New findings on how sharks achieve drag reduction could inspire the design of riblets for more efficient aircraft and boats. In their investigation of great white shark denticles, researchers from Tokyo Tech found that ridge height and spacing play crucial roles in drag reduction at different swimming speeds. Higher middle ridges aid sharks in efficient cruising at slower speeds, while the lower side ridges become more critical for drag reduction during high-speed hunting bursts. The analysis also suggests that the speeds of an extinct giant ...

A first-of-its kind study conducted in Canada’s two largest cities by McGill-led researchers has linked about 1,100 premature deaths per year to an unregulated air pollutant. Ultrafine particles (UFPs) primarily come from vehicle emissions and industrial activities. Canada’s federal and provincial governments have not set concentration limits for UFPs, as they have for larger fine particles known as PM2.5. “Ultrafine particles are incredibly small, allowing them to penetrate deep into the lungs and enter the bloodstream. Increasing evidence suggests these pollutants may contribute to heart and lung diseases, as well as certain forms of cancer,” ...

Four researchers from the Institute of Photonics at Leibniz University Hannover have developed a new transmitter-receiver concept for transmitting entangled photons over an optical fiber. This breakthrough could enable the next generation of telecommunications technology, the quantum Internet, to be routed via optical fibers. The quantum Internet promises eavesdropping-proof encryption methods that even future quantum computers cannot decrypt, ensuring the security of critical infrastructure. "To make the quantum Internet a reality, we need to transmit entangled photons via fiber optic networks,” says Prof. Dr. Michael Kues, Head of the Institute ...

WASHINGTON, Aug. 5, 2024 — A lot of people on the internet have been telling our host Alex to drink raw milk. This is a bad idea — a particularly bad one actually. So she wanted to make a video about why it’s such a bad idea to consume raw milk, then she realized she’s been eating raw milk without even knowing it via cheese. That’s when things got complicated. Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to Reactions and follow us on X, formerly Twitter @ACSReactions. The American Chemical Society ...

DALLAS (SMU) – It’s a relevant question for business owners with few repeat customers, such as contract workers or real estate agents: Does being transparent about past business transactions change the odds of making a sale that benefits both buyer and seller?    The answer matters because mutually beneficial sales ensure that these kinds of transactions will continue, keeping the economy strong. A new study published in the journal American Economic Review suggests the answer depends on a variety of factors.  A mutually beneficial sale is defined from two points of view: The seller values the money they receive more than ...

(Denver, Colo.—August 5, 2024) – Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Detecting this disease in its early stages significantly improves survival rates, making low-dose CT screening an essential component in the fight against lung cancer. Recent studies, particularly from Asia, have sparked a debate on whether these screening benefits extend to non-smokers and those with minimal smoking histories. However, according to an article published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, there is currently insufficient evidence to support ...

About The Study: The findings of this study show small to moderate effect sizes that highlight the need to consider screen use contexts (i.e., type, content, co-use, and purpose of use) when making recommendations for families, clinicians, and educators beyond screen time limits; including encouraging intentional and productive screen use, age-appropriate content, and co-use with caregivers. Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Sumudu Mallawaarachchi, PhD, email sumudu@uow.edu.au. To access the embargoed study: Visit our For The Media website at this link https://media.jamanetwork.com/ (doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2024.2620) Editor’s ...

About The Study: In this cross-sectional study of 13,000 pediatric emergency department visits at nine university hospitals in Italy, school opening following a COVID-19 pandemic–related school disruption was associated with an increase in acute psychiatric emergencies. The findings of this study suggest that school may be a major source of stress for youths; factors mediating school-associated mental health disturbances in youth should be investigated.  Corresponding Author: To contact the corresponding author, Benedetto Vitiello, ...

About The Study: In this survey study, an estimated 15.6 million U.S. adults consumed at least one botanical product with liver liability within the past 30 days, comparable with the number of people who consumed nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and a commonly prescribed hypolipidemic drug. Turmeric was most frequently reported, followed in order by green tea, ashwagandha, Garcinia cambogia, red yeast rice, and black cohosh products.  Given a lack of regulatory oversight on the manufacturing and testing of botanical products, clinicians should be aware of possible adverse events from consumption of ...

In an effort to give aspiring journalists hands-on practice in the science news ecosystem and help prepare them for a successful professional career, EurekAlert! is expanding journalist-memberships to applicants working at student news publications, such as campus newspapers and radio stations.  EurekAlert! has historically granted journalist-memberships to full-time journalism students, interns, and fellowship recipients who work at accredited media outlets under the guidance of experienced members. All approved journalist-members receive the same access to embargoed materials.  "As the advisor to MIT's ...

In line with longstanding initiatives to expand its green spaces, New York City is planting tens of thousands of trees each year. They provide shade, lower surface temperatures by releasing moisture, absorb a surprising amount of airborne carbon, scrub out soot and other floating pollutants, and provide wildlife habitat along with just plain beauty. What could go wrong? Actually, something could go wrong, according to a new study. Oaks and sweetgums, which currently account for a majority of the city’s trees, produce huge amounts of volatile compounds called isoprenes. Harmless by themselves, isoprenes interact rapidly with polluting nitrogen oxides emitted by vehicles, ...

BEER-SHEVA, Israel, August 5, 2024 – Microscopy has been making leaps and bounds in recent years. Science that was inconceivable a few years ago has become a matter of programming state-of-the-art microscopes to process reams of data. Dr. Gabriel Frank quickly realized the potential of cryo-electron microscopy to discover the molecular structures at levels heretofore unobservable. When he joined Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, he pushed for the University to enter the field, culminating in the establishment of the Guzik Center for Advanced Microscopy and the purchase of a new more advanced electron microscope. Using this microscope, Dr. ...

