Young city birds' immune systems take a hit from light pollution. (Hannah Watson)Researchers found that exposing great tit nestlings to artificial light at night altered their immune responses, suggesting that light pollution could harm the health of urban birds by potentially making them less able to fend off infections.Enter code here  Researchers found that exposing great tit nestlings to artificial light at night altered their immune responses, suggesting that light pollution could harm the health of urban birds by potentially making them less able to fend off infections.Although...…Young city birds' immune systems take a hit from light pollution. (Hannah Watson)Researchers found that exposing great tit nestlings to artificial light at night altered their immune responses, suggesting that light pollution could harm the health of urban birds by potentially making them less able to fend off infections.Enter code here  Researchers found that exposing great tit nestlings to artificial light at night altered their immune responses, suggesting that light pollution could harm the health of urban birds by potentially making them less able to fend off infections.Although...WW…

Infinitely recyclable plastic is possible, but it needs to be cheaper. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)A new type of plastic that can be recycled over and over again has the potential to help reduce the staggering amount of plastic waste that is crammed into landfills and pollutes the environment, but researchers recommend tweaking production processes to make the material cheaper and more environmentally friendly.Enter code here  A new type of plastic that can be recycled over and over again has the potential to help reduce the staggering amount of plastic waste that is crammed into landfills...…Infinitely recyclable plastic is possible, but it needs to be cheaper. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)A new type of plastic that can be recycled over and over again has the potential to help reduce the staggering amount of plastic waste that is crammed into landfills and pollutes the environment, but researchers recommend tweaking production processes to make the material cheaper and more environmentally friendly.Enter code here  A new type of plastic that can be recycled over and over again has the potential to help reduce the staggering amount of plastic waste that is crammed into landfills...WW…

Researchers have developed a new method to prevent heart failure in mice.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)Researchers have developed a compound that blocked an important regulator of heart failure in mice, which could pave the way toward future therapeutics for the often fatal condition.Enter code here  Researchers have developed a compound that blocked an important regulator of heart failure in mice, which could pave the way toward future therapeutics for the often fatal condition.The regulator in question is the , a key troublemaker in the development of heart failure that usually dwells...…Researchers have developed a new method to prevent heart failure in mice.(AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)Researchers have developed a compound that blocked an important regulator of heart failure in mice, which could pave the way toward future therapeutics for the often fatal condition.Enter code here  Researchers have developed a compound that blocked an important regulator of heart failure in mice, which could pave the way toward future therapeutics for the often fatal condition.The regulator in question is the , a key troublemaker in the development of heart failure that usually dwells...WW…

CRISPR is not quite ready for one of its biggest hoped-for purposes. (AP Photo/CDC)CRISPR caused unintended changes to the genetic code in 16% of human embryo cells in a new study, and its authors say the findings highlight that more research is needed before the gene-editing tool is safe for human fertility applications.Enter code here  CRISPR caused unintended changes to the genetic code in 16% of human embryo cells in a new study, and its authors say the findings highlight that more research is needed before the gene-editing tool is safe for human fertility applications. is often...…CRISPR is not quite ready for one of its biggest hoped-for purposes. (AP Photo/CDC)CRISPR caused unintended changes to the genetic code in 16% of human embryo cells in a new study, and its authors say the findings highlight that more research is needed before the gene-editing tool is safe for human fertility applications.Enter code here  CRISPR caused unintended changes to the genetic code in 16% of human embryo cells in a new study, and its authors say the findings highlight that more research is needed before the gene-editing tool is safe for human fertility applications. is often...WW…

ucid dreams, the kind in which dreamers become aware that they’re dreaming, often allow control of the dreams’ narratives. Unshackled from space and time that govern waking life, lucid slumberers can explore endless possibilities of the dreaming world. Lucid dreaming could also help researchers peer inside the dream state in new ways. In a study published today (February 18) in , scientists show that lucid dreamers can process and exchange complex messages with the waking world.In other lucid dreaming , sleepers have signaled lucidity with , allowing researchers to distinguish during these...…ucid dreams, the kind in which dreamers become aware that they’re dreaming, often allow control of the dreams’ narratives. Unshackled from space and time that govern waking life, lucid slumberers can explore endless possibilities of the dreaming world. Lucid dreaming could also help researchers peer inside the dream state in new ways. In a study published today (February 18) in , scientists show that lucid dreamers can process and exchange complex messages with the waking world.In other lucid dreaming , sleepers have signaled lucidity with , allowing researchers to distinguish during these...WW…

