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Views expressed in this science and technology update are those of the reporters and correspondents. Accessed on 24 February 2025, 0311 UTC.
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Russ Roberts (https://hawaiisciencejournal.blogspot.com).
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Breathing and vision may be linked
Researchers have discovered a fundamental mechanism that affects the size of the pupil, namely our breathing. The study shows that the pupil is smallest during inhalation and largest during exhalation -- something that could affect our vision.
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Cooling materials -- Out of the 3D printer
Rapid, localized heat management is essential for electronic devices and could have applications ranging from wearable materials to burn treatment. While so-called thermoelectric materials convert temperature differences to electrical voltage and vice versa, their efficiency is often limited, and their production is costly and wasteful. Researchers have now used a 3D printing technique to fabricate high-performance thermoelectric materials, reducing production costs significantly.
New microscope can image, at once, the full 3D orientation and position of molecules in cells
A hybrid microscope allows scientists to simultaneously image the full 3D orientation and position of an ensemble of molecules, such as labeled proteins inside cells. The microscope combines polarized fluorescence technology, a valuable tool for measuring the orientation of molecules, with a dual-view light sheet microscope (diSPIM), which excels at imaging along the depth (axial) axis of a sample.
How to get a robot collective to act like a smart material
Researchers are blurring the lines between robotics and materials, with a proof-of-concept material-like collective of robots with behaviors inspired by biology.
The brain perceives unexpected pain more strongly
Researchers used visual threat manipulation in the virtual reality environment and thermal stimulation to investigate how the brain perceives pain. They found that the brain perceives pain more strongly when the perceived pain is out of alignment with reality. In particular, pain was amplified when unexpected events occurred.
Brain-wide activity change visualized as geometric patterns
Researchers have applied a visualization technique to depict the brain's activity related to visual perception as geometric patterns. They visualized different shapes as the ever-changing neuronal activity in the temporal and frontal lobes of the brain during object recognition and recalling memories. This achievement promises further extraction of brain activity observed in various aspects of daily life.
Viking skulls reveal severe morbidity
Sweden's Viking Age population appears to have suffered from severe oral and maxillofacial disease, sinus and ear infections, osteoarthritis, and much more. This is shown in a study in which Viking skulls were examined using modern X-ray techniques.
Coastal erosion threatens ancient city, and many others
Research on the vanishing coastlines of Alexandria, Egypt, offers nature-based solutions for protecting coastal cities globally, including those in California.
Predator robots help researchers uncover how larval zebrafish rapidly learn
A novel system that chases larval zebrafish around an arena with predator robots is enabling scientists to understand how these days-old fish quickly learn in the real world.
Topological quantum processor marks breakthrough in computing
In a leap forward for quantum computing, physicists unveiled an eight-qubit topological quantum processor, the first of its kind. The chip, built as a proof-of-concept for the scientists' design, opens the door to the development of the long-awaited topological quantum computer.
Researchers outline new approach for better understanding animal consciousness
A team of researchers has outlined a new approach for better understanding the depths of animal consciousness, a method that may yield new insights into the similarities and differences among living organisms.
Child ADHD risk linked to mother's use of acetaminophen
Fetal acetaminophen exposure increases the likelihood that a child will develop attention-deficit/
Daily cannabis use linked to public health burden
A new study analyzes the disease burden and the risk factors for severity among people who suffer from a condition called cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Researchers say the condition occurs in people who are long-term regular consumers of cannabis and causes nausea, uncontrollable vomiting and excruciating pain in a cyclical pattern that often leads to repeated trips to the hospital.
Promising new class of antimalarial drugs discovered
Epigenetic inhibitors as a promising new antimalarial intervention strategy? A new study identifies an inhibitor of gene regulation that specifically kills the malaria pathogen.
Breakthrough study challenges long-held beliefs about the shape of atomic nuclei
An international research collaboration has overturned the long-standing belief that the atomic nucleus of lead-208 is perfectly spherical. The discovery challenges fundamental assumptions about nuclear structure and has far-reaching implications for our understanding of how the heaviest elements are formed in the universe.
