Science In flow

A new study reports genetic and oxygen and strontium isotopic data for individuals buried at Alalakh, finding little evidence for the foreigners mentioned in texts. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hoQfcm

A new study maps the evolutionary history and interrelationships of protein domains, the subunits of protein molecules, over 3.8 billion years. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qAGoVf

Researchers have developed and successfully demonstrated a novel method for studying how cells repair damaged DNA in space. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2UitxKY

Researchers offers a new understanding of how gene activity directs plant growth, and how quickly plants respond to their environment -- with shifting light conditions triggering molecular changes in as little as five minutes. The findings provide insights into how to increase yield and safeguard world food production as climate change shrinks the planet's arable land. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/367fWZT

New research shows that there may be more antimicrobial-resistant salmonella in our food animals than scientists previously thought. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3w7s87A

When it comes to understanding and predicting trends in energy use, the internet is a tough nut to crack. So say energy researchers in two recent articles that discuss the pitfalls that plague estimates of the internet's energy and carbon impacts. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3Ac8j22

Bioplastics -- biodegradable plastics made from biological substances rather than petroleum -- can be created in a more economical and environmentally friendly way from the byproducts of corn stubble, grasses and mesquite agricultural production, according to a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3juRv0r

Predicting the potential effects of coral loss on fish communities globally is a fundamental task, especially considering that reef fishes provide protein to millions of people. A new study predicts how fish diversity will respond to declines in coral diversity and shows that future coral loss might cause a more than 40% reduction in reef fish diversity globally. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hqHCOJ

Researchers at NIST have upgraded their laser frequency-comb instrument to simultaneously measure three airborne greenhouse gases -- nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide and water vapor -- plus the major air pollutants ozone and carbon monoxide. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3ycg4U2

Researchers have developed a machine learning model using a physics-based simulator and real-world meteorological data to better predict offshore wind power. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hpPIXC

By using a fluid mixing process instead of expensive, high-temperature fabrication methods, researchers may have demonstrated a pathway to producing flexible, printed solar cells on a cost effective, industrial scale. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Uc3mpp

A new mathematical model has been developed to uncover land clearing when satellite imagery is obstructed by clouds. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hjnuhj

Dinosaurs roamed the Earth more than 65 million years ago, and paleontologists and amateur fossil hunters are still unearthing traces of them today. The minerals in fossilized eggs and shell fragments provide snapshots into these creatures' early lives, as well as their fossilization processes. Now, researchers have analyzed the molecular makeup of fossilized dinosaur eggshells from Mexico, finding nine amino acids and evidence of ancient protein structures. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3x98zgo

A new study has shown that the size of the Maya population in the lowland city of Itzan (in present-day Guatemala) varied over time in response to climate change. The findings show that both droughts and very wet periods led to important population declines. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3duLmO1

Participants in a large-scale study who more commonly consumed a Southern-style diet - high in added fats, fried foods, processed meats and sugary drinks - had a higher risk of sudden cardiac death than people who had lower adherence to a Southern-style diet. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3y85Ljv

Wine grapes are particularly finicky when it comes to their environment. For instance, heatwaves and droughts lead to earlier berry ripening and lackluster wine. And these types of episodes are expected to intensify as Earth's climate changes. Now, researchers have tweaked growing conditions for Cabernet Sauvignon grapes to slow down their ripening, which increased the levels of compounds associated with wine's characteristic floral and fruity notes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qCaMhI

Male jackdaws don't stick around to console their mate after a traumatic experience, new research shows. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3y75cGQ

Researchers have developed a method to turn biodegradable plastic knives, spoons, and forks into a foam that can be used as insulation in walls or in flotation devices. The investigators placed the cutlery into a chamber filled with carbon dioxide. As pressure increased, the gas dissolved into the plastic. When they suddenly released the pressure in the chamber, the carbon dioxide expanded within the plastic, creating foaming. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3AoOmFx

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3yb5cpa

In a 34-year global analysis, researchers found that photosynthesis -- an important process for removing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and storing it in soil -- was controlled by extreme wet events nearly as often as droughts in certain locations. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hpNTKa

This spellbinding selection of images  are among the shortlisted entries for this year’s Astronomy Photographer of the Year competition from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3dv2env

