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37 articles from ScienceDaily
Quantum lidar prototype acquires real-time 3D images while fully submerged underwater
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
Researchers have demonstrated a prototype lidar system that uses quantum detection technology to acquire 3D images while submerged underwater. The high sensitivity of this system could allow it to capture detailed information even in extremely low-light conditions found underwater.
Elevated levels of toxic metals in some mixed-fruit juices and soft drinks
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
A new study that analyzed 60 commonly available beverages found mixed-fruit juices and plant-based milks such as oat and almond were most likely to contain levels of toxic metals above federal drinking water standards.
Chemical signal protects migratory locusts from cannibalism
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
Researchers show that the migratory locust Locusta migratoria produces the compound phenylacetonitrile (PAN) to defend itself against feeding attacks by conspecifics as population density increases. Cannibalism rates increased in locusts that could no longer produce PAN. The researchers also identified the odor receptor for PAN in the locusts. They showed in animals with a PAN receptor that was no...
CRISPR and single-cell sequencing pinpoint causal genetic variants for traits and diseases
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
A major challenge in human genetics is understanding which parts of the genome drive specific traits or contribute to disease risk. This challenge is even greater for genetic variants found in the 98% of the genome that does not encode proteins. A new approach combines genetic association studies, gene editing, and single-cell sequencing to address these challenges and discover causal variants and...
AI could run a million microbial experiments per year
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
Automation uncovers combinations of amino acids that feed two bacterial species and could tell us much more about the 90% of bacteria that humans have hardly studied. An artificial intelligence system enables robots to conduct autonomous scientific experiments -- as many as 10,000 per day -- potentially driving a drastic leap forward in the pace of discovery in areas from medicine to agriculture...
New clues about the rise of Earth's continents
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
New research deepens the understanding of Earth's crust by testing and ultimately eliminating one popular hypothesis about why continental crust is lower in iron and more oxidized compared to oceanic crust. The iron-poor composition of continental crust is a major reason why vast portions of the Earth's surface stand above sea level as dry land, making terrestrial life possible today. The study...
Gutless marine worms on a Mediterranean diet: Animals can synthesize phytosterols
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
Phytosterols are good for your health, but humans and other animals are not able to make them themselves, only plants can. To acquire phytosterols, humans are increasingly turning to supplements, green smoothies, or a Mediterranean diet with plenty of plant-based foods. Researchers have now discovered that tiny gutless worms from the Mediterranean can synthesize phytosterols on their own. Their...
Scientists begin to unravel global role of atmospheric dust in nourishing oceans
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:56
New research begins to unravel the role dust plays in nourishing global ocean ecosystems while helping regulate atmospheric carbon dioxide levels.
Researchers develop manual for engineering spin dynamics in nanomagnets
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 21:40
An international team of researchers has developed a comprehensive manual for engineering spin dynamics in nanomagnets -- an important step toward advancing spintronic and quantum-information technologies.
Cellular traffic controllers caught managing flow of signals from receptors
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
Proteins that act like air traffic controllers, managing the flow of signals in and out of human cells, have been observed for the first time with unprecedented detail using advanced microscopy techniques. New findings could inform the development of better drugs for pain relief, diabetes or heart failure.
Researchers use generative AI to design novel proteins
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
Researchers have developed an artificial intelligence system that can create proteins not found in nature using generative diffusion, the same technology behind popular image-creation platforms such as DALL-E and Midjourney.
Alternative 'fuel' for string-shaped motors in cells
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
Researchers discover a unique two-component molecular motor that uses a kind of renewable chemical energy to pull vesicles toward membrane-bound organelles.
How seaweed has been misleading scientists about reef health
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
For decades, scientists have used the amount of seaweed at the ocean's surface as a proxy for the health of coral reefs below. However, a new global study of more than 1,200 marine locations over a 16-year period reveals that this approach has been misleading -- and may even have hidden signs of reef stress.
Biofortification of microgreens with zinc could mitigate global 'hidden hunger'
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
When the seeds of plants such as pea and sunflower are biofortified with zinc, the seedlings they quickly produce -- harvested as microgreens -- could both help to mitigate global malnutrition and boost the odds of people surviving a catastrophe.
Researchers develop an additive to efficiently improve the efficiency and stability of perovskite solar cells
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 18:10
Perovskite solar cells (PVSCs) are a promising alternative to traditional silicon-based solar cells because of their high power-conversion efficiency and low cost. However, one of the major challenges in their development has been achieving long-term stability. Recently, a research team made a breakthrough by developing an innovative multifunctional and non-volatile additive which can improve the...
Married couples who merge finances may be happier, stay together longer
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:19
The Beatles famously sang, 'Money can't buy me love,' but married couples who manage their finances together may love each other longer, according to new research.
Happy worms have healthy eggs
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:19
Researchers have exposed roundworms (a well-established model organism in biological research) to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), a class of drugs used for treating depression and anxiety. Surprisingly, this treatment improved the quality of aging females' egg cells.
The future of data storage lies in DNA microcapsules
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:19
Storing data in DNA sounds like science fiction, yet it lies in the near future. Experts expect the first DNA data center to be up and running within five to ten years. Data won't be stored as zeros and ones in a hard drive but in the base pairs that make up DNA: AT and CG. Such a data center would take the form of a lab, many times smaller than the ones today.
Novel ultrasound uses microbubbles to open blood-brain barrier to treat glioblastoma in humans
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:19
In the first in-human clinical trial, scientists used a novel, skull-implantable ultrasound device to open the blood-brain barrier and repeatedly permeate large, critical regions of the human brain to deliver chemotherapy that was injected intravenously. This is potentially a huge advance for glioblastoma patients because the most potent chemotherapy can't permeate the blood-brain barrier to reach...
New guidance to help diagnose hoarding disorder
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
New guidance may help doctors correctly diagnose hoarding disorder. Hoarding disorder affects around 2% of the population but remains a largely misunderstood mental health condition. It was only added to the International Classification of Diseases in 2019, having previously been classified under Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD). The guidance is written by experts from Anglia Ruskin University...
Scientists discover how mutations in a language gene produce speech deficits
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
Researchers find mutations of the Foxp2 gene disrupt the formation of synapses in the brain's striatum, which plays important roles in the control of movement, in mice. A new study sheds light on how Foxp2 controls speech production.
Neutron star's X-rays reveal 'photon metamorphosis'
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
A 'beautiful effect' predicted by quantum electrodynamics (QED) can explain the puzzling first observations of polarized X-rays emitted by a magnetar -- a neutron star featuring a powerful magnetic field, according to an astrophysicist.
Hubble follows shadow play around planet-forming disk
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
The young star TW Hydrae is playing 'shadow puppets' with scientists observing it with NASA's Hubble Space Telescope. In 2017, astronomers reported discovering a shadow sweeping across the face of a vast pancake-shaped gas-and-dust disk surrounding the red dwarf star. The shadow isn't from a planet, but from an inner disk slightly inclined relative to the much larger outer disk -- causing it to...
Scientists discover the dynamics of an 'extra' chromosome in fruit flies
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
Most chromosomes have been around for millions of years. Now, researchers have revealed the dynamics of a new, very young chromosome in fruit flies that is similar to chromosomes that arise in humans and is associated with treatment-resistant cancer and infertility. The findings may one day lead to developing more targeted therapies for treating these conditions.
Research reveals longstanding cultural continuity at oldest occupied site in West Africa
- ScienceDaily
- 23/5/4 17:18
Stone tools recovered from near the Senegalese coast extend occupation of the region back to 150 thousand years ago and are comparable to those seen across Africa at this time, but uniquely persist in the region until 10 thousand years ago.