Flux-closure domain structures are microscopic topological phenomena found in ferroelectric thin films that feature distinct electric polarization properties. These closed-loop domains have garnered attention among researchers studying new ferroelectric devices, and in the development of thin films for such devices, researchers have thought that contact with commonly used oxide electrodes limits FCD formation. However, a group of researchers has shown otherwise.

Scientists probing under the seafloor off Alaska have mapped a geologic structure that they say signals potential for a major tsunami in an area that normally would be considered benign. They say the feature closely resembles one that produced the 2011 Tohoku tsunami off Japan, killing some 20,000 people and melting down three nuclear reactors. Such structures may lurk unrecognized in other areas of the world, say the scientists.

Humans are considered uniquely susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, potentially due to genetic differences, changes in brain structure and function during evolution, and an increased lifespan. However, a new study provides the most extensive evidence of Alzheimer's disease brain pathology in a primate species to date. Researchers found that the brains of aged chimpanzees, our closest living relatives, show pathology similar to the human Alzheimer's disease brain.

For most of us, getting the flu is a miserable inconvenience, but for some it can be dangerous, even deadly. Pregnant women and young babies are among those most at risk for complications from the flu, and while doctors have long recommended flu shots for protection, experts weren't exactly sure how the shots affect pregnancy.

A new study shows that difference in water temperature between the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans together with global warming impact the risk of drought and wildfire in southwestern North America. A new model proves capable of much longer-term forecasts of mega-drought and active wildfire seasons than those currently available to people in agriculture, water management and forestry.

The peculiar characteristics demonstrated by 'quantum critical points' at absolute zero remain one of the great unsolved mysteries of science.

The sun's core rotates nearly four times faster than the sun's surface, an international team of astronomers reports. The most likely explanation is that this core rotation is left over from the period when the sun formed, some 4.6 billion years ago.

A computer scientist has created a new software that can create a design sketch of an everyday object, addressing the challenge of accurately describing shapes.

As climate change brings new pressures on wildlife, species must 'move, adapt, acclimate, or die.' Researchers have reviewed the literature on acclimation through behavioral flexibility, identifying patterns among invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals, and fishes with focus on the American pika.

Researchers revealed that, in pancreatic cancer, the microRNAs miR-509-5p and miR-1243 can promote E-cadherin expression and thereby reduce the likelihood of cells undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition, or indeed reverse this transition. This ability to stop cells from adopting a phenotype linked to high migration and invasiveness was also shown to synergistically increase the cancer cell-killing efficacy of gemcitabine, which is promising for developing more effective combinatorial treatments for pancreatic cancer.

Chemical contamination from pesticides is a serious problem. Detection methods can be complicated, difficult to implement, and expensive. However, researchers have discovered a method to reduce the cost and simplify the process for detecting a neurotoxin found in several pesticides called Nereistoxin. It is hoped that the method will bring about improved detection techniques.

Thousands of patients suffering from invasive fungal infections in intensive-care units or after organ transplantation will benefit from the latest insights into diagnostic and therapeutic interventions.

After a long day of working at the computer, scratchy contact lenses are not only painful, over longer periods of time they can also damage ocular tissue. Relief may be in sight from a natural mucus component referred to as a mucin. Researchers have now demonstrated that contact lenses coated with purified porcine gastric mucin do not cause damage to the eye anymore.

Adolescent depression increases the risk of violence, suggests a new study.

Scientists examining the multiple eyes found on the tentacles of fan worms have discovered they evolved independently from their other visual systems, specifically to support the needs of their lifestyle.