Science News Recap 03/02/2024

This news is auto generated by a bot (under development):

• More schooling is linked to slowed aging and increased longevity
  Abstract: Participants in the Framingham Heart Study who achieved higher levels of education tended to age more slowly and went on to live longer lives as compared to those who did not achieve upward educational mobility.
  
• Ice shell thickness reveals water temperature on ocean worlds
  Abstract: Astrobiologists have devised a novel way to determine ocean temperatures of distant worlds based on the thickness of their ice shells, effectively conducting oceanography from space.
  
• Parents, wealth, race drive girls’ chances to play sports
  Abstract: The likelihood that a girl will participate in high school sports in the United States is driven not so much by individual choice, new research suggests. Instead, decisions made by parents, the wealth of one’s family and community, and racial dynamics matter.
  
• Building bionic jellyfish for ocean exploration
  Abstract: Researchers show how biohybrid robots based on jellyfish could be used to gather climate science data from deep in the Earth’s oceans.
  
• Could fiber optic cable help scientists probe the deep layers of the moon?
  Abstract: An increasing number of seismologists are using fiber optic cables to detect seismic waves on Earth — but how would this technology fare on the Moon, and what would it tell us about the deep layers of our nearest neighbor in space?
  
• Astronomers discover heavy elements after bright gamma-ray burst from neutron star merger
  Abstract: An international team of astronomers obtained observational evidence for the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a cataclysmic explosion triggered by the merger of two neutron stars.
  
• 80 mph speed record for glacier fracture helps reveal the physics of ice sheet collapse
  Abstract: New research documents the fastest-known large-scale breakage along an Antarctic ice shelf. A 6.5-mile crack formed in 2012 over 5-and-a-half minutes, showing that ice shelves can effectively shatter — though the speed is limited by seawater rushing in. The results help inform large-scale ice sheet models and projections of future sea level rise.
  
• New tool helps decipher gene behavior
  Abstract: Scientists have extensively researched the structure and sequence of genetic material and its interactions with proteins in the hope of understanding how our genetics and environment interact in diseases. This research has partly focused on ‘epigenetic marks’, which are chemical modifications to DNA, RNA, and the associated proteins (known as histones).
  
• A safer treatment path for high-risk children to overcome food allergies
  Abstract: New research reveals a safe path to overcoming food allergies for older children and others who can’t risk consuming allergens orally to build up their resistance. It’s called sublingual immunotherapy (SLIT), and it involves placing smaller amounts of food allergens under the tongue. A study has found SLIT to be as safe and effective for high-risk older children and adolescents as oral immunotherapy is for preschoolers.
  
• How molecular ‘handedness’ emerged in early biology
  Abstract: Chemists fill a major gap in origin-of-life theories.
  
• Chemistry in the ground affects how many offspring wild animals have
  Abstract: Chemistry in the ground affect how many kids wild animals have Areas with more copper and selenium in the ground lead to higher reproductive success in wild musk oxen in Greenland.
  
• Light stimulates a new twist for synthetic chemistry
  Abstract: Molecules that are induced by light to rotate bulky groups around central bonds could be developed into photo-activated bioactive systems, molecular switches, and more.
  
• How air pollution can harm team performance
  Abstract: High levels of air pollution can affect teams doing complex tasks, which holds implications for emerging economies.
  
• Double trouble at chromosome ends
  Abstract: New findings suggest the end-replication problem, an old standby of biology textbooks, is twice as intricate as once thought.
  
• Sniffing our way to better health
  Abstract: Imagine if we could inhale scents that delay the onset of cancer, inflammation, or neurodegenerative disease. Researchers are poised to bring this futuristic technology closer to reality.
  
• First DNA study of ancient Eastern Arabians reveals malaria adaptation
  Abstract: People living in ancient Eastern Arabia appear to have developed resistance to malaria following the appearance of agriculture in the region around five thousand years ago.
  
• Researchers look at environmental impacts of AI tools
  Abstract: As artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly used in radiology, researchers caution that it’s essential to consider the environmental impact of AI tools.
  
• Low-Temperature Plasma used to remove E. coli from hydroponically grown crops
  Abstract: In a new study, a team sterilized a hydroponic nutrient solution using low-temperature plasma generated from electricity and the oxygen in the atmosphere. This new sterilization technique may allow farmers to grow crops without the use of chemical pesticides, representing an important advance in agricultural technology for sustainable crop production.
  
• AI could help replicate smells in danger of being lost to history
  Abstract: Artificial intelligence has been used to replicate fragrances more quickly than conventional methods, even taking into account how a scent fades over time
  
• Why space dust is key to everything from star birth to life on Earth
  Abstract: Cosmic dust grains may be small, but they are mighty – it turns out dust is crucial to just about every process that occurs in space
  
• Does 23andMe’s decline show genetic-based medicine has been overhyped?
  Abstract: 23andMe’s DNA test was once named “invention of the year”, but now the company is in dire financial straits. Is this a sign that genetically based medicine’s promise has been exaggerated?
  
