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Study identifies new metric for diagnosing autism
Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a recent study suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one that could lead to advances in the study of other neurological conditions. 04/17/2024 06:28 PM
Protecting brain cells with cannabinol
Scientists created four cannabis-derived CBN analogs (chemical look-a-likes) with enhanced neuroprotective properties and potential for therapeutic application in neurological disorders like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injury. Their findings reveal novel aspects of CBN's neuroprotective activity and demonstrate the clinical potential of CBN and value of studying its analogs. 04/17/2024 06:28 PM
How 3D printers can give robots a soft touch
Soft skin coverings and touch sensors have emerged as a promising feature for robots that are both safer and more intuitive for human interaction, but they are expensive and difficult to make. A recent study demonstrates that soft skin pads doubling as sensors made from thermoplastic urethane can be efficiently manufactured using 3D printers. 04/17/2024 06:28 PM
Honey bees experience multiple health stressors out-in-the-field
It's not a single pesticide or virus stressing honey bees, and affecting their health, but exposure to a complex web of multiple interacting stressors encountered while at work pollinating crops, found new research. Scientists have been unable to explain increasing colony mortality, even after decades of research examining the role of specific pesticides, parasitic mites, viruses or genetics. This led the research team to wonder if previous studies were missing something by focusing on one stressor at a time. 04/17/2024 06:28 PM
Machine learning used to create a fabric-based touch sensor
A new fabric-based touch sensor used machine learning to control mobile apps, video games and other devices while integrated into clothing. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Probiotic feed additive boosts growth, health in poultry in place of antibiotics
The growing need for antibiotic-free products has challenged producers to decrease or completely stop using antimicrobials as feed supplements in the diet of broiler chickens to improve feed efficiency, growth rate and intestinal health. A research team conducted a study of natural feed additives that are promising alternatives to substitute for antimicrobial growth promoters. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Global study reveals health impacts of airborne trace elements
Researchers investigated global particulate matter, revealing health risks from trace elements. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
First evidence of human occupation in lava tube cave in Saudi Arabia
New research has highlighted an area in Arabia that once acted as a key point for cultural exchanges and trades amongst ancient people -- and it all took place in vast caves and lava tubes that have remained largely untapped reservoirs of archaeological abundance in Arabia. Through meticulous excavation and analysis, the international team uncovered a wealth of evidence at Umm Jirsan, spanning from the Neolithic to the Chalcolithic/Bronze Age periods (~10,000-3,500 years ago). 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
New data identifies trends in accidental opioid overdoses in children
The US saw a 22% decline in rates of prescription-opioid overdose related emergency department (ED) visits in children 17 and younger between 2008 and 2019, but an uptick in the early part of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The authors also note that rates of pediatric opioid overdoses remain high in many populations. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Artificial Intelligence beats doctors in accurately assessing eye problems
A study has found that the AI model GPT-4 significantly exceeds the ability of non-specialist doctors to assess eye problems and provide advice. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Ice age climate analysis reduces worst-case warming expected from rising CO2
A detailed reconstruction of climate during the most recent ice age, when a large swath of North America was covered in ice, provides information on the relationship between CO2 and global temperature. Results show that while most future warming estimates remain unchanged, the absolute worst-case scenario is unlikely. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
East coast mussel shells are becoming more porous in warming waters
Researchers have found that over the last 120 years, the porosity -- or small-scale holes -- in mussel shells along the East Coast of the United States has increased, potentially due to warming waters. The study analyzed modern mussel shells in comparison to specimens in the Museum's historic collection. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Researchers find that accelerated aging biology in the placenta contributes to a rare form of pregnancy-related heart failure
In a new study, researchers show that elevated levels of proteins related to cellular senescence, or aging, in the blood and the placenta are linked to this form of heart failure. 04/17/2024 06:27 PM
Paleontologists unearth what may be the largest known marine reptile
The fossilized remains of a second gigantic jawbone measuring more than two meters long has been found on a beach in Somerset, UK. 04/17/2024 06:26 PM
New class of antimicrobials discovered in soil bacteria
Researchers have discovered toxic protein particles, shaped like umbrellas, that soil bacteria known as Streptomyces secrete to squelch competitors in their crowded microbial communities, especially others of their own species. What makes these newly detected antibacterial toxins different is that, unlike the Streptomyces' small-molecule antibiotics, umbrella toxins are large complexes composed of multiple proteins. They are also far more specific in the bacteria they target. They tend to go after bacteria that form branching filaments, an usual growth pattern among bacteria. The scientists are intrigued by the potential clinical clinical applications of this discovery, because they suspect the pathogens that cause tuberculosis and diphtheria might be sensitive to umbrella toxins. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
38 trillion dollars in damages each year: World economy already committed to income reduction of 19 % due to climate change
Even if CO2 emissions were to be drastically cut down starting today, the world economy is already committed to an income reduction of 19% until 2050 due to climate change, a new study finds. These damages are six times larger than the mitigation costs needed to limit global warming to two degrees. Based on empirical data from more than 1,600 regions worldwide over the past 40 years, scientists assessed future impacts of changing climatic conditions on economic growth and their persistence. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
Mountain chickadees have remarkable memories. A new study explains why
Mountain chickadees have among the best spatial memory in the animal kingdom. New research identifies the genes at play and offers insight into how a shifting climate may impact the evolution of this unique skill. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
Understanding climate warming impacts on carbon release from the tundra
The warming climate shifts the dynamics of tundra environments and makes them release trapped carbon, according to a new study published in Nature. These changes could transform tundras from carbon sinks into a carbon source, exacerbating the effects of climate change. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
Solving a mini mystery of cell division
Trying to hit a target size before dividing seems like the best strategy for maintaining a precise cell size, but bacteria don't do that. Now we know why. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
Workings of working memory detailed
Investigators have discovered how brain cells responsible for working memory -- the type required to remember a phone number long enough to dial it -- coordinate intentional focus and short-term storage of information. 04/17/2024 01:11 PM
from ScienceDaily
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