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Science X provides daily science news on research developments, technological breakthroughs and the latest science innovations. Phys. org: https://phys.org/ Medical Xpress: https://medicalxpress.com/ Tech Xplore: https://techxplore.com/
Arctic fires occurred 2.5 times more often in areas lit at night than in climatically similar unlit areas from 2001 to 2013. Fire occurrence was also higher closer to lit areas. doi.org/hcdrkz
Human activity more than doubles Arctic fire occurrence, satellite analysis suggests
Fires in the Arctic are not solely a regional issue, as shown by the hazy skies in Switzerland last summer despite otherwise sunny weather.
phys.org
Severe COVID-19 was linked to 11 reactivated dormant viruses within 40 days of hospitalization. One poorly understood group, Anelloviridae, was associated with long COVID and later physical disability.
Severe COVID-19 reactivates dormant viruses, study finds
Chronically infecting viruses—such as Epstein-Barr virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpesviruses—are common and often innocuous and asymptomatic.
medicalxpress.com
665 patient-derived organoid models spanning 25 cancer types are now available worldwide. The collection includes rare cancers and matched clinical data, while how far it can guide treatment still needs more research.
International project delivers hundreds of next-generation models for cancer research
Ten years and thousands of patient samples later, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) has published its results from the Human Cancer Model Initiative (HCMI) on the development of 665 organoid models of 25 types of cancer that are now available to scientists worldwide.
medicalxpress.com
Avalanche cracks may appear globally supersonic while remaining locally subsonic. In layered snowpacks, the speed limit can shift between the slab and the weak layer or interface.
Avalanche cracks may appear globally supersonic while remaining locally subsonic
Can a crack be supersonic? Can the fracture that triggers an avalanche propagate faster than the limiting velocity predicted by classical fracture mechanics?
phys.org
High puma occupancy on Washington’s Olympic Peninsula was linked to a 76% reduction in expected deer-vehicle collisions over 5 years, as deer spent less time near roads and shifted away from night. doi.org/hcdrkt
Pumas make roads safer for drivers by changing prey behavior patterns
Living among large predatory carnivores could actually make you safer. A study published in the journal Current Biology found that pumas—wild cats also known as mountain lions, cougars or panthers—change deer behavior, leading to fewer collisions with cars on roadways.
phys.org
Living human brain tissue exposed to deep brain stimulation-like pulses showed neurons becoming more synchronized and distinct gene programs switching on across cell types, including astrocytes.
Study uses living human brain tissue to map how electric stimulation affects neurons and genetic activity
Neurons that once encoded a person's memories are now helping researchers identify genetic targets that may one day help preserve memory and slow cognitive decline in others.
medicalxpress.com
PVC, one of the hardest plastics to recycle, was converted into a thick lubricant oil in three hours at 158°F. The process could turn discarded household plastic into a valuable industrial material.
Turning one of the world's most difficult plastics into premium lubricant
Virginia Tech chemist and chemical engineer Guoliang "Greg" Liu and his lab have developed a process that converts the plastic polyvinyl chloride (PVC) into polyalphaolefin, a key component in lubricants such as engine oil.
phys.org
Carrying a firearm was linked to 3.72 times higher odds of a suicide attempt among high school students. The association held across grade, race, ethnicity, and sex.
Firearm carrying accelerates suicide risk among high school students, study shows
Self-reports from more than 23,000 high school students in 15 states for a school-based survey administered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reveal a strong association between firearm carrying and the risk of suicide by any method, according to a new study by Michael A.
medicalxpress.com
A new biobank of 256 patient-derived tumor organoids enabled the first large-scale map of genes cancers need to survive. In 162 models, it found 1,733 links to DNA changes or treatment history.
New biobank of tumor models reveals cancers' weak spots
A new open resource of cancer models has enabled researchers to create the first large-scale map of the genes that cancers rely on to survive, offering new avenues for research into better and less toxic treatments for patients.
medicalxpress.com
Tiny plasma vortices have been visualized on the sun’s surface for the first time. Some fringed structures are only about 20 kilometers wide, and their swirling motion could help explain twisted magnetic fields.
