Category: Science

The only remaining autonomous ‘jumping gene’ can only attach to, and stitch a copy of itself into, DNA when it builds up into large clusters and only as cells divide. …read more

The Haenyeo, a group of all-female divers from the Korean island of Jeju, are renowned for their ability to dive in frigid waters without the aid of breathing equipment — even while pregnant. A study shows that the divers’ remarkable abilities are due to both training and genetic adaptation, including gene variants associated with cold tolerance and decreased blood pressure. The divers also showed pronounced bradycardia, or slowing of the heart rate, when they dived, but this trait is likely due to a lifetime of training, not genetics. …read more

Bad habits such as smoking, heavy drinking and lack of exercise must be tackled as early as possible to boost the odds of a happy and healthy old age. …read more

A team has discovered how certain bacteria breathe by generating electricity, using a natural process that pushes electrons into their surroundings instead of breathing on oxygen. The findings could enable new developments in clean energy and industrial biotechnology. …read more

Breast cancer deaths among women ages 20-49 declined significantly between 2010 and 2020, according to a new study. …read more

Researchers in the field of exposomics explain how cutting-edge technologies are unlocking this biological archive, ushering in a new era of disease prevention and personalized medicine. …read more

Researchers have long recognized that quantum communication systems would transmit quantum information more faithfully and be impervious to certain forms of error if nonlinear optical processes were used. However, past efforts at incorporating such processes could not operate with the extremely low light levels required for quantum communication. …read more

Researchers have developed a novel high-energy particle detection instrumentation approach that leverages the power of quantum sensors — devices capable of precisely detecting single particles. …read more

Cinnamon is one of the oldest and most commonly used spices in the world, but a new study indicates a compound in it could interfere with some prescription medications. …read more

Humans are better than current AI models at interpreting social interactions and understanding social dynamics in moving scenes. Researchers believe this is because AI neural networks were inspired by the infrastructure of the part of the brain that processes static images, which is different from the area of the brain that processes dynamic social scenes. …read more