Two planets found orbiting a red dwarf

Red dwarfs are the coolest kind of star. As such, they potentially allow liquid water to exist on planets that are quite close to them. In the search for habitable worlds beyond the borders of our solar system, this is a big advantage: the distance between an exoplanet and its star is a crucial factor for its detection. The closer the two are, the higher the chance that astronomers can detect the planet from Earth.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-planets-orbiting-red-dwarf.html

World's greatest mass extinction triggered switch to warm-bloodedness

Mammals and birds today are warm-blooded, and this is often taken as the reason for their great success.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-world-greatest-mass-extinction-triggered.html

Gel instrumental in 3-D bioprinting biological tissues

The eventual creation of replacement biological parts requires fully three-dimensional capabilities that two-dimensional and three-dimensional thin-film bioprinting cannot supply. Now, using a yield stress gel, Penn State engineers can place tiny aggregates of cells exactly where they want to build the complex shapes that will be necessary to replace bone, cartilage and other tissues.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-gel-instrumental-d-bioprinting-biological.html

Researchers develop framework to identify health impacts of self-driving vehicles

Autonomous vehicles (AV) are the wave of the future in the automobile industry, and there's extensive discussion about the impacts on transportation, society, the economy and the environment.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-framework-health-impacts-self-driving-vehicles.html

YouTube toughens rules for QAnon conspiracy content

YouTube said Thursday it was tightening rules for propagation of conspiracy theories, notably targeting the QAnon movement already limited on Twitter and Facebook.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-youtube-toughens-qanon-conspiracy-content.html

Looking to buy a new iPhone 12? Here are 6 questions to ask before you pre-order one

With pre-orders opening Friday at 5 a.m. PT for the new crop of iPhones, you're probably wondering should I upgrade?

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-iphone-pre-order.html

YouTube will remove videos making harmful claims rooted in conspiracy theories

YouTube is cracking down on videos displaying "harmful conspiracy theories" as social platforms continue to grapple with the spread of misinformation and hate.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-youtube-videos-rooted-conspiracy-theories.html

All-terrain microrobot flips through a live colon

A rectangular robot as tiny as a few human hairs can travel throughout a colon by doing back flips, Purdue University engineers have demonstrated in live animal models.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-all-terrain-microrobot-flips-colon.html

Cybercrime money-launders busted by European police, FBI

European and American officials said Thursday that they have arrested 20 people in several countries for allegedly belonging to an international ring that laundered millions of euros stolen by cybercriminals through malware schemes.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-cybercrime-money-launders-european-police-fbi.html

Machine learning uncovers potential new TB drugs

Machine learning is a computational tool used by many biologists to analyze huge amounts of data, helping them to identify potential new drugs. MIT researchers have now incorporated a new feature into these types of machine-learning algorithms, improving their prediction-making ability.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-machine-uncovers-potential-tb-drugs.html

A new approach boosts lithium-ion battery efficiency and puts out fires, too

In an entirely new approach to making lithium-ion batteries lighter, safer and more efficient, scientists at Stanford University and the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory have reengineered one of the heaviest battery components—sheets of copper or aluminum foil known as current collectors—so they weigh 80% less and immediately quench any fires that flare up.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-approach-boosts-lithium-ion-battery-efficiency.html

Scientists develop 'mini-brains' to help robots recognize pain and to self-repair

Using a brain-inspired approach, scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a way for robots to have the artificial intelligence (AI) to recognize pain and to self-repair when damaged.

source https://techxplore.com/news/2020-10-scientists-mini-brains-robots-pain-self-repair.html

Twitter service restored following global platform outage

Twitter was restored Thursday evening after a technical problem caused a global outage of nearly two hours on the social media platform used by hundreds of millions worldwide.

New technology diagnoses sickle cell disease in record time

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed a new way to diagnose diseases of the blood like sickle cell disease with sensitivity and precision and in only one minute. Their technology is smaller than a quarter and requires only a small droplet of blood to assess protein interactions, dysfunction or mutations.

Conquering CHD, Children's Hospital Colorado encourage others to provide cardiac outcomes

Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) is the most common birth defect in the United States, occurring in approximately one in every 100 babies. However, hospital data regarding short- and long-term outcomes for patients has been limited and oftentimes difficult to access and/or interpret.

A promising new tool in the fight against melanoma

An Edith Cowan University (ECU) study has revealed that a key blood marker of cancer could be used to select the most effective treatment for melanoma.

Preliminary results find COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on inactivated SARS-CoV-2 virus is safe

A Chinese COVID-19 vaccine candidate based on the inactivated whole SARS-CoV-2 virus (BBIBP-CorV) is safe and elicits an antibody response, findings from a small early-phase randomised clinical trial published today in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal have found.

Study reveals the influence of race correction in kidney disease care

A new study examines whether the "race multiplier" correction factor for Black patients, used when estimating kidney function, may contribute to disparities in care for these patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Black patients with CKD have worse outcomes than other racial groups, including higher rates of anemia and hypertension, longer waits for referral to nephrology, and poorer access to transplantation. A research team led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital examined whether removing the race multiplier from calculations that estimate kidney function would change the way Black patients were classified. They found that up to one in every three Black patients would be reclassified as having a more severe stage of CKD, with one-quarter of Black patients going from stage 3 to stage 4—an important jump that could lead to more advanced kidney care and in some cases, key conversations about dialysis. Results of the study are published in The Journal of General Internal Medicine.

