Liftoff! NASA's Europa Clipper sails toward ocean moon of Jupiter

NASA's Europa Clipper has embarked on its long voyage to Jupiter, where it will investigate Europa, a moon with an enormous subsurface ocean that may have conditions to support life. The largest spacecraft NASA ever built for a mission headed to another planet, Europa Clipper also is the first NASA mission dedicated to studying an ocean world beyond Earth.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241014145904.htm

Targeting 'undruggable' diseases: New levels of detail in targeted protein degradation

Targeted protein degradation has opened up a new field of drug discovery with potential to treat previously 'undruggable' diseases. The work means new drugs can be much more accurately targeted at the molecular level, creating and hitting a metaphorical 'bull's eye.'

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241011175903.htm

Researchers identify signs tied to more severe cases of RSV

Clinician-scientists analyzed samples from patients' airways and blood, finding distinct changes in children with severe cases of RSV, including an increase in the number of natural killer (NK) cells in their airways. The descriptive study, which focuses on understanding the underpinnings of severe disease, may help to lay groundwork for identifying new targets for future treatments.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241011175858.htm

NASA's Hubble, New Horizons team up for a simultaneous look at Uranus

NASA's Hubble Space Telescope and New Horizons spacecraft simultaneously set their sights on Uranus recently, allowing scientists to make a direct comparison of the planet from two very different viewpoints. The results inform future plans to study like types of planets around other stars.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241011141556.htm

How did the building blocks of life arrive on Earth?

Researchers have used the chemical fingerprints of zinc contained in meteorites to determine the origin of volatile elements on Earth. The results suggest that without 'unmelted' asteroids, there may not have been enough of these compounds on Earth for life to emerge.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241011141553.htm

Scientists cut harmful pollution from hydrogen engines

Scientists have discovered a low-cost method to significantly reduce this pollution from hydrogen internal combustion engines by improving the efficiency of their catalytic converters. The researchers found that infusing platinum in catalytic converters with a highly porous material called Y zeolites greatly enhances the reactions between nitrogen oxides and hydrogen, converting unhealthful nitrogen oxides into harmless nitrogen gas and water vapor.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241010205911.htm

It could take over 40 years for PFAS to leave groundwater

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl chemicals, known commonly as PFAS, could take over 40 years to flush out of contaminated groundwater.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241010205903.htm

The new fashion: Clothes that help combat rising temperatures

A team of international researchers has developed a natural fabric that urban residents could wear to counter rising temperatures in cities worldwide, caused by buildings, asphalt, and concrete.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009215428.htm

In double breakthrough, mathematician solves two long-standing problems

A professor who has devoted his career to resolving the mysteries of higher mathematics has solved two separate, fundamental problems that have perplexed mathematicians for decades.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009183553.htm

NASA's Hubble watches Jupiter's Great Red Spot behave like a stress ball

Astronomers have observed Jupiter's legendary Great Red Spot (GRS), an anticyclone large enough to swallow Earth, for at least 150 years. But there are always new surprises -- especially when NASA's Hubble Space Telescope takes a close-up look at it. Hubble's new observations of the famous red storm, collected 90 days between December 2023 to March 2024, reveal that the GRS is not as stable as it might look. The recent data show the GRS jiggling like a bowl of gelatin. The combined Hubble images allowed astronomers to assemble a time-lapse movie of the squiggly behavior of the GRS.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009183537.htm

Viruses are teeming on your toothbrush, showerhead

Microbiologists found that showerheads and toothbrushes are teeming with an extremely diverse collection of viruses -- most of which have never been seen before.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009122630.htm

Nature and plastics inspire breakthrough in soft sustainable materials

Using peptides and a snippet of the large molecules in plastics, materials scientists have developed materials made of tiny, flexible nano-sized ribbons that can be charged just like a battery to store energy or record digital information.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009121344.htm

A matter of taste: Electronic tongue reveals AI 'inner thoughts'

Researchers recently developed electronic tongue capable of identifying differences in similar liquids, such as milk with varying water content; diverse products, including soda types and coffee blends; signs of spoilage in fruit juices; and instances of food safety concerns. They found that results were even more accurate when artificial intelligence used its own assessment parameters to interpret the data generated by the electronic tongue.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241009121229.htm

Will AI tools revolutionize public health? Not if they continue following old patterns, researchers argue

A new article shares findings from an extensive literature analysis of AI's current trajectory in health care.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241008201419.htm

Transition to a circular bioeconomy requires getting prices right

A circular bioeconomy that reduces and recycles waste, transitions away from fossil fuels to renewable bio-based alternatives, and regenerates natural systems is critical for feeding and fueling the world's growing population in environmentally sustainable ways. But it's a complicated concept, and significant questions remain about how it should be implemented and how to get buy-in from farmers, industry, and consumers in a market economy. A new paper by noted agricultural economists and scientists argues that the concept of a circular bioeconomy needs to expand beyond its technical focus on reducing waste and incorporate a values-based economic lens. The authors emphasize the need for the right policies, incentives, and market signals to persuade consumers and producers to make environmentally sound decisions -- and to help ensure that the system is equitable.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241008163931.htm

Asymmetric placebo effect in response to spicy food

The expectations humans have of a pleasurable sensation asymmetrically shape neuronal responses and subjective experiences to hot sauce, according to a new study.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241008144630.htm

Key molecule in wound healing identified

A new study has identified an RNA molecule that is important for skin wound healing. The research may have implications for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241008122243.htm

Dogs contaminate ponds with parasite medications

Most dog owners didn't know that flea and tick treatments are dangerous to aquatic life, suggesting more awareness could ease the problem.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241008103814.htm

AI speeds up the discovery of energy and quantum materials

Unearthing new LEDs, solar cells, and photodetectors requires extensive knowledge surrounding the optical properties of materials. Calculating these takes time and resources. Yet researchers unveiled a new AI tool that can accurately, and crucially much faster than quantum simulations, for predicting optical properties.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241007222754.htm

AI and quantum mechanics team up to accelerate drug discovery

SMU have created SmartCADD. This open-source virtual tool combines artificial intelligence, quantum mechanics and Computer Assisted Drug Design (CADD) techniques to speed up the screening of chemical compounds, significantly reducing drug discovery timelines.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241007134022.htm