How biological aging clocks tick

Aging clocks can measure the biological age of humans with high precision. Biological age can be influenced by environmental factors such as smoking or diet, thus deviating from the chronological age that is calculated using the date of birth. The precision of these aging clocks suggests that the aging process follows a program. Scientists have now discovered that aging clocks actually measure the increase in stochastic changes in cells.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240509110740.htm

Chemists produce new-to-nature enzyme containing boron

Chemists created an enzyme with boronic acid at its reactive center. This approach can produce more selective reactions with boron, and allows the use of directed evolution to improve its catalytic power.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508171213.htm

Neuropathy very common, underdiagnosed

Neuropathy, the nerve damage that causes pain and numbness in the feet and hands and can eventually lead to falls, infection and even amputation, is very common and underdiagnosed, according to a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508161316.htm

New insight into genesis of spina bifida

Spina bifida is the most common structural disorder of the human nervous system. The causes are largely unknown, but a new study points to a link involving a chromosomal microdeletion -- and also underscores the value of folic acid as a preventive measure.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508140729.htm

Exercise, new drug class recommended for management of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Experts released a new clinical guideline for effectively managing individuals diagnosed with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). The guideline reiterates the importance of collaborative decision-making with patients who have HCM and provides updated recommendations for the most effective treatment pathways for adult and pediatric patients.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508140641.htm

New study finds AI-generated empathy has its limits

Conversational agents (CAs) such as Alexa and Siri are designed to answer questions, offer suggestions -- and even display empathy. However, new research finds they do poorly compared to humans when interpreting and exploring a user's experience.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508121209.htm

New study finds AI-generated empathy has its limits

Conversational agents (CAs) such as Alexa and Siri are designed to answer questions, offer suggestions -- and even display empathy. However, new research finds they do poorly compared to humans when interpreting and exploring a user's experience.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508121209.htm

Climate resilience strategies in urban, rural areas

Local decision-makers looking for ways to reduce the impact of heat waves on their communities have a valuable new capability at their disposal: a new study on vegetation resilience. Scientists completed a study of how well vegetation survived extreme heat events in both urban and rural communities across the country in recent years. The analysis informs pathways for climate mitigation, including ways to reduce the effect of urban heat islands.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508121206.htm

Rock steady: Study reveals new mechanism to explain how continents stabilized

Ancient, expansive tracts of continental crust called cratons have helped keep Earth's continents stable for billions of years, even as landmasses shift, mountains rise and oceans form. A new mechanism may explain how the cratons formed some 3 billion years ago, an enduring question in the study of Earth's history.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508113136.htm

Faster approach for starting extended-release naltrexone to treat opioid use disorder shown effective

Starting people with opioid use disorder on extended-release, injectable naltrexone (XR-naltrexone) within five to seven days of seeking treatment is more effective than the standard treatment method of starting within 10-15 days, but requires closer medical supervision, according to results from a clinical trial. The findings suggest that this rapid treatment protocol could make XR-naltrexone more viable as a treatment option for opioid use disorder, which continues to take lives at an alarming rate.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508113058.htm

Stilling the quantum dance of atoms

Researchers have discovered a way to stop the quantum dance of atoms 'seen' by electrons in carbon-based organic molecules. This development will help improve the performance of light emitting molecules used in displays and bio-medical imaging.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508112736.htm

Acceptance of animals in urban environments

How do city residents feel about animals in their immediate surroundings? A recent study shows how different the acceptance of various wild animals in urban areas is. Important factors are the places where the animals are found and their level of popularity -- squirrels and ladybugs come out on top here. The results have important implications for urban planning and nature conservation.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508093730.htm

THC lingers in breastmilk with no clear peak point

When breastfeeding mothers in a recent study used cannabis, its psychoactive component THC showed up in the milk they produced. The research also found that, unlike alcohol, when THC was detected in milk there was no consistent time when its concentration peaked and started to decline. Importantly, the researchers discovered that the amount of THC they detected in milk was low -- they estimated that infants received an average of 0.07 mg of THC per day. For comparison, a common low-dose edible contains 2 mg of THC. The research team stressed that it is unknown whether this amount has any impact on the infant.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508093702.htm

Swarms of miniature robots clean up microplastics and microbes, simultaneously

When old food packaging, discarded children's toys and other mismanaged plastic waste break down into microplastics, they become even harder to clean up from oceans and waterways. These tiny bits of plastic also attract bacteria, including those that cause disease. Researchers describe swarms of microscale robots (microrobots) that captured bits of plastic and bacteria from water. Afterward, the bots were decontaminated and reused.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240508093659.htm

This sound-suppressing silk can create quiet spaces

Researchers developed a silk fabric, which is barely thicker than a human hair, that can suppress unwanted noise and reduce noise transmission in a large room.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507152457.htm

Could getting enough sleep help prevent osteoporosis?

In people's early- to mid-20s, they reach what is called peak bone mineral density, which is higher for men than it is for women, according to researchers. This peak is one of the main determinants of fracture risk later in life. After reaching this peak, a person's bone density remains roughly stable for a couple of decades. Then, when women enter the menopausal transition, they experience accelerated bone loss. Men also experience bone density decline as they age. Sleep patterns also evolve over time.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507150236.htm

Bee body mass, pathogens and local climate influence heat tolerance

How well bees tolerate temperature extremes could determine their ability to persist in a changing climate. But heat tolerance varies between and within populations, so entomologists examined bee physical traits to understand how these traits interact with environmental conditions, pathogens and other factors.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507150124.htm

Genetics, not lack of oxygen, causes cerebral palsy in quarter of cases

The world's largest study of cerebral palsy (CP) genetics has discovered genetic defects are most likely responsible for more than a quarter of cases in Chinese children, rather than a lack of oxygen at birth as previously thought.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240507150034.htm

Geologists, biologists unearth the atomic fingerprints of cancer

Earth scientists have long turned to minute differences in hydrogen atoms to explore the ancient history of our planet. A new study suggests that these same tiny atoms might also lead to new ways to track the growth of cancer.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240506151554.htm

Venus has almost no water: A new study may reveal why

Billions of years ago, Venus may have harbored as much water as Earth. Today, almost all of it has disappeared. A new study may help to explain why.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/05/240506131627.htm