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24 articles from ScienceDaily
Delays in contact tracing impeded early COVID-19 containment
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 21:03
Contact tracing programs were deployed around the globe to slow the spread of COVID-19, but these programs could not prevent the multiple waves of transmission and loss of life that have occurred since March 2020. Researchers found that a five-day delay between identifying a case and isolating contacts was the Achilles' heel of a contact tracing program in a large U.S. city.
Low school test scores linked to racial segregation and lead exposure in North Carolina
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 21:03
Birth data, blood lead levels and fourth grade end-of-grade test scores for more than 25,000 children living in North Carolina show how childhood lead exposure and neighborhood racial residential segregation affect early childhood educational outcomes. Identifying the mix of social, environmental and economic factors that create health disparities early could lead to earlier intervention in...
Scientists uncover a new role for blood-brain barrier in neuron function and damage
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 21:03
Researchers have made a surprising discovery linking Delta/Notch signaling in subperineurial glia (SPG) to the regulation of nerve ensheathment and neurotransmitter release at the Drosophila neuromuscular junction (NMJ). SPG, the counterpart of the endothelial layer in the vertebrate blood-brain barrier, form the key cellular layer that is critical for axonal ensheathment and the blood-brain...
Rhodiola rosea root might be beneficial for managing type 2 diabetes
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 20:21
A team of researchers has discovered that treatment with an extract from the roots of the Rhodiola rosea plant might be effective for helping manage type 2 diabetes, showing promise as a safe and effective non-pharmaceutical alternative.
National parks -- islands in a desert?
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 18:34
How effective is biodiversity conservation of European and African national parks? This seems to be strongly associated with societal and economic conditions. But even under the most favorable conditions, conservation efforts cannot completely halt emerging threats to biodiversity if conditions outside of the parks do not improve.
Colorful solar panels could make the technology more attractive
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 18:34
Solar panels aren't just for rooftops anymore -- some buildings even have these power-generating structures all over their facades. But as more buildings and public spaces incorporate photovoltaic technologies, their monotonous black color could leave onlookers underwhelmed. Now, researchers have created solar panels that take on colorful hues while producing energy nearly as efficiently as...
Solving Everest's wildlife mysteries with eDNA
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 18:33
A team of scientists have used environmental DNA (eDNA) to document the breadth of high-alpine biodiversity present on Earth's highest mountain, 29,032-foot Mt. Everest (8,849 m).
No-till farming study shows benefit to midwestern land values
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 18:33
Analysis quantifies monetary land value benefits of environmentally friendly practice.
Multiple shots of the BCG vaccine protect type 1 diabetics from COVID-19, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
Researchers are hoping the results of a new study will spur a larger scale study of the effects of the BCG vaccine in patients with type 1 diabetes, considered among the most vulnerable groups to COVID-19.
Synapses as a model: Solid-state memory in neuromorphic circuits
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
They are many times faster than flash memory and require significantly less energy: memristive memory cells could revolutionize the energy efficiency of neuromorphic computers. In these computers, which are modeled on the way the human brain works, memristive cells function like artificial synapses. Numerous groups around the world are working on the use of corresponding neuromorphic circuits --...
Road signs for immune defense cells
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
How do killer T cells recognize cells in the body that have been infected by viruses? Matter foreign to the body is presented on the surface of these cells as antigens that act as a kind of road sign. A network of accessory proteins -- the chaperones -- ensure that this sign retains its stability over time. Researchers have now reached a comprehensive understanding of this essential cellular...
Nuclear war would cause a global famine and kill billions
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
More than 5 billion people would die of hunger following a full-scale nuclear war between the U.S. and Russia, according to a global study led by climate scientists that estimates post-conflict crop production.
Sugar metabolism is surprisingly conventional in cancer
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
A new study shows that cancer cells don't want to waste glucose, they just consume it too quickly. The normal pathways for transporting fuel within the cell get saturated. The discovery was made possible with metabolomics, which allowed researchers to observe the speed at which small molecules move through cells.
Hormone from fat cells restrains tumor growth in mice
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
A hormone secreted by fat cells can restrain the growth of liver tumors in mice, according to a new study.
2D array of electron and nuclear spin qubits opens new frontier in quantum science
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
By using photons and electron spin qubits to control nuclear spins in a two-dimensional material, researchers have opened a new frontier in quantum science and technology, enabling applications like atomic-scale nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and to read and write quantum information with nuclear spins in 2D materials.
Weird and wonderful world of fungi shaped by evolutionary bursts, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
Scientists have discovered that the vast anatomical variety of fungi stems from evolutionary increases in multicellular complexity.
Irreversible declines in freshwater storage projected in parts of Asia by 2060
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
A comprehensive study on water storage in Tibetan Plateau projects near-total loss of freshwater storage in parts of Asia by mid-century under modest climate policy scenario. The Tibetan Plateau, known as the 'water tower' of Asia, supplies freshwater for nearly two billion people who live downstream.
Underwater snow gives clues about Europa's icy shell
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 17:28
Europa's ice shell could be purer than previously thought. Research shows that a kind of underwater snow -- which on Earth freezes purer than other ice -- is likely to be common inside Jupiter's moon. The findings will help mission scientists working on NASA's Europa Clipper spacecraft, which will use an ice penetrating radar to look beneath the ice shell to see whether Europa's global ocean could...
Scientists develop gel made from spider silk proteins for biomedical applications
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 16:56
Researchers have discovered that spider silk proteins can be fused to biologically active proteins and be converted into a gel at body temperature. One of the goals is to develop an injectable protein solution that forms a gel inside the body, which could be used in tissue engineering and for drug release, but also make gels that can streamline chemical processes where enzymes are used.
Unexpected quantum effects in natural double-layer graphene
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 16:55
An international research team has detected novel quantum effects in high-precision studies of natural double-layer graphene. This research provides new insights into the interaction of the charge carriers and the different phases, and contributes to the understanding of the processes involved.
High school students describe two new species of scorpions with California Academy of Sciences
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 16:55
Bay Area high school students formally describe two new scorpions with a researcher, after finding the unknown species on a community science platform.
Catching up with quicksilver: MXene material can counter mercury contamination
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 16:55
A team of researchers might have found just the right material to efficiently remove mercury -- even at low levels -- from contaminated bodies of water.
Thinking like a cyber-attacker to protect user data
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 14:57
Researchers have shown that a component of modern computer processors that enables different areas of the chip to communicate with each other is susceptible to a side-channel attack. An attacker can monitor how traffic from two different cores on a processor interferes with each other to extract secret information, like a cryptographic key.
Exercise answer: Research shows it's how often you do it, not how much
- ScienceDaily
- 22/8/15 14:57
New research indicates a little bit of daily activity is more beneficial than longer periods of exercise spread out across the week -- and happily, it also suggests you don't have to put in a mountain of work every day.