Science In flow

As the COP26 climate summit opens in Glasgow, the UN's World Meteorological Organization says global average temperatures have been 1°C warmer than pre-industrial levels for two decades from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3GH5N7o

A researcher surveyed 645 Americans about their beliefs on climate change -- whether or not those beliefs are informed by fact or fiction -- to assess their communication behaviors about climate change. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mv5GDL

Prior infections appear to shield enteric neurons, preventing these key components of the body's 'second brain' from dying off when future pathogens strike. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Y10ZrM

The dog constellations, Canis Major and Canis Minor, seem to run along faithfully behind Orion. Here's how to find them by star-hopping from Orion's belt, writes Abigail Beall from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3bH1QRT

Aliya Whiteley's book From the Neck Up is somewhere between icy horror and gothic science fiction, and includes a surprising amount of humanity, finds Sally Adee from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3EsefFt

The loss of seagrass habitat caused a dramatic shift in fish species in Morro Bay. Areas once covered with lush seagrass meadows and unique fish species are now home to muddy-seafloor-loving flatfish. The research team saw decreasing numbers of seagrass-specialist fish species, and an increase in flatfishes like the speckled sanddab and staghorn sculpin. The loss of eelgrass habitat along the California coast presents a problem for species that depend on seagrass. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CwBxto

A new nationwide study suggests that living in neighborhoods with higher availability of fast-food outlets across all regions of the United States is associated with higher subsequent risk of developing type 2 diabetes. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZwlBIQ

Researchers have investigated the performance capability of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) as a communication platform with autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) for ocean and seafloor monitoring research. Studies suggest that UAVs exhibit suitable communication performance for underwater measurement up to approximately 1 km from the shore, owing to their operation speed, robust hovering control, and stability against sea-surface sway. Further studies are necessary for more complicated applications. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CnSEgN

Covid-19 vaccines in use today have to be stored at cold temperatures, but a patch covered in tiny plastic spikes coated in a vaccine could provide an alternative from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3GC5Il0

Veganism is typically equated with healthy eating, but today’s factory-produced fake bacon, sausages and burgers could be tarnishing the halo of a plant-based diet. New Scientist investigates from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2ZzgDeL

The European Maritime Safety Agency has contracted drone company Tekever to use uncrewed aircraft for search-and-rescue missions from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2ZC0DJ8

Researchers used transcriptomics (a type of gene sequencing) calibrated using information from the fossil record to create the first phylogenetic reconstruction of the insect order Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies), covering 105 species. This reconstruction of the evolutionary history allowed robust estimations of the species divergence time (or first appearance, around 200 million years ago) and the timing of evolutionary changes, such as the development of egg-laying organs. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bkdima

Given the scale of threat and the size of the organisations they are fighting, climate activists must move beyond civil disobedience to property destruction and even sabotage, says controversial campaigner Andreas Malm from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3nXbwgP

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/3jPVsw2

Lasers are currently used to shoot down small drones, but a more powerful weapon could take on larger targets from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2XW9KDz

Facebook has rebranded itself as Meta in an attempt to own the metaverse, a concept for a 3D version of the internet that a number of companies are working on from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3BvdQ2Z

The microscopic organisms have previously survived exposure to the vacuum of space and are able to hibernate using just 0.01 per cent of their normal energy from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/312DTCa

Polar Zero at the Glasgow Science Centre is running alongside the upcoming COP26 summit on climate change. Its exhibitions show the past, present and future of the global climate from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3mmHG5I

Sharon Ruston's new book, The Science of Life and Death in Frankenstein, explains how Mary Shelley drew on science as much as imagination to create her masterpiece from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3nDGIS3

Carbon occurs on the Earth in a variety of structures and forms. Elemental Carbon is usually formed under conditions of high pressure and temperature. Researchers have now, for the first time, identified microorganisms that produce elemental carbon. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jMFhPS

Two complete statues of a man and a woman, along with other Roman objects, were uncovered by archaeologists working on the planned route of the UK's HS2 high-speed railway from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3Bqyly2

Scientists discover the genetics inside legumes that control the production of an oxygen-carrying molecule, crucial to the plant's close relationships with nitrogen-fixing bacteria. The finding offers the potential to give other plants the ability to produce ammonia from bacteria -- reducing the need for the fossil fuel-dependent and polluting practice of applying synthetic fertiliser to crops. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jOw61A

