158 articles from MONDAY 1.8.2022
Surprise climate bill will meet ambitious goal of 40% cut in U.S. emissions, energy models predict
For climate advocates in the United States, the past month felt like a roller coaster. In early July, negotiations in Congress on clean energy legislation of historic proportions collapsed, and the effort seemed doomed. But backroom talks continued and last week key senators
suddenly announced an agreement
on a $369 billion bill that would provide the most climate funding...
Study finds cable news networks have grown more polarized
Even though it seems that Americans are constantly on their phones, studies have shown that the majority of Americans still get their news from television. At the beginning of 2020, the average American adult consumed around nine-and-a-half hours of television news per week, according to Nielsen.
Asexual reproduction leads to harmful genetic mutations
A team led by biologists at The University of Texas at Arlington has published a study supporting the theory that species that reproduce asexually have more harmful genetic mutations than those utilizing sexual reproduction.
What's new under the sun? Researchers offer an alternate view on how 'novel' structures evolve
Many crustaceans, including lobster, crabs, and barnacles, have a cape-like shell protruding from the head that can serve various roles, such as a little cave for storing eggs, or a protective shield to keep gills moist.
Successful women make the best advocates to help other women rise up in the ranks
New research utilizing data from U.S. Supreme Court law clerk hiring decisions finds that female job applicants with recommendations from other highly tenured women have the strongest chance of getting a job offer.
AI can reveal new cell biology just by looking at images
Humans are good at looking at images and finding patterns or making comparisons. Look at a collection of dog photos, for example, and you can sort them by color, by ear size, by face shape, and so on. But could you compare them quantitatively? And perhaps more intriguingly, could a machine extract meaningful information from images that humans can't?
Bioscientists use mixed-reality headset, custom software to measure vegetation in the field
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 22:11
A lab that specializes in applying data science to the study of conservation biology has created an open-source app to harvest field data from Microsoft's HoloLens mixed-reality headset. The app allows researchers to gather data as they walk and look at vegetation. Spatial data is displayed on the HoloLens screen in real time and can be stored for later analysis.
Signaling 'stressed-out' plants
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 22:11
As plants experience multiple stressors from heat, drought and flooding because of extreme weather events, a plant scientist recently discovered a new way of measuring whether they are stressed out.
Scientists offer new theory on how plants can orchestrate the rhythms of light
A team of scientists led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory has developed a theory that thylakoids, membrane networks key to plant photosynthesis, also function as a defense mechanism to harsh growing conditions, which could aid the development of hardier plants.
Research finds mechanically driven chemistry accelerates reactions in explosives
Scientists at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) Energetic Materials Center and Purdue University Materials Engineering Department have used simulations performed on the LLNL supercomputer Quartz to uncover a general mechanism that accelerates chemistry in detonating explosives critical to managing the nation's nuclear stockpile. Their research is featured in the July 15 issue of...
Climate change: More studies needed on possibility of human extinction
New research says it could be "fatally foolish" not to think the unthinkable on climate change.
What's new under the sun? Offering an alternate view on how 'novel' structures evolve
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 21:05
New research provide evidence that the crustacean carapace, along with other plate-like structures in arthropods (crustaceans, insects, arachnids, and myriapods) all evolved from a lateral leg lobe in a common ancestor more than 500 million years ago. This work further supports their proposal for a new concept of how novel structures evolve -- one which suggests that they aren't so novel, after...
New US population study projects steep rise in cardiovascular diseases by 2060
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 21:05
By the year 2060, projected rates of cardiovascular risk factors and disease will increase significantly in the United States, according to a new study.
Legacy of ancient ice ages shapes how seagrasses respond to environmental threats today
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 21:04
In the classic 'nature versus nurture' debate, scientists discovered ancient ice ages have shaped the genetics of eelgrasses today -- and those genetics could play a stronger role than the environment in shaping how eelgrasses respond to threats.
Using smartphones could help improve memory skills
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 21:04
Using digital devices, such as smartphones, could help improve memory skills rather than causing people to become lazy or forgetful, finds a new study.
The lining of children's noses may provide protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 21:04
SARS-CoV-2 causes a broad range of clinical symptoms, including potentially fatal acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A study suggests the nasal epithelium (the lining of the nose) of children inhibits infection and replication of the ancestral strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus and the Delta variant, but not the Omicron variant.
Climate endgame: risk of human extinction ‘dangerously underexplored’
Scientists say there are ample reasons to suspect global heating could lead to catastropheThe risk of global societal collapse or human extinction has been “dangerously underexplored”, climate scientists have warned in an analysis.They call such a catastrophe the “climate endgame”. Though it had a small chance of occurring, given the uncertainties in future emissions and the climate...
Climate change: Potential to end humanity is 'dangerously underexplored' say experts
Global heating could become "catastrophic" for humanity if temperature rises are worse than many predict or cause cascades of events we have yet to consider, or indeed both. The world needs to start preparing for the possibility of a "climate endgame."
Legacy of ancient ice ages shapes how seagrasses respond to environmental threats today
Deep evolution casts a longer shadow than previously thought, scientists report in a new paper published the week of Aug. 1 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Smithsonian scientists and colleagues looked at eelgrass communities—the foundation of many coastal marine food webs along the north Atlantic and Pacific coasts—and discovered their ancient genetic history can play a...
Automating neutron experiments with AI
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers are developing a first-of-its-kind artificial intelligence device for neutron scattering called Hyperspectral Computed Tomography, or HyperCT. The fully automated, AI-driven platform can rotate a sample in almost any direction, eliminating the need for human intervention and significantly reducing lengthy experiment times.
