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168,100 articles from ScienceDaily

Measuring fine dust concentration via smartphone

Big cities in the smog: Photos from Beijing and, more recently, Paris clearly illustrate the extent of fine dust pollution. But what about our direct environment? What is the pollution concentration near our favorite jogging route? Scientists are developing a sensor that can be connected easily to smartphones. In the future, users are to take part in drawing up a pollution map via participatory...

How Alzheimer's blood test could be first step in developing treatments to halt or slow disease

A blood test has the potential to predict Alzheimer’s disease before patients start showing symptoms, researchers have reported. Now they expand upon this groundbreaking research and discuss why it could be the key to curing this devastating illness. "This discovery is a potentially enormous breakthrough in the fight against Alzheimer's," said an expert. "If research aimed at a cure for...

Failed dwarf galaxy survives galactic collision thanks to full dark-matter jacket

Like a bullet wrapped in a full metal jacket, a high-velocity hydrogen cloud hurtling toward the Milky Way appears to be encased in a shell of dark matter, according to a new analysis. Astronomers believe that without this protective shell, the high-velocity cloud known as the Smith Cloud would have disintegrated long ago when it first collided with the disk of our...

Active genes in neurons profiled based on connections

When it comes to the brain, wiring isn’t everything. Although neurobiologists often talk in electrical metaphors, the reality is that the brain is not nearly as simple as a series of wires and circuits. Unlike their copper counterparts, neurons can behave differently depending on the...

New glasses may increase risk of falls in older adults, suggests review

Blurred vision contributes to the risk of falling in older adults -— but getting new glasses with a big change in vision prescription may increase the risk rather than decreasing it, according to a new article. Unaccustomed magnification may cause objects to appear closer or farther than they really are, thus affecting the reflexes linking the vestibular (balance) system with eye movements. For...

Poor Diet Before Pregnancy Linked with Preterm Birth

For the first time, researchers have confirmed that women who eat a poor diet before they become pregnant are around 50% more likely to have a preterm birth than those on a healthy diet. The study shows that women who consistently ate a diet high in protein and fruit prior to becoming pregnant were less likely to have a preterm birth, while those who consistently ate high fat and sugar foods, and...

New phase in iron-based superconductors discovered

A previously unknown phase in a class of superconductors called iron arsenides has been discovered by scientists. This sheds light on a debate over the interactions between atoms and electrons that are responsible for their unusual superconductivity. "This new magnetic phase, which has never been observed before, could have significant implications for our understanding of unconventional...

Breakthrough in RSV research to help infected children

A drug has been shown to safely reduce the viral load and clinical illness of healthy adult volunteers intranasally infected with respiratory syncytial virus. RSV is the most common cause of lower respiratory tract infections in young children in the United States and worldwide. It hospitalizes 125,000 children in the United States each year, and has been the cause for 1.5 million outpatient...

Lack of plant diversity spurs cankerworm damage in cities

A lack of plant diversity is a key contributor to the widespread defoliation caused by cankerworms in cities, which highlights the role that increasing diversity can play in limiting future damage. Fall cankerworms (Alsophila pometaria) are caterpillars that are native to the eastern United States and hatch in early spring. The cankerworms defoliate trees and other plants, eating new leaves as...

Rapid evolution aids spread of exotic plant species

The first genetic evidence that rapid evolution can help non-native plant species spread in new environments has been presented by a team of biologists. Using samples of centuries-old herbaria and DNA analysis, the researchers reconstructed the genetic adaptations undergone by the Pyrenean rocket prior to its rapid spread in...

Nature inspires drones of the future

Researchers have been taking tips from nature to build the next generation of flying robots. Based on the mechanisms adopted by birds, bats, insects and snakes, scientists have developed solutions to some of the common problems that drones could be faced with when navigating through an urban environment and performing novel tasks for the benefit of...

Mapping atherosclerotic arteries: Combined approach developed

A new method allows calcified and constricted blood vessels to be visualized with micrometer precision, and can be used to design containers for targeted drug delivery. Within the project, materials scientists combined cutting-edge-imaging techniques to visualize and quantify the constrictions caused by...

Flatland optics with graphene: Smaller and faster photonic devices and circuits

Researchers have introduced a platform technology based on optical antennas for trapping and controlling light with the one-atom-thick material graphene. The experiments show that the dramatically squeezed graphene-guided light can be focused and bent, following the fundamental principles of conventional optics. The work opens new opportunities for smaller and faster photonic devices and...

Body clock and its biological impact: Fruit fly research to provide new insight

How animals keep time through their internal circadian rhythms could help us understand why we sleep and how we cope with jet lag. Using the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster as an experimental model, researchers have discovered that the molecular and cellular ‘clock’ mechanisms of insects closely resemble those of mammals, including humans. As these biological clock systems not only control...

Many mental illnesses reduce life expectancy more than heavy smoking

Serious mental illnesses reduce life expectancy by 10-20 years, an analysis by psychiatrists has shown -- a loss of years that's equivalent to or worse than that for heavy smoking. Yet mental health has not seen the same public health priority, say the scientists, despite these stark figures and the similar prevalence of mental health...

Healthcare professionals must be aware of rarer causes of headaches in pregnancy

Most headaches in pregnancy and the postnatal period are benign, but healthcare professionals must be alert to the rarer and more severe causes of headaches, suggests a new review. There are 85 different types of headache. Approximately 90% of headaches in pregnancy are migraine or tension-type headaches. However, pregnancy can lead to an increased risk of certain secondary headaches, a headache...

New sensor could light the way forward in low-cost medical imaging

A new type of light sensor that could allow medical and security imaging via low cost cameras has been developed by researchers. Near infrared light can be used to perform non-invasive medical procedures, such as measuring the oxygen level in tissue and detecting tumors. It is also already commonly used in security camera systems and for quality control in the agriculture and food...

10 'golden rules' of strategic flood management revealed by water scientists

With many families across the UK still dealing with the consequences of last winter’s flooding, water scientists have recently released 10 ‘golden rules’ for strategic flood management. While the authors acknowledge the 'remarkable progress in cultivating the concepts of flood risk management' that has taken place over the last few decades, they also recognize that 'the challenge now is to...

Protective milk shot: How mother's milk protects piglets from parasite infections

Antibodies against C. suis are transferred via the sow’s very first milk to the piglets immediately after birth. This was discovered by a veterinarian and parasitologist in 2013. These findings prompted other researchers to look for a way to increase the level of these antibodies in sows. The ultimate goal was to provide the piglets with as much antibodies as possible via their mother’s milk...

DNA testing to help save corals

To avert coral demise, experts report the establishment of DNA markers that might be applicable to all species of the Acropora reef-building coral, giving accurate identification to individual corals. The technique, similar to DNA profiling in humans, enables scientists to study genetic diversity and connectivity among the Acropora coral populations, thus finding clues to help with the...

Bacterial adaptation contributes to pneumococcal threat in sickle cell disease patients

Differences in the genetic code of pneumococcal bacteria have been identified by researcher that may explain why it poses such a risk to children with sickle cell disease and why current vaccines don’t provide better protection against the infection. The findings will aid efforts to improve vaccine effectiveness and inform research into new ways to protect young sickle cell disease patients from...