Other Sciences News

Model of the hemolithin molecule: space-filling mode (top), ball and stick (center), enlarged view of iron, oxygen and lithium termination (bottom). White = H; orange = Li; gray = C; blue = N; red = O and green = Fe. Hydrogen bonds are shown by dotted lines. Image credit: McGeoch et al, arXiv: 2002.11688.

Researchers Find Extraterrestrial Protein in Meteorite Acfer 086

Mar 26, 2020 by Sergio Prostak

A research team led by Harvard University scientist Julie McGeoch has found a never-before-seen protein inside a meteorite called Acfer 086. A sample of...

Scientists Using Supercomputer to Build All-Atom Model of SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus Envelope

Mar 24, 2020 by News Staff

Using the NSF-funded Frontera supercomputer at the University of Texas at Austin’s Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC), researchers are preparing...

Third-hand smoke originates from the direct contamination of surfaces (e.g., smokers’ bodies and clothes, indoor furnishings and surfaces, and building materials) with hazardous organic compounds from tobacco combustion but does not include airborne primary particles. Image credit: Aamir Mohd Khan.

Third-Hand Tobacco Smoke is Real Threat to Public Health, Study Shows

Mar 23, 2020 by News Staff

Third-hand smoke is a residual contamination from cigarette smoking that adheres to walls and other surfaces in places where smoking has previously occurred....

The new flat lens could drastically reduce the weight, complexity and cost of cameras and other imaging systems, while increasing their functionality. Image credit: Rajesh Menon, University of Utah.

Scientists Develop Focus-Free Camera with Flat Lens

Mar 18, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Utah, Salt Lake City, and Oblate Optics, Inc. has created a camera that does not require focusing. The new...

The internal sctructure of Earth. Image credit: NASA / JPL / Université Paris Diderot / Institut de Physique du Globe de Paris.

‘Basal Magma Ocean’ Generated Early Earth’s Magnetic Field, New Research Suggests

Mar 18, 2020 by News Staff

In a new study published in the journal Earth and Planetary Science Letters, a team of researchers from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the...

Little Foot (Australopithecus prometheus) in the Sterkfontein cave, central South Africa. Image credit: Purdue University.

3.67-Million-Year-Old Fossil Unveils More about Australopithecus prometheus

Mar 17, 2020 by News Staff

An international team of paleoanthropologists led by the University of the Witwatersrand has examined the first cervical vertebra (atlas) of the ‘Little...

Turner et al estimated a LEGO brick could survive in the ocean for as many as 1,300 years. Image credit: Turner et al, doi: 10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114299.

LEGO Bricks Could Survive in Ocean for as Many as 1,300 Years

Mar 17, 2020 by News Staff

A team of researchers from the University of Plymouth, Rame Peninsula Beach Care and the Lego Lost at Sea Project examined the extent to which classic...

Edwards et al evaluated the influence of avocado consumption on cognitive function and lutein status among adults with overweight and obesity using a randomized-controlled trial with matching design for pertinent study outcomes. Image credit: Sandid.

Avocado Consumption Improves Ability to Focus Attention in Overweight, Obese Adults: Study

Mar 16, 2020 by News Staff

Daily avocado intake over 12 weeks improved the ability to focus attention and increased concentrations of lutein among adults with overweight and obesity,...

A tissue section from a human nasal biopsy. The red staining outlines olfactory neurons and the blue staining is counterstain for cell nuclei. Image credit: Brad Goldstein.

Scientists Find Neuron ‘Nursery’ in Adult Human Nose Tissue

Mar 12, 2020 by News Staff

Researchers from the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine and Duke Institute for Brain Sciences say they have discovered a thriving neuron ‘nursery’...

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

Study: 70 Million Years Ago Day Lasted 23.5 Hours, Year Had 372 Days

Mar 10, 2020 by News Staff

Torreites sanchezi, an extinct species of rudist clam that lived during the Cretaceous period, some 70 million years ago, grew fast, laying down daily...

