‘Denoising’ a noisy ocean: Researchers use machine learning to listen for specific fish sounds
Come mating season, fishes off the California coast sing songs of love in the evenings and before sunrise. They vocalize not so much as lone crooners but in choruses, in some cases loud enough to be heard from land. It’s a technique of romance shared by frogs, insects, whales, and other animals when the time is right. ⌘ Read more

Neural network learns how to identify chromatid cohesion defects
Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have used machine learning to automate the identification of defects in sister chromatid cohesion. They trained a convolutional neural network (CNN) with microscopy images of individual stained chromosomes, identified by researchers as having or not having cohesion defects. After training, it was able to successfully classify 73.1% of new images. Automation promises better statistic … ⌘ Read more

Study examines potential use of machine learning for sustainable development of biomass
Biomass is widely considered a renewable alternative to fossil fuels, and many experts say it can play a critical role in combating climate change. Biomass stores carbon and can be turned into bio-based products and energy that can be used to improve soil, treat wastewater, and produce renewable feedstock. ⌘ Read more

Kangaroo fecal microbes could reduce methane from cows
Baby kangaroo feces might help provide an unlikely solution to the environmental problem of cow-produced methane. A microbial culture developed from the kangaroo feces inhibited methane production in a cow stomach simulator in a Washington State University study. ⌘ Read more

Flies smell the motion of odors and use it to navigate, study finds
The survival of all animals and insects, from wolves to bees, depends upon their ability to find the source of odors, which is a challenge when wind disperses and obscures their source. Past research has shown that animals and insects navigate their way to these targets by sensing the intensity of odors and tracking back in the opposite direction of the wind. ⌘ Read more

New pterosaur species identified in sub-Saharan Africa
With wings spanning nearly 16 feet, a new species of pterosaurs has been identified from the Atlantic coast of Angola. ⌘ Read more

Genome sequencing supports Nile rat animal model for diabetes research
Model organisms are essential for biomedical research and have enabled many important scientific discoveries. The ability to sequence the genomes of these models is a powerful tool to study the genetic factors that impact human health. ⌘ Read more

Surprisingly, these microRNAs boost—rather than dampen—protein expression
MicroRNAs can play a role in cancer development and are thought to exclusively suppress protein expression in dividing cells, such as tumor cells. But new research published in ACS Central Science shows that some of these tiny molecules can elevate the expression of a particular gene in dividing human cells and in cancer cells, challenging conventional wisdom. ⌘ Read more

NASA Moon rocket launch delayed again, this time by storm
NASA again rescheduled its long-delayed uncrewed mission to the Moon on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Nicole churned toward the east coast of Florida, officials said. ⌘ Read more

Are new antiseptics safer than their antimicrobial predecessors?
A new study in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry has found that substances used in antiseptics that replaced high-use antimicrobials appear to have little to no adverse effects at concentrations found in the environment. ⌘ Read more

Does racial resentment motivate confidence in false beliefs?
A new study in Social Science Quarterly found that racial resentment plays a strong role in leading Americans to express confidence in misinformed beliefs about policy issues associated with race or evaluated through racial lenses—such as human-caused climate change or the origins of the COVID-19 pandemic—but not on less racialized issues—such as the safety of childhood vaccines. ⌘ Read more

Air pollution threatens natural pest control methods in sustainable farming
When fields of oilseed rape are exposed to diesel exhaust and/or ozone—both found in emissions from diesel burning vehicles and industry—the number of parasitic insects available to control aphids drops significantly, according to research published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B today. ⌘ Read more

Being light-skinned can lead to ‘reverse colorism’ in many parts of the world
Racism is often debated, discussed and analyzed in politics, the classroom and the workplace. ⌘ Read more

