Here are today’s latest trends in science, technology, medicine, and the environment from “Phys.org.”
Views expressed in this science and technology news summary are those of the reporters and correspondents.
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Accessed on 23 April 2020, 0605 UTC.
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Bio-inspired algorithms to produce collaborative behaviors for robot teams
Researchers at the University of Surrey have recently developed self-organizing algorithms inspired by biological morphogenesis that can generate formations for multi-robot teams, adapting to the environment they are moving …
12 HOURS AGO
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The surface stress of biomedical silicones is a stimulant of cellular response
Silicones are commonly used in the field of medicine to lubricate syringes, encapsulate medical devices, and develop surgical implants. Although the material is generally viewed as relatively inert to cells, they can trigger …
15 HOURS AGO
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Tectonic plates started shifting earlier than previously thought
An enduring question in geology is when Earth’s tectonic plates began pushing and pulling in a process that helped the planet evolve and shaped its continents …
EARTH SCIENCES
11 HOURS AGO
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757
Human-caused warming will cause more slow-moving hurricanes, warn climatologists
Hurricanes moving slowly over an area can cause more damage than faster-moving storms, because the longer a storm lingers, the more time it has to pound …
EARTH SCIENCES
11 HOURS AGO
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USGS releases first-ever comprehensive geologic map of the Moon
Have you ever wondered what kind of rocks make up those bright and dark splotches on the moon? Well, the USGS has just released a new authoritative map …
SPACE EXPLORATION
9 HOURS AGO
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Excessive rain triggered 2018 Kīlauea volcano eruption, study finds
Excessive and sustained rainfall triggered the 2018 eruption of Kīlauea volcano in Hawaii, according to researchers at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. The researchers suggest …
EARTH SCIENCES
14 HOURS AGO
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Researchers use electrostatic charge to assemble particles into materials mimicking gemstones, salt
Using just electrostatic charge, common microparticles can spontaneously organize themselves into highly ordered crystalline materials—the equivalent of table salt or opals, according to a new study led by New York University …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
14 HOURS AGO
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516
DNA may not be life’s instruction book—just a jumbled list of ingredients
The common view of heredity is that all information passed down from one generation to the next is stored in an organism’s DNA. But Antony Jose, associate professor of cell biology and molecular genetics at the University …
BIOTECHNOLOGY
13 HOURS AGO
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Digital agriculture paves the road to agricultural sustainability
In a study published in Nature Sustainability, an ecosystem scientist and an agricultural economist outline how to develop a more sustainable land management system through data collection and stakeholder buy-in.
ENVIRONMENT
9 HOURS AGO
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New dual-action coating keeps bacteria from cross-contaminating fresh produce
Over the course of their journey from the open fields to the produce displays at grocery stores, fresh vegetables and fruits can sometimes become contaminated by microorganisms. These items can then spoil other produce, spreading …
MATERIALS SCIENCE
9 HOURS AGO
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Electronic skin fully powered by sweat can monitor health
One of the ways we experience the world around us is through our skin. From sensing temperature and pressure to pleasure or pain, the many nerve endings in our skin tell us a great deal.
ROBOTICS
9 HOURS AGO
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Tiny sensors fit 30,000 to a penny, transmit data from living tissue
Theologians once pondered how many angels could dance on the head of a pin. Not to be outdone, Cornell researchers who build nanoscale electronics have developed microsensors so tiny, they can fit 30,000 on one side of a …
ENGINEERING
12 HOURS AGO
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Which foods do you eat together? How you combine them may raise dementia risk
It’s no secret that a healthy diet may benefit the brain. However, it may not only be what foods you eat, but what foods you eat together that may be associated with your risk of dementia, according to a new study published …
NEUROSCIENCE
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Multiphysics Simulation User Stories
Learn how engineers in a variety of industries are using multiphysics simulation for innovative product design in this free eBook. Get instant access here.
