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Top Science News
March 27, 2020
Mar. 26, 2020 Since pre-industrial times, the world’s oceans have warmed by an average of one degree Celsius (1°C). Now researchers report that those rising temperatures have led to widespread changes in the … read more
Mar. 23, 2020 Geologists have discovered the first ancestor on the family tree that contains most animals today, including humans. The wormlike creature, Ikaria wariootia, is the earliest bilaterian, or organism … read more
Mar. 23, 2020 East Antarctica’s Denman Glacier has retreated 5 kilometers, nearly 3 miles, in the past 22 years, and researchers are concerned that the shape of … read more
Mar. 19, 2020 Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) have found striking orbital geometries in protoplanetary disks around binary stars. While disks orbiting the most compact … read more
Latest Top Headlines
updated 10:05pm EDT
Mar. 26, 2020 For the first time, more 360 scientists from 184 different institutions have contributed to a global effort to find more than 200 regions of the genome and more than 300 specific genetic variations that affect the structure of the cerebral cortex … read more
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Mar. 13, 2020 Inspired by a tactic cancer cells use to evade the immune system, researchers have engineered tiny particles that can trick the body into accepting transplanted tissue as its own. Rats that were treated with these cell-sized microparticles developed … read more
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Mar. 25, 2020 As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, leaders are relying on mathematical models to make public health and economic decisions. A new model improves tracking of epidemics by accounting for mutations in diseases. Now, the researchers are working to apply their model to allow leaders to evaluate the effects … read more
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Mar. 24, 2020 A new modelling study conducted in a simulated Singapore setting has estimated that a combined approach of physical distancing interventions, comprising quarantine (for infected individuals and their families), school closure, and workplace … read more
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Mar. 19, 2020 Injecting the right dose of sulphur dioxide into Earth’s upper atmosphere to thicken the layer of light reflecting aerosol particles artificially could reduce the effects of climate change overall, exacerbating change in only a small fraction of places, according to … read more
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Mar. 20, 2020 A new device enables researchers to observe hundreds of neurons in the brain in real-time. The system is based on modified silicon chips from cameras, but rather than taking a picture, it takes a movie of the neural … read more
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Mar. 13, 2020 Despite Mercury’s 400-degree Celsius daytime heat, there is ice at its caps. And now a study shows how that Vulcan scorch probably helps the planet closest to the sun make some of … read more
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Mar. 9, 2020 A team has developed a less expensive water electrolysis system that works under alkaline conditions but still produces hydrogen at comparable rates to the currently used system that works under acidic conditions and requires precious metals. This advance brings down the cost of water splitting … read more
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Mar. 23, 2020 Revealing yet another super-power in the skillful squid, scientists have discovered that squid massively edit their own genetic instructions not only within the nucleus of their neurons, but also within the axon — the long, slender neural projections that transmit electrical impulses to other … read more
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Mar. 19, 2020 A new paper points out the need for an important new refinement to radiocarbon dating. The research has relevance for understanding key dates in Mediterranean history and prehistory, including the tomb of Tutankhamen and a controversial but important volcanic eruption on the Greek island … read more
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Mar. 19, 2020 A parasite known only to be hosted in North America by the Virginia opossum is infecting sea otters along the West Coast. A new study elucidates the sometimes surprising and complex pathways infectious pathogens can move from land to sea to … read more
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Mar. 16, 2020 Research on the lamprey brain has enabled scientists to push the birth of the cortex back in time by some 300 million years to over 500 million years ago, providing new insights into … read more
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Health News
March 27, 2020
Mar. 11, 2020 From a simple blood draw, microbial DNA may reveal who has cancer and which type, even at early … read more
Mar. 17, 2020 An analysis of public genome sequence data from SARS-CoV-2 and related viruses found no evidence that the virus was made in a laboratory or otherwise … read more
Mar. 17, 2020 New research finds that the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is stable for several hours to days in aerosols and on surfaces. Scientists found that severe acute respiratory … read more
Mar. 16, 2020 Infectious disease researchers studying the novel coronavirus were able to identify how quickly the virus can spread, a factor that may help public … read more
Latest Health Headlines
updated 10:05pm EDT
Assessing the Global Problem of Poor Sanitation
Mar. 25, 2020 Experts are investigating a better way of measuring the number of people exposed to the health risks of poorly-managed sanitation systems – and it will help reveal whether the world is on track to deliver UN Sustainable Goal 6 … read more
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How to Break New Records in the 200 Meters
Mar. 25, 2020 Usain Bolt’s 200m record has not been beaten for ten years and Florence Griffith Joyner’s for more than thirty years. And what about if the secret behind beating records was to use mathematics? Thanks to a mathematical model, researchers have proved that the geometry of athletic tracks could be optimized to improve records. They recommend to build shorter straights and larger radii in the … read more
