A study combining history, economics, and fluvial geomorphology examines the causes of the adoption of coal power during the Industrial Revolution in Great Britain. At the beginning of the mechanization of the textile industry in Britain, most machines were powered with waterpower. Eventually waterpower was replaced by using coal to make steam power and the causes of this shift have long been debated. One influential hypothesis has been that waterpower became scarce in the industrial heartland of northwest England during the early 19th century, as all available suitable sites were already fitted with ...

Industrial emissions are one of the main sources of climate change-inducing carbon dioxide (CO2). While adopting renewable and clean energy alternatives is one option for mitigating these carbon emissions, carbon capture technology is another solution to control CO2 emissions. In big CO2-emitting industries, such as cement, oil refineries, and thermal power plants, carbon capture technology can be easily applied to remove CO2 emissions directly at the source at a feasible cost and with low energy consumption. Different materials have been explored for CO2 capture in factories, including zeolites, metal−organic frameworks, natural minerals, alkalis, ...

The ELTE Eötvös Loránd University is home to the skulls of more than 150 dog breeds and other animals. To make this unique collection accessible to all, researchers digitised the skulls of 431 dogs, cats and wild relatives. The database can be used for educational and research purposes. Tibor Csörgő, a researcher at ELTE, has been collecting animal skulls for decades to teach anatomy to biologists. The shape of the skull varies considerably between species and breeds, especially in dogs, where, for example, greyhounds have long skulls and the now popular French bulldogs have rounded skulls. A skull biobank ...

Overcoming Historical Barriers Silicon, the cornerstone of modern electronics, photovoltaics, and photonics, has traditionally been limited to surface-level nanofabrication due to the challenges posed by existing lithographic techniques. Available methods either fail to penetrate the wafer surface without causing alterations or are limited by the micron-scale resolution of laser lithography within Si. In the spirit of Richard Feynman's famous dictum, 'There's plenty of room at the bottom', ...

Preeclampsia (PE) is a significant contributor to the increase in maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide, with particularly alarming numbers in the United States, where it affects about 2–8% of pregnancies, resulting in premature birth with associated morbidities for their infants as well. A new study by researchers at UCLA Health finds that early detection of specific microRNAs (miRNAs) packaged in vesicles may offer the opportunity to predict preeclampsia in pregnant people before clinical symptoms manifest. The study, led by Dr. Sherin U. Devaskar, MD, executive chair of the Department of Pediatrics ...

Researchers from the Qingdao Institute of Bioenergy and Bioprocess Technology (QIBEBT) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have developed low-cost micro-sized silicon anodes from recycled photovoltaic waste using a novel electrolyte design. Their pioneering work, published in Nature Sustainability on July 16, offers a path to more sustainable, low-cost, and high-energy-density batteries that could transform energy storage systems for electric vehicles and renewable energy applications. Silicon anodes are favored for their ability to substantially increase the energy density of lithium-ion batteries compared to traditional graphite anodes but are hindered by significant volume ...

Billions of dollars in foreign aid could be spent more effectively if international poverty statistics were more accurate, according to new research led by King's College London. Dr Michail Moatsos, a research fellow in the Department of International Development, says current methods for calculating the international poverty line lead to a skewed picture of how poverty is distributed across the world – and this is hampering attempts to eradicate it. “Currently, international donors cannot prioritise their funds based on the best possible information and therefore funnel those funds to those most in need around the world. A $2.15 per day poverty line affords very different ...

Scientists from RMIT University have led a world-first study on common food aromas that may help explain why astronauts report that meals taste bland in space and struggle to eat their normal nutritional intake. This research, which is published in the International Journal of Food Science and Technology, has broader implications for improving the diets of isolated people, including nursing home residents, by personalising aromas to enhance the flavour of their food. Previous research has shown that aroma plays a big role in the flavour of food. The team in this study tested how people perceived vanilla and almond extracts and lemon essential oil changed from normal environments on ...

Britain, prepare for deep depression: storms ruin tea.  A new study reveals that Storm Ciaran cut an invisible path of mayhem across southern Britain last autumn, destroying any possibility that 20 million people could have a proper cup of tea at breakfast.  The storm's record-breaking low pressure meant the boiling point of water was below the crucial 100 degrees Celsius required for a decent cuppa, meteorologists at the University of Reading have discovered.  In a study published today [Tuesday, 16 July] in the journal Weather, the scientists reported that water in Reading was boiling at just 98°C.  During the storm on the morning of November 2, ...

With the rapid development of AI technology, voice-controlled smart speakers are becoming increasingly popular due to their convenience and ability to control compatible home devices. Despite the rise in use, smart speakers often do not have screens and little-to-none of the visual information feedback common to manually operated devices. This aspect complicates their usability, thus providing room for research and subsequent improvement. As such, a research team led by Dr. Toshihisa Doi, a lecturer at Osaka Metropolitan University’s Graduate School of Human Life and Ecology, recruited 39 young adults (22 males and ...

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is one of the most common chronic liver diseases, primarily caused by metabolic disorders and systemic inflammatory responses. Although the incidence of MASH is gradually increasing, there is a lack of effective drugs and methods for its treatment, thus limiting therapeutic options for MASH. Professor Liu Lei's team has long focused on the treatment and molecular mechanisms of liver-related diseases. Due to cerium's significant antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities, as well as its hepatophilicity and good biosafety, it shows great potential ...

Krishna Reddy, MD, MS, a physician-investigator at the Medical Practice Evaluation Center and the Tobacco Research and Treatment Center at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is the senior author of a recently published paper in Journal of the International AIDS Society: Tobacco Smoking, Smoking Cessation and Life Expectancy Among People with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy in South Africa: A Simulation Modelling Study. What Question Were You Investigating in this Study? Now that more people with HIV in South Africa are on antiretroviral therapy (medicines to treat ...

