ScienceDaily

COVID-19 virus triggers antibodies from previous coronavirus infections, study finds

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:43:53 GMT

Results from a new study suggest the immune systems of people infected with COVID-19 may rely on antibodies created during infections from earlier coronaviruses to help fight the disease.

A sea of rubbish: Ocean floor landfills

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:43:20 GMT

The Messina Strait, a submarine bridge separating the island of Sicily from the Italian Peninsula, is the area with the largest marine litter density worldwide -- more than a million objects per square kilometre in some parts, according to a new review paper.

Drinking during COVID-19 up among people with anxiety and depression

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 16:32:15 GMT

People with anxiety and depression are more likely to report an increase in drinking during the COVID-19 pandemic than those without mental health issues, according to a new study.

50 million-year-old fossil assassin bug has unusually well-preserved genitalia

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:28:59 GMT

The fossilized insect is tiny and its genital capsule, called a pygophore, is roughly the length of a grain of rice. It is remarkable, scientists say, because the bug's physical characteristics -- from the bold banding pattern on its legs to the internal features of its genitalia -- are clearly visible and well-preserved. Recovered from the Green River Formation in present-day Colorado, the fossil represents a new genus and species of predatory insects known as assassin bugs.

One-dimensional quantum nanowires fertile ground for Majorana zero modes

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:28:52 GMT

One-dimensional quantum 'nanowires' - which have length, but no width or height - provide a unique environment for the formation and detection of a quasiparticle known as a Majorana zero mode, which are their own antimatter particle. A new advance in detection of these exotic quasiparticles has potential applications in fault-resistant topological quantum computers, and topological superconductivity.

A biological strategy reveals how efficient brain circuitry develops spontaneously

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:28:49 GMT

Researchers have explained how the regularly structured topographic maps in the visual cortex of the brain could arise spontaneously to efficiently process visual information. This research provides a new framework for understanding functional architectures in the visual cortex during early developmental stages.

Dinosaur-era sea lizard had teeth like a shark

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 15:28:31 GMT

New study identifies a bizarre new species suggesting that giant marine lizards thrived before the asteroid wiped them out 66 million years ago.

Money matters to happiness--perhaps more than previously thought

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:52:49 GMT

Money matters to happiness, perhaps more so than previously thought, according to new research. One potential reason: Higher earners feel an increased sense of control over life. 'Across decisions big and small, having more money gives a person more choices and a greater sense of autonomy,' he says.

New tool removes chemotherapy drugs from water systems

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:52:40 GMT

'What goes in, must come out' is a familiar refrain. It is especially pertinent to the challenges facing researchers who are investigating methods to remove chemicals and pharmaceuticals from public water systems. Cleaning products, organic dyes and pharmaceuticals are finding their ways into water bodies with wide-ranging negative implications to health and the environment, a mechanical engineer explains.

New approach emerges to better classify, treat brain tumors

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:52:24 GMT

A look at RNA tells us what our genes are telling our cells to do, and scientists say looking directly at the RNA of brain tumor cells appears to provide objective, efficient evidence to better classify a tumor and the most effective treatments.

Childhood neglect leaves generational imprint

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 13:52:22 GMT

Early life experiences can have an outsized effect on brain development and neurobiological health. New research is showing that those effects can be passed down to subsequent generations, reporting that the infant children of mothers who had experienced childhood emotional neglect displayed altered brain circuitry involved in fear responses and anxiety.

Fried food intake linked to heightened serious heart disease and stroke risk

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 03:57:21 GMT

Fried-food intake is linked to a heightened risk of major heart disease and stroke, finds a pooled analysis of the available research data.

Successive governments' approach to obesity policies has destined them to fail

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 03:57:13 GMT

Government obesity policies in England over the past three decades have largely failed because of problems with implementation, lack of learning from past successes or failures, and a reliance on trying to persuade individuals to change their behavior rather than tackling unhealthy environments.

Simple, cheap test can help save lives from colorectal cancer, study shows

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 03:57:10 GMT

New research has demonstrated that a simple, cheap test can help identify who is at risk of developing colorectal cancer, aiding early diagnosis and potentially saving lives.

Where COVID-19 hit hardest, sudden deaths outside the hospital increased, study finds

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:34 GMT

A study across New York City found that out-of-hospital sudden deaths follow the geographic distribution of SARS-CoV-2, suggesting an association between the two, investigators report.

A new archaeology for the Anthropocene era

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:32 GMT

Scantily clad tomb raiders and cloistered scholars piecing together old pots -- these are the kinds of stereotypes of archaeology that dominate public perception. Yet archaeology in the new millennium is a world away from these images. In a major new report, researchers probe a thoroughly modern and scientific discipline to understand how it is helping to address the considerable challenges of the Anthropocene.

Climate change will alter the position of the Earth's tropical rain belt

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:29 GMT

Researchers describe future changes to the tropical rain belt with expected climate change. The changes will cause droughts in large sections of the globe, threatening biodiversity and food security.

Inexpensive battery charges rapidly for electric vehicles, reduces range anxiety

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:26 GMT

Range anxiety, the fear of running out of power before being able to recharge an electric vehicle, may be a thing of the past, according to a team of engineers who are looking at lithium iron phosphate batteries that have a range of 250 miles with the ability to charge in 10 minutes.

A 'super-puff' planet like no other

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:24 GMT

Astronomers discover that the core mass of exoplanet WASP-107b is much lower than previously thought possible for a gas-giant planet.

Personalized brain stimulation alleviates severe depression symptoms

Mon, 18 Jan 2021 16:31:20 GMT

Targeted neuromodulation tailored to individual patients' distinctive symptoms is an increasingly common way of correcting misfiring brain circuits in people with epilepsy or Parkinson's disease. Now, scientists have demonstrated a novel personalized neuromodulation approach that -- at least in one patient -- was able to provide relief from symptoms of severe treatment-resistant depression within minutes.