Stars have life cycles. They're born when bits of dust and gas floating through space find each other and collapse in on each other and heat up. They burn for millions to billions of years, and then they die. When they die, they pitch the particles that formed in their winds out into space, and those bits of stardust eventually form new stars, along with new planets and moons and meteorites. And i
Den tyske industrigigant fortsætter med at sælge teknologi til kulminer, blandt andet den store og kontroversielle australske Carmichael kulmine. Det sker på trods af store protester i Tyskland, hvor klimaaktivister kalder det hyklerisk, når Siemens samtidig siger de vil være CO2-neutrale i 2030.
In the The Demon in the Machine, physicist Paul Davies argues that what's missing in the definition of life is how biological processes create 'information,' and such information storage is the stuff of life, like person's ability to solve complex problems. Over the past 75 years, scientists have chipped away at this problem without identifying precise details of how any of our enzyme machines rea
Rare metallic elements found in clumps on the deep-ocean floor mysteriously remain uncovered despite the shifting sands and sediment many leagues under the sea. Scientists now think they know why, and it could have important implications for mining these metals while preserving the strange fauna at the bottom of the ocean.
Some fish species recover at different rates when fishing is eliminated inside MPAs. A new study in Ecological Applications explores how sex-changing fish species can actually recover faster than fixed-sex species.
Astrophysicists have come a step closer to understanding the origin of a faint glow of gamma rays covering the night sky. They found that this light is brighter in regions that contain a lot of matter and dimmer where matter is sparser — a correlation that could help them narrow down the properties of exotic astrophysical objects and invisible dark matter.
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00051-2 Li Ning was arrested in 2014 for allegedly stealing millions in research funding.
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00078-5 A first for a commercial DNA-testing company, "significant mistakes of judgment" at MIT and 11 tips for mastering large data sets.
Hey, Reddit! We were blown away by the tremendous interest in cell-based seafood generated by an article posted on the r/Futurology subreddit last week! You've got BlueNalu's senior leadership team here to answer * almost\ * any questions you might have about cell-based seafood and how we're doing things here at BlueNalu. TBH, many of us are new to Reddit so please excuse any formatting errors. L
Severe droughts have happened simultaneously in the regions that supply water to Southern California almost six times per century on average since 1500, according to new research. The study is the first to document the duration and frequency of simultaneous droughts in Southern California's main water sources—the Sacramento River basin, the Upper Colorado River Basin, and local Southern Californi
The fight against drug-resistant pathogens remains an intense one. While the Centers for Disease Control's (CDC) 2019 'biggest threats' report reveals an overall decrease in drug-resistant microbe-related deaths as compared to its previous report (2013) the agency also cautions that new forms of drug-resistant pathogens are still emerging.
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health in Toronto, Canada, discovers first biomarker unique to PTSD patients and creates a peptide show in a preclinical trial to treat and even prevent PTSD.
A new study suggests that the biological clock is involved in heart toxicity from radiation therapy and could be harnessed as part of a preventive strategy. Findings show that after receiving radiation to the heart, mice with disrupted biological clocks had significantly worse heart function than controls. They also demonstrated that Bmal1 — a protein that drives 24-hour rhythms in the expression
Stem cells are capable of sensing and processing environmental inputs, converting this information to output a specific cell lineage through signaling cascades. Despite the combinatorial nature of mechanical, thermal, and biochemical signals, these stimuli have typically been decoupled and applied independently, requiring continuous regulation by controlling units. We employ a…
Oceanic emissions of iodine destroy ozone, modify oxidative capacity, and can form new particles in the troposphere. However, the impact of iodine in the stratosphere is highly uncertain due to the lack of previous quantitative measurements. Here, we report quantitative measurements of iodine monoxide radicals and particulate iodine (Iy,part) from…
Linking mechanistic processes to the stability of ecological networks is a key frontier in ecology. In trophic networks, "modules"—groups of species that interact more with each other than with other members of the community—confer stability, mitigating effects of species loss or perturbation. Modularity, in turn, is shaped by the interplay…
There is a strong need for a new broad-spectrum antiinfluenza therapeutic, as vaccination and existing treatments are only moderately effective. We previously engineered a lectin, H84T banana lectin (H84T), to retain broad-spectrum activity against multiple influenza strains, including pandemic and avian, while largely eliminating the potentially harmful mitogenicity of the…
Aging is a universal property of multicellular organisms. Although some tree species can live for centuries or millennia, the molecular and metabolic mechanisms underlying their longevity are unclear. To address this, we investigated age-related changes in the vascular cambium from 15- to 667-y-old Ginkgo biloba trees. The ring width decreased…
Mankind has long been fascinated by the mysteries of our Universe: How old and how big is the Universe? How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving? What is the composition of the Universe and the nature of its dark matter and dark energy? What is our Earth's…
Approximately 25% of patients who are prescribed opioids for chronic pain misuse them, and 5 to 10% develop an opioid use disorder. Although the neurobiological target of opioids is well known, the molecular mechanisms that are responsible for the development of addiction-like behaviors in some but not all individuals are…
PSYCHOLOGICAL AND COGNITIVE SCIENCES, PHYSIOLOGY Correction for "Pubertal stress recalibration reverses the effects of early life stress in postinstitutionalized children," by Megan R. Gunnar, Carrie E. DePasquale, Brie M. Reid, and Bonny Donzella, which was first published November 11, 2019; 10.1073/pnas.1909699116 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 23984–23988). The authors…
The use of bacteriophages (phages) for antibacterial therapy is under increasing consideration to treat antimicrobial-resistant infections. Phages have evolved multiple mechanisms to target their bacterial hosts, such as high-affinity, environmentally hardy receptor-binding proteins. However, traditional phage therapy suffers from multiple challenges stemming from the use of an exponentially repli
Necroptosis is a regulated necrotic cell death pathway, mediated by a supermolecular complex called the necrosome, which contains receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 and 3 (RIPK1, RIPK3) and mixed-lineage kinase domain-like protein (MLKL). Phosphorylation of human RIPK3 at serine 227 (S227) has been shown to be required for downstream MLKL binding…
LINGO1 is a transmembrane protein that is up-regulated in the cerebellum of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and Essential Tremor (ET). Patients with additional copies of the LINGO1 gene also present with tremor. Pharmacological or genetic ablation of large conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels also result in tremor and motor…
The adaptation of eukaryotic cells to anaerobic conditions is reflected by substantial changes to mitochondrial metabolism and functional reduction. Hydrogenosomes belong among the most modified mitochondrial derivative and generate molecular hydrogen concomitant with ATP synthesis. The reduction of mitochondria is frequently associated with loss of peroxisomes, which compartmentalize pathways tha
MEDICAL SCIENCES Correction for "Epithelial to mesenchymal plasticity and differential response to therapies in pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma," by Rebecca L. Porter, Neelima K. C. Magnus, Vishal Thapar, Robert Morris, Annamaria Szabolcs, Azfar Neyaz, Anupriya S. Kulkarni, Eric Tai, Abhijit Chougule, Alessandra Hillis, Gabriel Golczer, Hongshan Guo, Teppei Yamada, Tomohiro Kurokawa,…
Copper ions are needed for several hallmarks of cancer. However, the involved pathways, mechanisms, and copper-binding proteins are mostly unknown. We recently found that cytoplasmic Antioxidant 1 copper chaperone (Atox1), which is up-regulated in breast cancer, is localized at the lamellipodia edges of aggressive breast cancer cells. To reveal molecular…
While most of the ribosome-targeting antibiotics are bacteriostatic, some members of the macrolide class demonstrate considerable bactericidal activity. We previously showed that an extended alkyl-aryl side chain is the key structural element determining the macrolides' slow dissociation from the ribosome and likely accounts for the antibiotics' cidality. In the nontranslating…
Extreme sea levels are a significant threat to life, property, and the environment. These threats are managed by coastal planers through the implementation of risk mitigation strategies. Central to such strategies is knowledge of extreme event probabilities. Typically, these probabilities are estimated by fitting a suitable distribution to the observed…
Marine fish stocks are an important part of the world food system and are particularly important for many of the poorest people of the world. Most existing analyses suggest overfishing is increasing, and there is widespread concern that fish stocks are decreasing throughout most of the world. We assembled trends…
Executing gene circuits by cell-free transcription−translation into cell-sized compartments, such as liposomes, is one of the major bottom-up approaches to building minimal cells. The dynamic synthesis and proper self-assembly of macromolecular structures inside liposomes, the cytoskeleton in particular, stands as a central limitation to the development of cell analogs genetically…
MICROBIOLOGY Correction for "Structural bases for F plasmid conjugation and F pilus biogenesis in Escherichia coli," by Bo Hu, Pratick Khara, and Peter J. Christie, which was first published June 25, 2019; 10.1073/pnas.1904428116 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 14222–14227). The authors note that the following statement should be added…
In multiple sclerosis plaques, oligodendroglial connexin (Cx) 47 constituting main gap junction channels with astroglial Cx43 is persistently lost. As mice with Cx47 single knockout exhibit no demyelination, the roles of Cx47 remain undefined. We aimed to clarify the effects of oligodendroglia-specific Cx47 inducible conditional knockout (icKO) on experimental autoimmune…
On the first Earth Day, April 22, 1970, Mary Lou Guerinot decided that she would major in biology in college in the hope of promoting environmental sustainability. As the 50th anniversary of Earth Day approaches, Guerinot, now a professor of biological sciences at Dartmouth College and a member of the…
As global climate continues to warm, melting of glaciers releases a large quantity of mercury (Hg) originally locked in ice into the atmosphere and downstream ecosystems. Here, we show an opposite process that captures atmospheric Hg through glacier-to-vegetation succession. Our study using stable isotope techniques at 3 succession sites on…
Environmental cues such as nutrients alter cellular behaviors by acting on a wide array of molecular sensors inside cells. Of emerging interest is the link observed between effects of dietary sugars on cancer proliferation. Here, we identify the requirements of hexosamine biosynthetic pathway (HBP) and O-GlcNAc transferase (OGT) for Drosophila…
A growing empirical literature associates climate anomalies with increased risk of violent conflict. This association has been portrayed as a bellwether of future societal instability as the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events are predicted to increase. This paper investigates the theoretical foundation of this claim. A seminal microeconomic…
CORE CONCEPTS Correction for "Core Concept: Albedo is a simple concept that plays complicated roles in climate and astronomy," by Sid Perkins, which was first published December 17, 2019; 10.1073/pnas.1918770116 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 25369–25371). The editors note that on page 25371, left column, third paragraph, a date…
Resistance to androgen deprivation therapy, or castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC), is often accompanied by metastasis and is currently the ultimate cause of prostate cancer-associated deaths in men. Recently, secondary hormonal therapies have led to an increase of neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC), a highly aggressive variant of CRPC. Here, we identify…
We determined interstellar cosmic ray exposure ages of 40 large presolar silicon carbide grains extracted from the Murchison CM2 meteorite. Our ages, based on cosmogenic Ne-21, range from 3.9 ± 1.6 Ma to ∼3 ± 2 Ga before the start of the Solar System ∼4.6 Ga ago. A majority of…
Gravity is one of the most ubiquitous environmental effects on living systems: Cellular and organismal responses to gravity are of central importance to understanding the physiological function of organisms, especially eukaryotes. Gravity has been demonstrated to have strong effects on the closed cardiovascular systems of terrestrial vertebrates, with rapidly responding…
