EverythingScience

Regular napping linked to larger brain volume Daytime napping may help to preserve brain health by slowing the rate at which our brains shrink as we age, suggests a new study led by researchers at UCL and the University of the Republic in Uruguay. The study, published in the journal Sleep Health, analyzed data from people aged 40 to 69 and found a causal link between habitual napping and larger total brain volume—a marker of good brain health linked to a lower risk of dementia and other diseases. Senior author Dr. Victoria Garfield said, "Our findings suggest that, for some people, short daytime naps may be a part of the puzzle that could help preserve the health of the brain as we get older." Article @EverythingScience

New study predicts the masses of the largest supermassive black holes in the universe Article @EverythingScience

Self-driving revolution hampered by a lack of accurate simulations of human behavior, study warns Article @EverythingScience

Social contact may help preserve brain function in later life Article @EverythingScience

The Reason Why Cancer is so Hard to Beat 🌐 Video (Kurzgesagt) @EverythingScience

This Earth-like exoplanet may have magnetic fields, suggests new study Article @EverythingScience

Scientists Say The Moon Needs Its Own Lunar Time Zone. Here's Why. Article @EverythingScience

Physicists Claim Creation of a Superconductor at Near-Ambient Conditions Few discoveries in science would revolutionize technology as much as a material that achieves superconductivity at room temperature, under relatively mild pressures. A team of physicists led by Ranga Dias, a physicist from the University of Rochester in New York now claims they might have cracked it, demonstrating a rare earth metal called lutetium combined with hydrogen and nitrogen can conduct electricity without resistance at 21 degrees Celsius (70 degrees Fahrenheit) and around just 10,000 atmospheres of pressure, the team reports. If confirmed by other researchers, this would be a huge breakthrough in creating devices that don't waste energy on heat when producing a current. Ideally this could one day be used to create more efficient computers; faster, frictionless maglev trains; superior X-ray technology; and even more powerful nuclear fusion reactors... Article @EverythingScience

Scientists Have Discovered an Enzyme That Converts Air Into Electricity Australian researchers have uncovered an enzyme capable of transforming air into energy. The study, which was recently published in the prestigious journal Nature, shows that the enzyme utilizes small amounts of hydrogen in the air to generate an electrical current. This breakthrough paves the way for the development of devices that can literally generate energy from thin air. While this research is at an early stage, the discovery of Huc has considerable potential to develop small air-powered devices, for example as an alternative to solar-powered devices. The bacteria that produce the required enzyme are common and can be grown in large quantities, meaning we have access to a sustainable source of the enzyme. Dr. Grinter says that a key objective for future work is to scale up production. “Once we produce Huc in sufficient quantities, the sky is quite literally the limit for using it to produce clean energy.” Article @EverythingScience

New sound navigation technology enables the blind to navigate Article @EverythingScience

Evolution Could Predate Life Itself, Protein Discovery Suggests Article @EverythingScience

The First Disease Caused by Ingested Plastic Was Just Described by Scientists Article @EverythingScience

New results from NASA's DART planetary defense mission confirm we could deflect deadly asteroids Article @EverythingScience

Latest Change to The Doomsday Clock Brings Us Closer to Midnight Than Ever Article @EverythingScience

Scientists Create Shapeshifting Humanoid Robot That Can Liquefy And Reform Article @EverythingScience

Scientists Reveal The Most Distant Galaxy We've Ever Found Article @EverythingScience

UK scientists discover method to reduce steelmaking’s CO2 emissions by 90% Article @EverythingScience

Once in 50,000-year comet may be visible to the naked eye Article @EverythingScience

99% Efficiency: Princeton Engineers Have Developed a New Way To Remove Microplastics From Water Article @EverythingScience

Cave markings show that Ice Age hunter-gatherers were the first to use a lunar calendar Article @EverythingScience