Genome-wide transcriptomics analysis of anatomically dissected regions in mammalian brains uncovers regional and species-specific expression: multiple regions of the human, pig, and mouse brain were dissected and analyzed; a uniform manifold approximation and projection (UMAP) analysis (middle) shows the global expression patterns of 1,710 samples in the human brain, with the cerebellum as the outlier; the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) Brain Atlas (right) shows the expression of individual genes, for example, synaptosomal-associated protein 25 (SNAP25), in the different brain regions in the three mammalian species. Image credit: Sjöstedt et al, doi: 10.1126/science.aay5947.

Researchers Create Atlas of Protein-Coding Genes in Mammalian Brain

Mar 10, 2020 by News Staff

The Brain Atlas explores the protein expression in the mammalian brain by visualization and integration of data from three species of mammals: human, pig...

This study reveals important fundamental differences between hot and cold brew coffee that may have implications for possible health impacts on drinkers. Image credit: Fxxu.

Study: Caffeine Significantly Enhances Problem-Solving Abilities But Not Creativity

Mar 9, 2020 by News Staff

Caffeine increases the ability to focus and problem solve, but it doesn’t stimulate creativity, according to new research published in the journal Consciousness...

Nobiletin is a molecule found in sweet oranges and tangerines. Image credit: Gerhard Gellinger.

Citrus Flavonoid Nobiletin Could Reduce Obesity, Reverse Its Negative Side-Effects

Mar 5, 2020 by News Staff

Mice fed a high-fat, high-cholesterol diet that were also given nobiletin, a flavonoid found in sweet oranges and tangerines, were noticeably leaner and...

Ingestion of a prebiotic diet improves undisturbed NREM sleep, promotes REM sleep rebound after stress exposure, and prevents stress-induced reductions in gut microbial alpha diversity. Image credit: Sabrina Ripke.

Dietary Prebiotics Can Improve Sleep and Fight Stress: Study

Mar 4, 2020 by News Staff

Dietary prebiotics can improve sleep and boost stress resilience by influencing gut bacteria and metabolites (biologically active molecules) they produce,...

An artist’s impression of a water-world planet. Image credit: Sci-News.com.

Archean Earth Was Covered by Global Ocean, New Study Suggests

Mar 3, 2020 by News Staff

The surface of Earth was likely covered by a global ocean 3.24 billion years ago (Archean Eon), according to a new study published in the journal Nature...

Durian fruits (Durio zibethinus). Image credit: Truthseeker08.

Researchers Find Rare Amino Acid in Durian

Mar 3, 2020 by News Staff

A rare amino acid called ethionine is present in the pulp of the durian (Durio zibethinus), a fruit called the ‘king of all fruits,’ and plays a key...

A honeybee (Apis mellifera). Image credit: Vijaya Narasimha.

New Study Reveals Link between Bee and Human Brains

Mar 2, 2020 by Natali Anderson

A team of researchers from New Zealand and Germany has demonstrated that the honeybee brain generates oscillations which share characteristics of ‘alpha’...

Olive oil is a major component of the Mediterranean diet. Image credit: Ulrike Leone.

Olive Oil-Rich Diet May Extend Lifespan, Help Mitigate Aging-Related Diseases

Feb 25, 2020 by News Staff

Olive oil in the Mediterranean diet may hold the key to improving lifespan and mitigating aging-related diseases, according to a new study by researchers...

Tart cherry concentrate in juice or powdered form, ingested for 7 days to 1.5 hours before exercise performance testing, significantly improved endurance exercise performance. Image credit: Cherry Industry Administrative Board.

Tart Cherry Concentrate Has Significant Benefit for Endurance Exercise Performance

Feb 21, 2020 by News Staff

Tart cherry concentrate may enhance endurance exercise performance via its low glycemic index, anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative capacity, and blood...