Earth Sciences
Rivers may be carrying more microplastics into the world's oceans than previously thought
Microplastics are a modern environmental menace and a potential threat to human health. These tiny pieces of plastic, measuring from 1 to 5,000 micrometers, come mainly from larger plastics as well as sources such as paints ...
14 hours ago
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71
Parakeets, male or female, love a good fight
In a study of monk parakeets, researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Duke University found that sex has little to no impact on who initiates fights, who is targeted or who rises in the dominance hierarchy.
Plants & Animals
9 hours ago
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10
AI updates can sometimes feel like breakups or losses, study finds
Artificial intelligence systems, particularly those powered by large language models and designed to communicate with users on a one-to-one basis, are increasingly used worldwide. Some of these systems, such as Replika, are ...
The surprising history of woolly rhinos: They weren't always creatures of the frozen north
Woolly rhinoceroses (Coelodonta antiquitatis) were fascinating creatures: giant, lumbering Ice Age beasts with thick fur and massive horns that died out about 11,000 years ago. Previous genetic studies had left open the question ...
Anger, hope and compassion do little to spur more climate donations
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 ...
Environment
9 hours ago
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8
Hidden receptor interactions may explain past failures of brain disorder drugs
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. ...
Biochemistry
9 hours ago
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9
Scientists discover dispersal mechanism and new gene family in harmful E. coli strains
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 ...
Cell & Microbiology
10 hours ago
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11
Common antibiotic linked to possible higher death risk
Cefepime is a fourth-generation antibiotic widely used to treat serious bacterial infections and febrile neutropenia—a fever in patients with abnormally low white blood cell counts. Unlike many antibiotics that are falling ...
Reading for pleasure: Lifelong health and cognitive benefits
Reading for pleasure—from tucking into a Jane Austen classic to devouring a Heartstopper graphic novel—is linked to better mental health, greater empathy and a lower risk of dementia, say researchers.
Medical Xpress
9 hours ago
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9
The Future is Interdisciplinary
Find out how ACS can accelerate your research to keep up with the discoveries that are pushing us into science’s next frontier
Medical Xpress
Tech Xplore
A blueprint for keeping humans in control of AI
Improved thin film harnesses indoor light to power devices
Ion-guiding separator improves lithium-metal battery performance
Material composition of cars mapped to assess resource impact
Should we give self-aware AI systems a dignified death, leading futurologist asks
Is it possible to slow down the development of AI?
Alarm over AI grows as divided U.S. Congress struggles to act
Slow the AI race? Investors weigh the potential cost
UN calls for 'urgent action' to rein in AI in face of 'unprecedented risks'
Who should own the knowledge that underpins AI technology?
New warnings about the risks of AI to humanity revive a long-running debate
Electric mobility brings Africa's energy transition into the wild
Underwater solar cells can operate 10 meters below the ocean's surface
Laser annealing integrates optical isolators directly onto silicon photonics chips without overheating
In a shift, OpenAI calls for US rules on powerful AI
Gut infection may train immune sentries at the brain's border to remember microbes
The brain and spinal cord are highly protected treasures of the central nervous system, wrapped under three protective layers of meninges. The outermost layer, the dura mater, has leaky windows through which bacteria or parasites ...
Early deafness may reshape the brain to devote more resources to peripheral vision
People with intact hearing can use sound as an alert system for events outside their direct line of sight. This seemingly puts those who have lost their hearing at a disadvantage. However, according to a new study published ...
Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests
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 ...
Earth Sciences
11 hours ago
0
18
AI models enable cross-species mapping of cell biology
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, ...
Cell & Microbiology
10 hours ago
0
12
Microproteins provide new playbook for Alzheimer's research
Scientists researching Alzheimer's disease and neurodegeneration have been playing a difficult game. Their scientific playbook has been limited by the available resources that, while capturing loads of genes, proteins and ...
Medical Xpress
9 hours ago
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6
Structural study explains how cells stabilize protective membrane pockets
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 ...
Cell & Microbiology
10 hours ago
0
10
Bizarre galactic radio source remains active for two decades with no detectable X-rays
Astronomers have identified a peculiar radio transient in the Milky Way that has remained active for more than two decades, defying the behavior expected of known classes of galactic radio sources. The paper posted to the ...
Active black holes reveal star-forming rings and shock waves in nine nearby galaxies
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.
Astronomy
11 hours ago
1
18
Antibody cocktails could steer viruses into evolutionary dead ends
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 ...
Evolution
11 hours ago
0
10
Speedy electrons for brilliant laser light: Research paves the way for compact, inexpensive free-electron lasers
Extremely short, intense light flashes are in high demand to investigate atoms, molecules and new materials. Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce these flashes. But around the world, beam time available at large-scale user ...
Optics & Photonics
15 hours ago
0
94
Scientists to probe the source behind a massive 1946 tsunami
Eighty years ago, a massive tsunami devastated parts of Hawaii, Alaska, Washington and Oregon following an earthquake off the coast of Alaska. A Michigan State University team is launching a project to study the underwater ...
Australia must double down to meet our climate targets, new study shows how
Within the next five years, global warming is set to breach the 1.5°C threshold at the heart of the 2015 Paris Agreement. This will have dire consequences, from rapidly melting ice sheets to ghostly white coral reefs.
Dense galaxies are carving out a bubble in the early universe
When JWST's first science results started rolling in, it was a triumph for scientific vision and persistence. For years, the fate of the powerful space telescope was uncertain. It went way over budget, and for 25 years, troubling ...
A new design for a plasma engine fuels on only thin air
Choosing an orbit for a satellite always comes with trade-offs. Very low Earth orbit (VLEO), between 100–450 km (62–280 miles), has distinct advantages. Remote-sensing cameras can take better pictures, communications and ...
Researchers invent novel eDNA membrane to advance understanding of inshore fish diversity
Monitoring marine life helps scientists track ecosystem health, improve conservation and manage fisheries. A promising approach is environmental DNA (eDNA), which refers to trace genetic material naturally released into the ...
Researchers propose quantum Earth observation for photon-limited environments
Have you ever wondered what Earth observation satellites see when they look down at the deep ocean or a dense tropical forest during the dead of night? The answer, for the most part, is nothing. Standard optical sensors require ...
Fictional framing blends reality with fantasy to help investors see possibilities—and buy into them
Picture yourself in a manufactured colony that orbits between Earth and the moon. It might sound like science fiction, but it's part of a 2019 presentation made by Jeff Bezos, founder of the space technology company Blue ...
Q&A: Is decentralized finance truly independent from traditional markets?
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 ...
Singles in America survey reveals how relationships, marriage, money and family are changing
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 ...
From atomic vibrations to laboratory mechanics: Bridging 20 orders of magnitude in time
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 ...
Light and nanomaterials could offer new method for detecting metal contamination in water
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 ...
Every animal, even the smallest rodent, deserves safe anesthesia, say researchers
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 ...
Forest fire smoke reduces bird diversity, study suggests
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 ...
When a friend becomes a caregiver
Eldercare, typically considered a family obligation, is evolving to adapt to demographic shifts that make reliance on spouses and children less assured.
Turning a potent greenhouse gas into a valuable pharmaceutical building block using light
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 ...
Researchers identify rubber-related chemicals in Swiss milk
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 ...
Economists examine how people infer, revise beliefs in face of new information
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 ...
Only 1 out of every 5 amphibian type localities in Ecuador are in protected areas
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 ...
Neutral radicals unlock porous organic semiconductors without chemical doping
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) ...
Mapping charge-carrier dynamics to guide more efficient organic solar cells
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 ...
