Science
press releases.

Science2 Oct 2024

Higher-order interactions can remodel the landscape of complex systems

Networks, which include nodes and connections, can help researchers model dynamic systems like the spread of disease or how the brain processes information. Pairwise interactions between nodes can represent links between individuals — how two neurons connect with one another in the brain, for example — but scientists also study interactions involving three or more nodes. These higher-order interactions reveal changes and phenomena beyond those found by looking only at pairs. Yuanzhao Zhang, an SFI Complexity Postdoctoral Fellow, has studied how higher-order ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Beyond ‘one pore at a time’

Nanoporous membranes with atomic-scale holes smaller than one-billionth of a meter have powerful potential for decontaminating polluted water, pulling valuable metal ions from the water, or for osmotic power generators. But these exciting applications have been limited in part by the tedious process of tunneling individual sub-nanometer pores one by one. “If we are to ever scale up 2D material membranes to be relevant for applications outside the laboratory, the ‘one pore at a time’ method just isn't feasible,” said recent UChicago Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering (PME) PhD graduate Eli ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Eyes on the fries: how our vision creates a food trend

KEY POINTS Human judgement of food images is influenced by judgements that precede it Experiment tested reactions of more than 600 people making food choices Highly relevant given widespread use of Uber Eats or phone-based menus Finding could assist treatments for eating disorders or assist with food marketing Research at the University of Sydney has revealed that we don’t judge food simply on its merits but are influenced by what we have seen beforehand, a cascading phenomenon known as ‘serial dependence’. The research, published today in the high-impact journal Current Biology, was conducted by Professors David Alais ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

How a bacterium becomes a permanent resident in a fungus

Endosymbiosis is a fascinating biological phenomenon in which an organism lives inside another. Such an unusual relationship is often beneficial for both parties. Even in our bodies, we find remnants of such cohabitation: mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, evolved from an ancient endosymbiosis. Long ago, bacteria entered other cells and stayed. This coexistence laid the foundation for mitochondria and thus the cells of plants, animals, and fungi. What is still poorly understood, however, is how an endosymbiosis as a lifestyle actually arises. A bacterium that more or less accidentally ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Trust in US Supreme Court continues to sink

PHILADELPHIA – Driven by political partisanship, public trust in the U.S. Supreme Court has continued a downward slide since the court’s 2022 Dobbs decision overturning the Roe v. Wade ruling that established a constitutional right to abortion, according to a new survey by the Annenberg Public Policy Center (APPC) of the University of Pennsylvania. More than half of Americans (56%) now disapprove of the Supreme Court, saying they trust it either “a little” or “not at all” to act in the best interest ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

A new injectable to prevent and treat hypoglycemia

People with diabetes take insulin to lower high blood sugar. However, if glucose levels plunge too low — from taking too much insulin or not eating enough sugar — people can experience hypoglycemia, which can lead to dizziness, cognitive impairment, seizures or comas. To prevent and treat this condition, researchers in ACS Central Science report encapsulating the hormone glucagon. In mouse trials, the nanocapsules activated when blood sugar levels dropped dangerously low and quickly restored glucose levels. Glucagon is a hormone that signals the liver to ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Turning plants into workout supplement bio-factories

It’s important to eat your veggies, but some essential vitamins and nutrients can only be found in animals, including certain amino acids and peptides. But, in a proof-of-concept study published in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, researchers developed a method to produce creatine, carnosine and taurine — all animal-based nutrients and common workout supplements — right inside a plant. The system allows for different synthetic modules to be easily stacked together to boost production. Plants can be surprisingly receptive when asked to produce compounds ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Redefining Publishing: PLOS receives multi-million-dollar grant funding for new research initiative

SAN FRANCISCO —PLOS today announced that it has received a $1.5 million grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and a $1 million grant from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation to support our mission to drive Open Science forward with meaningful change in scholarly publishing. The funds enable PLOS to embark on an ambitious 18-month research and design project to explore how to tackle two barriers that exclude many researchers from meaningfully participating in Open Science: affordability ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Smoke from megafires puts orchard trees at risk

Smoke From Megafires Puts Orchard Trees at Risk Effects Last Months, Reducing Nut Crop Yields By Amy Quinton | October 2, 2023 Long-term smoke exposure from massive wildfires lowers the energy reserves of orchard trees and can cut their nut production by half, researchers at the University of California, Davis, found. The smoke can affect trees for months after a megafire, depressing their bloom and the next season’s harvest. This finding reveals a new danger from wildfires that could affect plant health in both agricultural and natural environments. Nature Plants published ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Discovery of promising electrolyte for all-solid-state batteries

Often overlooked, rechargeable batteries play an important part in contemporary life, powering small devices like smartphones to larger ones like electric vehicles. The keys to creating sustainable rechargeable batteries include having them hold their charge longer, giving them a longer life with more charging cycles, and making them safer. Which is why there is so much promise in all-solid-state batteries. The problem so far is discovering which solid electrolytes offer such potential advantages. In a step toward that goal, an Osaka Metropolitan University research group led by Assistant Professor Kota Motohashi, Associate Professor Atsushi Sakuda, ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

New study identifies gaps in menopause care in primary care settings

CLEVELAND, Ohio (Oct 2, 2024)—Timely identification and treatment of bothersome hot flashes have the potential to improve the lives of many women and save employers countless days of related absenteeism and lost work productivity. Yet, a new study finds that such symptoms are often not documented in electronic health records (EHRs) or not adequately addressed during primary care visits. The study is published online today in Menopause, the journal of The Menopause Society. Approximately 75% of women experience hot flashes as they go through the menopause transition. Despite the common occurrence of these bothersome ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Do coyotes have puppy dog eyes? New study reveals wild canines share dog's famous expression

New research from Baylor University reveals that coyotes, like domestic dogs, have the ability to produce the famous "puppy dog eyes" expression. The study – "Coyotes can do 'puppy dog eyes' too: Comparing interspecific variation in Canis facial expression muscles," published in the Royal Society Open Science – challenges the hypothesis that this facial feature evolved exclusively in dogs as a result of domestication. The research team, led by Patrick Cunningham, a Ph.D. research student in the Department ...

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Science2 Oct 2024

Scientists use tiny ‘backpacks’ on turtle hatchlings to observe their movements

New research suggests that green turtle hatchlings ‘swim' to the surface of the sand, rather than ‘dig’, in the period between hatching and emergence. The findings have important implications for conserving a declining turtle population globally. Published today in Proceedings B, scientists from UNSW’s School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, used a small device, known as an accelerometer, to uncover novel findings into the behaviours of hatchlings as they emerge from their nests. Sea turtle eggs are buried in nests 30 – 80cm deep. Once hatched, the newborn turtles make their way to the surface ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Costs of fatal falls among US older adults trump those attributed to firearm deaths

The cost of fatal falls among older people (45-85+) trump those of firearm deaths in the US, finds research published in the open access journal Trauma Surgery & Acute Care Open. The stark economics and shifting age demographics in the US underscore the urgency of preventive measures, conclude the researchers. Falls account for around 1 in 5 of all injury-related hospital admissions, and the World Health Organization reports that falls are the second leading cause of unintentional injury deaths worldwide, with the over 65s especially vulnerable, highlight the researchers. Like falls, firearms related injuries ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Looking deeper into the mirror

A team of Canadian and American scientists has made a promising breakthrough in understanding the origins of a mysterious neurological disorder known as mirror movements. The discovery was made by Kaiyue Zhang, a doctoral student at the Montreal Clinical Research Institute (IRCM), affiliated with Université de Montréal, and by Karina Chaudhari, a doctoral student at the University of Pennsylvania. As co-first authors, they published their study today in the journal Science Signaling. They were led by Frédéric Charron, an UdeM research professor ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

NYU Historian Jennifer L. Morgan wins 2024 MacArthur “Genius Grant”

New York University historian Jennifer L. Morgan, whose work focuses on the institutionalization of race-based slavery in early America and the Black Atlantic, has been named a 2024 MacArthur Fellow by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. MacArthur Fellows are recipients of the foundation’s “genius grants,” who each receive $800,000 over a five-year period to pursue intellectual, social, and artistic endeavors. “The 2024 MacArthur Fellows pursue rigorous inquiry with aspiration and purpose,” says MacArthur Fellows Director ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

UK ParkRun participants report improved life satisfaction six months later

UK ParkRun participants report improved life satisfaction six months later, with most benefit for the least active people, and an estimated value between £16.70 and £98.50 for every £1 of running costs. #### Article URL: https://journals.plos.org/globalpublichealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pgph.0003580 Article Title: The impact of parkrun on life satisfaction and its cost-effectiveness: A six-month study of parkrunners in the United Kingdom Author Countries: United Kingdom Funding: This study was funded by Sheffield Hallam University (SJH and AB) and by The University of Sheffield (HQ). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

