116 articles from FRIDAY 13.1.2023

A star's unexpected survival

Hundreds of millions of light-years away in a distant galaxy, a star orbiting a supermassive black hole is being violently ripped apart under the black hole's immense gravitational pull. As the star is shredded, its remnants are transformed into a stream of debris that rains back down onto the black hole to form a very hot, very bright disk of material swirling around the black hole, called an...

Some canaries are superstar seed crackers. Watch their tricks

AUSTIN, TEXAS— For canaries, learning to eat seeds can be a tough nut to crack. Researchers reported last week at the annual meeting of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology that some of these birds are up to four times faster than their peers at cracking open hard shells and accessing the tasty morsels within. The team filmed 90...

A team of physicists devise a model that maps a star's surprising orbit about a supermassive black hole

Hundreds of millions of light-years away in a distant galaxy, a star orbiting a supermassive black hole is being violently ripped apart under the black hole's immense gravitational pull. As the star is shredded, its remnants are transformed into a stream of debris that rains back down onto the black hole to form a very hot, very bright disk of material swirling around the black hole, called an...

Now in charge, House Republicans launch flurry of investigations

The new Republican majority in the U.S. House of Representatives is preparing to shine a bright light on science—and scientists. This week, it created two investigative panels that will scrutinize the country’s relationship with China and its response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Both committees are expected to grill many prominent scientists and federal research officials on their...

AI discovers new nanostructures

Scientists have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale 'ladder.'

Study identifies potential new approach for treating lupus

Targeting iron metabolism in immune system cells may offer a new approach for treating systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) -- the most common form of the chronic autoimmune disease lupus. A multidisciplinary team of investigators has discovered that blocking an iron uptake receptor reduces disease pathology and promotes the activity of anti-inflammatory regulatory T cells in a mouse model of SLE.

Swarm intelligence caused by physical mechanisms

Seemingly spontaneously coordinated swarm behavior exhibited by large groups of animals is a fascinating and striking collective phenomenon. Experiments conducted on laser-controlled synthetic microswimmers now show that supposed swarm intelligence can sometimes also be the result of simple and generic physical mechanisms. A team of physicists found that swarms of synthetically produced Brownian...

Machine learning method improves cell identity understanding

When genes are activated and expressed, they show patterns in cells that are similar in type and function across tissues and organs. Discovering these patterns improves our understanding of cells -- which has implications for unveiling disease mechanisms. The advent of spatial transcriptomics technologies has allowed researchers to observe gene expression in their spatial context across entire...

Researchers create smaller, cheaper flow batteries for clean energy

Flow batteries offer a solution. Electrolytes flow through electrochemical cells from storage tanks in this rechargeable battery. The existing flow battery technologies cost more than $200/kilowatt hour and are too expensive for practical application, but engineers have now developed a more compact flow battery cell configuration that reduces the size of the cell by 75%, and correspondingly...

AI improves detail, estimate of urban air pollution

Using artificial intelligence, engineers have simplified and reinforced models that accurately calculate the fine particulate matter (PM2.5) -- the soot, dust and exhaust emitted by trucks and cars that get into human lungs -- contained in urban air pollution.

When migrating birds go astray, disturbances in magnetic field may be partly to blame

Disturbances to Earth's magnetic field can lead birds astray -- a phenomenon scientists call 'vagrancy' -- even in perfect weather, and especially during fall migration. While other factors such as weather likely play bigger roles in causing vagrancy, researchers found a strong correlation between birds that were captured far outside of their expected range and the geomagnetic disturbances that...

Using paleogenomics to elucidate 10,000 years of immune system evolution

Scientists have used paleogenomics to trace 10,000 years of human immune system evolution. They analyzed the genomes of more than 2,800 individuals who lived in Europe over the past ten millennia. They were able to date the increase in frequency of most of the mutations that are advantageous in defending against pathogens to after the Bronze Age, 4,500 years ago. The scientists also observed that...

Two research teams reverse signs of aging in mice

A decade after Kyoto University biologist Shinya Yamanaka won a share of a Nobel Prize for discovering a cocktail of proteins that reprogram adult cells into versatile stem cells, two teams argue the proteins can turn back the clock for entire organisms—perhaps one day humans. One group at a biotech used gene therapy to deliver some of the so-called Yamanaka factors into old mice, and...

Artificial intelligence discovers new nanostructures

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have successfully demonstrated that autonomous methods can discover new materials. The artificial intelligence (AI)-driven technique led to the discovery of three new nanostructures, including a first-of-its-kind nanoscale "ladder." The research was published today in Science Advances..