First, satellites in the mega constellation are categorized and the constellation design based on different satellite division is proposed. Satellites in the mega constellation are divided into 2 types, namely, the basic satellites and the accompanying satellites. All basic satellites that are surrounded by accompanying satellites are evenly distributed globally, and they have the same subsatellite trajectory. A basic satellite and its accompanying satellites are defined as a satellite group. The constellation is composed ...

If somebody complains that it hurts to think, they may be onto something, as mental exertion appears to be associated with unpleasant feelings in many situations, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. “Managers often encourage employees, and teachers often encourage students, to exert mental effort. On the surface, this seems to work well: Employees and students do often opt for mentally challenging activities,” said senior author Erik Bijleveld, PhD, of Radboud University. “From this, you may be tempted to conclude that ...

Drylands, found across every continent, cover about 45% of the Earth's land surface and support 38% of the human population. In these regions, precipitation is low and evaporation rates are typically high, leading to an arid or semi-arid climate. Due to scarce water resources and sparse vegetation, drylands present formidable challenges for agriculture and human habitation. As the climate continues to warm, drylands are rapidly expanding.  A particularly urgent problem in drylands is climate-driven soil degradation, which affects about 33% of the planet’s land surface. Drylands host ...

Dartmouth researchers have developed a self-powered pump that uses natural light and chemistry to target and remove specific water pollutants, according to a new report in the journal Science. As water enters the pump, a wavelength of light activates a synthetic molecular receptor designed to bond to negatively charged ions, or anions, a class of pollutants linked to metabolic disruptions in plants and animals. A second wavelength deactivates the receptors as water exits the pump and causes them to release the ...

The method used across the United States to wait-list children for heart transplants does not consistently rank the sickest patients first, according to a new study led by Stanford Medicine experts.  The study will publish online Aug. 5 in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. Adding nuance to the wait-list system by accounting for more health factors could reduce children’s risk of dying while they await donor hearts, according to the study’s authors. A revision to the way donor hearts are assigned is already in process. The study adds evidence for why it is needed, they ...

Cervical cancer is a highly prevalent cancer, with approximately 500,000 new cases diagnosed each year. Shockingly, the number of individuals diagnosed with precursor lesions in the cervix—also known as cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN)—is 20 times higher. As with many potentially malignant conditions, early diagnosis of cervical cancer can make all the difference in a patient’s life in terms of treatment outcomes. For this, developing effective, convenient, and easily available screening protocols for CIN and cervical cancer is of paramount importance. Currently, the two ...

Neutrinos are fundamental particles in the Standard Model of particle physics, notable for their extremely small masses and weak interactions with matter. They are important for answering fundamental questions about the universe, including why particles have mass and why there is more matter than antimatter. Despite being abundant, their weak interactions make their detection difficult, and hence they are called “ghost particles.” At any given moment, numerous neutrinos freely pass through the Earth and our bodies, which originate from the Sun or cosmic rays. Understanding their rare interactions with matter is crucial for obtaining a more complete picture ...

Melanin protects the skin—the body's largest organ and a vital component of the immune system—from the damaging effects of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. When the skin is exposed to UV radiation, melanin production is stimulated in melanocytes, with tyrosinase playing a key role in the biosynthetic pathway. However, disruptions in this pathway caused by UV exposure or aging can lead to excess melanin accumulation, resulting in hyperpigmentation. To address this, tyrosinase inhibitors that suppress melanin synthesis have become valuable in the cosmetic industry. Unfortunately, some of these compounds, ...

In an examination of the genetic material found in historic potato leaves, North Carolina State University researchers reveal more about the tit-for-tat evolutionary changes occurring in both potato plants and the pathogen that caused the 1840s Irish potato famine.  The study used a targeted enrichment sequencing approach to simultaneously examine both the plant’s resistance genes and the pathogen’s effector genes – genes that help it infect hosts – in a first-of-its-kind analysis. “We use small pieces of historic leaves with the pathogen ...

Caltech researchers have developed a new method to measure soil moisture in the shallow subterranean region between the surface and underground aquifers. This region, called the vadose zone, is crucial for plants and crops to obtain water through their roots. However, measuring how this underground moisture fluctuates over time and between geographical regions has traditionally relied on satellite imaging, which only gives low-resolution averages and cannot penetrate below the surface. Additionally, moisture within the vadose zone changes rapidly—a thunderstorm can saturate a region that dries ...

AURORA, Colo. (August 5, 2024) – In a first-of-its-kind study, a cohort of researchers, led by the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, evaluated the effects of state-level insulin out-of-pocket costs across states and payers and over time. The team found that state-level caps on insulin out-of-pocket costs do not significantly increase insulin claims for patients with Type 1 or patients using insulin to manage Type 2 diabetes. Study results could help inform policies aimed at better delivering cost-capped insulin to patients struggling with insulin affordability. Approximately ...

Parkinson’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease caused by the loss of neurons that produce dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in motor control and cognitive function. As the global population ages, the number of Parkinson's disease patients is rapidly increasing. Parkinson's disease is induced by neuronal damage due to excessive production of reactive oxygen species. Suppression of reactive oxygen species generation is essential because it is fatal to dopaminergic neurons that manage dopamine neurotransmitters. ...

Light pollution disrupts circadian rhythms and ecosystems worldwide – but for plants, dependent on light for photosynthesis, its effects could be profound. Now scientists writing in Frontiers in Plant Science have found that exposure to high levels of artificial light at night makes tree leaves grow tougher and harder for insects to eat, threatening urban food chains. “We noticed that, compared to natural ecosystems, tree leaves in most urban ecosystems generally show little sign of insect damage. We were curious as to why,” said corresponding author Dr Shuang Zhang of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. “Here we show that in ...