Birds breathe in dangerous plastics -- and so do we

Microscopic plastic pollutants drifting through the air are lodging in the lungs of birds, a new study finds. Researchers worldwide are increasingly alarmed by how pervasive these harmful particles are in the air humans breathe and the food they eat.

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Antidepressants linked to faster cognitive decline in dementia, study suggests

New research suggests that certain antidepressants can accelerate cognitive decline in people with dementia. At the same time, some drugs appear to be less harmful than others, which can help doctors make better treatment decisions, according to the study.

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Researchers create the world's smallest shooting video game using nanoscale technology

A research team demonstrated the 'world's smallest shooting game,' a unique nanoscale game inspired by classic arcade games. This achievement was made possible by real-time control of the force fields between nanoparticles using focused electron beams. This research has practical applications, as the manipulation of nanoscale objects could revolutionize biomedical engineering and nanotechnology.

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Trying to be happy makes us unhappier by zapping our self-control, study finds

A new study finds people who habitually try to be happier also tend to have less willpower.

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Morphing robot turns challenging terrain to its advantage

A bioinspired robot can change shape to alter its own physical properties in response to its environment, resulting in a robust and efficient autonomous vehicle as well as a fresh approach to robotic locomotion.

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Biological organ ages predict disease risk decades in advance

Our organs age at different rates, and a blood test determining how much they've each aged could predict the risk of conditions like lung cancer and heart disease decades later, finds a new study.

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Hormones may have therapeutic potential to prevent wrinkles, hair graying

Hormones may be leveraged to treat and prevent signs of aging such as wrinkles and hair graying, according to a new study.

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Mimicking shark skin to create clean cutting boards

Keeping work surfaces clean during meat processing is a challenge, and now researchers deliver key insights into a solution that could change the current practice altogether: Instead of working to prevent bacteria buildup, they created surfaces that stop bacteria from attaching in the first place. Using lasers to etch and alter the surface of the metal, the team was able to create micro- or nanoscale textures that make it difficult for microbial cells to attach to the surface. The technique, known as laser-induced surface texturing, also alters the metal's water-repellent properties.

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Origin and diversity of Hun Empire populations

A multidisciplinary and international research project has brought fresh insights into the origins and diversity of the populations that lived under and after the Hun empire between the late 4th and 6th century CE in Central Europe. Combining forefront archaeogenomic analyses with archaeological and historical investigation, the study connects some of the European Hun-period individuals directly to some high-status elite of the earlier Xiongnu Empire -- a powerful nomadic empire centered in the Mongolian steppe centuries before the Huns emerged north and west of the Black Sea. It also shows that only few Hun-period individuals carried East-Asian ancestry, and that the newcomers of the Hun period were of rather mixed origin. Thus, it sheds light on the much-discussed population dynamics that shaped Eurasian history during Late Antiquity.

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Bottling a mouse 'superpower' may heal lungs damaged by premature birth

Using a four-dimensional microscopy technique, researchers have created 3D video images of mouse lung tissue grown in the laboratory. What they have learned has been nothing short of groundbreaking.

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Research provides new detail on the impact of volcanic activity on early marine life

New analysis of ancient fossilized rocks known as stromatolites, preserved in southern Zimbabwe, suggests strong links to hydrothermal nutrient recycling, 'meaning that early life may in part have been fueled by volcanic activity'.

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Daily cannabis use linked to public health burden

A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.

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Big birds like emus are technical innovators, study shows

Large birds -- our closest relations to dinosaurs -- are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food.

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Lifestyle and environmental factors affect health and aging more than our genes

A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity), and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes.

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New process gets common rocks to trap carbon rapidly, cheaply

Scientists have discovered how to turn common minerals into materials that spontaneously remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In the lab, the materials pull CO2 from the air thousands of times faster than occurs with natural rock weathering.

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Scientific insights into how humans access deep spiritual states

Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices -- Buddhist jhana meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues -- have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests. While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.

