Top Science News
April 23, 2020
Apr. 22, 2020 Researchers have identified specific types of cells that appear to be the targets of the SARS-Cov-2 coronavirus that is causing the Covid-19 … read more
Apr. 22, 2020 Can staying up late make you fat? Researchers found the opposite to be true when they studied sleep in worms: It’s not the sleep loss that leads to obesity, but rather that excess weight can cause … read more
Apr. 20, 2020 The human language pathway in the brain has been identified by scientists as being at least 25 million years old — 20 million years older than … read more
Apr. 20, 2020 What scientists thought was a planet beyond our solar system has ‘vanished.’ Though this happens to sci-fi worlds, scientists seek a more plausible explanation. One interpretation: instead of a … read more
Latest Top Headlines
updated 11:25am EDT
Apr. 21, 2020 New research finds that an anticipated rise in carbon dioxide concentrations in our indoor living and working spaces by the year 2100 could lead to impaired … read more
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Apr. 20, 2020 New research will drastically improve brain-computer interfaces and their ability to remain stabilized during use, greatly reducing or potentially eliminating the need to recalibrate these devices during or … read more
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Apr. 20, 2020 Researchers have created the first complete description of early embryo development, accounting for every single cell in the embryo. This ‘virtual embryo’ will help to answer how the different cell types in an organism can originate from a single … read more
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Apr. 20, 2020 When faced with a decision, people may know which choice gives them the best chance of success, but still take the other option, a new study suggests. People may choose based on a ‘gut feeling’, a habit, or what worked for them last time, rather than on what they have learned will work … read more
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Apr. 20, 2020 To address plastic pollution plaguing the world’s seas and waterways, chemists have developed a new polymer that can degrade by … read more
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Apr. 19, 2020 Astronomers have shown that clusters of supernovas can cause the birth of scattered, eccentrically orbiting suns in outer stellar halos, upending commonly held notions of how star systems have formed and evolved over billions … read more
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Apr. 17, 2020 Using magnetic nanoparticles, scientists stimulate the adrenal gland in rodents to control release of hormones linked … read more
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Apr. 16, 2020 A reanalysis of data from NASA’s Kepler space telescope has revealed an Earth-size exoplanet orbiting in its star’s habitable zone, the area around a star where a rocky planet could support … read more
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Apr. 20, 2020 Farmers in parts of the western United States who rely on snowmelt to help irrigate their crops will be among the hardest hit in the world by climate change, a new … read more
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Apr. 17, 2020 A recent study shows that less than one-third of the world’s population could currently meet their demand for food produced in their … read more
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Apr. 17, 2020 The extinction of threatened marine megafauna species could result in larger than expected losses in functional diversity, according to … read more
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Apr. 16, 2020 A new study says a megadrought worse than anything known from recorded history is very likely in progress in the western United States and northern Mexico, and warming climate is playing a … read more
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Health News
April 23, 2020
Apr. 16, 2020 Scientists have long hypothesized the existence of enzyme clusters, or ‘metabolons,’ in facilitating various processes within cells. Researchers have now directly observed functional metabolons … read more
Apr. 16, 2020 Scientists have conducted the largest-ever whole genome sequencing study of schizophrenia to provide a more complete picture of the role the human genome plays in this … read more
Apr. 15, 2020 The sensation of sweetness starts on the tongue, but sugar molecules also trip sensors in the gut that directly signal the brain. This could explain … read more
Apr. 14, 2020 People with a gene variant that puts them at high risk for Alzheimer’s disease are protected from its debilitating effects if they also carry a variant of a completely different gene, investigators … read more
Latest Health Headlines
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Apr. 21, 2020 Just a simple change to the starting stance of players on the offensive line in American football could significantly reduce hits to the head, a new study … read more
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Organic Memory Devices Show Promise for Flexible, Wearable, Personalized Computing
Apr. 21, 2020 The advent of artificial intelligence, machine learning and the internet of things is expected to change modern electronics. The pressing question for many researchers is how to handle this technological revolution. Brain-inspired electronics with organic memristors could offer a functionally promising and cost- effective platform. Since … read more
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What Helps Couples Weather Financial Storms
Apr. 21, 2020 In financially challenging times, it’s especially important to show your partner love and support, says researchers, who studied what contributes to couples’ success in financially stressful … read more
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Nearly Half of US Breathing Unhealthy Air; Record-Breaking Air Pollution in Nine Cities
