By Losing Genes, Life Often Evolved More Complexity

The amazing phenomenon of sonic booms

 Researchers find a cause and possible treatment for Fragile X syndrome

Scientists have discovered an underlying mechanism for Fragile X syndrome — a leading cause of autism and the primary genetic driver of intellectual disability — as well as a drug that reversed the underlying abnormality and autism-like behaviors in mice. Their research appears in the Sept. 3 edition of the journal Cell.

Fragile X, a genetic disorder linked to the X chromosome, leads to learning disabilities, cognitive impairment, and many features of autism, including social difficulties. Approximately one in 7,000 males and one in 11,000 females have the syndrome. Fragile X typically becomes evident in children by age 2.

The new Yale study deepens basic understanding of the syndrome and demonstrates early promise for a previously unexplored avenue for treatment.

In the study researchers focused on a protein called adenosine triphosphate synthase, which is present in nearly all cells in the body. It uses energy from food to generate adenosine triphosphate (ATP), a molecule that is a major energy source for cells.

In Fragile X syndrome, cells’ ATP-making function is abnormal,the team found. Specifically, the cells’ mitochondria — which process fuel to make ATP — have a leaky inner membrane.

This leaky membrane is making the process of ATP production inefficient. In Fragile X neurons, the synapses fail to mature during development. The synapses remain in an immature state and this seems to be related to their immature metabolism. 
When a leak in the cell’s mitochondria short-circuits efficient functioning of the synapse, memory, learning and typical brain development are all compromised.

Source: https://news.yale.edu/2020/09/03/yale-researchers-find-cause-and-po...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2359/Yale-researchers-find-a-cause-and...

Cosmonaut Brain Scans Show Space Does Weird Things to Motor Skills And Vision

https://www.sciencealert.com/cosmonaut-brain-study-shows-how-space-...

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Patients with COVID-19 shouldn’t have to die alone. Here’s how a loved one could be there at the end

We can strike a balance between minimising transmission risk and practising compassion to allow loved ones to visit patients with COVID-19 in ICU at the end of their lives.

https://theconversation.com/patients-with-covid-19-shouldnt-have-to...

How stone forests get their spikes

Stone forests—pointed rock formations resembling trees that populate regions of China, Madagascar, and many other locations worldwide—are as majestic as they are mysterious, created by uncertain forces that give them their shape.

A team of scientists has now shed new light on how these natural structures are created. Through a series of simulations and experiments, they show how flowing water carves ultra-sharp spikes in landforms. In their study, the scientists simulated the formation of these pinnacles over time through a mathematical model and computer simulations that took into account how dissolving produces flows and how these flows also affect dissolving and thus reshaping of a formation.

To confirm the validity of their simulations, the researchers conducted a series of experiments in NYU's Applied Mathematics Lab. Here, the scientists replicated the formation of these natural structures by creating sugar-based pinnacles, mimicking soluble rocks that compose karst and similar topographies, and submerging them in tanks of water. Interestingly, no flows had to be imposed, since the dissolving process itself created the flow patterns needed to carve spikes.

The experimental results reflected those of the simulations, thereby supporting the accuracy of the researchers' model (see "Video2ExperimentSimulation" in the below drive). The authors speculate that these same events happen—albeit far more slowly—when minerals are submerged under water, which later recedes to reveal stone pinnacles and stone forests.

 Jinzi Mac Huang el al., "Ultra-sharp pinnacles sculpted by natural convective dissolution," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2001524117

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-stone-forests-spikes.html?utm_source=...

Stone forest ( Image credit: Google images)

Children use both brain hemispheres to understand language, unlike adults

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-children-brain-hemispheres-l...

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Superconductors are super resilient to magnetic fields

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-superconductors-super-resilient-magne...

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Alternative leather from fungi

https://phys.org/news/2019-12-alternative-leather-fungi.html

Animal skin is an excellent material, but the tanning process of leather causes significant chromium emissions that are damaging to the environment and human health. Synthetic leathers also burden the environment and fail to match the quality and durability of animal leather. Therefore, new bio-based replacement materials are sought for leather. Researchers now are using fungal mycelium to produce skinlike material that would be suited for industrial production.

For centuries, fungi and polypores have been used for making skinlike fabrics and accessories in Europe. Designers and researchers are now reviving this tradition to find sustainable alternatives to replace leather.

Scientists have been studying fungi and other microbes and their use in industrial biotechnology for quite a while. In laboratory conditions, fungal mycelium can be used to rapidly produce skinlike material with quite similar feel and tensile strength as animal skin.

Some items made of fungus-based leather are already being produced for commercial markets.

The production process of fungus-based leather represents creativity at its best: organic waste can be used as raw material for synthetic leather. Fungal mycelium can produce skinlike material out of, for example, food waste.

https://phys.org/news/2019-12-alternative-leather-fungi.html

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Alternative-leather-fr...; - check %%

MRI scans show brain reorganization during long space flights, but no neurodegeneration

An international team of researchers has found that long space flights can lead to some minor brain reorganization but no neurodegeneration.  

The group describes their study of the brains of cosmonauts returning from long-term missions aboard the International Space Station, and what they found.

