Other Sciences News

The ancient human footprints found at White Sands National Park in New Mexico, the United States. Image credit: Bennett et al., doi: 10.1126/science.abg7586.

23,000-Year-Old Human Footprints Discovered in New Mexico

Sep 24, 2021 by News Staff

In a study of exposed outcrops of Lake Otero in New Mexico, the United States, archaeologists have discovered numerous human footprints dating to about...

Japanese samurai in armor, print by Kusakabe Kimbei, 1870s. Image credit: Getty’s Open Content Program.

Ancient DNA Reveals Tripartite Origins of Japanese People

Sep 21, 2021 by News Staff

The Japanese archipelago, which has been occupied by humans for at least 38,000 years, underwent rapid transformations in the past 3,000 years, first from...

The reconstructed face of Krijn. Image credit: Servaas Neijens, Rijksmuseum van Oudheden / Adrie and Alfons Kennis, Kennis & Kennis Reconstructions.

Dutch Neanderthal’s Face Revealed

Sep 20, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

Adrie and Alfons Kennis, two paleo-artists from the Kennis & Kennis Reconstructions, have used facial approximation techniques and the latest findings...

An image of a typical non-equilibrium state comprising active filaments, random filament networks and ordered 2D fluidic lattices, and active and self-propulsive electrohydrodynamically sculpted droplets and active emulsions. Image credit: Raju et al., doi: 10.1126/sciadv.abh1642.

Researchers Use Electric Field to Create Polygonal and Toroidal Droplets, Liquid Lattices

Sep 15, 2021 by News Staff

When two substances are brought together, they will eventually settle into a steady state called the thermodynamic equilibrium. In new research, a team...

Parietal art panel at Quesang, Tibet. Image credit: Zhang et al., doi: 10.1016/j.scib.2021.09.001.

Middle-Pleistocene Hominin Hand and Foot Impressions Found in Tibet

Sep 15, 2021 by News Staff

A series of previously unreported hand and foot impressions from the Tibetan Plateau dates to between 169,000 and 226,000 years ago (middle Pleistocene...

Several lines of study suggest that peripheral metabolism of amyloid beta (Aß) is associated with risk for Alzheimer’s disease. In blood, greater than 90% of Aß is complexed as an apolipoprotein, raising the possibility of a lipoprotein-mediated axis for Alzheimer’s disease risk. Lam et al. report that genetic modification of C57BL/6J mice engineered to synthesize human Aß only in liver has marked neurodegeneration concomitant with capillary dysfunction, parenchymal extravasation of lipoprotein-Aß, and neurovascular inflammation. Image credit: National Institute on Aging / National Institutes of Health.

Protein from Liver May Cause Alzheimer’s Disease, Groundbreaking Study Says

Sep 15, 2021 by News Staff

According to a new study in mice, a probable cause of Alzheimer’s disease is the leakage from blood into the brain of fat-carrying particles transporting...

Casiraghi et al. show that on nights before a full moon, people sleep less and go to bed later on average. Image credit: Florian Kurz.

Lunar Cycle’s Effects on Sleep are More Pronounced among Men: Study

Sep 14, 2021 by Enrico de Lazaro

A new community-dwelling study from Sweden suggests that the lunar cycle affects sleep in humans, with more pronounced sleep alterations in men than women. Sleep...

Profuse dendritic-synaptic interconnections among neurons in the neocortex embed intricate logic structures enabling sophisticated decision-making that vastly outperforms any artificial electronic analogues. The physical complexity is far beyond existing circuit fabrication technologies: moreover, the network in a brain is dynamically reconfigurable, which provides flexibility and adaptability to changing environments. In contrast, state-of-the-art semiconductor logic circuits are based on threshold switches that are hard-wired to perform predefined logic functions. To advance the performance of logic circuits, Goswami et al. re-imagined fundamental electronic circuit elements by expressing complex logic in nanometer-scale material properties. Image credit: National University of Singapore.

Brain-Inspired Molecular Memristor Has Exceptional Memory Reconfigurability

Sep 2, 2021 by News Staff

The new reconfigurable memristor, or an electronic memory device, is based on a molecular system that can transition between on and off states at several...