Living systems are more robust, diverse, complex, and supportive of human life than any technology yet created. However, our ability to create novel lifeforms is currently limited to varying existing organisms or bioengineering organoids in vitro. Here we show a scalable pipeline for creating functional novel lifeforms: AI methods automatically…
Tuberous Sclerosis Complex (TSC) is a rare genetic disease that manifests with early symptoms, including cortical malformations, childhood epilepsy, and TSC-associated neuropsychiatric disorders (TANDs). Cortical malformations arise during embryonic development and have been linked to childhood epilepsy before, but the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain insufficiently understood. Ze
CORE CONCEPTS Correction for "Core Concept: To improve weather and climate models, researchers are chasing atmospheric gravity waves," by Adam Mann, which was first published September 24, 2019; 10.1073/pnas.1912426116 (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 116, 19218–19221). The editors note that reference 2 appeared incorrectly. The last name of the author…
Long-lasting, consolidated memories require not only positive biological processes that facilitate long-term memories (LTM) but also the suppression of inhibitory processes that prevent them. The mushroom body neurons (MBn) in Drosophila melanogaster store protein synthesis-dependent LTM (PSD-LTM) as well as protein synthesis-independent, anesthesia-resistant memory (ARM). The formation of ARM inh
In the 15th century, ∼900,000 Native Americans, mostly Tupí speakers, lived on the Brazilian coast. By the end of the 18th century, the coastal native populations were declared extinct. The Tupí arrived on the east coast after leaving the Amazonian basin ∼2,000 y before present; however, there is no consensus…
Asthma resistance to glucocorticoid treatment is a major health problem with unclear etiology. Glucocorticoids inhibit adrenal androgen production. However, androgens have potential benefits in asthma. HSD3B1 encodes for 3β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase-1 (3β-HSD1), which catalyzes peripheral conversion from adrenal dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) to potent androgens and has a germline missense-encod
BRCA1 promotes error-free, homologous recombination-mediated repair (HRR) of DNA double-stranded breaks (DSBs). When excessive and uncontrolled, BRCA1 HRR activity promotes illegitimate recombination and genome disorder. We and others have observed that the BRCA1-associated protein RAP80 recruits BRCA1 to postdamage nuclear foci, and these chromatin structures then restrict the amplitude of…
A new artificial photosynthesis approach uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into methane, which could help make natural-gas-powered devices carbon neutral. Methane is the main component of natural gas. Photosynthesis is the process through which green plants use sunlight to make food for themselves out of carbon dioxide and water, releasing oxygen as a byproduct. Artificial photosynthesis often
MIAMI–The results of an 18-year study of Atlantic tarpon by scientists at the University of Miami (UM) Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science revealed that these large silvery fish take extensive seasonal migrations–1,000s of kilometers in distance–beyond US borders.
Patients with acutely life-threatening health conditions who were treated in the innovative Critical Care Resuscitation Unit (CCRU) received faster treatment and had better health outcomes, including a 36 percent lower risk of dying than those who were transferred from a hospital's emergency department then evaluated and treated in a traditional intensive care unit, according to a recent study in
Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other type of hazardous weather and will likely become even deadlier due to climate change. However, extreme heat does not affect all people equally. Surface temperatures in different neighborhoods within a single city can vary by a whopping 20 degrees (F), making some people more at risk of experiencing dangerous temperatures.
If you haven't already abandoned your New Year's resolution to exercise more, you probably will by January 19 . And that's at least partly because exercising can , well, kinda suck . But now, an international team of researchers has discovered a link between a naturally occurring protein and the health benefits of working out — a link that could one day allow us to enjoy the benefits of exercisin
A study at the University of Virginia Brain Institute links the brain's pleasure center with our biological clock. The easy availability of high-calorie foods has created a long feeding window each day, leading to an increase in obesity. To combat this trend, closing the feeding window, as with intermittent fasting, is proving important for optimal health. None In the modern world, with seemingly
Evaporation can explain why water levels drop in a full swimming pool, but it also plays an important role in industrial processes ranging from cooling electronics to power generation. Much of the global electricity supply is generated by steam plants, which are driven by evaporation.
A male orchid bee zips around the rainforest, a flash of iridescent green against an equally emerald background. The bee stops at various flowers, fungi and dead trees, collecting fragrant particles and storing them in pockets in its hind legs. Then, it perches on a tree trunk. But the bee doesn't rest. Instead, it flitters about, using its wings to disperse a bouquet of perfumes into the air.
For corn growers, the decision of when and how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply is a perennial challenge. Scientists at the University of Illinois have shown that nanosatellites known as CubeSats can detect nitrogen stress early in the season, potentially giving farmers a chance to plan in-season nitrogen fertilizer applications and alleviate nutrient stress for crops.
Water sticks to the snakes' backs because of special properties of their scales. rattlesnake_topNteaser.jpg Image credits: William Warby via Flickr Rights information: CC BY 2.0 Creature Monday, January 13, 2020 – 14:45 Catherine Meyers, Editor (Inside Science) — Water is scarce for many creatures in the Sonoran Desert in Arizona, so when it does rain (or snow or sleet), some resident rattlesna
Orchid bees are master perfumers. Males collect chemicals to concoct perfumes unique to their specific species. Researchers link the evolution of sexual signaling in orchid bees to a single gene shaped by species' perfume preferences.
For corn growers, the decision of when and how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply is a perennial challenge. Scientists have shown that nanosatellites known as CubeSats can detect nitrogen stress early in the season, potentially giving farmers a chance to plan in-season nitrogen fertilizer applications and alleviate nutrient stress for crops.
A male orchid bee zips around the rainforest, a flash of iridescent green against an equally emerald background. The bee stops at various flowers, fungi and dead trees, collecting fragrant particles and storing them in pockets in its hind legs. Then, it perches on a tree trunk. But the bee doesn't rest. Instead, it flitters about, using its wings to disperse a bouquet of perfumes into the air.
In a circular economy, city waste being turned into resources is of great importance, considering that more than 70% of the inhabitants in Europe live in urban areas and produce a great amount of biowaste coming from the treatment of their waste waters. The European project RES URBIS (Resources from Urban Bio-waste), showed that different biowaste produced in an urban environment can be treated wi
IBS scientists and their colleagues have recently report an ultimate electrocatalyst that addresses all of the issues that trouble H2O2 production. This new catalyst comprising the optimal Co-N4 molecules incorporated in nitrogen-doped graphene, Co1-NG(O), exhibits a record-high electrocatalytic reactivity, producing up to 8 times higher than the amount of H2O2 that can be generated from rather ex
Whether a cell grows, divides or dies is controlled, among other things, by receptors that messenger substances bind to externally. A research team from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) worked together with partners from the University of Bonn to study the important EGF receptor in more detail. They succeeded in uncovering more information on an interfa
The Murchison meteorite, which screamed to Earth 50 years ago, carried with it stardust that's seven billion years old. Christopher Intagliata reports.
A new study suggests that the biological clock is involved in heart toxicity from radiation therapy and could be harnessed as part of a preventive strategy. Findings show that after receiving radiation to the heart, mice with disrupted biological clocks had significantly worse heart function than controls. They also demonstrated that Bmal1–a protein that drives 24-hour rhythms in the expression o
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00067-8 By some measures, ancient trees in China have equal vigor to whippersnappers a few decades old.
Marshmallows should reduce the temperature of hot chocolate, but there are other factors involved, too. Hot chocolate is simply incomplete without marshmallows. As the plump white globs melt to form a puffy blanket, it's easy to take for granted the molecular phenomena occurring inside as you sip on the delicious beverage. A key component to the tasty treat is its temperature: too hot and it burn
Whether a cell grows, divides or dies is controlled, among other things, by receptors that messenger substances bind to externally. A research team from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) worked together with partners from the University of Bonn to study the important EGF receptor in more detail. They succeeded in uncovering more information on an interfa
Why do we remember some experiences for our entire lives but quickly forget others? The brain is constantly deciding which events are important enough for long-term storage. A new study from the lab of Scripps Research Neuroscientist Ron Davis, PhD, sheds light on one element of that process.
How do insects control the effects of gravity when they climb a tree or hang upside-down waiting for prey? They don't have closed circulatory systems that restrict fluid flow to certain parts of the body. ASU and Virginia Tech researchers discovered how insects adjust their cardiovascular and respiratory activity in response to gravity. When they change orientation, they respond to gravity just li
Specifically programmed materials can, under specific conditions, encourage stem cells to transform into bone cells — as revealed by a German research team under the leadership of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Geesthacht, Centre for Materials and Coastal Research. To do this, the scientists implemented a so-called shape-memory polymer in stem cell research. The study was published today in the renowned j
A new Cleveland Clinic study has uncovered a genetic anomaly associated with poor response to a common asthma treatment. The findings, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, showed that asthmatic patients with the gene variant are less likely to respond to glucocorticoids and often develop severe asthma.
Scientists repurposed living frog cells — and assembled them into entirely new life-forms. These tiny 'xenobots' can move toward a target and heal themselves after being cut. These novel living machines are neither a traditional robot nor a known species of animal. They're a new class of artifact: a living, programmable organism.
Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding, according to a new study led by the University of Washington.
Scientists have discovered the oldest solid material on Earth: 7-billion-year-old stardust trapped inside a meteorite. (For comparison, the sun is 4.6 billion years old, and the Earth is 4.5.) This stardust provides evidence for a 'baby boom' of new stars that formed 7 billion years ago, contrary to thinking that star formation happens at a steady, constant rate.
Granules, shed by dying stars over 5bn years ago, are oldest known solid material on Earth Stardust that formed more than 5bn years ago, long before the birth of the Earth and the sun, has been discovered in a meteorite that crashed down in Australia, making it the oldest known solid material on the planet. The tiny granules of stardust, shed by ancient stars as they expired, reveal clues about h
Researchers foresee myriad benefits for humanity, but also acknowledge ethical issues Be warned. If the rise of the robots comes to pass, the apocalypse may be a more squelchy affair than science fiction writers have prepared us for. Researchers in the US have created the first living machines by assembling cells from African clawed frogs into tiny robots that move around under their own steam. C
Tiny 'xenobots' made up of living cells have been created by teams of scientists at the University of Vermont and Tufts University using a supercomputer to design them. The millimetre-wide bots could move toward a target and automatically repair themselves and researchers hope they will help clear human arteries, clean microplastics from the oceans and find radioactive waste Continue reading…
The Murchison meteorite, which screamed to Earth 50 years ago, carried with it stardust that's seven billion years old. Christopher Intagliata reports. — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Imagine you are flipped upside down and standing on your head. After a few seconds, you would feel pressure in your head due to an increased blood flow. Humans and other vertebrates are known to have physiological reactions to gravity with reactions increasing with body size.