The researchers found that the brain reorients itself during long space missions, essentially floating into different parts of the skull. This resulted in slight reorganization of the brain itself in response to the reorientation. The cosmonauts brains also responded in other ways to the unusual living environment—they acquired new motor skills and had better balance and coordination. The researchers also found that the reorientation did not result in neurodegeneration and that normal orientation was nearly restored seven months after the cosmonauts returned to Earth. They also confirmed fluid build-up behind the eyes as the reason for the loss of visual acuity during long space flights.

Steven Jillings et al. Macro- and microstructural changes in cosmonauts' brains after long-duration spaceflight, Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aaz9488

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-mri-scans-brain-space-flights.html?ut...

Genetic study of proteins is a breakthrough in drug development for complex diseases

An innovative genetic study of blood protein levels by researchers has demonstrated how genetic data can be used to support drug target prioritization by identifying the causal effects of proteins on diseases.

Phenome-wide Mendelian randomization mapping the influence of the plasma proteome on complex diseases, Nature Genetics (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41588-020-0682-6 , www.nature.com/articles/s41588-020-0682-6

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-genetic-proteins-breakthrough-drug-co...

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**New insight into mammalian stem cell evolution

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-insight-mammalian-stem-cell-evolution...

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** Methane-eating bacteria like nitrogen, too

Methane-eating bacteria can degrade ammonium in addition to methane, as discovered by microbiologists . Methane-eaters are important for the reduction of greenhouses gas emissions from volcanoes and other areas, but have not previously been linked with nitrogen emission.

Wouter Versantvoort et al., Multiheme hydroxylamine oxidoreductases produce NO during ammonia oxidation in methanotrophs. PNAS (2020). (to be published)

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-methane-eating-bacteria-nitrogen.html...

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Gulls pay attention to human eyes

Herring gulls notice where approaching humans are looking, and flee sooner when they're being watched, a new study shows.

Researchers approached gulls while either looking at the ground or directly at the birds.

Gulls were slower to move away when not being watched—allowing a human to get two metres closer on average.

Newly fledged gulls were just as likely to react to human gaze direction as older birds, suggesting they are born with this tendency or quickly learn it.

Madeleine Goumas et al. Herring gull aversion to gaze in urban and rural human settlements, Animal Behaviour (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.008

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gulls-attention-human-eyes.html?utm_s...

Buffer could limit environmental spread of antibiotic resistance

Many livestock receive antibiotics that protect against bacterial diseases. But over time, antibiotics also trigger the evolution of bacteria that can resist them. Those antibiotic-resistant bacteria, in turn, can pass along genes responsible for that resistance to other bacterial species, ultimately reducing the effectiveness of the drugs

When manure from livestock administered with antibiotics is applied as fertilizer, antibiotic resistance genes can enter soil and, following precipitation, run off into rivers and other bodies of water, furthering their spread.

A research team  ran experiments to evaluate the minimum distance between a manure slurry-covered field and surface water that would prevent the runoff of antibiotics and antibiotic resistance genes. The team found that levels of all three antibiotics it measured, along with seven of the 10 resistance genes, substantially decreased as that distance increased.

The researchers concluded that maintaining between 112 and 220 feet of distance would limit most runoff pollution across a no-till field rich in the clay soils .

Because that recommended distance is specific to the experimental site, the team recommended running similar experiments with varying field conditions, soil types, slopes and rainfall amounts to calibrate suitable distances elsewhere.

Maria C. Hall et al. Influence of Setback Distance on Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistance Genes in Runoff and Soil Following the Land Application of Swine Manure Slurry, Environmental Science & Technology (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acs.est.9b04834

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-buffer-limit-environmental-antibiotic...

How drones change our point of view and our truths

https://theconversation.com/eyes-on-the-world-drones-change-our-poi...

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Solar cell floats on a soap bubble
Materials scientists have made printed solar cells that are so thin, light and flexible that they can rest on the surface of a soap bubble.

https://www.nature.com/immersive/d41586-020-02493-0/index.html?utm_...

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These 3 Recent Studies Radically Change What We Understand About Dogs

https://www.sciencealert.com/three-new-studies-radically-change-wha...

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Scientists Awaken Deep Sea Bacteria After 100 Million Years

The microbes had survived on trace amounts of oxygen and were able to feed and multiply once revived in the lab.

https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/scientists-awaken-deep-s...

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 Gut Microbiome Composition Linked to Human Behavior

A study uncovers connections between the bacteria in our guts and our social lives.

https://www.the-scientist.com/the-literature/gut-microbiome-composi...

https://www.sciencealert.com/are-tardigrades-the-most-indestructibl...

Gut Microbiome Composition Linked to Human Behavior

A study uncovers connections between the bacteria in our guts and our social lives.

https://www.the-scientist.com/the-literature/gut-microbiome-composi...

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** People Are Making Face Masks With Period Blood. Is There Science To Back It?

https://www.idiva.com/beauty/tips/why-menstrual-blood-facials-are-a...

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What are corticosteroids and why are they effective at fighting severe COVID-19?

https://theconversation.com/what-are-corticosteroids-and-why-are-th...

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Plant living with only one leaf reveals fundamental genetics of pla...

https://researchnews.cc/news/2406/Plant-living-with-only-one-leaf-r...

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Climate explained: methane is short-lived in the atmosphere but leaves long-term damage

https://theconversation.com/climate-explained-methane-is-short-live...

New study discovers how the nervous system of human runners generat...

