Martian moon may have come from impact on home planet, new study suggests
The weird shapes and colors of the tiny Martian moons Phobos and Deimos have inspired a long-standing debate about their origins.
Last update From a microwave to a clock, Amazon is taking Alexa beyond speakers, 37 minutes ago
Spotlight Science News
Physical activity necessary to maintain heart-healthy lifestyle
Exercise and physical activity are of vast global importance to prevent and control the increasing problem of heart disease and stroke, according to a review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of ...
Implant helps paralysed man walk again
Five years after he was paralysed in a snowmobile accident, a man in the US has learned to walk again aided by an electrical implant, in a potential breakthrough for spinal injury sufferers.
Using reinforcement learning to achieve human-like balance control strategies in robots
Fusion hybrids: A newly discovered population of tumor cells
Ancient Mars had right conditions for underground life, new research suggests
A new study shows evidence that ancient Mars probably had an ample supply of chemical energy for microbes to thrive underground.
How a molecular signal helps plant cells decide when to make oil
A study at the U.S. Department of Energy's Brookhaven National Laboratory identifies new details of how a sugar-signaling molecule helps regulate oil production in plant cells. As described in a paper appearing in the journal ...
A new way to count qubits
Researchers at Syracuse University, working with collaborators at the University of Wisconsin (UW)-Madison, have developed a new technique for measuring the state of quantum bits, or qubits, in a quantum computer.
Mosquitoes that can carry malaria eliminated in lab experiments
The team from Imperial College London were able to crash caged populations of the malaria vector mosquito Anopheles gambiae in only 7-11 generations.
DNA islands effective as 'anti-bacterial drones'
Genomic "islands" that evolved from viruses can be converted into "drones" that disable Staphylococcus aureus, bacteria that are often resistant to antibiotics and pose a threat to safe hospital care, a new study finds.
Researchers study a neutral hydrogen supershell in the Milky Way
Custom circuits for living cells
A team of Caltech researchers has developed a biological toolkit of proteins that can be assembled together in different ways, like Legos, to program new behaviors in cells. As a proof-of-concept, they designed and constructed ...
Forensic finder exploring Windows calls attention to mail pile
Research forecasts US among top nations to suffer economic damage from climate change
For the first time, researchers have developed a data set quantifying what the social cost of carbon—the measure of the economic harm from carbon dioxide emissions—will be for the globe's nearly 200 countries, and the ...
Smaller, faster and more efficient modulator sets to revolutionize optoelectronic industry
A research team comprising members from City University of Hong Kong (CityU), Harvard University and a renowned information technologies laboratory has successfully fabricated a tiny on-chip lithium niobate modulator, an ...
Study finds first evidence of climate change impacts on East Antarctic vegetation
A landmark 13-year study published in Nature Climate Change has provided the first evidence that climate change is affecting terrestrial ecosystems in East Antarctica.
Burst of morning gene activity tells plants when to flower
For angiosperms—or flowering plants—one of the most important decisions facing them each year is when to flower. It is no trivial undertaking. To flower, they must cease vegetative growth and commit to making those energetically ...
How to edit your mitochondria
Mitochondrial diseases could be treated with gene therapy, study suggests
Researchers have developed a genome editing tool for the potential treatment of mitochondrial diseases: serious and often fatal conditions which affect 1 in 5,000 people.
Explainer: The US push to boost 'quantum computing'
A race by U.S. tech companies to build a new generation of powerful "quantum computers" could get a $1.3 billion boost from Congress, fueled in part by lawmakers' fear of growing competition from China.
Exposure to farmyard bugs reduces immune overreaction found in childhood asthma
Treating new born mice with farmyard microbes reduces wheezing and inflammation in the airways, by 'taming' their immune systems.
Common painkiller not effective for chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury
A new study out today in the Journal of Neurology finds that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the chronic pain that sometimes develops following traumatic nerve injury. The results of the international study, which ...
Newly discovered magnetic state could lead to green IT solutions
Magnetic skyrmions are magnetic swirls that may lead to new solutions combining low-energy consumption with high-speed computational power and high-density data storage, revolutionizing information technology. A team from ...
Study sheds light on—and through—2-D materials
The ability of metallic or semiconducting materials to absorb, reflect and act upon light is of primary importance to scientists developing optoelectronics—electronic devices that interact with light to perform tasks. Rice ...