The United Arab Emirates’ Hope orbiter has taken the most detailed images ever of Mars’s strange, patchy auroras, which could help explain how the planet’s air disappeared from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3h6XHtT

A toaster-sized atomic clock in orbit around Earth is far more accurate than existing space clocks. It will be tested on a mission to Venus to see if it will aid autonomous spacecraft navigation on deep-space missions from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jqhZQB

A new kind of malaria vaccine involves injecting people with the malaria parasite, then a few days later giving them a medicine that kills the pathogens from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2UUGo6H

Astronomers have spotted a white dwarf star that is about the same size as Earth’s moon, but more massive than the sun – and it may be getting ready to explode from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/364eO9q

When it comes to climate change, not all organisms will lose out. A new study finds that rattlesnakes are likely to benefit from a warming climate. A combination of factors makes a warming climate beneficial to rattlesnakes that are found in almost every part of the continental United States but are especially common in the Southwest. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hkiitE

Fossilized feces are common finds at paleontological dig sites and might actually contain hidden treasures. By scanning fossilized dung assigned to a close dinosaur relative from the Triassic period, scientists discovered a 230-million-year-old beetle species, representing a new family of beetles, previously unknown to science. The beetles were preserved in a 3D state with their legs and antennae fully intact. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3juVZnO

A stocky marsh bird with a 20-inch wingspan, great snipes are also speedy marathoners that can migrate from Sweden to Central Africa in just three days, without stopping to eat, drink, or sleep. Now, researchers find that snipes also rise nearly 2,500 meters in elevation at dawn and descend again at dusk each day, perhaps to avoid overheating from daytime solar radiation by climbing higher. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3yaLZUA

Two U.S. Phase 1 clinical trials of a novel candidate malaria vaccine have found that the regimen conferred unprecedentedly high levels of durable protection when volunteers were later exposed to disease-causing malaria parasites. The vaccine combines live parasites with either of two widely used antimalarial drugs -- an approach termed chemoprophylaxis vaccination. A Phase 2 clinical trial of the vaccine is now underway in Mali, a malaria-endemic country. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/360Gg7S

Following habitat-destroying wildfires, researchers found many male red-backed fairywrens failed to molt into their ornamental plumage, making them less attractive to potential mates. They also had lowered circulating testosterone, which has been associated with their showy feathers. The birds' fat stores and stress hormone corticosterone remained at normal levels. While the findings are specific to this songbird, they may have implications for other species that don special coloration for mating. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xbSC9k

Meteorites that do not experience high temperatures at any point in their existence provide a good record of complex chemistry present when or before our solar system was formed. So researchers have examined individual amino acids in these meteorites, many of which are not in present-day organisms. Researchers now show the existence of a systematic group of amino acid polymers across several members of the oldest meteorite class, the CV3 type. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h5b8dC

You might think we peak in our 20s or 30s before enduring a slow decline, but each era of our lives brings new strengths – even old age. Here's how to make the most of them from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3y7ziK9

There’s a new way to learn about ancient insects. Researchers have discovered they can find fossilised beetles inside prehistoric animal droppings from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3hgGHAa

Studies show the impact of covid-19 on the brain, with the virus affecting consciousness, cognition and possibly even risk of dementia in later life from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2UeOuXc

During operations in Gaza in mid-May, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) used a swarm of small drones to locate, identify and attack Hamas militants. This is thought to be the first time a drone swarm has been used in combat from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/362ldBP

An unusually large supernova remnant has been seen in the most ancient part of our galaxy, and it could help us study the gas that makes up the Milky Way’s halo from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3qxMRjw

Extremely thin and water-repellent steel wafers not only float when submerged, they harvest power from surface tension and leap out of water from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/35WQdTU

Technique for taking over the liver’s function of removing toxins from the blood has shown promise in a small trial from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3Adj3Ns

Meerkats in zoos fight more aggressively, are pickier about who they groom and have less stable relationships than those living in the wild from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3qzBPue

Astronomers have definitively detected a black hole devouring a neutron star for the first – and second – time. These cataclysmic events created ripples in space-time called gravitational waves that travelled more than 900 million light-years to reach detectors on Earth from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3dog6js

