88 articles from MONDAY 10.10.2022
Ancient Mars could have been teeming with microbial life, researchers find
If the hydrogen-gobbling, methane-producing microorganisms existed, they would have caused their own demiseAncient Mars may have had an environment capable of harboring an underground world teeming with microscopic organisms, French scientists reported on Monday. But if they existed, these simple life forms would have altered the atmosphere so profoundly that they triggered a Martian Ice Age and...
After stroke in an infant's brain, right side of brain compensates for loss of language in left side
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/10 22:12
A clinical study found that, for children who had a major stroke to the left hemisphere of their brain within days of their birth, the infant's brain was 'plastic' enough for the right hemisphere to acquire the language abilities ordinarily handled by the left side while also maintaining its own language abilities as well.
Unprecedented levels of insects damaging plants
- ScienceDaily
- 22/10/10 22:12
A new study compares insect herbivore damage of modern-era plants with that of fossilized leaves from as far back as the Late Cretaceous period, nearly 67 million years ago.
Team develops biocompatible adhesive applicable to hair transplants
Medical adhesives are materials that can be applied to various uses such as wound healing, hemostasis, vascular anastomosis, and tissue engineering, and they are expected to contribute greatly to the development of minimally invasive surgery and organ transplants. However, adhesives that have high adhesion and low toxicity while also being capable of decomposing in the body are rare.
Researchers demonstrate human cognitive system designed to enable moral tradeoff decisions
Moral dilemmas—balancing one right action against another—are a ubiquitous feature of 21st-century life. However unavoidable, though, they are not unique to our modern age. The challenge of accommodating conflicting needs figured as prominently in the lives of our human ancestors as it does for us today.
Seed burial by wind is most difficult on a substrate consisting mainly of medium-sized particles, researchers say
A soil seed bank provides diaspores for plant population recruitment and is vital for species diversity maintenance and plant community assembly. The formation of a soil seed bank involves three key processes: seed dispersal, seed settlement and seed burial.
Study reveals current state and past changes in frozen ground at Earth's Third Pole
Earth's Third Pole, which covers the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, the Pamir Plateau, and the Tien Shan, includes the largest frozen ground region in the middle and low latitudes of the world.
Researchers reveal molecular mechanism behind pigment production in skin cells
The pigments that create skin, hair, and eye color are produced in organelles called melanosomes, which are located within skin cells called melanocytes and several types of eye pigment cells. Albinism, a condition characterized by an absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes, occurs when mutations within genes responsible for melanosome function or supporting cellular machinery prevent...
Oil sheen contained in Talbert Channel near site of last year's major Orange County pipeline spill
State officials have contained an oil sheen that was spotted in Talbert Channel near Huntington Beach on Friday morning.
AI predicts physics of future fault slip in laboratory earthquakes
An artificial intelligence approach borrowed from natural language processing—much like language translation and autofill for text on your smart phone—can predict future fault friction and the next failure time with high resolution in laboratory earthquakes. The technique, applying AI to the fault's acoustic signals, advances previous work and goes beyond by predicting aspects of the future...
Research finds unprecedented levels of insects damaging plants
Insects today are causing unprecedented levels of damage to plants, even as insect numbers decline, according to new research led by University of Wyoming scientists.
Researchers identify potential target for developing broad-spectrum antiviral therapies
Researchers have identified a promising strategy for development of broad-spectrum antiviral therapies that centers around promoting a strong immune response capable of stopping a number of viruses in their infectious tracks.
Climate change and deforestation may drive tree-dwelling primates to the ground, large-scale study shows
A large-scale study of 47 species of monkeys and lemurs has found that climate change and deforestation are driving these tree-dwelling animals to the ground, where they are at higher risk due to lack of preferred food and shelter, and may experience more negative interaction with humans and domestic animals.
Evidence suggests pandemic came from nature, not a lab, panel says
- ScienceNOW
- 22/10/10 21:00
The acrimonious debate over the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic flared up again this week with a report from an expert panel concluding that SARS-CoV-2 likely spread naturally in a zoonotic jump from an animal to humans—without help from a lab.
“Our paper recognizes that there are different possible origins, but the evidence towards zoonosis is overwhelming,” says...
Our moon has been slowly drifting away from Earth over the past 2.5 billion years
Looking up at the moon in the night sky, you would never imagine that it is slowly moving away from Earth. But we know otherwise. In 1969, NASA's Apollo missions installed reflective panels on the moon. These have shown that the moon is currently moving 3.8 cm away from the Earth every year.
Why the Salton Sea is turning into toxic dust
The Salton Sea, California's most polluted inland lake, has lost a third of its water in the last 25 years. New research has determined a decline in Colorado River flow is the reason for that shrinking.
A new process to build 2D materials made possible by quantum calculations
Quantum calculations performed by researchers from the University of Surrey have allowed scientists to discover new "phases" of two-dimensional (2D) material that could be used to develop the next generation of fuel-cells devices.
Scientists hit their creative peak early in their careers, study finds
A new study provides the best evidence to date that scientists overall are most innovative and creative early in their careers.
Wildlife trade threatening unprotected animals
International trade in animals not regulated by multilateral agreements is putting them under increasing threat. More than three times the number of unregulated animal species are being imported into the United States compared to the number of regulated species.
Nanomaterial from the Middle Ages
To gild sculptures in the late Middle Ages, artists often applied ultra-thin gold foil supported by a silver base layer. For the first time, scientists at the Paul Scherrer Institute PSI have managed to produce nanoscale 3D images of this material, known as Zwischgold. The pictures show this was a highly sophisticated medieval production technique and demonstrate why restoring such precious gilded...
Properties of 'baby talk' similar across many languages
A study by the University of York and Aarhus University has revealed that baby talk displays similar properties across 36 languages.
Delta to work with MIT to study impact of airplane contrails on climate
Delta Air Lines said Thursday it will work with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology on a study examining the environmental impact of airplane contrails.
Rare wolves headed to South Carolina from Ohio as fight to prevent extinction ramps up
By next spring, visitors to a South Carolina nature preserve may get a glimpse of one of the world's rarest animals.
SpaceX sunset launch from Canaveral completes Space Coast trio
SpaceX was able to send up a Falcon 9 with a pair of satellites from Cape Canaveral on Saturday at sunset to complete a trio of launches for the Space Coast this week.