Apr. 21, 2020 Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the impact of air pollution on lung health is of heightened concern. A new report finds nearly half of the nation’s population — 150 million people — lived with and breathed polluted air, placing their health and lives at risk. The 21st annual ‘State of the Air’ report finds that climate change continues to make air … read more
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Virtual Reality Makes Empathy Easier
Apr. 20, 2020 Virtual reality activates brain networks that increase your ability to identify with other people, according to new research published in eNeuro. The technology could become a tool in the treatment of violent offenders to empathize more with … read more
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Physical/Tech News
April 23, 2020
Apr. 16, 2020 Observations have revealed for the first time that a star orbiting the supermassive black hole at the center of the Milky Way moves just as predicted … read more
Apr. 15, 2020 New data throws more support behind the theory that neutrinos are the reason the universe is dominated by … read more
Apr. 13, 2020 Since its discovery in 2017, an air of mystery has surrounded the first known interstellar object to visit our solar system, an elongated, cigar-shaped body named ‘Oumuamua. How was it formed, and … read more
Apr. 13, 2020 Unparalleled observations of a nova outburst in 2018 by a trio of satellites, including two NASA missions, have captured the first direct evidence that shock waves powered most of the explosion’s … read more
Latest Physical/Tech Headlines
updated 11:25am EDT
Major Cause of Resistance in Solid Electrolytes
Apr. 22, 2020 Scientists investigated grain boundaries in a solid electrolyte at an unprecedentedly small scale. The resulting insights provide new avenues for tuning chemical properties in the material to improve … read more
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A Breakthrough in Estimating the Size of a (Mostly Hidden) Network
Apr. 22, 2020 A newly discovered connection between control theory and network dynamical systems could help estimate the size of a network even when a small portion is accessible. Understanding the spread of coronavirus may be the most alarming recent example of a problem that could benefit from fuller knowledge of network dynamical systems, but scientists and mathematicians have grappled for years with ways … read more
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Tiny Sensors Fit 30,000 to a Penny, Transmit Data from Living Tissue
Apr. 22, 2020 Researchers who build nanoscale electronics have developed microsensors so tiny, they can fit 30,000 on one side of a penny. They are equipped with an integrated circuit, solar cells and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that enable them to harness light for power and communication. And because they are mass fabricated, with up to 1 million sitting on an 8-inch wafer, each device costs a fraction of … read more
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First-Ever Comprehensive Geologic Map of the Moon
Apr. 22, 2020 For the first time, the entire lunar surface has been completely mapped and uniformly classified. The lunar map, called the ‘Unified Geologic Map of the Moon,’ will serve as the definitive blueprint of the moon’s surface geology for future human missions and will be invaluable for the international scientific community, educators and the … read more
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Engineers’ ‘Nanocardboard’ Flyers Could Serve as Martian Atmospheric Probes
Apr. 21, 2020 Engineers are suggesting a new way to explore the sky: tiny aircraft that weigh about as much as a fruit fly and have no moving parts. These flyers are plates of ‘nanocardboard,’ which levitate when bright light is shone on them. As one side heats up, the temperature differential gets air circulating through its hollow structure and shooting out of the corrugated channels that give it its name, … read more
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Studying Our Galaxy’s ‘Water Worlds’
Apr. 21, 2020 In seeking to learn more about Neptune-like exoplanets, an international team of researchers has provided one of the first mineralogy lab studies for water-rich … read more
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ALMA Reveals Unusual Composition of Interstellar Comet 2I/Borisov
Apr. 20, 2020 A galactic visitor entered our solar system last year — interstellar comet 2I/Borisov. When astronomers pointed the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) toward the comet on Dec. 15-16, 2019, for the first time they directly observed the chemicals stored inside an object from a planetary system other than our … read more
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Who’s a Bot and Who’s Not
Apr. 22, 2020 Social media bots are continuously evolving and becoming more ‘human-like’ in the way they talk and interact on online platforms. Previous research has focused on bot detection, but little attention has been devoted to the characterization and measurement of the behavior and activity of bots, compared to humans. In this study, researchers have revealed distinct behavioral differences between … read more
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Cool Down Fast to Advance Quantum Nanotechnology
Apr. 21, 2020 An international team of scientists have found an easy way to trigger an unusual state of matter called a Bose-Einstein condensate. The new method is expected to help advance the research and development of quantum computing at room … read more
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New Model to Improve Accuracy of Storm Surge Analysis
Apr. 21, 2020 A new international study applied a novel statistical method that — for the first time — captures the important interactions between tides and storm surges. These natural forces are caused by meteorological effects, such as strong winds and low atmospheric pressure, and their impacts have often been difficult to understand because of the complexity of Mother … read more
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Environment News
April 23, 2020
Apr. 16, 2020 Researchers have used a new geochemical tool to shed light on the origin of nitrogen and other volatile elements on Earth, which may also prove useful as a way to monitor the activity of … read more
