Other Sciences News

Miassite is one of only four minerals found in nature that act as a superconductor when grown in the lab and the only mineral known so far that reveals unconventional superconductivity in its clean synthetic form. Image credit: Paul Canfield.

Physicists Identify First Unconventional Superconductor with Composition Also Found in Nature

Mar 13, 2024 by News Staff

Solid state chemistry has produced a plethora of materials with properties not found in nature. For example, high-temperature superconductivity in copper-oxide...

This image from Mars Express’ High Resolution Stereo Camera shows the globe of Mars set against a dark background. The disk of the planet features yellow, orange, blue and green patches, all with an overall muted grey hue, representing the varying composition of the surface. Image credit: ESA / DLR / FU Berlin / G. Michael / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

Mars Drives Deep-Ocean Circulation in Earth’s Oceans, Study Suggests

Mar 13, 2024 by News Staff

Geoscientists from Australia and France have used the geological record of Earth’s deep oceans to discover a connection between the orbits of our home...

This side of a commemorative plate mounted on NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft features U.S. Poet Laureate Ada Limón’s handwritten In Praise of Mystery: A Poem for Europa. Image credit: NASA / JPL-Caltech.

NASA Scientists Unveil Design for Europa Clipper’s ‘Golden Record’

Mar 12, 2024 by News Staff

NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft will carry a triangular metal plate with a special message when it launches in October 2024 and heads toward Jupiter’s...

GluK2 KO mice are defective in cold sensing. Image credit: Cai et al., 10.1038/s41593-024-01585-8.

Neuroscientists Identify Cold-Sensing Receptor in Mice

Mar 12, 2024 by News Staff

Neuroscientists at the University of Michigan have identified a thermoreceptor that mediates cold sensing in somatosensory neurons. GluK2 KO mice are defective...

First peopling of Europe. Image credit: Garba et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07151-3.

1.4-Million-Year-Old Stone Tools Found in Ukraine Document Earliest Hominin Occupation of Europe

Mar 7, 2024 by Sergio Prostak

Archaeologists have dated an assemblage of ancient stone tools excavated from the archaeological site of Korolevo on the Tysa River in western Ukraine...

Tomson et al. found that the interplay of macro and micromorphology in green wall plant species determines their particulate matter removal potential. Image credit: Tomson et al. 2024., doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170950.

Study: Green Walls Can Strip Pollution from Air, Some Plants Do It Better than Others

Mar 5, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Biologists at the University of Surrey have investigated inter-species variation in particulate matter accumulation, wash-off, and retention on ten broadleaf...

The accumulation of metabolic waste is a leading cause of numerous neurological disorders, yet we still have only limited knowledge of how the brain performs self-cleansing. Jiang-Xie et al. demonstrate that neural networks synchronize individual action potentials to create large-amplitude, rhythmic and self-perpetuating ionic waves in the interstitial fluid of the brain. Image credit: Jiang-Xie et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-024-07108-6.

Brain Waves Help Flush Waste Out of Brain During Sleep, Say Neuroscientists

Mar 4, 2024 by News Staff

Individual neurons coordinate to produce rhythmic waves that propel fluid through dense brain tissue, washing the tissue in the process, according to new...

An UAP from a declassified video captured by a U.S. Navy aircraft. Image credit: U.S. Navy.

Study: Most Sightings of UAPs Occur in American West

Mar 1, 2024 by News Staff

Sightings of unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP), formerly known as unidentified flying objects (UFOs), have been reported throughout history. Given...

Photographs, drawings, and details of stone tools from Le Moustier, France. Image credit: D. Greinert / Schmidt et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adl0822.

Neanderthals Created Stone Tools Held Together by Ochre-Based Adhesives, Scientists Say

Feb 21, 2024 by News Staff

Archaeologists have found traces of ancient ochre-based multicomponent adhesives on 40,000-year-old stone tools from Le Moustier, France. Photographs,...

These images show adult sea lampreys (top and left) and a developing sea lamprey embryo. Image credit: Stowers Institute for Medical Research.

Study: Sea Lamprey’s Brain Development is Remarkably Similar to That of Humans

Feb 21, 2024 by News Staff

The hindbrain of both sea lampreys and humans is built using an extraordinarily similar molecular and genetic toolkit, according to new research led by...

Ghosh et al. suggest that retroviral endogenization played a prominent role in the emergence of vertebrate myelin. Image credit: Ghosh et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2024.01.011.

