With the rise in popularity of the digital assets known as cryptocurrencies over the last decade, the idea of a decentralized financial system that operates outside traditional markets is gaining mainstream appeal. A new analysis from a Penn State researcher, however, suggests that traditional and decentralized markets are more connected than they might seem. [...]
Emotional mechanisms are frequently used to inspire good environmental behavior. But how effective are they at inspiring actual sustainable change? Perhaps not as much as previously believed, according to a new study that challenged participants to put their money where their mouths are. [...]
The Kinsey Institute released new data from its annual Singles in America survey, the nation's most comprehensive and longest-running annual study of single adults. Now in its 15th edition, Singles in America has surveyed more than 80,000 people across the United States, creating one of the richest data sets available for understanding shifting relationship patterns, population demographics and social trends. [...]
Metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are important but difficult drug targets, interact in surprisingly varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The findings represent a major step forward in understanding these receptors and how they can be targeted effectively to potentially treat conditions such as epilepsy, depression and anxiety disorders. [...]
Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified how certain dangerous bacteria spread. They studied chain-like adherence pattern (CLAP) varieties of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), finding that single bacteria attach to a surface and elongate before dividing, producing chains without ever separating. [...]
How can we predict the way a real material, such as a polymer, responds mechanically over timescales ranging from the ultrafast motion of atoms to the slow deformations measured in a laboratory? This is a deceptively difficult problem. [...]
Our cells' membranes have many functions. They not only provide mechanical protection but also precisely control which substances enter or leave cells. If they fail to perform these tasks, disease can result. Their structure is correspondingly complex: The outer cell membrane, for example, often features bottle-shaped invaginations called caveolae. Among other functions, they protect blood vessel cells, which are frequently exposed to strong mechanical forces. In addition, caveolae serve as signaling centers that help regulate blood pressure. Cells also absorb nutrients—especially fatty acids—via caveolae. [...]
Access to clean water depends not only on preventing pollution but also on being able to detect contaminants quickly and reliably. Among the pollutants of concern are metal ions such as mercury, lead and zinc, which can enter aquatic environments through industrial and other human activities. [...]
Researchers at Stanford Medicine have developed two new artificial intelligence models of the biological cell. The first, called universal cell embedding, paved the way for a second-generation model called TranscriptFormer, which has been trained on data from 112 million cells representing 12 species, ranging from single-celled yeast to humans. [...]
Laboratory animals are anesthetized to avoid pain during invasive procedures. Anesthesia is necessary for these animals' welfare, but it is not always without problems: Substandard anesthesia can cause suffering, distort experimental results and force researchers to repeat tests on more animals. [...]
After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act as bridges, bringing together sequences that are far apart in the genome's linear sequence. Now, a study has identified—in an animal model—the formation of these loops as an essential step in tissue regeneration after an injury. [...]
Explosive volcanic eruptions can be as destructive as they are difficult to predict, launching pyroclasts—the fragments of magma and rock blasted from a volcano—into the air and surrounding areas. These particles can have wide-ranging impacts, as seen during this summer's eruption of Mount Etna in Italy, when ash fell over the nearby city of Catania and closed its international airport for weeks. The size of erupted pyroclasts helps determine how far they travel and the hazards they pose. However, exactly how and where they form has remained poorly understood. [...]
When forests burn, the direct consequences are obvious: houses go up in flames and habitats are destroyed. The damage caused by smoke extending far beyond the fire area is less visible. Sarah Meier, an environmental economist at ETH Zurich, investigated this in relation to avian populations in the U.S. together with Eric Strobl from the University of Bern. [...]
A team of researchers has found that a common wastewater pollutant turned male fathead minnows into worse fathers and fiercer rivals, revealing ecological impacts that laboratory studies missed. [...]
DNA repair mechanisms are essential for maintaining the integrity of our genome. When they malfunction, they can cause disease or contribute to the development of cancer. Nature, however, offers remarkable examples of organisms that have evolved exceptional repair capabilities. Bdelloid rotifers are one such example. [...]
When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study from Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology (CCB) suggests the hard way may not be inevitable. [...]
Eldercare, typically considered a family obligation, is evolving to adapt to demographic shifts that make reliance on spouses and children less assured. [...]
A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to, rather than prevent, star formation in their host galaxies. [...]
The trifluoromethyl group, or CF₃, is widely used in pharmaceuticals. When added to organic molecules, it can improve metabolic stability and membrane permeability, making it highly valuable in drug development. One useful way to introduce a CF₃ group is through the use of highly reactive CF₃ radicals. However, existing methods for generating these radicals often rely on expensive, corrosive or potentially explosive reagents and can produce unwanted waste. [...]
Every year, tire and road wear release an estimated 6 million tons of rubber particles into the environment, some of which eventually reach agricultural land through the air, water runoff and fertilizers. Because dairy farms often operate near roads, rubber-related chemicals can make their way into milk, potentially exposing people to them. [...]
In a discovery that challenges our understanding of dinosaur distribution during the Late Jurassic period, paleontologists have identified the first evidence of the iconic Diplodocus outside North America. [...]
When people hear something new about a topic, they should update their beliefs to reflect the new information. But many people either underreact or overreact, with their responses varying based on different factors, including the environment. In "The Inference-Forecast Gap in Belief Updating," researchers compared how people make inferences and revise their beliefs in light of the same information. [...]
The position of biomineralization peptides within liposomes can influence how gold nanoparticles grow, reports a research team from the Institute of Science Tokyo. Peptides localized at the membrane interface promote branched structures, while those confined to the liposome interior favor spherical nanoparticles. The findings offer a new strategy for controlling nanoscale reaction environments in nanoparticle synthesis. [...]
Methane emissions from the New York City metropolitan area are largely driven by natural gas use, according to a new study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of the Columbia Climate School. The findings may offer cities an overlooked pathway for reducing methane emissions while potentially saving consumers millions of dollars lost to wasted natural gas. [...]
In taxonomy, the location where specimens used to formally describe a new species are collected is called a type locality. These sites can be thought of as the species' formal birthplace, much as the scientific article containing the original description constitutes its scientific birth certificate, because this is how the species officially acquires its identity and name within the scientific community. [...]
Researchers at Uppsala University have analyzed the color pigments in a historical painting signed "L daVinci." Most of the pigments are consistent with materials used during the Renaissance, while a more recent pigment appears to be linked to later alterations. The study demonstrates how materials science can provide new pieces of the puzzle behind the history of a work of art. [...]
Researchers at the Center for Research in Biological Chemistry and Molecular Materials (CiQUS) at the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) have developed a new strategy for producing covalent organic frameworks (COFs) with semiconducting properties without relying on chemical doping. The approach could open new avenues for developing materials for applications in electronics and energy storage. [...]
A Sungkyunkwan University (SKKU) research team led by professors Taeyeon Kim and Doo-Hyun Ko of the Department of Chemistry recently published a comprehensive review titled "Carrier Dynamics in Nonfullerene Acceptor Organic Photovoltaics through Ultrafast Spectroscopy" in the journal ACS Nano. [...]
Floods, wildfires, conflicts, earthquakes, economic shocks, hurricanes or epidemics: These unexpected and often dramatic events affect people's lives and jobs, destroy crops, wipe out livestock and stored food, contaminate water, block roads, cut off communities and severely affect access to markets and food. This is a distressing picture—one expected to get much worse in the near future because of climate change and an increasingly polarized world. Yet science says no: These natural and human-made shocks do not have to lead to more hunger by default. [...]
Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's most beloved foods. [...]