175 articles from TUESDAY 25.10.2022

Nestling birds recognize their local song 'dialect'

A recent study, published in Current Biology, led by researchers at Stockholm University and Uppsala University, has shown that juvenile songbirds react to hearing the songs they will eventually produce as adults, even when they are as young as 12 days old. Experiments conducted on nestling pied flycatchers across Europe demonstrate that they preferentially respond to songs from their own species...

Vocal communication originated over 400 million years ago

Acoustic communication is not only widespread in land vertebrates like birds and mammals, but also in reptiles, amphibians, and fishes. Many of them are usually considered mute, but in fact show broad and complex acoustic repertoires. According to researchers, the evolutionary origin of vocal communication dates back more than 400 million years.

Nestling birds recognize their local song 'dialect'

A recent study has shown that juvenile songbirds react to hearing the songs they will eventually produce as adults, even when they are as young as 12 days old. Experiments conducted on nestling pied flycatchers across Europe demonstrate that they preferentially respond to songs from their own species and, remarkably, their own population.

Miniaturized infrared detectors

Extreme miniaturization of infrared (IR) detectors is critical for their integration into next-generation consumer electronics, wearables and ultra-small satellites. Thus far, however, IR detectors have relied on bulky (and expensive) materials and technologies. A team of scientists has now succeeded in developing a cost-effective miniaturization process for IR spectrometers based on a quantum dot...

Targeting one type of immune cell with another slows cancer growth in preclinical studies

A new approach to cancer immunotherapy that uses one type of immune cell to kill another -- rather than directly attacking the cancer -- provokes a robust anti-tumor immune response that shrinks ovarian, lung, and pancreatic tumors in preclinical disease models, according to researchers. The study involved a twist on a type of therapy that uses immune cells known as CAR T cells.

Chemical clues to the mystery of what's coating Stradivari's violins

Stradivarius violins produce elegant music with a level of clarity that is unparalleled by modern instruments, according to some musicians. And it's the finishing touches -- mysterious treatments applied hundreds of years ago by Antonio Stradivari -- that contribute to their unique look and sound. In a step toward unraveling the secret, researchers report on a nanometer-scale imaging of two of...

3D flora and fauna at your fingertips

A researcher has developed 'bio-photogrammetry,' using readily available software to scan a variety of plants and animals and reconstruct them into highly detailed 3D models. Over 1,400 models have been created so far, all of them available to the public and online under a CC BY 4.0 license.

Ancient bacteria might lurk beneath Mars' surface

Scientists found that ancient bacteria could survive close to the surface on Mars much longer than previously assumed. So, if life did, in fact, evolve when the last waters flowed on Mars, it would likely still be there today -- billions of years later.

Study sheds light on how songs, movies and memories shape how people enjoy lighthearted entertainment

A new study played song and movie clips both recent and from their adolescence for subjects and asked if they had memories associated with them. Results showed people had more memories associated with older material and also appreciated media that had associated memories more. A look at the psychological processes associated with 'media-induced reminiscence' can tell us more about why people enjoy...

New research shows e-cigarettes cause cardiac arrhythmias

A new study has found that exposure to e-cigarette aerosols can cause heart arrhythmias in animal models -- both in the form of premature and skipped heart beats. The study findings suggest exposure to specific chemicals within e-cigarette liquids (e-liquids) promote arrhythmias and cardiac electrical dysfunction.

In China, a debate over sanitary pads on trains reflects long-held beliefs about women and menstruation

Discrimination against and repression of women is a global problem. In authoritarian states, it is also intertwined with regime survival. Take recent events in Iran, where women-led protests against strict hijab laws are challenging the country's ruling powers. Nearly 3,000 miles away in China, a different feminist debate is taking hold, over whether sanitary pads should be sold on high-speed...

From water conservation to crop selection, how farmers can take action against drought

As climate change accelerates, many countries around the world are increasingly facing the risk of drought. Water scarcity has become one of the major constraints of food production in the 21st century, and a major threat for our current and future food security. In the Horn of Africa, four consecutive rainfall deficit seasons have led to more than 16 million persons facing severe hunger in...

Novel insecticides are bad news for bee health and their guts

Insecticides containing flupyradifurone and sulfoxaflor can have devastating effects on honey bee health. The substances damage the insects' intestinal flora, especially when used in conjunction with a common fungicide, making them more susceptible to disease and shortening their life span.

Bad sleep, nightmares, fatigue, poor appetite. After a difficult few years, therapists are burnt out | Dr Ahona Guha

Many in my field are struggling. I value this work, but when my day ends I feel heavyA few weeks ago, I took two weeks of unplanned sick leave. It was nothing dramatic, just a creep of symptoms so slow I didn’t notice them, until suddenly, I did. Bad sleep, nightmares about violent clients, fatigue, poor appetite and concentration. For the past three years, I’ve felt like a bunch of overcooked...