Top Science News

Nov. 4, 2024 — Researchers have developed synthetic genes that function like the genes in living cells. The artificial genes can build intracellular structures through a cascading sequence that builds self-assembling structures piece by piece. The discovery offers a path toward using a suite of simple building blocks that can be programmed to make complex biomolecular materials, such as nanoscale tubes from DNA ...

Oct. 31, 2024 — Researchers have created the first blueprint of the human spliceosome, the most complex and intricate molecular machine in human biology. The vast majority of human genes -- more than nine in ten -- are edited by the spliceosome. The sheer number of components involved has meant the scientific feat took more than a decade to complete. The research reveals many new drug targets that could benefit ...

Oct. 31, 2024 — Scientists investigating animal viruses with potential to infect humans have identified a critical protein that could enable spillover of a family of organisms called arteriviruses. In a new study, researchers identified a protein in mammals that welcomes arteriviruses into host cells to start an infection. The team also found that an existing monoclonal antibody that binds to this protein ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — Hydrogen, a promising fuel, has extensive applications in many sectors. However, its safe and widespread use necessitates reliable sensing methods. While tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy (TDLAS) has proved to be an effective gas sensing method, detecting hydrogen using TDLAS is difficult due to its weak light absorption property in the ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — The temperature of elementary particles has been observed in the radioactive glow following the collision of two neutron stars and the birth of a black hole. This has, for the first time, made it possible to measure the microscopic, physical properties in these cosmic events. Simultaneously, it reveals how snapshot observations made in an instant represents an object stretched out across ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Astronomers have discovered a supermassive black hole at the center of a galaxy just 1.5 billion years after the Big Bang that is consuming matter at a phenomenal rate -- over 40 times the theoretical limit. While short lived, this black hole's 'feast' could help astronomers explain how supermassive black holes grew so quickly in the early ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Biomedical engineers have invented a 3D printing system, or bioprinter, capable of fabricating structures that closely mimic the diverse tissues in the human body, from soft brain tissue to harder materials like cartilage and ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — At the end of the last global ice age, the deep-frozen Earth reached a built-in limit of climate change and thawed into a slushy planet. Results provide the first direct geochemical evidence of the slushy planet -- otherwise known as the 'plume-world ocean' era -- when sky-high carbon dioxide levels forced the frozen Earth into a massive, rapid melting ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — New research has shown that bio-based fibers caused higher mortality, and reduced growth and reproductivity, among earthworms -- a species critical to the health of soils globally -- than conventional plastics. It has led scientists to suggest that materials being advocated as alternatives to plastic should be tested thoroughly before they are ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — Romance is a complex affair in humans. There's personality, appearance, seduction, all manner of physical and social cues. Mosquitoes are much more blunt. Mating occurs for a few seconds in midair. And all it takes to woo a male is the sound of a female's wingbeats. Imagine researchers' surprise when a single change completely killed the mosquitoes' ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — The unique properties of baseball's famed 'magic' mud, which MLB equipment managers applied to every ball in the World Series, have never been scientifically quantified -- until now. Researchers now reveal what makes the magic mud so ...

Oct. 29, 2024 — A study shows how scientists can control cell division on demand outside of a living system. The work is a significant leap forward that can enhance our grasp of human biology and ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — Slightly overweight stroke survivors have a lower risk of sustaining disabilities. New research adds another aspect to the obesity paradox but also highlights the importance of considering the population's normal when recommending best ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — A new study has found that overnight eating may be putting night shift workers at higher risk of chronic health ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — New research has identified crucial links between dietary choices and the progression of multiple sclerosis (MS). The study explored how enzymes called ceramide synthase 5 and 6 are responsible for the toxic effect of a palm oil-rich diet on neurons in the central nervous system, which causes a subsequent increase in the severity of MS ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — In addition to lowering your cholesterol, keeping your brain healthy and improving mental health, new research suggests omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids may help ward off a variety of ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Scientists have long suspected the keto diet might be able to calm an overactive immune system and help some people with diseases like multiple sclerosis. Now, they have reason to believe it could be true. Scientists have discovered that the diet makes the gut and its microbes produce two factors that attenuated symptoms of MS in ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — Associations of personality traits with physical activity and sedentary behavior were observed in a study. Individuals characterized by high conscientiousness and extraversion are more likely to accumulate longer periods of both physical activity and sedentary behavior, whereas individuals who have higher scores in neuroticism tend to interrupt ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — A professor led a study that found that shared decision-making and the quality of the health care provider's history-taking and physical exam were the main drivers of spinal pain patients' satisfaction with, trust in and agreement with their ...