Cocoa and green tea flavonoids may be beneficial in the nutritional management of age-related deterioration of the neuromuscular system. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Green Tea and Cocoa-Enriched Diet May Help Prevent Age-Associated Neuromuscular Changes

Sep 2, 2021 by Natali Anderson

A new study in mice provides insights into the use of green tea and cocoa flavonoids as nutritional interventions for the treatment of aging-related neuromuscular...

The egg, as one of the most traditional food products, has long attracted the attention of mathematicians, engineers, and biologists from an analytical point of view. Image credit: Designer Coleman.

Researchers Find Universal Formula for Egg Shape

Sep 1, 2021 by News Staff

The new mathematical formula can describe any bird’s egg existing in nature, says a team of scientists from the United Kingdom and Ukraine. The egg,...

Regular walnut consumption may be a useful part of a multicomponent dietary intervention or dietary pattern to lower atherogenic lipids and improve CVD risk. Image credit: Lubos Houska.

Walnut-Supplemented Diet May Help Reduce Cardiovascular Disease Risk

Aug 31, 2021 by News Staff

Eating 30-60 grams (15% of energy) of walnuts every day for two years lowered levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or ‘bad’) cholesterol and reduced...

Linne et al. report several coffee compounds that contribute to the feeling of coffee coating the inside of the mouth, as well as astringency and chalkiness sensations. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Chemists Pinpoint Compounds Responsible for Coffee Body

Aug 27, 2021 by News Staff

Body is one of ten attributes defined by the Specialty Coffee Association (SCA) that contributes to the overall quality rating of coffee, and, consequently,...

Tetragonula carbonaria combs. Image credit: Tobias Smith.

Researchers Solve Mystery of How Stingless Bees Produce Trehalulose-Rich Honey

Aug 26, 2021 by News Staff

Organic chemists at the University of Queensland have found that an unusual bioactive disaccharide called trehalulose, which is a feature of stingless...

Reconstruction of Homo floresiensis. Image credit: Kinez Riza / Atelier Elisabeth Daynes, Sangiran Museum.

New Study Examines Chewing Biomechanics of Homo floresiensis

Aug 25, 2021 by News Staff

The feeding biomechanics of Homo floresiensis, a small-bodied hominin lived until about 50,000 years ago on Flores, Indonesia, closely resembled the patterns...

Yang et al. made the first direct observation of atomic motion in liquid water molecules that have been excited with laser light. Image credit: Greg Stewart / SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.

Physicists Directly Observe Atomic Motion in Liquid Water Molecules

Aug 25, 2021 by News Staff

An international team of experimental physicists from the United States and Sweden has made the first direct observation of how hydrogen atoms in water...

The new phosphorescent materials could potentially be used in a wide number of applications, from medical imaging and optical sensing to ‘glow in the dark’ dyes and paints. Image credit: Yuan et al., doi: 10.1016/j.xcrp.2021.100542.

Scientists Create New Phosphorescent Materials

Aug 25, 2021 by News Staff

Inspired by the afterglow room-temperature phosphorescence of natural basswood, researchers have prepared a series of new sustainable phosphorescent materials...

Guarneiri et al. saw an average drop of 5% in total cholesterol and between 6% and 9% in LDL among participants who consumed pecans. Image credit: Jackie Matthews.

Daily Pecan Consumption May Help Reduce Cholesterol Levels

Aug 24, 2021 by News Staff

In a new randomized, controlled trial, participants at risk for cardiovascular disease who ate pecans (Carya illinoinensis) during an eight-week intervention...

Mindfulness-based programs primarily target improved mental health and wellbeing.

Mindfulness May Provide Small But Significant Benefits to Cognition

Aug 20, 2021 by News Staff

While mindfulness is typically geared towards improving mental health and wellbeing, it may also provide additional benefits to brain health, according...

Earth’s magnetic field lines. Image credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center.

Study Provides Further Evidence of 200-Million-Year-Long Cycle in Strength of Earth’s Magnetic Field

Aug 20, 2021 by News Staff

New research shows that the magnetic field of our planet was relatively weak (less than half the strength of the long-term average field) for tens of millions...