Deep in an Indiana forest, a team of scientists skulked atop hillsides after dark. Carrying radios and antennas, they fanned out, positioning themselves on opposite ridges to wait and listen. Their quarry? Endangered Indiana bats and threatened northern long-eared bats. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZBAf1G

An international, interdisciplinary research team is using satellite images to measure the changes of coastal wetlands in China from the early 1980s to the present. The research team is also assessing the effects of conservation efforts on preserving and recovering these important ecosystems. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3Gwilhw

A new study shows how changes in light conditions have a significant influence on the growth and impact of harmful algae blooms. The bottom line: a warming climate looks good for the growth of toxic algae and may disrupt other organisms that are part of the food web -- whether they graze on this algae or are consumed by it. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3Clz4lg

What zoologists have discovered in samples of ancient amber -- insect larvae with unusual morphologies and larvae of early flying insects. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BjTytv

Lithium-ion batteries power the world, but as lithium runs low, what are the alternatives? from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3CsOnZr

Palaeoanthropologists have announced the naming of a new species of human ancestor, Homo bodoensis. This species lived in Africa during the Middle Pleistocene, around half a million years ago, and was the direct ancestor of modern humans. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3w2j19O

Reducing ship speed and noise levels would increase the probability that endangered West Coast southern resident killer whales will spend more time hunting for Chinook salmon, a new study has found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CrtHB0

Researchers who reanalysed ancient fossils say they come from a new group of hominins living in Africa around 600,000 years ago, and so deserve a new species name from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3CE56JD

We only had a skin-deep look at Jupiter before the Juno spacecraft began orbiting the planet in 2016 and the measurements the NASA mission has taken reveal unexpected information about its deep interior from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3BmKq79

While many animals have adapted to live with wildfires of the past -- which were smaller, more frequent and kept ecosystems in balance across the West -- it's unclear to scientists how animals are coping with today's unprecedented megafires. A team of researchers tracked a population of black-tailed deer before, during and after the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire and found that most of the deer returned home within hours of the fire, while trees were still smoldering. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CrVgKq

A new study reveals saber-toothed cats suffered from hip dysplasia, an affliction common in pet cats and dogs, and points to supportive social structures for Smilodon. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BrfaUJ

Synthetic biologists have developed eToeholds -- small versatile devices built into RNA that enable expression of a linked protein-encoding sequence only when a cell-specific or viral RNA is present. eToehold devices open up multiple opportunities for more targeted types of RNA therapy, in vitro cell and tissue engineering approaches, and the sensing of diverse biological threats in humans and other higher organisms. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CwfiUs

Researchers have found the two-year heatwave known as 'the Blob' may have temporarily dampened the Pacific's 'biological pump,' which shuttles carbon from the surface ocean to the deep sea where it can be stored for millennia. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3q1cyuT

Researchers describe how energy expenditure and heat production are regulated in obesity through a previously unknown cellular pathway. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3pYL359

Based on a total of 8,218 pelagic microplastic samples from the world's oceans collected between 2000 and 2019, a team of scientists has developed a publicly available dataset for assessing the abundance of microplastics and their long-term trend in the world's upper oceans. The team found 24.4 trillion pieces (82,000--578,000 tons) of microplastics in the world's oceans, but the actual amount is likely to be much greater. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZySxAI

An irrigation re-think in sub-Saharan Africa is improving food security, reducing water waste and lifting people out of poverty. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vP0PjC

A team of scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has created a laser-powered device that can trap and move viruses using light. The device, which has the ability to manipulate light to act as 'tweezers', would aid in the development of new approaches to disease diagnosis and the study of viruses, as the device can precisely 'move' a single virus to target a particular part of a cell. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3Bo8E0O

The UK's chief scientist has said that both green technology and behavioural changes will be needed to tackle climate change from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jLDJFR

Bicycle sharing systems have become an attractive option to alleviate traffic in congested cities. However, rebalancing the number of bikes at each port as time passes is essential, and finding the optimal routing paths for the vehicles in charge of rebalancing constitutes a combinatorial optimization problem. Now, scientists propose an innovative algorithm that can find near-optimal solutions more quickly even for a large number of ports, paving the way for more efficient bicycle sharing systems. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3be9SkS

The Earth's atmosphere has been used as a 'laboratory' to carry out a physics experiment which could help to improve the performance of GPS. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bhsiRD

