NASA's Webb finds signs of possible aurorae on isolated brown dwarf

Astronomers have found a brown dwarf (an object more massive than Jupiter but smaller than a star) with infrared emission from methane, likely due to energy in its upper atmosphere. This is an unexpected discovery because the brown dwarf, W1935, is cold and lacks a host star; therefore, there is no obvious source for the upper atmosphere energy. The team speculates that the methane emission may be due to processes generating aurorae.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240109170515.htm

'Blob-like' home of farthest-known fast radio burst is collection of seven galaxies

In summer 2022, astronomers detected the most powerful and most distant fast radio burst (FRB) ever observed. Now, astronomers have pinpointed the extraordinary object's birthplace -- and it's rather curious, indeed. Using images from NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, the researchers traced the FRB back to not one galaxy but a group of at least seven galaxies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240109144508.htm

Understanding the neuroendocrine basis for social anxiety-like behavior in male mice

Researchers have discovered that estrogen receptor (ER), expressed in the lateral septum of the limbic system, plays a crucial role in suppressing anxiety-like behavior exhibited by male mice in social situations. They also discovered that the distribution and expression region of ER differs from that of ER.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240109121209.htm

Smart skin bacteria are able to secrete and produce molecules to treat acne

An experimental study has shown that a type of skin bacterium can efficiently be engineered to produce a protein to regulate sebum production. This application could treat acne without compromising the homeostasis of the entire skin microbiome.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240109121141.htm

Coastal populations set to age sharply in the face of climate migration

As climate change fuels sea level rise, younger people will migrate inland, leaving aging coastal populations -- and a host of consequences -- in their wake, a study finds. While destination cities will work to sustainably accommodate swelling populations, aging coastal communities will confront stark new challenges, including an outflow of vital human infrastructure such as health care workers.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108202034.htm

Scientists give new insight into a molecular target of alcohol

By investigating a molecule in the brain tied to cellular communication, scientists uncover important information about the proteins that do -- and do not -- influence alcohol drinking behavior.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108185644.htm

Life span increases in mice when specific brain cells are activated

A new study identifies, in mice, a critical communication pathway connecting the brain and the body's fat tissue in a feedback loop that appears central to energy production throughout the body. The research suggests that the gradual deterioration of this feedback loop contributes to the increasing health problems that are typical of natural aging.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108172534.htm

Solid state battery design charges in minutes, lasts for thousands of cycles

Researchers have developed a new lithium metal battery that can be charged and discharged at least 6,000 times -- more than any other pouch battery cell -- and can be recharged in a matter of minutes. The research not only describes a new way to make solid state batteries with a lithium metal anode but also offers new understanding into the materials used for these potentially revolutionary batteries.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108153157.htm

Widespread population collapse of African Raptors

An international team of researchers has found that Africa's birds of prey are facing an extinction crisis. The report warns of declines among nearly 90% of 42 species examined, and suggests that more than two-thirds may qualify as globally threatened.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108125901.htm

Building on CO2

The construction industry as a CO2 sink? Researchers are working on this. By incorporating biochar into concrete, they are exploring the potential of CO2-neutral or even CO2-negative concrete. For optimal applicability, they process the biochar into pellets and use them to replace conventional aggregates.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240108125759.htm

Researchers identify why cancer immunotherapy can cause colitis

Researchers have identified a mechanism that causes severe gastrointestinal problems with immune-based cancer treatment, also finding a way to deliver immunotherapy's cancer-killing impact without the unwelcome side effect.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240105160547.htm

Study shows liraglutide results in increased insulin sensitivity independent of weight loss

A new study demonstrates that a glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (GLP-1R) agonist, a member of a class of medication used to treat Type 2 diabetes and obesity, can lead to a rapid improvement in insulin sensitivity.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240104210206.htm

The snail or the egg?

Animals reproduce in one of two distinct ways: egg-laying or live birth. By studying an evolutionarily recent transition from egg-laying to live-bearing in a marine snail, collaborative research has shed new light on the genetic changes that allow organisms to make the switch.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240104150154.htm

Researchers rely on Earth's magnetic field to verify an event mentioned in the Old Testament

A new study scientifically corroborates an event described in the Second Book of Kings -- the conquest of the Philistine city of Gath by Hazael King of Aram. The method is based on measuring the magnetic field recorded in burnt bricks. The researchers say that the findings are important for determining the intensity of the fire and the scope of destruction in Gath, and also for understanding construction practices in the region.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240104122010.htm

Scientists use high-tech brain stimulation to make people more hypnotizable

Scientists used transcranial magnetic stimulation to temporarily enhance hypnotizability in patients with chronic pain, making them better candidates for hypnotherapy.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240104122008.htm

Nematode proteins shed light on infertility

Biologists developed a method for illuminating the intricate interactions of the synaptonemal complex in the nematode C. elegans. The authors identified a trio of protein segments that guide chromosomal interactions, and pinpointed the location where they interact with each other. Their novel method uses a technique known as genetic suppressor screening, which can serve as a blueprint for research on large cellular assemblies that resist traditional structural analysis.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240104002808.htm

Bacteria load their syringes

Many bacterial pathogens use small injection apparatuses to manipulate the cells of their hosts, such as humans, so that they can spread throughout the body. To do this, they need to fill their syringes with the relevant injection agent. A technique that tracks the individual movement of proteins revealed how bacteria accomplish this challenging task.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240103130954.htm

Early primates likely lived in pairs

Primate social organization is more flexible than previously assumed. According to a new study, the first primates probably lived in pairs, while only around 15 percent of individuals were solitary.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240103130946.htm

Re-calibrating the sail plan for Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders in ocean sciences

In Hawaii and across much of Oceania, Pacific Islanders celebrate the connections between their islands and the ocean that surrounds them.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240102235714.htm

First dive survey of Lake Tahoe's lakebed finds high amounts of plastic and other litter

Plastic litter is a growing problem around the world, and new research shows that the bottom of Lake Tahoe is no exception. In one of the first studies to utilize scuba divers to collect litter from a lakebed, 673 plastic items were counted from just a small fraction of the lake.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240102190917.htm