Science
press releases.

Science8 Jan 2025

A new approach for improving hot corrosion resistance and anti-oxidation performance in silicide coating on niobium alloys

The widely used nickel-based superalloys for turbine engine materials showed a limited-service temperature of only 1200℃, and did not exceed 1500℃ even when coated with thermal barrier coatings, which is urgent to develop the advanced thermal protection system for turbine engines with higher thrust-weight ratios. Niobium alloy coated with silicide coating is undoubtedly considered the most efficient method to reach long-term service, since it can form a dense SiO2 layer with self-healing ability at high temperatures. However, the single silicide coating has a strong tendency to crack vertically ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Study identifies coastal black pine trees resistant to tsunamis and strong winds

Researchers in Japan have found that the taller the Japanese black pine trees (Pinus thunbergii) along the coast, the deeper their roots go into the ground. Trees with deeper roots are more resistant to damage from tsunamis and strong winds. Their findings suggest that the resilience of coastal P. thunbergii trees may be improved by inducing deep root growth, specifically in short trees. The study was published in the Journal of Forest Research. Many P. thunbergii trees have been planted in coastal forests in Japan because they are salt-tolerant and can grow in sandy soils lacking nutrients. P. thunbergii ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

From gender dysphoria to special skills: decoding the link

Why have males been overrepresented among geniuses in STEM fields so far? A popular biological psychological explanation is the Extreme Male Brain Theory (EMB), which suggests that an overdose of prenatal androgen (male hormone) leads to the hyper-masculine brain type, characterized by a strong geek tendency and insensitivity to others' feelings. This theory explains the etiology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and inevitably connects prenatal androgen action with talents in specific fields. However, the current research shows evidence that the opposite story might be true: reduced androgen exposure in ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Moving in sync, slowly, in glassy liquids

Tokyo, Japan – Glass might seem to be an ordinary material we encounter every day, but the physics at play inside are actually quite complex and still not completely understood by scientists. Some panes of glass, such as the stained-glass windows in many Medieval buildings, have remained rigid for centuries, as their constituent molecules are perpetually frozen in a state of disorder. Similarly, supercooled liquids are not quite solid, in the sense that their fundamental particles do not stick to a lattice ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Does job strain compromise long-term sleep quality?

In a recent study published in the American Journal of Industrial Medicine, middle aged workers in the U.S. who reported high job strain at the start of the study experienced significantly more sleep disturbances over an average follow-up of nine years. The study analyzed data from 1,721 workers, with an average age of 51 years, who participated in the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) study. Sleep disturbances were assessed with an established scale, based on four sleep-related symptoms: trouble falling asleep, waking up during ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Study assesses the benefits of alfalfa-almond intercropping

The practice of growing different but complementary plants within a given area, also known as intercropping, has numerous positive effects such as reduced soil erosion, weed suppression, nitrogen fixation (the conversion of atmospheric nitrogen to nitrogen compounds that can be used by plants and other organisms), and pollinator benefits. New research published in Agrosystems, Geosciences & Environment reveals the increased land use efficiency and environmental benefits in an alfalfa–almond intercropped ecosystem ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Repairing a domestication mutation in tomato leads to an earlier yield

Genome editing with CRISPR-Cas is often associated with the induction of mutations. However, a team of researchers from the Swiss University of Lausanne now shows that it can also be used to repair natural mutations. All living organisms mutate, which is a major driver of biodiversity and evolution. Humans have been domesticating plants for thousands of years, by selecting mutations that lead to favorable characteristics such as larger or more numerous fruits. However, this process often caused the ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Fishy business: Male medaka mating limits revealed

Working out the kinks of mating in the animal kingdom helps to gain insights into the survival of species. Among animals that have multiple partners who deposit eggs outside their body, such as most fish, the males release sperm several times a day, but producing these gametes requires energy and time. Osaka Metropolitan University experts on fish behavior have recently uncovered a daily mating capacity for medaka. In findings published in Royal Society Open Science, Graduate School of Science Specially Appointed Dr. Yuki Kondo, Specially Appointed Professor Masanori Kohda, and Professor Satoshi Awata detailed the effects of continuous mating by medaka ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Ready to quit vaping in the new year? A new study uncovers the best ways

A new study, co-led by a University of Massachusetts Amherst researcher, set out to identify the most effective strategies for helping people quit vaping. The findings, published today in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, suggest that varenicline, a prescription medication often used to help people stop smoking, and text message-based interventions can help people quit. “This is an area of research that is in its infancy, but is growing rapidly and organically from people who vape asking about help to quit vaping,” says senior author Jamie Hartmann-Boyce, assistant professor of health policy and management in the School ...

