From Italy and the World

Everywhere scientists look for microplastics, they’ve found them — food, water, air and some parts of the human body. But examinations of our innermost organs that aren’t directly exposed to the environment are still limited. Now, in a pilot study of people who underwent heart surgery, researchers in ACS’ Environmental…

In recent years, hydrogen gas has gained momentum as the fuel for a clean and green future. This carbon-neutral fuel source releases huge amounts of energy via combustion in the presence of oxygen with water vapor as the by-product. One of the most popular methods of hydrogen production is the…

A couple of months each year, groupers (Epinephelidae) gather in the hundreds and even thousands to mate under the full moon. This concentrated nature and short duration of mating, however, renders these species susceptible to incidental fishing and poaching. Although protective measures are in place through marine managed areas, these…

Alzheimer’s, stroke, multiple sclerosis and other neurological diseases cause severe damage due to neuroinflammation mediated by immune cells. Managing this inflammation poses a significant medical challenge because the brain is protected by the skull and additional surrounding membranes that make the brain less accessible for treatment approaches. Scientists had previously…

Scientific excellence requires diversity — research conducted by men and women, by people from different backgrounds and with varied worldviews. The need for diversity extends to scientific experiments themselves, but even today the vast majority of studies in the life sciences are done on male mice only, which could harm…

A 390-million-year-old moss called Takakia lives in some of Earth’s most remote places, including the icy cliffs of the Tibetan Plateau. In a decade-long project, a team of scientists climbed some of the tallest peaks in the world to find Takakia, sequence its DNA for the first time, and study…

Researchers have long thought that rewards like food or money encourage learning in the brain by causing the release of the “feel-good” hormone dopamine, known to reinforce storage of new information. Now, a new study in rodents describes how learning still occurs in the absence of an immediate incentive. Led…

Scientists studying how poxviruses evade natural defences in human cells have identified a new approach to treatment that may be more durable than current treatments. This follows their discovery of how poxviruses exploit a cellular protein to evade the host cell defences, and thereby replicate and spread effectively. Existing drugs…

Climate change has long been considered as one of the greatest drivers of declining coral reefs, but the specifics of human impact have been largely unverified. In a new paper published in Nature, researchers tracked coral reef health in Hawai’i for 20 years — measuring increasing water acidification, land-based pollution,…

Simple home workouts using exercise apps can effectively reduce depressive symptoms in healthcare workers and could be a major tool to combat the global mental health crisis in the sector, says new University of British Columbia research. The study, published today in JAMA Psychiatry, divided participants into either a waitlisted…

A telecommunications fiber optic cable deployed offshore of Oliktok Point, Alaska recorded ambient seismic noise that can be used to finely track the formation and retreat of sea ice in the area, researchers report in The Seismic Record. Andres Felipe Peña Castro of the University of New Mexico and colleagues…

High temperatures exacerbate ground-level ozone production, resulting in a deadly combination of extreme heat and poor air quality that is especially dangerous for children, seniors, and people suffering from preexisting respiratory illnesses. Like most of the globe, China is dealing with increasing temperatures and longer and more frequent heat waves.…

CNN  —  Russia is ramping up its efforts to ensure even its youngest citizens fall in line with the official narrative when it comes to the war in Ukraine. The country’s Ministry of Education this week unveiled new history textbooks with sections about what it calls the “special military operation”…

Rome CNN  —  Forty-one people reportedly died in a migrant shipwreck near the Italian island of Lampedusa, survivors say, the latest tragedy amid a spike in efforts in people making the dangerous sea crossing from North Africa to Europe. The survivors told the Red Cross that the migrant boat left…

CNN  —  At least 25 people were injured in an explosion at an industrial plant northeast of Moscow, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported Wednesday. The blast took place in the area of the boiler room at Zagorsk Optical and Mechanical Plant, in the town of Sergiev Posad, state…

Paris CNN  —  Eleven people are unaccounted for after a fire broke out at a vacation home in eastern France early Wednesday morning, authorities said. The fire in the Wintzenheim, a small town near the German border about 315 miles east of Paris, broke out at about 6:30 a.m. local…

Fifty years ago, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) stopped enforcing deceptive pricing regulations, assuming that competition would keep retailers honest. Since then, competition has increased significantly — yet the practice of posting false, inflated comparison prices alongside sale prices has continued unchecked. Think of an advertisement from a furniture store…

Local residents stand outside an apartment building damaged by a Russian missile strike in Pokrovsk, Donetsk region, Ukraine on August 8. Viacheslav Ratynskyi/Reuters As Ukraine reels from the latest round of Russian missile attacks, residents in the eastern city of Pokrovsk recalled the harrowing experience of a “double-tap” strike Monday that left at least…

In-water monitoring by the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) shows hard coral cover across the Great Barrier Reef remains at similar levels to that recorded in 2022, with small decreases in the Northern, Central and Southern regions. Published today (Wednesday 9 August), AIMS’ Annual Summary Report on Coral Reef…

Listening to music and drinking coffee are the sorts of everyday pleasures that can impact a person’s brain activity in ways that improve cognitive performance, including in tasks requiring concentration and memory. That’s a finding of a new NYU Tandon School of Engineering study involving MINDWATCH, a groundbreaking brain-monitoring technology.…

A lack of time management skills, particularly in organization, can lead to poor sleep quality for college students according to research conducted at The University of Alabama. Dr. Adam Knowlden, associate professor of health science with the UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, investigated time management and how it influences…

Researchers have reported the first 3D measurements acquired with quantum ghost imaging. The new technique enables 3D imaging on a single photon level, yielding the lowest photon dose possible for any measurement. “3D imaging with single photons could be used for various biomedical applications, such as eye care diagnostics,” said…

The world of at-home stroke rehabilitation is growing near, incredible news for the 795,000 people in the United States who annually suffer a stroke. A new low cost, portable brain-computer interface that connects the brain of stroke patients to powered exoskeletons for rehabilitation purposes has been validated and tested at…

As climate change progresses, rising temperatures may impact nitrogen runoff from land to lakes and streams more than projected increases in total and extreme precipitation for most of the continental United States, according to new research from a team of Carnegie climate scientists led by Gang Zhao and Anna Michalak…

Gait-related disturbances adversely affect the quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a condition affecting millions worldwide. Although various pharmacological, surgical, and rehabilitative treatments exist, their effectiveness is limited. Now, a team of researchers from Japan has successfully addressed this limitation. Using a novel neuromodulation approach that incorporates…

Cattle may seem like uniquely American animals, steeped in the lore of cowboys, cattle drives and sprawling ranches. But cattle didn’t exist on the American continents prior to the arrival of the Spanish, who brought livestock with them from Europe by way of the Canary Islands. In a new study,…

City life favors species that are adaptable and not too fussy about what they eat, among other characteristics. A worldwide consortium of scientists calls the resulting collection of traits an “Urban Trait Syndrome.” Their study includes data from 379 cities on 6 continents, with the largest data set coming from…