Other Sciences News

Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in three orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds), with each showing similar brain regions that have comparable gene expression specializations relative to the surrounding forebrain motor circuitry; Schuppe et al. searched for signatures of these same gene expression specializations in previously uncharacterized brains of seven assumed vocal non-learning bird lineages across the early branches of the avian family tree. Image credit: Premek Hajek.

Study: Woodpecker Drumming is Neurologically Similar to Songbird Vocalization

Sep 20, 2022 by News Staff

A team of scientists from the United States and Denmark has found specialized pecking-related regions in the woodpecker forebrain that show characteristics...

Li et al. found that moderate consumption of black, green or oolong tea is linked to a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Image credit: Sci.News.

Moderate Tea Consumption Lowers Type 2 Diabetes Risk, New Review Suggests

Sep 19, 2022 by News Staff

A review of previous cohort studies suggests that drinking at least four cups of black, green or oolong tea a day is associated with a 17% lower risk of...

Kapil et al. describe the phase behavior of monolayer-confined water by calculating its pressure-temperature phase diagram: (a-g) the pressure-temperature phase diagram of monolayer water was calculated using an machine learning potential that delivers first-principles accuracy; the solid and dashed lines indicate first-order and continuous phase transitions, respectively; the gray regions indicate the statistical uncertainty for solid-solid phase transitions and, for the other transitions, the uncertainties arising from studying a finite number of thermodynamic states; the diagonally hatched area indicates the region in which square and flat-rhombic phases are near degenerate; diagrams of the hexagonal (a), pentagonal (b), square (c), flat-rhombic (d), hexatic (e), superionic (f) and liquid (g) phases are shown with oxygen atoms in red, hydrogen atoms in gray and hydrogen bonds shown by blue lines. Image credit: Kapil et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05036-x.

Monolayer-Confined Water Acts Like Neither Liquid Nor Solid, Scientists Say

Sep 14, 2022 by News Staff

Water in a one-molecule layer acts like neither a liquid nor a solid, and becomes highly conductive at high pressures, according to a new paper published...

McGreen et al. found the number of cravings a person experiences can indicate how many soft drinks they would eventually drink, with cravings triggered by a number of factors beyond thirst. Image credit: Ernesto Rodriguez.

Study: Stronger Cravings for Soft Drinks, Coffee Associated with Drinking More of Craved Beverage

Sep 14, 2022 by News Staff

Cravings for a range of substances including drugs, alcohol, and food have been shown to predict subsequent consumption or use. However, this link has...

Ohmura et al. provide a proof of concept that infant transport robustly reduces cry and potentially promotes sleep, and propose a behavioral protocol, ‘5-min carrying, 5- to 8-min sitting before bed’ for crying infants. For secure holding, caregivers should attach the infant body snugly to their own body and support the infant’s head. Five-minute walking should be on a flat and clear passage and at a steady pace, preferably without abrupt stops or turns. With these precautions, this protocol can be safely performed within the range of regular parental care. It should be noted that, unlike most behavioral interventions for infant sleep difficulties, this protocol does not address any long-term improvement of sleep regulation. This protocol instead provides an immediate calming of infant cry and may be useful especially on special occasions when the regular sleep routines, breastfeeding, or pacifiers are not effective or available. Image credit: Ohmura et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.08.041.

Study: Five-Minute Walk Promotes Sleep for Crying Infants

Sep 13, 2022 by News Staff

Approximately 20-30% of infants cry excessively and exhibit sleep difficulties for no apparent reason, causing parental stress and even triggering impulsive...

Surgically amputated site of the left tibia and fibula of the Liang Tebo individual: (a) left and right legs with pelvic girdle, demonstrating the complete absence of the distal third of the left lower leg; (b) left tibia and fibula showing the amputation surface, atrophy and necrosis; the bone surface is more porous because lysis occurred to remove the dead bone (necrosis); (c) radiograph of the left tibia and fibula; (d) left tibia medial aspect; (e) left tibia medial aspect; (f) left fibula anterior aspect. Scale bars - 5 cm in (a), 5 mm in (b and c) and 2 mm in (d-f). Image credit: Maloney et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-05160-8.

Stone Age Humans Conducted Surgical Amputation 31,000 Years Ago

Sep 12, 2022 by News Staff

Archaeologists excavating Liang Tebo Cave on the Indonesian island of Borneo have discovered the skeletal remains of a young individual who had the distal...

Reconstruction of a Neanderthal. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum.

Neocortical Neurogenesis in Modern Humans Greater Than It Was in Neanderthals

Sep 9, 2022 by News Staff

Neanderthal brains were similar in size to those of modern humans but differed in shape. What scientists cannot tell from fossils is how Neanderthal brains...

West-east (W-E) and north-south (N-S) cross-section of the reef-like landform showing a distinct highest-elevated central dome in relation to less-elevated rim. Image credit: Lipar et al., doi: 10.1002/esp.5459.

Enigmatic Reef-Like Structure Discovered in Australia

Sep 8, 2022 by News Staff

An analysis of advanced satellite images from the German Aerospace Centre has revealed an ancient landform with a circular rim and central dome ‘hidden’...

The concept of direct air electrolysis for hydrogen production: (a) a schematic diagram of the direct air electrolysis module with a water harvesting unit made of porous medium soaked with the hygroscopic ionic solution; (b) a schematic diagram of the cross-section of the direct air electrolysis module, showing the electrodes are isolated from the air feed, and the absorbed water are transported to the electrode by capillaries of the sponge. Image credit: Guo et al., doi: 10.1038/s41467-022-32652-y.

