Science & Technology

As mice watched movies, neuroscientists watched their brains to see how vision could be represented reliably. The answer is that consistency in representation is governed by a circuit of inhibitory neurons.

Engineers have created a solar-powered electrochemical reaction that not only uses wastewater to make ammonia — the second most-produced chemical in the world — but also achieves a solar-to-fuel efficiency that is 10 times better than any other compa…

Walking at least 7,000 steps a day reduced middle-aged people’s risk of premature death from all causes by 50% to 70%, compared to that of other middle-aged people who took fewer daily steps.

Chemists have discovered an efficient and sustainable way to produce iron-based metal organic framework (MOF) materials directly using renewable electricity at room temperature. Previously, MOFs — which have applications as catalysts, sensors and for …

Abnormal crosstalk between blood platelets and cells lining blood vessels is one cause of deadly organ damage in patients with severe COVID-19, a new study finds.

Tropical rain forests are becoming fragmented at a higher rate than expected. By analyzing high-resolution satellite data, researchers were able to measure even the smallest piece of tropical forest and study the changes in tropical fragmentation. In a…

A study identifies a new molecular pathway that promotes the healing of wounds in the skin.

Researchers examined the differences in prefrontal cortex (PFC) activation between two distinct drawing tasks in virtual reality. Results of the study indicated significant differences between a rote tracing task and a creative self-expression task, wi…

Various strategies can help people with Parkinson’s who have difficulty walking, but a new study finds that many people have never heard of or tried these strategies. The study also found that how well different compensation strategies worked depended …

Researchers found that breastfeeding mothers who received either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna vaccination reported the same local or systemic symptoms as what has been previously reported in non-breastfeeding women, with no serious side effects in th…

Researchers have developed electrically-driven soft valves to control hydraulic soft actuators. These valves could be used in assistive and therapeutic devices, bio-inspired soft robots, soft grippers, surgical robots, and more.

Spectacular ice age landscapes beneath the North Sea have been discovered using 3D seismic reflection technology. Similar to MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) the images reveal in unprecedented detail huge seafloor channels – each one 10 times wider tha…

The conditions under which early members of the genus Homo dispersed outside Africa were analysed on a broader scale, across Europe during the Early and Middle Pleistocene. The model is based on the comparison of functional trait distribution of large …

Setting fire to forest and agricultural land in Southeast Asia to prepare it for cultivation or grazing causes air pollution that is contributing to an estimated 59,000 premature deaths a year, according to a new study.

Good sleep-time recovery is associated with a health-promoting diet and health-promoting eating habits, as well as with lower consumption of alcohol, according to a new study investigating psychological and physiological well-being among working-age Fi…

Results from a new study reinforce the notion that dementia with Lewy bodies can be pathologically classified into two different disease types.

Researchers induced substantial motion of oxide ions within perovskite crystals by using pulses of ultraviolet light. Such motion provides a means to store energy in the crystals. This development will help researchers improve the functionality of soli…

Researchers have developed a stretchable anisotropic conductive film (S-ACF) for electrical interfacing in high-resolution stretchable circuits.

Researchers have determined that enhanced bone resorption activity due to a faulty immune response may underpin multifocal osteomyelitis — painful, chronic bone infections — in children with MSMD, a rare genetic condition resulting from a range of im…

A new dinosaur from the lower Upper Cretaceous of Uzbekistan, Ulughbegsaurus uzbekistanensis, was described from a single maxilla fossil. The research team estimated that this carcharodontosaurian weighed over 1000 kg and measured 7.5–8.0 meters in le…