Tiny vortices discovered on the sun's surface
Researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the U.S. have made a discovery in solar physics.
phys.org
Untreated wastewater hot spots were identified around San Cristóbal, where a large percentage of cultured bacteria were resistant to antibiotics in three or more classes. doi.org/hcdrks
Backpack lab finds wastewater contamination and drug-resistant bacteria in Galápagos waters
From routine surgeries to cancer treatment, modern medicine depends on drugs that can fight infections caused by microbes such as bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites.
phys.org
A 254-million-year-old armored fish fossil offers a rare view of Gondwana just before a nearby 3-kilometer asteroid impact. Its added role in habitat loss remains uncertain. doi.org/hcdrjx
Ancient armored fish that narrowly avoided meteorite strike reveals life before Earth's largest mass extinction
A rare fossil discovered near South America's largest known meteorite crater has been named a new species. Initially mistaken for a frog by locals, Leolepis matogrossensis is actually a species of ancient ray-finned fish—the group that includes 96% of all bony fishes living today, including tuna, salmon and cod.
phys.org
The smallest known nonbird dinosaurs weighed nearly 1 pound, far above the tiniest birds and mammals. The pattern suggests physiology alone could not explain why truly tiny dinosaurs were rare or absent. doi.org/hcdrh6
Were there tiny dinosaurs? New study explores one of evolution's biggest mysteries
Dinosaurs are famous for being big, from the towering Tyrannosaurus rex to the colossal Apatosaurus. But a new study published today in the journal Evolution by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and Princeton University suggests that one of the greatest mysteries of dinosaur evolution isn't how some species became giants—it's why even the smallest dinosaurs never became truly tiny.
phys.org
Above 83% segmentation accuracy with fewer than 10 annotated brain MRI scans suggests a pretrained model could help clinics adapt MRI analysis with limited labeled data.
Pretrained AI could help clinics analyze brain MRIs with few labeled scans
When it comes to medical imaging, a chatbot doesn't know its backside from its elbow. Or, at least, it can't tell a spine from a knee.
medicalxpress.com
Around age 38, PSMD detected white matter abnormalities in Down syndrome linked to Alzheimer’s—about 15 years before dementia typically appears. What drives that damage remains unclear. doi.org/hcdrg5
MRI metric identifies early, multifactorial white matter damage in Alzheimer's disease
Alzheimer's disease has traditionally been studied as a condition that primarily affects the brain's gray matter, where neuronal cell bodies are located and some of the disease's most characteristic lesions accumulate.
medicalxpress.com
Venus’s lowland polygons, about 1 to 2 kilometers across, may resemble dried seafloor mud more than cooling lava. It is not proof, but it adds weight to the case for long-lived oceans. doi.org/hcdrdg
Venus's polygonal plains could point to a watery past
Venus may be overwhelmingly inhospitable today, but many planetary scientists believe that it wasn't always this way. Billions of years ago, some observational evidence suggested that our planetary neighbor may have looked far more like Earth, complete with oceans potentially capable of harboring life.
phys.org
Oxytocin appears to contribute to socially triggered cataplexy in a mouse model of narcolepsy. The same circuit overlaps with reward-triggered cataplexy, but its role in humans is still unclear. doi.org/hcdrdf
Why laughter can trigger sudden muscle weakness in people with narcolepsy
Narcolepsy is a chronic neurological condition characterized by disruptions in the regulation of sleep-wake cycles. People with this condition often experience extreme sleepiness during the day and, in some cases, a sudden but temporary loss of muscle strength while conscious, called cataplexy.
medicalxpress.com
Estimated torque on a person’s lumbosacral joint dropped when lifting with the humanoid ergoCub rather than alone. Its body and control system were designed together for human collaboration. doi.org/hcdrdd
Human-aware robots adapt to partners, reducing back strain during team lifting
When people work in pairs or teams, they can often solve a wider range of problems, completing some tasks faster and more efficiently than they would alone.
techxplore.com
A recalibrated viral clock places the common ancestor of known African SIV strains at about 1 million years ago, far older than earlier estimates. These dates are model-based, not precise timestamps. doi.org/hcdrbx
HIV's hidden history: New study reveals much deeper roots stretching back millions of years
Researchers used to think that HIV and its relatives were pretty recent things, maybe only a few hundred years old. But a growing body of evidence now suggests their history is far more ancient, with viruses closely related to HIV circulating in primates for tens or hundreds of thousands of years, and the very roots of their family tree perhaps stretching back millions of years.
sciencex.com
A 1-minute-40-second total eclipse over northern Spain will briefly reveal the Sun’s faint corona and rare chromosphere, offering a rare view of the layers tied to solar activity and storms.
