Science news

• Astronomers estimate 29 potentially habitable exoplanets may have received signals from Earth

  25-06-2021 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A new study has released a list of potentially habitable planets that may have already received a signal from Earth, may be receiving them now, or will within 5,000 years.
  
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• NIST method uses radio signals to image hidden and speeding objects

  25-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)) Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and Wavsens LLC have developed a method for using radio signals to create real-time images and videos of hidden and moving objects, which could help firefighters find escape routes or victims inside buildings filled with fire and smoke. The technique could also help track hypersonic objects such as missiles and space debris.
  
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• COVID-linked multi-system inflammatory syndrome in children diagnosed more in Black and Latino child

  25-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Children's National Hospital) Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C) significantly affected more Black and Latino children than white children, with Black children at the highest risk, according to a new observational study of 124 pediatric patients treated at Children's National Hospital in Washington, D.C. Researchers also found cardiac complications, including systolic myocardial dysfunction and valvular regurgitation, were more common in MIS-C patients who were critically ill
  
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• Can a calculator predict your risk of dementia?

  25-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (The Ottawa Hospital) Researchers have built and validated an online calculator that empowers individuals 55 and over to better understand the health of their brain and how they can reduce their risk of being diagnosed with dementia in the next five years.
  
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• Cancer Clues Found in Gene behind 'Lemon Frost' Gecko Color

  24-06-2021 20:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Research has solved a macabre mystery, and the finding could one day help efforts to catch human melanomas earlier-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Ubiquitination of G3BP1 mediates stress granule disassembly in a context-specific manner

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Stress granules are dynamic, reversible condensates composed of RNA and protein that assemble in eukaryotic cells in response to a variety of stressors and are normally disassembled after stress is removed. The composition and assembly of stress granules is well understood, but little is known about the mechanisms that govern disassembly. Impaired disassembly has been implicated in some diseases including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, and multisystem proteinopathy. Usin
  
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• Ubiquitination is essential for recovery of cellular activities after heat shock

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Eukaryotic cells respond to stress through adaptive programs that include reversible shutdown of key cellular processes, the formation of stress granules, and a global increase in ubiquitination. The primary function of this ubiquitination is thought to be for tagging damaged or misfolded proteins for degradation. Here, working in mammalian cultured cells, we found that different stresses elicited distinct ubiquitination patterns. For heat stress, ubiquitination targeted specific proteins associ
  
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• Transformative climate adaptation in the United States: Trends and prospects

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  As climate change intensifies, civil society is increasingly calling for transformative adaptation that redresses drivers of climate vulnerability. We review trends in how US federal government, private industry, and civil society are planning for climate adaptation. We find growing divergence in their approaches and impacts. This incoherence increases maladaptive investment in climate-blind infrastructure, justice-blind reforms in financial and professional sectors, and greater societal vulnera
  
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• The lysosomal Rag-Ragulator complex licenses RIPK1- and caspase-8-mediated pyroptosis by Yersinia

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Host cells initiate cell death programs to limit pathogen infection. Inhibition of transforming growth factor–β–activated kinase 1 (TAK1) by pathogenic Yersinia in macrophages triggers receptor-interacting serine-threonine protein kinase 1 (RIPK1)–dependent caspase-8 cleavage of gasdermin D (GSDMD) and inflammatory cell death (pyroptosis). A genome-wide CRISPR screen to uncover mediators of caspase-8–dependent pyroptosis identified an unexpected role of the lysosomal
  
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• Stacking-engineered ferroelectricity in bilayer boron nitride

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectrics with robust polarization down to atomic thicknesses provide building blocks for functional heterostructures. Experimental realization remains challenging because of the requirement of a layered polar crystal. Here, we demonstrate a rational design approach to engineering 2D ferroelectrics from a nonferroelectric parent compound by using van der Waals assembly. Parallel-stacked bilayer boron nitride exhibits out-of-plane electric polarization that reverses depe
  
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• Prior SARS-CoV-2 infection rescues B and T cell responses to variants after first vaccine dose

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine rollout has coincided with the spread of variants of concern. We investigated whether single-dose vaccination, with or without prior infection, confers cross-protective immunity to variants. We analyzed T and B cell responses after first-dose vaccination with the Pfizer/BioNTech messenger RNA vaccine BNT162b2 in health care workers (HCW) followed longitudinally, with or without prior Wuhan-Hu-1 SARS-CoV-2 infection. After one d
  
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• Pressure-driven fusion of amorphous particles into integrated monoliths

