World's first successful embryo transfer in rhinos paves the way for saving the northern white rhinos from extinction

Scientists have succeeded in achieving the world's first pregnancy of a rhinoceros after an embryo transfer. The southern white rhino embryo was produced in vitro from collected egg cells and sperm and transferred into a southern white rhino surrogate mother at the Ol Pejeta Conservancy in Kenya on September 24, 2023. The BioRescue team confirmed a pregnancy of 70 days with a well-developed 6.4 cm long male embryo. The successful embryo transfer and pregnancy are a proof of concept and allow to now safely move to the transfer of northern white rhino embryos -- a cornerstone in the mission to save the northern white rhino from extinction.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240124164618.htm

Injectable water filtration system could improve access to clean drinking water around the world

A new portable filtration system collects dirty water with a syringe and injects it into a hydrogel filter that weeds out nearly all tiny particles.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240123175547.htm

Records of cometary dust hitting the asteroid Ryugu

The Hayabusa2 mission that collected samples from the asteroid Ryugu has provided a treasure trove of insights into our solar system. After analyzing samples further, a team of researchers have unearthed evidence that cometary organic matter was transported from space to the near-Earth region.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240123122243.htm

New sustainable method for creating organic semiconductors

Researchers have developed a new, more environmentally friendly way to create conductive inks for use in organic electronics such as solar cells, artificial neurons, and soft sensors. The findings pave the way for future sustainable technology.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122182811.htm

Mechanism linking anxiety to testosterone

A groundbreaking study has unveiled a significant link between anxiety disorders and a brain receptor known as TACR3, as well as testosterone.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122144432.htm

Liquid laundry detergent packet exposure burden

A new study investigated trends in calls to poison centers across the country for exposures to liquid laundry detergent packets. The study investigators identified declines in the number, rate and severity of liquid laundry detergent packet exposures among children younger than 6 years. However, the exposure burden remained high. Additionally, exposures have increased among older children, teens and adults.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122144355.htm

Breakthrough research enhances stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells

A research team has achieved remarkable advancements in the stability and efficiency of perovskite solar cells.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122144341.htm

How aging alters brain cells' ability to maintain memory

A team of scientists has demonstrated that communication among memory-coding neurons -- nerve cells in the brain responsible for maintaining working memory -- is disrupted with aging and that this can begin in middle age.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122144219.htm

Thinning of brain region may signal dementia risk 5-10 years before symptoms

Researchers discover biomarker that could indicate dementia much earlier than its onset.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240122120017.htm

Endless biotechnological innovation requires a creative approach

Scientists working on biological design should focus on the idiosyncrasies of biological systems over optimization, according to new research.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240121192143.htm

DNA origami folded into tiny motor

Scientists have created a working nanoscale electomotor. The science team designed a turbine engineered from DNA that is powered by hydrodynamic flow inside a nanopore, a nanometer-sized hole in a membrane of solid-state silicon nitride. The tiny motor could help spark research into future applications such as building molecular factories or even medical probes of molecules inside the bloodstream.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240119122726.htm

Wobbling particles in the sky

Tiny particles such as ice crystals or ash particles tend to oscillate as they settle through the atmosphere. In their experiments, the scientists were able to track non-spherical particles of size smaller than 1 millimeter with unprecedented accuracy. Their observations gave rise to a model which can help to refine prediction on air pollutants or weather forecasts.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240119122724.htm

How does materialism in social media trigger stress and unhappiness?

Clothes, cars, travel, followers: People with a materialistic mindset always want more and, above all, more than others. Social media provides them with ideal opportunities to compare themselves with others, which makes them susceptible to passive and addictive user behavior. This stresses them out and, ultimately, leads to low life satisfaction. This downward spiral, which turns materialists into less happy people, was identified in an online survey of over 1,200 participants.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240119122703.htm

Generative AI helps to explain human memory and imagination

Recent advances in generative AI help to explain how memories enable us to learn about the world, re-live old experiences and construct totally new experiences for imagination and planning, according to a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240119122654.htm

Knowing what dogs like to watch could help veterinarians assess their vision

A veterinary ophthalmologist wanted to determine factors, including age and vision, that influence a dog's interest in interacting with video content. Ultimately, the goal of the study, which launched two years ago, was to support development of more sensitive ways to assess canine vision -- something that has been sorely lacking in veterinary medicine. The study found that dogs are most engaged when watching videos that feature other animals.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118170558.htm

Towards the quantum of sound

A team of scientists has succeeded in cooling traveling sound waves in wave-guides considerably further than has previously been possible using laser light. This achievement represents a significant move towards the ultimate goal of reaching the quantum ground state of sound in wave-guides. Unwanted noise generated by the acoustic waves at room temperature can be eliminated. This experimental approach both provides a deeper understanding of the transition from classical to quantum phenomena of sound and is relevant to quantum communication systems and future quantum technologies.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118150744.htm

Lightest black hole or heaviest neutron star? MeerKAT uncovers a mysterious object in Milky Way

An international team of astronomers have found a new and unknown object in the Milky Way that is heavier than the heaviest neutron stars known and yet simultaneously lighter than the lightest black holes known.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118150710.htm

New gut-brain circuits found for sugar and fat cravings

A new study has unraveled the internal neural wiring of separate fat and sugar craving pathways. However, combining these pathways overly triggers a desire to eat more than usual.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118122107.htm

Efficiently moving urea out of polluted water is coming to reality

Researchers have developed a material to remove urea from water and potentially convert it into hydrogen gas. By building these materials of nickel and cobalt atoms with carefully tailored electronic structures, the group has unlocked the potential to enable these transition metal oxides and hydroxides to selectively oxidize urea in an electrochemical reaction. The team's findings could help use urea in waste streams to efficiently produce hydrogen fuel through the electrolysis process, and could be used to sequester urea from water, maintaining the long-term sustainability of ecological systems, and revolutionizing the water-energy nexus.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240118122056.htm

The heat is on: Scientists discover southern Africa's temps will rise past the rhinos' tolerance

Southern Africa contains the vast majority of the world's remaining populations of both black and white rhinoceroses (80% and 92%, respectively). The region's climate is changing rapidly as a result global warming. Traditional conservation efforts aimed at protecting rhinos have focused on poaching, but until now, there has been no analysis of the impact that climate change may have on the animals. A research team has recently reported that, though the area will be affected by both higher temperatures and changing precipitation, the rhinos are more sensitive to rising temperatures, which will quickly increase above the animals' acceptable maximum threshold.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240117183759.htm