186 articles from TUESDAY 28.3.2023
Fast-growing open-access journals stripped of coveted impact factors
Nearly two dozen journals from two of the fastest growing open-access publishers, including one of the world’s largest journals by volume, will no longer receive a key scholarly imprimatur. On 20 March, the Web of Science database said it delisted the journals along with dozens of others, stripping them of an impact factor, the citation-based measure of quality that, although...
Promising Alzheimer’s therapy and related drugs shrink brains
A class of Alzheimer’s drugs that aims to slow cognitive decline, including the antibody lecanemab that was granted accelerated
approval in the United States in January
, can cause brain shrinkage, researchers report in a new analysis. Although scientists and drug developers have documented this loss of brain volume in clinical trial participants for years, the scientific...
The cure for winter flooding might be in this swamp—if California actually funds it
Matt Kaminski stood on a road scarcely higher than the floodplain, glassy pools on all sides stretched out like something from a dream. In the distance, a storm lumbered over the Coast Ranges.
Modeling agriculture matters for carbon cycling
To understand Earth's changing climate, scientists often turn to science-based computer simulations. Researchers strive to make these Earth system models as accurate as possible. Factors such as wind currents, air quality, and weather patterns all play a role. But current modeling has often overlooked one important activity: agriculture.
Researchers develop technology to protect food's bioactive compounds during digestion
Bioactive compounds present mostly in fruit and vegetables perform different bodily functions relating to health and well-being. Their effects are considered antioxidant, antidiabetic, antiaging and anticancer, among others.
Scientists develop model for more efficient simulations of protein interactions linked to cancer
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists have developed a theoretical model for more efficient molecular-level simulations of cell membranes and their lipid-protein interactions, part of a multi-institutional effort to better understand the behavior of cancer-causing membrane proteins.
A wise tool for modifying microbes
A DNA editing tool adapted by Oak Ridge National Laboratory scientists makes engineering microbes for everything from bioenergy production to plastics recycling easier and faster.
Some coastal salt marshes are keeping up with sea level rise—for now
The world's salty, tidal marshes are hotspots of carbon storage and productivity, building up sediments and plant material to stay above sea level. However, as sea level rises at an increasing rate, scientists debate whether it's possible for wetlands to win the race. New research reveals how salt marshes along the U.S. East Coast have responded to accelerating sea level rise by building elevation...
An epigenetic fingerprint as proof of origin for chicken, shrimp and salmon
Free-range organic chicken or factory farming? Scientists at the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) have developed a new detection method that can reveal such differences in husbandry. The so-called epigenetic method is based on the analysis of the characteristic patterns of chemical markers on the genome of the animals.
Highly charged ions melt nano gold nuggets
Normally, we have to make a choice in physics: Either we deal with big things—such as a metal plate and its material properties, or with tiny things—such as individual atoms. But there is also a world in between: The world of small but not yet tiny things, in which both effects of the macroscopic world and effects of the microscopic world play a role.
New method for fast, efficient and scalable cloud tomography
How do clouds shape the planet's future? Clouds are not just fluffy white shapes in the sky. They are vital for regulating the Earth's climate, as they influence the water cycle, atmospheric dynamics and energy balance. However, studying clouds is not easy. One way to do so is to use spaceborne imagers, but these imagers still face challenges of efficiency and scalability.
Preschoolers prefer to learn from a competent robot than an incompetent human, study shows
Who do children prefer to learn from? Previous research has shown that even infants can identify the best informant. But would preschoolers prefer learning from a competent robot over an incompetent human?
Natural-waste pads developed to keep packaged meat fresh
Pads incorporated into fresh meat packaging, whose function is to absorb the moisture generated in it, and that can cause food spoilage, are generally composed of plastic polymers derived from petroleum by-products.
Improved chip-scale color conversion lasers could enable many next-generation quantum devices
In two new studies, researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have greatly improved the efficiency and power output of a series of chip-scale devices that generate laser light at different colors while all using the same input laser source.
Fluorescent visualization and evaluation of NPC1L1-mediated cholesterol absorption at the levels of endocytic vesicles
Excessive cholesterol absorption from intestinal lumen contributes to the pathogenesis of hypercholesterolemia, which is a well-established risk factor for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The absorption of intestinal cholesterol is primarily mediated by Niemann-Pick C1-like 1 (NPC1L1) protein, which is responsible for about 70% cholesterol absorption. NPC1L1-deficient mice are resistant to...
New EU project will standardise access to biodiversity data to empower policymakers
The magnitude and dynamics of the global biodiversity crisis are hard to quantify and require rapid, reliable and repeatable biodiversity monitoring data which decision makers can use to evaluate policy options. Such information—from local to global level and within timescales relevant to policy—calls for improved integration of data on biodiversity from different sources such as museums,...
'Nature gave us a lifeline:' Southern California refills largest reservoir after wet winter
Following a series of winter storms that eased drought conditions across the state, Southern Californians celebrated a sight nobody has seen for several punishing years: water rushing into Diamond Valley Lake.
Exploring the atomic flow of nanojoints in Ag nanowire interconnect networks for flexible electronics
Researchers from Xi'an Jiaotong University revealed the atomic flow behavior of nano-joints in AgNWs Interconnect Network. In order to further improve the joint quality, the thermal welding process and atomic evolution behavior of Ag nanowires were studied through a combination of in situ experimental and molecular dynamics simulations.
A covalent organic framework for photosynthesis of hydrogen peroxide with high quantum efficiency
H2O2 is not only a green oxidant that is widely used in environmental remediation, industrial synthesis, and medical healthcare, etc., but also an emerging energy carrier with a high energy density comparable to compressed H2.
Insight-HXMT and GECAM-C observations of the brightest-of-all-time GRB 221009A
The Institute of High Energy Physics (IHEP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), together with some 40 research institutions worldwide, has released their latest discoveries on the brightest gamma-ray burst (dubbed as GRB 221009A) ever detected by humans.
Brightest gamma-ray burst ever observed reveals new mysteries of cosmic explosions
On October 9, 2022, an intense pulse of gamma-ray radiation swept through our solar system, overwhelming gamma-ray detectors on numerous orbiting satellites, and sending astronomers on a chase to study the event using the most powerful telescopes in the world.
Sydney astronomers provide rapid radio-wave follow-up observation for gamma ray burst GRB 221009A
Australian astronomers have provided vital information in the global effort to understand the brightest-ever detected gamma ray burst, which swept through our solar system on October 9 last year.
Rural educators find solutions to support multilingual learners
A new study has found that a professional development program helped teachers in a rural school district in the Southeast to collaborate and identify innovative solutions to serve multilingual learners, or students learning English as a second language.