A new paper quantifying small levels of iodine in Earth's stratosphere could help explain why some of the planet's protective ozone layer isn't healing as fast as expected.
Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding.
At the most basic level, the reasons President Donald Trump decided to kill Iranian General Qassem Soleimani are simple: Soleimani was responsible for killing and maiming many Americans, the U.S. saw him as an agent of instability in the Middle East, and Trump was concerned about proving to Iran that he was not weak. And yet the administration has struggled mightily to explain why the U.S. acted
For corn growers, the decision of when and how much nitrogen fertilizer to apply is a perennial challenge. Scientists at the University of Illinois have shown that nanosatellites known as CubeSats can detect nitrogen stress early in the season, potentially giving farmers a chance to plan in-season nitrogen fertilizer applications and alleviate nutrient stress for crops.
Imagine you are flipped upside down and standing on your head. After a few seconds, you would feel pressure in your head due to an increased blood flow. Humans and other vertebrates are known to have physiological reactions to gravity with reactions increasing with body size.
Nearly half of the fish caught worldwide are from stocks that are scientifically monitored and, on average, are increasing in abundance. Effective management appears to be the main reason these stocks are at sustainable levels or successfully rebuilding.
New research details what happens to climate change bias when people witness their neighbors putting solar panels on their roofs. "Any new laws or advancements in technologies and movements to curb climate change require substantial political and public support. Public perception is crucially important since the public is far more skeptical about climate change than the scientific community," say
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00049-w Luke Yates discusses how he coped with his wife's long illness during his PhD programme.
Orchid bees are master perfumers. Males collect chemicals to concoct perfumes unique to their specific species. In a study appearing in Nature Communications, UC Davis researchers link the evolution of sexual signaling in orchid bees to a single gene shaped by species' perfume preferences.
Extreme heat kills more people in the United States than any other type of hazardous weather and will likely become even deadlier due to climate change. However, extreme heat does not affect all people equally. A new study by researchers at Portland State University, the Science Museum of Virginia and Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the first to link historical housing policies across t
Evaporation can explain why water levels drop in a full swimming pool, but it also plays an important role in industrial processes ranging from cooling electronics to power generation. Researchers now have reported a discovery that answers some fundamental questions about the process, which until now had remained a mystery.
Using the most comprehensive dataset on the 'human footprint,' which maps the accumulated impact of human activities on the land's surface, researchers found intense human pressures across the range of a staggering 20,529 terrestrial vertebrate species.
Climate change is reversible – that's the view of 80% of Chinese people, according to a report from the European Investment Bank (EIB). That level of optimism isn't, however, a global phenomenon. Large numbers of people in the EU and US believe there is nothing that can be done. Northern Europeans, in particular, share this concern; approximately 40% of people in France and Poland think we have g
Using the most comprehensive dataset on the 'human footprint,' which maps the accumulated impact of human activities on the land's surface, researchers from WCS, University of Queensland, and other groups found intense human pressures across the range of a staggering 20,529 terrestrial vertebrate species.
When a hot plume of rock rises through the Earth's mantle to puncture the overlying crust, it can create not only a volcanic ocean island, but also a swell in the ocean floor hundreds to thousands of kilometers long. Over time the island is carried away by the underlying tectonic plate, and the plume pops out another island in its place. Over millions of years, this geological hotspot can produce
A team of researchers from the University of Warwick have built an artificial intelligence they say can detect hyoglycaemic events — drops in blood sugar that can pose a real threat to those with or even without diabetes — looking only at data from a wearable electrocardiograph (ECG). Patients usually have to prick their fingers, sometimes multiple times a day, to analyze small amounts of their b
When it comes to the biggest and brightest explosions seen in the universe, it takes two stars to make a gamma-ray burst, astronomers report. The new research solves the mystery of how stars spin fast enough to create conditions to launch a jet of highly energetic material into space: tidal effects like those between the moon and Earth are the answer. Researchers made the discovery, reported in M
A team of physicists has mapped how electron energies vary from region to region in a particular quantum state with unprecedented clarity. This understanding reveals an underlying mechanism by which electrons influence one another, termed quantum 'hybridization,' that had been invisible in previous experiments.
Evaporation can explain why water levels drop in a full swimming pool, but it also plays an important role in industrial processes ranging from cooling electronics to power generation. Researchers now have reported a discovery that answers some fundamental questions about the process, which until now had remained a mystery.
Hidden Island At the edge of the Earth's core lie two gigantic blobs of ultrahot rock — and that's about the extent to which geologists agree about them. The mysterious blobs sit on opposite ends of the planet, one is hiding beneath Africa, the other in the middle of the Pacific Ocean — Quanta Magazine compared the "massive anomalies" to Princess Leia's iconic hair buns. Scientists first discover
New research finds that solar geoengineering — the intentional reflection of sunlight away from the Earth's surface — may reduce income inequality between countries.
Hummingbirds are some of the most brightly-colored things in the entire world. Their iridescent feathers reflect light in a way that other birds can't match, and scientists weren't sure what made hummingbirds special. But a new study shows that while hummingbird feathers have the same basic makeup as other birds', the special shape of their pigment-containing structures enables them to reflect a r
Protect your eyes from the glare and the cold. (Fanny Rascle via Unsplash/) Without proper eyewear on the slopes, you expose your peepers to the sun, the wind, the cold, and the glare off the snow, all of which could seriously harm your eyes. Whether it's a bluebird or a powder day, these goggles will help block out the conditions while you're skiing or snowboarding. The Wildhorn goggles come wit
Aims to develop the next generation of engineered CHO cell lines, to improve production of biotherapeuticsBioproduction is a key business unit within Horizon, this agreement underlines strategy to focus on core markets
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00052-1 Researchers enlist the seventeenth-century memorial called the Monument to study physical deformation.
A team of physicists has mapped how electron energies vary from region to region in a particular quantum state with unprecedented clarity. This understanding reveals an underlying mechanism by which electrons influence one another, termed quantum 'hybridization,' that had been invisible in previous experiments.
Engineers have developed a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines.
In response to future fossil fuel burning, climate computer models simulate a pronounced warming in the tropical oceans. This warming can influence the El Niño phenomenon and shift weather and rainfall patterns across the globe. Despite being robustly simulated in computer models of the climate system, the origin of this accelerated tropical warming has remained a mystery. A new study concludes th
To better understand how motivational control processes help maximize performance when faced with task challenges, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide fascinating insights into the role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a component network of brain regions that support motivated behavior. They have unified conflicting findings by discovering th
Engineers have developed a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines.
Marijuana use among college students has been trending upward for years, but in states that have legalized recreational marijuana, use has jumped even higher. A study published today in Addiction shows that in states where marijuana was legalized by 2018, both occasional and frequent use among college students has continued to rise beyond the first year of legalization, suggesting an ongoing trend
Allen Smith decided long ago what to do about the aoudads that wander onto his family's land. "The first four I saw, I shot," he tells me. From 5,000 feet up, in Smith's Cessna Skymaster, the choices other Texans have made for their land roll out below—the network of oil and gas wells, the reflective surfaces of solar farms, the sleepaway camps, rodeo arenas, and dried-up, gutter-like creek beds.
Fly Me to the Moon A Japanese video streaming website is putting a space-age twist on the matchmaking competition genre. AbemaTV's new documentary "Full Moon Lovers" will follow Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa as he hunts for that special someone — who will then join him on a SpaceX trip around the Moon in 2023. "I want to find a 'life partner'," Maesawa wrote on the show's website . "With th
Gear for all (dog) walks of life. (Leonides Ruvalcabar via Unsplash/) In this dog-eat-dog world, there are innumerable brands vying for your furry friend's attention (and your wallet). That competition has made for some pretty nifty dog-walking gear. Below, some of the coolest and most convenient supplies for your daily stroll. The best hands-free walking leash. (Amazon/) This leash gives you a h
Mass trial of drug inclisiran comes after health service strikes deal with Novartis The NHS is to launch a mass trial of an as-yet unapproved twice-yearly cholesterol-lowering injection, which it hopes will save lives and cut medical bills for thousands of people who do not take statins. About 40,000 people with high "bad" or low-density lipoprotein cholesterol will be invited to join the trial o
Editor's Note: In the next five years, most of America's most experienced teachers will retire. The Baby Boomers are leaving behind a nation of more novice educators. In 1988, a teacher most commonly had 15 years of experience. Less than three decades later, that number had fallen to just three years leading a classroom . The Atlantic' s "On Teaching" project is crisscrossing the country to talk
The atmospheric concentration of methane, a potent greenhouse gas, has almost tripled since the beginning of industrialisation. Methane emissions from natural sources are poorly understood. This is especially the case for emissions from the Arctic Ocean.
In a circular economy the city waste being turned into resources, is of great importance considering more than 70% of the inhabitants in Europe live in urban areas. The European project RES URBIS (Resources from Urban Bio-waste), showed that different biowaste produced in an urban environment can be treated within the same chain of valorisation and can obtain products with biological origins, such
MIT engineers have developed a method to produce aerospace-grade composites without the enormous ovens and pressure vessels. The technique may help to speed up the manufacturing of airplanes and other large, high-performance composite structures, such as blades for wind turbines.
The results of a study conducted by researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine may not support troponin testing for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in selected elderly patients with nonspecific complaints (NCSs).
Tropical Storm Claudia is battling wind shear as it continues moving away from Western Australia and through the Southern Indian Ocean. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with an image of the storm on January 13.
An in-depth look at the science of glycobiology and glycan diagnostics, and their promise in personalized medicine in the current post-genomic era are featured in a special issue of OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology, the peer-reviewed interdisciplinary journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.
A new analysis conducted by an international team shows that the world's oceans were the warmest in 2019 than any other time in recorded human history, especially between the surface and a depth of 2,000 meters, and that the past ten years have been the warmest on record for global ocean temperatures, with the past five years holding the highest record.
A single bright star in the constellation of Indus, visible from the southern hemisphere, has revealed new insights on an ancient collision that our galaxy the Milky Way underwent with another smaller galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus early in its history.
Scientists have recently report an ultimate electrocatalyst that addresses all of the issues that trouble H2O2 production. This new catalyst comprising the optimal Co-N4 molecules incorporated in nitrogen-doped graphene, Co1-NG(O), exhibits a record-high electrocatalytic reactivity, producing up to 8 times higher the amount of H2O2 that can be generated from rather expensive noble metal-based elec
Members of collective leadership groups can maintain cohesion and act decisively when faced with a crisis, in spite of lacking the formal authority to do so, according to new research.
