Researchers have discovered a possible link between microscopic airborne particles from industrial air pollution and powerful storms.

The study, published in the journal, Science, explains the effects of aerosols, which are commonly produced by urban and industrial pollution, wildfires and other sources.

Previous studies have shown the impact of aerosols on weather and climate, however, the latest findings suggest that even the smallest particles can have disastrous effects on the environment.

According to the study, particles smaller than one-thousandth the width of a human hair can increase the size of clouds, cause them to produce more rain and intensify storms in the process.

“In areas where aerosols are otherwise limited, such as remote regions of the Amazon rainforest, ultrafine aerosol particles can have a surprisingly strong effect,” said Zhanqing Li, from the University of Maryland in the US.

To arrive at this conclusion, scientists studied the storm-creating capacity of ultra-fine particles that measure less than 50 nanometers across. In contrast, a human red blood cell is approximately 8 thousand nano-meters wide. The study showed how the smallest of particles can stimulate clouds more effectively than their larger counterparts.

According to the researchers, water vapor can build up to extreme levels in a warm and humid environment with no large particles to attract airborne moisture. This causes humidity levels to spike beyond 100 percent, they added.

Ultrafine particles are small in size, yet once they reach large numbers, they can form droplets to draw excess water vapor from the atmosphere. The study claims that this enhanced condensation allows for more powerful updrafts.

As more warm air is pulled into the clouds, more droplets are launched overhead, producing a runaway effect which makes way to stronger storms.

Li claims that this finding will help scientists better understand the physical mechanisms of cloud development when influenced by air pollution. This, in turn, will allow them to develop better ways of predicting storms.

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Mosquitoes have been considered to be the most irritating bloodsuckers around. Their buzzing is synonymous with their perseverance and the red bumps that they leave on our skin. These insects don’t let up or so it was previously believed. A new study published in the journal, Cell, suggests that mosquitoes can learn to avoid humans by simply swatting them repeatedly.

Mosquitoes have been known for some time to alternate between victims depending on the season, changing between mostly birds in the summer and both mammals and bird during colder seasons. While the reasons behind their preferences have yet to be discovered, scientists know that the bloodsuckers don’t bite humans at random.

A study conducted by the University of Washington has revealed that mosquitoes “ can in fact learn to associate a particular odor with an unpleasant mechanical shock akin to being swatted. As a result, they’ll avoid that scent the next time,”

For the study, researchers conditioned mosquitoes by forcing them to associate smells of specific people or species with a mechanical shock. This was done by simulating vibrations and accelerations generated by a vortex mixer in the laboratory.

The shocks altered the insects’ behavior and steered them away from the source. In a surprising twist, however, mosquitoes always flew to the smell of a chicken, even when it was associated with a mechanical shock.

Researchers explained how mosquitoes are dependent on dopamine, like any other animal. They reached this conclusion by looking at neuron activity in the olfactory centers of the mosquito brains. The scientists also looked at genetically modified mosquitoes, who lacked dopamine receptors, and noticed how they lost the ability to tell apart odors from mechanical shocks.

Senior author of the study and UW professor of biology, Jeff Riffell, claims that the new findings will lead to more effective tools for mosquito control.

The researchers are now focusing on how these insects choose their victims, an ability that is currently believed to also be linked to dopamine.

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Researchers found that a chemical from a plant extract, commonly used by African warriors to poison their arrows, can be repurposed as a male contraceptive.

Published in the Journal of Medicinal Chemistry, the study suggests that a chemical called ouabain could inhibit the male reproductive cell. Ouabain is found in two plants native to Africa, the Acokanthera Schimperi also known as the “arrow poison tree” and the Strophanthus Gratus, most commonly known as “climbing oleander”. African warriors tip their arrows with ouabain as it is a toxic substance capable of damaging heart tissue, effectively killing the target.

However, small doses of ouabain can be found in drugs that help control blood pressure and treat heart attack patients. Ouabain was proven to be an effective cardiac glycoside as it can increase the pumping force of the heart all the while lowering the rate of contractions.

