feed info
36 articles from ScienceDaily
Experimental drug shows early promise against inherited form of ALS, trial indicates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 23:43
A clinical trial has found evidence that the experimental drug tofersen lowers levels of a disease-causing protein in people with an inherited form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, caused by mutations in the gene SOD1.
New bird checklists from Coiba National Park, Panama
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 23:43
A trip to Jicarón Island during the Coiba Bioblitz led to a published bird checklist.
Lung, immune function in kids could protect from severe COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:55
Differences in lung physiology and immune function in children could be why they are more often spared from severe illness associated with COVID-19 than adults.
Stress testing 'coral in a box'
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:55
Coral death is impacting oceans worldwide as a consequence of climate change. The concern is that corals cannot keep pace with the rate of ocean warming. In particular, because a temperature increase of only one degree Celsius can make the difference between healthy and dying coral reefs. Some corals, however, are more resistant to increasing temperatures. In order to effectively protect coral...
Critical early step of the visual process uncovered
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:55
The key components of electrical connections between light receptors in the eye and the impact of these connections on the early steps of visual signal processing have been identified for the first time, according to new research.
Fossil jawbone from Alaska is a rare case of a juvenile Arctic dromaeosaurid dinosaur
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:06
A small piece of fossil jawbone from Alaska represents a rare example of juvenile dromaeosaurid dinosaur remains from the Arctic, according to a new study.
Naturally perforated shells one of the earliest adornments in the Middle Paleolithic
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:06
Ancient humans deliberately collected perforated shells in order to string them together as beads, according to a new study.
'Bystander Effect' not exclusive to humans
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:06
A rat is less likely to help a trapped companion if it is with other rats that aren't helping, according to new research that showed the social psychological theory of the ''bystander effect'' in humans is present in these long-tailed rodents.
How good gut bacteria help reduce the risk for heart disease
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:06
Scientists have discovered that one of the good bacteria found in the human gut has a benefit that has remained unrecognized until now: the potential to reduce the risk for heart disease.
COVID-19 brain complications found across the globe
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 21:05
Cases of brain complications linked to COVID-19 are occurring across the globe, a new review has shown. The research found that strokes, delirium and other neurological complications are reported from most countries where there have been large outbreaks of the disease.
Researchers propose novel approach to limit organ damage for patients with severe COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 19:59
In a new paper, researchers propose that controlling the local and systemic inflammatory response in COVID-19 may be as important as anti-viral and other therapies.
Supergenes play a larger role in evolution than previously thought
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:53
Large blocks of 'plug and play' genes play a super-sized role in adaption-and may help fill lingering gaps in Darwin's theories.
Physicists use oscillations of atoms to control a phase transition
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:53
The goal of ''Femtochemistry'' is to film and control chemical reactions with short flashes of light. Using consecutive laser pulses, atomic bonds can be excited precisely and broken as desired. So far, this has been demonstrated for selected molecules. Researchers have now succeeded in transferring this principle to a solid, controlling its crystal structure on the surface.
Learning more about particle collisions with machine learning
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:53
A team of scientists has devised a machine learning algorithm that calculates, with low computational time, how the ATLAS detector in the Large Hadron Collider would respond to the ten times more data expected with a planned upgrade in 2027.
The best (and worst) materials for masks
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:53
It's intuitive and scientifically shown that wearing a face covering can help reduce the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. But not all masks are created equal, according to new research.
How colliding neutron stars could shed light on universal mysteries
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:14
Researchers have discovered an unusual pulsar - one of deep space's magnetized spinning neutron-star 'lighthouses' that emits highly focused radio waves from its magnetic poles. It is unusual because the masses of its two neutron stars are quite different -- with one far larger than the other. The breakthrough provides clues about unsolved mysteries in astrophysics -- including the expansion rate...
New molecular tool precisely edits mitochondrial DNA
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:14
The precision editing technologies that have revolutionized DNA editing in the cell nucleus have been unable to reach the mitochondrial genome. Now, researchers have broken this barrier with a new type of molecular editor that can make precise C* G-to-T* A nucleotide changes in mitochondrial DNA. The editor, engineered from a bacterial toxin, enables modeling of disease-associated mtDNA mutations,...
COVID-19 cases and deaths in federal and state prisons significantly higher than in general U.S. population
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:14
Prison COVID-19 cases are five times higher and prison COVID-19 death rate are three times higher than the U.S. general population, according to new research.