In response to future fossil fuel burning, climate computer models simulate a pronounced warming in the tropical oceans. This warming can influence the El Niño phenomenon and shift weather and rainfall patterns across the globe. Despite being robustly simulated in computer models of the climate system, the origin of this accelerated tropical warming has remained a mystery. A new study published th
Tropical Storm Claudia is battling wind shear as it continues moving away from Western Australia and through the Southern Indian Ocean. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided forecasters with an image of the storm on January 13.
A research team led by Profs. Gao Caixia and LI Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have engineered five saturated targeted endogenous mutagenesis editors (STEMEs) and generated de novo mutations to facilitate the directed evolution of plant genes. Their study was published in Nature Biotechnology on Jan. 13.
Scientists have recently report an ultimate electrocatalyst that addresses all of the issues that trouble H2O2 production. This new catalyst comprising the optimal Co-N4 molecules incorporated in nitrogen-doped graphene, Co1-NG(O), exhibits a record-high electrocatalytic reactivity, producing up to 8 times higher the amount of H2O2 that can be generated from rather expensive noble metal-based elec
New research has found that two factors—an outdoor location and the presence of a weapon—have a significant bearing on the verdict of juries in cases of child stranger rape.
A research team led by Profs. Gao Caixia and LI Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have engineered five saturated targeted endogenous mutagenesis editors (STEMEs) and generated de novo mutations to facilitate the directed evolution of plant genes. Their study was published in Nature Biotechnology on Jan. 13.
Luxury brands and corporate social responsibility initiatives make for unlikely bedfellows—the former with their self-enhancement values, the latter with its ethos of self-transcendence.
Just like a chameleon changes its skin color in response to its environment, engineers have found a way for liquid metal—and potentially solid metal—to change its surface structure in response to heat.
Severe droughts happened simultaneously in the regions that supply water to Southern California almost six times per century on average since 1500, according to new University of Arizona-led research.
Global warming, a major aspect of climate change, is already causing a wide range of negative impacts on many habitats of our planet. It is thus of the utmost importance to understand how rising temperatures may affect animal health and welfare. A research group from the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen has just shown that tardigrades are very vulnerable to long-term high temperatur
Eating out, ordering in or carrying out? Most Americans indulge in some form of restaurant eating. Consumers believe that cleanliness at these establishments is a key factor in determining where they satisfy their cravings.
An international team of physicists, materials scientists, and mechanical engineers has confirmed the high thermal conductivity predicted in isotopically enriched cubic boron nitride, the researchers report in the advance electronic edition of the journal Science.
Most people are familiar with turbulence in aviation: certain wind conditions cause a bumpy passenger flight. But even within human blood vessels, blood flow can be turbulent. Turbulence can appear when blood flows along vessel bends or edges, causing an abrupt change in flow velocity. Turbulent blood flow generates extra forces which increase the odds of blood clots to form. These clots grow slow
To get more participants in online auctions and drive up the winning bid prices, two things matter: how long an auction is active and the day of the week it closes, finds researchers from the University Maryland, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University.
A lab goof with an enzyme taken from bacteria has led to the creation of the Leviathan of polymer brushes, emerging biocompatible materials with the potential to repel infectious bacteria.
Global warming, a major aspect of climate change, is already causing a wide range of negative impacts on many habitats of our planet. It is thus of the utmost importance to understand how rising temperatures may affect animal health and welfare. A research group from the Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen has just shown that tardigrades are very vulnerable to long-term high temperatur
Pick a big national park or a small patch of green near you. Everything counts. (AllaSerebrina via Deposit Photos/) Funding for parks, both local and national, seems to always be on the chopping block —when the government has to tighten its belt, money to protect and preserve the great outdoors is often one of the first things to go . And while you may not be able to donate enough to make up for
In a study using brain scans from nearly 10 thousand adolescents across the country, investigators show that risk of lead exposure is associated with altered brain anatomy and cognitive deficits in children from low income families.
Using a nanoparticle as a 'tuning device,' researchers have devised a way to control electromagnetically induced transparency — a feature of light which allows it to pass through opaque media.
Researchers have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for one week. This breakthrough may increase the number of available organs for transplantation saving many lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer.
New technology uses nano-sized particles of magnetic liquid metal to shred bacteria and bacterial biofilm. The research offers a groundbreaking new direction in the search for solutions to the deadly problem of antibiotic resistance.
Binge drinking by teenagers in their senior year of high school is a strong predictor of dangerous behaviors later in life, including driving while impaired (DWI) and riding with an impaired driver (RWI), according to a new Yale-led study.
Companies, universities, and other institutions that conduct clinical trials are required to record the results of most of them in a federal database, so that doctors and patients can see whether new treatments are safe and effective.
To better understand how motivational control processes help maximize performance when faced with task challenges, researchers used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and provide fascinating insights into the role of the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) as a component network of brain regions that support motivated behavior. They have unified conflicting findings by discovering th
Researchers at Dartmouth's and Dartmouth-Hitchcock's Norris Cotton Cancer Center have discovered that a receptor found in almost all cells plays a big role in the body's metabolism. By blocking the receptor with use of a drug, mice on a high-fat diet did not become any fatter than mice on a low-fat control diet, and obese mice dropped in weight with use of the same drug. No ill side effects were o
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences looked to the past for its 2020 Oscar nominations, favoring nostalgic throwbacks from established masters ( The Irishman , Once Upon a Time in Hollywood ), handsome works set during the World Wars ( Jojo Rabbit , 1917 ), and a comic-book movie rooted in the gritty crime dramas of the 1970s. In fact, Todd Phillips's Joker received the most nods of th
Using a nanoparticle as a 'tuning device,' researchers have devised a way to control electromagnetically induced transparency — a feature of light which allows it to pass through opaque media.
Online health videos can offer another way for people to become educated about cancer, researchers report. A new review in the Journal of Cancer Education , analyzed existing research to see how people learned about cancer and how watching educational videos prompted a change in behavior. "This review demonstrates the benefit of using digital videos for cancer health education ranging from cancer
Unless the country has another curveball coming its way, this week should see the transmission of articles of impeachment by the House of Representatives to the Senate—thus triggering the beginning of that body's trial of President Donald Trump. An impeachment trial of a president should be a riveting political event. It's a major occasion, after all—an ultimate expression of separation of powers
A dMRI study suggested that structural strengthening of connections involving subcortical regions associated with pain processing and weakening in connections involving cortical regions associated with hyperexcitability may coexist in migraine. Also, migraine attacks may impose plastic adaptations in the brain.
An international team of physicists, materials scientists, and mechanical engineers has confirmed the high thermal conductivity predicted in isotopically enriched cubic boron nitride, the researchers report in the electronic edition of the journal Science. c-BN is particularly challenging to make and it's difficult to measure its thermal conductivity accurately when the value is high. The team ove
A minimally invasive procedure to treat a common foot and ankle disorder can reduce pain, recovery time, and postsurgery complications while improving functional outcomes.
People with mechanical heart valves need blood thinners on a daily basis, because they have a higher risk of blood clots and stroke. Researchers at the ARTORG Center of the University of Bern, Switzerland, now identified the root cause of blood turbulence leading to clotting. Design optimization could greatly reduce the risk of clotting and enable these patients to live without life-long medicatio
Researchers from CSHL and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center have discovered how Acute Myeloid Leukemia is addicted to vitamin B6. Now that researchers know this, they can pursue new treatment options for the deadly blood cancer.
Den norske rigsadvokat er blevet bekendt med fejl i brugen af et it-system til analyse af trafikuheld. Data fra systemet indgår blandt andet i straffesager, der nu skal undersøges til bunds.
The US may see 2000 extra deaths a year from drowning, car accidents and other injuries because of climate change, with young men most likely to be affected
The Milky Way ate another galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus, and the waves passing through a star have shown us that it happened at most 11.6 billion years ago
We have to capture carbon dioxide to slow climate change, but instead of simply burying it we could first use it to extract useful metals from old electrical equipment
Donated human livers can be kept alive for seven days in a new machine. The device also seems to boost organ health and may enable more people to get transplants
Although luxury brands and social responsibility seem fundamentally inconsistent with each other, the two entities can coexist in the mind of the consumer, provided the brand can find someone — typically, a celebrity — who successfully embodies the two conflicting value sets, says new research.
A new technology for detecting low glucose levels via ECG using a noninvasive wearable sensor, which with the latest artificial intelligence can detect hypoglycemic events from raw ECG signals has been made.
Reprinted with permission from Quanta Magazine's Abstractions blog . In evolution, context is everything: Bacteria with neighbors evolve to rebuff viruses in a different way. Biozentrum, University of Basel / Science Photo Library In the closing paragraph of On the Origin of Species , Charles Darwin urged readers to "contemplate a tangled bank, clothed with many plants of many kinds, with birds s
Philippine authorities are warning of a possible "explosive eruption," after Taal Volcano vented yesterday, spewing ash up to nine miles into the sky. Photographers captured the spectacular event, which generated countless lightning strikes in and around the ash column. Hundreds of thousands of residents within a 10-mile radius of the volcano are now being evacuated, and flights in and out of Man
CES 2020 Las Vegas Hyundai is taking Uber into the third dimension with flying taxis. Sorry, electric flying taxis. Okay, one more time: electric-power Personal Air Vehicles (PAVs). They're part of a Hyundai Urban Air Mobility (UAM) initiative, which also includes hubs where the air vehicles can set down and connect with local people-movers, or Purpose Built Vehicles (PBVs). Hyundai says the proj
Cut Short If you didn't have trouble walking prior to trying out Segway's S-Pod , you might afterward. During last week's Consumer Electronics Show, Segway gave attendees the chance to test out its self-balancing electric wheelchair for themselves — but had to cut the demo short after a journalist crashed the device into a wall, the BBC reports . Slow Lane The egg-shaped S-Pod has a maximum speed
Busted MIT has placed tenured mechanical engineering professor Seth Lloyd on administrative because of a failure to disclose ties to Jeffrey Epstein, the deceased and disgraced financier accused of sex trafficking and other crimes. Over the years, Epstein donated $225,000 to Lloyd's research and also gave him a personal gift of $60,000, according to an extensive report about Epstein's connections
To get more participants in online auctions and drive up the winning bid prices, two things matter: how long an auction is active and the day of the week it closes, finds researchers from the University Maryland, Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania and Indiana University.