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Einstein Probe catches X-ray odd couple

Lobster-eye satellite Einstein Probe captured the X-ray flash from a very elusive celestial pair. The discovery opens a new way to explore how massive stars interact and evolve, confirming the unique power of the mission to uncover fleeting X-ray sources in the sky.

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New lipid nanoparticle platform delivers mRNA to the brain through the blood-brain barrier

Scientists have developed a lipid nanoparticle system capable of delivering messenger RNA (mRNA) to the brain via intravenous injection, a challenge that has long been limited by the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier. The findings demonstrate the potential of this technology to pave the way for future treatments for a wide range of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain cancer, and drug addiction.

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A diabetes, heart failure, and kidney disease medication is the first of its kind to significantly reduce both heart attacks and strokes

New research shows sotagliflozin is the only drug in its class to demonstrate these results.

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Air pollution levels may be higher inside your home than outside

People may be exposed to unhealthy levels of airborne pollutants inside their homes, even if the outdoor air quality is good.

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Scientists optimize biohybrid ray development with machine learning

The Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and NTT Research, Inc., a division of NTT, announced the publication of research showing an application of machine-learning directed optimization (ML-DO) that efficiently searches for high-performance design configurations in the context of biohybrid robots. Applying a machine learning approach, the researchers created mini biohybrid rays made of cardiomyocytes (heart muscle cells) and rubber with a wingspan of about 10 mm that are approximately two times more efficient at swimming than those recently developed under a conventional biomimetic approach.

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Near-complete skull discovery reveals 'top apex', leopard-sized 'fearsome' carnivore

A rare discovery of a nearly complete skull in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the 'dream' revelation of a new 30-million-year-old species of the ancient apex predatory carnivore, Hyaenodonta.

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Solar-powered device captures carbon dioxide from air to make sustainable fuel

Researchers have developed a reactor that pulls carbon dioxide directly from the air and converts it into sustainable fuel, using sunlight as the power source.

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Evolution, evolution, evolution: How evolution got so good at evolving

The field of evolution examines how organisms adapt to their environments over generations, but what about the evolution of evolution itself?

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New 3D printing method replicates nature's finest fibers

Researchers have been trying to find new ways to produce and replicate the various useful features observed in nature. Fine hairs and fibers, which are ubiquitous in nature, are useful for various applications ranging from sensory hairs to the fibers that give hagfish slime its unique consistency.

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Foraging seals enable scientists to measure fish abundance across the vast Pacific Ocean

A new study by marine biologists reports that seals can essentially act as 'smart sensors' for monitoring fish populations in the ocean's eerily dim 'twilight zone.'

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Astronomers gauge livability of exoplanets orbiting white dwarf stars

Astronomers used a 3D global computer model to compare the climates of exoplanets in different stellar and orbital configurations. They found that a planet orbiting a white dwarf star would offer a warmer climate than one orbiting a main sequence star.

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Jacket uses AI to keep you comfortable

Electronic textiles, such as heating pads and electric blankets, can keep the wearer warm and help ease aches and pains. However, prolonged use of these devices could possibly cause heat-related illnesses, including hyperthermia or burns. Recently, a group of researchers designed and tested a 'smart' jacket equipped with environmental sensors, heat-generating and color-changing yarns, and artificial intelligence (AI) to control temperature and prevent overheating.

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Birds have developed complex brains independently from mammals

New research has revealed that birds, reptiles, and mammals have developed complex brain circuits independently, despite sharing a common ancestor. These findings challenge the traditional view of brain evolution and demonstrate that, while comparable brain functions exist among these groups, embryonic formation mechanisms and cell types have followed divergent evolutionary trajectories.

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Meet the newly discovered brain cell that allows you to remember objects

Researchers have discovered a new type of neuron that plays a fundamental role in recognition memory -- how the brain registers the difference between new and familiar objects and forms long-term memories. The new cell type, called ovoid cells, are found in the hippocampus of mice, humans and other mammals. Discovering the neuron provides key insights into how memories form and into treatment of brain conditions related to object-recognition like Alzheimer's disease, Autism Spectrum Disorder and epilepsy.