Total eclipse gives scientists chance to probe sun's mysteries
Scientists plan to use a total solar eclipse that will be visible in Spain next week as a rare chance to learn more about the stormy, unpredictable nature of our star.
phys.org
More than a third of people with PTSD reported no nightmares after 10 weeks of bedtime dronabinol. It reduced nightmare burden more than placebo, but not overall PTSD severity.
Cannabis-derived THC shows promise for treating PTSD-related nightmares
Drastic or even life-threatening events can have lingering effects, like an echo. This is referred to as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
medicalxpress.com
At the Arctic ice edge, cloud-forming particles rose 50-fold in a day as sunlight acted on chemicals released where melting sea ice meets open ocean. That influence is not yet in climate models.
Melting sea ice combines with Arctic sea to make clouds
Scientists have uncovered a previously unknown natural process that dramatically increases the number of cloud-forming particles in the Arctic atmosphere—potentially altering cloud cover, sunlight reflection and future climate change.
phys.org
IL-1 may be the immune signal that keeps Candida albicans contained. In mice lacking it, the fungus spread from the mouth through the body under weakened immunity.
IL-1 pathway may stop Candida fungus from turning fatal in weakened immunity
An immune pathway has been discovered that prevents a normally harmless fungus from developing into a fatal infection. The King's College London study, published in Nature Microbiology, provides the first potential clue as to why only certain patients with weakened immune systems, including those undergoing chemotherapy or living with HIV, are at risk of life-threatening Candida albicans infections.
medicalxpress.com
Only the second known extinct Pleistocene amphibian from North America has been identified at La Brea Tar Pits: the Ice Age spadefoot toad Spea labreae. Its climate significance is still unfolding. doi.org/hcdqnc
A new species of Ice Age toad discovered at La Brea Tar Pits: The spadefoot toad Spea labreae
For the first time, researchers have discovered a new species of extinct amphibian from Ice Age Los Angeles at La Brea Tar Pits: a spadefoot toad they have named Spea labreae.
phys.org
AI-generated short stories received higher quality and absorption ratings than human-written ones, and they scored highest when readers believed a human wrote them.
People prefer stories written by AI—especially when told they're written by a human
People gave the highest ratings to AI-generated stories they were told had been written by humans and were unable to tell the difference between human- and AI-created stories, according to new research published in Judgement and Decision Making.
techxplore.com
Skin-like optical test models showed a clear device challenge: as pigmentation increased, blood-flow signals became harder to detect, and the darkest model largely concealed the flowing fluid’s signature.
Skin-like test models could help improve medical devices for people of all skin tones
Many medical devices and wearable health sensors work by shining light into the skin and measuring the signal that returns.
medicalxpress.com
Electrochemical ammonia production may approach nearly 100% Faradaic efficiency with a catalyst design that suppresses hydrogen evolution while preserving nitrogen reduction through steric hindrance. doi.org/hcdmvc
New catalyst design selectively suppresses competing hydrogen reaction in ammonia synthesis
A research team led by professor Yousung Jung from the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at Seoul National University College of Engineering has developed a new catalyst design principle that suppresses the hydrogen evolution reaction, which interferes with ammonia production, while maintaining the nitrogen reduction reaction that produces ammonia.
phys.org
Workplace pesticide exposure was linked to a 60% higher ALS risk, with high exposure associated with a nearly tripled risk. But the available studies often used crude exposure assessments.
Workers' pesticide exposure linked to 60–70% heightened motor neuron disease risk
Workplace exposure to pesticides (herbicides and insecticides) is linked to a 60%–70% heightened risk of the most common form of motor neuron disease—amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS for short—finds a synthesis of the available evidence, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
medicalxpress.com
Malaria can leave the spleen’s CD163 macrophages depleted for months after infection. Bone marrow-derived replacements take over, but they do not reach the same specialization. doi.org/hcdmvb
Malaria can permanently deplete spleen macrophages that filter blood and recycle iron
Macrophages formed in the bone marrow can only assume the function of embryonal phagocytes, or "scavenger cells," to a certain degree according to a study by the University of Bonn and the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity at the University of Melbourne.
medicalxpress.com
Groundwater pumping for cannabis irrigation in California’s Emerald Triangle may dry streams that would normally flow year-round. Seasonal streams also stopped flowing up to five weeks earlier. doi.org/hcdmt9
Cannabis farming is changing streams in California, experts warn
Groundwater pumped to irrigate cannabis crops in California's Emerald Triangle can cause some streams that normally run year-round to dry up entirely during summer, say researchers from Simon Fraser University, the University of California, Berkeley and the United States Department of Agriculture.
phys.org