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Science8 Jan 2025

Basking too long in a sauna without adequate hydration may risk heat stroke, doctors warn

Basking too long in a sauna may put bathers at risk of heat stroke, particularly if they haven’t drunk enough water beforehand, warn doctors in the journal BMJ Case Reports, after treating a woman whose condition required admission to hospital. Although relatively rare, heat stroke can be life threatening, even in the absence of various underlying risk factors, such as heart, lung, or neurological disease, and heavy drinking or taking a cocktail of prescription meds, they point out. Heat stroke is defined as a sharp increase in core body temperature above ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Market researchers and online advertisers, are A-B tests leading you astray? A new study says they could be

Researchers from Southern Methodist University and University of Michigan published a new Journal of Marketing study that examines platforms’ A-B testing of online ads and uncovers significant limitations that can create misleading conclusions about ad performance. The study, forthcoming in the Journal of Marketing, is titled “Where A-B Testing Goes Wrong: How Divergent Delivery Affects What Online Experiments Cannot (and Can) Tell You About How Customers Respond to Advertising” and is authored by Michael Braun and Eric M. Schwartz. Consider a landscaping company whose designs focus ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Research alert: Ketamine use on the rise in U.S. adults; new trends emerge

A recent study analyzing data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) found that past-year recreational ketamine use among adults has increased dramatically since 2015, including significant shifts in associations with depression and sociodemographic characteristics such as race, age and education status. Ketamine use has shown promise in clinical trials therapy for several mental illnesses, including treatment-resistant depression, and the new research suggests that ongoing monitoring of recreational use trends is crucial to balancing these ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Unlocking Romance: UCLA offers dating program for autistic adults

Love doesn’t come with an instruction manual, but for autistic adults seeking to navigate the complexities of romance, a UCLA Health program offers a roadmap to finding and sustaining meaningful relationships through the launch of a new research study, called PEERS for Dating. Led by the UCLA Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relationship Skills (PEERS) Clinic, the new 20-week program aims to demystify the often complex social rules surrounding dating and help participants gain a deeper understanding of relationship dynamics “Romantic relationships can be transformative, but for many autistic adults, the path to connection can feel uncertain,” ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Research Spotlight: Researchers reveal the influences behind timing of sleep spindle production

How would you summarize your study for a lay audience? Our research focuses on sleep spindles—short bursts of brain activity during sleep that are crucial for stabilizing sleep and supporting memory. Sleep spindles are of great interest because changes in spindle activity have been linked to many neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease and autism. While many factors influence when and how these spindles occur, such as sleep stages or brain rhythms, we discovered that short-term patterns, like a musical rhythm spanning just a few seconds, play the most ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Advancements in neural implant research enhance durability

Crucial research on brain diseases Neural implants are crucial in order to study the brain and develop treatments for patients with diseases like Parkinson's or clinical depression. Neural implants electrically stimulate, block, or record signals from neurons or neural networks in the brain. For study and treatment, and specifically for chronic use, these neural implants must be durable. "Miniaturized neural implants have enormous potential to transform healthcare, but their long-term stability in the body ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Researchers identify public policies that work to prevent suicide

An analysis led by New York University researchers determines which public policies effectively prevent suicide deaths in the United States. But it’s not just policies that limit firearms and expand access to health care—many economic and social policies that are not explicitly focused on mental health can also prevent suicide, according to their article published in the Annual Review of Public Health. “Most of the policies that demonstrate evidence do not mention suicide and were not passed to prevent ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Childhood smoking increases a person’s risk of developing COPD

Miami (January 7, 2025) – Childhood smoking before age 15 increases a person’s risk of developing chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), according to a new study. The study is published in the November 2024 issue of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Diseases: Journal of the COPD Foundation, a peer-reviewed, open-access journal. COPD is an inflammatory lung disease, comprising several conditions, including chronic bronchitis and emphysema, and can be caused by genetics and irritants like smoke or pollution. The disease affects more than 30 million Americans and is the ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Reducing irrigation for livestock feed crops is needed to save Great Salt Lake, study argues

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Great Salt Lake has lost more than 15 billion cubic yards of water over the past three decades, is getting shallower at the rate of 4 inches a year, and an analysis of its water budget suggests reducing irrigation is necessary for saving it. The study published today in Environmental Challenges shows that 62% of the river water bound for the lake is diverted for human uses, with agricultural activities responsible for nearly three-quarters of that percentage. “The research highlights the alarming role of water consumption for feeding livestock in driving the lake’s rapid depletion,” said co-author ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

Core-membrane microstructured amine-modified mesoporous biochar templated via ZnCl2/KCl for CO2 capture

In the ongoing battle against climate change, reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions remains a critical challenge. A recent study published in the journal Frontiers in Energy presents a significant breakthrough in CO2 capture technology through the development of a novel biochar material. This research, conducted by a team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, introduces a core-membrane microstructured amine-modified mesoporous biochar, offering a promising solution for efficient CO2 capture. The increasing concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere ...

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Science7 Jan 2025

From logs to security: How process analysis is transforming access control

Researchers at the University of Electro-Communications have developed a groundbreaking framework for improving system security by analyzing business process logs. This framework focuses on ensuring that role-based access control (RBAC) rules-critical to managing who can access specific system resources-are correctly implemented. Noncompliance with these rules, whether due to error or malicious activity, can result in unauthorized access and pose significant risks to organizations. RBAC is a widely used access control model that relies on predefined roles assigned to users. However, as business processes become more complex, ensuring ...

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Science6 Jan 2025

A change in the weather in the U.S. Corn Belt

A change in the weather in the U.S. Corn Belt Intensive farming and shallow groundwater affect precipitation patterns The sweeping land use changes and irrigation of the U.S. Corn Belt, along with the influence of the area’s shallow groundwater, have significantly altered precipitation patterns in that vital agricultural region, new research shows. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, focuses on “precipitation recycling” — a process in which the moisture released to the atmosphere by plants, soils, lakes, and other features of the landscape returns to the same area in the form of rain. By using advanced ...

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Science6 Jan 2025

Study reveals rising interest in permanent contraception after Roe v. Wade was overturned

WASHINGTON (January 6, 2025) - A new study from the George Washington University found a significant increase in the number of U.S. young adults seeking permanent contraception, specifically tubal sterilization and vasectomy, following the Supreme Court's June 2022 decision which overturned Roe v. Wade. “Our study shows that the Dobbs decision has had a profound effect on young adults’ reproductive choices, leading many to opt for permanent contraception in the months following the decision,” said Julia Strasser, director of the Jacobs Institute ...

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Science6 Jan 2025

Ice patches on Beartooth Plateau reveal how ancient landscape differed from today’s

By Diana Setterberg, MSU News Service BOZEMAN – Montana State University scientists say the frozen remnants of an ancient forest discovered 600 feet above the modern tree line on the Beartooth Plateau may portend possible changes for the alpine ecosystem if the climate continues to warm. A paper about the discovery was published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. It describes what scientists have learned by studying the remains of a mature whitebark pine forest ...

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Science6 Jan 2025

New NEJM Perspective article highlights urgent need for widespread adoption of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) to combat rising burden of osteoporosis-related fractures

A new Perspective article published in the New England Journal of Medicine emphasizes the critical role of Fracture Liaison Services (FLS) in addressing the growing global burden of osteoporosis-related fractures, particularly hip fractures. The World Health Organization has identified osteoporosis as a major global health issue because it poses significant risks of disability and premature death. Osteoporosis-related fractures are a leading cause of disability and long-term care needs for older adults, with hip fractures being particularly devastating. The Perspective reports that within the first 12 months following a hip fracture, ...

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Science6 Jan 2025

Model proposed for treating loneliness in borderline personality disorder

January 6, 2025 — Loneliness is a key driver in the maintenance of borderline personality disorder (BPD), Harvard researchers argue. Thus, many patients cite increased social connection as a primary treatment goal. In the Harvard Review of Psychiatry, part of the Lippincott portfolio from Wolters Kluwer, Lois W. Choi-Kain, MD, MEd, DFAPA, of Harvard’s McLean Hospital, and colleagues call for BPD treatment to extend beyond exclusive therapeutic relationships to help patients build durable connections with others in the community. "Any support in building small connections can provide some relief from loneliness and work against cycles of dependency, ...

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