152 articles from MONDAY 21.11.2022
Researchers develop a new type of light-sensitive nanoparticle to help identify ectopic pregnancy
Oregon State University scientists have produced a proof of concept for a new and better way of caring for women facing the life-threatening situation of ectopic pregnancy, which occurs when a fertilized egg implants somewhere other than the lining of the uterus.
Satellites cast critical eye on coastal dead zones
A dead zone in the ocean is as bad as it sounds, and having no information about dead zones' scope and path is worse. However, scientists at Michigan State University (MSU) have discovered a birds-eye method to predict where, when, and how long dead zones could persist across large coastal regions.
What shapes the composition of microbes in a warbler's gut?
Differences among the collection of bacteria and other microorganisms that live within birds' digestive tracts—their gut microbiomes—are not primarily driven by diet diversity, contrary to a recently proposed hypothesis. Instead, a team of researchers from Penn State has found that evolution may play a larger role in explaining these differences, which could potentially have implications for...
Astrophysicists chronicle the history of mathematical cosmology
RUDN University astrophysicists have gathered the most important discoveries of modern cosmology from 1917 to our time. The collected data became an introduction to Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A in two parts: from 1917 to 1980 and from 1980 to our time.
Children in child protection need more say about their care, says study
New Australian Catholic University (ACU) research shows that more must be done to support children's participation in child protection to ensure they have a voice when making decisions about their protection. ACU social work lecturer and study lead Dr. Elise Woodman said the new research revealed gaps between policy and practice.
Research confirms wisdom of Santa's wish lists, showing holiday shoppers often don't buy what recipients want
Givers frequently struggle when it comes to choosing presents recipients really want, according to Julian Givi, a West Virginia University expert on gifting.
Shining a new light on the importance of a critical photosynthesis pathway in plants
Photosynthesis is one of the most important chemical reactions, not just for plants but also for the entire world. The impact and thus the importance of photosynthesis can scarcely be underestimated. Thus, it makes sense that science has long been fascinated by the reactions and physical phenomena that make photosynthesis occur. One of these phenomena is the ferredoxin/thioredoxin (Fd/Trx)...
Microlaser chip adds new dimensions to quantum communication
Researchers at Penn Engineering have created a chip that outstrips the security and robustness of existing quantum communications hardware. Their technology communicates in "qudits," doubling the quantum information space of any previous on-chip laser.
Reviewing reviews: 'Top reviews' can help sway shoppers, but there are limits
Although featured—or top—reviews on e-commerce sites can help cut down on information overload for customers trying to make purchasing decisions, too many such top reviews can pose an overload of their own, according to researchers.
Digital tools can transform agriculture to be more environmentally sustainable
Agricultural producers face dual challenges of increasing output for a growing world population while reducing negative effects on the environment. Digital technologies and artificial intelligence can facilitate sustainable production, but farmers must weigh opportunities and risks when deciding whether to embrace such tools.
Going to 'femoral head' of class to explain dinosaur evolution
Dinosaurs—and birds—wouldn't have been able to stand on their own two feet without some radical changes to their upper thigh bones. Now, a new study by Yale paleontologists charts the evolutionary course of these leggy alterations.
A combination of ultrasound and nanobubbles allows cancerous tumors to be destroyed without invasive treatments
A new technology developed at Tel Aviv University makes it possible to destroy cancerous tumors in a targeted manner, via a combination of ultrasound and the injection of nanobubbles into the bloodstream. According to the research team, unlike invasive treatment methods or the injection of microbubbles into the tumor itself, this latest technology enables the destruction of the tumor in a...
Research to mend broken bones, test implantable devices, and inspire future explorers on way to ISS
While millions of Americans plan for the upcoming holidays, a variety of critical research and supplies will head to the International Space Station (ISS) as part of SpaceX's 26th Commercial Resupply Services mission (SpaceX CRS-26). The SpaceX Dragon spacecraft is scheduled for launch onboard a Falcon 9 rocket to the space station no earlier than November 22, 2022, from Launch Pad 39A at NASA's...
Mapping Lyme disease across western North America
Tick bites transmit Lyme disease. But even knowing where these ticks live doesn't necessarily mean you can predict the disease in humans. It's only one part of a broader picture which includes human behavior and the habits of the parasite's carriers.