A former UK chief scientist is planning experiments to drop iron filings in oceans to tackle climate change and restore marine life, in a major geoengineering project that is likely to prove controversial from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2Syo4zh

Now detected in at least 85 countries, the delta variant of the coronavirus spreads more easily and is better at evading the protection provided by vaccines, meaning it will probably outcompete other variants from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3dniiI4

The mix of gases that make up Jupiter’s atmosphere have long puzzled astronomers, but now it seems the giant planet’s shadowy birthplace may be responsible from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jov0tT

Researchers noted a significant difference in mice from mothers that were fed a diet rich in canola oil, compared with mothers fed a diet rich in corn oil. A maternal Omega 3-rich diet affected genome-wide epigenetic landscape changes in offspring and potentially modulated gene expression patterns. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2T7pd1f

A new study sheds new light on the evolution of photosynthesis in plants and algae, which could help to improve crop production. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3x3epj7

An incredibly rare hybrid warbler with mismatched color patterns has allowed researchers to disentangle the genetic drivers of two traits that usually come as a package deal -- the black face mask and the black throat patch in blue-winged and golden-winged warblers. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3A8iUep

Subsurface carbon sequestration -- storing carbon in rocks deep underground -- offers a partial solution for removing carbon from the atmosphere. Used alongside emissions reductions, geologic carbon sequestration could help mitigate anthropogenic climate change. But like other underground operations, it comes with risks -- including earthquakes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dqsZcZ

Location, location, location -- when it comes to the placement of wind turbines, the old real estate adage applies, according to new research. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qz6FD2

Scientists isolated a molecule, extracted from the leaves of the European chestnut tree, with the power to neutralize dangerous, drug-resistant staph bacteria. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jnHDFJ

Mountaintop glacier ice in the tropics of all four hemispheres covers significantly less area -- in one case as much as 93% less -- than it did just 50 years ago, a new study has found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2UCb7oL

Almost all of the nitrogen that fertilizes life in the open ocean of the Gulf of Mexico is carried into the Gulf from shallower coastal areas, researchers found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35VIci5

GluN3A-deficient mice display all aspects of Alzheimer's neurodegeneration. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3A8eBQo

Biologists have shown that 'supervisor' and 'motivator' proteins are required to enable a third factor to perform its function in photosynthesis. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dnRK9C

We thought Gould’s mouse went extinct 125 years ago – but a small population has now been identified on an island off Australia’s west coast from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3y8fYwF

A new article shines light on the effect human-made infrastructure and natural topography has on coastal wetlands after major storm events. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dnx4Pb

Scientists have found that a marine invasive species - a sea squirt that lives on rocky shores - could spread along 3,500 kilometers of South American coastline if climate change or human activities alter sea conditions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h3baCS

Now detected in at least 85 countries, delta spreads more easily than previous variants and is better at evading the protection provided by vaccines, meaning it will probably outcompete other variants from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3dniiI4

There are spiders that eat snakes. Observations of snake-eating spiders have been reported around the world. Researchers consolidated and analyzed over 300 reports of this unusual predation strategy. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3w3dYnU

A newly developed tool predicts the biological activity of chemical compounds, key information to evaluate their therapeutic potential. Using artificial neural networks, scientists have inferred experimental data for a million compounds and have developed a package of programs to make estimates for any type of molecule. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35VvBv1

In new research, water from African and Mongolian waterholes as well as bloodmeals from Southeast Asian leeches were assessed for the ability to retrieve mammalian viruses without the need to find and catch the mammals. The scientists analyzed the samples using high-throughput sequencing to identify known viruses as well as viruses new to science. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3joLHWe

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3h1qCPV

A naturally occurring peptide in sunflower seeds was synthetically optimized and has now been identified as a potential drug for treating abdominal pain or inflammation (in the gastrointestinal tract, abdominal area and/or internal organs). from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35Y3T0S

Slow earthquakes are long-period earthquakes that are not so dangerous alone, but are able to trigger more destructive earthquakes. Their origins lie in tectonic plate boundaries where one plate subsides below another. Though the causal mechanism is already known, there has been a lack of data to accurately model the life cycle of slow earthquakes. For the first time, researchers use deep-sea boreholes to gauge pressures far below the seafloor. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dmnewR

