Science & Technology
Climate change from the ground up: Researchers explore sea level rise impact on building foundations
Researchers have considered how flooding from rising sea levels and storm surges will damage the built environment along the coast, but what about climate change’s less noticeable impacts below the surface? A new study by civil engineers examines the h…
Algorithm sheds new light on ICU patients’ consciousness
Researchers have developed a new algorithm that can accurately track a patient’s level of consciousness, easing strain on clinicians and enabling new treatments.
Pythons are true choke artists
Biologists have found that it’s not just the size of its head and body that puts almost everything on a Burmese python’s menu. They evolved super-stretchy skin between their lower jaws that allows them to consume prey up to six times larger than simila…
NASA’s Perseverance rover investigates geologically rich Mars terrain
NASA’s Perseverance rover is well into its second science campaign, collecting rock-core samples from features within an area long considered by scientists to be a top prospect for finding signs of ancient microbial life on Mars.
Novel analysis shows the experience of reward increases connectivity between the default mode network and other brain regions
In line with other studies, during the reward-processing task, researchers observed decreased activation of the default mode network (DMN) and relative increased activation of other networks.
Even smartest AI models don’t match human visual processing
Deep convolutional neural networks (DCNNs) don’t see objects the way humans do — using configural shape perception — and that could be dangerous in real-world AI applications. The study employed novel visual stimuli called ‘Frankensteins’ to explore …
The magneto-optic modulator
Many state-of-the-art technologies work at incredibly low temperatures. Superconducting microprocessors and quantum computers promise to revolutionize computation, but scientists need to keep them just above absolute zero (-459.67° Fahrenheit) to prote…
Does exercise drive development? In the sea anemone, the way you move matters
Researchers employed interdisciplinary approaches to show how sea anemone ‘exercise’ changes their developing size and shape, uncovering an intimate relationship between behavior and body development. With expertise in live imaging, computational metho…
Data science reveals universal rules shaping cells’ power stations
Researchers have used data science and computational biology to show that the same ‘rules’ have shaped how mitochondria and chloroplasts have evolved throughout life’s history.
New test can ID patients at risk of severe COVID-19, study finds
The information could help doctors identify patients at high risk for poor outcomes and quickly begin tailored treatment.
Infants, young children finally get relief from eczema’s terrible itch
The first study to treat moderate-to-severe eczema in infants and children 6 months to 5 years old with a biologic drug rather than immune-suppressing medications shows the drug was highly effective in reducing the signs and symptoms of eczema. More th…
COVID-19: One in three infected but unvaccinated persons no longer have detectable antibodies one year after the infection
A prospective seroprevalence study in the Catalan population underlines the need to get vaccinated despite having been infected, and confirms that hybrid immunity (vaccination plus infection) is more robust and long-lasting.
Feeling out of equilibrium in a dual geometric world
Researchers have extended the utility of chemical reaction network theory beyond systems in equilibrium using a mathematical dual geometrical representation. This work may shed light on the nonequilibrium behavior of reaction networks in chemistry and …
Gut microbes and humans on a joint evolutionary journey
Researchers discover simultaneous evolutionary history of gut microbes with their human hosts over hundreds of thousands of years.
A new holographic microscope allows scientists to see through the skull and image the brain
A new holographic microscope allows scientists to see through the skull and image the brain. The new label-free deep-tissue imaging with the wave correction algorithm retrieves the fine neural network of the mouse brain with the intact skull by focusin…
Is it really healthy to restrict protein intake for kidney transplant recipients?
It is commonly believed that patients with chronic kidney disease should limit their protein intake given that excessive protein worsens kidney function. However, a new study indicates that changes in skeletal muscle mass are positively correlated with…
An unstable, flake-like network in the making
During development, the cells of an embryo divide until a fully functional organism emerges. One component of the cell is especially important during this process: the cell cortex. This fine network of hair-like filament structures (called actin) just …
The physics of the premature lung: Why mechanical ventilation can harm preterm lungs
In Germany, about ten per cent of all children are born before the 37th week of pregnancy and are thus considered premature. Many of these premature babies require help with breathing due to their underdeveloped lungs. However, clinical practice shows …
Mexican mangroves have been capturing carbon for 5,000 years
Researchers have identified a new reason to protect mangrove forests: they’ve been quietly keeping carbon out of Earth’s atmosphere for the past 5,000 years.