Machine learning reveals how black holes grow

As different as they may seem, black holes and Las Vegas have one thing in common: What happens there stays there — much to the frustration of astrophysicists trying to understand how, when and why black holes form and grow. Black holes are surrounded by a mysterious, invisible layer —…

A shield for 2D materials that adds vibrations to reduce vibration problems: Ultra-thin, protective, liquid-metal-printed layer improves performance of electronics, suppressing vibrational resistance

Monash University researchers have demonstrated a new, counterintuitive way to protect atomically-thin electronics — adding vibrations, to reduce vibrations. By ‘squeezing’ a thin droplet of liquid gallium, graphene devices are painted with a protective coating of glass, gallium-oxide. This oxide is remarkably thin, less than 100 atoms, yet covers centimetre-wide…

A message that resonates

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown how adding a tiny resonator structure to an ultrafast electron pulse detector reduced the intensity of terahertz radiation required to characterize the pulse duration. To study proteins — for example, when determining the mechanisms of their biological actions — researchers need to…

Drought encouraged Attila’s Huns to attack the Roman empire, tree rings suggest

Hunnic peoples migrated westward across Eurasia, switched between farming and herding, and became violent raiders in response to severe drought in the Danube frontier provinces of the Roman empire, a new study argues. Hungary has just experienced its driest summer since meteorological measurements began, devastating the country’s usually productive farmland.…

Mitigating corrosion by liquid tin could lead to better cooling in fusion reactors

Researchers at Tokyo Institute of Technology and the National Institute for Fusion Science have clarified the chemical compatibility between high temperature liquid metal tin (Sn) and reduced activation ferritic martensitic, a candidate structural material for fusion reactors. This discovery has paved the way for the development of a liquid metal…

Plastic pollution kills sea urchin larvae

Sea urchin larvae raised in high levels of plastic pollution die due to developmental abnormalities, new research shows. Scientists put fertilised urchin eggs in seawater with varying levels of plastic, and compared the effects of newly made PVC pellets (called nurdles) with fragments collected on beaches. In all three concentrations…

New immune target to treat cardiovascular disease discovered: The protein, suPAR, has been found to cause atherosclerosis and kidney disease, raising potential for new treatments.

For the longest time, clinicians have treated cardiovascular disease by focusing on diabetes and blood pressure control, reducing cholesterol using medications like aspirin and statins. Despite these measures, heart disease remains the number one cause of death in the United States, with many patients having heart attacks even after their…

Cell biology: Strategy of Dis1 protein for microtubule shortening in fission yeast

Cell division, i.e., the process through which a parent cell divides into two daughter cells, is fundamental to the growth, repair, and reproduction of living organisms. During cell division, chromosomes are pulled towards opposite spindle poles through the shortening of molecular ropes known as microtubules. Microtubules, which are composed of…

Activated vitamin D3 treatment may reduce the risk of arsenic-mediated skin cancer: Calcitriol, or activated vitamin D3, may protect us from the harmful effects of arsenic in drinking water

Millions of people across the globe regularly consume arsenic-contaminated water. Exposure to arsenic has previously been associated with the development of various cancers including skin cancer. Research on the underlying molecular mechanisms regulating arsenic-mediated carcinogenesis remains sparse. Using in vitro studies, researchers from Japan demonstrate how calcitriol, or activated vitamin…

Researchers develop all-optical approach to pumping chip-based nanolasers: New technology could aid in meeting the ever-growing need to move more data faster

Researchers have developed a new all-optical method for driving multiple highly dense nanolaser arrays. The approach could enable chip-based optical communication links that process and move data faster than today’s electronic-based devices. “The development of optical interconnects equipped with high-density nanolasers would improve information processing in the data centers that…

Senate passes legislation to ban TikTok from US government devices | CNN Business

CNN  —  The Senate passed legislation Wednesday evening to ban TikTok from US government devices, in a move designed to limit perceived information-security risks stemming from the social media app. The vote by unanimous consent approved the No TikTok on Government Devices Act, a bill authored by Missouri Republican Sen.…

Live updates: Russia’s war in Ukraine

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that if US Patriot missiles are sent to Ukraine, they would be legitimate targets for Russian forces. But he added that the US plan had not been confirmed. Peskov was asked by CNN if he held the same view as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev, who…

Discovery could explain why women are more likely to get Alzheimer’s

Scientists at Scripps Research and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have found a clue to the molecular cause of Alzheimer’s — a clue that may also explain why women are at greater risk for the disease. In the study, reported on December 14, 2022, in Science Advances, the researchers found…

Early humans may have first walked upright in the trees

Human bipedalism — walking upright on two legs — may have evolved in trees, and not on the ground as previously thought, according to a new study involving UCL researchers. In the study, published today in the journal Science Advances, researchers from UCL, the University of Kent, and Duke University,…

Are people with cluster headaches more likely to have other illnesses?

People with cluster headaches may be more than three times more likely to have other medical conditions such as heart disease, mental disorders and other neurologic diseases, according to a study published in the December 14, 2022, online issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.…

Ebola vaccine regimens safe, immunogenic in adults and children

Two randomized, placebo-controlled trials evaluating three Ebola vaccine administration strategies in adults and children found that all the regimens were safe in both age groups, according to results published today in the New England Journal of Medicine. Antibodies were produced in response to the vaccine regimens beginning at 14 days…

Frequent genetic cause of late-onset ataxia: Discovery will improve diagnosis and open treatment possibilities for thousands of people with this debilitating neurodegenerative condition worldwide

A new study published on Dec. 14, 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports the identification of a previously unknown genetic cause of a late-onset cerebellar ataxia, a discovery that will improve diagnosis and open new treatment avenues for this progressive condition. Late-onset cerebellar ataxias (LOCA) are a…