A three-dimensional atlas of the bumblebee brain is now available. It will allow to even better research how nerve cells are interconnected and how they process information. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3gZylxN

Engineers have designed a prototype face mask that can diagnose the person wearing the mask with Covid-19 within about 90 minutes. The technology can also be used to design wearable sensors for a variety of other pathogens or toxic chemicals. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xYSwSg

All life on Earth 500 million years ago lived in the oceans, but scientists know little about how these animals and algae developed. A newly discovered fossil deposit near Kunming, China, may hold the keys to understanding how these organisms laid the foundations for life on land and at sea today, according to an international team of researchers. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3A6Gw31

Researchers have some good news for the well-meaning masses who place bird feeders in their yards: The small songbirds who visit the feeders seem unlikely to develop an unhealthy reliance on them. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35U15ls

A few males are enough to fertilize all the females. The number of males therefore has little bearing on a population's growth. However, they are important for purging bad mutations from the population. This is shown by a new study providing in-depth knowledge of the possible long-term genetic consequences of sexual selection. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3x1ThKo

An analysis of Venus's toxic clouds found that the amount of water there is more than 100 times too low for life as we know it to survive, putting a damper on recent signs that organisms could potentially exist there from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/35ZFM1G

Parts of Mars may have been habitable for thousands of years, based on analysis of clays found in one of its craters that could only have formed in a stable, life-friendly environment from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3A2vYSF

Researchers have demonstrated a tablet-sized device that can reliably detect multiple COVID-19 antibodies and biomarkers simultaneously. Initial results show the test can distinguish between antibodies produced in response to SARS-CoV-2 and four other coronaviruses with 100-percent accuracy. The researchers are now working to see if the easy-to-use, energy-independent, point-of-care device can be used to predict the severity of a COVID-19 infection or a person's immunity against variants of the virus. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h2P8jS

Artificial intelligence struggles to predict how objects will interact as they roll, collide or drape over one another from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3hfCWLb

An AI that can repair blurred or distorted images of fingerprints lifted from crime scenes could make identifying people easier, but it is unclear whether such evidence would stand up in court from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2Td5LQB

Long covid is strange and mysterious in part because of a lack of investment in researching post-viral syndromes like chronic fatigue syndrome – it is time to change that from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jmhcQO

As wildfires become more intense, birds living in areas that burn may lose their vibrant colours because they skip mating displays when their nesting sites are destroyed from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3gXDZAQ

This study makes connections between two sources of individual variation, personality and cognition, in threatened species. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2T4W2fi

Seaweed can reveal a lot about marine ecosystems. Take part in the Big Seaweed Search to help researchers discover how climate change is impacting UK sea life from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3gZQxYe

Scientists have developed an innovative way to use NASA satellite data to track the movement of tiny pieces of plastic in the ocean. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xWA0Kl

Marine biologists tested predictions about biological invasions, first in Panama and then in an experiment of unprecedented geographic scale. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qrahHk

Researchers found a way to reduce cellulosic feedstocks' toxicity to yeast, making it feasible to use these abundant feedstocks to produce ethanol, biodiesel, or bioplastics. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qrUloh

Researchers report that small quantities of useful molecules such as hydrocarbons are produced when carbon dioxide and water react in the presence of light and a silver nanoparticle catalyst. Their validation study - made possible through the use of a high-resolution analytical technique - could pave the way for CO2-reduction technologies that allow industrial-scale production of renewable carbon-based fuels. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h5tuu4

A new study of vegetation growth in the Northern Hemisphere over the past 30 years has found that vegetation is becoming increasingly water-limited as global temperatures increase, which has the potential to reduce plants' ability to absorb atmospheric CO2, increasing greenhouse gasses. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jgdwjj

Amazing visuals, cinematic techniques, and inventive weapons - Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is perfectly timed to take full advantage of the PS5 console, says Jacob Aron from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jkB0Ur

Researchers have developed a new machine learning technique to holistically assess water quality data in order to detect groundwater samples likely impacted by recent methane leakage during oil and gas production. Using that model, the team concluded that unconventional drilling methods like hydraulic fracturing do not necessarily incur more environmental problems than conventional oil and gas drilling. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dynWr5

