Other Sciences News

Smith et al. investigated the contribution of polyphenol and carbohydrate components of dried plums on a bone model of postmenopausal osteoporosis to explore their prebiotic activity. Image credit: Smith et al., doi: 10.3390/nu14091685.

Study: Bioactive Compounds in Dried Plums Have Prebiotic Activity, Help Restore Bone Health

Jul 14, 2022 by News Staff

New research in mice shows that both polyphenol and carbohydrate components of dried plums (Prunus domestica) have prebiotic activity characterized by...

Zhou et al. discovered sound reduces pain in mice by lowering the activity of neurons in the brain’s auditory cortex (green and magenta) that project to the thalamus. Image credit: Wenjie Zhou.

Scientists Identify Neural Mechanisms Through Which Sound Induces Analgesia in Mice

Jul 8, 2022 by News Staff

Sound, including music and noise, can relieve pain in humans, but the underlying neural mechanisms are unknown. In new research, scientists from the United...

Zuber et al. observed a new type of molecular ion based on the interaction between a neutral Rydberg atom and a charged ion with a bond length of several micrometers. Image credit: Zuber et al., doi: 10.1038/s41586-022-04577-5.

Physicists Observe New Type of Molecular Bond

Jul 7, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

Rydberg atoms — atoms with a highly excited electron — can form unusual types of molecular bonds. These bonds differ from the well-known ionic...

Dr. Oliver Warr collecting sample in Moab Khotsong, South Africa. Image credit: Oliver Warr.

1.2-Billion-Year-Old Groundwater System Found in South African Mine

Jul 6, 2022 by News Staff

Geologists have discovered 1.2-billion-year-old groundwater about 3 km below surface in Moab Khotsong, a gold- and uranium-producing mine in South Africa....

Pinchak et al. offer suggestive evidence of crime deterrent benefits of local street monitoring and dog presence and call attention to the contribution of pets to other facets of neighborhood social organization. Image credit: Marta Reinartz.

Study: Higher Neighborhood-Level Concentration of Households with Dogs Means Less Crime

Jul 5, 2022 by News Staff

In a study published in the journal Social Forces, scientists from the Ohio State University and the University of Texas at Austin found that neighborhoods...

2020 CD3 is estimated to be only between one and six meters across. Image credit: Jonny Lindner.

Huge All-Season Ozone Hole Discovered over Tropics

Jul 5, 2022 by News Staff

University of Waterloo’s Professor Qing-Bin Lu has discovered a large, all-season ozone hole in the lower stratosphere over the tropics (30 deg N –...

An artist’s impression of ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft. Image credit: ESA / ATG Medialab / DLR / FU Berlin / CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO.

Mars Express Orbiter’s Instrument Gets Major Software Upgrade

Jun 29, 2022 by News Staff

The Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionospheric Sounding (MARSIS) instrument onboard ESA’s Mars Express spacecraft is receiving a major software...

Wood et al. hope that the BirdNET app and similar projects will enable new opportunities for avian research and conservation. Image credit: Ashakur Rahaman / K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Cornell Lab of Ornithology.

BirdNET: Free App Identifies Bird Species by Sound

Jun 29, 2022 by News Staff

The BirdNET app is a free bird sound identification app for Android and iOS that includes over 3,000 bird species. Ornithologists hope this app will reduce...

SEM image of the carbon crystals in the Chelyabinsk meteoritic dust. Image credit: Taskaev et al., doi: 10.1140/epjp/s13360-022-02768-7.

Scientists Find Exotic Carbon Microcrystals in Chelyabinsk Meteoritic Dust

Jun 28, 2022 by Natali Anderson

When a space body enters Earth’s atmosphere, its surface is exposed to high pressure and temperatures. The airflow tears off small droplets from the...

A group of Australopithecus afarensis. Image credit: Matheus Vieeira.

Australopithecus Fossils from Sterkfontein Caves are Much Older Than Previously Thought

Jun 28, 2022 by News Staff

The chronology and taxonomy of the ancient hominin genus Australopithecus in South Africa have long been controversial, with the Sterkfontein cave system...

