Scientists to monitor British cruise passengers in hantavirus study
More than 20 Britons potentially exposed to the disease on board the MV Hondius have volunteered for the UKHSA study Source link
All posts tagged: Scientists
Scientists Warn AI Slop Is Wreaking Havoc in the Research World
Scientific papers rely on readers trusting their information. That’s why it’s disturbing that a new study by researchers connected with Cornell and UCLA found 146,900 AI-generated fake citations in scientific papers hosted across four major research databases. A key limitation of large language models such as Gemini and ChatGPT is their tendency to produce plausible-sounding but incorrect information, a phenomenon known as hallucination. If a researcher relies on a chatbot to draft citations without verifying them, the model may generate references that are entirely fabricated. While scientific papers are often hidden from the public eye, the research they report has a profound impact on our lives. Everything from the internet to lithium-ion batteries began as a research paper. But when scientists submit papers that cite AI hallucinations, it can erode faith in the quality of the research. Sloppy science The research team analyzed 111 million references from 2.5 million scientific papers. They looked for citations with titles that the team could not match to any publication. While some of these instances were just spelling errors, the team …
Scientists say they may be closer than ever to reversing aging
In old age, the liver’s DNA packaging starts to come undone. That breakdown does not change the genetic code itself. What it changes is the way the code is folded, packed, and managed inside the cell, which can decide which genes stay quiet and which ones switch on. A team at Bar-Ilan University now reports that it reversed many of those age-linked shifts in old mice by increasing levels of a protein called SIRT6. The work, published in Nature Communications, points to aging as something more dynamic than simple wear and tear. In the mouse liver, the researchers found that aging loosened chromatin, the molecular structure that organizes DNA, while pushing inflammatory genes into a more active state and weakening gene programs tied to normal metabolism. “As we age, the genome loses its proper organization,” said Prof. Haim Cohen, director of the Sagol Healthy Human Longevity Center at Bar-Ilan University’s Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, who led the study. “Genes that should remain silent become activated, especially inflammatory genes, while genes required for normal liver …
Can tuning music to 432Hz really heal you? Scientists explain the viral trend
If you scroll through social media for long enough, you’ll probably find videos claiming that listening to songs tuned to “A 432Hz” can provide an amazing sense of calmness or healing. It’s even claimed that listening to music tuned to this frequency can align your internal frequencies to those of the universe. It’s an alluring idea – that simply listening to music tuned in a specific way could improve your health. But does it have any scientific basis? An ancient idea Firstly, what does it even mean if songs are tuned to A 432Hz? Hertz (or Hz) is a measurement of frequency, or the number of times sound waves vibrate per second. Sounds are transmitted as waves through the air which hit our eardrums to create the sensation of hearing. The more quickly those sound waves are vibrating, the higher the pitch of the note. In standard concert tuning, the note A above middle C is tuned to 440Hz. A 432Hz tuning simply means the pitch of that A and all the other notes in …
Scientists develop 3D-printed ceramic bone implants — just like real human bone
Millions of people each year undergo painful procedures to repair damaged or missing bone. Whether caused by injury, aging or disease, bone loss can dramatically affect mobility, independence and quality of life. Now, researchers at Tampere University in Finland say they may have developed a more personalized and accessible solution using 3D-printed ceramic implants designed to closely imitate natural human bone. The research team created bone-like scaffolds using hydroxyapatite, the same mineral compound found in real bone tissue. By combining this material with advanced ceramic 3D printing, the scientists produced implants with carefully controlled internal structures that support the body’s natural ability to rebuild bone. The findings could mark a major step toward customized bone implants designed specifically for each patient. Researchers believe the technology may eventually replace some traditional bone graft procedures, which often require tissue from donors or the patient’s own body. “By using the same material that nature uses and shaping it through ceramic 3D printing, the implants can be precisely tailored to match a patient’s individual bone defect, without relying on …
Scientists warn over PFAS contamination on UK’s Solent coast
