128 articles from TUESDAY 9.8.2022
U.S. Department of Energy research gets a surprise boost in inflation-reduction bill
The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) science programs are poised to get a windfall of $1.5 billion over 5 years in the massive climate and health care bill awaiting final passage later this week by the House of Representatives. The money is primarily for the construction of new facilities and major upgrades funded by DOE’s $7.5 billion Office of Science, although the bill does...
New research using stable isotopes sheds light on how New Zealand's diverse range of toothed whales and dolphins coexist
An international collaborative study involving researchers from Massey University, the University of Canterbury, NIWA, and Flinders University has analyzed the isotopic niche of 21 species of toothed whales in New Zealand.
Webb telescope reveals unpredicted bounty of bright galaxies in early universe
The James Webb Space Telescope has only been watching the sky for a few weeks, and it has already delivered a startling finding: tens, hundreds, maybe even 1000 times more bright galaxies in the early universe than astronomers anticipated.
“No one was expecting anything like this,” says Michael Boylan-Kolchin of the University of Texas, Austin. “Galaxies are exploding out...
Water levels run low, farmland parched amid European drought
Water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs across western Europe are running low, or even dry, amid the most severe drought in...
Research team models moving 'washers' that help DNA replicate
Knowing the structure of a complex biological system isn't nearly enough to understand how it works. It helps to know how the system moves.
Understanding how motor proteins shape our cells
Understanding the busy networks inside our cells can help researchers develop new cancer treatments and prevent dangerous fungal infections.
First of NASA's SunRISE SmallSats rolls off production line
Six of NASA's SunRISE small satellites will work together, creating the largest radio telescope ever launched to detect and track hazardous explosive space weather events.
New analysis shows how sulfur clouds can form in Venus' atmosphere
Scientists using sophisticated computational chemistry techniques have identified a new pathway for how sulfur particles can form in the atmosphere of Venus. These results may help to understand the long sought-after identity of the mysterious ultraviolet absorber on Venus.
Exposed! International Space Station tests organisms, materials in space
Space may look empty, but it contains extreme temperatures, high levels of background radiation, micrometeoroids, and the unfiltered glare of the sun. In addition, materials and equipment on the outside of the International Space Station are exposed to atomic oxygen (AO) and other charged particles as it orbits the Earth at the very edge of our atmosphere. Only the hardiest materials, equipment,...
CT scanner captures entire wooly mammoth tusk
For the first time, researchers successfully captured CT images of an entire wooly mammoth tusk, according to a new "Images in Radiology" article published in the journal Radiology. Researchers were able to do a full scan of the tusk in its entirety—or in toto—using a newer clinical CT scanner. The new technology allows for large-scale imaging without having to do multiple partial scans.
Banana peels make sugar cookies better for you
Banana peels aren't always destined for the trash or compost anymore. They're making their way onto people's plates, replacing pork in "pulled peel" sandwiches and getting fried up into "bacon." And now, researchers reporting in ACS Food Science & Technology show that incorporating banana peel flour into sugar cookie batter makes the treats more healthful. In taste tests, cookies enriched with...
Which ornamental plants perform best for pollinators?
Guides suggest some species are better than others for pollinators, but when you get to the plant nursery you're confronted by half a dozen cultivars of the same species. How do you pick between them?
Sweet success: New enzymatic biosystem harvests the potential of the sugar maltose
Microorganism-free enzyme-based reaction systems are now used for the production of hydrogen, bioelectricity, and useful biochemicals. In these biosystems, raw materials called substrates are broken down by a series of enzymes (i.e., biological catalysts) to obtain the desired end-product. In several cases, the substrates are carbohydrates such as sucrose, cellulose, or starch. In the first step...
Mountain events could improve safety with ultra-high resolution weather models
In late May of 2021, 172 runners set out to tackle a 100-kilometer (62-mile) ultramarathon in northwestern China. By midday, as the runners made their way through a rugged, high-elevation part of the course, temperatures plunged, strong winds whipped around the hillslopes and freezing rain and hail pummeled the runners. By the next day, the death toll from the sudden storm had risen to 21.
A novel mechanism of regulation of the oncogenic transcription factor GLI3 by toll-like receptor signaling
A new research paper was published in Oncotarget on August 3, 2022, entitled, "A novel mechanism of regulation of the oncogenic transcription factor GLI3 by toll-like receptor signaling."
