science
theconversation.com
Many voters are willing to accept misinformation from political leaders – even when they know it’s factually inaccurate. According to [our research](https://doi.org/10.1086/730763), voters often recognize when their parties’ claims are not based on objective evidence. Yet they still respond positively, if they believe these inaccurate statements evoke a deeper, more important “truth.”
www.nature.com
> AlphaFold predicted that three sperm proteins work together to form a complex. Two of these proteins were previously known to be important for fertility. Pauli and her colleagues then confirmed that the third is also critical for fertility in both zebrafish and mice, and that the three proteins interact with one another. > The team also found that, in zebrafish, the trio creates a place for an egg protein to bind, providing a mechanism by which the two cells could recognize one another. “It’s a way to say, ‘Sperm, you found an egg’ and ‘Egg, you found a sperm’,” says Andreas Blaha, a biochemist at the Research Institute of Molecular Pathology and co-author of the paper. > The findings might one day yield a way to screen people struggling with infertility, to find out whether problems with this complex could be the cause, says Wright. > And the results highlight a role for AlphaFold in studying fertilisation, he adds. “We’re limited in terms of experiments,” he says. “It might be that these modelling studies have an important role to play in the future.” In other words, the team used AlphaFold to help with discovering a three-protein complex that allows sperm & egg to bind together. And this complex seems to be conserved between zebrafish and humans (!!). Despite the news title: this study is actually less about AlphaFold and more about using it to help do very important biochemistry Original paper (open access): A conserved fertilization complex bridges sperm and egg in vertebrates. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2024.09.035
www.nature.com
"Scientists have designed a new form of insulin that can automatically switch itself on and off depending on glucose levels in the blood. In animals, this ‘smart’ insulin reduced high blood-sugar concentrations effectively while preventing levels from dropping too low... A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk says that although this study is a proof of principle of NNC2215’s glucose-sensitive insulin properties, further research to optimize the molecule is ongoing." From the research article: "Here we report the design and properties of NNC2215, an insulin conjugate with bioactivity that is reversibly responsive to a glucose range relevant for diabetes, as demonstrated in vitro and in vivo... In animal studies, the glucose-sensitive bioactivity of NNC2215 was demonstrated to lead to protection against hypoglycaemia while partially covering glucose excursions." Brought to you by a passionate research group from *Novo Nordisk*, home of the $1,349 per month weight-loss drug Wegovy This is still fairly early-stage research so the final commercialization might take quite some time The article itself, open access: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08042-3
#Abstract  Twenty years after the first publication using the term microplastics, we review current understanding, refine definitions and consider future prospects. Microplastics arise from multiple sources including tires, textiles, cosmetics, paint and the fragmentation of larger items. They are widely distributed throughout the natural environment with evidence of harm at multiple levels of biological organization. They are pervasive in food and drink and have been detected throughout the human body, with emerging evidence of negative effects. Environmental contamination could double by 2040 and widescale harm has been predicted. Public concern is increasing and diverse measures to address microplastics pollution are being considered in international negotiations. Clear evidence on the efficacy of potential solutions is now needed to address the issue and to minimize the risks of unintended consequences. 
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20999023 > Hello, world! > > I'm currently drafting a low-level research essay on the use of generative technology and how it affects grades beyond high-schools/realschule/K12/etc. > > The responses are completely anonymous and, as I am working on this solo, will NEVER be sold to data collection and only shared with my professor for a final grade. > > Thanks in advance to everyone who participates!
www.cnn.com
> In a single sniff, the human sense of smell can distinguish odors within a fraction of a second, working at a level of sensitivity that is “on par” with how our brains perceive color, “refuting the widely held belief that olfaction is our slow sense,” a new study finds. > ... > The new findings challenge previous research in which the timing it took to discriminate between odor sequences was around 1,200 milliseconds, Dr. Dmitry Rinberg, a professor in the Department of Neuroscience and Physiology at NYU Langone Health in New York, wrote in an editorial accompanying the study in Nature Human Behaviour.
www.scientificamerican.com
cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/20847663 Scientists had previously observed sleeping birds making movements that resembled lip-syncing. In earlier work, Mindlin and his colleagues implanted electrodes in two Zebra Finches; for a recent study in Chaos, they did the same for two Great Kiskadees. This let them record and compare neuron and muscle activity in the sleeping birds. When awake, Zebra Finches sing a well-regulated line of staccato notes. But their sleeping song movements are fragmented, disjointed and sporadic—“rather like a dream,” Mindlin says. A dozing finch seems to silently practice a few “notes” and then add another, producing a pattern of muscle activity that reminds Mindlin “of learning a musical instrument.”