First ‘Run 3’ physics result from the Large Hadron Collider’s compact muon solenoid
On July 5, the LHC roared to life for its third run after three years of continual improvements to the machine as well as to the experiments’ detectors and analysis tools, and immediately reached a record energy of 13.6 TeV. Just three weeks later, the compact muon solenoid (CMS) collaboration was ready for its physics data-taking period. ⌘ Read more

Researchers develop a material that mimics how the brain stores information
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) researchers have developed a magnetic material capable of imitating the way the brain stores information. The material makes it possible to emulate the synapses of neurons and mimic, for the first time, the learning that occurs during deep sleep. ⌘ Read more

Four common misconceptions about quantum physics
Quantum mechanics, the theory which rules the microworld of atoms and particles, certainly has the X factor. Unlike many other areas of physics, it is bizarre and counter-intuitive, which makes it dazzling and intriguing. When the 2022 Nobel prize in physics was awarded to Alain Aspect, John Clauser and Anton Zeilinger for research shedding light on quantum mechanics, it sparked excitement and discussion. ⌘ Read more

Summer camps promote altruism in children, study finds
Be able to control oneself, cooperate or help others: having socio-emotional abilities is essential for those who wish to interact positively with their peers. These skills are largely acquired during childhood and can be trained in different contexts, such as school, family or leisure. ⌘ Read more

Satellites help scientists track dramatic wetlands loss in Louisiana
New research uses NASA satellite observations and advanced computing to chronicle wetlands lost (and found) around the globe. ⌘ Read more

Piggy in the middle: Pig aggression reduced when a bystander pig steps in
A small study suggests that when two pigs are fighting, a bystander pig can intervene to either reduce the number of attacks by the aggressor or to help reduce the anxiety of the victim. The study of 104 domestic pigs, published in the journal Animal Cognition, reveals the complex social groups that pigs form and how they may resolve conflict. ⌘ Read more

Entomologists issue warning about effects of climate change on insects
In a new scientific review, a team of 70 scientists from 19 countries warned that if no steps are taken to shield insects from the consequences of climate change, it will “drastically reduce our ability to build a sustainable future based on healthy, functional ecosystems.” ⌘ Read more

New radio-loud high-redshift quasar discovered
European astronomers report the detection of a new powerful radio-loud quasar at a redshift of about 5.32. The newfound object, designated PSO J191.05696+86.43172, turns out to be one of the brightest radio quasars identified at such a high redshift. The finding is reported in a paper published October 26 on arXiv.org. ⌘ Read more

Atmosphere of excitement as Europe’s JWST astronomers study climate on other planets
The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), launched on Christmas Day 2021, is already transforming our understanding of planets in our solar system and far beyond. A versatile satellite observatory, JWST has a clear-eyed view from its orbital position, 1.5 million km away from Earth in space. This gives it a major advantage over ground-based telescopes that must peer out to space through Earth’s hazy atmosphere … ⌘ Read more

Ceramics that breathe oxygen at lower temperatures help us breathe cleaner air
Although much of the discourse on reducing vehicle emissions centers on electric vehicles (EV), their sales remain low—with EV vehicles accounting for a mere 1% of car purchases in Japan in 2021. Meanwhile, the European Union is expected to pass stricter emission standards in the near future. This makes improving the performance and functionality of exhaust gas purification catalysts in petrol or diesel-powered veh … ⌘ Read more

The Paris Agreement: Better measurement methods needed
The Paris Agreement says that we should reduce the emission of greenhouse gases to limit the rise in global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius. But do we have the measurement methods needed to achieve this? This is the question posed by researchers at Linköping University in a study published in Environmental Research Letters. Their answer is disheartening. ⌘ Read more

UN weather report: Climate woes bad and getting worse faster
Earth’s warming weather and rising seas are getting worse and doing so faster than before, the World Meteorological Organization warned Sunday in a somber note as world leaders started gathering for international climate negotiations. ⌘ Read more

Last total lunar eclipse for three years arrives Tuesday
Better catch the moon’s disappearing act Tuesday—there won’t be another like it for three years. ⌘ Read more