The newly hatched juveniles of large and gigantic pterosaurs likely out-competed other smaller adult pterosaur species to dominate the Late Cretaceous period around 100 million years ago, a new study has found. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3miq9LY

Biologists have unraveled how a 'heart' in the fruit fly's head functions. The researchers discovered the fly's head-heart beats much like a human's: Its rhythmic pulses are automatically generated by a tiny muscle that runs through the middle of the fly's brain. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3biIYYY

Researchers tested the effectiveness of affordable, interactive robotic pet cats to improve mood, behavior and cognition in older adults with mild to moderate dementia. Mood and behavioral symptoms were measured along with cognition using the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Intervention with this robotic cat improved all mood scores over time, with significant improvements in mood and depression. More than half of the participants scored higher on the MMSE post-test than pretest, with slight to moderate improvement in attention/calculation, language, and registration. The robotic cats also provided participants with an alternative way to express themselves. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/C19OCk

Biological cells invest much of their resources into the production of enzymes, which catalyze the conversion of substrates into products. An international team of bioinformaticians and biophysicists discovered that these processes are most efficient at a certain relationship between the intracellular enzyme and substrate concentrations. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3EeudD4

Many countries have seen sharp falls in the number of measles cases as a result of covid-19 controls, but the pandemic has also interrupted immunisation programmes from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3bjIS3e

Three ways in which science suggests you can manufacture motivation from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3mkhpF1

In 1545, King Henry VIII's favorite ship, the Mary Rose, capsized and sank in the Battle of the Solent defending England and Portsmouth from a French invasion fleet. The wreck remained on the seabed until 1982 when it was salvaged in a widely viewed televised event. Now, it is a time capsule for 16th century Tudor society, and conservators are working to preserve it for future generations. Scientists use X-ray analysis to identify previously undetected products in the wood -- nanoparticles originating from underwater bacterial activity. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jIsnT6

Researchers have determined the genetic origins of Asia's most enigmatic mummies. Once thought to be Indo-European speaking migrants from the West, the Bronze Age Tarim Basin mummies are revealed to be a local indigenous population with deep Asian roots and taste for far-flung cuisine. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3nz7taf

Research on around 386,000 UK adults has found that a high genetic risk for schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, anorexia and autism, is associated with living in and moving to urban areas. In contrast, people with low genetic risk of ADHD preferentially moved from rural/suburban environments to cities. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bkt6Fv

How are warming temperatures and a loss of sea ice affecting polar bears and their marine mammal prey in the Arctic? A York University-led research team used a novel approach to the question by monitoring what polar bears eat across Nunavut and where they are catching their prey. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZsET1C

Thirty years ago, archeologists excavated the tomb of an elite 40--50-year-old man from the Sicán culture of Peru, a society that predated the Incas. The man's seated, upside-down skeleton was painted bright red, as was the gold mask covering his detached skull. Now, researchers have analyzed the paint, finding that, in addition to a red pigment, it contains human blood and bird egg proteins. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZsH1ah

New work reveals a new mechanism by which plants are able to rapidly activate defenses against bacterial infections. These findings could inspire efforts to improve crop yields and combat global hunger. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3nzWvkH

Weather extremes can cause economic ripples along our supply chains. If they occur at roughly the same time the ripples start interacting and can amplify even if they occur at completely different places around the world, a new study shows. The resulting economic losses are greater than the sum of the initial events, the researchers find in computer simulations of the global economic network. Rich economies are affected much more strongly than poor ones, according to the calculations. Currently, weather extremes around the world are increasing due to greenhouse gas emissions from burning fossil fuels. If they happen simultaneously or in quick succession even at different places on the planet, their economic repercussions can become much bigger than previously thought. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bluCXG

Forest-dependent people living across the Gran Chaco have been put on the map for the first time. As agribusiness expands into the dry forest on which they rely, the impact of that expansion on them has been difficult to document because their homesteads are dotted over 1 million km2. But now an international team of researchers has used high resolution satellite imagery to systematically identify these homesteads across this vast area. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mjT6Hp

As a foundational species, giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) is vital to the ecosystem of the temperate, shallow, nearshore waters where it grows. When the kelp flourishes, so do the communities that rely on the fast-growing species for food and shelter. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3Ch5U6O

