179 articles from THURSDAY 8.9.2022

Physicists invoke the cosmological collider to explain why matter, and not antimatter, dominates the universe

Early in its history, shortly after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with equal amounts of matter and 'antimatter' -- particles that are matter counterparts but with opposite charge. But then, as space expanded, the universe cooled. Today's universe is full of galaxies and stars which are made of matter. Where did the antimatter go, and how did matter come to dominate the universe? This...

Collaborative machine learning that preserves privacy

Researchers developed a system that streamlines the process of federated learning, a technique where users collaborate to train a machine-learning model in a way that safeguards each user's data. The system reduces communication costs of federated learning and boosts accuracy of a machine-learning model trained using this method, which would make federated learning more feasible to implement in...

Hubble finds spiraling stars, providing window into early universe

Stars are the machines that sculpt the universe, yet scientists don't fully know how they form. To understand the frenzied 'baby boom' of star birth that occurred early in the universe's history, researchers turned to the Small Magellanic Cloud, a satellite galaxy of the Milky Way. This nearby galaxy has a simpler chemical composition than the Milky Way, making it similar to the galaxies found in...

Weedy rice has become herbicide resistant through rapid evolution

Weedy rice is a closely related cousin of crop rice. It aggressively competes with cultivated rice in the field, leading to loss of yield and reductions in harvest quality that compromise market value. Biologists used whole-genome sequences of 48 contemporary weedy rice plants to show how herbicide resistance evolved by gene flow from crop rice. Almost all other cases of herbicide resistance in...

Modern humans generate more brain neurons than Neanderthals

The question of what makes modern humans unique has long been a driving force for researchers. Comparisons with our closest relatives, the Neanderthals, therefore provide fascinating insights. The increase in brain size, and in neuron production during brain development, are considered to be major factors for the increased cognitive abilities that occurred during human evolution. However, while...

Ecological tipping point: 5+ El Niño events per century controls coastal biotic communities

Many models predict that climate change will fuel stronger and more frequent El Niño events. However, our knowledge of ENSO and its influence on ecosystems only extends back about 200 years, making it difficult to understand what the long-term future will hold. In the new study, the authors leveraged a coastal rockshelter site called Abrigo de los Escorpiones, one of the largest and best-dated...

Unraveling a mystery surrounding cosmic matter

Early in its history, shortly after the Big Bang, the universe was filled with equal amounts of matter and "antimatter"—particles that are matter counterparts but with opposite charge. But then, as space expanded, the universe cooled. Today's universe is full of galaxies and stars that are made of matter. Where did the antimatter go, and how did matter come to dominate the universe? This cosmic...

Online Hate Speech Increases During Extreme Hot and Cold Weather, Study Shows

Humans prefer their weather in something of a Goldilocks zone—a not-too-hot, not-too-cold temperature window which not only affects our physical comfort, but also our mood. During heat waves or deep freezes, tempers fray, patience wears thin, and behavior can suffer. Now, a new study in The Lancet Planetary Health, has found that this holds true not only in our in-person interactions, but...

Digging a little deeper: New study explores the nanoscale properties of the Gulong shale oil reservoir

Shale oil, a type of crude oil similar to petroleum, is found between layers of organic-rich shale. It can be refined into petrol, diesel, and other products, making it a sought-after resource. The Qingshankou Formation in the Gulong Sag of the Songliao Basin in China is a large geological body of shale deposits formed at the bottom of an ancient lake. These deposits contain about 15.3 billion...

Researchers report on live intracellular imaging with new, conditionally active immunofluorescence probe

Recent advances in imaging technology have made it possible to visualize intracellular dynamics, which offers a better understanding of several key biological principles for accelerating therapeutic development. Fluorescent labeling is one such technique that is used to identify intracellular proteins, their dynamics, and dysfunction. Both internal as well as external probes with fluorescent dyes...

New approach more than doubles stem cell editing efficiency, researchers report

A Penn State-led team of interdisciplinary researchers has developed techniques to improve the efficiency of CRISPR-Cas9, the genome editing technique that earned the Nobel Prize in 2020. While CRISPR-Cas9 is faster, less expensive and more accurate than other gene-editing methods, according to project leader Xiaojun "Lance" Lian, associate professor of biomedical engineering and biology at Penn...

New advances in stem-cell derived mouse embryo model

Just two weeks after announcing the development of a mouse embryo model, complete with beating hearts and the foundations for a brain and other organs, from mouse stem cells, researchers in the laboratory of Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, Bren Professor of Biology and Biological Engineering, have published new findings about another mouse embryo model reaching similar developmental stages, but created...

Brazil has two populations of American bullfrogs, an exotic species that transmits a deadly fungus

Researchers at the University of São Paulo (USP) and the State University of Campinas (UNICAMP) have conducted the most comprehensive genetic analysis ever of the American bullfrog (Aquarana catesbeiana) in Brazil, concluding that there are two populations of the species here, living on frog farms or invading local ecosystems. Bullfrogs are considered the world's main invasive amphibian.

Polytitanium chloride pre-coagulation for fouling control of ceramic membrane

Membrane technology is widely applied in water treatment for removing suspended particles, colloids, and organic pollutants from polluted water. As a typical representative of inorganic membrane with advantages such as high flux and chemical resistance, ceramic membrane has massive potential value in the treatment of surface water, municipal wastewater, and drinking water.

Climate simulation reveals precipitation isotope changes in Asian monsoon and arid regions for the past 300,000 years

Stable isotopes in precipitation are important indicators for studying changes in the Earth's water cycle and reconstructing the paleoclimate history. Previous studies have shown that the precipitation stable isotopes in Asia recorded in stalagmites and other sediments have prominent periodic change patterns on the 10,000-year scale (orbital scale) in geological periods, but in the scientific...

Minority, immigrant populations faced misinformation, hostility when seeking COVID-19 information online

When the COVID-19 pandemic swept the globe, many people turned to online sources to find health information. That was also largely the case for racial and ethnic minority populations in the United States, and a new study from the University of Kansas found they faced many of the same challenges such as encountering misinformation online, but also unique factors such as harassment, hostility and...

Review paper: Tiny biohybrid robots for intelligent drug delivery

A review paper by scientists at Zhejiang University summarized the development of continuum robots from the aspects of design, actuation, modeling and control. The new review paper, published on Jul. 26 in the journal Cyborg and Bionic Systems, provided an overview of the classic and advanced technologies of continuum robots, along with some prospects urgently to be solved.

Agriculture drives more than 90% of tropical deforestation

A new study published September 8 in Science finds that between 90 and 99% of all deforestation in the tropics is driven directly or indirectly by agriculture. Yet only half to two-thirds of this results in the expansion of active agricultural production on the deforested land.

Study reveals striking differences in brains of modern humans and Neanderthals

Results believed to be first compelling evidence that modern humans were cognitively better than NeanderthalsNeanderthals have long been portrayed as our dim-witted, thuggish cousins. Now groundbreaking research has – while not confirmed the stereotype – revealed striking differences in the brain development of modern humans and Neanderthals.The study involved inserting a Neanderthal brain...

Surprise finding suggests 'water worlds' are more common than we thought

Water is the one thing all life on Earth needs, and the cycle of rain to river to ocean to rain is an essential part of what keeps our planet's climate stable and hospitable. When scientists talk about where to search for signs of life throughout the galaxy, planets with water are always at the top of the list.