Equipment that’s designed to cut methane emission is failing
As Sharon Wilson pulled up to the BP site in Texas last June, production tanks towered above the windblown grass roughly 60 miles southeast of San Antonio. Cows and pumpjacks lined the roadsides. ⌘ Read more

Monarch butterflies return to Mexico on annual migration
The first monarch butterflies have appeared in the mountaintop forests of central Mexico where they spend the winter, Mexico’s Environment Department said Saturday. ⌘ Read more

UN climate summit opens with warning against ‘backsliding’
The UN’s COP27 climate summit kicked off Sunday in Egypt with warnings against backsliding on efforts to cut emissions and calls for rich nations to compensate poor countries after a year of extreme weather disasters. ⌘ Read more

How a quest for mathematical truth and complex models can lead to useless scientific predictions
A dominant view in science is that there is a mathematical truth structuring the universe. It is assumed that the scientist’s job is to decipher these mathematical relations: once understood, they can be translated into mathematical models. Running the resulting “silicon reality” in a computer may then provide us with useful insights into how the world works. ⌘ Read more

Devi the elephant, 45, euthanized at San Diego Zoo
A 45-year-old female Asian elephant was euthanized because of her deteriorating health from age-related problems, the San Diego Zoo announced Friday. ⌘ Read more

Oldest planetary debris in our galaxy found in new study
Astronomers led by the University of Warwick have identified the oldest star in our galaxy that is accreting debris from orbiting planetesimals, making it one of the oldest rocky and icy planetary systems discovered in the Milky Way. ⌘ Read more

Socially responsible companies laid off more workers than their peers during the COVID-19 pandemic
A good track record in corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not a guarantee that the company will continue to focus on CSR in times of crisis. According to a new study from the University of Vaasa, US companies with a history of high CSR laid off more employees during the COVID-19 pandemic than their peers. ⌘ Read more

Antibiotics boosted with new targeted delivery system
Hung-Jen Wu, associate professor in the Artie McFerrin Department of Chemical Engineering at Texas A&M University, is working to defeat bacteria that have become resistant to multiple types of antibiotics. To achieve interdisciplinary results, Wu is collaborating with researchers in the Texas A&M College of Engineering and the Texas A&M Health Science Center. ⌘ Read more

A new weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
The unreasonable use of antibiotics has pushed bacteria to develop resistance mechanisms to this type of treatment. This phenomenon, known as antibiotic resistance, is now considered by the WHO as one of the greatest threats to health. The lack of treatment against multi-resistant bacteria could bring us back to a time when millions of people died of pneumonia or salmonella. The bacterium Klebsiella pneumoniae, which is very common in hospitals a … ⌘ Read more

The direct measurement of a proton’s generalized polarizabilities in the strong quantum chromodynamics regime
Quantum chromodynamics is an area of study that explores the strong interactions between quarks mediated by gluons. Quarks are elementary particles with an electric charge, which are building blocks of composite particles, such as hadrons and protons. ⌘ Read more

India’s capital to shut schools as toxic smog chokes city
Primary schools in India’s capital New Delhi will shut to protect children from the toxic smog choking the megacity of 20 million people, authorities said Friday. ⌘ Read more

Mars’s crust is more complex and evolved than previously thought
Early crust on Mars may be more complex than previously thought—and it may even be similar to our own planet’s original crust. ⌘ Read more

Sunlight-absorbing organic compounds are produced on the wet surfaces of atmospheric particles
Heterogenous oxidation reactions can occur upon mixing chemicals that are in two different physical states, such a liquid and a gas; for example, in the atmosphere the reaction of gaseous nitrate (NO3) free radicals reaching the wet surface of aerosol particles containing aromatic pollutants from wildfires. ⌘ Read more

8 billion humans: How population growth and climate change are connected
At first glance, the connections between the world’s growing population and climate change seem obvious. The more people we have on this planet, the larger their collective impact on the climate. ⌘ Read more