Exposure to the heavy metal cadmium is known to irritate the stomach and lungs or cause kidney disease, but new research links another health issue to inadvertently ingesting low doses of the pollutant: high activation of the antibodies that cause an allergic response. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Ztyovr

Across the United States, bird populations are declining due to decreases in availability of habitat. Recently, a team of scientists explored the value of the biggest chunk of green space found in cities -- residential yards --as wildlife habitat. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BoIcEq

Veganism is typically equated with healthy eating, but today’s factory-produced fake bacon, sausages and burgers could be tarnishing the halo of a plant-based diet. New Scientist investigates from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2ZzgDeL

A systematic review highlights the vulnerability of coffee quality to environmental shifts associated with climate change and practices to mitigate the effects. Findings have implications for farmer livelihoods, consumer experiences and choices, and future strategies to support farms and product. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/30X19l0

Researchers have revealed in an animal model that ImmuBalance, a fermented soybean product, is effective in suppressing airway inflammation caused by asthma. Results showed a decreased presence of eosinophils in bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, a decrease in mucus production in the bronchial epithelium, and a suppression of proteins that induce eosinophilic inflammation. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BqQE6k

A survey of a sample of new first-year college students leaving pets at home and found that 75% experienced some level of pet separation anxiety -- with one in four reporting moderate to severe symptoms. The students who had higher anxiety tended to be those who treated their pets more like people, identifying them as friends, sleeping in the same room and generally spending a lot of time with them. Students who had dogs at home also tended to report more attachment to their pets -- and more separation anxiety -- than those with cats and other types of pets. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CgFYIu

Methane emissions from the distribution and use of natural gas across U.S. cities are 2 to 10 times higher than recent estimates from the Environmental Protect Agency, according to a new study. In Boston, methane emissions from the natural gas system are six times higher than recent estimates by the Massachusetts DEP and have not significantly changed in eight years, despite legislation aimed at repairing leaks in natural gas pipelines. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZtY8bn

A new analysis finds that if greenhouse gas emissions continue along the high-emissions scenario, low-to-no-snow winters will become a regular occurrence in the western U.S. in 35 to 60 years. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mirdiI

FDA-approved iron oxide nanoparticles, delivered in a mouth rinse, can suppress the growth of dental plaque and kill bacteria responsible for tooth decay, according to a new study. The nanoparticles act as enzymes to activate hydrogen peroxide in a way that precisely targets harmful microbes and spares normal tissue. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZwQQnm

Veganism is typically equated with healthy eating, but today’s factory-produced fake bacon, sausages and burgers could be tarnishing the halo of a plant-based diet. New Scientist investigates from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2ZzgDeL

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/315TZv0

AI firms will be given access to eye scans to see if they can diagnose retinopathy, but all of the data will remain on NHS-owned servers from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3Ckr0kR

Standing a chance of staying under the Paris Agreement's target of 1.5°C of warming would require annual emissions in 2030 to be 28 billion tonnes lower than what countries' plans and pledges ahead of COP26 deliver from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3mkVrlu

Instances of sharks biting humans are rare, and researchers think they may happen when the marine predators confuse us for other species from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3mfvV0G

Researchers have decoded the genome of the mangrove tree, Bruguiera gymnorhiza, and revealed how this species regulates its genes in order to cope with stress. Their findings could one day be used to help other plants be more tolerant to stress. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2XMidZN

Increased consumption of whole grain foods could significantly reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the costs associated with its treatment. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZpvjMW

Thanks to social media, our nasty side has never been more prevalent, but is there a way to quantify how spiteful you actually are? from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3Bf90H7

Researchers have found a way to make antibiotics more effective against antibiotic-resistant bacteria - also known as 'superbugs. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BcsWKV

The degradation of plant defense substances by insect digestive enzymes can influence the insects' preference for certain food plants, a new study now shows for the first time. Scientists studied this phenomenon in larvae of the cockchafer (Melolontha melolontha) and their food plant dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3nw0heR

Lipopolysaccharide, a virulence factor produced by bacteria, is a toxin that can cause a systemic inflammation via the circulation. In a recently completed study, genetic markers were discovered which are associated with a heightened lipopolysaccharide level in the blood. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2Znb3Me

Genes aren't only inherited through birth. Bacteria have the ability to pass genes to each other, or pick them up from their environment, through a process called horizonal gene transfer, which is a major culprit in the spread of antibiotic resistance. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BgKAgC