‘Who’s a good boy?’ Humans use dog-specific voices for better canine comprehension

The voice people use to address their dogs isn’t just because of their big puppy eyes. Humans slow their own speech when talking to their dogs, and this slower tempo matches their pets’ receptive abilities, allowing the dogs to better understand their commands, according to a study published October 1st in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Eloïse Déaux of the University of Geneva in Switzerland and colleagues. Dogs respond to human speech, even though they themselves cannot produce human sounds. To better understand how people ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Authoritarian populism has weakened democracy in Brazil - study

The rise of authoritarian populism in Brazil weakened structures that stabilise democracy – mirroring trends in wider global society and potentially making it harder for the country to strengthen its democracy in future, a new study reveals. The experiences of Brazilians in recent years under the administration of former President Jair Bolsonaro highlight the weakening of welfare systems and human rights protections critical in maintaining democratic stability. This, in turn, contributed to the rise of militarism ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Anu wins first place, $20,000 in SCORE’s 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. — Anu™, a health and wellness brand developing innovative controlled-environment agriculture systems, won first place and $20,000 among 10 small businesses at the national SCORE 60th Anniversary Pitch Competition in Des Moines, Iowa. SCORE, or Service Corps of Retired Executives, is a resource partner of the U.S. Small Business Administration. Purdue University alumni Scott Massey and Ivan Ball founded anu. The company has received financial support from the Purdue Research Foundation. “This funding ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Wendy Connors named Hertz Foundation President, succeeding Robbee Kosak

The Fannie and John Hertz Foundation, a nonprofit organization that funds, supports, connects and catalyzes the nation’s top PhD students in science and technology, today announced that Wendy Connors, currently its chief development officer, will begin as president on Jan. 1, 2025. Connors will succeed current president Robbee Baker Kosak, who will retire after almost 10 years in the role. Appointed by the Hertz Foundation board of directors, Connors is the sixth president of the foundation and second woman to hold the position since it was founded in 1957. She brings more than 25 years’ experience as an accomplished nonprofit executive ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

A tool to enhance the taste and texture of sourdough and study the complexity of microbiomes

When millions of people went into lockdown during the pandemic, they went in search of new at-home hobbies to help cure their boredom. Among them was making sourdough bread. In addition to being sustainable for its use of natural ingredients and traditional methods which date back thousands of years to ancient Egypt, it also is valued for its nutritional benefits. For example, studies have shown that sourdough contains more vitamins, minerals and antioxidants compared to many other types of bread. For people with mild sensitivities to gluten, sourdough bread can be easier to digest since much of the gluten is broken down during ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

Structure of a eukaryotic CRISPR-Cas homolog, Fanzor2, shows its promise for gene editing

(MEMPHIS, Tenn. – October 1, 2024) A revolution in biomedicine is currently underway, driven by the application of genome engineering tools such as the prokaryotic CRISPR-Cas9. New genome editing systems continue to be identified in different organisms, adding to the potential toolbox for various therapeutic applications. Scientists at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital studied the evolutionary journey of Fanzors, eukaryotic genome-editing proteins. Using cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), the researchers provided insights into the structural divergence ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

St. Jude names M. Madan Babu, PhD, senior vice president and chief data scientist

St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital today announced M. Madan Babu, PhD, FRS, as the institution’s first Chief Data Scientist, Senior Vice President for Data Science, and leader of the newly formed Office of Data Science. This $195 million research enterprise will have 115 new positions. In his new role, Babu will bring new, advanced computing technologies and data science approaches to biomedical research. His team will also facilitate the integration of biological and biomedical ...

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Science1 Oct 2024

It all adds up: Study finds forever chemicals are more toxic as mixtures

BUFFALO, N.Y. — A first-of-its-kind study has measured the toxicity of several types of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), better known as “forever chemicals,” when mixed together in the environment and in the human body. The good news: Most of the tested chemicals’ individual cytotoxicity and neurotoxicity levels were relatively low. The bad news: the chemicals acted together to make the entire mixture toxic. “Though they are structurally similar, not all forever chemicals are ...

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