A strategy to fine-tune the properties of Lewis bases for electrochemical carbon dioxide capture
In recent years, many engineers and material scientists have been trying to develop sustainable energy solutions that could help to mitigate climate change on Earth. This includes carbon capture technologies, which are specifically designed to capture or absorb carbon dioxide (CO2) in sites where it is widely produced, such as power generation plants or industrial facilities that rely on biomass … ⌘ Read more

Trade agreements can ease the pain of a possible global recession
Uncertainty is bad for business; however, it can be mitigated by trade agreements which help countries become more resilient to economic shocks, according to a new University of California School of Global Policy and Strategy study. ⌘ Read more

Waikīkī Beach studies reveal complex drivers of changing shoreline
The Royal Hawaiian Beach in Waikīkī is a popular beach at the center of Hawai’i’s tourism hub, with a valuation of $2.2 billion, according to a 2016 study. Two recently published studies from researchers at the University of Hawai’i (UH) at Mānoa’s Climate Resilience Collaborative (CRC) provide new understanding of how and why this iconic beach is chronically eroding—enabling coastal managers and policymakers to more effectively man … ⌘ Read more

Artificial intelligence makes enzyme engineering easy
You can’t move a pharmaceutical scientist from a lab to a kitchen and expect the same research output. Enzymes behave exactly the same: They are dependent upon a specific environment. But now, in a study recently published in ACS Synthetic Biology, researchers from Osaka University have imparted an analogous level of adaptability to enzymes, a goal that has remained elusive for over 30 years. ⌘ Read more

Researchers find that 60% of home ‘compostable’ plastic doesn’t fully break down and ends up in our soil instead
In a UK-wide study, researchers have found that 60% of home-compostable plastics do not fully disintegrate in home compost bins, and inevitably end up in our soil. The study also found that citizens are confused about the labels of compostable and biodegradable plastics, leading to incorrect plastic waste disposal. These results highlight the need to revise and redesign this supposedl … ⌘ Read more

Invasive plant species are increasing exponentially, but no one knows how many species there are
Invasive plants can have devastating effects on local ecologies, comparable to the effects wrought by global warming. And yet, there is currently no reliable understanding of how many invasive plant species there are in the world. New research, led by the University of Massachusetts Amherst and recently published in Ecological Applications, is the first to comprehensively pinpoint the various unknowns that … ⌘ Read more

NASA fieldwork studies signs of climate change in Arctic and boreal regions
From the window of a NASA Gulfstream III research aircraft, Alaska looks like a pristine wilderness untouched by humans. The land is covered in lush, green vegetation and dotted with bright blue lakes. Snow-capped mountains reach toward the sky, and chocolate milk-colored rivers snake across the landscape. The obvious signs of human activity—cities, roads, infrastructure—are hard to spot. ⌘ Read more

In the latest human vs. machine match, artificial intelligence wins by a hair
Vikas Nanda has spent more than two decades studying the intricacies of proteins, the highly complex substances present in all living organisms. The Rutgers scientist has long contemplated how the unique patterns of amino acids that comprise proteins determine whether they become anything from hemoglobin to collagen, as well as the subsequent, mysterious step of self-assembly where only certain proteins clump to … ⌘ Read more

New research explores how cancer cells spread in human body
For decades, figuring out exactly why cancerous tumors form in the human body has been a goal for scientists, but knowing how cancer cells spread is also key to fighting the often-deadly disease. ⌘ Read more

Nanosensors target enzymes to monitor and study cancer
Cancer is characterized by a number of key biological processes known as the “hallmarks of cancer,” which remodel cells and their immediate environment so that tumors can form, grow, and thrive. Many of these changes are mediated by specific genes and proteins, working in tandem with other cellular processes, but the specifics vary from cancer type to cancer type, and even from patient to patient. ⌘ Read more