Running is a fundamental mode of human movement that most of us perform effortlessly without conscious thought. Some may run regularly for exercise, or even undergo serious, professional training for completing marathons. This apparent ease of running belies the enormous biomechanical complexity of running, the coordinated control of which is accomplished by an intricate neuronal network in the brain and spinal cord.

Researchers have recently discovered that the human nervous system is equipped with a mechanism that can flexibly adjust the motor commands for different running forms depending on the state of the body and the person’s prior running experience. This finding, which has just been published in Nature Communications, may allow researchers to design training strategies for promoting running forms that are more energetically efficient.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18210-4.

https://researchnews.cc/news/2405/New-study-discovers-how-the-nervo...

Real-time imaging shows how SARS-CoV-2 attacks human cells

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-real-time-imaging-sars-cov-human-cell...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Real-time-imaging-show... - check %%

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Devitrification demystified: Scientists show how glass crystallizes in real-time

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-devitrification-demystified.html?utm_...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Devitrification-demyst...; - check %%

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** Terahertz receiver for 6G wireless communications

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-terahertz-6g-wireless.html?utm_source...

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** Trees living fast die young

A global analysis reveals for the first time that across almost all tree species, fast growing trees have shorter lifespans. This international study further calls into question predictions that greater tree growth means greater carbon storage in forests in the long term.

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-trees-fast-die-young.html?utm_source=...

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The birth of a male sex chromosome in Atlantic herring

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-birth-male-sex-chromosome-atlantic.ht...

Study highlights the role of astrocytes in the formation of remote memories

Memories from a distant past, also known as remote memories, can guide the present and future behavior of humans and other living organisms on Earth. In psychology and neuroscience, the term "remote memories" refers to all memories related to events that took place from a few weeks to decades in the past.

Earlier studies have explored the neural underpinnings of remote memories or tried to identify brain  regions that could be involved in how they are formed and maintained over time. So far, most findings have suggested that the interaction between the hippocampus and frontal cortical brain regions plays a key role in the consolidation of these memories.

Past observations suggest that the interaction between these brain regions changes as time goes by and as memories go from being recent (i.e., a few years old) to remote. The exact time when these brain regions become involved in the formation of a memory and for how long they remain important to its endurance, however, is still poorly understood.

Astrocytes are star-shaped cells that are known to have several functions, including the regulation of the metabolism, detoxification, tissue repair and providing nutrients to neurons. Recent studies have found that these cells can also change synaptic activity in the brain, thus impacting neuronal circuits at multiple levels.

A number of new observations that shed light on the unique contribution of these cells in enabling the formation of remote memories in mice, and potentially also humans have been made now. They provide further evidence that astrocytes can shape neuronal networks in intricate ways and affect many cognitive functions, including the acquisition of remote memories.

Adi Kol et al. Astrocytes contribute to remote memory formation by modulating hippocampal–cortical communication during learning, Nature Neuroscience (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41593-020-0679-6

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-highlights-role-astrocytes-f...

A lack of oxygen in tumors promotes metastasis

Metastases are formed by cancer cells that break away from the primary tumor. A research group at the University of Basel has now identified lack of oxygen as the trigger for this process. The results reveal an important relationship between the oxygen supply to tumors and the formation of metastases. This research may open up new treatment strategies for cancer.

The chances of recovery significantly worsen when a tumor metastasizes. Previous research has shown that metastases are formed by clusters of cancer cells that separate from the primary tumor and migrate to new tissue through the bloodstream. However, thus far little has been known about why these clusters of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) leave the tumor in the first place.

It has been shown now   that a lack of oxygen is responsible for the separation of CTC clusters from the tumor. This is an important starting point for the development of new cancer treatments.

It turned out that different areas of a tumor are supplied with different levels of oxygen: cancer cells with a lack of oxygen were found wherever the tumor had comparatively fewer blood vessels—in the core of the tumor as well as in clearly defined peripheral areas. Next, the research team investigated the CTC clusters that had separated from these tumors and found that they similarly suffered from a lack of oxygen. This led to the conclusion that cells leave the tumor if they do not receive enough oxygen. "It's as though too many people are crowded together in a small space. A few will go outside to find some fresh air.

Further experiments showed that these CTC clusters with a lack of oxygen are particularly dangerous: in comparison to clusters with normal oxygen content, they formed metastases faster and shortened the mice's survival time. "If a tumor does not have enough oxygen, these CTC clusters, which have a particularly high potential to develop metastases, will break away.

This insight led the researchers to take a closer look at the effect of what is called proangiogenic treatment: they stimulated the formation of blood vessels, thus boosting the supply of oxygen to the tumor cells. As expected, the number of separating CTC clusters dropped, the mice formed fewer metastases, and they lived longer—but at the same time, the primary tumor increased in size significantly.

 Cell Reports (2020). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2020.108105

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-lack-oxygen-tumors-metastasi...

No signs of alien technology in 10 million star systems

A radio telescope in outback Western Australia has completed the deepest and broadest search at low frequencies for alien technologies, scanning a patch of sky known to include at least 10 million stars.

Astronomers used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA)telescope to explore hundreds of times more broadly than any previous search for extraterrestrial life.

The study, published  recently observed the sky around the Vela constellation. But in this part of the Universe at least, it appears other civilisations are elusive, if they exist.   The telescope was searching for powerful radio emissions at frequencies similar to FM radio frequencies, that could indicate the presence of an intelligent source.

These possible emissions are known as 'technosignatures'. With this dataset, the study found no technosignatures—no sign of intelligent life.

