A new imaging study showed that listening to favorite music affects the function of the brain’s opioid system.
ScienceDaily
Viewing art can boost wellbeing by giving meaning to life
The simple act of looking at a piece of visual art can boost your wellbeing, a new research study has found, and this benefit can be gained in a hospital setting as well as an art gallery.
Growing wildflowers on disused urban land can damage bee health
Wildflowers growing on land previously used for buildings and factories can accumulate lead, arsenic and other metal contaminants from the soil, which are consumed by pollinators as they feed, a new study has found.
Gut microbes release cancer-fighting bile acids that block hormone signals
Bacteria naturally present in the human intestine (known as the gut microbiota) can transform cholesterol-derived bile acids into powerful metabolites that strengthen anti-cancer immunity by blocking androgen signaling, according to a preclinical study.
On Jupiter, it’s mushballs all the way down
Observations of Jupiter show that ammonia is unevenly distributed in the upper atmosphere, against expectations of uniform mixing. Scientists found evidence for a complicated but apparently real process associated with fierce lightning storms: strong updrafts generate slushy, ice-coated hailstones of ammonia and water that eventually plunge into the planet and deplete areas of ammonia. This is part of the first 3D picture of the planet’s atmosphere, which shows storms are primarily shallow.
Can citizen science be trusted? New study of birds shows it can
Platforms such as iNaturalist and eBird encourage people to observe and document nature, but how accurate is the ecological data that they collect? A new study shows that citizen science data from iNaturalist and eBird can reliably capture known seasonal patterns of bird migration in Northern California and Nevada — from year-round residents such as California Scrub-Jays, to transient migrants such as the Western Tanager and the Pectoral Sandpiper.
Inactive components in agricultural runoff may be hidden contributors to drinking water hazards
A new study reveals the impact of what might may be precursors to harmful contaminants in drinking water, formed during water disinfection.
Explainable AI for ship navigation raises trust, decreases human error
A team has developed an explainable AI model for automatic collision avoidance between ships.
New type of handheld detector for all types of ionizing radiation improves radiation safety
Scientists have developed a new type of handheld multi-purpose radiation detector that comprehensively detects all types of ionizing radiation. The device can be used by industrial and medical radiation users, regulatory authorities, the nuclear energy industry, first responders and military users. The technology has been patented and is currently being explored for commercialization.
AI finds new ways to observe the most extreme events in the universe
Extreme cosmic events such as colliding black holes or the explosions of stars can cause ripples in spacetime, so-called gravitational waves. Their discovery opened a new window into the universe. To observe them, ultra-precise detectors are required. Designing them remains a major scientific challenge for humans. Researchers have been working on how an artificial intelligence system could explore an unimaginably vast space of possible designs to find entirely new solutions.