Scientists Demonstrate Novel Method of Direct Hydrogen Production from Air

Sep 6, 2022 by News Staff

To overcome the water shortage problem in the case of widespread deployment of hydrogen production, a team of researchers from Australia, the United Kingdom...

Kakei et al. established a design strategy for mounting electronics on insects through systematic evaluation of motion abilities and demonstrated charging and wireless locomotion control on living cyborg insects. Image credit: Kakei et al., doi: 10.1038/s41528-022-00207-2.

Researchers Create Power-Rechargeable Cyborg Insect

Sep 6, 2022 by News Staff

A team of scientists from RIKEN, Waseda Univerisity, the Fukui University of Technology and the Nanyang Technological University has created a cyborg cockroach...

High concentrations of OH radicals were found when people were exposed to ozone in a climate-controlled chamber, and were a product of a reaction with the skin-oil squalene. Image credit: Richard Duijnstee.

Human Body’s Exposure to Ozone Generates Highly Reactive Hydroxyl Radicals, Study Shows

Sep 2, 2022 by News Staff

Hydroxyl radicals are highly reactive chemical species that attack most of the organic molecules. High concentrations of OH radicals were found when people...

A dog with the PetTrack device. Image credit: Georgia Tech.

PetTrack: New Device Tracks Pet Location and Activity Indoors

Sep 1, 2022 by News Staff

Tracking a pet’s location and activity indoors is of interest to pet owners who want to feel connected to their pet as well as of interest to pet owners...

van der Meulen et al. show that both systemic and inhaled glucocorticoid use are associated with an apparently widespread reduction in white matter integrity, which may in part underly the neuropsychiatric side effects observed in patients using glucocorticoids. Image credit: Steve Buissinne.

Glucocorticoid Use Associated with Structural and Volume Changes in White and Gray Matter

Sep 1, 2022 by News Staff

New research from the Leiden University Medical Center shows that both systemic and inhaled glucocorticoids — a class of synthetic steroids —...

Schematic model of fluvial systems both before and after the development of land plants: before the Devonian period, minimal land plants, rapid channel migration and river systems dominated by braided rivers led to rapid sediment transfer, minimal development of mud-sized particles and minor deposition of mudrocks along continental margins; in contrast, after the Devonian, the expansion of vascular land plants led to the development of meandering rivers and the dramatic slowing of sediment transfer to marine environments; the red dashed line represents a generalized sediment transport path that is more sinuous post-Devonian and less sinuous pre-Devonian; these diametric depositional systems influenced the isotopic composition of sediment available for reworking and melting in magmatic systems along destructive plate boundaries. Image credit: Spencer et al., doi: 10.1038/s41561-022-00995-2.

Emergence of Land Plants Altered Composition of Earth’s Continental Crust, Researchers Say

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

The evolution of land plants took place about 430 million years ago (Silurian period), when North America and Europe were conjoined in a landmass called...

Yang et al. provide new insights into the mechanisms by which blue light interferes with vital metabolic pathways that are conserved between fly and human cells. Image credit: Pexels.

Excessive Blue Light Leads to Accelerated Aging in Fruit Flies, Research Finds

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

Blue light is becoming increasingly prevalent in artificial illumination, raising concerns about its potential health hazard to humans. In a new study,...

The iron-carbon alloy reacted with water at high pressure and high temperature conditions related to the Earth’s deep mantle in a diamond-anvil cell. Image credit: Ko et al., doi: 10.1029/2022GL098271.

‘Diamond Factory’ May Have Existed in Earth’s Interior for Billions of Years: Study

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

Carbon plays a vital role in geological processes occurring in the Earth’s interior. While most carbon on our planet exists in its core, whether or not...

Kawano et al. show that intestinal microbiota protects against development of obesity, metabolic syndrome, and pre-diabetic phenotypes by inducing commensal-specific Th17 cells. Image credit: Kawano et al., doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2022.08.005.

Dietary Sugar Disrupts Gut Microbiome, Says New Study

Aug 31, 2022 by News Staff

Dietary sugar alters the gut microbiome, setting off a chain of events that leads to metabolic disease, pre-diabetes, and weight gain, according to a new...

Drinking tea may be associated with a moderately lower mortality risk. Image credit: Sci.News.

Tea, Even at Higher Levels of Intake, Can Be Part of Healthy Diet, New Study Suggests

Aug 30, 2022 by Sergio Prostak

In a new prospective cohort study, higher tea intake was associated with lower mortality risk among those drinking two or more cups per day, regardless...

Characterization of human accumbens electrophysiological signal provoked by exposure to preferred food stimuli: (a) schematic of the multi-stage, staggered enrollment, early feasibility study design; the current stage of each participant within the trial is highlighted (blue - subject 1; green - subject 2); (b) two quadripolar depth electrodes placed bilaterally in the nucleus accumbens; (c) the multi-item buffet of preferred foods allowing us to examine nucleus accumbens electrophysiology during LOC eating as well as the preceding in-lab standardized meals. Image credit: Shivacharan et al., doi: 10.1038/s41591-022-01941-w.

Deep Brain Stimulation May Help Treat Binge-Eating Disorder

Aug 30, 2022 by News Staff

In a pilot study led by Pennsylvania Hospital and the Stanford University School of Medicine, deep brain stimulation — guided by patterns of neural...