Astrophysicists calculate the likelihood that Earth was exposed to cold, harsh interstellar clouds, a phenomenon not previously considered in geologic climate models.
Efforts to tackle false information through fact-checking or media literacy initiatives increases the public's skepticism toward 'fake news'. However, they also breed distrust in genuine, fact-based news sources, a new study using online survey experiments in the US, Poland and Hong Kong shows.
Academics are often accused of 'splitting hairs', but a team has now devised a machine to do just that. We all have a bad hair day from time to time, and split ends are a common problem. However, the science behind this kind of hair damage is poorly understood, which is why scientists are investigating this knotty problem.
People who eat a healthy, sustainable diet may substantially lower their risk of premature death in addition to their environmental impact, according to a new study. This large study directly evaluates the impacts of adherence to recommendations in the landmark 2019 EAT-Lancet report. The researchers have named the dietary pattern outlined in the report -- which emphasizes a variety of minimally processed plant foods but allows for modest consumption of meat and dairy foods -- the Planetary Health Diet (PHD).
A clinical trial on a two-drug therapy for methamphetamine use disorder reduced use of the highly addictive drug for up to 12 weeks after initiation of treatment. Participants in the ADAPT-2 clinical trial who received a combination of injectable naltrexone plus extended-release oral bupropion (NTX+BUPN) had a 27% increase in methamphetamine-negative urine tests, indicating reduced usage. By contrast, the placebo group had an 11% increase in negative tests. To date there is no FDA-approved medication for it.
When scientists transplanted the gut microbes of aged mice into young 'germ-free' mice -- raised to have no gut microbes of their own -- the recipient mice experienced an increase in inflammation that parallels inflammatory processes associated with aging in humans. Young germ-free mice transplanted with microbes from other young mice had no such increase.
An international research team has discovered the oldest known marine plant using a novel genetic clock. This 1400-year-old seagrass clone from the Baltic Sea dates back to the Migration Period. The research project is a significant step towards better understanding and protecting marine ecosystems.
The platitude that failure leads to success may be both inaccurate and damaging to society, according to new research.
A new study suggests that the immune response of lung endothelial cells, which line the blood vessels, is too low during the early stage of COVID-19 infection as demonstrated in a preclinical model. Additionally, the researchers analyzed all genes expressed in purified endothelial cells, which had never been done before.
Immune activation in a pregnant woman can occur in response to metabolic diseases like obesity, infections in pregnancy, exposure to pollution and environmental toxins, or even stress and can have negative effects on fetal brain immune cells (microglia). It's not possible to monitor microglia within the fetal brain, but new research indicates that macrophages in the placenta can act as an indicator of these cells' health.
After women go through menopause, their risk of heart disease increases dramatically. Researchers studied whether beetroot juice, which is rich in nitrate, can improve how blood vessels function. The results showed that daily consumption of beetroot juice by postmenopausal women may improve blood vessel function enough to reduce future heart disease risk.
Having explored how the heart is formed in utero, a researcher is reporting how cells and molecules act during that early formation and what might cause the heart disease called left ventricular non-compaction or spongy heart, for which patients often require heart transplants.
A new study has found that patients diagnosed with schizophrenia or another psychotic disorder are three times more likely to have Bartonella DNA in their blood than adults without these disorders. The work further supports the idea that pathogens -- particularly vector-borne pathogens -- could play a role in mental illness.
A multi-institutional team has created atomic optical antennas in solids. The team used germanium vacancy centers in diamonds to create an optical energy enhancement of six orders of magnitude, a regime challenging to reach with conventional atomic antenna structures.
New research supports earlier findings that indicate that anesthesia is no more hazardous for the brain at higher doses than at lower doses.
Wild African elephants address each other with name-like calls, a rare ability among nonhuman animals, according to a new study. Researchers used machine learning to confirm that elephant calls contained a name-like component identifying the intended recipient, a behavior they suspected based on observation. The study suggests elephants do not imitate the receiver's call to address one another but instead use arbitrary vocal labels like humans.
An international team of planetary scientists has detected patches of water frost sitting atop the Tharsis volcanoes on Mars, which are not only the tallest volcanic mountains on the Red Planet but in the entire solar system.
Astronomers have deciphered the formation history of young star clusters, some of which we can see with the naked eye at night. The team reports that most nearby young star clusters belong to only three families, which originate from very massive star-forming regions. This research also provides new insights into the effects of supernovae (violent explosions at the end of the life of very massive stars) on the formation of giant gas structures in galaxies like our Milky Way.
By super cooling a molecule on the surface of brain cells down to about minus 180 degrees Celsius -- nearly twice as cold as the coldest places in Antarctica -- scientists say they have determined how a widely-used epilepsy drug works to dampen the excitability of brain cells and help to control, although not cure, seizures.
Astronomers observing exoplanet GJ 3470 b saw evidence of water, carbon dioxide, methane and sulfur dioxide. Astronomers hope the discovery of this exoplanet's sulfurous atmosphere will advance our understanding of how planets forms.
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