In ancient stellar nurseries, some stars are born of fluffy clouds
Researchers have found that stars in the early universe may have formed from 'fluffy' molecular clouds. Using the ALMA telescope to observe the Small Magellanic Cloud -- whose environment is similar to the early universe -- they observed that about 60% of the observed clouds had the common filamentary structure, while the remaining 40% had a 'fluffy' shape. These results could provide new insights into the formation of stars in the universe.
Narcissists more likely to feel ostracized
Narcissists feel ostracized more frequently than their less self-absorbed peers, according to researchers. This may stem not only from being shunned due to their personalities but from a tendency to misinterpret ambiguous social signals as exclusion.
A little movement could help prevent dementia, even for frail older adults, suggests a new study.
Big birds like emus are technical innovators, study shows
Large birds -- our closest relations to dinosaurs -- are capable of technical innovation, by solving a physical task to gain access to food.
A miniature swimming robot inspired by marine flatworms
Engineers have developed a versatile swimming robot that nimbly navigates cluttered water surfaces. Inspired by marine flatworms, the innovative device offers new possibilities for environmental monitoring and ecological research.
Breast cancer incidence trends in U.S. women under 40 vary by geography and supports incorporating location information with established risk factors into risk prediction, improving the ability to identify groups of younger women at higher risk for early-onset breast cancer.
A catalytic two-step: Transforming industrial CO2 into a renewable fuel
Scientists have taken a critical next step in creating a scalable process to remove carbon dioxide (CO2) from the air and 'recirculate' it as a renewable fuel. Chemists now describe their latest breakthrough in creating methanol -- a widely used liquid fuel for internal combustion and other engines -- from industrial emissions of CO2, a primary greenhouse gas contributing to climate change. The process could have far-reaching applications throughout industry.
Contact electrification depends on materials' contact history, physicists show
From a tiny electric jolt when touching a doorknob to styrofoam peanuts that cling to a mischievous cat's fur -- the well-known and seemingly simple phenomenon of static electricity has puzzled people since antiquity. How could this ubiquitous effect, frequently demonstrated to bedazzled children by rubbing a balloon on their hair, still not be completely understood by scientists? For centuries, static electricity has been the subject of intrigue and scientific investigation. Now, researchers have uncovered a vital clue to this enduring mystery: the contact history of materials controls how they exchange charge. The groundbreaking findings explain the prevailing unpredictability of contact electrification, unveiling order from what has long been considered chaos.
300 new intermediate-mass black holes plus 2500 new active black holes in dwarf galaxies discovered
Within the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument's early data, scientists have uncovered the largest samples ever of intermediate-mass black holes and dwarf galaxies hosting an active black hole, more than tripling the existing census of both. These large statistical samples will allow for more in-depth studies of the dynamics between dwarf galaxy evolution and black hole growth, and open up vast discovery potential surrounding the evolution of the Universe's earliest black holes.
U.S. facing critical hospital bed shortage by 2032
The new post-pandemic national hospital occupancy average is 75% -- a full 11 percentage points higher than the pre-pandemic average, largely due to a reduction in staffed hospital beds. This puts the U.S. on track for a severe shortage of hospital beds by 2032 unless action is taken.
New process gets common rocks to trap carbon rapidly, cheaply
Scientists have discovered how to turn common minerals into materials that spontaneously remove and store carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. In the lab, the materials pull CO2 from the air thousands of times faster than occurs with natural rock weathering.
Jumbled proteins paint a bold target on the backs of brain tumors
Immune therapy has transformed how cancer is treated, but many tumors continue to evade these treatments, thanks to their resemblance to healthy tissue.
Global retreat of glaciers has strongly accelerated
Researchers present a global assessment of ice loss since the beginning of the millennium. In a global comparison, the glaciers in the Alps and Pyrenees are melting the fastest.
Bio-hybrid drone uses silkworm moth antennae to navigate using smell
Conventional drones use visual sensors for navigation. However, environmental conditions like dampness, low light, and dust can hinder their effectiveness, limiting their use in disaster-stricken areas. Researchers have now developed a novel bio-hybrid drone by combining robotic elements with odor-sensing antennae from silkworm moths. Their innovation, which integrates the agility and precision of robots with biological sensory mechanisms, can enhance the applicability of drones in navigation, gas sensing, and disaster response.