CO2 emissions from electricity in the UK fell by two thirds in the last decade due to several factors working together, rather than a single panacea. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BbyPYI

In evolutionary biology, the 'Life History Theory,' first proposed in the 1950s, postulates that when the environment is favorable, the resources used by any organism are devoted for growth and reproduction. Conversely, in a hostile environment, resources are transferred to so-called maintenance programs, such as energy conservation and defense against external attacks. Scientists developed this idea to a specific field of medicine: the erroneous activation of the immune system that causes autoimmune diseases. By studying mice suffering from a model of multiple sclerosis, the research team succeeded in deciphering how exposure to cold pushed the organism to divert its resources from the immune system towards maintaining body heat. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mhQoSC

Scientists have probed the molecular origins of recombination in RNA viruses. Hiccups during the copying process of viruses cause recombination to take place: the exchange of segments of viral RNA. While this can lead to the emergence of new virus variants, the mechanism can also be exploited to induce non-viable defective viruses from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3BilcHl

Researchers have successfully trialed two new qPCR assays to help detect the presence of transmissible AMR using water and wastewater samples. The scientists present a DNA-based testing method that provides a surrogate for monitoring AMR, which will make AMR screening cheaper and more accessible around the world. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3vKvfUm

Using a novel technology, researchers uncovered shape-shifting properties of a common respiratory virus. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jEEfFv

A study explores how human-caused changes on land can affect aquatic animals, specifically in the case of the fungal pathogen, Cryptococcus gattii. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3baPwZN

Standing a chance of staying under the Paris Agreement's target of 1.5°C of warming would require annual emissions in 2030 to be 28 billion tonnes lower than what countries' plans and pledges ahead of COP26 deliver from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3pEN9Xq

A non-toxic, bacteria-based system can detect when it is inside a cancer cell and then release its payload of therapeutic drugs directly into the cell. The work could lead to effective, targeted therapies for currently untreatable cancers, such as liver or metastatic breast cancer. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jG3449

Microbiologists have identified a new family of marine megaphages which could change understanding of Earth's carbon and nitrogen cycles. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZoH9rn

The skin bacterium Staphylococcus aureus often develops antibiotic resistance. It can then cause infections that are difficult to treat. Researchers have now uncovered an ingenious way in which a certain strain of Staphylococcus aureus protects itself against the important antibiotic vancomycin. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CvN789

Scientists have taken a holistic approach to find that concrete alone doesn't make urban water ecosystem services sustainable. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3GlV3en

A team of international researchers reported last year that they had uncovered the largest and oldest Maya monument -- Aguada Fénix. That same team has now uncovered nearly 500 smaller ceremonial complexes that are similar in shape and features to Aguada Fénix. The find transforms previous understanding of Mesoamerican civilization origins and the relationship between the Olmec and the Maya people. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3CjjBC7

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/3CgfqY0

What are the origins of musical rhythm? Are humans the only mammals that have rhythm? Researchers have studied indris, the 'singing primates' from Madagascar to learn more. Indri songs recorded in the wild have rhythmic categories similar to those found in human music. Finding common musical traits across species may shed light on the biology and evolution of rhythm and music. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3nxod1h

What if we could identify proteins as easily as we can sequence DNA and RNA? Perhaps soon we will, thanks to new DNA Nanoswitch Calipers. DNA Calipers create a unique 'fingerprint' for peptides (the building blocks of proteins) by repeatedly applying force to them to generate a series of distance measurements for each peptide. This innovation opens up a new avenue for pursuing the goal of single-cell proteomics, and enables potentially life-saving discoveries in human health and disease. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3ClQv5e

Sexual conflict in fruit flies is governed by specifically wired neurons in the brain which have been pinpointed by scientists. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bacgsT

We cannot see how plants sense force, at least not yet. But a discovery by plant biologists at Washington University in St. Louis will help make it possible to study how mechanical forces, such as gravity, affect the way that plant cells form and grow. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mgILfc

Scientists have revealed how bacteria make tiny liquid droplets from proteins to help them survive harsh environments and thus reduce their chances of being killed by antibiotics. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3pEdZPx

Preserving stem cells that go on to produce sperm and reimplanting them later can restore fertility for people who have undergone cancer treatments such as chemotherapy from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3vKPjpu

