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Breaking bones can have a significant impact on one’s life, especially in older age when hip fractures can lead to disability, reduced independence, and an increased risk of mortality. However, research from the Nutrition and Health Innovation Research Institute at Edith Cowan University has found that there may be steps you can take to reduce your risk of fractures later in life. In collaboration with the University of Western Australia, the study looked at the relationship between fracture-related hospitalizations and vitamin K1 intake in almost 1400 older Australian women over a 14....

In contrast to theories of sexual selection that predict males have the most to gain by seeking out as many mates as possible, evolutionary explanations for the opposite kinds of behavior—loyalty to one mate, teamwork, and private displays between pairs—have been harder to explain. The new paper shows how these behaviors often inevitably evolve in species that form pair bonds. Sticking around and showing off Many experiments in birds, and some in fish, have now shown that a male that displays more vigorously, makes a sweeter song, or carries a more attractive color stimulates his mate to invest more in their brood....

There’s a new twist to the perennial argument about which is smarter, cats or dogs. It has to do with their brains, specifically the number of neurons in their cerebral cortex: the “little gray cells” associated with thinking, planning and complex behavior —all considered hallmarks of intelligence. “In this study, we were interested in comparing different species of carnivorans to see how the numbers of neurons in their brains relate to the size of their brains, including a few favorite species including cats and dogs, lions and brown bears,” said Associate Professor of Psychology and Biological Sciences Suzana Herculano-Houzel, who developed the method for accurately measuring the number of neurons in brains....

Eating nuts at least twice a week is associated with a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to research presented today at ESC Congress 2019 together with the World Congress of Cardiology. This study examined the association between nut consumption and the risk of cardiovascular disease and death in the Iranian population. A total of 5,432 adults aged 35 and older with no history of cardiovascular disease were randomly selected from urban and rural areas of the Isfahan, Arak, and Najafabad counties....

According to a new study published in Physical Review Letters, it is possible that dark matter is composed of ultralight dark photons that may have played a role in heating up the universe. This hypothesis is, according to the researchers, in excellent agreement with observations from the Cosmic Origin Spectrograph (COS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope, which observes the intricate and diffuse network of filaments known as the “cosmic web” that exists between galaxies....

The new prototype device is portable and suitable for rapid deployment by agencies to identify airborne hazards, such as from tiny gas molecules like sulfur dioxide. It can also identify larger compound molecules such as benzene, known to be harmful to human health. It can provide real-time monitoring of air quality such as during haze outbreaks, and assist in the detection of gas leaks and industrial air pollution. Developed by a research team led by Associate Professor Ling Xing Yi at the School of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, the new technology was reported last month in the science journal ACS Nano....

Researchers have modeled the fluid dynamics of multi-rotor wind turbines, and how they interact in wind farms; the research demonstrates a clear advantage for a turbine model with four rotors. Researchers have modeled the fluid dynamics of multi-rotor wind turbines, and how they interact in wind farms. The research demonstrates a clear advantage for a turbine model with four rotors. With their 220-meter (722-foot) diameter, the wind turbines at the future Dogger Bank wind farm in the North Sea are the world’s largest yet....

The American Nobel Prize Laureate for Physics Richard Feynman once described turbulence as “the most important unsolved problem of classical physics,” because a description of the phenomenon from first principles does not exist. This is still regarded as one of the six most important problems in mathematics today. David Radice and Luciano Rezzolla from the Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics (Albert Einstein Institute / AEI) in Potsdam have now taken a major step towards solving this problem: For the first time, a new computer code has provided relativistic calculations that give scientists a better understanding of turbulent processes in regimes that can be found in astrophysical phenomena....

Reported in Science Robotics, a new design, the milliDelta robot, developed by Robert Wood’s team at Harvard’s Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering and John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), overcomes this miniaturization challenge. By integrating their microfabrication technique with high-performance composite materials that can incorporate flexural joints and bending actuators, the milliDelta can operate with high speed, force, and micrometer precision, which together make it compatible with a range of micromanipulation tasks in manufacturing and medicine....

Work performed by Professor John Goold’s QuSys group in Trinity’s School of Physics describes the science behind this tiny motor. The research, published in the international journal Physical Review Letters, explains how random fluctuations affect the operation of microscopic machines. In the future, such devices could be incorporated into other technologies in order to recycle waste heat and thus improve energy efficiency. The groundbreaking experiment was carried out by a research group led by Professor Ferdinand Schmidt-Kaler and Dr....

