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Science News for January 14, 2021


New England Journal of Medicinepublishes COVID-19 treatment trial results

A clinical trial involving COVID-19 patients hospitalized at UT Health San Antonio and University Health found that a combination of the drugs baricitinib and remdesivir reduced time to recovery. Patients on high oxygen therapy had a recovery time of 10 days with combination treatment, compared to 18 days with remdesivir alone.

SourceUniversity of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio·JournalNew England Journal of Medicine·DateJan 14, 2021

Sexual harassment claims by less feminine women perceived as less credible

A recent study published by the American Psychological Association found that women who deviate from traditional femininity are perceived as less credible and their claims of sexual harassment are viewed as less valid. This bias can prevent non-stereotypical women from accessing legal protections, leaving them vulnerable to further vic...

SourceAmerican Psychological Association·JournalJournal of Personality and Social Psychology·DateJan 14, 2021

Borrowing from birds, experts reduce search times for novel high-entropy alloys to seconds

Computational materials scientists at Ames Laboratory have created an algorithm that uses a hybrid approach inspired by cuckoo birds' nesting habits to find novel high-entropy alloys. The new method significantly reduces the search time for these materials, which are highly sought after for their unique properties and applications.

SourceDOE/Ames National Laboratory·JournalNature Computational Science·DateJan 14, 2021

Common workplace interactions can trigger suicidal thoughts for employees with mood disorders

A study by Kayla Follmer and Jake Follmer found that low-grade forms of workplace mistreatment can amplify suicidal thoughts in employees with depression or bipolar disorder. The researchers surveyed 279 American adults and discovered that perceived mistreatment, job engagement, and suicidal ideation are linked.

SourceWest Virginia University·JournalOrganizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes·DateJan 14, 2021

Lack of managers keeps India's businesses small

A new study by Yale University economists finds that the absence of professional management hinders India's business growth, constraining innovation and economic growth. The study suggests that if Indian businesses adopted management practices common in developed countries, they would expand and boost productivity.

SourceYale University·JournalAmerican Economic Review·DateJan 14, 2021

Experts reduce search times for novel high-entropy alloys 13,000-fold using Cuckoo Search

Researchers at Lehigh University and Iowa State University have developed a hybrid Cuckoo Search algorithm that accelerates computational modeling of complex alloys by reducing search time up to 13,000-fold. This breakthrough enables the creation of physically realizable systems that can be directly compared against experimental samples.

SourceLehigh University·JournalNature Computational Science·DateJan 14, 2021

Accounting for the gaps in ancient food webs

Researchers developed a method to account for missing soft-bodied organisms in ancient food webs, revealing differences between hard- and soft-bodied taxa that have existed for at least 48 million years. This work strengthens future research in ancient food web reconstruction and allows for more robust predictions of future ecosystems.

SourceSanta Fe Institute·JournalPaleobiology·DateJan 14, 2021

Extreme fire weather

Climate scientists have long known that human activities increase wildfire risk, but the specific roles and influences were unclear. A new study quantifies competing anthropogenic influences on extreme fire weather risk, revealing heat-trapping greenhouse gas emissions as a dominant contributor.

SourceUniversity of California - Santa Barbara·JournalNature Communications·DateJan 14, 2021

Towards applications: ultra-low-loss on-chip zero-index materials

Scientists have designed a zero-index material based on a purely dielectric photonic crystal slab that supports low-order mode-based design, reducing radiation loss. This design enables applications such as arbitrarily shaped waveguides, phase-mismatch-free nonlinear propagation, and extended super radiance with low propagation loss.

Scientists take important step toward using retinal cell transplants to treat blindness

Researchers successfully transplanted human cadaver-derived retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) into non-human primate models, showing promise for treating macular degeneration and blindness. The study demonstrates the safety and feasibility of this approach, paving the way for potential human clinical trials.

Moffitt researchers discover biochemical pathway that protects cells from ferroptosis

Researchers at Moffitt Cancer Center have identified a novel biochemical pathway that protects cells from ferroptosis, a type of cell death caused by oxidation imbalance. The discovery involves the activation of the protein GCLC, which leads to the production of gamma-glutamyl-peptides that shield cells against ferroptosis.