Monterey Bay desalination project is approved despite environmental injustice concerns
In a decision that sheds harsh light on the state's commitment to environmental justice amid growing drought anxiety, the California Coastal Commission has granted conditional approval to a controversial Monterey Bay desalination project that even the commission's own staff said would unfairly burden a historically underserved community.
How a rare plant species could hinder a needed lithium mine
Skyrocketing demand for domestically sourced lithium to meet federal goals for zero-emission technologies has developers planning for the next great mining boon in the Silver State, but a rare wildflower may stymie one proposed project.
Researchers identify last remaining steps in the biosynthesis of tropane alkaloids from coca
Tropane alkaloids are a particular class of plant-derived compounds that have been exploited by mankind since the domestication of medicinal plants. The distribution of these alkaloids is scattered amongst the flowering plants and the two most studied families include those from the Solanaceae (tomato, tobacco, potato relatives) and the Erythroxylaceae (coca). The WHO lists several tropane...
Helping the hellbenders: St. Louis experts work to breed struggling species
For spending their 160 million years of existence mostly hiding in rivers and streams under rocks, Eastern and Ozark hellbenders had done pretty well for themselves.
The Eocene rise of eastern Tibet drove an ancient monsoon that modernized Asian biodiversity
Today East Asia, and in particular the Hengduan Mountains and other parts of southwestern China, hosts several of Earth's great biodiversity "hotspots." A biodiversity hotspot is where very large numbers of unique species are under threat of extinction, and so are conservation priority areas. However, to understand how best to look after this diversity we need to understand what created it and how...
Genes and languages aren't always found together, says new study
More than 7,000 languages are spoken in the world. This linguistic diversity is passed on from one generation to the next, similarly to biological traits. But have language and genes evolved in parallel over the past few thousand years, as Charles Darwin originally thought?
California's Mojave desert tortoises move toward extinction. Why saving them is so hard
Behind the fences surrounding this 40-square-mile outback of cactus and wiry creosote, the largest remaining population of Mojave desert tortoises was soaking up the morning sun and grazing on a mix of wild greens and flowers.
Orion spacecraft makes closest moon approach on Artemis I mission
The Artemis I mission brought Orion on its closest approach to the moon while blasting out on its way to an orbit that will take it farther from the Earth than any previous human-rated spacecraft.
NASA's going back to the moon and must confront a familiar enemy: Dust
The moon is incredibly hot, and also incredibly cold.
A closer look at the dynamics of the p-Laplacian Allen–Cahn equation
In the past few decades, the use of phase field-modeling equations for mathematical modeling has progressed. Phase separation has been studied extensively in thermodynamics and materials engineering, but the biological field has also begun to take an interest in this phenomenon.
Genetic 'hitchhikers' can be directed using CRISPR
In a new study, North Carolina State University researchers characterize a range of molecular tools to rewrite—not just edit—large chunks of an organism's DNA, based on CRISPR-Cas systems associated with selfish genetic "hitchhikers" called transposons.
CRISPR’s ‘ancestry problem’ misses cancer targets in those of African descent
- ScienceNOW
- 22/11/21 21:05
The 10-year-old gene-editing tool known as CRISPR is indispensable for engineering plants, tailoring lab animals, and probing basic biology. But there’s a caveat when it is used to tweak human genes: Unlike lab mice, which are usually inbred and genetically identical, people’s genomes differ individually and by ancestry.
These ancestry differences mean CRISPR doesn’t always...
Study analyzes dust transport in the upper levels of the atmosphere over the last two glacial cycles
Dust from the dry Puna Plateau in northwestern Argentina was an important source of iron for the nutrient-deficient South Pacific in the last two glacial cycles—especially at the beginning of these cycles. This was the key finding of a study presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences journal by a team of researchers led by geochemist Dr. Torben Struve from the University of...
Building green energy facilities may produce substantial carbon emissions, says study
First, the bad news: Nothing is free. Moving the world energy system away from fossil fuels and into renewable sources will generate carbon emissions by itself, as construction of wind turbines, solar panels and other new infrastructure consumes energy—some of it necessarily coming from the fossil fuels we are trying to get rid of. The good news: If this infrastructure can be put on line...
1,700-year-old spider monkey remains point to earliest evidence of primate captivity, translocation and gift diplomacy
The complete skeletal remains of a spider monkey—seen as an exotic curiosity in pre-Hispanic Mexico—gives researchers new evidence regarding social-political ties between two ancient powerhouses: Teotihuacán and Maya Indigenous rulers.