In a rare gecko color variety known as Lemon Frost, scientists have traced an unusual coloring and tendency to form tumors to a gene linked to human melanoma. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jeoaHf

Guided by quantum chemical calculations, scientists design and test a new single atom catalyst that converts propane to propylene with 100% efficiency, with little deactivation by coking. If adopted by industry, the catalyst could save billions of dollars and stop millions of tons of carbon dioxide being emitted into the atmosphere. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xSLdLV

Thousands of people have reported altered periods after receiving a covid-19 vaccine, but it is still unclear whether this is a coincidence or could be explained by other causes, such as stress from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2T6IdwK

Measuring ethane in the atmosphere shows that the amounts of methane going into the atmosphere from oil and gas wells and contributing to greenhouse warming is higher than suggested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, according to an international team of scientists who spent three years flying over three areas of the U.S. during all four seasons. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jc6ImH

The cells of simple organisms, such as bacteria, as well as human cells are surrounded by a membrane, which fulfills various tasks including protecting the cell from stress. Researchers have now discovered that a membrane protein found in bacteria has a similar structure and function as a group of proteins that are responsible for remodeling and rebuilding the cell membrane in humans. No connection between the two protein groups was known before. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h4hDwh

While invasive zebra mussels consume small plant-like organisms called phytoplankton, researchers discovered during a long-term study that zebra mussels can actually increase Microcystis, a type of phytoplankton known as 'blue-green algae' or cyanobacteria, that forms harmful floating blooms. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3gUgDvB

In a large study of Chinese cats, genetic detectives highlight the evolutionary uniqueness and premier conservation importance of the elusive Chinese mountain cat (Felis silvestris bieti), found only in the Tibetan plateau of China. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3gW9ew3

The same taste-sensing molecule that helps you enjoy a meal from your favorite restaurant may one day lead to improved ways to treat diabetes and other metabolic and immune diseases. TRPM5 is a specialized protein that is concentrated in the taste buds, where it helps relay messages to and from cells. It has long been of interest to researchers due to its roles in taste perception and blood sugar regulation. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/35SQ0B4

Biologists have introduced a new and improved CRISPR 3.0 system in plants, focusing on gene activation. This third generation system focuses on multiplexed gene activation that can boost the function of multiple genes simultaneously. This system boasts four to six times the activation capacity of current state-of-the-art CRISPR technology, demonstrating high accuracy and efficiency in up to seven genes at once. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3zZY2Wz

As the ravages of the opioid epidemic lead many to avoid these powerful painkillers, a significant number of people with fibromyalgia are finding an effective replacement in CBD-containing products, finds a new study. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3gW1Kcj

As wildfires become more intense, birds living in areas that burn may lose their vibrant colours because they skip mating displays when their nesting sites are destroyed from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3gXDZAQ

A tiny, inflatable implant that can be injected directly into the spinal column could provide long-term relief from chronic pain by emitting electrical charges that signal the brain to stop perceiving it from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3h9XXa8

A new study found that plant-based protein shakes may be potential viable alternatives to milk-based whey protein shakes, particularly in people with need of careful monitoring of glucose levels. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xZG0lH

A team has identified the design principles for creating large 'ideal' proteins from scratch, paving the way for the design of proteins with new biochemical functions. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3dda6Ki

The latest coronavirus news updated every day including coronavirus cases, the latest news, features and interviews from New Scientist and essential information about the covid-19 pandemic from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3zYXa4B

A near-perfectly preserved ancient human fossil known as the Harbin cranium sits in the Geoscience Museum in Hebei GEO University. The largest of Homo skulls, scientists now say this skull represents a newly discovered human species named Homo longi or 'Dragon Man.' Their findings suggest that the Homo longi lineage may be our closest relatives -- and may reshape our understanding of human evolution. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2UF1YMn

New research has found tiny amounts of gold can be trapped inside pyrite, commonly known as 'fool's gold,' which would make it much more valuable than its name suggests. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jaQR89

A new study of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes investigates how a mating cue called 'harmonic convergence' might affect immunity against parasites, bacteria and dengue virus in offspring, which has important implications for trade-offs male mosquitoes make between investing energy towards immunity or investing it on traits that impact mating and fitness. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2T6CXcr