Det går visst att sälja gatukonst. Det handlar bland annat om branding och klassificering. Och så måste den förstås gå att äga. En ny avhandling visar vad som sker i praktiken när gatukonst omvandlas till produkter som kan säljas. Det finns en utbredd uppfattning om att konst inte ska beblanda sig med marknadskrafter. Samtidigt blir graffiti och gatukonst en allt vanligare konstform som kan köpas
A research group has just shown that tardigrades are very vulnerable to long-term high temperature exposures. The tiny animals, in their desiccated state, are best known for their extraordinary tolerance to extreme environments.
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41586-019-1919-3 Spin qubits based on hole states in strained germanium could offer the most scalable platform for quantum computation.
Week-long storage boosts time organs are usable and distances over which they can be moved Human livers from organ donors can now be preserved for a week, researchers have revealed, a dramatic improvement on previous techniques, which could only keep the organs usable for a matter of hours. The technology could boost the number of livers available for transplantation and offer new approaches to t
Although luxury brands and social responsibility seem fundamentally inconsistent with each other, the two entities can coexist in the mind of the consumer, provided the brand can find someone — typically, a celebrity — who successfully embodies the two conflicting value sets, says new research co-written by Carlos Torelli, a professor of business administration and James F. Towey Faculty Fellow
Eating out, ordering in or carrying out? Most Americans indulge in some form of restaurant eating. Consumers believe that cleanliness at these establishments is a key factor in determining where they satisfy their cravings.
A new technology for detecting low glucose levels via ECG using a noninvasive wearable sensor, which with the latest artificial intelligence can detect hypoglycemic events from raw ECG signals has been made by researchers from the University of Warwick.
In a study using brain scans from nearly 10 thousand adolescents across the country, investigators at Children's Hospital Los Angeles show that risk of lead exposure is associated with altered brain anatomy and cognitive deficits in children from low income families.
Researchers at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research (OICR) and the University Health Network (UHN) have discovered detailed new information about the subtypes of pancreatic cancer. A better understanding of the disease groups may lead to new treatment options and improved clinical outcomes for this lethal disease.
A research team led by Profs. GAO Caixia and LI Jiayang from the Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences have engineered five saturated targeted endogenous mutagenesis editors (STEMEs) and generated de novo mutations to facilitate the directed evolution of plant genes.
There is a huge seasonal variability in methane seeps in the Arctic Ocean, according to a new paper in Nature Geoscience. "During cold periods the emissions from these seeps are almost halved, as if they are hibernating", says first author Benedicte Ferré.
IBS scientists and their colleagues have recently report an ultimate electrocatalyst that addresses all of the issues that trouble H2O2 production. This new catalyst comprising the optimal Co-N4 molecules incorporated in nitrogen-doped graphene, Co1-NG(O), exhibits a record-high electrocatalytic reactivity, producing up to 8 times higher the amount of H2O2 that can be generated from rather expensi
In response to future fossil fuel burning, climate computer models simulate a pronounced warming in the tropical oceans. This warming can influence the El Niño phenomenon and shift weather and rainfall patterns across the globe. Despite being robustly simulated in computer models of the climate system, the origin of this accelerated tropical warming has remained a mystery. A new study published th
Using a nanoparticle as a "tuning device," researchers at the McKelvey School of Engineering have devised a way to control electromagnetically induced transparency — a feature of light which allows it to pass through opaque media.
Researchers at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) have developed a new way to alleviate problems caused by dysfunctional mitochondria, which are the "powerhouses" that produce energy in cells
An international research team has discovered a new genetic syndrome caused by mutation of a single gene and named it CATIFA, an acronym for its core symptoms: cleft palate, cataracts, tooth abnormality, intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism and ADHD. The investigators report in Nature Medicine that the new disease is caused by a defect in collagen secretion.
Research carried out by the University of Kent has shown that diets are changing in complex ways worldwide. International food supply patterns are supporting healthier diets in parts of the world, but causing underweight and obesity elsewhere. They are also having important effects on environmental sustainability, with potentially worrying consequences.
A team of physicists has mapped how electron energies vary from region to region in a particular quantum state with unprecedented clarity. This understanding reveals an underlying mechanism by which electrons influence one another, termed quantum 'hybridization,' that had been invisible in previous experiments.
The new finding, published in Nature Immunology, could have major implications for the understanding and treatment of disorders such as myocardial infarction, stroke, and acute inflammatory processes.
Researchers from the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, Wyss Zurich and the University of Zurich have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for one week. This breakthrough may increase the number of available organs for transplantation saving many lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer.
A single bright star in the constellation of Indus, visible from the southern hemisphere, has revealed new insights on an ancient collision that our galaxy the Milky Way underwent with another smaller galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus early in its history.
The strength of the immune system in response to respiratory infections is constantly changing, depending on the history of previous, unrelated infections, according to new research from the Crick.
A molecule produced by the brain that activates the same receptors as marijuana is protective against stress by reducing anxiety-causing connections between two brain regions, Vanderbilt University Medical Center researchers report.
Knowing that your unborn fetus has congenital heart disease causes such pronounced maternal stress, anxiety and depression that these women's fetuses end up with impaired development in key brain regions before they are born, according to research published online Jan. 13, 2020, in JAMA Pediatrics.
Coaching Boys Into Men, a program that seeks to prevent dating violence and sexual assault, reduces abusive behaviors among middle school male athletes toward their female peers, according to clinical trial results published today in JAMA Pediatrics.
Researchers have found that melanoma cells fight anti-cancer drugs by changing their internal skeleton (cytoskeleton) — opening up a new therapeutic route for combating skin and other cancers that develop resistance to treatment.
A team of chemists has discovered an innovative way to break down and dissolve the rubber used in automobile tires, a process which could lead to new recycling methods that have so far proven to be expensive, difficult and largely inefficient.
MOUNT VERNON, Iowa—Cory Booker had an original Jimmy Carter campaign button in his pocket. A woman at his previous event had handed it to him, and he was holding on to it as a final talisman of hope. It was Thursday, his second day trip to Iowa in three days. His flight out of Eastern Iowa Airport was in an hour. He hadn't slept in the same bed for more than a night in two weeks. He sat in the fr
A collaboration between computer scientists and nine major media companies will help the media industry understand and manage the significant carbon impacts of digital content.
A team of chemists has discovered an innovative way to break down and dissolve the rubber used in automobile tires, a process which could lead to new recycling methods that have so far proven to be expensive, difficult and largely inefficient.
Scientists have found a way to use heat to predictably and precisely change the surface structure of a particle of liquid metal. It's like a chameleon changing skin color in response to its environment.
Researchers studying a class of naturally occurring protein called Sestrin have found that it can mimic many of exercise's effects in flies and mice. The findings could eventually help scientists combat muscle wasting due to aging and other causes. "Researchers have previously observed that Sestrin accumulates in muscle following exercise," says Myungjin Kim, a research assistant professor in the
What was short-term exposure has now become medium-term exposure to bushfire smoke in some parts of Australia. (Stephen Sapore/AAP/) In previous years, Australians might have been exposed to bushfire smoke for a few days, or even a week. But this bushfire season is extreme in every respect. Smoke haze has now regularly featured in Australian weather reports for several weeks, stretching across mo
A team of chemists at McMaster University has discovered an innovative way to break down and dissolve the rubber used in automobile tires, a process which could lead to new recycling methods that have so far proven to be expensive, difficult and largely inefficient.
Researchers from the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, Wyss Zurich and the University of Zurich have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for one week. This breakthrough may increase the number of available organs for transplantation, saving many lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer.
A team of physicists has mapped how electron energies vary from region to region in a particular quantum state with unprecedented clarity. This understanding reveals an underlying mechanism by which electrons influence one another, termed quantum "hybridization," that had been invisible in previous experiments.
A single bright star in the constellation of Indus, visible from the southern hemisphere, has revealed new insights on an ancient collision that our galaxy the Milky Way underwent with another smaller galaxy called Gaia-Enceladus early in its history.
Scientists have developed a platform for assembling nanosized material components, or "nano-objects," of very different types—inorganic or organic—into desired 3-D structures. Though self-assembly (SA) has successfully been used to organize nanomaterials of several kinds, the process has been extremely system-specific, generating different structures based on the intrinsic properties of the materi
Researchers from the University Hospital Zurich, ETH Zurich, Wyss Zurich and the University of Zurich have developed a machine that repairs injured human livers and keeps them alive outside the body for one week. This breakthrough may increase the number of available organs for transplantation, saving many lives of patients with severe liver diseases or cancer.
New research has found that two factors — an outdoor location and the presence of a weapon — have a significant bearing on the verdict of juries in cases of child stranger rape.
Half of women undergoing mammography have dense breasts. Mandatory dense breast notification and educational materials have been shown to confuse women rather than empower them. Now, researchers from Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) are developing a smartphone App that acts as an interactive health counselor to improve a womans' knowledge about breast density.
People have been developing different forms of shark repellent for decades — the military even issued a chemical shark repellent called 'Shark Chaser' to pilots, sailors, and astronauts(!) from the end of World War II through the start of the Vietnam War. Thing is… it didn't really work. Learn why they bothered passing it out — or even created it in the first place: https://youtu.be/4u54c7cRAo
What if we could "grow" clothes from microbes, furniture from living organisms and buildings with exteriors like tree bark? TED Fellow Suzanne Lee shares exciting developments from the field of biofabrication and shows how it could help us replace major sources of waste, like plastic and cement, with sustainable and eco-friendly alternatives.
Intense winds blowing from Africa through a mountainous gap on the western Red Sea coast have led to a buildup of summer dust over the Arabian Peninsula in the past decade. This increasing dust load could have long-term health and global climatic implications.
In a study published in Science magazine, the researchers showed that aggressive bacteria can be controlled — but only if doctors administer treatment within a short window of opportunity.
Whether a cell grows, divides or dies is controlled among other things by receptors that messenger substances bind to externally. A research team from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) and Forschungszentrum Jülich (FZJ) worked together with partners from the University of Bonn to study the important EGF receptor in more detail. They succeeded in uncovering more information about an interf
A team of chemists at McMaster University has discovered an innovative way to break down and dissolve the rubber used in automobile tires, a process which could lead to new recycling methods that have so far proven to be expensive, difficult and largely inefficient.
