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Phys.org / AI automates the creation of custom functional materials atom by atom
Imagine a construction site where the bricks are individual molecules and the "cranes" are microscopic needles so sharp they can feel a single atom. For decades, building at this scale was a laborious, time-consuming task ...
Dialog / When we eat helps set the liver's metabolic rhythms
When we think about metabolism, we usually ask, "What did I eat? How much sugar, fat or protein was in the meal?" But through our research, we have become interested in another question: "When did I eat it?" This matters ...
Medical Xpress / Stopping chronic pain before it starts: Surprising biological pathway may play key role
Chronic pain is one of medicine's most stubborn puzzles. A sprained back, a surgical incision or a pinched nerve heals—and yet, for millions of people, the pain never fully goes away. Why some injuries fade into memory while ...
Phys.org / Microbial 'dark matter' yields 173 potential carbon dioxide-fixing strains
There are millions of species of bacteria and archaea on Earth, remarkably little is known about most of them. Now, researchers have mined the genomes of thousands of microorganisms preserved at the RIKEN BioResource Research ...
Phys.org / LEDs let archaeologists see the past in a new light
An archaeological excavation is a little like eating a layered cake: Once you have removed a layer, you cannot put it back. The problem becomes even trickier if two layers look almost exactly the same. Researchers from Aarhus ...
Phys.org / Built to last or break down: Ring size tunes biodegradable plastic lifetimes
Biodegradable plastics should be tough enough for use yet able to break down at an appropriate rate afterward. Researchers at the University of Osaka show that changing the size of rings threaded onto a biodegradable polymer ...
Phys.org / Underwater meadows sustain millions in extreme poverty
A study provides the first large-scale empirical evidence that seagrass meadows act as a critical safety net for millions of coastal people living in extreme poverty across the Indo-Pacific.
Phys.org / Chimpanzees have accents too, study finds
A study has found that young chimpanzees develop distinct population-specific vocal patterns as they mature (ontogeny), challenging the long-held assumption that their calls are inflexible and determined solely by genetics. ...
Tech Xplore / Metal foam front rails could make cars safer in collisions
A new study finds that composite metal foam (CMF) could significantly improve automobile safety during frontal collisions. Using computational models to run detailed simulations, researchers found that incorporating CMF into ...
Phys.org / Predictive tools can confuse rare mutations with dangerous ones
When a patient's DNA is read, it is compared with a reference version of the human genome. This allows geneticists and rare disease experts to look at a list of places where the patient's DNA differs. Most variations will ...
Medical Xpress / NFL settlement testing may miss measurable cognitive decline in players with advanced CTE
Researchers at Boston University have completed the largest study to date characterizing the cognitive symptoms of NFL players with confirmed chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) who underwent neuropsychological tests while ...
Phys.org / Heavy water's atmospheric fingerprints boost weather forecasts for up to five days
Weather forecasts rely on many different kinds of data, including temperature, humidity and wind. For the first time, researchers, including those at the University of Tokyo, have demonstrated that a long-theorized improvement ...