Science News
Digital Therapy for Prenatal Insomnia May Prevent Postpartum Depression
Neuroscience News - 6 Dec 2021 02:16
Digital cognitive behavioral therapy designed to curb insomnia during pregnancy reduces postpartum depression, researchers report.
Studies of Children's Stories Shows Differences in Russian and U.S. Approaches to Emotion
Neuroscience News - 6 Dec 2021 02:41
Russian children's books focus more heavily on negative human emotions, such as anger, sadness, and fear than books US parents are likely to expose their young children to.
Extreme lack of sea ice in Hudson Bay puts polar bears under pressure
New Scientist - 6 Dec 2021 22:54
Sea ice in Canada's Hudson Bay has been unusually late to refreeze, raising fears over the impact on polar bears waiting for sea ice so they can break their fasts and hunt seals
Dazzling photos of the solar eclipse from Antarctica
Live Science - 6 Dec 2021 20:46
Photos from the solar eclipse on Dec. 4, 2021 as seen from Antarctica.
Robots Evolve Bodies and Brains Like Animals in MIT's New AI Training Simulator
Singularity Hub - 6 Dec 2021 20:00
In their efforts to create smart robots, AI researchers have understandably tended to focus on the brains. But a group from MIT say AI can help us design better bodies for them too, and we should be doing both in paralle...
Omicron looks set to cause a huge wave of covid-19 around the world
New Scientist - 6 Dec 2021 19:17
It remains unclear whether the omicron coronavirus variant causes less severe disease, but even if this is true, hospitals could still be overwhelmed by the sheer number of cases
Researcher pushes limit of when water will freeze
Phys.org - 6 Dec 2021 18:31
Though it is one of the great mysteries of science, the transformation of water into ice often escapes people's minds as it is just assumed that's what happens. But how and why it happens is the subject of intense scruti...
Researchers crack the synthetic code of rare molecules sought after in drug development
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
A research team has succeeded in producing two molecules that are otherwise only formed by microorganisms from extremely contaminated wastewater in an abandoned mine in South Korea. The method, which took four years to d...
Long-range four-stranded DNA structures found to play a role in rare aging disease
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
A special form of four-stranded DNA, recently seen in human cells, has been found to interact with a gene that causes Cockayne Syndrome when faulty.
Minimal effort required: A ten-minute run can boost brain processing
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
Researchers found that as little as ten minutes of moderate-intensity running could benefit mental health. In study participants, both mood and cognitive functions improved, and the activation of bilateral prefrontal sub...
The sunshine vitamin that 'D'elivers on cardio health
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
Free from the sun, vitamin D delivers a natural source for one of the hormones essential to our bodies, especially the bones. But when you're down on this essential nutrient, it's not only your bones that could suffer, b...
Spaceflight wreaks havoc on liver metabolism
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
Researchers have demonstrated that microgravity and other environmental factors in space play different roles in inducing oxidative stress, which, in turn, alters the metabolism of sulfur-containing compounds in the live...
Glucose control is a key factor for reduced cancer risk in obesity and type 2 diabetes
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:30
Good glucose control is important for reduction of cancer risk in obesity and type 2 diabetes. Large durable weight loss, as such, appears to afford protection against cancer, but with good glucose control the number of ...
Discovering new drugs with help from Darwinian principles
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:29
Our body must constantly defend itself against bacteria and viruses. It generates millions of different antibodies, which are selected to recognise the enemy and trigger the best possible immune response. Scientists use ...
Global database of plants reveals human activity biggest driver of homogenization of plant communities
Science Daily - 6 Dec 2021 18:29
Researchers compile a dataset of over 200,000 plant species worldwide to demonstrate the extent to which species extinctions and non-native invasive plants reorganize plant communities in the Anthropocene revealing bioti...
Liquid crystals for fast switching devices
Phys.org - 6 Dec 2021 18:16
Liquid crystals are not solid, but some of their physical properties are directional--like in a crystal. This is because their molecules can arrange themselves into certain patterns. The best-known applications include f...
Migrating birds may be paler colours to help them keep cool
New Scientist - 6 Dec 2021 18:00
Overheating is a serious issue for birds flying long distances, and paler plumage that reflects more of the sun's heat may be one of the ways they cope
Older people who get cataracts removed have lower dementia risk
New Scientist - 6 Dec 2021 18:00
People who have cataracts can reduce their risk of developing dementia by about 30 per cent by undergoing surgery to restore their sight, although it's not clear why
Grape seed chemical allows mice to live longer by killing aged cells
New Scientist - 6 Dec 2021 18:00
A chemical derived from grape seeds selectively destroys worn-out cells in mice, allowing them to live 9 per cent longer than their untreated counterparts
X-ray laser reveals how radiation damage arises
Phys.org - 6 Dec 2021 17:16
An international research team has used the X-ray laser European XFEL to gain new insights into how radiation damage occurs in biological tissue. The study reveals in detail how water molecules are broken apart by high-e...
Lucy mission: NASA's asteroid explorer
Live Science - 6 Dec 2021 17:16
The NASA Lucy mission will explore ancient asteroids in the farthest reaches of the solar system. Here's how the NASA Lucy spacecraft will get the job done.
Study explores phase transitions in a confining dark sector using QCD simulations
Phys.org - 6 Dec 2021 17:00
Researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and Ohio state University recently carried out a study examining the possible effects of a first-order phase transition in a confining...