A new technology for detecting low glucose levels uses artificial intelligence to detect hypoglycemic events with ECG signals from wearable sensors, researchers report. Tracking sugar in the blood is crucial for both healthy individuals and diabetic patients, but current methods to measure glucose require needles and repeated finger pricks throughout the day. Finger pricks can often be painful, d
According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only an estimated 1,500 Bornean elephants in the wild, with populations mostly concentrated in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo—a region that has historically experienced unprecedentedly high rates of deforestation. Due to the conversion of Bornean forests for agriculture, elephants were forced from their natural habitats into human-dominated landscapes, incr
One of the largest living birds, the Southern Cassowary, has a simple throat structure similar to the fellow Australian emu. Now new research confirms a common link between the cassowary and small flighted South American tinamou—and even the extinct large New Zealand moa.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, there are only an estimated 1,500 Bornean elephants in the wild, with populations mostly concentrated in Sabah, Malaysian Borneo—a region that has historically experienced unprecedentedly high rates of deforestation. Due to the conversion of Bornean forests for agriculture, elephants were forced from their natural habitats into human-dominated landscapes, incr
One of the largest living birds, the Southern Cassowary, has a simple throat structure similar to the fellow Australian emu. Now new research confirms a common link between the cassowary and small flighted South American tinamou—and even the extinct large New Zealand moa.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14145-7 A major component of bacterial biofilms is curli amyloid fibrils secreted by the curli biogenesis system. Here authors use cryo-EM to visualize the secretion channel complexes (CsgF-CsgG) with and without the curli substrate and provide insights into curli biogenesis.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14009-0 Lysosomes are intracellular organelles containing degradative enzymes, and leakage of lysosomal contents into the cell is thought to trigger cell death. Here, the authors report that leaky lysosomes may facilitate chromosome separation during cell division.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13883-y Microfold cells (M cells) sit at the gut epithelial surface to sample antigens and maintain local immune homeostasis. Here the authors show that M cells are feedback-regulated by M cell-originated osteoprotegerin (OPG) to suppress RNAKL-induced M cell differentiation, and that OPG deficiency alters both gut c
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14072-7 SNAREs mediate the formation of a fusion pore during exocytosis which connects the lumen of a vesicle with the extracellular space. Here, authors use single molecule approaches to define the role of synaptotagmin 1 and NSF in synaptic pore formation and dissolution.
Hop In In a video uploaded to Twitter late on Saturday by Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a Tesla Model 3 can be heard muttering the line: "Well, don't just stand there staring, hop in." Teslas will soon talk to people if you want. This is real. pic.twitter.com/8AJdERX5qa — Buff Mage (@elonmusk) January 12, 2020 "Teslas will soon talk to people if you want," Musk wrote in the tweet. "This is real." And of c
Scientific progress is not usually straightforward. Researchers pursue and abandon lines of inquiry. Results languish. Theories take decades to cohere. But sometimes the accumulation of scientific knowledge proceeds more directly, with one discovery triggering the next like a cascade of dominoes. That's been the case recently with the mathematical study of fluid mechanics. A startling experimenta
A research group from Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen has just shown that tardigrades are very vulnerable to long-term high temperature exposures. Animals, which in their desiccated state are best known for their extraordinary tolerance to extreme environments.
As smokers know all too well, nicotine is highly addictive. It's hard to quit smoking, a habit that claims the lives of more than seven million people each year.
Autistic mothers are more likely to report post-natal depression compared to non-autistic mothers, according to a new study of mothers of autistic children carried out by researchers at the University of Cambridge. A better understanding of the experiences of autistic mothers during pregnancy and the post-natal period is critical to improving wellbeing.
Researchers have found a way to help make chemotherapy more effective in treating colon cancer. They identified a new pathway (RICTOR/mTORC2) as a biological target for the disease. Targeted inhibition of RICTOR or the mTORC2 pathway could be used as a distinctive therapeutic opportunity with chemotherapy for treating colon cancer.
Studying mice, researchers from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have found a driver of bone loss related to cancer treatment. Radiation and chemotherapy can halt cell division in bone, which results in a stress response called senescence. This process is independent of hormones that affect bone health, such as estrogen. Such bone loss can be stopped by treating the mice with
The timing of knee replacement surgery is critical to optimize its benefit. But 90% of patients with knee osteoarthritis who would potentially benefit from knee replacement are waiting too long to have it and getting less benefit, reports a new study. In addition, about 25% of patients who don't need it are having it prematurely when the benefit is minimal, the study found. African-Americans delay
New research identifies a protein that controls plant growth — good news for an era in which crops can get crushed by climate change. When the protein, IRK, is present, the root perceives a signal telling cells not to divide.
Artificial intelligence (AI) represents a powerful but double-edged sword as nations confront global warming, poverty and issues of peace and justice. An international team of scientists this week released a first-ever study of how AI can help—as well as hinder—sustainable development worldwide.
Batteries are the key to decarboni z ing both transport and the grid , but today's technology is still a long way from living up to this promise. IBM seems to have decided its computing chops are the key to solving the problem. Lithium-ion batteries are still the gold standard technology in this field , and they've come a long way; 10 years ago they could just about get your iPod through the day,
Arbor Bioscience and Curio Genomics announced an exciting expansion of their existing partnership today at the 28th International Plant and Animal Genome conference in San Diego.
When it comes to the biggest and brightest explosions seen in the universe, University of Warwick astronomers have found that it takes two stars to make a gamma-ray burst.
Even though hepatitis E causes over 3 million infections and about 70,000 deaths each year, the virus has been little studied. Now, a research team from Bochum and Hanover has developed a robust cell model of the pathogen. It produces about 100 times more infectious virus particles than previous models. "As a result, we are finally able to study the virus in depth," says Professor Eike Steinmann,
When it comes to the biggest and brightest explosions seen in the Universe, University of Warwick astronomers have found that it takes two stars to make a gamma-ray burst.
Even though hepatitis E causes over 3 million infections and about 70,000 deaths each year, the virus has been little studied. Now, a research team from Bochum and Hanover has developed a robust cell model of the pathogen. It produces about 100 times more infectious virus particles than previous models. "As a result, we are finally able to study the virus in depth," says Professor Eike Steinmann,
In birds, timing of arrival in a breeding area influences who ends up breeding and who does not. This aspect of behaviour, well-known in migratory birds, has now been studied for the first time in a non-migratory species, the blue tit. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany found that arrival time in the breeding area was an individual-specific and fitness-relevant trai
Every year in the United States, more than 35,000 people die and 2.8 million get sick from antibiotic-resistant infections. Now, a team led by Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)'s Professor Nathalie Balaban and Shaarei Zedek Medical Center's Dr. Maskit Bar-Meir has shown that resilient bacteria may be treatable with currently-available therapies. In a study published in Science magazine, the rese
Scientists at the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory have experimentally demonstrated a novel cryogenic, or low temperature, memory cell circuit design based on coupled arrays of Josephson junctions, a technology that may be faster and more energy efficient than existing memory devices. If successfully scaled, this type of cryogenic memory array could advance a variety of applica
In birds, timing of arrival in a breeding area influences who ends up breeding and who does not. This aspect of behaviour, well-known in migratory birds, has now been studied for the first time in a non-migratory species, the blue tit. Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology in Germany found that arrival time in the breeding area was an individual-specific and fitness-relevant trai
Every year in the United States, more than 35,000 people die and 2.8 million get sick from antibiotic-resistant infections. Now, a team led by Hebrew University of Jerusalem (HU)'s Professor Nathalie Balaban and Shaarei Zedek Medical Center's Dr. Maskit Bar-Meir has shown that resilient bacteria may be treatable with currently-available therapies. In a study published in Science magazine, the rese
Part of this week's show was recorded live from Las Vegas at the CES. (Stan Horaczek /) Last week, the Consumer Electronics Show gave us a look at what we can expect from the world of gadgets over the course of 2020. There were concept cars, flying taxis, augmented reality headsets, nightmare healthcare products, folding computers, and just about everything else with a microchip in it. Covering t
New technology uses nano-sized particles of magnetic liquid metal to shred bacteria and bacterial biofilm. The research offers a groundbreaking new direction in the search for solutions to the deadly problem of antibiotic resistance.
One of the largest living birds, the cassowary, has a simple throat structure similar to the fellow Australian emu. Now new research confirms a common link between the cassowary and small flighted South American tinamou – and even the extinct large New Zealand moa.
Houston Methodist scientists identified a protein found in ovarian cancer that may contribute to declining brain function and Alzheimer's disease, by combining computational methods and lab research.
NOAA Fisheries has issued a final biological opinion on construction and operation of the Jordan Cove terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon, and the associated 229-mile long Pacific Connector Liquid Natural Gas pipeline. After conducting a thorough review, NOAA scientists determined that the proposed action does not jeopardize protected species or adversely modify their critical habitat.
NOAA Fisheries has issued a final biological opinion on construction and operation of the Jordan Cove terminal in Coos Bay, Oregon, and the associated 229-mile long Pacific Connector Liquid Natural Gas pipeline. After conducting a thorough review, NOAA scientists determined that the proposed action does not jeopardize protected species or adversely modify their critical habitat.
As smokers know all too well, nicotine is highly addictive. It's hard to quit smoking, a habit that claims the lives of more than seven million people each year.
In a new report published on Scientific Reports, Milan M. Milošević and an international research team at the Zepler Institute for Photonics and Nanoelectronics, Etaphase Incorporated and the Departments of Chemistry, Physics and Astronomy, in the U.S. and the U.K. Introduced a hyperuniform-disordered platform to realize near-infrared (NIR) photonic devices to create, detect and manipulate light.
As smokers know all too well, nicotine is highly addictive. It's hard to quit smoking, a habit that claims the lives of more than seven million people each year.
Kayvon Beykpour, Twitter's head of product, admits the platform can still incentivize toxic behavior. In a WIRED Q&A, he explains how he wants to fix it.
ESA's Mars Express has captured beautiful images of the icy cap sitting at Mars' north pole, complete with bright swathes of ice, dark troughs and depressions, and signs of strong winds and stormy activity.
Just like a chameleon changes its skin color in response to its environment, engineers have found a way for liquid metal—and potentially solid metal—to change its surface structure in response to heat. Treating particles of liquid metal alloys with heat causes their surfaces to roughen with tiny spheres or nanowires, the researchers report in a new paper in Angewandte Chemie . Control the heat an
A few years back here on this site when I would write about synthetic photochemical methods, the reaction in the comments section was, well, mixed. There would be interest, but there was always a strain of "Bunch of academic publications that will never amount to anything in the real world" as well. The amount of blue light that I see coming from fume hoods these days, though, seems to indicate t
Martin Thuo and his research group have found a way to use heat to predictably and precisely change the surface structure of a particle of liquid metal. It's like a chameleon changing skin color in response to its environment. And so Thuo and his team are calling the technology 'chameleon metals.'
A University of Arizona-led study used the annual growth rings of trees to reconstruct a long-term climate history and examine the duration and frequency of "perfect droughts" in Southern California's main water sources.
New research from UC Riverside identifies a protein that controls plant growth — good news for an era in which crops can get crushed by climate change. When the protein, IRK, is present, the root perceives a signal telling cells not to divide.
Online health videos can be an important source of cancer education, according to Rutgers researchers. Their review, published in the Journal of Cancer Education, analyzed existing research to see how people obtained their cancer knowledge and how educational videos they watched prompted a change in their behavior.
Foods such as honey, licorice, oregano, and hot sauce have an antimicrobial effect and some of them trigger phage production in our gut. We could use compounds in these foods to control harmful microbes and balance microbial diversity in the gut microbiome.
