167 articles from FRIDAY 23.9.2022
Asexual relationships need same ingredients as any other relationship
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 22:53
Many asexual individuals, those with little to no sexual attraction, are in long-term satisfying romantic relationships, but there has been little study on how and why they last and thrive. New research found that, despite asexuals' lack of or dislike for sexual attraction, the ingredients that make for a successful relationship among asexual individuals are virtually the same as those in any...
Disarming the immune system's lethal lung response
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 22:53
Neutrophils are the body's first line of defense against infection. But if too many attack for too long, they can damage the tissues they're meant to protect. In the lungs, this damage can lead to acute respiratory distress syndrome, the leading cause of death due to COVID-19. Researchers have found that using a drug to inhibit a protein called PTP1B can prevent lethal lung inflammation in mice....
China Unveils Plans to Send Spacecraft to Jupiter and Uranus
It was 2,300 years ago that the ancient Chinese poet Qu Yuan wrote the poem “Tianwen,” or “Heavenly Questions.” It is only now that China’s Tianwen spacecraft have begun flying missions designed to come up with some heavenly answers. And as Space.com reports, those missions are becoming increasingly ambitious.
In 2020, the Tianwen 1 spacecraft was launched to Mars,...
A NASA Spacecraft Is About To Collide With an Asteroid in an Effort to Keep Earth Safe
Dimorphos is easily one of the least interesting objects in the solar system. It’s a rock—a moonlet, really—measuring just 160 m (525 ft.) across, orbiting the asteroid Didymos, which itself measures only 780 m (2,560 ft). Located 11 million km (6.8 million mi.) from Earth, the Didymos-Dimorphos system is just one tiny part of the river of rubble that circles the sun in the...
When an octopus kills, it is stealthy and calculating
When an octopus entangles its prey in its powerful, swirling mass of tentacles, it may look to the untrained eye like chaos. But, in fact, it’s a highly choreographed...
Approaching storm may delay launch try for NASA moon rocket
An approaching storm threatens to delay NASA's next launch attempt for its new moon rocket, already grounded for weeks by fuel leaks.
Simple process extracts valuable magnesium salt from seawater
Since ancient times, humans have extracted salts, like table salt, from the ocean. While table salt is the easiest to obtain, seawater is a rich source of different minerals, and researchers are exploring which ones they can pull from the ocean. One such mineral, magnesium, is abundant in the sea and increasingly useful on the land.
New research finds that viruses may have 'eyes and ears' on us
New UMBC-led research in Frontiers in Microbiology suggests that viruses are using information from their environment to "decide" when to sit tight inside their hosts and when to multiply and burst out, killing the host cell. The work has implications for antiviral drug development.
DNA nets capture COVID-19 virus in low-cost rapid-testing platform
Tiny nets woven from DNA strands can ensnare the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, lighting up the virus for a fast-yet-sensitive diagnostic test—and also impeding the virus from infecting cells, opening a new possible route to antiviral treatment, according to a new study.
Potential of precision genome editing in treating inherited retinal diseases
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
Researchers explain how precision genome editing agents have enabled precise gene correction and disease rescue in inherited retinal diseases (IRDs).
Air pollution can amplify negative effects of climate change, new study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
The impacts of air pollution on human health, economies, and agriculture differ drastically depending on where on the planet the pollutants are emitted, according to a new study that found that In some cases, pollution co-emitted with CO2 can increase the social cost of carbon by as much as 66%.
New research throws doubt on old ideas of how hearing works
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
The way in which we experience music and speech differs from what has until now been believed. The results may make it possible to design better cochlear implants.
Uncovering the skin's secrets: Studies show how skin forms differently across the body
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
Two recent studies reveal how skin forms differently across different areas of the body from the face and underarms to the palms of our hands and feet. By profiling the changes in skin, researchers found that the differences have a direct impact for how various skin diseases form across the body.
New research finds that viruses may have 'eyes and ears' on us
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
New research suggests that viruses are using information from their environment to 'decide' when to sit tight inside their hosts and when to multiply and burst out, killing the host cell. Right now, viruses are exploiting the ability to monitor their environment to their benefit. But in the future, 'we could exploit it to their detriment,' said one of the authors.
An AI message decoder based on bacterial growth patterns
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
A new encryption method uses simulated bacterial growth based on specific initial conditions to form patterns corresponding to letters. Depending on the initial conditions used, such as nutrient levels and space constraints, bacteria tend to grow in specific ways. Researchers have created a new type of encryption scheme based on how a virtual bacterial colony grows with specific initial...
Simple process extracts valuable magnesium salt from seawater
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 21:30
A new, simple, and efficient flow-based method allows researchers to pull a useful magnesium salt from natural seawater using easily available chemicals.
A new book lets the Milky Way speak for itself — and it's kind of a jerk
A new book, "The Milky Way: An Autobiography of our Galaxy," by astrophysicist Moiya McTier, imagines our galaxy using its own voice to spill the beans on topics like how it came to be, what it really thinks of us humans, its complicated relationships with other galaxies — and how it will likely meet its...
James Webb Space Telescope offers spectacular new picture of Neptune's rings — but Voyager got there first
Bob McDonald's blog: Neptune's faint, dark rings are almost impossible to see using Earth-based telescopes. The best view we've had of them was from the 1989 Voyager 2 flyby. Now the James Webb telescope has produced a beautiful new...
How trash bandits, furry and feathered, outsmart humans for food
In their quest for food, animals venture into human environments to access one of the richest urban food sources: garbage. Two new studies published this month detail how cockatoos and raccoons, two notorious trash bandits, are using their smarts to overcome human obstacles and fill their...