''A SETI Survey of the Vela Region using the Murchison Widefield Array: Orders of Magnitude Expansion in Search Space', published in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia (PASA)  on September 8th, 2020. arxiv.org/pdf/2009.03267.pdf

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-australian-telescope-alien-technology...

High Blood Pressure And Diabetes Could Alter Brain Structure, Slowing Down Cognition

https://www.sciencealert.com/study-suggests-diabetes-and-high-blood...

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Terahertz receiver for 6G wireless communications

Future wireless networks of the 6th generation (6G) will consist of a multitude of small radio cells that need to be connected by broadband communication links. In this context, wireless transmission at THz frequencies represents a particularly attractive and flexible solution. Researchers have now developed a novel concept for low-cost terahertz receivers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200908122517.htm

Wringing out Water on the ISS - for Science!

Massive halo finally explains stream of gas swirling around the Milky Way

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-massive-halo-stream-gas-swirling.html...

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Physicists explain mysterious dark matter deficiency in galaxy pair

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-physicists-mysterious-dark-deficiency...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Massive-halo-finally-e...; --check  %%%%

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 A gold nanoparticle nearly cloaked by a single molecule

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gold-nanoparticle-cloaked-molecule.ht...

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New Hubble data suggests there is an ingredient missing from current dark matter theories

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-hubble-ingredient-current-dark-theori...

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Engineered 'nanobodies' block SARS-CoV-2 from infecting human cells

Researchers have designed a molecule that sticks tightly to the coronavirus spike protein, preventing the virus from infecting cells. The molecule might someday be used in an aerosolized drug to treat or prevent COVID-19. It's modeled after the simple, compact antibodies found in some animals such as llamas, alpacas, and camels.

Immune cells produce antibodies in response to infection, but it takes time for that response to develop. Lab-made antibodies could knock a virus out before it gains a foothold.

Michael Schoof et al. An ultra-potent synthetic nanobody neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by locking Spike into an inactive conformation, (2020). DOI: 10.1101/2020.08.08.238469

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-nanobodies-block-sars-cov-infecting-h...

How hydrogen becomes a metal inside giant planets

Dense metallic hydrogen—a phase of hydrogen which behaves like an electrical conductor—makes up the interior of giant planets. By combining artificial intelligence and quantum mechanics, researchers now have found how hydrogen becomes a metal under the extreme pressure conditions of these planets.

Researchers used machine learning to mimic the interactions between hydrogen atoms in order to overcome the size and timescale limitations of even the most powerful supercomputers. They found that instead of happening as a sudden, or first-order, transition, the hydrogen changes in a smooth and gradual way.

Hydrogen, consisting of one proton and one electron, is both the simplest and the most abundant element in the Universe. It is the dominant component of the interior of the giant planets in our solar system—Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune—as well as exoplanets orbiting other stars.

At the surfaces of giant planets, hydrogen remains a molecular gas. Moving deeper into the interiors of giant planets however, the pressure exceeds millions of standard atmospheres. Under this extreme compression, hydrogen undergoes a phase transition: the covalent bonds inside hydrogen molecules break, and the gas becomes a metal that conducts electricity.

 Evidence for supercritical behaviour of high-pressure liquid hydrogen, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2677-y , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2677-y

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ai-hydrogen-metal-giant-planets.html?...

Gene activation discovery

Human genes spring into action through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA, directed by the four different types of individual links, or "bases," coded A, C, G and T.

Nearly 25% of our genes are widely known to be transcribed by sequences that resemble TATAAA, which is called the "TATA box." How the other three-quarters are turned on, or promoted, has remained a mystery due to the enormous number of DNA base sequence possibilities, which has kept the activation information shrouded.

Now, with the help of artificial intelligence, researchers have identified a DNA activation code that's used at least as frequently as the TATA box in humans. Their discovery, which they termed the downstream core promoter region (DPR), could eventually be used to control gene activation in biotechnology and biomedical applications.

The researchers made a pool of 500,000 random versions of DNA sequences and evaluated the DPR activity of each. From there, 200,000 versions were used to create a machine learning model that could accurately predict DPR activity in human DNA.

These results clearly revealed the existence of the DPR motif in human genes. Moreover, the frequency of occurrence of the DPR appears to be comparable to that of the TATA box. In addition, they observed an intriguing duality between the DPR and TATA. Genes that are activated with TATA box sequences lack DPR sequences, and vice versa.

Identification of the human DPR core promoter element using machine learning, Nature (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-020-2689-7 , www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2689-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-machine-aids-gene-discovery.html?utm_...

Sound waves replace human hands in petri dish experiments

Mechanical engineers  have demonstrated a set of prototypes for manipulating particles and cells in a Petri dish using sound waves. The devices, known in the scientific community as "acoustic tweezers," are the first foray into making these types of tools, which have thus far been relegated to laboratories with specific equipment and expertise, available for use in a wide array of settings.

Acoustic tweezers are a powerful, versatile set of tools that use sound waves to manipulate bioparticles ranging from nanometer-sized extracellular vesicles to millimeter-sized multicellular organisms. Over the past several decades, the capabilities of acoustic tweezers have expanded from simplistic particle trapping to the precise rotation and translation of cells and organisms in three dimensions.

"Generating multifunctional acoustic tweezers in Petri dishes for contactless, precise manipulation of bioparticles" Science Advances (2020). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abb0494

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-human-petri-dish.html?utm_source=nwle...

