https://phys.org/ en-us Phys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine. Each year, about 2.2 million bone-grafting procedures are performed worldwide, the gold standard of care being autografting, which uses the patient's own bone for tooth implantation and to repair and reconstruct parts of the mouth, face and skull. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-bone-grafts-nanofibrous-scaffolds-main.html Bio & Medicine Thu, 26 Sep 2024 16:30:03 EDT news646587001 A rare, nearly complete fossil of an extinct North American porcupine helped me and my colleagues solve a decades-long debate about how the modern North American porcupine evolved from its ancestors. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-rare-florida-fossil-debate-porcupine.html Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:53:21 EDT news646314796 What was supposed to be a weeklong test flight in space has turned into a months-long stay for astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams. While the unexpected delays from their mission may not have any negative side effects on the future of space exploration, it could affect their physical and mental health. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-person-theyre-stuck-space.html Space Exploration Mon, 23 Sep 2024 12:09:31 EDT news646312166 As anyone who's spent time in the saddle knows, riding a horse can be hard on your body. But can it change the way your skeleton looks? https://phys.org/news/2024-09-scientists-explore-horseback-human-skeletons.html Archaeology Sun, 22 Sep 2024 07:06:23 EDT news646207570 NASA astronaut Nick Hague and Roscosmos cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov are headed to the International Space Station for the agency's SpaceX Crew-9 mission in September. Once on station, these crew members will support scientific investigations that include studies of blood clotting, effects of moisture on plants grown in space, and vision changes in astronauts. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-nasa-spacex-crew-space-station.html Space Exploration Fri, 13 Sep 2024 13:25:30 EDT news645452722 Scientists from Sun Yat-sen University's School of Biomedical Engineering have developed tubular scaffolds made from electrospun membranes, which significantly enhance bone regeneration in critical skull defects. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-tubular-scaffolds-boost-stem-cell.html Biochemistry Materials Science Thu, 12 Sep 2024 14:16:03 EDT news645369361 Communication between cells is now believed to activate a memory mechanism that sustains gene expression, a finding based on the work of Dr. Gregory Reeves. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-aim-gene-memories-cells.html Cell & Microbiology Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 12 Sep 2024 13:59:06 EDT news645368343 Scientists have estimated the size of an extinct flying reptile called a pterosaur, based on fragments of a fossil finger bone discovered in southern England in June 2022. These results reveal it to be the largest British pterosaur yet described, and the second-largest Jurassic pterosaur worldwide. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-million-year-pterosaur-britain-largest.html Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 12 Sep 2024 12:32:16 EDT news645363126 The evolution of bones in primates' knees could have implications for how humans evolved to walk upright, a new study has found. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-multiple-ways-evolve-tiny-knee.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Tue, 10 Sep 2024 20:10:01 EDT news645175621 A study by the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB) and the University of Murcia (UM) challenges the theory that warrior groups with a "Steppe" genetic component originating from Eastern Europe violently replaced the male population of the Iberian Peninsula some 4,200 years ago and presents a different scenario, in which groups with Steppe ancestry mixed with other demographically weakened locals. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-archaeologists-theory-violent-steppe-invasion.html Archaeology Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:56:04 EDT news645116161 Geologist Alfonso Benito Calvo, a researcher at the Centro Nacional de Investigación sobre la Evolución Humana (CENIEH), is one of the codirectors of the ninth excavation campaign at the Neanderthal site of Prado Vargas, a cave in the Ojo Guareña karst complex, in the north of the province of Burgos, where more than 2,000 remains of fauna and stone tools were recovered in the month of August. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-charcoal-ashes-coprolites-latest-neanderthals.html Archaeology Mon, 09 Sep 2024 15:35:18 EDT news645114912 Some species of pterosaurs flew by flapping their wings while others soared like vultures, demonstrates a new study published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology. https://phys.org/news/2024-09-pterosaurs-soar-flight-capability-giants.html Paleontology & Fossils Fri, 06 Sep 2024 00:10:01 EDT news644744461 Recent work published by Dr. Raymond Sauvage and Dr. Richard Macphail in Medieval Archaeology describes the excavation and interpretation of three Iron- and Viking-Age mortuary houses in central Norway, Skeiet, in the village of Vinjeøra. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-unique-iron-viking-age-mortuary.html Archaeology Mon, 26 Aug 2024 09:41:08 EDT news643884061 Theropod dinosaurs are one of the most important large groups of dinosaurs, including well-known predators, such as Tyrannosaurus and Allosaurus, as well as modern birds. A variety of theropods are known from the Mesozoic Era, the age of the dinosaurs. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-paleontologists-predatory-dinosaur-distinctive-eyebrow.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 21 Aug 2024 10:18:03 EDT news643454281 Researchers from Western University have discovered a protein that has the never-before-seen ability to stop DNA damage in its tracks. The finding could provide the foundation for developing everything from vaccines against cancer, to crops that can withstand the increasingly harsh growing conditions brought on by climate change. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-newly-protein-dna.html Molecular & Computational biology Thu, 15 Aug 2024 12:13:04 EDT news642942781 Prehistoric communities from Iceland to the Eurasian Steppe sacrificed horses as part of their funeral rites. These Baltic tribes, known as the Balts, sacrificed horses longer than anywhere else in Europe, up until the 14th century. Christians despised this practice, however, and it quickly fell out of favor once a community converted to Christianity. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-overseas-horses-sacrifices-late-viking.html Archaeology Wed, 14 Aug 2024 13:00:44 EDT news642859241 An unchartered area in the foothills of the Southern Pyrenees in Spain is providing insights into a poorly known period of Neanderthal history, offering clues that could help archaeologists uncover the mystery of their downfall, according to research from The Australian National University (ANU). https://phys.org/news/2024-08-rare-archaeological-site-reveals-neanderthal.html Archaeology Wed, 14 Aug 2024 11:03:04 EDT news642852182 In the deep human past, highly skilled seafarers made daring crossings from Asia to the Pacific Islands. It was a migration of global importance that shaped the distribution of our species—Homo sapiens—across the planet. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-evidence-west-papua-fresh-clues.html Archaeology Tue, 13 Aug 2024 12:00:01 EDT news642769011 A new technique developed by McGill researchers for mechanically manipulating stem cells could lead to new stem cell treatments, which have yet to fulfill their therapeutic potential. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-advance-stem-cell-therapy-technique.html Cell & Microbiology Biotechnology Tue, 13 Aug 2024 11:56:21 EDT news642768979 Around half of the human genome is composed of DNA fragments originating from ancient viruses. These "transposable elements" (TEs) are now known to play various roles in modulating gene expression and disease development. Now, an international team led by KAUST researchers has shown that a common transposable element called LINE-1 RNA plays a positive role in triggering bone repair, with potential applications in treating osteoporosis and many other diseases. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-ancient-viral-elements-rna-kickstart.html Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 07 Aug 2024 10:38:25 EDT news642245900 Recent excavations at the Shimao site in Shaanxi, China, have revealed one of the earliest and, so far, largest bone needle workshops ever discovered. The research published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology by Hua Wang and colleagues provides valuable insights into craft specialization and early state formation in China during the transition from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age (ca. 2nd millennium BCE). https://phys.org/news/2024-08-ancient-chinese-bone-needle-workshop.html Archaeology Mon, 05 Aug 2024 08:10:01 EDT news642063326 Three small fossil penguin bones, collected in South Canterbury in 1987, are now shedding new light on how penguin wings have evolved. A new study, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand, describes a new species of penguin that lived in Otago about 24 million years ago. https://phys.org/news/2024-08-penguin-wing-fossil-importance-zealandia.html Evolution Paleontology & Fossils Thu, 01 Aug 2024 07:35:50 EDT news641716543 Researchers are exploring new nature-based solutions to stimulate skin and bone repair. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-silkworms-shrimp-regenerate-skin-bone.html Biotechnology Molecular & Computational biology Wed, 24 Jul 2024 12:47:39 EDT news641044055 It's hard to know what Neanderthals ate: food preparation, especially when it comes to smaller items like birds, can leave few archaeological traces. But understanding their diets is critical to understanding these incredibly adaptable hominins, who thrived for hundreds of thousands of years in wildly varied environments. To learn what food preparation could look like in the archaeological record, scientists tried cooking like Neanderthals. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-scientists-replicate-ancient-butchering-methods.html Archaeology Wed, 24 Jul 2024 00:00:01 EDT news640942921 A pilot study from North Carolina State University shows that nanoscopic 3D imaging of ancient bone not only provides further insight into the changes soft tissues undergo during fossilization, it also has potential as a fast, practical way to determine which specimens are likely candidates for ancient DNA and protein sequence preservation. The work appears in iScience. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanoscopic-imaging-aids-protein-tissue.html Biotechnology Paleontology & Fossils Mon, 22 Jul 2024 15:12:02 EDT news640879921 Current gene therapies to treat sickle cell disease are complex, time-consuming, and are sometimes linked to serious side effects like infertility or blood cancer. To address these challenges, Johns Hopkins researchers have developed special nanoparticles that can send gene treatment directly to various types of cells in bone marrow to correct the disease-causing mutations. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-nanoparticle-delivery-method-sickle-cell.html Bio & Medicine Fri, 19 Jul 2024 08:54:04 EDT news640598042 A team of Brazilian scientists has discovered a fossilized skeleton of what they believe is one of the world's oldest dinosaurs after heavy rains in the southern state of Rio Grande do Sul accelerated the natural process of erosion. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-brazilian-dinosaur-fossil-heavy-rio.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 17 Jul 2024 04:17:08 EDT news640408621 Flatfish, such as plaice, turbot and sole, were regularly consumed as part of a medieval meal, according to analysis of fishbone remains found at archaeological sites across Europe. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-plaice-popular-flatfish-dinner-tables.html Archaeology Tue, 16 Jul 2024 09:12:03 EDT news640339921 A study led by researchers from the UAB and the CSIC has revealed that the earliest Neolithic groups to settle some 7,000 years ago in the Pyrenean site of Coro Trasito (Tella, Huesca) used species selection strategies to manufacture their tools made out of bone and chose deer for the projectile tips. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-early-pyrenean-neolithic-groups-species.html Archaeology Thu, 11 Jul 2024 10:46:04 EDT news639913561 The most complete dinosaur discovered in this country in the last 100 years, with a pubic hip bone the size of a "dinner plate," has been described in a new paper published today in the Journal of Systematic Palaeontology. https://phys.org/news/2024-07-reveals-dinosaur-uk-century.html Paleontology & Fossils Wed, 10 Jul 2024 10:34:06 EDT news639826443