Integrated modulator is now better than ever, made by the best optical materials
Conventional lithium niobite modulators, the longtime workhorse of the optoelectronic industry, may soon go the way of the vacuum tube and floppy disc. Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and ...
International effort to uncover properties of polymer nanoparticles
From photonics to pharmaceuticals, materials made with polymer nanoparticles hold promise for products of the future. However, there are still gaps in understanding the properties of these tiny plastic-like particles.
Material made from single molecule self-forms into a lattice that can self-heal, store gases
A team of researchers affiliated with several institutions in Japan has developed a material made from just a single molecule that self-forms into a lattice that can self-heal and store gases. In their paper published in ...
Ancient mice discovered by climate cavers
The fossils of two extinct mice species have been discovered in caves in tropical Queensland by University of Queensland scientists tracking environment changes.
A new classification scheme for exoplanet sizes
There are about 4433 exoplanets in the latest catalogs. Their radii have generally been measured by knowing the radius of their host star and then closely fitting the lightcurves as the planet transits across the face of ...
After the Big One: Understanding aftershock risk
In early September 2018, a powerful earthquake on the island of Hokkaido in northern Japan triggered landslides, toppled buildings, cut power, halted industry, killed more than 40 people and injured hundreds. The national ...
Multiphysics Simulation Magazine Now Available
Explore how engineers in different industries around the world are using multiphysics simulation to innovate in this free eBook.
Expanding CEO-to-worker pay gap bad for business
Companies whose CEOs earn hundreds of times their average employee's pay are viewed as less desirable to work for, and to do business with, according to a new University of California, Berkeley, study.
From a microwave to a clock, Amazon is taking Alexa beyond speakers
Amazon's product blitz Thursday wasn't just about new Echo speakers and new Fire TV DVR. In announcing 70 new products, the tech and delivery giant made clear it will bring Alexa to new gadgets ranging from cars to clocks ...
A new app pays you for product recommendations
Don't try to make money off my online behavior—unless, of course, I get a commission.
Apple, Salesforce teaming up on mobile apps for business
Customer relations software company Salesforce says it will join with Apple to create new business apps exclusively for iPhone and iPad.
Chip ramps up artificial intelligence systems' performance
Princeton researchers, in collaboration with Analog Devices Inc., have fabricated a chip that markedly boosts the performance and efficiency of neural networks—computer algorithms modeled on the workings of the human brain.
Charles Kao, Nobel-winning optical fiber pioneer, dies at 84
Charles K. Kao, who shared a 2009 Nobel Prize in physics for pioneering work in optical fiber technology that helped to lay the foundation for modern telecommunications, has died. He was 84.
Worried about AI taking over the world? You may be making some rather unscientific assumptions
,Should we be afraid of artificial intelligence? For me, this is a simple question with an even simpler, two letter answer: no. But not everyone agrees – many people, including the late physicist Stephen Hawking, have raised ...
A Star Trek-inspired handheld device for sophisticated medical diagnostics
A Star Trek-inspired handheld device based on a silicon chip could help make rapid, sophisticated medical diagnostics more accessible to people around the world, scientists say.
Amazon's digital ad business surpasses Microsoft, Yahoo, report says
Amazon.com's advertising business is likely to more than double its sales in the U.S. this year, a market researcher said Wednesday, which would place the company behind only Google and Facebook.
Scientists unravel the mysteries of the Salish Sea
By now, the millions of people around the world who followed the saga of a mother orca carrying her dead calf know the endangered southern-resident orca whales exclusively eat chinook salmon. But what do the chinook eat?
400-year-old shipwreck found off Portugal coast
Archaeologists in Portugal say they have discovered off Lisbon a 400-year-old shipwreck they describe as the most important underwater find in the country for two decades.
Reducing the conflict between energy retrofit and heritage character
Buildings represent the largest single source of greenhouse gas emissions from the developed world, and climate change probably the greatest threat to humanity.
Artificial intelligence create more than 100,000 new tunes based on Irish and English folk tunes
At turns lively and yearning, the traditional folk musics of Ireland and Britain have made their mark around the world. Now these perennially popular forms of music are helping computers learn to become a new kind of partner ...
Physical activity necessary to maintain heart-healthy lifestyle
Exercise and physical activity are of vast global importance to prevent and control the increasing problem of heart disease and stroke, according to a review paper published today in the Journal of the American College of ...