Researchers analyzed the genomes of more than 2,500 modern humans from 26 worldwide populations, to better understand how humans have adapted to historical coronavirus outbreaks. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3hm683x

During the continued progression of the coronavirus pandemic, rapid, inexpensive, and reliable tests will become increasingly important to determine whether people have the associated antibodies -- either through infection or vaccination. Researchers have now developed such a rapid antibody test. It provides the result in only eight minutes; the aim is to further reduce the process time to four minutes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vZ1spk

Researchers have reported significant findings supporting the nutritional benefits of Connecticut-grown sugar kelp. They found brown sugar kelp (Saccharina latissima) inhibits hepatic inflammation and fibrosis in a mouse model of diet-induced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis, a fatty liver disease. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h198lu

In the animal kingdom, specific growth factors control body axis development. They are produced by a small group of cells at one end of the embryo to be distributed in a graded fashion toward the opposite pole. Through this, discrete spatial patterns arise that determine the correct formation of the head-foot axis. Researchers have discovered an enzyme in the freshwater polyp Hydra that shapes this process by limiting the activity of certain growth factors. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3wQyNUG

What holds true for meadows would seem to apply to arable land, too: mixed cultures are more fruitful than monocultures. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2UCPvbZ

New research has uncovered a novel trick employed by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus to thwart the immune response, raising hopes that a vaccine that prevents deadly MRSA infections is a little closer on the horizon. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h4ujTD

Wastewater treatment facilities clean the water that goes down our sinks and flushes our toilets, but they do not remove everything. A recent study detected low levels of pharmaceuticals and personal care product chemicals in oysters the team deployed at various distances from wastewater effluent pipes along the Oregon and Washington coast. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3qmHgwm

The 'anterior cingulate cortex' is key brain region involved in linking behaviors to their outcomes. When this region was temporarily silenced, monkeys did not change behavior even when it stopped having the expected outcome. The finding is a step towards targeted treatment of human disorders involving compulsive behavior, such as OCD and eating disorders, thought to involve impaired function in this brain region. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vRVG8P

'Precision agriculture' where farmers respond in real time to changes in crop growth using nanotechnology and artificial intelligence (AI) could offer a practical solution to the challenges threatening global food security, a new study reveals. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xUX4cv

Millions of people worldwide are experiencing lasting symptoms from covid-19. Here is everything we know so far about this new and complex disease from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2SXPIGc

The bones of an early human, unknown to science, who lived in the Levant at least until 130,000 years ago, were discovered in excavations at the Nesher Ramla site, near the city of Ramla. Recognizing similarity to other archaic Homo specimens from 400,000 years ago, found in Israel and Eurasia, the researchers reached the conclusion that the Nesher Ramla fossils represent a unique Middle Pleistocene population, now identified for the first time. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3j9hme7

A new tool to help conserve one of the UK's most threatened mammals has been released today, with the publication of the first high-quality reference genome for the European water vole. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jbIxFe

Scientists with an interest in protoliving technologies, have published research which paves the way to building new semi-autonomous devices with potential applications in miniaturized soft robotics, microscale sensing and bioengineering. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3h8Wd18

When the summer sun blazes on a hot city street, our first reaction is to flee to a shady spot protected by a building or tree. A new study is the first to calculate exactly how much these shaded areas help lower the temperature and reduce the 'urban heat island' effect. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3gTAET3

Researchers have found a further reason for the severity of dual infection by influenza and Streptococcus pneumonia -- a new virulence mechanism for a surface protein on the pneumonia-causing bacteria S. pneumoniae. This insight comes 30 years after discovery of that surface protein, called pneumococcal surface protein A. This mechanism had been missed in the past because it facilitates bacterial adherence only to dying lung epithelial cells, not to living cells. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3zSqZDQ

Researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes that scientists have traditionally thought control aging. To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. Their results suggested that only about 30% of the genes traditionally associated with aging set an animal's internal clock while the rest reflect the body's response to bacteria. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3xKhh4u

A partial skull and jawbone from Israel belong to a previously unknown hominin group, who may have been the ancestors of the Neanderthals – and who interacted with our species from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jauv6x