Wednesday 19 June 2019

Human migration in Oceania recreated through paper mulberry genetics

The migration and interaction routes of prehistoric humans throughout the islands of Oceania can be retraced using genetic differences between paper mulberry plants, a tree native to Asia cultivated for fibers to make paper and introduced into the Pacific in prehistoric times to make barkcloth. Daniela Seelenfreund of the University of Chile and Andrea Seelenfreund of the Academia de Humanismo Cristiano University, Chile report on prehistoric human movements based on the genetic analysis of this plant in a new paper published June 19 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE.

* This article was originally published here

First-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm without brain implants

A team of researchers from Carnegie Mellon University, in collaboration with the University of Minnesota, has made a breakthrough in the field of noninvasive robotic device control. Using a noninvasive brain-computer interface (BCI), researchers have developed the first-ever successful mind-controlled robotic arm exhibiting the ability to continuously track and follow a computer cursor.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers use biological evolution to inspire machine learning

As Charles Darwin wrote in at the end of his seminal 1859 book On the Origin of the Species, "whilst this planet has gone cycling on according to the fixed law of gravity, from so simple a beginning endless forms most beautiful and most wonderful have been, and are being, evolved." Scientists have since long believed that the diversity and range of forms of life on Earth provide evidence that biological evolution spontaneously innovates in an open-ended way, constantly inventing new things. However, attempts to construct artificial simulations of evolutionary systems tend to run into limits in the complexity and novelty which they can produce. This is sometimes referred to as "the problem of open-endedness." Because of this difficulty, to date, scientists can't easily make artificial systems capable of exhibiting the richness and diversity of biological systems.

* This article was originally published here

Survey sees biggest US honeybee winter die-off yet

Winter hit U.S. honeybees hard with the highest loss rate yet, an annual survey of beekeepers showed.

* This article was originally published here

New approaches cut inappropriate antibiotic use by over 30%

A UC Davis study of nine emergency departments and urgent care centers in California and Colorado found educating physicians and patients about safe antibiotic use can cut overuse by one-third.

* This article was originally published here

Study reveals roots of Parkinson's in the brain

Researchers from King's College London have uncovered the earliest signs of Parkinson's disease in the brain, many years before patients show any symptoms. The results, published in The Lancet Neurology, challenge the traditional view of the disease and could potentially lead to screening tools for identifying people at greatest risk.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers use facial quirks to unmask 'deepfakes'

After watching hours of video footage of former President Barack Obama delivering his weekly address, Shruti Agarwal began to notice a few quirks about the way Obama speaks.

* This article was originally published here

Creating 3-D images with regular ink

This month, 5,000 distinctive cans of Fuzzy Logic beer will appear on local shelves as part of Massachusetts-based Portico Brewing's attempt to stand out in the aesthetically competitive world of craft beer.

* This article was originally published here

Trump moves to weaken Obama climate policy, bolster coal industry

The Trump administration on Wednesday unveiled its final plan to rewrite a major Obama-era climate change policy, replacing proposed regulations that cracked down on coal-burning power plants with a weaker alternative.

* This article was originally published here

New laser therapy seeks to halt the progression of age-related vision loss

There are 200 million people in the world living with age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and in approximately a fifth of these cases, the disease progresses to an advanced stage, leading to visual impairment. Advanced AMD is divided into wet and dry forms. While wet AMD can be treated with medical injections, approximately four fifths of advanced AMD cases are of the dry form, for which there is currently no medical treatment.

* This article was originally published here

US military consumes more hydrocarbons than most countries—massive hidden impact on climate

The US military's carbon footprint is enormous and must be confronted in order to have a substantial effect on battling global warming.

* This article was originally published here

We know contact with nature makes you feel better. Can virtual contact do the same?

You might have noticed that being in nature can improve your mood. Whether it's walking in a beautiful rainforest, swimming in the ocean or a moment of wonder at the plants and animals around you, nature offers a respite from daily routines and demands.

* This article was originally published here

Early research shows a way to develop effective therapies against pancreatic cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC), the most common form of pancreatic cancer, is the fifth most common cause of death from cancer in the UK and the third in the United States. Deaths from PDAC outnumber those from breast cancer despite the significant difference in incidence rates.

* This article was originally published here

Survivors of breast cancer face increased risk of heart disease

Thanks to advanced medical treatments, women diagnosed with breast cancer today will likely survive the disease. However, some treatment options put these women at greater risk for a number of other health problems. A new study out of Brazil shows that postmenopausal women with breast cancer are at greater risk for developing heart disease. Results are published online in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS).

* This article was originally published here

Quantum music to my ears

It sounds like an old-school vinyl record, but the distinctive crackle in the music streamed into Chris Holloway's laboratory is atomic in origin. The group at the National Institute for Standards and Technology, Boulder, Colorado, spent a long six years finding a way to directly measure electric fields using atoms, so who can blame them for then having a little fun with their new technology?

* This article was originally published here

Arctic could face another scorching annus horribilis

Scientists say 2019 could be another annus horribilis for the Arctic with record temperatures already registered in Greenland—a giant melting icicle that threatens to submerge the world's coastal areas one day.

* This article was originally published here

Searching for the source of microplastics in European rivers

"Microbeads! A blue one—and a pink one!"

* This article was originally published here

Does greater immersion in virtual reality lead to a better experience?

Contrary to current industry trends to develop more immersive virtual reality systems, a new study found that a more immersive environment or the presence of real-world distractions could have surprising effects on a participant's recall, description of the virtual encounter, and how positive they feel about the experience. The design, results, and implications of this timely study are published in Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking.

* This article was originally published here

Researchers have success in detecting if images of faces were manipulated

Make some noise for Adobe in its effort to detect fakery. They unleashed the powers of machine learning to automatically detect when images of faces have been manipulated.

* This article was originally published here