Science
press releases.

Science15 Jul 2023

Unimolecular reactions of anti-glycolaldehyde oxide and its reactions with one and two water molecules

Criegee intermediates are produced in the ozonolysis of unsaturated compounds in the atmosphere. These intermediates are especially importanct because they contribute to the formation of OH radical during the night and to formation of secondary organic aerosols. The OH radicals increase the oxidative capacity of the atmosphere, and the aerosols may reflect or absorb sunlight and contribute to cloud formation. Criegee intermediates also lay key roles in conversion of sulfur dioxide into sulfur trioxide, finally resulting in the formation ...

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Science15 Jul 2023

5-aminolevulinic acid might help fight mitochondrial disorders

Tokyo, Japan – Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have shown that 5-aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) helps bypass deficiencies in Complex I (CI), the first in a series of protein complexes that transport electrons and help power the mitochondria. They showed that fruit flies missing the analogous protein showed improved health when given a cocktail of drugs including 5-ALA. CI deficiency is responsible for the majority of mitochondrial disorders; the team’s findings might lead to new therapies. Mitochondrial diseases arise from problems in the mitochondria, a small organelle in cells which produces adenosine triphosphate (ATP), ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Remote plant worlds

Oceanic islands provide useful models for ecology, biogeography and evolutionary research. Many ground-breaking findings – including Darwin's theory of evolution – have emerged from the study of species on islands and their interplay with their living and non-living environment. Now, an international research team led by the University of Göttingen has investigated the flora of the Canary Island of Tenerife. The results were surprising: the island's plant-life exhibits a remarkable diversity ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Multiple uses of tropical mosaic landscapes

Many landscapes in the tropics consist of a mosaic of different types of land use. How people make use of these different ecosystems, with their particular plant communities, was unclear until now. Researchers, many of them from Madagascar, have now investigated this in an interdisciplinary Malagasy research project at the University of Göttingen. When considering biodiversity, forests often get the most attention. But this research shows that rural households use a wide range of plant species ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

DBST: a lightweight block cipher based on dynamic S-box

Block ciphers, a branch of modern cryptography, are playing a more prominent role in protecting information security as 5G technology develops. Although encryption algorithms of the traditional Feistel structure have great advantages in terms of consistent encryption and decryption, they have poor diffusion effects. Besides, they cannot adapt to the high throughput communication environment and resource-constrained devices. The S-box is the crucial nonlinear component in the block cipher and significantly determines the security of an algorithm. Unfortunately, the vast proportion of S-boxes exist in a static manner, which ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Understanding metabolites underlying eye development

CHICAGO --- Aerobic glycolysis, the process by which cells transform glucose into lactate, is key for eye development in mammals, according to a new Northwestern Medicine study published in Nature Communications. While it has been well known that retinal cells use lactate during cell differentiation, the exact role that this process plays in early eye development was not previously understood. The findings further the field’s understanding of the metabolic pathways underlying organ development, according to ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

FSU Research: Colonization influences worldwide distribution of plant specimens

A study led by a Florida State University researcher that was published in Nature Human Behavior shows how colonization has contributed to the distribution of plants specimens stored in herbaria collections around the world. Plant diversity in nature is generally highest in tropical regions around the equator, with decreasing diversity closer to the poles. FSU Department of Geography Assistant Professor Xiao Feng and Purdue University Assistant Professor Daniel Park showed that the plant specimens housed in herbaria in Europe and North America are more comprehensive and diverse than the collections housed in the countries ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

One, two, many, lots: Fruit flies can discriminate between numerical quantities

In the animal world, you don't need to learn a numeral system – such as the ten-digit Indo-Arabic system we commonly use – to be able to count. Animals constantly use numerical information from their environment to make decisions. Estimating the number of conspecifics in a competing group before engaging in conflict, the amount of food available in a difficult-to-reach location, or the number of potential sexual partners in a new territory is essential for survival and reproduction. This skill can reach an astonishing level of refinement; for example, certain species of ants orient themselves ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Conditional cash transfer programs have prevented 739,919 child deaths in Latin America