Shining light on how bacteria interact
The ways in which bacteria infect cells are important for understanding host-pathogen interactions. The knowledge also opens up a world of practical applications.
Fires increase in Brazilian Amazon in July
The number of forest fires in the Brazilian Amazon increased by eight percent last month compared with July 2021, according to official figures released Monday, the latest alarm bell for the world's biggest rainforest.
France and parts of England see driest July on record
France and parts of England saw their driest July on record, the countries' weather agencies said on Monday, exacerbating stretched water resources that have forced restrictions on both sides of the Channel.
Enzyme, proteins work together to tidy up tail ends of DNA in dividing cells
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have described the way an enzyme and proteins interact to maintain the protective caps, called telomeres, at the end of chromosomes, a new insight into how a human cell preserves the integrity of its DNA through repeated cell division.
The many versions of a female scientist
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Depictions of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) are powerful sources of inspiration for young women who aspire to a career in those fields. But stereotypes of female scientists persist, and we have some way to go to vanquish them, say the authors of a new paper.
Advancing dynamic brain imaging with AI
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
New research introduces a novel, AI-based dynamic brain imaging technology alternative which could map out rapidly changing electrical activity in the brain with high speed, high resolution, and low cost.
Study finds nickelate superconductors are intrinsically magnetic
Electrons find each other repulsive. Nothing personal—it's just that their negative charges repel each other. So getting them to pair up and travel together, like they do in superconducting materials, requires a little nudge.
Iron buildup in brain linked to higher risk for movement disorders
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Researchers report that individuals with two copies of a gene mutation show evidence of substantial iron buildup in regions of the brain, raising risk for movement disorders like Parkinson's disease.
New 3D printing process is faster and more precise than conventional methods
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Engineers have created a way to 3D print large and complex parts at a fraction of the cost of current methods.
New molecule may prevent age-related diseases and increase life expectancy and wellness, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Researchers have identified a group of molecules that enable cells to repair damaged components, making it possible for those tissues to retain proper function.
Using iPSCs, researchers create cells that represent the airways of cystic fibrosis patients
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is caused by a mutation of the CFTR gene. While there are many hundreds of known mutations, not all of them are currently treatable which means a significant number of CF patients lack targeted therapies. In an effort to identify new treatments for these patients, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) set out to use blood cells from individuals with CF...
New dog food? Study shows Fido's gut bacteria could turn over within a week
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
When a dog starts a new diet, the community of microbes in its gut changes. Wallflower bacteria multiply to dominate the scene, with the old guard slinking off in defeat. As microbial species jostle for control, their metabolic byproducts, many of which are critical for Fido's overall health, change as well. The dynamic dance between nutrients, microbes, and their chemical products is well...
Researchers develop miniature lens for trapping atoms
Atoms are notoriously difficult to control. They zigzag like fireflies, tunnel out of the strongest containers and jitter even at temperatures near absolute zero.
Scientists uncover mechanism that shapes centromere distribution
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
Since the 1800s, scientists have observed the configuration of centromeres -- a special chromosomal region that is vital during certain types of cell division -- in the nucleus. Up until this point, however, the determining mechanisms and the biological significance of centromere distribution were poorly understood. A team has recently proposed a two-step regulatory mechanism that shapes...
Fewer people tried to quit smoking during COVID-19 pandemic, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:31
A new study shows serious smoking cessation activity declined among adults in the United States immediately after the onset of COVID-19 and persisted for over a year. Declines in attempts to quit smoking were largest among persons experiencing disproportionately negative outcomes during COVID-19, including Black people, people with comorbidities, middle-aged people, and lower educated people.
Variant type and patient sex affect molnupiravir efficacy, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and the biological sex of patients affect the efficacy of molnupiravir, the first orally available drug approved for outpatient use against COVID-19, according to a new study.
When heart-assisting implants could save a life, patients who are Black or female don't get them as often
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
Black people and women with severe heart failure who might be good candidates for surgery to implant a heart-assisting device have a lower chance of actually getting that operation than white patients, or male patients, a new study finds.
Fast-acting immune cells provide powerful protection against stroke
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
CD8+ regulatory-like T cells reach the brain within 24 hours after stroke onset, where they release molecules that provide direct neuroprotective effects, as well as limit inflammation and secondary brain damage.
Engineers repurpose 19th-century photography technique to make stretchy, color-changing films
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
A new technique opens a door to manufacturing of pressure-monitoring bandages, shade-shifting fabrics, or touch-sensing robots
Life expectancy drops for Native Americans due to COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
The pandemic reduced Native American life expectancy at birth from the already low 72 years in 2019 to about 67 years in 2020 and about 65 years in 2021 for both sexes combined.
Nickelate superconductors are intrinsically magnetic
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/1 19:30
Scientists embedded elementary particles called muons into a many-layered nickel oxide superconductor to learn more about its magnetic properties. They discovered that waves of flip-flopping electron spins create magnetic excitations that sweep through the nickel layer of the compound whether it's superconducting or not. This is in sharp contrast to what happens in the best-known family of...
US hails ‘Antipodean Adventure’ and Australia silent as second spy satellite set to launch from New Zealand
Some in space industry bewildered by Australia’s lack of fanfare about the launch of the satellites, which will be used to collect intelligence for allied nationsGet our free news app, morning email briefing and daily news podcastA second spy satellite built by Australia and the United States is scheduled for liftoff on Tuesday from a launch site in New Zealand.The first of the two satellites,...
Most but not all Texas coaches say they'll plan for climate change
A survey of coaches and athletic officials in Texas indicates many of them would be wise to think harder about the risks their students face as the climate changes, according to Rice University researchers who conducted the statewide study.