Science Daily

Depicting worst-case climate scenarios like expanding deserts and dying coral reefs may better motivate people to support environmental policies when delivered via virtual reality, according to a research team that studied how VR and message framing affect the impact of environmental advocacy communications. The study findings may help advocacy groups decide how best to frame and deliver their messages.

One of the largest studies on wildlife activity reveals that wild animals react differently to humans depending on where the animals live and what they eat. Bigger herbivores -- plant-eating animals like deer or moose -- tend to become more active when humans are around, while meat-eaters like wolves or wolverines tend to be less active, preferring to avoid risky encounters.

Although prevention and treatment strategies are available for influenza, they are not sufficient for vulnerable populations such as young children and newborns. A team of researchers has studied newborn piglets to better understand the progression of influenza infections.

After weight loss, people with overweight and obesity express more of the protein Kallistatin in subcutaneous white adipose tissue. Kallistatin improves metabolism and could open up new therapeutic options for people with obesity and type 2 diabetes in future.

In a first for the condensate field, researchers have figured out how nucleolar sub-structures are assembled. This organization gives rise to unique pH profiles within nucleoli, which they measured and compared with the pH of nearby non-nucleolar condensates including nuclear speckles and Cajal bodies.

Scientists propose a groundbreaking theory for predicting melting points. The theory offers a universal description of melting lines across various material types. This discovery has significant implications for materials science and related fields.

Scientists find that adolescents who grapple with the bigger meaning of social situations experience greater brain growth, which predicts stronger identity development and life satisfaction years later.

Coronary heart disease is a major global health problem, especially among people with type 2 diabetes. Researchers have identified novel protein biomarkers that are associated with the development of CHD in people with and without diabetes.

Bioengineers have invented a thin, flexible device that adheres to the neck and translates the muscle movements of the larynx into audible speech. The device is trained through machine learning to recognize which muscle movements correspond to which words. The self-powered technology could serve as a non-invasive tool for people who have lost the ability to speak due to vocal cord problems.

Eating fatty food in the days leading up to surgery may prompt a heightened inflammatory response in the brain that interferes for weeks with memory-related cognitive function in older adults -- and, new research in animals suggests, even in young adults.

There's a new metric that provides a more holistic look at how much water is stored in snowpack, and for how long.

Research has demonstrated individual differences in and successfully extracted commonalities from the whole-brain activity of roundworms. The researchers also found that computer simulations based on the whole-brain activity of roundworms more accurately reflect real-brain activity when they include so-called 'noise,' or probabilistic elements.

Investigators discovered that unique bacteria colonize the gut shortly after birth and make the neurotransmitter serotonin to educate gut immune cells. This prevents allergic reactions to food and the bacteria themselves during early development.

Researchers have discovered the reason why immune cells lose energy when they enter the solid tumor microenvironment -- and how to restore their energy levels. A metabolic enzyme, called Acetyl-CoA carboxylase, has been identified as the culprit, for it causes T cells to store fat, rather than burning fat for energy.

Scientists tested several hypotheses on the drivers of social aging in free-living Assamese macaques in Thailand. The researchers collected data on the social behavior of females for eight years and found that the size of their social networks decreases with increasing age. The females continued to interact with their close social partners, but gradually withdrew from social interactions altogether. The results contribute to the understanding of the evolutionary origins of social aging.

Everything is everywhere -- under certain conditions microbial communities can grow and thrive, even in places that are seemingly uninhabitable. This is the case at inactive hydrothermal vents on the sea floor. An international team is presently working to accurately quantify how much inorganic carbon can be bound in these environments.

Events in the stratosphere are making long-range weather in Northern Europe easier to forecast, researchers have discovered.

Physicists achieve major leap in precision and accuracy at extremely low light levels.

A rigorous analysis of numerous studies concludes that a part of the brain traditionally associated with movement is abnormal in children with developmental language impairments. The discovery has the potential to improve both the diagnosis and treatment of the language difficulties.

Acoustic recordings of a colony of little auks reveal their nocturnal activities and offer valuable monitoring means for avian biology in the Arctic.