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In Politics and Pandemics, Trolls Use Fear, Anger to Drive Clicks
Mar. 26, 2020 A new CU Boulder study shows that Facebook ads developed and shared by Russian trolls around the 2016 election were clicked on nine times more than typical social media ads. The authors say the trolls are likely at it again, as the 2020 election approaches and the COVID-19 pandemic wears … read more
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An Aspirin a Day Does Not Keep Dementia at Bay
Mar. 25, 2020 Taking a low-dose aspirin once a day does not reduce the risk of thinking and memory problems caused by mild cognitive impairment or probable Alzheimer’s disease, nor does it slow the rate of cognitive decline, according to a large … read more
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Too Much Salt Weakens the Immune System
Mar. 25, 2020 A high-salt diet is not only bad for one’s blood pressure, but also for the immune system. Mice fed a high-salt diet were found to suffer from much more severe bacterial infections. Human volunteers who consumed additional six grams of salt per day also showed pronounced immune deficiencies. This amount corresponds to the salt content of two fast food … read more
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Physical/Tech News
March 27, 2020
Mar. 11, 2020 Using data from the Dark Energy Survey, researchers have found and cataloged more than 300 minor planets beyond Neptune, including more than 100 new discoveries. This updated catalog of … read more
Mar. 11, 2020 Researchers have observed an extreme planet where they suspect it rains iron. The ultra-hot giant exoplanet has a day side where temperatures climb above 2400 degrees Celsius, high enough to vaporize … read more
Mar. 9, 2020 Earth turned faster at the end of the time of the dinosaurs than it does today, rotating 372 times a year, compared to the current 365, according to a new study of fossil mollusk shells from the late … read more
Mar. 3, 2020 Ever wish your computer could think like you do or perhaps even understand you? That future may not be now, but it’s one step closer, thanks to scientists and engineers and their recent discovery of … read more
Latest Physical/Tech Headlines
updated 10:05pm EDT
Biophysics: Lifting the Lid on Beta-Barrels
Mar. 27, 2020 The interaction between biotin and streptavidin is a well-established experimental tool in bionanotechnology. Physicists have now shown that the mechanical stability of the complex is dependent on the precise geometry of the … read more
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Bricks Can Act as ‘Cameras’ for Characterizing Past Presence of Radioactive Materials
Mar. 26, 2020 Researchers have developed a technique for determining the historical location and distribution of radioactive materials, such as weapons grade plutonium. The technique may allow them to use common building materials, such as bricks, as a three-dimensional ‘camera,’ relying on residual gamma radiation signatures to take a snapshot of radioactive … read more
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ALMA Resolves Gas Impacted by Young Jets from Supermassive Black Hole
Mar. 27, 2020 Astronomers obtained the first resolved image of disturbed gaseous clouds in a galaxy 11 billion light-years away by using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA). The team found that the disruption is caused by young powerful jets ejected from a supermassive black hole residing at the center of the host galaxy. This result will cast light on the mystery of the evolutionary … read more
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Holographic Cosmological Model and Thermodynamics on the Horizon of the Universe
Mar. 26, 2020 A holographic cosmological model with a power-law term has been proposed by a researcher to study thermodynamic properties on the horizon of the Universe. This model was found to satisfy the second law of thermodynamics. In addition, a relaxation-like process of the Universe was examined systematically to study maximization of the entropy on the … read more
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How Robots Can Help Combat COVID-19
Mar. 25, 2020 Can robots be effective tools in combating the COVID-19 pandemic? A group of leaders in the field of robotics say yes, and outline a number of examples. They say robots can be used for clinical care such as telemedicine and decontamination; logistics such as delivery and handling of contaminated waste; and reconnaissance such as monitoring compliance with voluntary … read more
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Environment News
March 27, 2020
Mar. 16, 2020 Mysterious bone circles made from the remains of dozens of mammoths have revealed clues about how ancient communities survived Europe’s ice … read more
Mar. 16, 2020 A new multinational study incorporating the latest models of global climate, crop production and trade examines the possible effects of a nuclear … read more
Mar. 12, 2020 Heat stress from extreme heat and humidity will annually affect areas now home to 1.2 billion people by 2100, assuming current greenhouse gas emissions, according to a new study. That’s more than … read more
Mar. 5, 2020 Infection biologists have investigated how the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 penetrates cells. They have identified a cellular enzyme that is essential for viral entry into lung cells: the protease … read more
Latest Environment Headlines
updated 10:05pm EDT
In Earth’s Largest Extinction, Land Animal Die-Offs Began Long Before Marine Extinction
Mar. 27, 2020 Because of poor dates for land fossils laid down before and after the mass extinction at the end of the Permian, paleontologists assumed that the terrestrial extinctions from Gondwana occurred at the same time as the better-documented marine extinctions. But a new study provides more precise dates for South African fossils and points to a long, … read more
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Tuberculosis Bacterium Uses Sluice to Import Vitamins
