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Responsibilities in close social relationships explain Eastern–Western cultural differences

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Do you think that a person who reorganizes their life so that their aging parents can live with them would be likely to push another out of the way on the subway? What about greeting strangers with a smile? The answers to these questions…

Indigenous Australian population was much larger than previously thought and decimated after First Fleet's arrival

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Australia had a much larger Indigenous population before the arrival of Europeans than previously thought, according to new research. The research also demonstrates much larger population losses resulting from colonization than previously…

04

Tough vehicle and construction plastics dissolve into reusable material with low-waste method

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A new recycling technique could help tackle a major challenge: breaking down some of the toughest plastics without generating large amounts of waste.

03

New light-emitting nanoparticles can detect subtle chemical differences

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A team of researchers from University of Toronto Engineering has created a new type of dye-sensitized nanoparticle that can detect target chemicals at very low concentrations while also distinguishing between molecules with very similar…

Room-temperature skyrmion-based synapses could pave the way for energy-efficient AI

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Artificial intelligence is transforming how information is generated, processed and stored, but its rapid expansion is also driving unprecedented demand for computing power and electricity. Developing hardware that can process information…

Parakeets, male or female, love a good fight

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In a study of monk parakeets, researchers at the University of Cincinnati and Duke University found that sex has little to no impact on who initiates fights, who is targeted or who rises in the dominance hierarchy.

02

Anger, hope and compassion do little to spur more climate donations

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Emotional mechanisms are frequently used to inspire good environmental behavior. But how effective are they at inspiring actual sustainable change? Perhaps not as much as previously believed, according to a new study that challenged…

Hidden receptor interactions may explain past failures of brain disorder drugs

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Metabotropic glutamate receptors, which are important but difficult drug targets, interact in surprisingly varied ways with their principal regulatory proteins, according to two new studies led by Weill Cornell Medicine investigators. The…

Scientists discover dispersal mechanism and new gene family in harmful E. coli strains

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Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified how certain dangerous bacteria spread. They studied chain-like adherence pattern (CLAP) varieties of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), finding that single bacteria attach…

01

Structural study explains how cells stabilize protective membrane pockets

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Our cells' membranes have many functions. They not only provide mechanical protection but also precisely control which substances enter or leave cells. If they fail to perform these tasks, disease can result. Their structure is…

AI models enable cross-species mapping of cell biology

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Researchers at Stanford Medicine have developed two new artificial intelligence models of the biological cell. The first, called universal cell embedding, paved the way for a second-generation model called TranscriptFormer, which has been…

Three DNA loops prove essential for efficient wing tissue regeneration in fruit flies

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After an injury, DNA not only changes its activity but also the way it is organized spatially within the cell nucleus. In this process, certain regions of DNA establish new physical contacts through chromatin loops that act as bridges,…

Magma repeatedly breaks and heals during eruptions, microscopic evidence suggests

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Explosive volcanic eruptions can be as destructive as they are difficult to predict, launching pyroclasts—the fragments of magma and rock blasted from a volcano—into the air and surrounding areas. These particles can have wide-ranging…

Common wastewater pollutant turns male minnows into poorer parents and fiercer rivals

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A team of researchers has found that a common wastewater pollutant turned male fathead minnows into worse fathers and fiercer rivals, revealing ecological impacts that laboratory studies missed.

Monday, Sep 14

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Radiation-tolerant rotifers rebuild broken chromosomes over successive generations

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DNA repair mechanisms are essential for maintaining the integrity of our genome. When they malfunction, they can cause disease or contribute to the development of cancer. Nature, however, offers remarkable examples of organisms that have…

Antibody cocktails could steer viruses into evolutionary dead ends

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When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS-CoV-2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study from Harvard's Department of…

Active black holes reveal star-forming rings and shock waves in nine nearby galaxies

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A new study of nine nearby galaxies has shown that actively growing supermassive black holes may contribute to, rather than prevent, star formation in their host galaxies.

First confirmed Diplodocus outside North America reshapes Late Jurassic migration picture

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In a discovery that challenges our understanding of dinosaur distribution during the Late Jurassic period, paleontologists have identified the first evidence of the iconic Diplodocus outside North America.

Peptide position determines whether gold nanoparticles branch or stay spherical

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The position of biomineralization peptides within liposomes can influence how gold nanoparticles grow, reports a research team from the Institute of Science Tokyo. Peptides localized at the membrane interface promote branched structures,…

23

Unused natural gas behind NYC's $300 million waste of a potent greenhouse gas

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Methane emissions from the New York City metropolitan area are largely driven by natural gas use, according to a new study published today in Atmospheric Chemistry and Physics by researchers at the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, part of…

A painting signed 'L daVinci': Analysis reveals Renaissance pigments and later alterations

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Researchers at Uppsala University have analyzed the color pigments in a historical painting signed "L daVinci." Most of the pigments are consistent with materials used during the Renaissance, while a more recent pigment appears to be…

How can countries prevent shocks and disasters from turning into food crises? Analysis points to resilience measures

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Floods, wildfires, conflicts, earthquakes, economic shocks, hurricanes or epidemics: These unexpected and often dramatic events affect people's lives and jobs, destroy crops, wipe out livestock and stored food, contaminate water, block…

Chocolate's new climate threat: Too much rain

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Cocoa farmers in West Africa cannot stop intense downpours from damaging their crops. But they may be able to anticipate the risk and prepare, protecting both their livelihoods and their plants, the source of one of the world's most…

22

Cancer-linked protein binds to chromosome in unexpected way, study finds

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A new 3D structure of a cancer-linked protein bound to its cellular partner reveals details of how the protein binds to chromosomes and could offer insights for future disease treatments. The protein—BRD4—plays a critical role in how cells…

40-year-old prediction of how plastics 'mix' confirmed for the first time

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A "mixing" phenomenon between plastic layers that had been predicted only in theory for 40 years has now been experimentally confirmed.

Rivers may be carrying more microplastics into the world's oceans than previously thought

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Microplastics are a modern environmental menace and a potential threat to human health. These tiny pieces of plastic, measuring from 1 to 5,000 micrometers, come mainly from larger plastics as well as sources such as paints and cosmetics.…

Series of reactions reveals how complex carbon chemistry can begin in frigid space

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Before there was Earth, there was chemistry. In the unimaginable cold, dark clouds where stars and planets are born, carbon molecules assemble into more complex forms—starting a chemical journey that could eventually deliver some of life's…

21

Salicornia genomes reveal genetic secrets to farming on salty land

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A University of Newcastle-led global study has produced the most complete genetic picture yet of a salt-loving plant with the potential to help grow food in some of the world's harshest environments.

Mosquito 'toilet' detects West Nile and first Hedwig-like virus found in the Americas

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When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater.

Speedy electrons for brilliant laser light: Research paves the way for compact, inexpensive free-electron lasers

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Extremely short, intense light flashes are in high demand to investigate atoms, molecules and new materials. Free-electron lasers (FELs) produce these flashes. But around the world, beam time available at large-scale user facilities is in…