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Biological organisms can use amorphous precursors to produce inorganic skeletons with continuous structures through complete particle fusion. Synthesizing monoliths is much more difficult because sintering techniques can destroy continuity and limit mechanical strength. We manufactured inorganic monoliths of amorphous calcium carbonate by the fusion of particles while regulating structurally bound water and external pressure. Our monoliths are transparent, owing to their structural continuity, w
  
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• mRNA vaccination boosts cross-variant neutralizing antibodies elicited by SARS-CoV-2 infection

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants have raised concerns about resistance to neutralizing antibodies elicited by previous infection or vaccination. We examined whether sera from recovered and naïve donors, collected before and after immunizations with existing messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines, could neutralize the Wuhan-Hu-1 and B.1.351 variants. Prevaccination sera from recovered donors neutralized Wuhan-Hu-1 and sporadically neutralized B.1.351, bu
  
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• Middle Pleistocene Homo behavior and culture at 140,000 to 120,000 years ago and interactions with Homo sapiens

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Fossils of a Middle Pleistocene (MP) Homo within a well-defined archaeological context at the open-air site of Nesher Ramla, Israel, shed light on MP Homo culture and behavior. Radiometric ages, along with cultural and stratigraphic considerations, suggest that the fossils are 140,000 to 120,000 years old, chronologically overlapping with H. sapiens in western Asia. Lithic analysis reveals that MP Homo mastered stone-tool production technologies, previously known only among H. sapiens and Neande
  
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• MeCP2 is a microsatellite binding protein that protects CA repeats from nucleosome invasion

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  The Rett syndrome protein MeCP2 was described as a methyl-CpG-binding protein, but its exact function remains unknown. Here we show that mouse MeCP2 is a microsatellite binding protein that specifically recognizes hydroxymethylated CA repeats. Depletion of MeCP2 alters chromatin organization of CA repeats and lamina-associated domains and results in nucleosome accumulation on CA repeats and genome-wide transcriptional dysregulation. The structure of MeCP2 in complex with a hydroxymethylated CA r
  
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• MBD5 and MBD6 couple DNA methylation to gene silencing through the J-domain protein SILENZIO

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  DNA methylation is associated with transcriptional repression of eukaryotic genes and transposons, but the downstream mechanism of gene silencing is largely unknown. Here, we describe two Arabidopsis thaliana methyl-CpG–binding domain proteins, MBD5 and MBD6, that are recruited to chromatin by recognition of CG methylation, and redundantly repress a subset of genes and transposons without affecting DNA methylation levels. These methyl readers recruit a J-domain protein, SILENZIO, that acts
  
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• Interfacial ferroelectricity by van der Waals sliding

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Despite their partial ionic nature, many-layered diatomic crystals avoid internal electric polarization by forming a centrosymmetric lattice at their optimal van der Waals stacking. Here, we report a stable ferroelectric order emerging at the interface between two naturally grown flakes of hexagonal boron nitride, which are stacked together in a metastable non-centrosymmetric parallel orientation. We observe alternating domains of inverted normal polarization, caused by a lateral shift of one la
  
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• First-principles design of a single-atom-alloy propane dehydrogenation catalyst

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  The complexity of heterogeneous catalysts means that a priori design of new catalytic materials is difficult, but the well-defined nature of single-atom–alloy catalysts has made it feasible to perform unambiguous theoretical modeling and precise surface science experiments. Herein we report the theory-led discovery of a rhodium-copper (RhCu) single-atom–alloy catalyst for propane dehydrogenation to propene. Although Rh is not generally considered for alkane dehydrogenation, first-pri
  
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• Face masks effectively limit the probability of SARS-CoV-2 transmission

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Airborne transmission by droplets and aerosols is important for the spread of viruses. Face masks are a well-established preventive measure, but their effectiveness for mitigating severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission is still under debate. We show that variations in mask efficacy can be explained by different regimes of virus abundance and are related to population-average infection probability and reproduction number. For SARS-CoV-2, the viral load of infect
  
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• Discovery of a Cooper-pair density wave state in a transition-metal dichalcogenide

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Pair density wave (PDW) states are defined by a spatially modulating superconductive order parameter. To search for such states in transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), we used high-speed atomic-resolution scanned Josephson-tunneling microscopy. We detected a PDW state whose electron-pair density and energy gap modulate spatially at the wave vectors of the preexisting charge density wave (CDW) state. The PDW couples linearly to both the s-wave superconductor and the CDW and exhibits commensur
  
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• A tautomeric ligand enables directed C-H hydroxylation with molecular oxygen

