Reporting world updates to you
While public discussions often focus on climate change driving people to emigrate, new research published in Nature Human Behaviour shows that net-migration patterns around the world are actually more strongly linked with socio-economic factors. The study also provides a new, high-resolution dataset of net-migration over the past two decades to…
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia that affects more than 6.5 million Americans, according to the Alzheimer’s Association. To find effective treatments and slow the progression of this debilitating disease, researchers have made much progress in developing new drugs that target beta-amyloid plaques, one of the hallmarks…
A star like our own Sun in a nearby galaxy is gradually being eaten away by a small but ravenous black hole, losing the equivalent mass of three Earths every time it passes close. The discovery by University of Leicester astronomers is reported today (7 September) in Nature Astronomy and…
RNA vaccines against Covid-19 have proven effective at reducing the severity of disease. However, a team of researchers at MIT is working on making them even better. By tweaking the design of the vaccines, the researchers showed that they could generate Covid-19 RNA vaccines that produce a stronger immune response,…
Patescibacteria are a group of puzzling, tiny microbes whose manner of staying alive has been difficult to fathom. Scientists can cultivate only a few types, yet these bacteria are a diverse group found in many environments. The few types of Patescibacteria that researchers can grow in the lab reside on…
A vital component of the batteries at the heart of electric vehicles and grid energy storage, lithium is key to a clean energy future. But producing the silvery-white metal comes with significant environmental costs. Among them is the vast amount of land and time needed to extract lithium from briny…
Groundbreaking research published today in Nature Genetics describes the largest-ever study into the genetics of random “round-the-clock” blood glucose levels. The study, involving almost half a million people of diverse backgrounds, describes new DNA variants influencing blood sugar levels measured “at random.” The team of researchers, led by Professor Inga…
Oregon State University research has uncovered a possible clue as to why glaciers that terminate at the sea are retreating at unprecedented rates: the bursting of tiny, pressurized bubbles in underwater ice. Published today in Nature Geoscience, the study shows that glacier ice, characterized by pockets of pressurized air, melts…
In many neurodegenerative disorders, abnormal proteins progressively aggregate and propagate in the brain. But what comes first, aggregation or propagation? Researchers from Japan share some new insights about the mechanism involved in Parkinson’s disease. In a study published recently in Cell Reports, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU)…
When dairy cows are fed diets with reduced protein concentrations — aimed at decreased environmental nitrogen pollution from their manure such as nitrate leaching, nutrient-laden run-off and ammonia volatilization — their milk production can suffer. Supplementing the amino acid histidine may help in maintaining, and even increasing, milk and milk-protein…
From the Middle Ages to the Enlightenment, “monstrous births” — malformed or anomalous fetuses — were, to Western medicine, an object of superstition. In 19th-century America, they became instead an object of the “modern scientific study of monstrosity,” a field formalized by French scientist Isidore Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire. This clinical turn…
Brezna, Montenegro Reuters — Seven competitors lying down on mats are vying for the coveted title of “Laziest Citizen” after smashing the previous record in a satirical contest held annually in a holiday resort in northern Montenegro. A lying down record of 117 hours was set at last year’s contest…
One of the most unique of all sea turtle species, the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea), is distinguished by its smooth, “leathery” looking carapace or shell. Listed as vulnerable, this species is experiencing population declines from natural and anthropogenic threats — including climate change. Environmental conditions affect sea turtles’ reproductive success inside…
New research has revealed the distribution of dark matter in never before seen detail, down to a scale of 30,000 light-years. The observed distribution fluctuations provide better constraints on the nature of dark matter. Mysterious dark matter accounts for most of the matter in the Universe. Dark matter is invisible…
A team of scientists from the University of California, Irvine, believe they have discovered a special antibody which may lead to a treatment for Retinitis Pigmentosa, a condition that causes loss of central vision, as well as night and color vision. The study, Structural basis for the allosteric modulation of…
In recent years, the escalating impact of global warming has prompted efforts to reverse troubling trends, often by planting trees to capture and remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and store it. New research from a team led by Young Zhou, from the Quinney College of Natural Resources and the…
It can be hard to know that you have glaucoma. In a study carried out at the University of Gothenburg, almost five percent of 70-year-olds were found to have glaucoma, and half of those diagnosed were unaware that they had the disease. Glaucoma is a common eye disease that damages…
Researchers from the RIKEN Center for Quantum Computing have used machine learning to perform error correction for quantum computers — a crucial step for making these devices practical — using an autonomous correction system that despite being approximate, can efficiently determine how best to make the necessary corrections. In contrast…
While aripiprazole has long been a standard treatment for psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, recent studies indicate that it is effective in treating circadian rhythm sleep disorders, including delayed sleep-phase syndrome. This condition causes patients to sleep and wake extremely late at times. However, the precise mechanism…
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have devised an efficient method of recovering high-purity silicon from expired solar panels to produce lithium-ion batteries that could help meet the increasing global demand to power electric vehicles. High-purity silicon makes up the majority of solar cells, yet they are typically…
An international research team headed by Dr. Johannes Karges of the Faculty of Chemistry and Biochemistry at Ruhr University Bochum, Germany, has developed nanoparticles that accumulate in cancer cells and eliminate them after being photoactivated. In addition, they label them in such a way that immune cells learn to eliminate…
Herpes is not only unpleasant but it can, in some cases, also have dangerous complications and life-threatening consequences. In the journal Angewandte Chemie, a research team has now introduced a completely new approach for treating herpes. Their method is based on the inhibition of an enzyme that is needed for…
Many people with diseases such as cancer or diabetes or those who have had a heart attack or stroke also suffer from depression. How effective are antidepressants for these patients? And are they just as safe for these people as for those without physical health problems? Researchers from Charité —…
Neutrinos are ubiquitous elementary particles that interact only very weakly with normal matter. Therefore, they usually penetrate it unhindered and are therefore also called ghost particles. Nevertheless, neutrinos play a predominant role in the early universe. In order to fully explain how our universe evolved, we need above all to…
Antarctica’s vast ice masses seem far away, yet they store enough water to raise global sea levels by several meters. A team of experts from European research institutes has now provided the first systematic stability inspection of the ice sheet’s current state. Their diagnosis: While they found no indication of…
Early findings of two studies from the University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center shed light on new ways to anticipate recurrence in HPV-positive head and neck cancer sooner. The papers, published in Cancer and Oral Oncology, offer clinical and technological perspectives on how to measure if recurrence is happening earlier…
Organosulfur compounds are organic molecules that contain one or more sulfur atoms bonded to carbon atoms. They not only play fundamental roles in biological processes but also have wide applications in many industries, such as pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals, and materials science. Thus, many chemists strive to develop safe and efficient methods…
The ketogenic (keto) diet may lower testosterone levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), according to a new paper published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society. PCOS is the most common hormone disorder in women, affecting 7-10% of women of childbearing age. It can cause infertility and raises…
CNN — The United States has decided to send controversial depleted uranium munitions to Ukraine for the first time, as part of a new aid package worth more than $1 billion announced Wednesday. The 120mm rounds can be fired from the US-made Abrams M1 tanks and are set to arrive…
CNN — A drone attack caused an explosion near Russia’s military headquarters in the city of Rostov-on-Don on Thursday, as Kyiv continues a campaign of strategic aerial strikes in Russian territory. Social media videos geolocated by CNN showed the attack in the vicinity of the military base. In a Telegram…
