Those with diabetes, frequent sleep problems were 87% more likely to die in following 9 years. Having trouble falling or staying asleep may leave you feeling tired and frustrated. It also could subtract years from your life expectancy, according to a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom (UK). The effect was even greater for people with diabetes who experienced sleep disturbances, the study found....

Researchers have developed a new method for upcycling abundant, seemingly low-value plastics into high-quality liquid products, such as motor oils, lubricants, detergents, and even cosmetics. The discovery also improves on current recycling methods that result in cheap, low-quality plastic products. The catalytic method serves as a one-two punch by removing plastic pollution from the environment and contributing to a circular economy. Northwestern University, Argonne National Laboratory, and Ames Laboratory led the multi-institutional team....

In June, the International Energy Agency confirmed what most experts already know: that the world should work harder to boost the use of pure hydrogen as an emissions-free energy source. One of the challenges of creating hydrogen, however, is that it takes energy—lots of energy. The IEA says that producing all of today’s hydrogen just using electricity would require 3600 TWh, which is more than is generated annually by the European Union....

“This mouse model is a really powerful tool for studying SARS-CoV-2 in a living system,” said Dr. Arjun Deb, a co-senior author of a paper about the study and a member of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA. “Understanding how this virus can hijack our cells might eventually lead to new ways to prevent or treat the organ failure that can accompany COVID-19 in humans....

Most of the universe’s heavy elements, including the iron central to life itself, formed early in cosmic history and spread throughout the universe, according to a new study of the Perseus Galaxy Cluster using Japan’s Suzaku satellite. Between 2009 and 2011, researchers from the Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology (KIPAC), jointly run by Stanford University and the Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California, used Suzaku’s unique capabilities to map the distribution of iron throughout the Perseus Galaxy Cluster....

Contrary to popular belief, the universe is not empty. Despite the phrase “the vast emptiness of space,” the universe is full of various substances such as charged particles, gases, and cosmic rays. While celestial objects may appear to be scarce, the universe is teeming with activity. One such driver of particles and energy through space is a phenomenon called magnetic reconnection. As the name suggests, magnetic reconnection is when two anti-parallel magnetic fields—as in two magnetic fields going in opposite directions—collide, break, and realign....

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization reported 6,190,349 deaths and 513,955,910 cases between January 1, 2020, and May 6, 2022. These figures have already elevated COVID-19 to the position of a top killer in some nations, including the United States, right behind heart disease and cancer. Still, mathematical models show an overall underreporting of cases ranging from 1 in 1.2 to 1 in 4....

Conventional silicon microprocessor manufacturing techniques have grown over decades and are continually being refined and enhanced. On the other hand, the majority of quantum computing architectures must be created mostly from scratch. However, discovering a technique to integrate quantum and conventional logic units on a single chip, or even adding quantum capabilities to existing fabrication lines, might greatly hasten the adoption of these new systems. Recently, a group of scientists from The University of Tokyo’s Institute of Industrial Science demonstrated how thin films of niobium nitride (NbNx) can grow directly on top of an aluminum nitride (AlN) layer....

Most newly discharged patients who recently recovered from COVID-19 produce virus-specific antibodies and T cells, suggests a study published on May 3rd in the journal Immunity, but the responses of different patients are not all the same. While the 14 patients examined in the study showed wide-ranging immune responses, results from the 6 of them that were assessed at two weeks after discharge suggest that antibodies were maintained for at least that long....

With around 256 million cases and more than 5 million deaths worldwide, the COVID-19 pandemic has challenged scientists and those in the medical field. Researchers are working to find effective vaccines and therapies, as well as understand the long-term effects of the infection. While the vaccines have been critical in pandemic control, researchers are still learning how and how well they work. This is especially true with the emergence of new viral variants and the rare vaccine side effects like allergic reactions, heart inflammation (myocarditis) and blood-clotting (thrombosis)....

Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, have uncovered new evidence suggesting that how vitamin D metabolizes may vary in individuals with a high Body Mass Index (BMI). The findings, published in JAMA Network Open, come from a reanalysis of data from the VITAL trial, a nationwide clinical study led by Brigham researchers that explored the impact of vitamin D and marine omega-3 supplements on reducing the risk of cancer, heart disease, and stroke....

Electronic cigarettes, which consist of a battery, atomizing unit, and refill fluid, are now available in new tank-style designs, equipped with more powerful batteries and larger capacity reservoirs for storing more refill fluid. But the high-power batteries and atomizers used in these new styles can alter the metal concentrations that transfer into the aerosol. “These tank-style e-cigarettes operate at higher voltage and power, resulting in higher concentrations of metals, such as lead, nickel, iron, and copper, in their aerosols,” said Monique Williams, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Molecular, Cell, and Systems Biology, and the first author of the research paper that appears today in Scientific Reports....

According to a new study by West Virginia University researcher Nancy Lan Guo, the microscopic toner nanoparticles that waft from laser printers may change our genetic and metabolic profiles in ways that make disease more likely. Her findings appear in the International Journal of Molecular Sciences. “The changes are very significant from day one,” said Guo, a professor in the School of Public Health and member of the Cancer Institute....

After completing the reboot, NIRISS telemetry data demonstrated normal timing, and to fully confirm, the team scheduled a test observation. On January 28, the Webb team sent commands to the instrument to perform the observation, and the results confirmed on January 30 NIRISS is back to full scientific operations. “NASA and CSA partnered to approach the problem as technically possible, using a detailed consideration of all areas of operation of the instrument....

While nothing like this exists in our own solar system, planets like this—rocky, roughly Earth-sized, extremely hot, and close to their stars—are not uncommon in the Milky Way galaxy. What are the surfaces and atmospheres of these planets really like? NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope is about to provide some answers. Geology from 50 Light-Years: Webb Gets Ready to Study Rocky Worlds With its mirror segments beautifully aligned and its scientific instruments undergoing calibration, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope (Webb) is just weeks away from full operation....

In a study of patients with COVID-19 being treated in intensive care units, people who mounted only a low antibody response against the SARS-CoV-2 virus faced a higher risk of dying. The study, which is published in the Journal of Internal Medicine, also found that patients with strong antibody responses against the virus had low levels of viral RNA in their blood. On the contrary, those with poor antibody responses had high viral RNA levels and disseminated viral proteins in the blood....

But before you read any further, look around…especially if you are outside. Most of you can look in any direction and see a tree. You might wonder about a few things like: “What type of tree is that?” or “Why is that tree so tall or short?” or “How old is that tree?” or even “Was that tree planted by someone, or did the wind blow a seed to where the tree is now standing?...

According to recent research from Tel Aviv University, immunosuppressed chronic COVID-19 patients are thought to be the source of several SARS-CoV-2 variants. The researchers hypothesize that a compromised immune reaction, particularly in the lower airways of these chronic patients, may delay complete recovery from the virus and cause the virus to evolve often during the course of prolonged infection. In other words, the researchers explain that the virus’s unrestricted survival and reproduction in the body of the immunosuppressed patient result in the emergence of numerous variants....

As COVID-19 has made it necessary for people to keep their distance from each other, robots are stepping in to fill essential roles, such as sanitizing warehouses and hospitals, ferrying test samples to laboratories, and serving as telemedicine avatars. There are signs that people may be increasingly receptive to robotic help, preferring, at least hypothetically, to be picked up by a self-driving taxi or have their food delivered via robot, to reduce their risk of catching the virus....