The Breakthrough Listen project detected radio waves that seemed to be the best candidate yet for an alien signal, but it turns out it was just human technology from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jzoDTZ

There's a widespread hypothesis that links the resilience of coral reefs with their remoteness from human activities -- the farther away they are from people, the more likely corals are to bounce back from disturbances. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mgsNBX

The black spruce is a common species in North American boreal forests and it needs wildfires to survive, but the blazes are now so frequent that the spruces are struggling from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3maEfyW

The cremation process destroys a lot of information that can usually be obtained from the human skeleton. Especially diseases are difficult to observe. Researchers have now found a way to reveal some of the information. For the first time, they have succeeded in detecting vitamin D deficiency in cremated human remains. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3mbBgGk

Researchers have harnessed the strength of bagworm silk to produce a strong conductive fiber. To obtain this novel fiber, the research team combined bagworm silk with polyaniline as a conducting polymer. The composite fibers act as an optical waveguide and are suitable for use in textile transistors. This production of a bagworm silk/polyaniline composite will enable the use of biocompatible conducting fibers for applications ranging from microelectronics to biomedical engineering. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2ZktpgG

The COP26 climate summit will be held in Glasgow from 31 October to 12 November and will include more than 100 heads of state, who will hash out timetables to limit carbon emissions and address other issues such as adaptations to climate change from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3meg56y

Eight hundred years of settlement history with land reforms, epidemics and repeated wars are preserved in the sediments of Lake Czechowskie in Poland. The key role was played by the so-called Margrave's Road, the 'Via Marchionis', between the Prussian heartland and the Teutonic Order's castle Marienburg (today Malbork in Poland). The road remained significant for centuries. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/311tiYk

El Salvador recently became the first country in the world to make bitcoin legal tender, but traders have been exploiting the state issued bitcoin "wallet app" to make a quick profit from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3nqT1AP

Limiting climate change to the 1.5°C target set by the Paris Climate Agreement will likely require coal and gas power use to decline at rates that are unprecedented for any large country, finds an analysis of decadal episodes of fossil fuel decline in 105 countries between 1960 and 2018. Furthermore, the findings suggest that the most rapid historical cases of fossil fuel decline occurred when oil was replaced by coal, gas, or nuclear power in response to energy security threats of the 1970s and the 1980s. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/2XJxB9t

A new study provides deep insights into how the brain's hippocampus works, involving networks of millions of neurons. That knowledge could be an important step toward the development of treatments for neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, schizophrenia and epilepsy, all of which are related to dysfunction in the hippocampus. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3bb5umK

Two tiny new species that inhabited part of what is now the American south some 100 million years ago have been discovered by paleontologists. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3GkpOjD

Just as humans may leave their home five minutes early to avoid a talkative neighbor or depart work late to avoid a rude coworker, carnivorous mammals may go out of their way to avoid other species. But they're not trying to navigate awkward social interactions; rather, they are negotiating space and resources for survival. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3C8MiBP

Bacteria rapidly modify mobile parts of their genome to develop resistance to viruses. from Top Environment News -- ScienceDaily https://ift.tt/3jzRPu5

The Breakthrough Listen project detected radio waves that seemed to be the best candidate yet for an alien signal, but it turns out it was just human technology from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jzoDTZ

Human music often has a natural rhythm to it, and the roots of that rhythm might stretch back to the ancestors we shared with indris, a type of lemur from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/2XLOfFq

Researchers have uncovered 478 ceremonial sites that were probably built by the Olmec and the Maya thousands of years ago from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jAQZwR

Preserving stem cells that go on to produce sperm and re-implanting them later can restore fertility for people who have undergone cancer treatments such as chemotherapy from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3vIgsJM

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/3Gu8GZ4

The Miller-Urey experiment showed how precursor molecules for life can be generated from simple chemicals – now we know the glass flask holding the mixture catalysed the reaction from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3pATZxm

The international climate summit in the UK is a big moment in the fight against global warming. In the spirit of optimism, we look forward to a successful outcome from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3jzhdQi

Ed Miliband was the UK’s climate minister at the Copenhagen climate summit in 2009. He talks to Adam Vaughan about the anarchy that ensues during such big events ahead of COP26 from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3B9XpJm

A neural network can turn a selection of photographs of a scene into a 3D world that can then be viewed from any angle, and could eventually be used in the movie industry from New Scientist - Home https://ift.tt/3EaHtZl