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  Hydroxylation of aryl carbon–hydrogen bonds with transition metal catalysts has proven challenging when oxygen is used as the oxidant. Here, we report a palladium complex bearing a bidentate pyridine/pyridone ligand that efficiently catalyzes this reaction at ring positions adjacent to carboxylic acids. Infrared, x-ray, and computational analysis support a possible role of ligand tautomerization from mono-anionic (L,X) to neutral (L,L) coordination in the catalytic cycle of aerobic carbon&
  
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• A Middle Pleistocene Homo from Nesher Ramla, Israel

  24-06-2021 19:41 via science.sciencemag.org
  It has long been believed that Neanderthals originated and flourished on the European continent. However, recent morphological and genetic studies have suggested that they may have received a genetic contribution from a yet unknown non-European group. Here we report on the recent discovery of archaic Homo fossils from the site of Nesher Ramla, Israel, which we dated to 140,000 to 120,000 years ago. Comprehensive qualitative and quantitative analyses of the parietal bones, mandible, and lower sec
  
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• Gut Reactions: Microbes in the Digestive Tract Influence COVID Severity

  24-06-2021 19:30 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Our resident bacteria help regulate the immune system and response to infections-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Driverless shuttle bus hits the road at University of Waterloo campus

  24-06-2021 19:19 via cbc.ca
  
  Students at the University of Waterloo will soon be able to ride to class in style — on a driverless shuttle dubbed the “WATonoBus.”
  
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• Why Are People with Obesity More Vulnerable to COVID?

  24-06-2021 19:15 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Chronic inflammation and immune breakdown appear to be key reasons-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Can Vitamin D Help Protect against COVID?

  24-06-2021 19:00 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Some studies suggest an impact, particularly for those who are vitamin-deficient. But for now, the jury is out-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Sask. First Nation announces discovery of 751 unmarked graves near former residential school

  24-06-2021 16:15 via cbc.ca
  
  The chiefs of the Cowessess First Nation and the Federation of Sovereign Indigenous Nations spoke about the discovery of a "substantial" number of unmarked graves at the site of the Marieval Indian Residential School in Saskatchewan.
  
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• It's Not You, It's COVID: Couples Who Blamed Pandemic for Tensions Stayed Happier

  24-06-2021 12:45 via rss.sciam.com
  
  Pinning stress on the coronavirus helped couples cope and remain resilient-- Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
  
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• Volunteers scramble to save trees from gypsy moth caterpillars

  24-06-2021 10:00 via cbc.ca
  
  A group of volunteers will spend the next several months on the hunt for gypsy moth caterpillars in one Ottawa park as the invasive insects defoliate trees across the city.
  
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• Climate change: Large-scale CO2 removal facility set for Scotland

  24-06-2021 09:53 via bbc.co.uk
  
  A plant that could remove the equivalent to 40 million trees every year is planned for Scotland.
  
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• With age, insufficient tryptophan alters gut microbiota, increases inflammation

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University) With age, a diet lacking in the essential amino acid tryptophan -- which has a key role in our mood, energy level and immune response --makes the gut microbiome less protective and increases inflammation body-wide, investigators report.
  
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• Versatile, fast and reliable SARS-CoV-2 antibody assay

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Technical University of Munich (TUM)) During the continued progression of the Corona pandemic, rapid, inexpensive, and reliable tests will become increasingly important to determine whether people have the associated antibodies - either through infection or vaccination. Researchers at the Technical University of Munich (TUM) have now developed such a rapid antibody test. It provides the result in only eight minutes; the aim is to further reduce the process time to four minutes.
  
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• Updated analysis of US COVID-19 deaths shows drops, disparities in average lifespans

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Southern California) In the US, COVID-19 reduced overall life expectancy by over 1.3 years, with the effects on Black and Latino populations 2 to 3 times those for the white population.
  
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• UN-endorsed CityU project on monitoring global estuaries

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (City University of Hong Kong) The State Key Laboratory of Marine Pollution (SKLMP) at City University of Hong Kong (CityU) has been endorsed by the United Nations (UN) to initiate a ten-year 'Global Estuaries Monitoring (GEM)' Programme to collect and study environmental pollutants in the estuaries of major cities around the globe so as to formulate a long-term policy of promoting clean estuaries.
  
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• Ultralight material withstands supersonic microparticle impacts

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) Engineers at MIT, Caltech, and ETH Zürich find "nanoarchitected" materials designed from precisely patterned nanoscale structures may be a promising route to lightweight armor, protective coatings, blast shields, and other impact-resistant materials.
  
