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...
Bumblebees can be classified as 'fish' under California conservation law, court says
In a move that could allow a broad range of insects to be considered for endangered species status, the state Supreme Court has found that California bumblebees can be protected under the law as a type of fish.
Mexico earthquake triggers 'desert tsunami' 1,500 miles away in Death Valley cave
About five minutes after the 7.6 magnitude earthquake hit near Mexico's southwest coast Monday, typically calm water deep in a Death Valley National Park cave started sloshing against the surrounding limestone rock.
An AI message decoder based on bacterial growth patterns
From a box of Cracker Jack to The Da Vinci Code, everybody enjoys deciphering secret messages. But biomedical engineers at Duke University have taken the decoder ring to place it's never been before—the patterns created by bacterial colonies.
Air pollution can amplify negative effects of climate change, new study finds
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 could potentially incentivize certain countries to cut climate-changing emissions.
Coral genome reveals cysteine surprise
Model animals, such as mice and fruit flies, have provided scientists with powerful insights into how cellular biology works. However, model animals are really just a guide, and it can be risky to generalize findings across animals from studying a selection of model organisms.
First single-crystal organometallic perovskite optical fibers
Due to their very high efficiency in transporting electric charges from light, perovskites are known as the next generation material for solar panels and LED displays. A team led by Dr. Lei Su at Queen Mary University of London now have invented a brand-new application of perovskites as optical fibers. The results are published in Science Advances.
Neoliberals are most receptive to political tricks, study finds
Do we fall for political tricks—when politicians tell us things that seem completely meaningless? Social psychologists of the University of Amsterdam tested how people respond to vague and meaningless statements like "To politically lead the people means to always fight for them" and "For better and stronger Gonfel!" (a fictitious country). They find that right-wing people, and especially...
Project counts down Ariel exoplanet targets
Details of the orbits of 450 candidate exoplanet targets of the European Space Agency's Ariel space mission have been presented this week at the Europlanet Science Congress (EPSC) 2022, and submitted for publication in the Astrophysical Journal Supplement Series. The study, coordinated by the ExoClock project, has been co-authored by 217 professional and amateur astronomers, as well as university...
Do you want to join the challenge to explore the moon?
Lunar enthusiasts of all ages are challenged to help identify features on the moon that might pose a hazard to rovers or astronauts exploring the surface.
Mutation in key molecules could stop gonorrhea infection
Creating a mutation that inhibits how the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection, could offer a new way to prevent and treat the disease, according to researchers in the Institute for Biomedical Sciences at Georgia State University.
Tracking the origin of southern California's latest invasive pest
In 2012, a crop of California's most prized ornamental trees was overrun by an invisible invader. The growing shoots of coral beans—the official city tree of Los Angeles—began wilting and falling away, revealing stems that had been hollowed out from the inside by the caterpillars of Erythrina stem borer moths.
Ancient documents give unique glimpse into Malta's magic history
From love charms to getting rid of demons and curing illness, ancient documents give a unique glimpse into how rich and poor in Malta used magic to improve their lives.
The carp virus that taught researchers about immunology
One of the fascinating aspects of scientific research is certainly the serendipity that comes with it, which is something the team of Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, virologist and immunologist at the FARAH (Faculty of Veterinary Medicine) of the University of Liège can only agree with. His team has just published in Nucleic Acids Research the results of ten years of research on the study of an...
Monday will be the closest Jupiter is to Earth in nearly six decades
Stargazers across the globe will get a great view of Jupiter come Monday night, weather permitting.
Strong winds hit Bermuda as Hurricane Fiona heads for Canada
Bermuda assessed damage Friday after Hurricane Fiona brushed past the island overnight, causing flooding and leaving most of the population without power as it set course for Canada.
Scientists use modified silk proteins to create new nonstick surfaces
Researchers at Tufts University have developed a method to make silk-based materials that refuse to stick to water, or almost anything else containing water for that matter. In fact, the modified silk, which can be molded into forms like plastic, or coated onto surfaces as a film, has non-stick properties that surpass those of nonstick surfaces typically used on cookware, and it could see...
How an effort to reduce fossil fuel use led to another environmental problem: Light pollution
In 2014, Los Angeles cut its annual carbon emissions by 43% and saved $9 million in energy costs by replacing the bulbs in more than half of the city's street lamps with light-emitting diodes.
Higher temperatures make it difficult for fig tree pollinators
Researchers from Uppsala University and elsewhere have been studying the effect of rising temperatures on the lifespan of pollinating fig wasps. The findings show that the wasps lived much shorter lives at high temperatures, which would make it difficult for them to travel the long distances between the trees they pollinate.
An AI message decoder based on bacterial growth patterns
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 19:21
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 conditions.
Intestinal fortitude: Gut coils hold secrets of organ formation
- ScienceDaily
- 22/9/23 19:21
A new study finds that gut rotation during development is orchestrated by two waves of expression of a transcription factor called Pitx2. The second wave, it turns out, is triggered by mechanical cues within an elastic tissue that anchors the gut tube, and later becomes a conduit for blood and lymphatic vessels that supply the gut tube.
What you can do to reduce light pollution
As the old saying goes, many hands can make light work. They can also work together to make light vanish.
Developing conductive and electrocatalytic mediators in Li-S batteries
Lithium sulfide (Li-S) batteries are considered a promising and efficient energy storage system because of their high energy density (2600 Wh kg-1) and low sulfur material cost. However, numerous obstacles to the practical implementation of Li–S batteries remain, including low sulfur conductivity, the shuttle effect, and the requirement for an adequate volume change (80%) of sulfur during...