Mar. 25, 2020 A transport protein that is used by the human pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis to import vitamin B12 turns out to be very different from other transport proteins. It contains a huge water-filled cavity, in which hydrophilic substances are transported across the cell membrane. This discovery, which changes our understanding of bacterial physiology, was made by imaging the transport protein … read more
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Local Community Involvement Crucial to Restoring Tropical Peatlands
Mar. 26, 2020 New research has found that local community involvement is crucial to restoring Indonesia’s peatlands — unspoilt peatlands act as a carbon sink and play an important role in reducing global carbon emissions. They are also a crucial habitat for birds and animals, including endangered species such as orang-utans and … read more
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DNA Riddle Unravelled: How Cells Access Data from ‘Genetic Cotton Reels’
Mar. 26, 2020 With so much genetic information packed in such a tiny space, how cells access DNA when it needs it is something of a mystery. Research has now revealed the role played by motor protein CHD4 that allows the DNA to remodel when the information is needed — and it will help us understand diseases connected to when that process goes … read more
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Guppies Help Their Brothers When It Comes to the Opposite Sex
Mar. 26, 2020 Researchers found that male Trinidadian guppies observe a form of nepotism when it comes to pursuing the opposite sex. These tiny tropical fish often help their brothers in the mating process by darting in front of other males to block access to a … read more
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Neanderthals Ate Mussels, Fish, and Seals Too
Mar. 26, 2020 Over 80,000 years ago, Neanderthals fed themselves on mussels, fish and other marine life. The first evidence has been found by an international team in the cave of Figueira Brava in Portugal. The excavated layers date from 86,000 to 106,000 years ago, the period when Neanderthals settled in Europe. Sourcing food from the sea at that time had only been attributed to anatomically modern humans in … read more
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Ancient Fish Fossil Reveals Evolutionary Origin of the Human Hand
Mar. 18, 2020 An ancient Elpistostege fish fossil found in Miguasha, Canada, has revealed new insights into how the human hand evolved from fish fins. Paleontologists have revealed the fish specimen has yielded the missing evolutionary link in the fish to tetrapod transition, as fish began to foray in habitats such as shallow water and land during the Late Devonian period millions of years … read more
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Coral Tells Own Tale About El Niño’s Past
Mar. 26, 2020 Scientists use data from ancient coral to build a record of temperatures in the tropical Pacific Ocean over the last millennium. The data question previous links between volcanic eruptions and El Niño … read more
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Society/Education News
March 27, 2020
Mar. 2, 2020 Whether it’s coronavirus or misinformation, scientists can use mathematical models to predict how something will spread across populations. But what happens if a pathogen mutates, or information … read more
Feb. 17, 2020 A new study suggests that iron fertilization may not have a significant impact on phytoplankton growth, at least on a global … read more
Jan. 22, 2020 A new study uses machine learning to project migration patterns resulting from sea-level rise. Researchers found the impact of rising oceans will ripple across the country, beyond coastal areas at … read more
Jan. 21, 2020 Despite reports that global emissions of the potent greenhouse gas were almost eliminated in 2017, an international team of scientists has found … read more
Latest Society/Education Headlines
updated 10:05pm EDT
Burying or Burning Garbage Boosts Airborne Bacteria, Antibiotic Resistance Genes
Mar. 25, 2020 Municipal solid waste is trash — such as plastic, food scraps and lawn clippings — that goes into garbage bins and doesn’t get recycled. Most of this waste is buried in landfills or is incinerated. Now, researchers have shown that when disposed of in this way, municipal solid waste can be an important source of antibiotic-resistance genes in the … read more
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International Ozone Treaty Stops Changes in Southern Hemisphere Winds
Mar. 25, 2020 The Montreal Protocol of 1987 phased out production of ozone-destroying substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs). Beginning around 2000, concentrations of those chemicals in the stratosphere started to decline and the ozone hole began to recover. In this study, researchers have shown that around the year 2000, the circulation of the Southern Hemisphere also stopped expanding polewards — a … read more
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The Physics That Drives Periodic Economic Downturns
Mar. 24, 2020 A professor says that the way spilled milk spreads across the floor can explain why economic downturns regularly occur. Because the economic prosperity derived from new ideas or inventions follows the same S-curve as the spreading of a substance over an area, it inevitably loses its return on investment toward the end of its life … read more
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‘Toxic,’ but Still Successful Professionally?
Mar. 16, 2020 Toxic personality is a term used to describe people who behave greedily, immodestly and unfairly and take the truth very lightly. Researchers have found out why such people can still succeed in their careers. The trick that leads to the top is social … read more
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The Case for Economics — By the Numbers
Mar. 3, 2020 In recent years, criticism has been levelled at economics for being insular and unconcerned about real-world problems. But a new study finds that the field increasingly overlaps with the work of other disciplines, and, in a related development, has become more empirical and data-driven, while producing less work of pure … read more
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