www.sciencealert.com
> Imagine three people huddled in a circle so when one speaks, only one other hears. Scientists have created a device that works like that, ensuring sound waves ripple in one direction only. > > The device, developed by scientists at ETH Zurich and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne, is made up of a disk-shaped cavity with three equally-spaced ports that can each send or receive sound. > In an inactive state, sound transmitted from port 1 is audible to ports 2 and 3 at equal volumes. Sound waves bounce back to port 1 as an echo as well. > When the system is running, however, only port 2 hears port 1's sounds. > The trick is to blow swirling air into the cavity at a specific speed and intensity, which allows the sound waves to synchronize in a repeating pattern. That not only guides the sound waves in a single direction, but gives more energy to those oscillations so they don't dissipate. It's kind of like a roundabout for sound. > The scientists say their technique may inform the design of future communications technologies. New metamaterials could be made to manipulate not just sound waves but potentially electromagnetic waves too. *Please* incorporate this technology into TVs so I don't have to hear them through the wall.
www.nature.com
**Laser-induced imaging of radioactive elements was used to work out the age of an ancient cave painting on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi. The results reveal that the narrative scene is 51,200 years old, making it the earliest known example of representational art. This study challenges previous dating methods and suggests a deeper origin for human image-making and storytelling.** TL;DR or if you don't have access to the article: the researchers invented a faster, less-destructive and more-accurate rock art dating method & applied it to humanity's oldest known rock art in Sulawesi, Indonesia. The art is at least 51,200 years old (authors' lower estimate)! Edit: contrary to what the news title original stated: this is the oldest *representational art*, not the literal oldest human-created art. The paper itself (open access): https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07541-7
www.sciencedaily.com
Pham Tiep, the Joshua Barlaz Distinguished Professor of Mathematics in the Rutgers School of Arts and Science's Department of Mathematics, has completed a proof of the 1955 Height Zero Conjecture posed by Richard Brauer, a leading German-American mathematician who died in 1977. Proof of the conjecture -- commonly viewed as one of the most outstanding challenges in a field of math known as the representation theory of finite groups -- was published in the September issue of the Annals of Mathematics.
The Telomere-to-telomere consortium's primate project. We now have **complete, diploid genomes** of six ape species (chimpanzee, bonobo, gorilla, Bornean orangutan, Sumatran orangutan, and siamang). Maybe this will show up on Nature or somewhere next year :D Manuscript is literally just out on biorxiv.org past Saturday... So title/details subject to change, and unfortunately there are no fancy news articles making it any easier to read Links: * [Relevant T2T blog post on UCSC](https://cglgenomics.ucsc.edu/february-2024-t2t-apes/) * [The GitHub repo](https://github.com/marbl/Primates) * [Data uploaded to NCBI](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/datasets/genome/?accession=GCF_028858775.2,GCF_0292815810865.2,GCF_028885625.2,GCF_028878055.2,GCF_028885655.2,GCF_029289425.2)
www.nature.com
**Despite much anecdotal evidence, few studies show pervasive racial bias in promotion and tenure decisions. By analysing 1,571 real promotion and tenure cases across five US universities, Masters-Waage et al. find double standards negatively applied to scholars of colour, and especially women of colour, even after accounting for scholarly productivity.** Shortcoming of this paper is that it is * 1500+ individuals from five typical *research-intensive US-based* institutions, so other countries/types of institutions might see differences. Two HBCUs were also excluded, wouldn't be surprised if they see less racism. * I believe it was mentioned somewhere that the team only looked at Black and Hispanic faculty members, because other minorities are too few in numbers to look at... If you are wondering, Asians/Asian Americans are not considered minorities in academia. Original paper, open access & quite easy to read if you are interested * https://doi.org/10.1038/s41562-024-01977-7 Dataset: * https://osf.io/9xu65/?view_only=8af03fe8158c43a185ce807a17e43431 The associated Science News articles, both original URL and archive.org ver: * https://www.science.org/content/article/racial-bias-can-taint-academic-tenure-process-one-particular-point * https://web.archive.org/web/20241005023358/https://www.science.org/content/article/racial-bias-can-taint-academic-tenure-process-one-particular-point
interestingengineering.com
NoviOcean’s wave power technology, developed over several years, has been tested in wave pools and a real environment near Stockholm. A small version powers homes on Svanholmen island, proving the concept works at sea. On one square kilometer, 15 wave power plants can generate 15 MW, compared to offshore wind’s 10 MW. Combined, they can produce 25 MW, sharing the costs of the sea area and transmission cable. According to the firm, the hybrid approach delivers more consistent energy, as waves generate power for days after the wind subsides. Additionally, wave plants can be placed closer to shore without visually disturbing the coastline.
www.usatoday.com
>Where to look for C/2023 A3 in the night sky For observers in the Northern Hemisphere, comet C/2023 A3 can be found in the constellation Sextans and will rise one hour before the sun, according to Astronomy.com. The comet will be best viewed in mid-October, rising up from the western horizon and be visible in the southwestern sky at nightfall, weather permitting. That will likely be its best and brightest appearance until it starts to fade from view by Nov. 7, according to SkyandTelescope.com.