In collaboration with scientists from Danau Girang Field Centre, Harvard University, and the South East Asia Rainforest Research Partnership, scientists from the Arizona State University Center for Global Discovery and Conservation Science (GDCS) led the broadest study to date that assesses how elephants utilize different landscapes in Sabah. The research study was published on January 10, 2020, i
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to invade the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to look at mitigation measures.
A team of scientists has published a new version of the Database of Cross-Linguistic Colexifications (CLICS), covering lexical associations in more than 3,100 languages varieties. The new version of the database offers lexical data on an unprecedented scale and provides a detailed, reproducible workflow for data aggregation, allowing scholars from all over the world to contribute to future version
Gianluca Masi, an astrophysicist working on the Virtual Telescope Project,which he founded, has announced the confirmation of 2020 AV2—the first asteroid orbiting entirely within the orbit of Venus. Masi describes on the Virtual Telescope Project web page the discovery by a team at the Zwicky Transient Facility and his confirmation of its orbit.
Using NASA's Fermi telescope, astronomers have detected a state change of the gamma-ray emission and spin-down rate of the variable radio-quiet gamma-ray pulsar PSR J2021+4026. Such behavior was first observed in this pulsar in 2011, and the new detection could shed light on the mechanism of state switching in gamma-ray pulsars. The finding is detailed in a paper published January 2 on arXiv.org.
A team of researchers led by Paulo Brando, assistant professor at the University of California, Irvine, has found evidence that parts of the Amazon Rainforest could switch from a carbon sink to a carbon source by 2050. In their paper published in the journal Science Advances, the group describes environmental simulations they developed and what they learned from them.
Nature, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-00031-6 Analysis of hundreds of articles in predatory titles shows that 60% have never been cited.
Characterized by alligators, airboats, and catfish, the Everglades is a region of swampy wetlands in southern Florida. In addition to the area's role in Florida's tourism industry, the Everglades play a significant part in protecting our environment—through carbon sequestration.
ESA's Aeolus satellite has been returning profiles of Earth's winds since 3 September 2018, just after it was launched—and after months of careful testing these measurements are considered so good that the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts is now using them in their forecasts.
Scientists have discovered multiple new interesting worlds beyond Earth—including the first potentially habitable Earth-size exoplanet and another that is a "Star Wars"-type system with two suns. They spotted the new exoplanets—planets beyond our solar system—with NASA's new TESS satellite and announced the find at the 235th American Astronomical Society meeting . Even as scientists have discover
As food demand rises due to growing and changing populations around the world, increasing crop production has been a vital target for agriculture and food systems researchers who are working to ensure there is enough food to meet global need in the coming years. One MIT research group mobilizing around this challenge is the Voigt lab in the Department of Biological Engineering, led by Christopher
Every language has cases in which two or more concepts are expressed by the same word, such as the English word "fly," which refers to both the act of flying and to the insect. By comparing patterns in these cases, which linguists call colexifications, across languages, researchers can gain insights into a wide range of issues, including human perception, language evolution and language contact. T
As food demand rises due to growing and changing populations around the world, increasing crop production has been a vital target for agriculture and food systems researchers who are working to ensure there is enough food to meet global need in the coming years. One MIT research group mobilizing around this challenge is the Voigt lab in the Department of Biological Engineering, led by Christopher
A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University and coworkers have discovered that a specific insulin-like peptide called ILP2 regulates the size of the mandibles in Gnatocerus cornutus beetles in different nutritional environments. They found diminished mandible size when expression of the peptide was suppressed, and that it was specifically expressed in the fat body, where beetles store nutrients
A scientist from Tokyo Metropolitan University and coworkers have discovered that a specific insulin-like peptide called ILP2 regulates the size of the mandibles in Gnatocerus cornutus beetles in different nutritional environments. They found diminished mandible size when expression of the peptide was suppressed, and that it was specifically expressed in the fat body, where beetles store nutrients
"Hsst!" hisses Charles Myeni. "Leave space!" Silently, the men in his anti-poaching unit spread out as they move through the bush in single file, leaving a few feet between them. Myeni explains his command to me: If a rhinoceros poacher attacks us and we're all neatly squished together in a line, he whispers, they "can take us all out, one-one-one-one . We're all gonna die." Is he serious? His sa
En læser har observeret en række lysende prikker på morgenhimlen og vil gerne vide, hvad det var. Det har René Fléron fra DTU Space et kvalificeret bud på.
Humanitarian engineering student Elia Hauge discovers that a changing demographic in Nepal has led to more women taking on active roles in managing water.
All living things are made of carbon, and sugars like glucose are a very common source of it. Consequently, most cells are good at eating sugars, using enzymes to digest them through a series of chemical reactions that transform the initial sugar into a variety of cell components, including amino acids, DNA building blocks and fats. Because they help these sugar-metabolism reactions run efficientl
are largely mysterious regions because they are so difficult to observe directly. Our lack of understanding about the physical processes there, like rotation and the mixing of hot gas, introduces considerable ambiguity about how stars shine and how they evolve. Stellar oscillations, detected through brightness fluctuations, offer one way to probe these subsurface regions. In the Sun, these vibrat
All living things are made of carbon, and sugars like glucose are a very common source of it. Consequently, most cells are good at eating sugars, using enzymes to digest them through a series of chemical reactions that transform the initial sugar into a variety of cell components, including amino acids, DNA building blocks and fats. Because they help these sugar-metabolism reactions run efficientl
Life is pretty easy to recognise. It moves, it grows, it eats, it excretes, it reproduces. Simple. In biology, researchers often use the acronym "MRSGREN" to describe it. It stands for movement, respiration, sensitivity, growth, reproduction, excretion and nutrition.
A modern airplane's fuselage is made from multiple sheets of different composite materials, like so many layers in a phyllo-dough pastry. Once these layers are stacked and molded into the shape of a fuselage, the structures are wheeled into warehouse-sized ovens and autoclaves, where the layers fuse together to form a resilient, aerodynamic shell.
These little guys are cute as they are helpful. (Annette Martens/) A new study suggests that kindness may be for the birds. Far from being a uniquely human trait—or even something that sets great apes apart from the rest of the animal world—the ability to be generous could exist even among creatures who lend a wing instead of lending a hand. "We humans, we think it's what makes us special, what's
A 2019 surge of gang-related shootings in Toronto motivated the Ontario government to commit $3 million to double the number of Toronto Police surveillance cameras in the city. The Toronto Police could now go to 74 cameras from 34.
Vetenskaplig evidens kring kostråd och hälsa varierar. För att undersöka sambandet mellan kost och sjukdom studerade forskare kostens mindre beståndsdelar. Genom att mäta metaboliter i blodet går det att hitta samband mellan vissa molekyler och en hälsosam kost.
A new artificial photosynthesis approach uses sunlight to turn carbon dioxide into methane, which could help make natural-gas-powered devices carbon neutral.
Online misinformation works, or so it would seem. One of the more interesting statistics from the 2019 UK general election was that 88% of advertisements posted on social media by the Conservative Party pushed figures that had already been deemed misleading by the UK's leading fact-checking organisation, Full Fact. And, of course, the Conservatives won the election by a comfortable margin.
A team of astronomers of Leiden University and the University of Texas (Austin, United States) has discovered a new way to map distant galaxies. They did so by observing the fingerprint of oxygen in a distant galaxy, something that is usually not possible from Earth. The researchers will publish their findings in the journal the Astrophysical Journal Letters.
(Side note: I had a small injury to my dominant index finger which is slowing down my typing considerably. My blog posts may be shorter than usual this week.) When I was recently in New Zealand and Australia, I tried very hard to get a good look at the Southern sky. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. Over a period of two weeks I had really one opportunity, and I had to drive 40 minut
Smoke from this season's bushfires has turned the sun red, the moon orange and the sky an insipid grey. It has obscured iconic views tourists flock to see. Far more than an aesthetic problem, it has forced business shutdowns, triggered health problems and kept children indoors for weeks.
Researchers have used liquid metals to develop new bacteria-destroying technology that could be the answer to the deadly problem of antibiotic resistance.
In everyday objects, there is no left without right or front without back. Just as inseparable seem to be the electron's electric charge and its "spin." But in a strictly one-dimensional quantum world, both quantum properties are separable from each other. This 50-year-old prediction has now been confirmed by an experiment conducted by a team from the Munich Center for Quantum Science and Technolo
PLUS. Moderne bilers partikeludledning ser lav ud. Men det skyldes, at testmetoden ser bort fra udledningen af ultrafine partikler. Miljøorganisation og FDM vil have strammet testkravene.
"We're getting close." Those were the last words I said to Oman's Sultan Qaboos bin Said. It was the fall of 2013, during the final stretch of secret talks with Iran. Brokered and hosted by the Omanis, those negotiations—the first sustained diplomatic interaction between the United States and Iran in 35 years—would open the door to the comprehensive nuclear agreement with Tehran. The sultan's dea
Editor's Note: Every Monday, Lori Gottlieb answers questions from readers about their problems, big and small. Have a question? Email her at dear.therapist@theatlantic.com . Dear Therapist, I'm a 21-year-old college student and I'm currently having an affair with my roommate. I have known her for three and a half years and we do almost everything together. She began dating her boyfriend shortly b
Taal volcano, situated on an island in a lake, began erupting dramatically on Sunday, prompting an evacuation order for 450,000 people in the surrounding area
A conservative think tank organises a research integrity conference to prove climate change is not real. It is a white men-only academic event, and there are good reasons for that.
The team might operate like a fast-moving startup, but Golden State's rise and fall proves the influence of tech insiders hasn't revolutionized the NBA all that much.
A California law requires many contractors to be treated as employees. One temp agency startup might stand to benefit, by taking the workers onto its payroll.
Lovgivningen skal ændres for at fremme gode rammer for nye fjernvarmeprojekter, mener klima-, energi- og forsyningsminister Dan Jørgensen (S). Dansk Fjernvarme kalder det for »en rigtig god nyhed«.
Gravitational waves attributed to the collision of two neutron stars could have been produced by something much stranger — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Gravitational waves attributed to the collision of two neutron stars could have been produced by something much stranger — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
You've probably never heard of the most economically transformative legislation of the Trump era. Granted, it has not yet passed and it might not pass. If it does, it would affect a large portion of Americans, but hardly all of them, unlike the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. And its potential effects are hotly contested by policy advocates, politicians, and economists. Still, California Senate Bill 50, w
Røntgenbilleder samt billeder fra CT- og ultralydsskanninger ligger blottet på usikre servere på diverse hospitaler, lægekontorer og centre. Det vurderer det tyske sikkerhedsfirma Greenbone Networks.
Mellan år 14, då kejsar Augustus dog och år 395, då Theodosius dog – det romerska rikets storhetstid – regerade 69 kejsare. Hela 62 procent av dem dog en våldsam död. Det motsvarar att spela rysk roulett, där man har fyra kulor i de sex kamrarna i en revolver istället för en, skriver forskarna bakom analysen.