Chronic disease and public health failures fuel COVID-19 pandemic

Australia was not spared as a 30-year global rise in chronic illness and related risk factors such as obesity, high blood sugar, and outdoor air pollution created a perfect storm to fuel coronavirus (COVID-19) deaths, new research shows.

E-cigarettes might not be safe alternative in reducing harm to babies

E-cigarettes might not be a safer alternative to smoking during pregnancy, according to the first known study into the effects of prenatal nicotine exposure on babies.

New technology diagnoses sickle cell disease in record time

Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder and the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus have developed a new way to diagnose diseases of the blood like sickle cell disease with sensitivity and precision and in only one minute. Their technology is smaller than a quarter and requires only a small droplet of blood to assess protein interactions, dysfunction or mutations.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-technology-sickle-cell-disease.html

During COVID, scientists turn to computers to understand C4 photosynthesis

When COVID closed down their lab in March, a team from the University of Essex turned to computational approaches to understand what makes some plants better adapted to transform light and carbon dioxide into yield through photosynthesis. They published their findings in the journal Frontiers of Plant Science.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-covid-scientists-c4-photosynthesis.html

During COVID, scientists turn to computers to understand C4 photosynthesis

When COVID closed down their lab in March, a team from the University of Essex turned to computational approaches to understand what makes some plants better adapted to transform light and carbon dioxide into yield through photosynthesis. They published their findings in the journal Frontiers of Plant Science.

Supergene discovery leads to new knowledge of fire ants

A unique study conducted by University of Georgia entomologists led to the discovery of a distinctive supergene in fire ant colonies that determines whether young queen ants will leave their birth colony to start their own new colony or if they will join one with multiple queens.

Researchers find diverse communities comprise bacterial mats threatening coral reefs

Researchers are learning more about the brightly colored bacterial mats threatening the ecological health of coral reefs worldwide. In new research released this month, a Florida State University team revealed that these mats are more complex than scientists previously knew, opening the door for many questions about how to best protect reef ecosystems in the future.

More US Adults want the government to have a bigger role in improving peoples' lives than before the pandemic

The share of U.S. adults who support an active government role in society increased by more than 40 percent during the initial pandemic response—up from 24 percent in September 2019 to 34 percent in April 2020—according to a new national public opinion survey conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute.

Supergene discovery leads to new knowledge of fire ants

A unique study conducted by University of Georgia entomologists led to the discovery of a distinctive supergene in fire ant colonies that determines whether young queen ants will leave their birth colony to start their own new colony or if they will join one with multiple queens.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-supergene-discovery-knowledge-ants.html

Researchers find diverse communities comprise bacterial mats threatening coral reefs

Researchers are learning more about the brightly colored bacterial mats threatening the ecological health of coral reefs worldwide. In new research released this month, a Florida State University team revealed that these mats are more complex than scientists previously knew, opening the door for many questions about how to best protect reef ecosystems in the future.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-diverse-comprise-bacterial-mats-threatening.html

More US Adults want the government to have a bigger role in improving peoples' lives than before the pandemic

The share of U.S. adults who support an active government role in society increased by more than 40 percent during the initial pandemic response—up from 24 percent in September 2019 to 34 percent in April 2020—according to a new national public opinion survey conducted by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the Johns Hopkins University SNF Agora Institute.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-adults-bigger-role-peoples-pandemic.html

History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts

All good things must come to an end. Whether societies are ruled by ruthless dictators or more well-meaning representatives, they fall apart in time, with different degrees of severity. In a new paper, anthropologists examined a broad, global sample of 30 pre-modern societies. They found that when "good" governments—ones that provided goods and services for their people and did not starkly concentrate wealth and power—fell apart, they broke down more intensely than collapsing despotic regimes. And the researchers found a common thread in the collapse of good governments: leaders who undermined and broke from upholding core societal principles, morals, and ideals.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-history-societies-collapse-leaders-undermine.html

Supergiant star Betelgeuse smaller, closer than first thought

It may be another 100,000 years until the giant red star Betelgeuse dies in a fiery explosion, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

source https://phys.org/news/2020-10-supergiant-star-betelgeuse-smaller-closer.html

History shows that societies collapse when leaders undermine social contracts

All good things must come to an end. Whether societies are ruled by ruthless dictators or more well-meaning representatives, they fall apart in time, with different degrees of severity. In a new paper, anthropologists examined a broad, global sample of 30 pre-modern societies. They found that when "good" governments—ones that provided goods and services for their people and did not starkly concentrate wealth and power—fell apart, they broke down more intensely than collapsing despotic regimes. And the researchers found a common thread in the collapse of good governments: leaders who undermined and broke from upholding core societal principles, morals, and ideals.

Supergiant star Betelgeuse smaller, closer than first thought

It may be another 100,000 years until the giant red star Betelgeuse dies in a fiery explosion, according to a new study by an international team of researchers.

Immunotherapy combo halts rare, stage 4 sarcoma in teen

A patient with end-stage and rapidly progressing soft-tissue cancer whose tumor did not respond to standard treatment, had a "rapid and complete response" to a novel combination of immunotherapy, according to new research published by a team of scientists from John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center and the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center, both of whom are part of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Consortium.