Nobel prize-winning economics of climate change is misleading and dangerous – here’s why

https://theconversation.com/nobel-prize-winning-economics-of-climat...

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https://phys.org/news/2020-09-australia-environmental-scientists-si...

How Australia's environmental scientists are being silenced

https://theconversation.com/research-reveals-shocking-detail-on-how...

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How Bermuda Triangle became a mystery ....

https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-what-is-the-bermuda-triang...

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Nine mistakes we make about the pandemic

From false dichotomies — save lives or save the economy? — to the ‘prevention paradox’ that breeds complacency when public-health measures work, many of us suffer from conceptual errors when it comes to coronavirus.

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Space Could Be Littered With Eerie Transparent Stars Made Entirely of Bosons

https://www.sciencealert.com/there-could-be-transparent-stars-made-...

The Most Common Pain Relief Drug in The World Induces Risky Behaviour, Study Suggests

Acetaminophen, also known as paracetamol and sold widely under the brand names Tylenol and Panadol, also increases risk-taking, according to a new study that measured changes in people's behaviour when under the influence of the common over-the-counter medication.

https://academic.oup.com/scan/advance-article/doi/10.1093/scan/nsaa...

https://www.sciencealert.com/the-most-common-pain-relief-drug-in-th...

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Researchers document the 'life cycle' of a volcano

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-document-life-volcano.html?utm_source...

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German study highlights carbon footprint of video streaming

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-german-highlights-carbon-footprint-vi...

Quirky response to magnetism presents quantum physics mystery

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-quirky-response-magnetism-quantum-phy...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Quirky-response-to-mag...    - check %%

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Researchers reveal a much richer picture of the past with new DNA recovery technique

Researchers at McMaster University have developed a new technique to tease ancient DNA from soil, pulling the genomes of hundreds of animals and thousands of plants—many of them long extinct—from less than a gram of sediment.

The DNA extraction method, outlined in the journal Quarternary Research, allows scientists to reconstruct the most advanced picture ever of environments that existed thousands of years ago.

The researchers analyzed permafrost samples from four sites in the Yukon, each representing different points in the Pleistocene-Halocene transition, which occurred approximately 11,000 years ago.

This transition featured the extinction of a large number of animal species such as mammoths, mastodons and ground sloths, and the new process has yielded some surprising new information about the way events unfolded, say the researchers.

Tyler J. Murchie et al, Optimizing extraction and targeted capture of ancient environmental DNA for reconstructing past environments using the PalaeoChip Arctic-1.0 bait-set, Quaternary Research (2020). DOI: 10.1017/qua.2020.59

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-reveal-richer-picture-dna-recovery.ht...

At least 28 extinctions prevented by conservation action in recent decades

Conservation action has prevented the global extinction of at least 28 bird and mammal species since 1993, a study  has shown.

The species include Puerto Rican Amazon Amazona vittata, Przewalski's Horse Equus ferus, Alagoas Antwren Myrmotherula snowi, Iberian Lynx Lynx pardinus, and Black Stilt Himantopus novaezelandiae, among others.

an international team of scientists have estimated the number of bird and mammal species that would have disappeared forever without the efforts of conservationists in recent decades.

The researchers found that 21-32 bird and 7-16 mammal species extinctions have been prevented since 1993, with the ranges reflecting the uncertainty inherent in estimating what might have happened under hypothetical circumstances.

Bolam, F.C, Mair, L., Angelico, M., Brooks, T.M, Burgman, M., McGowan, P. J. K & Hermes, C. et al. (2020). How many bird and mammal extinctions has recent conservation action prevented? Conservation Letters (2020). DOI: 10.1111/conl.12762

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-extinctions-action-decades.html?utm_s...

Study finds humans are behind costly, increasing risk of wildfire to millions of homes

People are starting almost all the wildfires that threaten U.S. homes, according to an innovative new analysis combining housing and wildfire data. Through activities like debris burning, equipment use and arson, humans were responsible for igniting 97% of home-threatening wildfires, a University of Colorado Boulder-led team reported this week in the journal Fire.

Nathan Mietkiewicz et al, In the Line of Fire: Consequences of Human-Ignited Wildfires to Homes in the U.S. (1992–2015), Fire (2020). DOI: 10.3390/fire3030050

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-humans-costly-wildfire-millions-homes...

Big 'particle accelerator' in the sky!

The Earth's magnetic field traps high-energy particles. When the first satellites were launched into space, scientists led by James Van Allen unexpectedly discovered the high-energy particle radiation regions, which were later named after its discoverer: the Van Allen Radiation Belts. Visualized, these look like two donut-shaped regions encompassing the planet.

Now, a new study led by researchers from GFZ German Research Center for Geosciences shows that electrons in the radiation belts can be accelerated to very high speeds locally. The study shows that magnetosphere works as a very efficient particle accelerator, speeding up electrons to so-called ultra-relativistic energies.

To better understand the origin of the Van Allen Belts, in 2012, NASA launched the Van Allen Probes twin spacecraft to traverse this most harsh environment and conduct detailed measurements in this hazardous region. The measurements included a full range of particles moving at different speeds and in different directions, and plasma waves. Plasma waves are similar to the waves that we see on the water surface, but are invisible to the naked eye. They can be compared to ripples in the electric and magnetic field.

Recent observations revealed that the energy of electrons in the belts can go up to so called ultra-relativistic energies. These electrons, with temperatures above 100 billion degrees Fahrenheit, move so quickly that their energy of motion is much higher than their energy of rest given by Einstein's famous formula E=mc². They are so fast that the time significantly slows down for these particles.

Scientists were surprised to find these ultra-relativistic electrons and assumed that such high energies can be only reached by a combination of two processes: the inward transport of particles from the outer regions of the magnetosphere, which accelerates them, and a local acceleration of particles by plasma waves.

However, the new study shows that electrons reach such incredible energies locally, in the heart of the belts, by taking all this energy from plasma waves. This process turns out to be extremely efficient. The unexpected discovery of how acceleration of particles to ultra-relativistic energies operates in the near-Earth space may help scientists understand the fundamental processes of acceleration on the sun, near outer planets, and even in the distant corners of the universe, where space probes cannot reach.

Hayley Allison, Yuri Shprits: "Local heating of radiation belt electrons to ultra-relativistic energies" Nature Communications, DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18053-z

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-giant-particle-sky.html?utm_source=nw...

The Astounding Fact About The Universe - Neil Degrasse Tyson

"Using noise to fight noise": 

Sick of city din? Try 'noise-cancelling headphones' for your flat

https://techxplore.com/news/2020-09-sick-city-din-noise-cancelling-...

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5 ways our immune responses to COVID vaccines are unique

https://theconversation.com/5-ways-our-immune-responses-to-covid-va...

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Carbon-rich exoplanets may be made of diamonds

When stars and planets are formed, they do so from the same cloud of gas, so their bulk compositions are similar. A star with a lower carbon to oxygen ratio will have planets like Earth, comprised of silicates and oxides with a very small diamond content (Earth's diamond content is about 0.001%).

But exoplanets around stars with a higher carbon to oxygen ratio than our sun are more likely to be carbon-rich.Researchers hypothesized that these carbon-rich exoplanets could convert to diamond and silicate, if water (which is abundant in the universe) were present, creating a diamond-rich composition.

H. Allen-Sutter et al, Oxidation of the Interiors of Carbide Exoplanets, The Planetary Science Journal (2020). DOI: 10.3847/PSJ/abaa3e

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-carbon-rich-exoplanets-diamonds.html?...

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Terroir: can a crop’s environment shape a food’s smell and taste? Scientists explore whether terroir leaves a lasting imprint

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/terroir-food-crops-environment-...

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More than 90% of protected areas are disconnected

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-areas-disconnected.html?utm_source=nw...

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To repair a damaged heart, three cells are better than one

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-heart-cells.html?utm_source=...

Infection higher in hospital cleaners than ICU staff: report

Intensive care medics were significantly less likely to have been infected with COVID-19 than cleaners and other healthcare workers in departments deemed lower risk, according to a study of several British hospitals at the peak of the pandemic.

The research also found that people of black, Asian and minority ethnicity were nearly twice as likely to have been infected as white colleagues.

It follows several studies suggesting race, income and allocation of personal protective equipment (PPE) create biases in the burden of infections.

Researchers said the results could be because those working in intensive therapy units (ITU) were prioritised for the highest level of masks and other equipment.

SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence and asymptomatic viral carriage in healthcare workers: a cross-sectional study, Thorax (2020). DOI: 10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215414

https://medicalxpress.com/news/2020-09-infection-higher-hospital-cl...

Researchers quantify worldwide loss of phosphorus due to soil erosion for the first time

Phosphorus is essential for agriculture, yet this important plant nutrient is increasingly being lost from soils around the world. The primary cause is soil erosion, reports an international research team.

The world's food production depends directly on phosphorus. However, this plant nutrient is not unlimited, originating from finite geological reserves.

Erosion flushes mineral-bound phosphorus out of agricultural soils into wetlands and water bodies, where the excess of nutrients (called eutrophication) harms the aquatic plant and animal communities. The researchers were able to validate their calculations using globally published measurement data on phosphorus content in rivers: The elevated phosphorus content in waters mirrors the calculated loss of phosphorus in the soil in the respective region.

Mineral fertilizers can replace the lost phosphorus in the fields, but not all countries are equally able to use them.

 Christine Alewell et al. Global phosphorus shortage will be aggravated by soil erosion, Nature Communications (2020). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18326-7

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-quantify-worldwide-loss-phosphorus-du...

https://www.livescience.com/65117-do-elephant-tusks-or-rhino-horns-....

Computational modelling explains why blues and greens are brightest colous in nature

Researchers have shown why intense, pure red colors in nature are mainly produced by pigments, instead of the structural color that produces bright blue and green hues.

The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, used a numerical experiment to determine the limits of matt structural color—a phenomenon which is responsible for some of the most intense colors in nature—and found that it extends only as far as blue and green in the visible spectrum. The results, published in PNAS, could be useful in the development of non-toxic paints or coatings with intense color that never fades.

Structural color, which is seen in some bird feathers, butterfly wings or insects, is not caused by pigments or dyes, but internal structure alone. The appearance of the color, whether matt or iridescent, will depending on how the structures are arranged at the nanoscale.

Ordered, or crystalline, structures result in iridescent colors, which change when viewed from different angles. Disordered, or correlated, structures result in angle-independent matt colors, which look the same from any viewing angle. Since structural color does not fade, these angle-independent matt colors would be highly useful for applications such as paints or coatings, where metallic effects are not wanted.