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Models show intensifying wildfires in a warming world due to changes in vegetation and humidity; only a minor role for lightning

Climate scientists present a realistic supercomputer simulation that resolves the complex interactions between fire, vegetation, smoke and the atmosphere. The authors find that increasing greenhouse gas emissions will likely increase the global lightning frequency by about 1.6% per degree Celsius global warming, with regional hotspots in the eastern United States, Kenya, Uganda and Argentina. Locally this could intensify wildfire occurrences. However, the dominant drivers for the growing area burned by fires each year remain shifts in global humidity and a more rapid growth of vegetation, which can serve as wildfire fuel.

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For Valentine's Day: Measure your relationship with a scientific self-test

Answer seven questions and get an indication of how your relationship is right now. Just in time for Valentine's Day, researchers are publishing a new study that introduces a scientifically validated scale, the 'Valentine's Scale'. The scale measures how satisfied you are in your love relationship.

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Birds-of-paradise are biofluorescent

New research reports, for the first time, the widespread occurrence of biofluorescence in birds-of-paradise. The study, based on specimens collected since the 1800s, finds biofluorescence in 37 of the 45 known birds-of-paradise species and suggests that this special 'glow' is important among males for hierarchy and mating displays.

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When qubits learn the language of fiberoptics

Qubits -- the fundamental units of quantum information -- drive entire tech sectors. Among them, superconducting qubits could be instrumental in building a large-scale quantum computer, but they rely on electrical signals and are difficult to scale. In a breakthrough, a team of physicists has achieved a fully optical readout of superconducting qubits, pushing the technology beyond its current limitations.

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Evidence of cannibalism 18,000 years ago

An international research team has gained new insights into the burial rituals of Late Ice Age societies in Central Europe. Signs of human remains from the Maszycka Cave in southern Poland being manipulated indicate systematic dissection of the deceased, as well as cannibalism.

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Satellite data identifies warning signs ahead of 2018 volcanic eruption, tsunami

In 2018, the side of the Anak Krakatau volcano collapsed in a powerful eruption and produced a tsunami that killed hundreds and injured thousands on nearby Java and Sumatra in Indonesia. A new analysis of satellite data showed the mountainside was slipping for years and accelerated before the eruption -- information that could have potentially offered a warning of the collapse.

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Less, but more: A new evolutionary scenario marked by massive gene loss and expansion

Evolution is traditionally associated with a process of increasing complexity and gaining new genes. However, the explosion of the genomic era shows that gene loss and simplification is a much more frequent process in the evolution of species than previously thought, and may favor new biological adaptations that facilitate the survival of living organisms. This evolutionary driver, which seems counter-intuitive -- 'less is more' in genetic terms -- now reveals a surprising dimension that responds to the new evolutionary concept of 'less, but more', i.e. the phenomenon of massive gene losses followed by large expansions through gene duplications.

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Eating gradually increasing doses of peanut butter enables children with high-threshold allergy to safely consume peanuts, study suggests

Findings suggest a safe, inexpensive, and effective pathway for allergists to treat children who already tolerate at least half a peanut.

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Euclid discovers a stunning Einstein ring

Euclid, the European Space Agency's dark Universe detective, has made an astonishing discovery -- right in our cosmic backyard.

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Quantum theory and thermodynamics: Maxwell's demon?

An international collaboration sheds new light on the relationship between quantum theory and thermodynamics. The research group demonstrated that while the laws of quantum theory alone do not inherently prevent violations of the second law of thermodynamics, any quantum process can be implemented without actually violating the law. This surprising result suggests a peaceful coexistence between quantum theory and thermodynamics, despite their logical independence. This discovery could have profound implications for understanding the thermodynamic limits of quantum technologies, such as quantum computing and nanoscale engines.

