Eurekalert


The premier online source for science news since 1996. A service of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Updated: 3 years 9 months ago
Eating disorder behaviors alter reward response in the brain
A new NIMH-supported study found that eating disorder behaviors alter the brain's reward response process and food intake control circuitry, which can reinforce the behaviors.
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Harvard-led researchers document quantum melting of Wigner Crystals
Almost 90 years later, a team of physicists co-led by Hongkun Park and Eugene Demler in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences has finally experimentally document quantum melting of Wigner Crystals.
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Some brain disorders exhibit similar circuit malfunctions
MIT neuroscientists have uncovered a common neural mechanism for cognitive impairments seen in some people with autism and schizophrenia, even though the genetic variations that produce the impairments are different for each disorder.
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Sanaria vaccine results show unprecedented progress in battle against variant malaria
In an article published today in Nature, Sanaria's PfSPZ-CVac (CQ) vaccine is reported as being safe and protecting 100% of six subjects against a variant malaria parasite three months after their last dose in the company's Phase 1 safety and efficacy trial. This is the first time complete protection against a variant malaria parasite has ever been achieved that long after vaccine administration.
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Ecology: Deforestation threatens one of the world's largest eagles
Harpy eagles (Harpia harpyja) - which are among the world's largest eagle species - struggle to feed offspring in heavily deforested areas of the Amazon, according to a study published in Scientific Reports.
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New beetle found in fossil feces attributed to dinosaur ancestor
The tiny beetle Triamyxa coprolithica is the first-ever insect to be described from fossil feces. The animal the researchers have to thank for the excellent preservation was probably the dinosaur ancestor Silesaurus opolensis, which 230 million years ago ingested the small beetle in large numbers.
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Embryo freezing for IVF appears linked to blood pressure problems in pregnancy
A large cohort study drawn from the national IVF registry of France, which included almost 70,000 pregnancies delivered after 22 weeks gestation between 2013 and 2018, has found a higher risk of pre-eclampsia and hypertension in pregnancies derived from frozen-thawed embryos. This risk was found significantly greater in those treatments in which the uterus was prepared for implantation with hormone replacement therapies. The results confirm with real-life data what has been observed in sub-groups of patients in other studies.
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Researchers look to human 'social sensors' to better predict elections and other trends
Researchers can gather highly accurate information about social trends and groups by asking about a person's social circle rather than interrogating their own individual beliefs.
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During epic migrations, great snipes fly at surprising heights by day and lower by night
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. The findings appear June 30 in the journal Current Biology.
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New beetle species found pristinely preserved in fossilized dropping of dinosaur ancestor
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. The finding appears June 30 in the journal Current Biology.
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Breakthrough for tracking RNA with fluorescence
Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have succeeded in developing a method to label mRNA molecules, and thereby follow, in real time, their path through cells, using a microscope - without affecting their properties or subsequent activity. The breakthrough could be of great importance in facilitating the development of new RNA-based medicines.
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In-situ structural evolution of Zr-doped Na<sub>3</sub>V<sub>2</sub>(PO<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>F<sub>3</sub> coated by N-doped carbon for SIB
Analysis of the nanostructure and in-situ structural evolution of Zr-doped NVPF completely coated with nitrogen-doped carbon.
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Reducing need for blood transfusion during heart surgery is focus of new practice guideline
Four leading medical specialty societies released a new clinical practice guideline that includes recommendations for reducing blood loss during heart surgery and improving patient outcomes. The document is a multidisciplinary collaboration among The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the American Society of ExtraCorporeal Technology, and the Society for the Advancement of Patient Blood Management.
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Discovery of the role of a key gene in the development of ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, attacks nerve cells known as motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, gradually leading to paralysis. The loss of function of an important gene, C9orf72, may affect communication between motor neurons and muscles in people with this disease. These findings were revealed by the team of Dr Kessen Patten of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS) in the prestigious journal Communications Biology.
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Slowing down grape ripening can improve berry quality for winemaking
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 reporting in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 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.
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The Southern diet - fried foods and sugary drinks - may raise risk of sudden cardiac death
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.
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Wildfire changes songbird plumage and testosterone
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.
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Scientists intensify electrolysis, utilize carbon dioxide more efficiently with magnets
A promising approach captures atmospheric carbon dioxide and then through CO2 electrolysis converts it into value-added chemicals and intermediates, like ethanol. Reducing the energy consumption of this high-power process has been underexplored. In ACS Energy Letters, researchers from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign report a new opportunity to use magnetism to reduce the energy required for CO2 electrolysis by up to 60% in a flow electrolyzer.
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Oncotarget: mTORC1 and PLK1 inhibition in adenocarcinoma NSCLC
All these preclinical data strongly suggest that the inhibition of mTORC1 and PLK1 proteins may be a promising therapeutic approach for NSCLC patients
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'There may not be a conflict after all' in expanding universe debate
Our universe is expanding, but our two main ways to measure how fast this expansion is happening have resulted in different answers. But in a new review paper accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, Freedman gives an overview of the most recent observations. Her conclusion: the latest observations are beginning to close the gap. That is, there may not be a conflict after all, and our standard model of the universe does not need to be significantly modified.
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