Over the past two decades, conditional cash transfer programmes have led to a 24% reduction in child mortality in Brazil, Mexico and Ecuador, equivalent to more than 700,000 child deaths averted, according to an impact evaluation study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), an institution supported by “la Caixa” Foundation. The results, published in JAMA Network Open, also show that expanding these programmes could save more than 150,ooo lives by mitigating the effects of the ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Neighborhood racial segregation linked to shorter life spans by four years

New nationwide study is first to examine implications of racial segregation on life expectancy by neighborhood Findings quantify how neighborhood segregation contributes to racial inequities in life expectancy Black residents living in heavily segregated areas experienced higher rates of poverty and unemployment and less education CHICAGO --- Black residents living in highly segregated neighborhoods have significantly shortened life expectancies, reports a new Northwestern Medicine study. Compared to residents living in less segregated predominantly ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Fintetuning for antibodies

Antibodies are crucial, not only for treating tumors and infections. Sometimes, however, the immune reaction they trigger can be too strong and end up causing more damage, for example in the case of people infected with Covid-19. Problems such as these can often be avoided by finetuning antibodies, as Prof. Dr. Falk Nimmerjahn from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) and two of his colleagues in the Netherlands and in the UK have now reported in the journal Nature Immunology. In his laboratories, the FAU researcher is carrying out research into immunoglobulin ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Single-end hybrid Rayleigh Brillouin and Raman distributed fibre-optic sensing system

The real-time monitoring of facilities, particularly large facilities (such as rail transit systems, large bridges, and buildings), can provide information regarding their surrounding environment and allow their health conditions to be assessed, which is essential for establishing the current concept of smart cities based on the Internet of Things. As a precise real-time monitoring technique, distributed fiber-optic sensing (DFOS) systems, which require long-distance simultaneous measurements along a sensing fiber, are in high demand for various industrial applications. However, ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Why trees outcompete shrubs to shift upward?

The findings from this study, led by Professor Eryuan Liang (Institute of Tibetan Plateau Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences), were published as a research article in the journal National Science Review. The study also involved researchers from, CREAF, CSIC, Global Ecology Unit CREAF-CSIC-UAB, Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (IPE-CSIC), Spain and Université du Québec à Chicoutimi, Canada. Climatic warming is altering the structure and function of alpine ecosystems, including shifts of vegetation boundaries. The upward shift of alpine treelines, the uppermost limit of tree growth forming the boundary between montane forest and alpine communities, ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Lipid test can reveal risk of preeclampsia, a potentially deadly pregnancy complication

University of Virginia School of Medicine researchers have discovered a way to identify pregnant women at risk of preeclampsia, a serious disorder characterized by high blood pressure and kidney dysfunction which can result in premature delivery, seizures and even death. Complications from the condition are the second-leading cause of maternal death around the world. The UVA scientists, led by Charles E. Chalfant, PhD, found that they could predict the risk of preeclampsia by examining lipids (fats) ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Liquid crystals that mimic beetle shell coloration units used to create more secure type of QR code

A research group led by Dr. Jialei He of Nagoya University's Graduate School of Engineering has developed a method for processing cholesteric liquid crystals (CLCs) into micrometer-sized spherical particles. CLCs are a type of liquid crystal that possess a helical structure, giving them unique optical properties and the ability to selectively reflect light. By combining spherical CLC particles with commercially available pigments, the researchers developed a unique anti-counterfeiting QR code that can only be displayed under a specific circular polarizer. The results were published in the journal Advanced Optical Materials. CLCs are an example of how nature can be ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

This eight-armed octopus-like pore detects taste

The neurons in our bodies are dotted with tiny pores that let essential molecules pass in and out of our cells. Neurons need these channels to send the signals that allow us to move, think, and perceive the world around us. Now, structural biologists at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) have captured never-before-seen images of one of the largest pores in human neurons. It’s called calcium homeostasis modulator protein 1, or CALHM1 for short. Previous studies have shown that mutations in the Cahlm1 gene may be a risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. CSHL’s new ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Welcome, Big Tuna! New commanding officer takes command at the Office of Naval Research Global

The Office of Naval Research (ONR) Global, ONR’s international arm, welcomed new leadership today, as Capt. Andy “Big Tuna” Berner was sworn in as the new ONR Global commanding officer during a ceremony at Naval Air Station Patuxent River, Maryland. Berner takes over for Capt. Matthew Farr. Chief of Naval Research Rear Adm. Kurt Rothenhaus served as presiding officer of the change-of-command ceremony, as well as presenter of awards. “Learning from our partners and allies ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

App helps identify autistic children in India – study

Children with autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders in India can be successfully identified by community healthcare workers using a low-cost app, a study has found. The results, published today (Friday 14 July) in Autism, could open the door to help millions of children with autism spectrum conditions to get earlier screening quickly and inexpensively, leading to life-changing support. Researchers from India, the UK and US tested the app with 131 two- to seven-year-olds living in low-resource neighbourhoods of Delhi, India. The tests were carried out at the homes of the children, by non-specialist ...