Apr. 14, 2020 A new study finds volcanic activity played a direct role in triggering extreme climate change at the end of the Triassic period 201 million year ago, wiping out almost half of all existing … read more
Apr. 13, 2020 Earth’s molten core may be leaking iron, according to researchers who analyzed how iron behaves inside our … read more
Apr. 9, 2020 Four fossilized monkey teeth discovered deep in the Peruvian Amazon provide new evidence that more than one group of ancient primates journeyed … read more
Latest Environment Headlines
updated 11:25am EDT
Ocean Microbes’ Role in Climate Effects
Apr. 23, 2020 A new study shows that ‘hotspots’ of nutrients surrounding phytoplankton — which are tiny marine algae producing approximately half of the oxygen we breathe every day — play an outsized role in the release of a gas involved in cloud formation and climate … read more
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Ocean: How the Blob Came Back
Apr. 21, 2020 Weakened wind patterns likely spurred the wave of extreme ocean heat that swept the North Pacific last summer, according to new … read more
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Human-Caused Warming Will Cause More Slow-Moving Hurricanes, Warn Climatologists
Apr. 22, 2020 Hurricanes moving slowly over an area can cause more damage than faster-moving storms, and rising global temperatures will likely cause more mid-latitude hurricanes to slow down, said a team of climatologists. They used a large ensemble of climate simulations to explore the link between anthropogenic climate warming and hurricane movement … read more
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Disappearing Alaskan Sea Ice Is Significant for Arctic Marine Ecosystem
Apr. 22, 2020 A new study shows that plant materials originating in Arctic sea ice are significantly incorporated into marine food webs that are used for subsistence in local communities of the greater Bering Strait region. The research has the potential to demonstrate the importance of sea ice ecosystems as a source of food in Arctic waters in Alaska and … read more
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Neolithic Genomes from Modern-Day Switzerland Indicate Parallel Ancient Societies
Apr. 20, 2020 Genetic research throughout Europe shows evidence of drastic population changes near the end of the Neolithic period, as shown by the arrival of ancestry related to pastoralists from the Pontic-Caspian steppe. But the timing of this change and the arrival and mixture process of these peoples, particularly in Central Europe, is little understood. … read more
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Society/Education News
April 23, 2020
Apr. 13, 2020 Despite the time spent with smartphones and social media, young people today are just as socially skilled as those from the previous generation, a new study … read more
Mar. 25, 2020 As COVID-19 spreads worldwide, leaders are relying on mathematical models to make public health and economic decisions. A new model improves tracking of epidemics by accounting for mutations in … read more
Mar. 24, 2020 A new modelling study conducted in a simulated Singapore setting has estimated that a combined approach of physical distancing interventions, … read more
Mar. 16, 2020 A new multinational study incorporating the latest models of global climate, crop production and trade examines the possible effects of a nuclear … read more
Latest Society/Education Headlines
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Holistic Way to Measure the Economic Fallout from Earthquakes
Apr. 21, 2020 Officials know how to account for deaths, injuries and property damages after the shaking stops, but a study based on a hypothetical 7.2 magnitude quake near San Francisco, describes the first way to estimate the far greater financial fallout that such a disaster would have, especially on the … read more
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Why Relying on New Technology Won’t Save the Planet
Apr. 20, 2020 Over-reliance on promises of new technology to solve climate change is enabling delay, say researchers. They argue instead for cultural, social and political transformation to enable widespread deployment of both behavioral and technological responses to climate … read more
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How Expectations Influence Learning
Apr. 15, 2020 During learning, the brain is a prediction engine that continually makes theories about our environment and accurately registers whether an assumption is true or not. A team of neuroscientists has shown that expectation during these predictions affects the activity of various brain … read more
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Little Scientists: Children Prefer Storybooks That Explain Why and How Things Happen
Apr. 15, 2020 Children have a never-ending curiosity about the world around them and frequently question how and why it works the way it does. Researchers have previously demonstrated that children are interested in causal information, but had not yet linked this to a real-world activity, such as reading. A new study finds that children prefer causally-rich … read more
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Students Often Do Not Question Online Information
Apr. 14, 2020 According to a new study, students struggle to critically assess information from the Internet and are often influenced by unreliable sources. In this study, students from various disciplines such as medicine and economics took part in an online test, the Critical Online Reasoning Assessment … read more
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Vaccine Skeptics Actually Think Differently Than Other People
Apr. 10, 2020 As vaccine skepticism has become increasingly widespread, researchers have suggested a possible explanation. In a new article reserarchers suggest some people find vaccines risky because they overestimate the likelihood of negative events, particularly those that are … read more
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