1% and 2% of bone density for...

Active transportation projects offer solid returns on investment, economic study finds

Active transportation investments offer many types of benefits related to safety, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, physical activity and the economy. Metro, Oregon's regional government for the Portland metropolitan area, wants to better understand the role of these investments in building stronger communities in their region, and in implementing the Metro 2040 Growth Concept.

Students seek to improve safety for houseless pedestrians in Portland

In 2022, a Portland State University Master of Urban and Regional Planning (MURP) team made headlines with their strategies to improve safety for houseless pedestrians. Cities across the U.S. are facing alarming increases in traffic fatalities, especially among the number of pedestrians who are struck and killed by drivers. In 2021, 70 percent of all pedestrian fatalities in Portland were of...

Borrowed gene helps maize adapt to high elevations, cold temperatures

Researchers at North Carolina State University show that an important gene in maize called HPC1 modulates certain chemical processes that contribute to flowering time, and has its origins in "teosinte mexicana," a precursor to modern-day corn that grows wild in the highlands of Mexico. The findings provide insight into plant evolution and trait selection, and could have implications for corn and...

Researchers discover new leukemia-killing compounds

Researchers have discovered potential new drugs that target mitochondria in cancer cells. Their study in the journal Leukemia describes the compounds' potential for killing leukemia cells when administered by themselves or in combination with other chemotherapies.

Borrowed gene helps maize adapt to high elevations, cold temperatures

An important gene in maize called HPC1 modulates certain chemical processes that contribute to flowering time, and has its origins in 'teosinte mexicana,' a precursor to modern-day corn that grows wild in the highlands of Mexico. The findings provide insight into plant evolution and trait selection, and could have implications for corn and other crops' adaptation to low temperatures.

California's Dixie Fire shows impact of legacy effects, prescribed burns

The 2021 Dixie Fire burned over nearly 1 million acres in California and cost $637 million to suppress, making it the largest and most expensive wildfire to contain in state history. Fire history largely determined how severely the wildfire burned, and low-severity fire treatments had the largest impact on reducing the worst effects of the fire, according to a research team.

‘Amazing development’: fossil finds show how panda’s false thumb evolved

Fossils of Ailurarctos, an extinct panda relative, are oldest known evidence for the radial sesamoidAncient fossils discovered in China have helped researchers get a grip on the enduring mystery of the panda’s false thumb.Modern giant pandas sport a thumb-like sixth digit on their wrists, which scientists believe was pivotal in their transition from omnivores to bamboo-munching vegetarians....

Comparative analyses of American and Asian lotus genomes

Nelumbo is a unique genus of Nelumbonaceae (lotus), which comprises two extant species: N. nucifera Gaertn. widely distributed in Asia and northern Australia, and N. lutea Pers. which is distributed in America. These two species exhibit differences in morphology, such as plant size, leaf shape, petal shape and petal color, but share the same chromosome number.

When should U.S. research be stamped ‘top secret’? NSF asks for a new look at the issue

The U.S. academic community is gearing up for a new effort to convince national policymakers that the benefits of keeping government-funded basic research out in the open—and not stamping it classified—far outweigh any threat to national security from sharing scientific findings. The National Science Foundation (NSF) has asked the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering,...

Developmentally arrested IVF embryos can be coaxed to divide

Why do two-thirds of in vitro fertilization (IVF) embryos go into developmental arrest? A new study shows that many embryos stored for IVF undergo characteristic genetic and metabolic changes that inhibit development. These results help explain the loss of developmental ability of many harvested embryos, and may point to strategies for increasing the proportion of developmentally competent...

Scientists engineer synthetic DNA to study 'architect' genes

Researchers have created artificial Hox genes -- which plan and direct where cells go to develop tissues or organs -- using new synthetic DNA technology and genomic engineering in stem cells. Their findings confirm how clusters of Hox genes help cells to learn and remember where they are in the body.

Dissolving implantable device relieves pain without drugs

Researchers have developed a small, soft, flexible implant that relieves pain on demand and without the use of drugs. The first-of-its-kind device could provide a much-needed alternative to opioids and other highly addictive medications. It works by softly wrapping around nerves to deliver precise, targeted cooling, which numbs nerves and blocks pain signals to the brain. After the device is no...

Female lineages anchored Pacific islands for 2000 years

Some 3000 years ago, people sailed toward the sunrise—and the last swatch of our planet uninhabited by humans: remote islands of the Pacific. By 1200 C.E. societies flourished from the Marianas to Rapa Nui, more than 12,000 kilometers apart. How the Pacific gradually became home to these groups—and just where they came from—has long been a mystery ....

Two Seattle startups racing to transform next-gen space travel

The phrase "nuclear energy" conjures images of large steaming towers or Tony Stark's arc reactor from the iconic "Iron Man" movies. But two Seattle-based startups are designing nuclear technologies small enough to pick up and carry that, thanks in part to buy-in from the Defense Department, they hope will fuel a new generation of spaceships.

Earliest Pacific seafarers were matrilocal society, study suggests

DNA analysis of 164 individuals from 2,800 to 300 years ago shows men would move to be with their wivesThe world’s earliest seafarers who set out to colonise remote Pacific islands nearly 3,000 years ago were a matrilocal society with communities organised around the female lineage, analysis of ancient DNA suggests.The research, based on genetic sequencing of 164 ancient individuals from 2,800...

Nerve-cooling implant could offer pain relief alternative to opioids, say researchers

Device which can dissolve in the body represents an ‘engineering approach to treating pain’An implant which can cool nerves to block pain signals has been unveiled by researchers who say the device could offer an alternative to drugs such as opioids.The team behind the device say it could bring benefits for management of acute pain such as that experienced after amputations, nerve grafts or...

Floating in space might be fun, but study shows it's hard on earthly bodies

Bone loss happens in humans -- as we age, get injured, or any scenario where we can't move the body, we lose bone. Understanding what happens to astronauts and how they recover is incredibly rare. It lets us look at the processes happening in the body in such a short time frame. We would have to follow someone for decades on Earth to see the same amount of bone loss.

Optical fiber imaging method advances studies of Alzheimer's disease

An optical fiber as thin as a strand of hair holds promise for use in minimally invasive deep-tissue studies of patients' brains that show the effects Alzheimer's disease and other brain disorders. The challenge is efficiently increasing image resolution at the subcellular level, because loss of information is inevitable from light scrambling.

New flood maps clarify the risk homeowners face

Flooding in urban areas cost Americans more than $106 billion between 1960 and 2016, damaging property, disrupting businesses and claiming lives in the process. Now, new research outlines a simplified, cost-effective method for developing flood maps that reflects the uncertainty in flood predictions.

Advanced technology allows automated 3D tracking of leaked gas

Researchers have developed a way to create a 3D image of a leaked gas cloud that provides detailed information about the leak such as location, volume and concentration. The new automated detection approach could be used to provide early warnings, assess risk or determine the best way to fix the leak.

Artemis I: We Are Capable

Twin solid rocket boosters that will produce a combined 7.2 million pounds of thrust at liftoff, a towering core stage, and the only human-rated spacecraft in the world capable of deep space travel – together, NASA’s Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft stand ready to usher in a new chapter of exploration. Now fully assembled at Kennedy Space Center in Florida, SLS and...

New flood maps clarify the risk homeowners face

Flooding in urban areas cost Americans more than $106 billion between 1960 and 2016, damaging property, disrupting businesses and claiming lives in the process. Determining which areas are most likely to flood amid ever-changing land use and shifting rainfall and climate patterns can be expensive and complicated—and past methods of drawing flood maps fail to capture the inherent uncertainty in...