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Medical Xpress
Heart cells can rejuvenate and multiply to heal damage
New systematic review captures what makes a positive post-birth experience for new mothers
Study: Bilingualism does not make you ‘smarter’
Natural mood regulation low or even absent in people with depression
Research reveals a new malaria vaccine candidate
The downside of feeling prepared: Unearned confidence in other areas
Two cats in NY state test positive for virus
Study finds stronger one-way fear signals in brains of anxious kids
Alcohol use during pregnancy linked to offspring depression
How SARS-CoV-2 gets into respiratory tissue—and how it may exploit one of our defenses
Study identifies potential drug treatments for telomere diseases
Protect health and social care workers and refer their deaths to the coroner
Is it wrong to prioritize younger patients with COVID-19?
COVID-19 screening of healthcare workers offers reassurance and faster return to work
A study looks at how to disinfect your mask at home
Personalized device could support multiple COVID-19 patients from a single ventilator
Almost a quarter of adults living under lockdown in the UK have experienced loneliness
Studies show men view ‘traditional’ depression as more severe
Governments urged to act now to prevent coronavirus suicide risk
In Oregon, one town goes door to door tracking coronavirus spread
Tech Xplore
AMD announces $99 Ryzen 3 desktop CPU
With lidar and artificial intelligence, road status clears up after a disaster
Researchers demonstrate bi-directional wireless charging on hybrid UPS truck
How we end up ‘confined’ on YouTube
Interactive tool helps people see why staying home matters during a pandemic
New data suggest COVID-19 is shifting the burden of energy costs to households
Caribbean coral reef decline began in 1950s and 1960s from local human activities
Not long ago, the azure waters of the Caribbean contained healthy and pristine coral reef environments dominated by the reef-building corals that provide home to one-third of the biodiversity in the region.
ENVIRONMENT
9 HOURS AGO
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Hungry galaxies grow fat on the flesh of their neighbours
Galaxies grow large by eating their smaller neighbours, new research reveals.
ASTRONOMY
13 HOURS AGO
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Heart cells can rejuvenate and multiply to heal damage
UT Southwestern Medical Center scientists have discovered a protein that works with others during development to put the brakes on cell division in the heart, they report today in Nature. The findings could eventually be …
MEDICAL RESEARCH
9 HOURS AGO
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New study could lead to therapeutic interventions to treat cocaine addiction
A new study explains how cocaine modifies functions in the brain revealing a potential target for therapies aimed at treating cocaine addiction. The study was published this week in Cell Reports.
MEDICAL RESEARCH
9 HOURS AGO
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Astronomers probe chemical composition of globular cluster NGC 6652
Using the Cerro Tololo Inter-American Observatory (CTIO), Russian astronomers have conducted a chemical study of the galactic globular cluster NGC 6652. Results of the study, presented in a paper published April 13 on arXiv.org, …
Scientists invent nanoparticle that could improve treatment for bone defects
A team of biomaterials scientists and dentists at the UCLA School of Dentistry has developed a nanoparticle that, based on initial experiments in animals, could improve treatment for bone defects.
BIO & MEDICINE
11 HOURS AGO
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229
New study reveals life’s earliest evolution was more complicated than previously suspected
Biologists have long hoped to understand the nature of the earliest living organisms on Earth. If they could, they might then be able to say something about how, when, and where life arose on Earth, and perhaps by extension, …
EVOLUTION
15 HOURS AGO
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155
Disappearing Alaskan sea ice is significant for Arctic marine ecosystem
A new study shows that plant materials originating in Arctic sea ice are significantly incorporated into marine food webs that are used for subsistence in local communities of the greater Bering Strait region.
ENVIRONMENT
11 HOURS AGO
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New design could make fiber communications more energy efficient
Researchers say a new discovery on a U.S. Army project for optoelectronic devices could help make optical fiber communications more energy efficient.
OPTICS & PHOTONICS
12 HOURS AGO
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Study: Bilingualism does not make you ‘smarter’
Despite numerous social, employment, and lifestyle benefits, speaking more than one language does not improve your general mental ability, according to a new study by Western’s Brain and Mind Institute.
PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHIATRY
17 HOURS AGO
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Sweet potato microbiome research important first step towards improving yield
Grown around the world, sweet potatoes are an important source of nutrition particularly in sub-Saharan African and Asian diets. Sweet potatoes are especially significant to sub-Saharan Africa as a source of Vitamin A, a …
Study finds bike lanes provide positive economic impact
Despite longstanding popular belief, bicycle lanes can actually improve business. At worst, the negative impact on sales and employment is minimal, according to a new study from Portland State’s Transportation Research and …
Social marketing is shown to help small fishing communities adopt sustainable fishing practices
If you live in a small community where fishing is your primary source of income and nutrition, it’s tough to hear you might have to slow, stop or change your activities to more sustainably manage your fish stocks.
Under Trump, the EPA has cut back on enforcement of clean water laws in the Great Lakes region
Two months after President Donald Trump took office, U.S. Steel dumped a plume of cancer-causing metal into a Lake Michigan tributary 20 miles away from a Chicago drinking water intake.
Utilizing the impact resistance of the world’s hardest concrete for disaster prevention
Concrete is the most widely used building material in the world and consequently is being continuously developed to fulfill modern-day requirements. Efforts to improve concrete strength have led to reports of porosity-free …
Fish flip a unique genetic switch in warming seas
Reef fish species uniquely respond to climate change, with some more vulnerable than others.
Computers join the fight against COVID-19
Scientists everywhere are banding together to fight the novel coronavirus, and they’re already making progress. Computational chemists are focused on building computer models of the virus’s parts, which could aid in developing …
What protects minority languages from extinction?
Over 6,000 languages are currently spoken worldwide, but a substantial minority—well over 5%—are in danger of dying out. It is perhaps surprising that this fraction is no higher, as most models have so far predicted that …
A win-win solution: Shredded straw can enhance soil fertility and reduce ammonia pollution
Straw incorporation—shredding and burying straw—has been widely promoted as an environmentally friendly method to increase soil organic carbon stocks and improve soil fertility. Scientists have also found crop straw incorporation …
Online tool helps to protect tropical forests
A new tool maps the threats to the tropical dry forests in Peru and Ecuador. Bioscience engineers at KU Leuven combined data on possible threats to these forests—including fires and overgrazing—with data on the vulnerability …
Spider combs tame unruly nanofibers
Cribellate spiders spin thousands of tiny nanofibers into sticky threads. To keep from getting caught in their own webs, these spiders use a nonstick comb on their back legs. Now, researchers reporting in ACS Applied Nano …
Successful application of a miniaturized instrument for carbon dioxide vertical observations
Carbon dioxide is the most important greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and its vertical concentration gradient is important for an accurate understanding and interpretation of global warming, the inversion of carbon sources …
Herd of dugongs sighted off the coast of Thai island
Mesmerising aerial images showed a herd of more than 30 dugongs drifting serenely off the coast of a Thai island on Wednesday.
More protections needed to safeguard biodiversity in the Southern Ocean
Current marine protected areas in the Southern Ocean need to be at least doubled to adequately safeguard the biodiversity of the Antarctic, according to a new CU Boulder study published today, Earth Day, in the journal PLOS …
ECOLOGY
11 HOURS AGO
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A new way to cool down electronic devices, recover waste heat
Using electronic devices for too long can cause them to overheat, which might slow them down, damage their components or even make them explode or catch fire. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Nano Letters have developed …
NANOPHYSICS
17 HOURS AGO
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Diabetes reversed in mice with genetically edited stem cells derived from patients
Using induced pluripotent stem cells produced from the skin of a patient with a rare, genetic form of insulin-dependent diabetes called Wolfram syndrome, researchers transformed the human stem cells into insulin-producing …
DIABETES
11 HOURS AGO
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A breakthrough in estimating the size of a (mostly hidden) network
A newly discovered connection between control theory and network dynamical systems could help estimate the size of a network even when a small portion is accessible.