Petrosino et al. corroborate the hypothesis that LINE elements might be active and functionally important in the central nervous system of highly intelligent organisms such as octopuses. Image credit: Albert Kok / CC BY-SA 3.0.

Study: Same ‘Jumping Genes’ are Active in Octopus and Human Brains

Jun 28, 2022 by News Staff

‘Jumping genes,’ also known as transposons or transposable elements, widely contribute to the evolution of genomes allowing genomic innovations. These...

An artist’s reconstruction of Homo heidelbergensis making a flint handaxe. Image credit: Gabriel Ugueto.

Early Humans were Present in Southeast Britain 620,000 Years Ago

Jun 23, 2022 by News Staff

The archaeological site of Fordwich in northeast Kent, England, reveals the presence of Acheulean hominins — possibly Homo erectus or Homo heidelbergensis...

Hackmanite turns purple under UV irradiation, and the color fades back to white in a few minutes under regular white light. Image credit: Mika Lastusaari.

Natural Aluminosilicate Minerals Change Color Under UV Light

Jun 22, 2022 by News Staff

Hackmanite, tugtupite, and scapolite change their color from white to purple, pink, and blue, respectively, under UV irradiation, according to a team of...

Graphene related materials are extensively used to reinforce polymers. Image credit: Empa / Chortarea et al., doi: 10.1016/j.jhazmat.2022.129053.

Study: Dust of Graphene-Related Materials Is Not Harmful

Jun 21, 2022 by News Staff

Graphene-related materials (GRMs) are often used to reinforce polymers. In small concentrations of up to 5% (weight), they can significantly enhance the...

Schematic overview of the mechanism of action of the implemented snake venom proteins. Ecarin, a procoagulant snake venom protein bypasses the activation of series of clotting factors via intrinsic and extrinsic clotting pathway and directly activates prothrombin to thrombin thereby producing a fibrin blood clot. Once the clot is formed, clot breakdown (fibrinolysis) is initiated by the activation of plasminogen mainly by tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), forming active plasmin which proteolytically acts on the fibrin blood clot. Textilinin, an antifibrinolytic snake venom protein binds to plasmin with high specificity and inhibits the action of plasmin, stabilizing the fibrin blood clot. Image credit: Yegappan et al., doi: 10.1002/adhm.202200574.

Researchers Create Snake Venom Hydrogel that Rapidly Stops Uncontrolled Bleeding

Jun 20, 2022 by News Staff

The newly-developed rapid wound sealant is composed of two snake venom proteins: ecarin, which rapidly initiates blood clotting, and textilinin, which...

Biswas et al. examined the effects of actual caffeine intake on spending. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Caffeine Consumption Leads to Impulsivity during Shopping, New Study Shows

Jun 17, 2022 by Natali Anderson

New research conducted at multiple retail stores across different countries and in the lab indicates that consuming a caffeinated (vs. non-caffeinated)...

Low levels of vitamin D were associated with lower brain volumes and an increased risk of dementia and stroke. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Study Shows Link between Vitamin D Deficiency and Brain Health

Jun 15, 2022 by Enrico de Lazaro

New research led by University of South Australia scientists supports a causal effect of vitamin D deficiency on brain health, notably for the risk of...

Healthy brain temperature varies by time of day. Image credit: Rzechorzek et al., doi: 10.1093/brain/awab466.

Study: Human Brain Temperature is Higher and Varies More Than Previously Assumed

Jun 14, 2022 by News Staff

Scientists have established a 4D map of human brain temperature and shown how this parameter varies with time of day, brain region, age, and sex in adults....

Ukrainian borsch. Image credit: Liz West / CC BY-SA 4.0.

Polyphenol- and Nitrate-Rich Foods May Boost Performance in Athletes

Jun 9, 2022 by News Staff

Consumption of polyphenol- and nitrate-rich foods, such as the beetroot, the bright-red veggie more often found in the Ukrainian borsch than a breakfast...