If a man and a woman each suffer a heart attack, you may assume the symptoms and diagnoses should be the same. That’s not always the case. While men are more likely to show the more “typical” signs of a heart attack — chest pains, shortness of breath — women are more likely to experience pain in their necks or symptoms that feel like heartburn or nausea. An angiogram that shows a blockage in male blood vessels may not show occlusion in a woman’s smaller vessels, and these differences can lead ...

Investigators at the UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center have uncovered new details about the role of a protein called interferon regulatory factor (IRF1) in cancer progression and treatment response, offering new insight that can potentially help improve the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy.  The study, published in Cell Reports, reveals how IRF1 can both hinder and help the body's immune response to tumors, depending upon which cells the protein is found in.  “We know IRF1 plays ...

Friends of young people who self-harm or have suicidal thoughts may need additional support to prevent negative outcomes on their own mental wellbeing, in addition to the support needed by young people who self-harm. While much research rightly focuses on young people at risk and their families, friendships are rarely considered in research into self-harm, according to a new study from experts at the University of Birmingham. In an extensive literature review, the team set out to draw together all the research in this area to reach a better understanding of common themes around friendship and self-harm ...

Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have found that children living in areas with high levels of deprivation are three times more likely to have severe tooth decay that requires a dental extraction in hospital, compared with children living in more affluent areas. The findings highlight an urgent need for equitable access to preventive dentistry. In the study, published today (16 July 2024) in BMJ Public Health, researchers analysed de-identified GP and hospital records for 600,000 children ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Monday, July 15, 2024 Contact: Jillian McKoy, jpmckoy@bu.edu Michael Saunders, msaunder@bu.edu ## Lowering Systolic Blood Pressure below 120 mmHg May Reduce Dementia Risk Among Black, Latino Populations A new study suggests that reducing systolic blood pressure below the clinically safe threshold of 120 mmHg over time may produce slight health-protective benefits against late-life dementia and help reduce racial and ethnic disparities in both hypertension and hypertension control.  Hypertension is one of the most modifiable risk factors for dementia, but most research on dementia risk reduction through blood ...

AUSTIN, Texas — On Prime Day, Amazon shoppers will be able to browse over 600 million products. They may not be aware that most of those listings are from non-Amazon sellers, who account for 60% of sales on the platform. Most are small- and medium-sized businesses: bookstores selling used hardbacks, toymakers selling original goods, and distributors unloading clothes. What shoppers also don’t see is the choice that the platform and the seller make about how to interact. Is it better ...

By Jake Siegel SEATTLE, WASH.—July 15, 2024—How do neurons react to magic mushrooms? What happens in the brain when we see motion, or when we recognize grain patterns in a piece of wood? How do our brains track the subtle changes in our friends’ appearances over time?  The Allen Institute has launched four projects to investigate these questions through OpenScope, a shared neuroscience observatory. Just as astronomers use a few well-equipped observatories to study the universe, the OpenScope program lets neuroscientists worldwide propose and direct experiments on the Allen Brain Observatory pipeline. ...

In a significant leap forward for quantum technology, researchers have achieved a milestone in harnessing the frequency dimension within integrated photonics. This breakthrough not only promises advancements in quantum computing but also lays the groundwork for ultra-secure communications networks. Integrated photonics, the manipulation of light within tiny circuits on silicon chips, has long held promise for quantum applications due to its scalability and compatibility with existing telecommunications infrastructure. In a study published in Advanced Photonics, researchers from the Centre for Nanosciences and Nanotechnology (C2N), Télécom Paris, ...

There’s a frustrating fact about today’s immunotherapies for cancer. While sometimes they work beautifully — completely eliminating or greatly reducing cancer in particular patients — other times they don’t work at all. It’s a mystery. Scientists have posed several hypotheses to explain the disparity. Perhaps it’s the number of mutations present in a tumor, with more mutations leading to better responses. Or maybe it’s the tissue environment surrounding the tumor, with some environments supporting and others suppressing effective immune responses. But so far, none of these ...

Ventures that pursue both commercial and social value creation have grown in popularity in recent years, but a new study published in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal better defines four distinct types of social ventures. By training a business model lens on these social good ventures, the study offers insight on how the model choices impact a firm's value creation and value capture potential. “Despite the popularity of the term ‘social entrepreneurship,’ not much was known about the business model of such companies yet,” says study co-author Lien De Cuyper of ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — American diets may have gotten healthier and more diverse in the months following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study led by Penn State researchers. The study — published in PLOS ONE — found that as states responded to the pandemic with school closures and other lockdown measures, citizens’ diet quality improved by up to 8.5% and food diversity improved by up to 2.6%. Co-author Edward Jaenicke, professor of agricultural economics in the College ...

The latest ecological research will be on full display at the Ecological Society of America’s upcoming Annual Meeting in Long Beach, California, Aug. 4–9. A focal point of the conference, symposia consist of four 20-minute talks organized around a central theme of broad interest. These sessions consider topics from different angles, integrate multiple lines of evidence and offer new insights on ecological phenomena. This year, Annual Meeting symposia will address nonmaterial (“cultural”) ecosystem services, nature-based solutions to problems like stormwater runoff and urban heat, ...

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Rechargeable solid-state lithium batteries are an emerging technology that could someday power cell phones and laptops for days with a single charge. Offering significantly enhanced energy density, they are a safer alternative to the flammable lithium-ion batteries currently used in consumer electronics — but they are not environmentally friendly. Current recycling methods focus on the limited recovery of metals contained within the cathodes, while everything else goes to waste.   A team of Penn State researchers may have solved this issue. Led by Enrique Gomez, interim associate dean for equity and inclusion and professor of chemical engineering ...