Study: Ancient Retroviruses Shaped Vertebrate Brains

Feb 19, 2024 by News Staff

Biologists from Altos Labs-Cambridge Institute of Science, the University of Cambridge and elsewhere have found that a retrovirus-derived genetic element...

Consuming 100% orange juice prior to a meal, when compared to an orange drink, suppresses food intake at the next meal and results in lower daily blood glucose concentrations in healthy, normal-weight adults.

Study: 100% Orange Juice Intake Results in Lower Daily Blood Glucose Compared to Orange Drink

Feb 16, 2024 by News Staff

100% orange juice and sugar-sweetened beverages are not equivalent when looking at the impact on food intake and glycemic response, and they should not...

The new metamaterial is formed by randomly oriented bi-material nanocylinders in a host medium. Image credit: Ihar Faniayeu / Aalto University.

Researchers One Step Closer to True One-Way Glass

Feb 14, 2024 by News Staff

Scientists at Aalto University have proposed a three-dimensional metamaterial with an isotropic effect in the visible spectral range. The new metamaterial...

An artist’s impression of the ‘Snowball Earth.’ Image credit: Oleg Kuznetsov, http://3depix.com / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Low Volcanic Carbon Dioxide Emissions Triggered Sturtian ‘Snowball Earth’ Glaciation: Study

Feb 8, 2024 by News Staff

The Sturtian ‘Snowball Earth’ glaciation (717 to 661 million years ago) is regarded as the most extreme interval of icehouse climate in Earth’s history....

Consumption of 1-3 servings/day of total kimchi is associated with a lower risk of obesity in men. Image credit: Dongwon Lee.

Daily Consumption of Kimchi May Reduce Men’s Obesity Risk

Feb 1, 2024 by News Staff

In a cross-sectional study, researchers from Chung Ang University and elsewhere analyzed the data from the HEXA cohort study in Korea to investigate the...

Stratigraphy with location of Homo sapiens bones, map of LRJ sites and stone tools from the site of Ranis, Germany. Image credit: Mylopotamitaki et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-023-06923-7.

Homo sapiens Reached Northern Europe by 45,000 Years Ago, Scientists Say

Jan 31, 2024 by News Staff

Homo sapiens associated with the Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician culture were present in central and northwestern Europe long before the extinction...

Kwon et al. offer valuable insights into the potential utilization of tomatoes as a natural antimicrobial food source for the promotion of public health; given their widespread popularity and cost effectiveness, tomatoes possess considerable potential as alternative antimicrobial agents within lifestyle interventions. Image credit: Catalin Stefan.

Tomato Juice Shows Antimicrobial Activity against Enteric Pathogens

Jan 30, 2024 by Natali Anderson

Tomatoes are readily available and affordable vegetables that offer a range of health benefits due to their bioactive molecules, such as antioxidants and...

Fletcher et al. suggest that kiwifruit consumption, and to a lesser extent vitamin C supplementation, can lead to mood-related improvements in a relatively short period of time (from 4 to 16 days), even in a relatively healthy population with good mental health. Image credit: Photo Mix.

Kiwifruit Consumption Can Improve Vitality and Mood in As Little As Four Days, Study Suggests

Jan 26, 2024 by News Staff

Foods rich in vitamin C can improve mood; however, the timecourse of these benefits is unknown. In new research, scientists from the University of Auckland...

Vasas et al. show 3 male orange sulphurs (Colias eurytheme). These butterflies display strong angle-dependent UV iridescence on the dorsal side of their wings. The UV-iridescent portions appear more orange to the human observer than the otherwise yellow wings (see human-visible inset). The avian false color depiction (main image) is based on the coordinates of the receptor noise-limited (RNL) opponent space. Coordinates in this space represent differences in an animal’s photoreceptor responses, and the distances between the coordinates approximate the perceptual distances between the colors. The inset color key illustrates human-visible colors around the perimeter of a circle colored according to RNL coordinates, where UV colors start at the epicenter and mix with other colors. In this depiction, the UV-iridescent portions appear purple, because they most strongly reflect in the ultraviolet and the red part of the spectrum. The ventral part of the wings, visible when the animals are in their resting position, are depicted as gray-brown, just like the leaves, as they are close to the achromatic point. Image credit: Vasas et al., doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3002444.

Novel Camera System and Software Records Natural Animal-View Videos with Over 90% Accuracy

Jan 24, 2024 by News Staff

A new camera system and associated software package allows scientists to produce videos that accurately replicate the colors that different animals see...