Texas will face driest conditions of the last 1,000 years
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:14
Texas' future climate will feature drier summers and decreasing water supplies for much of the state for the remainder of the 21st century -- likely resulting in the driest conditions the state has endured in the last 1,000 years, according to a team of researchers.
Programmable balloons pave the way for new shape-morphing devices
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 18:14
A team of researchers has designed materials that can control and mold a balloon into pre-programmed shapes. The system uses kirigami sheets -- thin sheets of material with periodic cuts -- embedded into an inflatable device.
Evolutionary biologists find several fish adapt in the same way to toxic water
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 17:00
Several species of fish have adapted to harsh environments using the same mechanism, which brings to question evolutionary chance, according to a new study.
Study could rewrite Earth's history
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 17:00
New research has found evidence to suggest that the Earth's first continents were not formed by subduction in a modern-like plate tectonics environment as previously thought, and instead may have been created by an entirely different process.
Animals who try to sound 'bigger' are good at learning sounds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
Some animals fake their body size by sounding 'bigger' than they actually are. Researchers studied 164 different mammals and found that animals who lower their voice to sound bigger are often skilled vocalists. Both strategies -- sounding bigger and learning sounds -- are likely driven by sexual selection, and may play a role in explaining the origins of human speech evolution.
Links between parents' and children's asthma and allergies
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
New research found that, compared with a father's traits related to allergies and asthma, a mother's traits create a higher risk that a child will develop these same traits in early childhood.
The effects of smartphone use on parenting
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
Parents may worry that spending time on their smartphones has a negative impact on their relationships with their children. However, a new comprehensive analysis found that this is unlikely to be the case.
People more likely to donate when reminded of own mortality
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
New research shows that people are 30 per cent more likely to donate their assets when faced with their own mortality.
Hearing persists at end of life
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
Hearing is widely thought to be the last sense to go in the dying process. Now, the first study to investigate hearing in palliative care patients who are close to death provides evidence that some may still be able to hear while in an unresponsive state. Electroencephalography (EEG) was used to measure the dying brain's response to sound. The findings may help family and friends bring comfort to...
Bespoke catalysts for power-to-X
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
Suitable catalysts are of great importance for efficient power-to-X applications -- but the molecular processes occurring during their use have not yet been fully understood. Using X-rays from a synchrotron particle accelerator, scientists have now been able to observe for the first time a catalyst during the Fischer-Tropsch reaction that facilitates the production of synthetic fuels under...
Neutralizing antibodies in the battle against COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
An important line of defense against SARS-CoV-2 is the formation of neutralizing antibodies. These can eliminate the intruders and have great potential to be used for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Researchers have elucidated how these antibodies develop and have isolated potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.
Tackling coral reefs' thorny problem: Crown-of-thorns starfish
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
Researchers have revealed the evolutionary history of the crown-of-thorns starfish -- a predator of coral that can devastate coral reefs. Their findings shed light on how the populations of these starfish have changed over time and could potentially help reduce their ecological destruction.
Graphene: It is all about the toppings
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:59
The way graphene interacts with other materials depends on how these materials are brought into contact with the graphene. The appropriate atoms are brought into contact with the graphene in such a way that they 'grow' on the graphene in the desired crystal structure. Until now the mechanisms of the 'growth' of such other materials on graphene have often remained unclear. A new study shows now how...
Researchers develop sterilizable, alternative N95 mask
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 16:58
Early results from modeling and a feasibility study for fit testing suggest that the iMASC system, an N95 mask alternative, could fit faces of different sizes and shapes and be sterilized for reuse.
Men and younger adults less active in lockdown
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 00:39
New research indicates that men and younger adults have been less physically active during the COVID-19 lockdown.
Strain of E. coli may offer protections against its more malevolent cousins
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 00:39
Researchers say E. coli Nissle may protect human cells against other more pathogenic strains of E. coli such as E. coli 0157:H7, which is commonly associated with contaminated hamburger meat.
Famous 'Jurassic Park' dinosaur is less lizard, more bird
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 00:39
From movies to museum exhibits, the dinosaur Dilophosaurus is no stranger to pop culture. Many probably remember it best from the movie 'Jurassic Park,' where it's depicted as a venom-spitting beast with a rattling frill around its neck and two paddle-like crests on its head. But a new comprehensive analysis of Dilophosaurus fossils is helping to set the record straight, finding that the...
Algae species discovered infesting NW Hawaiian waters has been identified
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/8 00:39
A newly-identified, fast-growing species of algae poses a major threat to coral reefs and the ocean ecosystem in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands.