https://phys.org/ en-us Latest news from Arizona State University A new study conducted by a team of researchers from Arizona State University, University of Washington and the University of Texas at Austin reveals that extreme heat significantly alters how people go about their daily lives, influencing everything from time spent at home to transportation choices. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-extreme-impacts-daily-routines-patterns.html Environment Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:31:17 EDT news646587069 Cancer cells are driven by the same imperative guiding all living things: to grow, survive and reproduce. Although cancer's evolutionary underpinnings have been recognized since the 1950s, clinicians have been slow to apply the lessons of evolution to the fight against this deadly disease, which remains the second-leading cause of death, claiming 9.7 million lives worldwide in 2022. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-09-explores-opportunities-cancer.html Medical research Oncology & Cancer Wed, 11 Sep 2024 11:40:05 EDT news645273602 Corn, a staple food crop consumed by billions of people and animals worldwide, is frequently contaminated by the fungal toxin aflatoxin B1, a highly potent carcinogen produced by the fungus Aspergillus flavus. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-ray-irradiation-technique-cancer-poison.html Biotechnology Agriculture Thu, 15 Aug 2024 15:14:17 EDT news642953653 In one of the largest studies of cancer susceptibility across bird species, researchers at Arizona State University describe an intriguing relationship between reproductive rates and cancer susceptibility. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-explore-cancer-susceptibility-birds.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 31 Jul 2024 14:35:02 EDT news641655296 In new research, Arizona State University scientists and their colleagues investigated genetic changes occurring in a naturally isolated population of the water flea, Daphnia pulex. This tiny crustacean, barely visible to the naked eye, plays a crucial role in freshwater ecosystems and offers a unique window into natural selection and evolution. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-zooplankton-traditional-views-evolution.html Evolution Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 15 Jul 2024 11:17:05 EDT news640261021 Researchers at Arizona State University have made a significant advance in understanding how genes are controlled in living organisms. The new study, published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, focuses on critical snippets of RNA in the tiny, transparent roundworm Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans). https://phys.org/news/2024-07-rna-junk-genes.html Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 02 Jul 2024 13:03:05 EDT news639144182 Excessive heat across the United States is making this summer a season of sweat. Perspiration and its evaporation are crucial to keeping us cool when things get hot. But our understanding of how sweat evaporates is limited to the profuse phases of the process, when our bodies are coated in a sticky film or even pools of perspiration. Relatively little is known about the dynamics behind initial phases of sweating, when tiny droplets are emitted by individual sweat glands and then quickly evaporate. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-tools-reveal-dynamics.html Biomedical technology Wed, 26 Jun 2024 15:56:28 EDT news638636183 Chronic pain affects millions worldwide, and current treatments often rely on opioids, which carry risks of addiction and overdose. Non-addictive alternatives could revolutionize pain management, and new research targeting the human protein which regulates cold sensations, brings scientists closer to developing pain medications that don't affect body temperature and don't carry the risks of addiction. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-06-reveals-evolution-human-cold-menthol.html Medical research Addiction Fri, 21 Jun 2024 14:00:02 EDT news638177461 The Sun Corridor in Arizona in the semi-arid Southwestern U.S. is a land of seeming unlimited growth that is constantly colliding with physical constraints. It is mountainous but also home to a large valley that includes one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the U.S. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-arizona-winter-precipitation.html Earth Sciences Environment Wed, 19 Jun 2024 09:00:01 EDT news638005155 Each of us individually is the accumulated product of thousands of generations that have come before us in an unbroken line. Our culture and technology today are also the result of thousands of years of accumulated and remixed cultural knowledge. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-cumulative-culture-human-evolution-contributions.html Archaeology Mon, 17 Jun 2024 15:00:01 EDT news637845481 Disease-causing microbes have evolved sophisticated strategies for invading the body, flourishing in often hostile environments and evading immune defenses. In a new study, Professor Cheryl Nickerson, her Arizona State University colleagues and collaborators at the University of Cincinnati and NASA Johnson Space Center delve into the physical forces guiding this behavior in a multidrug-resistant strain of salmonella, a bacterial pathogen. Their insights may accelerate the design of new therapies to address life-threatening bacterial infections, such as sepsis. https://phys.org/news/2024-06-deadly-strain-salmonella-fine-tunes.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Mon, 17 Jun 2024 11:12:05 EDT news637841521 A new study by researchers from Arizona State University and their colleagues highlights a dietary strategy for significant health improvement and weight management. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-05-intermittent-fasting-gut-health-weight.html Gastroenterology Endocrinology & Metabolism Wed, 29 May 2024 11:28:06 EDT news636200882 In a new review paper, Carlo Maley and Arizona State University colleagues describe cell-in-cell phenomena in which one cell engulfs and sometimes consumes another. The study shows that cases of this behavior, including cell cannibalism, are widespread across the tree of life. https://phys.org/news/2024-05-widespread-cell-cannibalism-phenomena-tree.html Evolution Cell & Microbiology Tue, 21 May 2024 15:31:56 EDT news635524310 Many biological structures of impressive beauty and sophistication arise through processes of self-assembly. Indeed, the natural world is teeming with intricate and useful forms that come together from many constituent parts, taking advantage of the built-in features of molecules. https://techxplore.com/news/2024-05-blueprints-technique-advances-nanotechnology.html Engineering Tue, 21 May 2024 03:30:45 EDT news635481031 In the ongoing fight against cancer, scientists around the globe are exploring innovative approaches to unlock the mysteries of the human immune system—the complex network of organs, cells and proteins that defends the body against disease. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-03-ai-based-tool-paving-personalized.html Oncology & Cancer Immunology Fri, 29 Mar 2024 11:00:02 EDT news630923542 Modern humans dispersed from Africa multiple times, but the event that led to global expansion occurred less than 100,000 years ago. Some researchers hypothesize that dispersals were restricted to "green corridors" formed during humid intervals when food was abundant and human populations expanded in lockstep with their environments. https://phys.org/news/2024-03-toba-supereruption-dispersal-modern-humans.html Archaeology Wed, 20 Mar 2024 12:00:01 EDT news630146908 Parkinson's disease, the second most common type of progressive dementia after Alzheimer's disease, affects nearly 1 million people in the U.S. and an estimated 10 million individuals worldwide. Each year, close to 90,000 new cases of Parkinson's disease are diagnosed in the U.S. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2024-02-conventional-picture-parkinson-disease.html Neuroscience Parkinson's & Movement disorders Fri, 23 Feb 2024 13:39:26 EST news627917954 When spectacular cosmic events such as galaxy collisions occur, it sets off a reaction to form new stars, and possibly new planets that otherwise would not have formed. The gravitational pull that forces the collisions between these galaxies creates tidal tails—the long thin region of stars and interstellar gas. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-hubble-pearls-star-clusters-galaxy.html Astronomy Fri, 09 Feb 2024 10:52:58 EST news626629561 A team of astronomers, led by Arizona State University Assistant Research Scientist Tim Carleton, has discovered a dwarf galaxy that appeared in James Webb Space Telescope imaging that wasn't the primary observation target. https://phys.org/news/2024-02-team-astronomers-galaxy-shouldnt.html Astronomy Fri, 02 Feb 2024 11:28:04 EST news626095681 When imagining corals, the picture that comes to mind is usually a stationary one: a garden of rock-like structures covering sections of the ocean floor. Reef conservation efforts typically focus on preserving established coral and protecting them from known stressors such as pollution, overfishing and runoff from coastline populations. https://phys.org/news/2024-01-coral-nurseries-important-safeguarding-reefs.html Plants & Animals Ecology Mon, 08 Jan 2024 15:39:04 EST news623950741 As humans continue to drive environmental damage through climate change, predicting points of no return becomes more crucial than ever. Worldwide, humanity and nature alike contend with increases in temperature, drought, wildfires, hurricanes, rising sea levels and more. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-critical-climate-collapse-conditions-ecological.html Ecology Molecular & Computational biology Tue, 19 Dec 2023 16:01:04 EST news622224061 Extreme heat waves, once considered rare, are now frequent and severe in cities due to climate change. Phoenix faced such a brutal heat wave in July of 2023 when it endured 31 consecutive days of high temperatures of at least 110° F. The severity of the heat wave triggered a state of emergency. In June of 2021, the town of Lytton, B.C., Canada, hit a blistering 121° F, leading to a fire that burnt most of the village. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-reveals-regions-mitigation-efforts-benefit.html Earth Sciences Environment Mon, 18 Dec 2023 05:00:01 EST news621854081 Coral reefs are the most biodiverse systems in the sea and central to the life of many coastal human communities. Half a billion people rely on coral reefs for protection from storms, provision of seafood as well as promotion of tourism and recreation. https://phys.org/news/2023-12-reveals-fishing-threshold-reef-resilience.html Plants & Animals Ecology Wed, 06 Dec 2023 10:23:03 EST news621080581 Commonly associated with longer days and slower paces, this summer's record-smashing heat in Arizona demonstrated a concerning future for the planet's warmest season. From power outages endangering entire neighborhoods and heat-related deaths rising among some of the state's most vulnerable populations, the city of Phoenix found itself in national headlines. As national attention grew, one question became clear: How does anyone live there? https://phys.org/news/2023-11-explores-future-limits-survival-livability.html Environment Thu, 30 Nov 2023 17:38:03 EST news620588281 A few decades ago, seismologists imaging the deep planet identified a thin layer, just over a few hundred kilometers thick. The origin of this layer, known as the E prime layer, has been a mystery—until now. https://phys.org/news/2023-11-reveal-earth-surface-penetrate-deep.html Earth Sciences Tue, 14 Nov 2023 09:56:57 EST news619178214 When the Earth was completing its formation approximately 4.5 billion years ago, it was enveloped in a global ocean of molten magma, extending hundreds to thousands of kilometers beneath its surface due to violent impacts. This early environment bore little resemblance to the habitable conditions we experience on Earth today. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-iron-ancient-deep-magma-ocean.html Earth Sciences Mon, 23 Oct 2023 10:24:04 EDT news617275441 An international team of scientists has recently developed a novel type of nano engine made of DNA. It is driven by a clever mechanism and can perform pulsing movements. The researchers are now planning to fit it with a coupling and install it as a drive in complex nano machines. Their results have been published in the journal Nature Nanotechnology. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-international-team-dna-nano.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 19 Oct 2023 11:00:01 EDT news616926184 A longstanding mystery in science is how the over 85 billion individual neurons work together to form a network that forms the basis of who we are—every human thought, emotion and behavior. https://phys.org/news/2023-10-scientists-generate-single-cell-atlas-primate.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 12 Oct 2023 14:00:01 EDT news616320029 Asphalt is primarily known for use in roadways, but it's also used to pave playgrounds, bicycle paths, running tracks and tennis and basketball courts—all platforms for activities where breathing toxic fumes can be dangerous. Outdoor use on driveways, rooftops and parking lots, especially in the Arizona sun, also can lead to toxic fume exposure. https://techxplore.com/news/2023-09-asphalt-binder-alternative-toxic-sustainable.html Engineering Energy & Green Tech Fri, 22 Sep 2023 10:43:04 EDT news614598181 Previous research has revealed that the Apolipoprotein-ε4 (APOE-ε4) allele increases the risk for a variety of diseases in aging populations, specifically Alzheimer's and cardiovascular disease. Yet despite its negative effects, this allele remains prevalent in approximately 20% of the human population. In a quest to determine how this negative allele is surviving natural selection, a group of researchers have discovered that the APOE-ε4 allele is associated with increased fertility in women. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2023-08-genetic-marker-heart-disease-alzheimer.html Genetics Alzheimer's disease & dementia Wed, 09 Aug 2023 14:14:06 EDT news610809237