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Science14 Jul 2023

Multimillion dollar consortium to address southwest water concerns

The Colorado River, which provides drinking water to tens of millions of people and irrigation water to more than 5 million acres of farmland, has dropped by one-third in recent years. Arizona recently limited housing construction in the Phoenix area based on projections that groundwater will be unable to meet growing demand. The University of Arizona has received $4 million for phase one of a project to improve water security and water reuse methods in the arid southwestern United States. Phase two will be awarded an ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Rensselaer researcher receives grant to study enzymes in deep sea organisms

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s Catherine Royer, Constellation Chair Professor of Bioinformatics and Biocomputation at the Shirley Ann Jackson, Ph.D. Center for Biotechnology and Interdisciplinary Studies (CBIS) and professor of biological sciences, has received a grant of over $400,000 from the National Science Foundation to investigate enzymes from organisms living in deep sea environments. “Ultimately, I hope to better understand how these enzymes function under the high pressure that is present in the deep sea,” said Royer. “They also thrive in high or low temperatures. Biomolecules from the surface do not have the ability to survive these extreme ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Penn State researchers receive $1M NSF award to develop hemp-based supply chain

MIDDLETOWN, Pa. — An interdisciplinary team of researchers at Penn State is part of a project that recently received a $1 million National Science Foundation (NSF) Engines Development Award. The award will fund the development of the Pennsylvania Industrial Hemp Engine (PAIHE), which will support the manufacture and deployment of bio-based products for application in green building construction, packaging, fabrics, renewable energy and land remediation. Launched by NSF’s new Directorate for Technology, Innovation ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Scripps Research receives momentous award from NIH to lead key programs in national All of Us Research Program

LA JOLLA, CA—Scripps Research announced today that the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has renewed funding for its Translational Institute to continue its work enrolling and engaging participants in the All of Us Research Program. The initial funding of $54 million will support Scripps Research Translational Institute’s work with a nationwide consortium to help build one of the largest, most diverse health research resources of its kind. The project is expected to last five years, with anticipated total funding ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Special Issue: A machine-intelligent world

In this special issue of Science, nine pieces – including Perspectives, Policy Forums, and Reviews – highlight recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) technologies and how they’re being used to answer novel questions in topics ranging from human health to animal behavior. However, the recent widespread adoption of AI in these areas is not without unique ethical concerns and policy challenges. “By looking to the forefront of how AI is being used in science and society, many grand challenges and benefits appear,” writes Gemma Alderton, deputy editor at Science. AI-predicted ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Use of ChatGPT improves productivity, with particular benefits to those with weaker skills

The use of ChatGPT – a chatbot that can generate human-like text – raises productivity in professional writing tasks and reduces productivity inequality in those who use it, according to a new study involving over 400 college-educated professionals. Although the findings reveal direct and immediate effects of ChatGPT on worker productivity, study authors Shakked Noy and Whitney Zhang note that longer-term impacts on complex labor market dynamics, which will likely arise as firms and workers adapt to ChatGPT, remain unknown. “Overall, the arrival of ChatGPT ushers ...

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Science13 Jul 2023

Purdue researchers receive $118,000 to develop freeze-drying, meat validation and thermal imaging innovations

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University researchers with patent-pending innovations for the agriculture, medical and autonomous transportation industries have received funding to further develop their work and bring it to the marketplace. Researchers from the Bindley Bioscience Center and the College of Engineering have received more than $118,000 from the Trask Innovation Fund to make their work more attractive for commercial use. The fund is managed by the Purdue Research Foundation Office of Technology Commercialization. It awards up to $50,000 for short-term projects that enhance the commercial value of intellectual property. ...

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