For people who are able to work remotely during this time of social distancing, video conferences, and emails have helped bridge the gap. The same holds true for the team behind NASA’s Curiosity Mars rover. They’re dealing with the same challenges of so many remote workers — quieting the dog, sharing space with partners and family, remembering to step away from the desk from time to time — but with a twist: They’re operating on Mars....

There are eight known planets in the solar system (ever since Pluto was booted from the club), but for a while, there has been some evidence that there might be one more. A hypothetical Planet 9 lurking on the outer edge of our solar system. So far this world has eluded discovery, but a new study has pinned down where it should be. The evidence for Planet 9 comes from its gravitational pull on other bodies....

According to a recent paper published in Future Foods, these foods are a much more effective way of reducing demand for meat and dairy than simply advising individuals to make vegetarian whole foods because they are “specifically formulated to replicate the taste, texture, and overall eating experience of animal products.” According to the research, which was conducted by psychologists at the University of Bath, plant-based meat and dairy substitutes “offer a healthier and more environmentally sustainable solution which takes into account consumer preferences and behavior....

A single protein that appears necessary for the COVID-19 virus to reproduce and spread to other cells is a potential weakness that could be targeted by future therapies. The molecule, known as transmembrane protein 41 B (TMEM41B), is believed to help shape the fatty outer membrane that protects the virus’ genetic material while it replicates inside an infected cell and before it infects another. The latest finding comes from a pair of studies led by researchers at NYU Grossman School of Medicine and NYU Langone Health’s Perlmutter Cancer Center, and colleagues at Rockefeller University and elsewhere....

Based on field studies carried out on the black piranha (Serrasalmus rhombeus), the largest living species in the carnivorous clan, Megapiranha may have had a stronger bite than alligators, sharks and even Tyrannosaurus rex. The largest of the 15 fish tested weighed 1.1 kg and measured 37 cm in length. It could clamp down on researchers’ equipment with a force of 30 times its own weight, a ratio which is unmatched among vertebrates....

Traces of water have been detected within the crystalline structure of mineral samples from the lunar highland upper crust obtained during the Apollo missions, according to a University of Michigan researcher and his colleagues. The lunar highlands are thought to represent the original crust, crystallized from a magma ocean on a mostly molten early moon. The new findings indicate that the early moon was wet and that water there was not substantially lost during the moon’s formation....

The Webb team has paused in scheduling observations using this particular observing mode while they continue to analyze its behavior. They are also currently developing strategies to resume MRS observations as soon as possible. The observatory is in good health, and MIRI’s other three observing modes – imaging, low-resolution spectroscopy, and coronagraphy – are operating normally and remain available for science observations. The Mid-InfraRed Instrument (MIRI) of the James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) sees light in the mid-infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum, at wavelengths that are longer than our eyes can see....

The research team consisted of Professor Sunmin Ryu, Kwanghee Park, and Haneul Kang, affiliated with the Department of Chemistry, POSTECH, discovered that the doping of two-dimensional materials with the influx of charges from outside in the air is by an electrochemical reaction driven by the redox couples of water and oxygen molecules. Using real-time photoluminescence imaging[1], they observed the electrochemical redox reaction between tungsten disulfide and oxygen/water in the air....

1,200 years ago, tree rings recorded an abnormally large radiation burst. It’s even more mysterious since this spike in carbon-14 levels indicates a massive cosmic event, but supernovae and solar flares have been ruled out. Researchers published their findings in the journal Nature. Scientists studying tree-ring data discovered that Earth was hit with a high-energy burst of radiation from an unknown cause. The burst seemed to have occurred between 774 and 775, and was detected by the amounts of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that were formed during the 775 growing season in the Northern Hemisphere....

Conventional photodynamic methods rely on the production of reactive oxygen species to kill tumor cells, however, many cancers have environments lacking oxygen. This problem is addressed by photo-uncaging systems, in which the agent is administered in an inactive form and subsequently activated, or “uncaged,” at the location of the tumor. They uncage alkyl radicals, which are known to be capable of inducing cell death both with and without the presence of oxygen....