Implant helps paralysed man walk again
Five years after he was paralysed in a snowmobile accident, a man in the US has learned to walk again aided by an electrical implant, in a potential breakthrough for spinal injury sufferers.
Fusion hybrids: A newly discovered population of tumor cells
In a recent study published in Science Advances, Charles E. Gast and co-workers detail the spontaneous process of cancer cell fusion with white blood cells to produce heterogenous hybrid clones in multiple biological systems, ...
Mitochondrial diseases could be treated with gene therapy, study suggests
Researchers have developed a genome editing tool for the potential treatment of mitochondrial diseases: serious and often fatal conditions which affect 1 in 5,000 people.
Exposure to farmyard bugs reduces immune overreaction found in childhood asthma
Treating new born mice with farmyard microbes reduces wheezing and inflammation in the airways, by 'taming' their immune systems.
Common painkiller not effective for chronic pain after traumatic nerve injury
A new study out today in the Journal of Neurology finds that pregabalin is not effective in controlling the chronic pain that sometimes develops following traumatic nerve injury. The results of the international study, which ...
Antifungal agent found to be possible treatment for porphyria
A large team of researchers from Spain, France and the U.S. has found that a common antifungal agent might be useful as a treatment for a rare type of porphyria. In their paper published in the journal Science Translational ...
How to edit your mitochondria
Mitochondrial genetic engineering is the adaptation of genetic engineering techniques to specific mitochondrial problems. Although it is not common to be born with severe mitochondrial issues, we will all eventually have ...
New findings on the muscle disease Laing early-onset distal myopathy
New avenues are now being opened toward treatment of Laing distal myopathy, a rare disorder that causes atrophy of the muscles in the feet, hands and elsewhere. In a study published in the journal PNAS, researchers have identified ...
Brain scans reveal common patterns can predict variations in ADHD
Distinct brain patterns can help explain variations in the way children present with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), paving a course towards improved treatment and support for the common neurodevelopmental ...
In landmark study, doctors say test identifies people most likely to get Alzheimer's
The beginning was the worst. It frustrated Janet Parkerson when her father started to forget what he had done that day or the day before.
Weight loss can be boosted fivefold thanks to novel mental imagery technique
Overweight people who used a new motivational intervention called Functional Imagery Training (FIT) lost an average of five times more weight than those using talking therapy alone, shows new research published today by the ...
Cancer cells evade immunotherapy by hiding telltale marker, suggesting how to stop relapse
Harnessing the immune system to treat cancer shows great promise in some patients, but for many, the response does not last long-term. In an effort to find out why, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center scientists are using ...
Eye training to help children with dyspraxia
Children with a coordination disorder can improve skills like throwing and catching with new training videos developed by the University of Exeter.
Know someone sick? Your own smell might give it away
Odors surround us, providing cues about many aspects of personal identity, including health status. Now, research from the Monell Center extends the scope and significance of personal odors as a source of information about ...
Optimizing dopaminergic treatment improves non-motor symptoms
Non-motor symptoms are common in late stage Parkinson's disease (PD) as the frequency and severity of most of these symptoms increase with advancing disease. Optimizing dopaminergic treatment in the most severe stages can ...
Height may be risk factor for varicose veins, study finds
The taller you are, the more likely you are to develop varicose veins, according to a study led by Stanford University School of Medicine researchers that examined the genes of more than 400,000 people in search of clues ...
Technology and therapy help individuals with chronic spinal cord injuries take steps
Of four research participants living with traumatic, motor complete spinal cord injury, two are able to walk over ground with epidural stimulation following epidural stimulation paired with daily locomotor training. In addition, ...
Older adults with a 'fall prevention plan' less likely to end up in hospital
Older adults at risk for falls are less likely to suffer fall-related hospitalizations when they have a "fall plan of care," according to new research featuring faculty at Binghamton University, State University at New York.
Mortality rate from heart failure higher in women than men
(HealthDay)—Despite decreases in overall heart failure incidence and mortality in ambulatory patients from 2009 to 2014, mortality rates remain higher in women than in men, according to a study recently published in CMAJ, ...
Long-term outcomes of breast implants explored
(HealthDay)—The long-term outcomes of breast implants include increased rates of certain conditions for silicone implants, according to a study published online Sept. 14 in the Annals of Surgery.