• Squid-like plant that lives mostly underground is new to science
  Abstract: For the first time in nearly a century, a new genus of plant has been discovered in Japan, but it looks more like a squid or an alien than a plant
  
• Miso paste made in space opens a new frontier for fermented foods
  Abstract: A fermentation experiment on the International Space Station produced miso paste with a flavour distinct from two samples that were fermented on Earth
  
• The art of olfaction should take its place alongside other art forms
  Abstract: Smell has unrivalled emotional power. As such, the art of olfaction is rightfully being included in a new multisensory performance, says perfumer Mathilde Laurent
  
• AIs get better at maths if you tell them to pretend to be in Star Trek
  Abstract: Chatbots vary their answers depending on the exact wording used to prompt them, and now it seems that asking an AI to answer as if it were a Star Trek captain boosts its mathematical ability
  
• Pythagoras was wrong about the maths behind pleasant music
  Abstract: It is said that the ancient Greek philosopher Pythagoras came up with the idea that musical note combinations sound best in certain mathematical ratios, but that doesn’t seem to be true
  
• AI designs bespoke 3D-printed prosthetic eyes
  Abstract: Using an artificial intelligence model and 3D printer to create prosthetic eyes reduces the time required to make such implants, which could make them available to more people
  
• Mathematicians discover ‘soft cell’ shapes behind the natural world
  Abstract: The mathematical study of how repeating tiles fit together usually involves pointed shapes like triangles or squares, but these aren’t normally found in the natural world
  
• Resurrecting loved ones as AI ‘ghosts’ could harm your mental health
  Abstract: It may soon be possible to recreate the persona of someone who has died by training an artificial intelligence on their emails and texts – but is it a good idea?
  
• Why science relies too much on mathematics
  Abstract: Mathematics is at the heart of modern science but we shouldn’t forget other ways to reason, says author and researcher Roland Ennos
  
• Tiny magnet could help measure gravity on the quantum scale
  Abstract: A device that measures minuscule gravitational forces could help us understand how gravity works on the quantum scale
  
• Odysseus spacecraft is the first private mission to land on the moon
  Abstract: Intuitive Machines has landed its Odysseus spacecraft on the moon, making it the first private company to achieve a feat previously only accomplished by national space agencies
  
• Famous supernova left a blazing hot neutron star at its centre
  Abstract: Observations from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed that a nearby supernova researchers have been watching since it exploded in 1987 left behind a hot neutron star
  
• AI can tell where a mouse is by reading its brain activity
  Abstract: An artificial intelligence can interpret a mouse’s brain activity to tell scientists where the animal is located and the direction it is looking
  
• Researchers increasingly view tech as having human-like qualities
  Abstract: Anthropomorphism – attributing human-like characteristics to non-human objects – is on the rise amongst technology researchers, particular when it comes to AI chatbots
  
• Quantum computers are constantly hampered by cosmic rays
  Abstract: Investigations into quantum computing mishaps caused by high-powered particles from space have revealed that these cosmic rays are responsible for a significant number of errors
  
• What ended the ‘dark ages’ in the early universe? New Webb data just brought us closer to solving the mystery
  Abstract: About 400,000 years after the Big Bang, the cosmos was a very dark place. The glow of the universe’s explosive birth had cooled, and space was filled with dense gas —mostly hydrogen—with no sources of light.
  
• Saturday Citations: Will they or won’t they? A black hole binary refuses to merge. Plus: Vestigial eyeballs
  Abstract: It’s been a long, eight-day leap week, and this weekend, I’m spending my free time working on the manuscript for my style guide for science writers, “How to Effectively Split an Infinitive.”
  
• Japan moon lander put to sleep after surviving lunar night
  Abstract: Japan’s moon lander has been put back to sleep after it surprisingly survived the freezing, two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency said, with another operation attempt scheduled for later this month.
  
• Night-shining cloud mission ends; yields high science results for NASA
  Abstract: After 16 years studying Earth’s highest clouds for the benefit of humanity—polar mesospheric clouds—from its orbit some 350 miles above the ground, NASA’s Aeronomy of Ice in the Mesosphere, or AIM, mission has come to an end.
  
• New laser experiment spins light like a merry-go-round
  Abstract: In day-to-day life, light seems intangible. We walk through it and create and extinguish it with the flip of a switch. But, like matter, light actually carries a little punch—it has momentum. Light constantly nudges things and can even be used to push spacecraft. Light can also spin objects if it carries orbital angular momentum (OAM)—the property associated with a rotating object’s tendency to keep spinning.