feed info

1,162 articles from ScienceDaily

How weather news impacts public transit ridership

Researchers found a correlation between words used in media coverage related to weather or air quality, and transit ridership. It's not enough yet to say that media coverage causes changes in ridership. But it's enough to explore what factors in to a person's decision to ride transit and whether that decision can be nudged.

Scientists show how brain flexibility emerges in infants

Cognitive flexibility, which refers to the brain's ability to switch between mental processes in response to external stimuli and different task demands, seems to begin developing during the first two years of life, which is much earlier than previously thought. Researchers used magnetic resonance imaging techniques to show the emergence of a functional flexible brain during early infancy.

To the choir: Forward-thinking faculty sharing innovations mostly among themselves

Surveys and network analyses of 192 STEM faculty at three universities revealed that frequent users of evidence-based instructional practices are far more likely to engage one another than colleagues less familiar with the practices. The finding suggests that faculty networks alone are not enough to disseminate and drive the adoption of evidence-based practices that could improve undergraduate...

Dodder uses the flowering signal of its host plant to flower

Researchers have investigated how the parasitic dodder Cuscuta australis controls flower formation. They showed that the parasite eavesdrops on the flowering signals of its host plants in order to activate its own flowering machinery. By synchronizing flowering with its host plant, the parasite makes sure that it can grow on its host long enough to produce the optimal amount of seeds.

Being a selfish jerk doesn't get you ahead: Study

Two studies provide empirical evidence to settle the question of whether being aggressively Machiavellian helps people get ahead. The studies concluded that being a jerk provides no advantage in career advancement. Any power boost disagreeable people get from being intimidating is offset by their poor interpersonal relationships, the studies concluded.

Genetic mutations may be linked to infertility, early menopause

A new study identifies a specific gene's previously unknown role in fertility. When the gene is missing in fruit flies, roundworms, zebrafish and mice, the animals are infertile or lose their fertility unusually early but appear otherwise healthy. Analyzing genetic data in people, the researchers found an association between mutations in this gene and early menopause.

Molecule to store solar energy developed

Researchers have developed a molecule that absorbs energy from sunlight and stores it in chemical bonds. A possible long-term use of the molecule is to capture solar energy efficiently and store it for later consumption.

Following African elephant trails to approach conservation differently

Elephant trails may lead the way to better conservation approaches. 'Think of elephants as engineers of the forests. Elephants shape the landscape in many ways that benefit humans. We're talking thousands of miles of trails. If we think about the loss of elephants over time, then we will see the forest structure change and human activities also would shift.'

Warmer, acidifying ocean brings extinction for reef-building corals, renewal for relatives

A new study finds that reef-building corals emerged only when ocean conditions supported the construction of these creatures' stony skeletons, whereas diverse softer corals and sea anemones flourished at other times. Without a significant change to anthropogenic carbon emissions, the new findings present stark implications for the present and future of hard-bodied corals while suggesting a silver...

Prior exposure to powdery mildew makes plants more vulnerable to subsequent disease

A key to surviving in the wild is fighting off infection -- and not just once. For plants, as with humans, one infection may or may not leave a plant with lasting immunity. Biologists conducted a series of elegant experiments that capture how pathogen strains naturally accumulate on plants over a growing season. Their findings reveal the importance of understanding interactions among pathogens...

Insight on how to build a better flu vaccine

Repeated exposure to influenza viruses may undermine the effectiveness of the annual flu vaccine. A team of researchers has developed an approach to assess whether a vaccine activates the kind of immune cells needed for long-lasting immunity against new influenza strains. The findings could aid efforts to design an improved flu vaccine.

Serengeti leopard population densities healthy but vary seasonally, study finds

A study of camera-trap data from Serengeti National Park in Tanzania found that leopard population densities in the 3.7-million-acre park are similar to those in other protected areas but vary between wet and dry seasons. The fluctuations appear to be driven by the abundance of prey and how this affects interactions with other large carnivores like lions, researchers report.

Reprogramming cardiac fibroblast cells to transform into beating heart muscle

Researchers have clarified the roles of matrix stiffness and mechanotransduction as well as the signaling pathways in the transformation of cardiac fibroblasts into contractile cardiomyocytes and show that soft substrates comparable to native myocardium improve the efficiency of this cardiac reprogramming. This has potential for research into biomaterials and may lead to clinical advances in...