In addition to their intensity and resistance to fading, a matt paint which uses structural color would also be far more environmentally-friendly, as toxic dyes and pigments would not be needed.

Gianni Jacucci et al, The limitations of extending nature's color palette in correlated, disordered systems, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2010486117

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-blues-greens-brightest-colous-nature....

How plants ensure regular seed spacing

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-regular-seed-spacing.html?utm_source=...

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Could there be a form of life inside stars?

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-life-stars.html?utm_source=nwletter&a...

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Wildlife in 'catastrophic decline' due to human destruction, scientists warn

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-54091048?utm_source=Na...

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The Science Behind Mysterious Orange Skies 

https://www.forbes.com/sites/marshallshepherd/2020/09/10/the-scienc...

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Dark matter clumps in galaxy clusters bend light surprisingly well

Not only is the mysterious substance invisible, but it’s also not all where we thought it was

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/dark-matter-clumps-galaxy-clust...

Halving the risk of infection following surgery

Surgeons could dramatically reduce the risk of infection after an operation by simply changing the antiseptic they use.

New analysis by the University of Leeds and the University of Bern of more than 14,000 operations has found that using alcoholic chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) halves the risk of infection in certain types of surgery when compared to the more commonly used povidone-iodine (PVI).

Infection after surgery could result in a range of issues including readmission to hospital and possibly further surgery.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-09/uol-htr091120.php

Filtering out toxic chromium from water

What We Don't Know About Parasites in Our Changing World Could Be Deadly

https://www.sciencealert.com/what-we-don-t-know-about-parasites-in-...

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Robot takes contact-free measurements of patients' vital signs

Opening eyes to a frontier in vision restoration

researchers have developed miniaturised, wireless electronic implants that sit on the surface of the brain and have the capacity to restore vision.

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Living Planet report reveals 68% decline in global wildlife populat...

The WWF’s Living Planet Report 2020 presents a comprehensive overview of the state of our natural world as captured by the Living Planet Index (LPI). Almost 21,000 populations of over 4,000 vertebrate species were tracked between 1970 and 2016, with contributions from over 125 experts from around the world.

The Living Planet Report 2020 underlines how humanity’s increasing destruction of nature is having catastrophic impacts not only on wildlife populations, but on human health and all aspects of our lives.

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There’s no evidence that blue-light blocking glasses help with sleep

https://theconversation.com/theres-no-evidence-that-blue-light-bloc...

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The Fate of Schrödinger's Cat Probably Isn't in The Hands of Gravity, Experiment Finds

https://www.sciencealert.com/new-experiment-shows-the-fate-of-schro...

Math Shows How Famed Indus Valley Civilization May Have Been Toppled by Climate Change

There are competing hypotheses around the decline of the Indus Valley Civilization in South Asia some 3,000 years ago, but a new mathematical proof has identified that climate change could have been responsible.

Mathematical scientist Nishant Malik from the Rochester Institute of Technology crunched the numbers and found new evidence to back up the idea that shifting monsoon seasons and increasing drought might have helped bring about the collapse of the Bronze Age empire.

By analysing the presence of a particular isotope in stalagmites in a North Indian cave – which should reveal the amount of water that fell as rain over time – scientists have previously been able to estimate monsoon rainfall in the region over the past 5,700 years.

In the new research, Malik was able to identify patterns in this data showing a major shift in monsoon patterns as the civilization began to rise, and then a reverse shift that matched its decline.

New fossil ape is discovered in India

A 13-million-year-old fossil unearthed in northern India comes from a newly discovered ape, the earliest known ancestor of the modern-day gibbon. The discovery  fills a major void in the ape fossil record and provides important new evidence about when the ancestors of today's gibbon migrated to Asia from Africa. This discovery fills major gaps in the hominoid fossil record.

The fossil, a complete lower molar, belongs to a previously unknown genus and species (Kapi ramnagarensis) and represents the first new fossil ape species discovered at the famous fossil site of Ramnagar, India, in nearly a century.

New Middle Miocene Ape (Primates: Hylobatidae) from Ramnagar, India Fills Major Gaps in the Hominoid Fossil Record, Proceedings of the Royal Society B (2020). rspb.royalsocietypublishing.or … .1098/rspb.2020.1655

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-fossil-ape-india.html?utm_source=nwle...

Ancient volcanoes once boosted ocean carbon, but humans are now far outpacing them

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-ancient-volcanoes-boosted-ocean-carbo...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Ancient-volcanoes-once...;  - check%%

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Gene-edited livestock 'surrogate sires' successfully made fertile

For the first time, scientists have created pigs, goats and cattle that can serve as viable "surrogate sires," male animals that produce sperm carrying only the genetic traits of donor animals.

could speed the spread of desirable characteristics in livestock and improve food production for a growing global population. It also would enable breeders in remote regions better access to genetic material of elite animals from other parts of the world and allow more precision breeding in animals such as goats where using artificial insemination is difficult.

 Michela Ciccarelli el al., "Donor-derived spermatogenesis following stem cell transplantation in sterile NANOS2 knockout males," PNAS (2020). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.2010102117

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-gene-edited-livestock-surrogate-sires...

