Scientists have found soundwaves from low-intensity focused ultrasound aimed at a place deep in the brain called the insula can reduce both the perception of pain and other effects of pain, such as heart rate changes.
The proverb "necessity is the mother of invention" has been used to describe the source from which our cultural evolution springs. After all, need in times of scarcity has forced humans to continually invent new technologies that have driven the remarkable cumulative culture of our species. But an invention only becomes cultural if it is learned and spread by many individuals. In other words, the invention must be socially transmitted. But what are the forces that drive social transmission?
The algae P. antarctica has two forms of the enzyme that makes the amino acid methionine, one needing B12, and one that is slower, but doesn't need it. This means it has the ability to adapt and survive with low B12 availability. The presence of the MetE gene in P. antarctica gives the algae the ability to adapt to lower vitamin B12 availability, giving it a potential advantage to bloom in the early austral spring when bacterial production is low. P. antarctica takes in the CO2 and releases oxygen through photosynthesis. Understanding its ability to grow in environments with low vitamin B12 availability can help climate modelers make more accurate predictions.
Researchers have developed a first-of-its-kind, handheld electrochemical sensor that can accurately detect fentanyl in urine within seconds. The proof-of-concept technology can detect even trace amounts of fentanyl with 98% accuracy using a small portable device without costly and time-consuming lab analysis.
Engineers have developed an ultra-sensitive sensor made with graphene that can detect extraordinarily low concentrations of lead ions in water. The device achieves a record limit of detection of lead down to the femtomolar range, which is one million times more sensitive than previous technologies.
The world's largest brain study of childhood trauma has revealed how it affects development and rewires vital pathways. The study uncovered a disruption in neural networks involved in self-focus and problem-solving. This means under-18s who experienced abuse may struggle with emotions, empathy and understanding their bodies.
An economical process with green hydrogen can be used to extract CO2-free iron from the red mud generated in aluminum production.
Scientists have used a combination of scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) and computational modeling to get a closer look and deeper understanding of tantalum oxide. When this amorphous oxide layer forms on the surface of tantalum -- a superconductor that shows great promise for making the 'qubit' building blocks of a quantum computer -- it can impede the material's ability to retain quantum information. Learning how the oxide forms may offer clues as to why this happens -- and potentially point to ways to prevent quantum coherence loss.
Researchers have developed a new search tool to that can match microbes to the metabolites they produce with no prior knowledge, an innovation that could transform our understanding of both human health and the environment.
Scientists completed several successful attempts to fire 28 kilojoules of laser energy at small capsules filled with deuterium and tritium fuel, causing the capsules to implode and produce a plasma hot enough to initiate fusion reactions between the fuel nuclei. These results demonstrate an effective 'spark plug' for direct-drive methods of inertial confinement fusion.
Many neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, are difficult to diagnose before symptoms begin to appear. However, disease-related biomarkers such as aggregated proteins called amyloids could provide important insight much earlier, if they can be readily detected. Researchers have developed one such method using an array of sensor molecules that can light up amyloids. The tool could help monitor disease progression or distinguish between different amyloid-related conditions.
Scientists have discovered that adding a layer of magnesium improves the properties of tantalum, a superconducting material that shows great promise for building qubits, the basis of quantum computers. The scientists show that a thin layer of magnesium keeps tantalum from oxidizing, improves its purity, and raises the temperature at which it operates as a superconductor. All three may increase tantalum's ability to hold onto quantum information in qubits.
Bariatric surgery is more effective in controlling hypertension rates, or high blood pressure, in people with obesity and uncontrolled high blood pressure compared to blood pressure medication alone, according to a new study. People who underwent bariatric surgery had lower BMI and were on fewer medications after five years while maintaining normal blood pressure levels than those who only used antihypertensive medications.
For more than 50 years, the National Hurricane Center has used the Saffir-Simpson Windscale to communicate the risk of property damage; it labels a hurricane on a scale from Category 1 (wind speeds between 74 -- 95 mph) to Category 5 (wind speeds of 158 mph or greater). But as increasing ocean temperatures contribute to ever more intense and destructive hurricanes, climate scientists wondered whether the open-ended Category 5 is sufficient to communicate the risk of hurricane damage in a warming climate.
Scientists have advanced various theories as well as have drawn inspiration from this and other similar behaviour to design swarming robots that can do many things from coordinate disaster relief to fight cancer
On February 4, 2010, NASA released a set of images that were the most detailed ever taken until then of the distant dwarf planet Pluto. Before the New Horizons spacecraft explored Pluto, getting a closer look at it was no easy task. A.S.Ganesh tells you how scientists managed it nevertheless…
The efficacy of the conjugated typhoid vaccine at the end of 4.3 years of median follow-up was 70·6% for children aged nine months to two years; the efficacy was over 79% in children above two years
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