GENERAL PHYSICS
13 HOURS AGO
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213
Deforestation in the Amazon threatens short-eared dog
A large international team of researchers has found evidence that suggests deforestation in the Amazon is putting the native short-eared dog at risk. In their paper published in the journal Royal Society Open Science, the …
Spotting air pollution with satellites, better than ever before
Researchers from Duke University have devised a method for estimating the air quality over a small patch of land using nothing but satellite imagery and weather conditions. Such information could help researchers identify …
ENVIRONMENT
12 HOURS AGO
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New systematic review captures what makes a positive post-birth experience for new mothers
A new qualitative systematic review conducted to inform the scope of a new World Health Organization (WHO) post-birth (postnatal) guideline identifies four clear themes for a positive experience in mothers across 15 different …
PSYCHOLOGY & PSYCHIATRY
11 HOURS AGO
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Climate change’s toll on freshwater fish: A new database for science
Scientists have created a new database to help track the impacts of climate change on fish living in rivers, lakes and other inland waters throughout the world.
ECOLOGY
13 HOURS AGO
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Scientists discover how multiple RNA elements control microRNA biogenesis
In humans (as well as all other organisms) genes encode proteins, which in turn regulate all the different specific cellular functions of the body. The genetic information found in our DNA is first converted into messenger …
MOLECULAR & COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
13 HOURS AGO
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103
An effective way to replenish threatened plants
From two seeds grew a thousand plants.
PLANTS & ANIMALS
13 HOURS AGO
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Novel research on African bats pilots new ways in sharing and linking published data
Newly published findings about the phylogenetics and systematics of some previously known, but also other yet to be identified species of Old World Leaf-nosed bats, provide the first contribution to a recently launched collection …
Scientists devise method for gentle laser processing of perovskites at nanoscale
Scientists of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) in partnership with colleagues from ITMO University, and universities in Germany, Japan, and Australia, have developed a method for precise, fast and high-quality laser …
Beating coronavirus requires faith leaders to bridge gap between religion and science
While many religious communities have embraced physical distancing measures to slow the spread of the coronavirus, some still encourage gatherings despite strong public health messages that large groups run a significant …
Debt-laden firms are more likely to risk work safety
New research has found companies cutting corners on workplace safety to boost short-term financial gains is rife.
Opinion: Local food solutions during the coronavirus crisis could have lasting benefits
A decade ago, food security in developing countries was regarded as a major challenge. The growing food insecurity in the poorest countries was seen a trigger for large scale migration to richer countries, where it threatened …
Cooking for a cleaner environment: Biomass cooking presents health issues
,At over 12,000 feet above sea level, Puno, Peru, ranks among the highest altitude places in the world. So high, food takes longer to cook here. Puno also sits far above the tree line, so there is little burnable vegetation …
Coronavirus further threatens sustainability of the childcare sector
The outlook for the childminding sector in the country is an increasingly bleak one, with the coronavirus crisis threatening its future viability, an education academic has warned.
Self-employed affected most by COVID19 lockdown
New research has highlighted how the lockdown measures brought in as a result of the COVID19 pandemic could increase social inequality in employment in Britain. The findings show that within the sectors most at risk, self-employed …
US oil price plummets: What does it mean?
U.S. oil prices plummeted below zero at the close of market Monday, a historic first for the commodity. As dwindling demand caused by COVID-19 shutdowns pushed storage facilities to their brink, the price per a barrel dropped …
New report: Inclusive food systems needed to boost development, resilience
The rapid spread of COVID-19 and efforts to contain it are generating growing concerns that food insecurity, malnutrition, and poverty may escalate, particularly among marginalized people in the developing world. To build …
A tree-mendous study: Biomass from forest restoration
The United States is made up of more than 2 billion acres of land—nearly 750 million of which represent forest lands.
Understanding food security implications of COVID-19
According to the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization, the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the world’s food systems and disrupting regional agricultural trade and value chains. The FAO has warned that food shortages are …
Low-allergen wheat varieties in development bring good news for the wheat-sensitive
New research has heralded a promising step for sufferers of wheat sensitivity or allergy.