Lead poisoning of children

A new study by Stanford researchers and others finds that a relatively affordable remediation process can almost entirely remove lead from contaminated soil, but challenges persist due to ongoing sources of exposure. The study's results raise troubling questions about how to effectively eliminate the poison from children's bodies.

SourceStanford University·JournalEnvironmental Research·DateJan 14, 2021

Geologic history written in garnet sand

Researchers led by Syracuse University's Suzanne Baldwin deciphered the story of garnet sand, which holds secrets of its journey through the rock cycle. The findings indicate that the rock recycling process occurred in less than 10 million years, offering insights into geologic evolution and plate boundary dynamics.

SourceSyracuse University·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 14, 2021

New state of matter in one-dimensional quantum gas

Researchers at Stanford University have developed a quantum Archimedes' screw that hails fragile gas atoms to higher energy states without collapsing. The discovery reveals the existence of scar states, rare trajectories in chaotic quantum systems offering protected refuge for information encoded in quantum systems.

SourceStanford University·JournalScience·DateJan 14, 2021

New perspectives in human behavior and culture

ASU researchers Kim Hill and Rob Boyd advocate for a new, fully integrated evolutionary theory of human behavior, combining adaptive behavioral ecology and cultural evolution approaches. Recent studies show that cultural history plays a significant role in shaping human behavioral variation, persisting for hundreds or thousands of years.

SourceArizona State University·JournalScience·DateJan 14, 2021

Algorithms designed to study language predict virus 'escape' mutations for SARS-CoV-2 and others

A new tool predicts viral escape mutations by analyzing the relationship between viruses and human immunity, as well as the structure of sentences in natural language. The algorithm achieves accurate results without prior training, identifying high-escape potential regions in SARS-CoV-2's Spike protein.

Water and gender equality

A Stanford study reveals that installing piped water closer to remote households in Zambia improves the lives of women and girls by reducing fetching time, increasing economic opportunities, and enhancing well-being. Households with piped water spend up to 80% less time fetching water, allowing for more time on productive activities li...

SourceStanford University·JournalSocial Science & Medicine·DateJan 14, 2021

Giving the hydrogen economy an acid test

Researchers at the University of Tsukuba have developed a method to produce acid-resistant catalysts using graphene, improving hydrogen gas production efficiency. The study shows that few layers of graphene allow protons to penetrate during hydrogen evolution reactions, crucial for maximizing efficiency.

SourceUniversity of Tsukuba·JournalNature Communications·DateJan 14, 2021

Human-induced climate change caused the northwestern Pacific warming record in August 2020

A new study reveals that human-induced climate changes have increased the occurrence probability of record-high SSTs in the northwestern Pacific Ocean from once-in-1000 years to once-in-15 years. The warming trend, accelerated since the 1980s, may intensify tropical cyclones and cause severe damages to East Asian countries.

SourceNational Institute for Environmental Studies·JournalGeophysical Research Letters·DateJan 14, 2021

Climate change doesn't spare the smallest

Research by University of Pennsylvania biologists Daniel Janzen and Winnie Hallwachs found that climate change has taken a toll on insects in the tropics. Insect biomass and species richness have been decomposing since the mid-1970s, with dramatic drops in moth numbers and species diversity.

SourceUniversity of Pennsylvania·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateJan 14, 2021

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine collection highlights 15 years of scientific discovery

The Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine has published a special 15th anniversary collection featuring influential studies on sleep disorders and other topics. The selected papers have had a significant impact on the field, with landmark reviews like "Behavioral and physiological consequences of sleep restriction" still widely cited today.

SourceAmerican Academy of Sleep Medicine·JournalJournal of Clinical Sleep Medicine·DateJan 14, 2021

How aerosols are formed

Researchers at ETH Zurich have gained new insights into aerosol formation by detecting volatile components for the first time. Volatile components were found to catalyze vapor nucleation, accelerating the process.

SourceETH Zurich·JournalScience Advances·DateJan 14, 2021

Climate change is hurting children's diets, global study finds

A global study of 107,000 children found that higher temperatures are an equal or greater contributor to child malnutrition and low quality diets than poverty, sanitation, and education. Climate change is also associated with increased diet diversity in some regions, but this effect depends on the intensity and distribution of rainfall.

SourceUniversity of Vermont·JournalEnvironmental Research Letters·DateJan 14, 2021