Oct. 31, 2024 — Speaking with a foreign accent mitigates the impact of making grammatical errors, depending on the personality type of the listener, a new study has ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — A new study involving 8,500 children from across the United States has revealed that a form of air pollution, largely the product of agricultural emissions, is linked to poor learning and memory performance in 9- and 10-year-olds. The specific pollutant, ammonium nitrate, is also implicated in Alzheimer's and dementia risk in adults, suggesting ...

Oct. 31, 2024 — Researchers have developed a compact, wearable ultrasound device that monitors muscle activity. Attachable to the skin with an adhesive and powered by a small battery, the device wirelessly captures high-resolution images of muscle movements, enabling continuous, long-term monitoring. When worn on the rib cage, it effectively monitored diaphragm ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — Researchers have developed a novel type of nanomechanical resonator that combines two important features: high mechanical quality and piezoelectricity. This development could open doors to new possibilities in quantum sensing ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — To expand the potential use of diamond in semiconductor and quantum technologies, researchers are developing improved processes for growing the material at lower temperatures that won't damage the silicon in computer chips. These advances include insights into creating protective hydrogen layers on quantum diamonds without damaging crucial properties like nitrogen-vacancy ...

Nov. 5, 2024 — Materials called cubic rare earth hydrides could be superconductors in everyday ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — A new study details how climate change transforms coastal wetlands in North Carolina from forest to marshland or even open water, and how satellite imagery may help better direct conservation efforts to preserve those ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Stem cells grown in microgravity aboard the International Space Station (ISS) have unique qualities that could one day help accelerate new biotherapies and heal complex disease, researchers say. The research analysis finds microgravity can strengthen the regenerative potential of cells. Microgravity is weightlessness or near-zero ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — More accurate orbit predictions for satellites and space debris as well as a better understanding of the water masses present on Earth: Researchers at achieved both using satellite laser ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Teams of astronomers used the combined power of NASA's Hubble and James Webb space telescopes to revisit the legendary Vega ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Nanoscale 3D transistors made from ultrathin semiconductor materials can operate more efficiently than silicon-based devices, leveraging quantum mechanical properties to potentially enable ultra-low-power AI ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Researchers are warning that artificial intelligence tools gaining popularity in the fields of genetics and medicine can lead to flawed conclusions about the connection between genes and physical characteristics, including risk factors for diseases like ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Bio-based thermoplastics are produced from renewable organic materials and can be recycled after use. Their resilience can be improved by blending bio-based thermoplastics with other thermoplastics. However, the interface between the materials in these blends sometimes requires enhancement to achieve optimal properties. A team has now investigated at BESSY II how a new process enables ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — SURD, an algorithm, reveals causal links in complex systems. Applications may include forecasting climate to projecting population growth to designing efficient ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Mosquito larvae grow faster if they're exposed to particular bacteria, according to a new study that could help global health ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Researchers investigate how the complex, cooperative behavior of honey bees (Apis mellifera) is genetically programmed so that it can be passed on to subsequent generations. They found an answer in what is known as the doublesex gene ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — What if farmers could not only prevent excess phosphorus from polluting downstream waterways, but also recycle that nutrient as a slow-release fertilizer, all without spending a lot of money? Researchers now show it's possible and ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Research helps reconstruct an ancient climate and challenges the timing of the Andes Mountains ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — The continuing release of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere is a major driver of global warming and climate change with increased extreme weather events. Researchers have now presented a method for effectively converting carbon dioxide into ethanol, which is then available as a sustainable raw material for chemical ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — The Amazon region is a global hotspot of biodiversity and plays a key role in the climate system because of its ability to store large amounts of carbon and its influence on the global water cycle. The rain forest is threatened, however, by climate change as well as by intensified deforestation activities. An international team has now investigated how a change in Atlantic circulation would ...