ABOVE: Midas sniffs a urine sample.ith their legendary sense of smell, dogs are adept at identifying the characteristic scents of from , , and . But with trained cancer-sniffing pups in short supply, animals are unlikely to become widely available for routine diagnostics. Instead, Andreas Mershin wants man’s best friend to teach machine learning algorithms to sniff out diseases, and he plans to put this technology into your pocket. Mershin, a research scientist at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, says his eventual goal is to build electronic nose capability into smartphones.The detection...…ABOVE: Midas sniffs a urine sample.ith their legendary sense of smell, dogs are adept at identifying the characteristic scents of from , , and . But with trained cancer-sniffing pups in short supply, animals are unlikely to become widely available for routine diagnostics. Instead, Andreas Mershin wants man’s best friend to teach machine learning algorithms to sniff out diseases, and he plans to put this technology into your pocket. Mershin, a research scientist at the MIT Center for Bits and Atoms, says his eventual goal is to build electronic nose capability into smartphones.The detection...WW…

ost scientists have generated since the start of the pandemic points to bats as the likely source of the COVID-19–causing coronavirus. A shift in the global distribution of the winged mammals due to climate change may be responsible for recent disease outbreaks, according to a study published January 26 in . The authors of the paper estimate that bat diversity increased the most in an area that includes Myanmar, Laos, and southern China—where SARS-CoV-2 likely —thereby increasing the chances of a bat-borne disease spreading to humans.“Our estimates add to previous studies that have...…ost scientists have generated since the start of the pandemic points to bats as the likely source of the COVID-19–causing coronavirus. A shift in the global distribution of the winged mammals due to climate change may be responsible for recent disease outbreaks, according to a study published January 26 in . The authors of the paper estimate that bat diversity increased the most in an area that includes Myanmar, Laos, and southern China—where SARS-CoV-2 likely —thereby increasing the chances of a bat-borne disease spreading to humans.“Our estimates add to previous studies that have...WW…

ith a call as loud as a large ship, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are among the noisiest creatures in the sea. For some seismologists who monitor earthquakes by recording seafloor vibrations, cetacean calls are a because the racket muffles their measurements. But for two earthquake researchers, they found whale vocalization reflections could assist in measuring ocean crust structure. Their findings appear today (February 12) in . “It’s a nice example of how we make use of the data the planet provides for us,” Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and volcanologist at Western...…ith a call as loud as a large ship, fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) are among the noisiest creatures in the sea. For some seismologists who monitor earthquakes by recording seafloor vibrations, cetacean calls are a because the racket muffles their measurements. But for two earthquake researchers, they found whale vocalization reflections could assist in measuring ocean crust structure. Their findings appear today (February 12) in . “It’s a nice example of how we make use of the data the planet provides for us,” Jackie Caplan-Auerbach, a seismologist and volcanologist at Western...WW…

he US cancer death rate has fallen by 31 percent since its peak in 1991, according to the latest annual cancer statistics report from the American Cancer Society published yesterday (January 12) in . Between 2017 and 2018, cancer mortality dropped by 2.4 percent, beating the previous year’s record for an annual decline of 2.2 percent. In 2017, the cancer death rate was 152.6 per 100,000 people, and in 2018 this rate was 149 per 100,000.A lower rate of deaths from lung cancer, the cancer that kills the most people each year, accounted for almost half of the overall decline in cancer...…he US cancer death rate has fallen by 31 percent since its peak in 1991, according to the latest annual cancer statistics report from the American Cancer Society published yesterday (January 12) in . Between 2017 and 2018, cancer mortality dropped by 2.4 percent, beating the previous year’s record for an annual decline of 2.2 percent. In 2017, the cancer death rate was 152.6 per 100,000 people, and in 2018 this rate was 149 per 100,000.A lower rate of deaths from lung cancer, the cancer that kills the most people each year, accounted for almost half of the overall decline in cancer...WW…