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An Arctic 'beyond recognition' by 2100

Based on the current pledges of countries for limiting their emissions of greenhouse gases, global temperatures are projected to reach 2.7 degrees Celsius beyond pre-industrial levels by the end of this century. A new review paper highlights how this would dramatically reshape the Arctic, the fastest-warming region of Earth.

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Cretaceous fossil from Antarctica reveals earliest modern bird

Sixty-six million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous Period, an asteroid impact near the Yucat n Peninsula of Mexico triggered the extinction of all known non-bird dinosaurs. But for the early ancestors of today's waterfowl, surviving that mass extinction event was like ... water off a duck's back. Location matters, as Antarctica may have served as a refuge, protected by its distance from the turmoil taking place elsewhere on the planet. Fossil evidence suggests a temperate climate with lush vegetation, possibly serving as an incubator for the earliest members of the group that now includes ducks and geese.

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Temperamental stars are distorting our view of distant planets

'Temperamental' stars that brighten and dim over a matter of hours or days may be distorting our view of thousands of distant planets, suggests a new study.

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School bans alone not enough to tackle negative impacts of phone and social media use, researchers find

Students attending schools that ban the use of phones throughout the school day aren't necessarily experiencing better mental health and wellbeing, as the first worldwide study of its kind has found that just banning smartphones is not enough to tackle their negative impacts.

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In a milestone that brings quantum computing tangibly closer to large-scale practical use, scientists have demonstrated the first instance of distributed quantum computing. Using a photonic network interface, they successfully linked two separate quantum processors to form a single, fully connected quantum computer, paving the way to tackling computational challenges previously out of reach.

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Clean air policies having unintended impact driving up wetland methane emissions by up to 34 million tons

Reducing sulphur in the air may inadvertently increase natural emissions of methane from wetlands such as peatlands and swamps, a new study has found. The resulting additional future release of 20-34 million tons of methane each year from natural wetlands would mean targets to reduce human-caused emissions need to be more stringent than currently set out in the Global Methane Pledge.

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Cancer vaccine shows promise for patients with stage III and IV kidney cancer

Researchers report that all nine patients in a clinical trial being treated for stage III or IV clear cell renal cell carcinoma (a form of kidney cancer), generated a successful anti-cancer immune response after initiation of a personalized cancer vaccine.

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Straight shot: Hubble investigates galaxy with nine rings

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope has captured a cosmic bullseye! The gargantuan galaxy LEDA 1313424 is rippling with nine star-filled rings after an 'arrow' -- a far smaller blue dwarf galaxy -- shot through its heart. Astronomers using Hubble identified eight visible rings, more than previously detected by any telescope in any galaxy, and confirmed a ninth using data from the W. M. Keck Observatory in Hawaii. Previous observations of other galaxies show a maximum of two or three rings.

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More, bigger crevasses open up in Greenland ice sheet, threatening increased sea level rise

More crevasse activity could lead to positive feedback loop threatening Greenland glacier's stability.

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Slow traffic, fast food: Study links road delays with unhealthy eating

Ever notice how much more tempting it is to pick up fast food for dinner after being stuck in traffic? It's not just you. New research shows that traffic delays significantly increase visits to fast food restaurants, leading to unhealthier eating for millions each year.

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Global internet grid could better detect earthquakes with new algorithm

Early detection of earthquakes could be vastly improved by tapping into the world's internet network with a groundbreaking new algorithm, researchers say. Fiber optic cables used for cable television, telephone systems and the global web matrix now have the potential to help measure seismic rumblings thanks to recent technological advances, but harnessing this breakthrough has proved problematic. A new paper seeks to address these challenges by adapting a simple physics-based algorithm to include fiber optic data that can then be used hand-in-hand with traditional seismometer measurements.

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'Altar tent' discovery puts Islamic art at the heart of medieval Christianity

A 13th-century fresco rediscovered in Ferrara, Italy, provides unique evidence of medieval churches using Islamic tents to conceal their high altars. The 700-year-old fresco is thought to be the only surviving image of its kind, offering precious evidence of a little-known Christian practice.

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