Nov. 4, 2024 — Using a sophisticated new modeling approach, researchers have estimated carbon dioxide emissions from inland waters to 22 million U.S. lakes, rivers and reservoirs. It marks the first time this approach has been applied at a continental scale, and reveals previous methods may have overestimated CO2 emissions by as much as ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — A team discovered that, contrary to present scientific understanding, ancient volcanoes continued to spew carbon dioxide into the atmosphere from deep within the Earth long past their period of ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Ancient cultural burning practices carried out by Indigenous Australians limited fuel availability and prevented high intensity fires in southeastern Australia for thousands of years, according to new ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — New research has found that, unlike birds, the evolution of bats' wings and legs is tightly coupled, which may have prevented them from filling as many ecological niches as ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — A new study of human skeletal remains from the wreck of the 16th century English warship Mary Rose suggests that whether a person is right- versus left-handed may influence how their clavicle bone chemistry changes as they ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — Wastewater contains nutrients that can overfeed algae, leading to harmful algal blooms and pollution issues in the ocean and other waterways. A new study tracked how these nutrients migrate from disposal sites in the Florida Keys, and the results have already informed wastewater practices in the ...

Nov. 1, 2024 — As heatwaves become more intense, cities are looking for strategies that can help keep neighborhoods cooler. A new tool has already helped identify potential solutions in Houston, a city where the impact of heat can vary significantly in different ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — In rural Africa, where livelihoods are often tied directly to the land, environmental degradation poses a critical threat to both ecosystems and people's well-being. New research reveals ways to tackle the dual challenges of land degradation and ...

Oct. 30, 2024 — A research study describes a systematic high-throughput design approach for virtual screening and creation of novel polypeptide-based molecules that form regular secondary structures that can be used in biology or materials science ...

Oct. 28, 2024 — In their peer-reviewed work, Calcea Johnson and Ne'Kiya Jackson present five new ways of proving Pythagoras' Theorem via trigonometry. They also detail a new method for finding proofs that yield at least five ...

Oct. 25, 2024 — A collaborative team of researchers led by Dale Zhou, who did his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania's Perelman School of Medicine, and Dani Bassett in Penn's School of Engineering and Applied Science looked at how nearly half a million people around the world use Wikipedia's knowledge networks. They found stark differences in browsing habits between countries offering insights into cultural ...

Oct. 23, 2024 — A team of linguistics and psychology researchers has discovered that when a brief sentence is flashed, our brains detect its basic linguistic structure extremely quickly -- in roughly 150 milliseconds, or about the speed of a blink of an ...

Oct. 17, 2024 — The more men are concerned about appearing masculine, the less likely they will forgive a co-worker for a transgression such as missing an important meeting, a study has found. What's more, such men are also more likely seek revenge or avoid the transgressor, which contributes to an unhealthy and less effective work ...

Oct. 9, 2024 — If you smugly believe you're right in a disagreement with a friend or colleague, a new study suggests why you may actually be wrong. Researchers found that people naturally assume they have all the information they need to make a decision or support their position, even when they do ...

Sep. 26, 2024 — Using mathematical modeling, researchers found a way to maintain cooperation without relying on complex norms or ...

Sep. 18, 2024 — Researchers have developed a new framework to make complex AI tasks more accessible and transparent to users. The framework specializes in providing solutions to deep reinforcement learning (DRL) requests. The framework pairs developers, companies and individuals that have specific but out-of-reach AI needs with service providers who have the ...