A major new study has found widespread PFAS contamination across the Solent coast, with toxic forever chemicals detected in seawater, marine wildlife, sediments, and treated wastewater. Researchers from the University of Portsmouth and the Marine Conservation Society say existing UK regulations are failing to protect both ecosystems and public health. The investigation focused on the Solent, the busy stretch of water separating Portsmouth from the Isle of Wight. Scientists analysed samples from across the marine environment, including fish, crabs, seaweed, harbour porpoises, wastewater discharge, and seabed sediment. The findings revealed PFAS contamination throughout the entire food chain, from lower marine organisms to top predators. Researchers also found that concentrations of PFOS, one of the most heavily regulated PFAS compounds, exceeded UK and EU coastal safety thresholds by more than 13 times at some testing locations. The study warns that assessing single chemicals in isolation may dramatically underestimate the overall environmental and health risk. Toxic chemicals embedded across the Solent coast PFAS, short for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large group of synthetic chemicals used …
Scientists discover new state of matter inside Uranus and Neptune
Far beneath the thick blue clouds of Uranus and Neptune, matter may behave in ways never before seen. Under crushing pressures and searing heat, carbon and hydrogen could organize into a bizarre new state that blurs the line between solid and liquid. Researchers from Carnegie Science now believe they have found evidence for this hidden phase through advanced computer simulations. Their work predicts the existence of a “quasi-one-dimensional superionic” state of carbon hydride deep inside ice giant planets and possibly in massive worlds beyond our Solar System. The discovery opens a new chapter in planetary science. It also offers fresh clues about how giant planets move heat, conduct electricity and generate magnetic fields. “Our work shows that even simple combinations of elements can organize into surprisingly complex states under extreme conditions,” said Cong Liu, one of the study’s authors. Schematic illustration of thermally driven phase evolution in a binary compound. (CREDIT: Nature Communications) A Hidden World Beneath Planetary Clouds Uranus and Neptune may appear calm from afar, but their interiors are violent environments. Beneath their …
Scientists Explain Whether You Should Drink Coffee Before Or After Breakfast
Though drinking more than three or four cups of coffee a day might be bad for us, a growing body of research suggests that coffee drinkers might live longer and even age better. This may be especially true if we opt for black coffee with no sugar. And according to a 2020 paper in the British Journal Of Nutrition, when we drink our morning cup of Joe matters too. Is it better to drink coffee before or after breakfast? The scientists recorded participants’ blood responses to different consumption habits after a disrupted night’s sleep and a normal night’s sleep. On one day, participants were given a glucose drink on waking from an uninterrupted sleep; on another, a glucose drink after a bad night’s kip; and on yet another day, a cup of coffee before the glucose drink (also after poor sleep). The glucose drink was meant to mimic the nutritional content of a “normal” breakfast. In this study, the researchers found that one night of bad sleep did not significantly negatively affect healthy participants’ metabolism. …
Scientists reveal the brain’s surprisingly active role in building exercise endurance
A recent study published in the journal Neuron suggests that the brain plays a direct role in how the body builds endurance after physical activity. Scientists found that a specific group of brain cells springs into action immediately after a workout, sending signals that tell the muscles to adapt and grow stronger. This research provides evidence that the benefits of exercise depend on the brain as much as they depend on the muscles themselves. The study was led by J. Nicholas Betley, a professor of biology and neuroscience at the University of Pennsylvania, Erik Bloss, an assistant professor at The Jackson Laboratory, and Kevin W. Williams, an associate professor of internal medicine at UT Southwestern Medical Center. The project’s co-first authors were Morgan Kindel, a neuroscience doctoral candidate at the University of Pennsylvania, and Ryan J. Post, an assistant professor at Providence College. The scientists conducted the research to explore how physical training creates long-lasting health benefits. People naturally assume that building endurance is a process that happens entirely within the body. When a person …
Scientists discover that dopamine receptors act as traffic signals to guide migrating brain cells
The assembly of a healthy brain requires new cells to travel incredibly long distances to arrive at their correct final destinations. A recent laboratory mouse study reveals that dopamine receptors located on stationary support cells act remarkably like traffic signals, slowing down migrating neurons so they settle in the correct areas. These findings, published in the European Journal of Neuroscience, suggest that early disruptions to dopamine signaling could permanently alter brain wiring and network connectivity. Lead investigator Anne-Gaëlle Toutain, a neurobiology researcher at the Fer à Moulin Institute in Paris, conducted the study alongside corresponding author Christine Métin and several other academic collaborators. The team focused their efforts on analyzing the cerebral cortex, the wrinkled outer blanket of the brain responsible for higher cognitive functions. The cellular makeup of this cortical region must be perfectly balanced for the brain as a whole to function properly. Most individual cells in the cortex are excitatory neurons, which routinely send active signaling impulses to other parts of the mammalian brain. To prevent the brain from becoming hyperactive or …