Hints of life on Venus: Scientists detect phosphine molecules in high cloud decks

An international team of astronomers yesterday (14th sept., 2020) announced the discovery of a rare molecule—phosphine—in the clouds of Venus. On Earth, this gas is only made industrially, or by microbes that thrive in oxygen-free environments.

Astronomers have speculated for decades that high clouds on Venus could offer a home for microbes—floating free of the scorching surface, but still needing to tolerate very high acidity. The detection of phosphine molecules, which consist of hydrogen and phosphorus, could point to this extra-terrestrial 'aerial' life.

To create the observed quantity of phosphine on Venus, terrestrial organisms would only need to work at about 10% of their maximum productivity.

Greaves, J.S., Richards, A.M.S., Bains, W. et al. Phosphine gas in the cloud decks of Venus. Nat Astron (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41550-020-1174-4

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-hints-life-venus-scientists-phosphine...

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Collective quantum effect: When electrons keep together

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-quantum-effect-electrons.html?utm_sou...

https://www.quora.com/q/sciencecommunication/Collective-quantum-eff...; - check%%

Animals' magnetic 'sixth' sense may come from bacteria, new paper suggests

Scientists hypothesis to the Q why some animals have a magnetic 'sixth' sense, such as sea turtles' ability to return to the beach where they were born: the magnetic sense comes from a symbiotic relationship with magnetotactic bacteria.

Magnetotactic bacteria are a special type of bacteria whose movement is influenced by magnetic fields, including the Earth's.

Animals that sense Earth's magnetic field include sea turtles, birds, fish and lobsters. Sea turtles, for example, can use the ability for navigation to return to the beach where they were born.

Learning how organisms interact with magnetic fields can improve humans' understanding of how to use Earth's magnetic fields for their own navigation purposes. It can also inform ecological research into the effects of human modifications of the magnetic environment, such as constructing power lines, on biodiversity. Research into the interaction of animals with magnetic fields can also aid the development of therapies that use magnetism for drug delivery.

In the article, the researchers review the arguments for and against the hypothesis, present evidence published in support that has arisen in the past few years, as well as offer new supportive evidence of their own.

Their new evidence comes from microbes ( Metagenomic Rapid Annotations using Subsystems Technology database), the magnetotactic bacteria that had been found in animal samples. Scientists found for the first time, that magnetotactic bacteria are associated with many animals, including a penguin species, loggerhead sea turtles, bats and Atlantic right whales.

the hypothesis that animals use magnetic bacteria in a symbiotic way to gain a magnetic sense warrants further exploration but still needs more evidence before anything conclusive can be stated.

Eviatar Natan et al, Symbiotic magnetic sensing: raising evidence and beyond, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences (2020). DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0595

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-animals-magnetic-sixth-bacteria-paper...

Bioactive nano-capsules to hijack cell behaviour to treat diseases

Many diseases are caused by defects in signaling pathways of body cells. In the future, bioactive nanocapsules could become a valuable tool for medicine to control these pathways. Researchers have taken an important step in this direction: They succeed in having several different nanocapsules work in tandem to amplify a natural signaling cascade and influence cell behaviour.

Andrea Belluati et al, Bioactive Catalytic Nanocompartments Integrated into Cell Physiology and Their Amplification of a Native Signaling Cascade, ACS Nano (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c05574

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-bioactive-nano-capsules-hijack-cell-b...

Boron nitride nanofilms might replace antibiotics for protection against bacterial and fungal infections

Material scientists have presented antibacterial nano-coatings based on boron nitride, which are highly effective against microbial pathogens (up to 99.99%). They can become a safe alternative to the usual antibiotics in implantology since they do not have typical negative side effects.

Due to the significant increase in the number of surgical procedures around the world, scientists are addressing the problem of microbial infections caused by implants. It is especially serious during orthopedic and dental operations. It is no secret that concomitant drug therapy for inflammation around implants often leads to side effects due to the characteristic properties of the antibiotics, as well as the required high doses.

A group of  scientists from  has proposed a non-standard solution to the problem by investigating the interaction of antibiotic-resistant gram-negative bacteria Escherichia coli (E.coli) and a nanofilm consisting of a structured boron nitride surface. It turned out that such a coating inactivates 100% of bacterial cells after 24 hours.

Kristina Y. Gudz et al. Pristine and Antibiotic-Loaded Nanosheets/Nanoneedles-Based Boron Nitride Films as a Promising Platform to Suppress Bacterial and Fungal Infections, ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces (2020). DOI: 10.1021/acsami.0c10169

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-boron-nitride-nanofilms-antibiotics-b...

Physicists 'trick' photons into behaving like electrons using a 'synthetic' magnetic field

Scientists have discovered an elegant way of manipulating light using a 'synthetic' Lorentz force—which in nature is responsible for many fascinating phenomena including the Aurora Borealis.

A team of theoretical physicists from the University of Exeter has pioneered a new technique to create tuneable artificial magnetic fields, which enable photons to mimic the dynamics of charged particles in real magnetic fields.

The team believe the new research, published in leading journal Nature Photonics, could have important implications for future photonic devices as it provides a novel way of manipulating light below the diffraction limit.

 Mann, C., Horsley, S.A.R. & Mariani, E. Tunable pseudo-magnetic fields for polaritons in strained metasurfaces. Nat. Photonics (2020). doi.org/10.1038/s41566-020-0688-8 , www.nature.com/articles/s41566-020-0688-8

https://phys.org/news/2020-09-physicists-photons-electrons-syntheti...