Reconstructing healthy liver cells using a nanomaterial-based matrix
NUS pharmaceutical scientists, together with clinicians from the National University Health System (NUHS), have developed a nanomaterial-based hydrogel that encourages amniotic epithelial cells (a type of stem cell) to grow ...
Study shows invasive lung cancer surgery can lead to long-term opioid use
Patients treated with more-invasive surgical techniques for a type of early-stage lung cancer are more likely to become chronic opioid users than patients treated with minimally invasive surgery, highlighting the need for ...
Take a step back from yourself to better realize the benefits of awe
Religion and nature can both lead to awe, and turning to one or the other is a common coping strategy for the stress that might accompany an upcoming presentation, exam or performance.
Eradicating Helicobacter pylori infections may be a key treatment for Parkinson's disease
While human genetic mutations are involved in a small number of Parkinson's disease (PD) cases, the vast majority of cases are of unknown environmental causes, prompting enormous interest in identifying environmental risk ...
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The weird world of one-sided objects
You have most likely encountered one-sided objects hundreds of times in your daily life – like the universal symbol for recycling, found printed on the backs of aluminum cans and plastic bottles.
Deep-eutectic solvents replace polluting industrial solvents
Many polluting solvents used by the chemical industry can be replaced by an amazing new mixture of two powders: 'deep-eutectic solvents' (DES). This next generation of solvents are sustainable, much less flammable, not volatile ...
Secret messages for Alexa and Co
A team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum has succeeded in integrating secret commands for the Kaldi speech recognition system – which is believed to be contained in Amazon's Alexa and many other systems – into audio files. ...
Image: Herschel's view of the galactic centre
An odd-shaped formation of gas and dust at the centre of the Milky Way, captured by the far-infrared cameras on board ESA's Herschel space observatory. The nearly continuous strip of dense and cold clumps of material forms ...
SiriusXM buys Pandora to step up streaming music wars
SiriusXM, which dominates satellite radio in the United States, announced Monday it is buying online rival Pandora for $3.5 billion, ramping up competition in the streaming music market dominated by Spotify and Apple.
Why are data ethics so challenging in a changing world?
We now live largely in a data-driven world, and ethical oversight and constraints are needed to be sure that data ethics can reach an appropriate balance between the risks and benefits of data technology. The goal is to control ...
Image: Hubble's galaxies with knots, bursts
In the northern constellation of Coma Berenices (Berenice's Hair) lies the impressive Coma Cluster— a structure of over a thousand galaxies bound together by gravity. Many of these galaxies are elliptical types, as is ...
From Echo Auto to Alexa: Hits and misses from Amazon's new product reveal
The Echo speakers got the most attention. And pundits had fun with a talking Alexa microwave and clock.
U.S. undocumented immigrant population roughly double current estimate
The number of undocumented immigrants in the United States is roughly twice as high as commonly believed, according to new research from MIT Sloan and Yale professors.
Paper: School shootings affect school quality, housing value
A new paper co-written by a University of Illinois scholar who studies urban economics says that home prices within a school district affected by a mass shooting episode in a school declined by 7.8 percent – more than $15,000 ...
Catalogue of planetary maps highlights the evolving view of the solar system
A catalogue that provides an overview of over 2,200 planetary maps produced worldwide between 1600 and 2018 has been presented today at the European Planetary Science Congress (EPSC) 2018 in Berlin. The catalogue has been ...
Evacuation decision-making: How people make choices in disasters
After hurricanes Harvey and Irma, the National Science Foundation (NSF) funded research to investigate the broad impacts of these disasters. A year later, some of the researchers funded by awards from the agency's Social, ...
A new remedy for celiac disease
In an industrial collaboration project, TU Wien has developed a medication that can alleviate or even completely eliminate the symptoms of celiac disease. It should be available as early as 2021.
Insulin shows great potential against chronic colitis
Diabetes is not the only disease on which insulin has an effect, it appears. In a new study using tests on mice, researchers from the University of Copenhagen, among others, have discovered a new method for treating chronic ...
Memories of trauma are unique because of how brains and bodies respond to threat
Most of what you experience leaves no trace in your memory. Learning new information often requires a lot of effort and repetition – picture studying for a tough exam or mastering the tasks of a new job. It's easy to forget ...
More needs to be done to keep teen drivers safe, pediatricians say
(HealthDay)—Following years of decline, fatal car accidents involving teen drivers have accelerated in the United States, a leading group of U.S. pediatricians warns.