How the brain balances risk and reward in making decisions
Research in mice identifies brain circuitry that supports certain reward-based decisions.
Lifestyle and environmental factors affect health and aging more than our genes
A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity), and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes.
Magnetic switch traps quantum information carriers in one dimension
A quantum 'miracle material' could support magnetic switching, a team of researchers has shown.
Scientific insights into how humans access deep spiritual states
Two seemingly opposite spiritual practices -- Buddhist jhana meditation and the Christian practice of speaking in tongues -- have more in common than previously thought, a new study suggests. While one is quiet and deeply focused, and the other emotionally charged and expressive, both appear to harness the same cognitive feedback loop to create profound states of joy and surrender.
Wild fish can recognize individual divers
For years, scientific divers at a research station in the Mediterranean Sea had a problem: at some point in every field season, local fish would follow them and steal food intended as experimental rewards. Intriguingly these wild fish appeared to recognize the specific diver who had previously carried food, choosing to follow only them while ignoring other divers. To find out if that was true, a team conducted a series of experiments while wearing a range of diving gear, finding that fish in the wild can discriminate among humans based on external visual cues.
Researchers record ultrafast chorus dance of electrons on super-small particle
Ecologist finds eastern monarch butterflies delaying fall migration
The study was one of several that assessed the effects of climate change on three species of butterflies whose populations are declining.
Researchers developed a new system for turning used coffee grounds into a paste, which they use to 3D print objects, such as packing materials and a vase. They inoculate the paste with Reishi mushroom spores, which turn the coffee grounds into a resilient, fully compostable alternative to plastics.
Biomedicine shows the way to future food crops
Researchers have introduced genetic material into plants via their roots, opening a potential pathway for rapid crop improvement.
Biologists transform gut bacteria into tiny protein pharmacies
Biologists converted gut bacteria into miniature protein factories that manufacture and release a sustained flow of targeted proteins inside the lower intestines. This technique solves one of the longstanding problems surrounding gastrointestinal drug delivery.
Flickers and flares: Milky Way's central black hole constantly bubbles with light
Astrophysicists have observed our central supermassive black hole. They found the accretion disk is constantly emitting flares without periods of rest. Shorter, faint flares and longer, bright flares appear to be generated by separate processes.
Einstein Probe catches X-ray odd couple
Lobster-eye satellite Einstein Probe captured the X-ray flash from a very elusive celestial pair. The discovery opens a new way to explore how massive stars interact and evolve, confirming the unique power of the mission to uncover fleeting X-ray sources in the sky.
'Out of science fiction': First 3D observations of an exoplanet's atmosphere reveal a unique climate
Astronomers have peered through the atmosphere of a planet beyond the Solar System, mapping its 3D structure for the first time. By combining all four telescope units of the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (ESO's VLT), they found powerful winds carrying chemical elements like iron and titanium, creating intricate weather patterns across the planet's atmosphere. The discovery opens the door for detailed studies of the chemical makeup and weather of other alien worlds.
Air inside your home may be more polluted than outside due to everyday chemical products
Bringing aromas indoors with the help of chemical products -- yes, air fresheners, wax melts, floor cleaners, deodorants and others -- rapidly fills the air with nanoscale particles that are small enough to get deep into your lungs, engineers have found over a series of studies.
Animals as architects of Earth: First global study reveals their surprising impact
Animals are not just inhabitants of the natural world -- they are its architects. A new study has revealed how hundreds of species shape the landscapes we depend on, from vast termite mounds visible from space to hippos carving drainage systems and beavers creating entire wetlands.
Near-complete skull discovery reveals 'top apex', leopard-sized 'fearsome' carnivore
A rare discovery of a nearly complete skull in the Egyptian desert has led scientists to the 'dream' revelation of a new 30-million-year-old species of the ancient apex predatory carnivore, Hyaenodonta.
New lipid nanoparticle platform delivers mRNA to the brain through the blood-brain barrier
Scientists have developed a lipid nanoparticle system capable of delivering messenger RNA (mRNA) to the brain via intravenous injection, a challenge that has long been limited by the protective nature of the blood-brain barrier. The findings demonstrate the potential of this technology to pave the way for future treatments for a wide range of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, brain cancer, and drug addiction.
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