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• Throwing shade: Measuring how much trees, buildings cool cities

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Ohio State University) When the summer sun blazes on a hot city street, our first reaction is to flee to a shady spot protected by a building or tree.A new study is the first to calculate exactly how much these shaded areas help lower the temperature and reduce the "urban heat island" effect.
  
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• The quiet of pandemic-era lockdowns allowed some pumas to venture closer to urban areas

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of California - Santa Cruz) Researchers were able to clearly connect declining levels of human mobility during regional shelter-in-place orders with pumas' increased willingness to utilize more urban habitat areas.
  
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• The job you want vs. the job you get

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Houston) The perfect job may remain elusive according to new research from the University of Houston which points to major discrepancies between young people's dream jobs and employment realities.
  
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• The fifth quartet: Excited neon discovery could reveal star qualities

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Osaka University) Researchers at Osaka University and Kyoto University show that an excited state previously predicted to exist in neon-20 is real by using particle scattering experiments. By merging into five groups of four, the protons and neutrons in neon-20 can exist in a special condensed state. This work may help scientists understand low-density nucleon many-body systems and neutron stars.
  
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• Study suggests scientists may need to rethink which genes control aging

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke) National Institutes of Health researchers fed fruit flies antibiotics and monitored the lifetime activity of hundreds of genes that scientists have traditionally thought control aging. To their surprise, the antibiotics not only extended the lives of the flies but also dramatically changed the activity of many of these genes. Their results suggested that only about 30% of the genes traditionally associated with aging set an animal's i
  
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• Study highlights racial inequity in health care access, quality

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (North Carolina State University) A recent study finds states that exhibit higher levels of systemic racism also have pronounced racial disparities regarding access to health care. In short, the more racist a state was, the better access white people had -- and the worse access black people had.
  
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• Study explores potential restoration of traditional practices tied to endangered species

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Guam) Are the traditional practices tied to endangered species at risk of being lost? The answer is yes, according to the authors of an ethnographic study published in the University of Guam peer-reviewed journal Pacific Asia Inquiry. But the authors also say a recovery plan can protect both the species as well as the traditional CHamoru practice of consuming them.
  
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• Study examines 'red flag' gun laws and state efforts to block local legislation

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (New York University) "Red flag" gun laws--which allow law enforcement to temporarily remove firearms from a person at risk of harming themselves or others--are gaining attention at the state and federal levels, but are under scrutiny by legislators who deem them unconstitutional. A new analysis by legal scholars at NYU School of Global Public Health describes the state-by-state landscape for red flag legislation and how it may be an effective tool to reduce gun violence, while simultaneously pr
  
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• Spreading of infections = need for collaboration between biology and physics

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Copenhagen - Faculty of Science) Researchers at the Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, together with epidemiologist Lone Simonsen from Roskilde University form part of the panel advising the Danish government on how to tackle the different infection-spreading situations we have all seen unfold over the past year. Researchers have modelled the spread of infections under a variety of scenarios, and the Coronavirus has proven to not follow the older models of disease spr
  
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• Some good news for those with migraines

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Toronto) A new study from researchers at the University of Toronto found that 63% of Canadians with migraine headaches are able to flourish, despite the painful condition.
  
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• Solar System samples touch down in Leicester

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Leicester) Samples from other worlds will be examined by space scientists at the University of Leicester as they continue to study the building blocks of the Solar System.
  
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• Serving larger portions of veggies may increase young kids' veggie consumption

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Penn State) It can be difficult to get young kids to eat enough vegetables, but a new Penn State study found that simply adding more veggies to their plates resulted in children consuming more vegetables at the meal.
  
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• Searching for the cell of origin of childhood brain cancer

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (Università di Trento) Promising findings from a study coordinated by a research team of the University of Trento on medulloblastoma, the most common malignant brain tumor in children affecting the central nervous system. For the first time, scientists have grown organoids in the laboratory to simulate tumor tissue, and have identified the type of cell from which the tumor may originate.
  
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• Scientists unveil new sound blind which reduces noise while allowing air to flow freely

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (University of Sussex) A pioneering material that gives unprecedented control on sound and noise is to be trialed in hospitals and other noisy locations such as beside motorways.
  
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• Scientists explain the behaviour of the optical emission of blazars

  24-06-2021 06:00 via eurekalert.org
  
  (St. Petersburg State University) Researchers from St Petersburg University have analysed data from optical telescopes covering more than eight years and managed to explain the mechanism of polarisation plane rotations in blazars.
  
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