Discovery of non-conventional peptides in Vitis vinifera L. through peptidogenomics
Although some researchers have identified peptides through multiple methods, as in Arabidopsis and maize, the biological functions of most non-conventional peptides (NCPs) remain to be demonstrated. NCPs function by modulating larger regulatory proteins, and their functions can therefore be predicted from the proteins on which they act. In addition, the functions of NCPs can also be predicted by...
Moms' problems linked to adolescent attachment issues
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Psychology research finds that moms with personality disorder symptoms impact their adolescent children who subsequently show a higher likelihood of insecure attachment which can impact their socio-emotional development and mental health.
Do 'bouncing universes' have a beginning?
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
A new study by physicists highlights one way that cyclic or 'bouncing' cosmologies fall flat. 'People proposed bouncing universes to make the universe infinite into the past, but what we show is that one of the newest types of these models doesn't work,' says a professor of physics.
New model sheds light on day/night cycle in the global ocean
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
For the first time, scientists have incorporated the diel cycle into a global ocean model in order to investigate its effects on phytoplankton. Their study investigates how the day/night cycle affects the biogeography and diversity of these primary producers.
Major contributor to Alzheimer's disease discovered
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Research reports on a pathway that begins in the gut and ends with a potent pro-inflammatory toxin in brain cells contributing to the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). They also report a potentially simple way to prevent it.
Potential long-term treatment for asthma found
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
A possible way to tackle one of the underlying causes of asthma has been developed. In tests in mice, the researchers were able to virtually eliminate asthmatic symptoms within two weeks and return their airways to near normal.
Study finds genetic method for identifying hundreds of disease agents 'promising'
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
In the pursuit of accurate diagnoses for illnesses, doctors have traditionally used multiple methods -- including culturing patient samples on a wide variety of media, reviewing countless medical records and analyzing clinical data using complex mathematical algorithms -- to try to identify the bacterium, virus, fungus or other pathogen responsible for an infection.
CT scanner captures entire woolly mammoth tusk
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Researchers successfully captured CT images of an entire woolly mammoth tusk. Researchers were able to do a full scan of the tusk in its entirety -- or in toto -- using a newer clinical CT scanner. The new technology allows for large-scale imaging without having to do multiple partial scans.
Banana peels make sugar cookies better for you
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Banana peels aren't always destined for the trash or compost anymore. They're making their way onto people's plates, replacing pork in 'pulled peel' sandwiches and getting fried up into 'bacon.' And now, researchers show that incorporating banana peel flour into sugar cookie batter makes the treats more healthful. In taste tests, cookies enriched with some banana peel flour were more satisfying...
New model can predict best drug combinations for osteoporosis
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Scientists have developed a new mathematical model that may help clinicians decide on the best combination of osteoporosis medications for patients and the order in which they should be taken.
Study describes new 'molecular tool' to trigger targeted immune responses
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
A research team presents a new approach to triggering an adaptive immune response.
Stars determine their own masses
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Using new simulations, astrophysicists discovered that star formation is a self-regulatory process. In other words, stars themselves set their own masses. This helps explain why stars formed in disparate environments still have similar masses.
Human-machine interfaces work underwater, generate their own power
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
Scientists describe the development of a type of wearable human-machine interface device that is stretchable, inexpensive, and waterproof. The device is based on a soft magnetoelastic sensor array that converts mechanical pressure from the press of a finger into an electrical signal. The device involves two main components: a layer that translates mechanical movement to a magnetic response and a...
Ultrasound could save racehorses from bucked shins
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:12
When racehorses enter training at about 2 years old, they can develop tiny stress fractures and new bone formations in their legs. This condition, called bucked shin, occurs in about 70% of the animals. Researchers have now developed a method to screen for bucked shin using ultrasound. Axial transmission, in which an ultrasound emitter and receiver are placed on the skin to induce and measure wave...
Realistic computer models of brain cells
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/9 20:11
Investigators have created the most bio-realistic and complex computer models of individual brain cells -- in unparalleled quantity. Their research details how these models could one day answer questions about neurological disorders -- and even human intellect -- that aren't possible to explore through biological experiments.