A 2014 study claimed that ouabain had the potential to alter male fertility, however, its poisonous nature prevented it from being considered a suitable ingredient for male birth control pills.

Scientists from the University of Minnesota and the University of Kansas wanted to further tests ouabain’s effects on male fertility. Thus, they created a version of ouabain that had a variation of the compound but with a slightly different molecular structure. This altered compound would target a specific protein in sperm that controls its ability to swim. Deactivating the sperm’s ability to swim would make them unable to reach and fertilize an egg.

The team of researchers tested the new ouabain analog on rats and found that the animals were rendered infertile yet their health remained intact. More so, the scientists believe that the effects of ouabain are reversible. Scientists noticed that new sperm cells were not affected once the compound left the rodents’ systems.

The latest discovery may pave the way to a male contraceptive that has the same desired effects of a standard female birth control pill.

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Scientists have identified a new mutation that affects a gene responsible for insulin regulation. The findings were published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

According to the paper, nearly 1-2 percent of cases of diabetes are caused by the impairment of a gene called MAFA, which would disable production of insulin. Besides causing Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes, a malfunctioning MAFA gene would lead to insulin-producing tumors in the pancreas aka insulinomas.

The tumors usually develop due to low blood sugar levels, as opposed to diabetes which results in high blood sugar levels.

Researchers were able to discover the mutation by sequencing a specific part of the genome belonging to two families. One of the families had high blood sugar levels while the other where on the opposite side of the spectrum.

Lead author of the study and a professor at the Queen Mary University of London, Marta Korbonits, expressed their disbelief when they found two contrasting conditions within the same families.

“Our research shows that, surprisingly, the same gene defect can impact the insulin-producing beta cells of the pancreas to lead to these two opposing medical conditions,” Korbonits said.

In addition, the research revealed a link between diabetes and gender. While males were more susceptible to diabetes, females had a higher risk of developing insulinomas. Researchers have yet to find the reason behind this.

Researchers claim that this is the first time a mutation in MAFA gene has been tied to a disease.

Diabetes is a chronic and metabolic disease characterized by high blood glucose (blood sugar). People who suffer from the condition can experience damage to the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and nerves.

According to the World Health Organization, diabetes could become one of the leading killers globally by 2030.

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A new factor contributing to the rise of sea levels has been discovered.Scientists have uncovered an alarming reason for why sea levels are rising. While melting glaciers were believed to be the primary factor for the increase of water levels, researchers did not take into account the way oceans cope with the added mass.

According to a report published in the journal, Geophysical Research Letters, the extra weight coming from melting glaciers is pushing the seafloor at the bottom. Thus, the larger volume of water increases the total height of the oceans. This new discovery adds another layer of the overall ramifications of climate change.

“The Earth itself is not a rigid sphere, it’s a deforming ball,” said Thomas Frederikse, a geoscientist from the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands.

According to Frederikse, climate change does not only change temperature but also causes the ocean bottom to strain the elasticity of the ocean floor. Frederikse and his team call this phenomenon barystatic sea level rise, and they believe it can tamper with previous measurements obtained through satellite imagery. Satellites are only good at reading sea levels from a geocentric point of view, with the help of altimeters that measure the ocean surface from the center of the Earth.

According to the research, all sea-levels measurements would be about 8 percent off, however, Frederikse believes only 4 percent could be attributed to the ocean floor subsiding. This is due to warming temperatures contributing half the increase in sea level rise, which can cause the same amount of water to expand and take up more space.

The researchers explain that seafloor deformation is not uniform as the difference between relative and geocentric sea level change may deviate from the overall global difference.

According to the study, the sea floor sank by about 2.5 mm between 1993 and 2014, which translates to 0.13 mm per year. While the calculation encompasses the change in sea level depth on a global scale, researchers warn that some specific regions are more affected than others. For example, scientists point out that water levels in the Arctic region rise 1 mm per year while the south Pacific registered  0.4 mm per year.