Milk straight from breast best for baby's weight
(HealthDay)—Breast milk from the bottle may not have as many benefits for a baby's weight as feeding straight from the breast, a new study suggests.
As life expectancies rise, so do expectations for healthy aging
The Fountain of Youth may still be a myth, but a longer life expectancy is now a reality.
Six simple, positive ways to engage with someone with autism
"You've met one person with autism, then you've met one person with autism."
Lawnmower injuries a persistent source of serious injury and high costs, new study affirms
In what Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers call an unusually comprehensive analysis of nationwide data, they conclude that the rate of lawnmower injuries persists at close to 6,400 a year, most of them requiring surgery and ...
Building a comprehensive profile of conspiracy thinkers
Here's a theory: President Barack Obama was not born in the United States. Here's another: Climate change is a hoax. Here's one more: The "deep state" spied on Donald Trump's campaign, and is now trying to destroy his presidency.
How nature, nurture shape the sleeping brain
Some patterns of electrical activity generated by the brain during sleep are inherited, according to a study of teenage twins published in JNeurosci. Pinpointing the relative contributions of biology and experience to sleep ...
I ran 100 miles in a day, this is what happened to my body
The marathon race has long been considered the ultimate test of human endurance. But the last few decades have seen growing numbers of runners regularly tackling distances exceeding the traditional marathon. So-called "ultra-marathon ...
Promising phase 1/2 results for entrectinib against ROS1+ non-small cell lung cancer
Results of phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials of the drug entrectinib in ROS1-positive non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) presented on the press program of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC) ...
Weight loss can be boosted fivefold thanks to novel mental imagery technique, research shows
Overweight people who used a new motivational intervention called Functional Imagery Training (FIT) lost an average of five times more weight than those using talking therapy alone, shows new research published today by the ...
Stopping the resistance of cancer cells to treatment
One of the drawbacks of chemotherapy is that cancer patients can build up resistance to treatment over time, increasing their chances of possible relapse.
Inquiry starts into UK blood contamination scandal
A public inquiry in Britain into a contaminated blood scandal dating back decades which left at least 2,400 people dead began Monday with a commemoration service and opening statements.
What are dietary lectins and should you avoid eating them?
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I keep reading about weight loss and other health benefits from a diet where people eliminate lectins. Is there any truth to the claim that a lectin-free diet can cure autoimmune diseases and other health ...
'Three Identical Strangers' and the real science of nature vs. nurture
When Robert Shafran started community college in upstate New York in 1980, he was puzzled that some of his fellow students seemed unusually friendly, acting as though they already knew him.
Women with non-small cell lung cancers live longer than men, study shows
Women diagnosed with non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) live longer than their male counterparts, according to results of a SWOG study presented today by Kathy Albain, MD, the Huizenga Family Endowed Chair in Oncology Research ...
A fracture anywhere reduces bone density everywhere
Breaking a bone causes bone density losses throughout the body, not just close to the site of the fracture, and primarily around the time of the fracture, two new studies from UC Davis Health show.
The blissful and bizarre world of ASMR
Have you ever stumbled upon an hourlong online video of someone folding napkins? Or maybe crinkling paper, sorting a thimble collection or pretending to give the viewer an ear exam? They're called ASMR videos and millions ...
Study finds Latinos' increased dementia risk linked to lower education levels
Findings from a study conducted by researchers at the USC Edward R. Roybal Institute on Aging at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work suggest that higher dementia prevalence among racial and ethnic minorities—particularly ...
Bells, whistles and home exercise equipment
(HealthDay)—Exercising on a budget can be as simple as buying a good pair of walking shoes. But when you want to make an investment in fitness equipment, new options can make your workouts interactive as well as high-energy.
'Baby Jack' returns to Kansas City as one of the youngest heart-lung recipients in history
With every beat of his new heart and every breath that flows into his new lungs, 8-month-old Jack Palmer is rewriting what's possible for babies with severe birth defects.
Preventing underage drinking among youths on rural reservations
Underage drinking is a concern all over the country. Among American Indian and Alaska Native populations, there are especially serious issues: alcohol use and heavy drinking at an early age increase risks for lifetime alcohol ...
How to (gently) get your child to brush their teeth
For most parents, the phrase "I don't want to brush my teeth" is rather familiar. While it may seem easiest to pry their mouth open and force them to brush, research suggests there are better ways that may positively influence ...
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