Researchers stress that further sea-level estimates should be calculated using all available means to properly quantify seabed warping.

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The moon has been receiving a bit of attention as of late. We have a Japanese start-up that wants to place ads on the rock by 2020, Trump gave NASA the go-ahead to return to the moon and now it seems that China is following suit, albeit in a different way.

The Chinese Lunar Exploration Program (CLEP) aka the Chang’e Program has already sent two orbiters and one lander on the moon. However, China’s next Chang’e mission, the Chang’e 4, will involve bringing insects and plants to the moon. The purpose will reportedly be to test the effects of lunar gravity on living beings aside from humans as well as to study the local geology.

A Long March 5 rocket containing a relay orbiter, is slated to launch towards Earth’s natural satellite in June 2018. The relay will begin orbiting around the Earth-moon L2 Lagrange Point. A lander and rover containing various equipment to study the lunar surface will be launched six months later. In addition to the instruments, the lander will also carry an aluminum alloy container filled with seeds and insects.

Zhang Yuanxun, who is the chief designer of the container, described the contents of the lunar package as being a number of potatoes, Arabidopsis seeds, and silkworm eggs.

“The eggs will hatch into silkworms, which can produce carbon dioxide, while the potatoes and seeds emit oxygen through photosynthesis.” States Yuanxun “Together, they can establish a simple ecosystem on the moon.”

What’s more noteworthy is that this will be the first time a lander is sent to an unexplored area on the far side of the moon. The region in question is in the South Pole- Aitken Basin, located in the moon’s southern hemisphere.

Chang’e 4 mission will investigate whether terrestrial organisms can grow and thrive in a lunar environment. If the Chang’e 4 mission produces satisfying results, China will follow up with robotic missions and a potentially manned excursion in about 15 years.

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Imagine constant ringing in your years coupled with random phantom noises that happen at random and you may just scratch the surface of how bad having tinnitus really is. The medical condition affects millions of Americans, and in some cases, the symptoms can be so severe that it can cripple one’s life. There are a number of treatments that can alleviate the noises or that manage them, however, none of them offer long-term relief. A recent study published in the journal, Science Translational Medicine, may give people afflicted with tinnitus exactly what they were looking for.

In the study, researchers used a new device that generated “precisely timed sounds” in parallel with weak electrical pulses to suppress the ringing sounds associated with the condition. The two effects working in conjunction would reportedly activate touch-sensitive nerves, rendering damaged nerve cells back to normal.

“If we can stop these signals, we can stop tinnitus. That is what our approach attempts to do, and we’re encouraged by these initial parallel results,” said Susan Shore, a professor at the University of Michigan Medical School and lead researcher of the study.

All twenty participants who used the device every day for four weeks reported that their symptoms had decreased to the point where they could resume their lives. The results showed so much potential that the researchers eventually patented the device. Another group was exposed to a placebo in order for the researchers to tell if the primary treatment worked.

According to the scientists, the tech behind the device includes a bimodal auditory-somatosensory stimulation, which alternates between a faint electrical pulse and a sound played in the ears. The device does not cure tinnitus, however, it does alleviate the symptoms to the point where the person is able to ignore the condition. Development of the device for commercialization purposes is still underway.

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Chocolate is in danger of becoming a commodity, according to a report made by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. According to the organization, climate change can limit and eventually kill off cacao trees by 2050. The prospect is grim to say the least, especially considering that our social fabric is so intertwined with chocolate consumption at this point that imagining a future without the sweet is impossible. However, there are people who are trying to prevent this scenario from ever happening. Scientists from the University of California-Berkeley partnered up with chocolate company, Mars Inc. to prevent the cacao trees decline.

Cacao trees are able to grow normally only under certain conditions, the NOAA stated. These conditions include high temperatures, high humidity, constant rainfall and nitrogen-rich soil. Thus, the best spots for cultivating cocoa are 20 degrees of land north and south of the equator. These are the same locations that will be rendered hotter and drier by global warming in the next couple of decades.

“In other words, as higher temperatures squeeze more water out of soil and plants, it’s unlikely that rainfall will increase enough to offset the moisture loss,” the NOAA notes.

Berkeley scientists are currently testing a new gene-editing technology called CRISPR to alter the DNA of the cacao plants and make them resistant to drier and hotter climates.

Cacao trees are highly vulnerable to climate change mainly due to their reliance on a small patch of “rainforested land” that grows smaller each year.

Barry Parkin, Mars’ chief sustainability officer, has said that the company is fully invested in maintaining the cocoa tree’s sustainability. Mars has been a firm opponent against climate change having pledged $1 billion in a programme called “Sustainability in a Generation” which seeks to reduce the carbon footprint of the company and its supply chain by 60 percent by 2050.

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Ever wondered why boys don’t cry as much as girls? According to researchers, this has to do with their unique brain structures.

A team of scientists from the University of Basel and University of Basel Psychiatric Hospital in Switzerland focused on the brain development of 189 adolescents. Not crying or appearing entirely unemotional falls within a category called callous-unemotional traits. These traits also include a lack of empathy, a lack of remorse of guilt, and an overall disregard for other’s feelings.

The results revealed that boys have a larger volume of the anterior insula or gray matter volume, a brain region responsible for recognizing emotions in others and empathy. Researchers believe that the size of this brain component is responsible for higher levels of callous-unemotional traits.

“Our findings demonstrate that callous-unemotional traits are related to differences in brain structure in typically-developing boys without a clinical diagnosis,” said Nora Maria Raschle from the University of Basel in Switzerland and lead author of the study.

Raschle and her team of researchers used magnetic resonance imaging to better monitor the brain development of the participants and find out whether callous-unemotional traits are associated with different brain structures. They concluded that boys and girls have different brain structures, particularly when dealing with emotions.

Once they compared the MRI images of both sexes who showed unemotional behavior, researchers discovered that only boys displayed significant differences in the bilateral anterior peninsula.

19 percent of the callous-unemotional traits displayed in boys was due to a larger bilateral anterior peninsula, according to the scientists.

The team, however, wants to further examine the link between callous-unemotional traits and brain structure in order to understand the different thought processes of developing teens. They are curious to see if the findings will translate to older test subjects or if they are limited to one age group. The study was published in the journal, Neuroimage.

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A recent report sheds light on men’s reticence to care for the environment.  According to the study published in the Journal of Consumer Research, most men avoid being eco-friendly because they regard the behavior as “feminine”.

Researchers sifted through seven studies that involved over 2 thousand participants and discovered that both men and women associated preserving the environment with “being feminine”, something which confirms male perception towards embracing environmentally-conscious behaviors.

James Wilkie, a consumer psychologist from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana and one of the authors of the report, claims that men are as concerned with maintaining their masculine identity as women are with their feminine identity.

“We, therefore, thought that men might be more open to environmental products if we made them feel secure in their masculinity, so they are less threatened by adopting a green product.” States Wilkie.

As part of the study, Wilkie and his team of researchers monitored several men and women’s shopping behaviors when it came to eco-friendly products to determine the limits of the “green-feminine stereotype”.

Previous studies revealed that men use more energy than women which, in turn, prompted them to recycle less and litter more. While the reasons behind this behavior were unclear in the past, recent findings point to men’s fear of having their manliness undermined.

Researchers pointed out to one experiment in which they asked men and women to describe an individual who brought a reusable canvas bag to a grocery store. Both sexes admitted that the individual would appear more feminine than someone who used a plastic bag, regardless if that shopper was a male or female.

Another experiment saw participants describe how they felt after they did something good or bad for the environment. Being eco-friendly was, again, perceived by the participants to be a feminine behavior.

Researchers suggest that future eco-friendly products be re-branded to cater to men’s self-image. They also stress the fact that man are not inherently ignorant towards preserving the environment but rather they fear their eco-friendly behaviors will brand them as feminine.

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