In the past two weeks, escalating hostilities brought the United States to the brink of yet another conflict in the Middle East—this time with Iran. But such a conflict might not look much like the others that American forces have fought in the 21st century. Tank-on-tank warfare this isn't. While crises are inherently unpredictable, Iran's decision on Tuesday to lob missiles at bases housing Amer
When asked to comment on the debate surrounding political correctness on college campuses, Senator Cory Booker recounts a personal story of a gay friend who, many years ago, patiently endured Booker's naive questions as he tried to understand gay culture. Having the freedom to ask questions—even dumb, ignorant questions—helped Booker grow and become an LGBTQ ally. His friend's patience and genero
A prominent researcher at Georgia State University who had two papers retracted and eight subjected to expressions of concern for problematic images last year is now up to nine retractions. Ming-Hui Zou is the common author on all nine retracted papers, which were published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry from 2003 and 2010. Of … Continue reading
PLUS. Lynetteholmen skal forbindes med metro til resten af byen, og der er nu tre forskellige forslag til den nye metrostrækning tilbage på bordet. Læs om dem her.
The controversial CRISPR baby experiment would have been unethical even if the aim wasn't to create the first ever gene-edited children, an analysis of project documents reveals
The bushfire tragedy is a poignant reminder that Australia, and the rest of the world, must get serious about climate change and reduce fossil fuel reliance
Teknik för att behandla avloppsvatten kan användas till att producera bioetanol från jordbruksavfall, till exempel halm. Det är möjligt tack vare en unik membranreaktor utvecklad vid Högskolan i Borås. Amir Mahboubi Soufiani, doktor inom resursåtervinning vid Högskolan i Borås, har utvecklat en unik membranreaktor. I sin avhandling beskriver han sitt doktorandprojekt där han fokuserade på två pro
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13878-9 Z-DNA-forming CG repeats are mutagenic in mammalian cells but the mechanism has remained unknown so far. Here, the authors show that the nucleotide excision repair complex Rad10-Rad1 (ERCC1-XPF) and the mismatch repair complex Msh2-Msh3 (MSH2-MSH3) are required for Z-DNA-induced genetic instability in yeast a
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13897-6 Monomeric near-infrared (NIR) fluorescent proteins (FPs) from bacterial phytochromes bring potential advantages, but their brightness in cells is lower than dimeric NIR FPs. Here the authors develop enhanced monomeric NIR FPs enabling imaging across different scales without the trade-off between brightness an
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-14138-6 FXR agonists have been investigated for the treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis and liver fibrosis but the clinical efficacy is not optimal. Here the authors show that enhanced FXR SUMOylation in activated hepatic stellate cells reduces FXR signaling and that this can be rescued by SUMOylation inhibito
A team of scientists, led by scholars from the Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, has published a new version of the Database of Cross-Linguistic Colexifications (CLICS), covering lexical associations in more than 3,100 languages varieties. The new version of the database offers lexical data on an unprecedented scale and provides a detailed, reproducible workflow for data aggre
Michigan Medicine researchers recently found that Sestrin, a naturally occurring protein in the body, mimicked the benefits of exercise in flies and mice.
New research from the University of California San Diego finds that solar geoengineering — the intentional reflection of sunlight away from the Earth's surface — may reduce income inequality between countries.
New research from the University of California San Diego finds that solar geoengineering—the intentional reflection of sunlight away from the Earth's surface—may reduce income inequality between countries.
Whether it be a brisk walk around the park or high intensity training at the gym, exercise does a body good. But what if you could harness the benefits of a good workout without ever moving a muscle?
Whether it be a brisk walk around the park or high intensity training at the gym, exercise does a body good. But what if you could harness the benefits of a good workout without ever moving a muscle?
Kvaliteten af behandling af hoftebrud ligger fortsat under niveau inden for de fleste kvalitetsindikatorer på området, viser årsrapport. Fremadrettet øges forventninger til kvaliteten på flere parametre.
PLUS. En ny skærmteknologi gør det muligt at vise forskelligt indhold på samme skærm til flere mennesker på én gang. Det kan lade sig gøre, fordi de bruger pixels, der udsender lys i forskellige farver i flere retninger på samme tid. Nu testes løsningen i en amerikansk lufthavn.
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to invade the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to look at mitigation measures. The study is published in the journal Global Change Biology.
Science advocates have condemned the dubious health products peddled by Gwyneth Paltrow's lifestyle brand Goop. But with a lucrative new TV series, The Goop Lab, poised to debut on Netflix, it appears that scolding the brand and its many fans is doing little to hold it back. Indeed, Goop is thriving on it.
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to invade the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to look at mitigation measures. The study is published in the journal Global Change Biology.
The US Army has built a prototype device that allows wearers to go glove-free in freezing conditions. It works by heating the forearm, which helps keep the fingertips warm
The mummified remains of a duck-billed dinosaur contain a grey pigment, suggesting it was grey, although other pigments may have been lost during fossilisation
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to invade the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to look at mitigation measures. The study is published in the journal Global Change Biology.
The narrative we hear from the media (and, of course, from alternative medicine mavens) is that we are "losing the war on cancer." It's actually not true. As the latest statistics from the American Cancer Society show, the mortality rate from cancer has been declining for decades.
Families grieving for lost homes and loved ones, burned koalas rescued from charred forests: The devastation of Australia's bushfire crisis has tainted the country's reputation as a safe and alluring holiday destination.
Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal policymakers move ahead with draft regulations.
Members of collective leadership groups can maintain cohesion and act decisively when faced with a crisis, in spite of lacking the formal authority to do so, according to new research from Cass Business School.
Climate is an important factor in determining a plant species' growing zone. Some studies suggest that by the turn of the next century, climate change will have caused some species to spread several dozen kilometres north of their current distribution areas.
Hemp growers and entrepreneurs who were joyous a year ago after U.S. lawmakers reclassified the plant as a legal agricultural crop now are worried their businesses could be crippled if federal policymakers move ahead with draft regulations.
Climate is an important factor in determining a plant species' growing zone. Some studies suggest that by the turn of the next century, climate change will have caused some species to spread several dozen kilometres north of their current distribution areas.
An Italian research team has refined the history and origins of two extremely common pathogens in human populations, herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2.
An Italian research team has refined the history and origins of two extremely common pathogens in human populations, herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2.
Thousands of people have signed a petition for koalas to be introduced to New Zealand to escape Australia's devastating bush fires, but the proposal has been given the thumbs down by officials.
Thousands of people have signed a petition for koalas to be introduced to New Zealand to escape Australia's devastating bush fires, but the proposal has been given the thumbs down by officials.
Red-hot lava gushed out of a volcano near the Philippine capital on Monday, as tens of thousands of people fled the area through heavy ash and frightening tremors. Experts warned that the eruption could get worse and plans were being made to evacuate hundreds of thousands more.
Exhausted firefighters said they had finally brought Australia's largest "megablaze" under control Monday, as wet weather promised to deliver much-needed respite for countryside ravaged by bushfires.
How to count a little in Spanish How many "fews" do you need until you have "a lot"? In Spanish, the answer to this philosophical conundrum would seem to be 15. At least, that's according to the puzzle below, in which the addition of 15 POCOs makes a MUCHO. Continue reading…
The 44-year-old is taking applications from women who want to join him on Elon Musk's voyage Japanese billionaire Yusaku Maezawa is looking for a "special woman" to join him on Elon Musk 's mission around the moon. The founder of Zozo, Japan's largest online fashion retailer, invited women interested in accompanying him on Musk's Big Falcon Rocket in 2023 to apply online for a "planned match-maki
Does Twitter matter? The temptation is to say no. Its user base is small compared with Facebook— 321 million monthly active users versus more than 2 billion—and a quick glance at the trending topics reveals its fractious, claustrophobic atmosphere. Yet as one dead fox proves, it does matter: On December 26, a single tweet by a British lawyer with 178,000 followers, announcing that he had killed a
Refugees are often the target of hate speech on social media, but researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are now leveraging artificial intelligence to identify and highlight sympathetic and supportive social media posts.
Members of collective leadership groups can maintain cohesion and act decisively when faced with a crisis, in spite of lacking the formal authority to do so, according to new research from Cass Business School.
An Italian research team has refined the history and origins of two extremely common pathogens in human populations, herpes simplex virus type 1 and type 2. Using and applying rather precise data methods they estimated that the circulating strains of herpes simplex virus type 1 migrated from Africa about 5000 years ago. The exit from Africa of herpes simplex virus type 2 was even more recent and p
New research published in CANCER indicates that there is a higher risk of early death among patients with oropharynx cancer when not caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), than those whose tumors are HPV-positive.
Lower levels of lymphocyte blood cells — a condition called lymphopenia — could be an early warning for future illness, as low counts were associated with a 60% increase in death from any cause, found a Danish study in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).
Claire Cohen-Norris volunteers with Citizens Climate Lobby as a chapter founder and leader in rural New York. Her climate advocacy sprung from her drive to provide a secure, joyful and fulfilling life for her two wonderful children. It has become a life's mission, shared with her like-minded husband and partner. Claire earned her biology degree from Mount Holyoke College and her law degree from T
The invertebrate predators prey on and lay their eggs near emerging tadpoles, potentially threatening the conservation of endangered frogs, researchers find.
Working with bacteriophages and nematodes, the University of California, Berkeley, molecular biologist uncovered a role for genetic switches in early development.
With millions of pigs killed due to a major outbreak of African swine fever virus (ASFV) in Asia, researchers have intensified efforts to find a vaccine quickly.
They've survived volcanic eruptions, but one Caribbean island's mountain chicken frogs might need help from scientists to escape the lethal chytrid fungus.
The biochemical mechanisms in the brain underlying suicidal behavior are beginning to come to light, and researchers hope they could one day lead to better treatment and prevention strategies.
As global temperatures rise and winters shorten, caterpillars of the corn borer moth are emerging earlier in parts of the US thanks to changes in two genes, researchers find.
We may not have personal jetpacks yet, but the past decade has been marked by life-science revolutions, and the coming years have even more biological breakthroughs in store.
PLUS. Parkeringshuse med bærende stålkonstruktioner er ifølge en DTU-professor så usikre ved brand, at de slet ikke bør opføres. I Danmark bygges de stadig.
There was a 29% reduction in the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK between 2015-2018, despite an increase in sales of soft drinks by volume of 7%, according to new research from the Nuffield Department of Population Health (NDPH) at the University of Oxford.
Hunted areas of Gabon have fewer large mammals and a thicker forest understory—but they also have fewer termites. Jason G. Goldman reports. — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Hunted areas of Gabon have fewer large mammals and a thicker forest understory—but they also have fewer termites. Jason G. Goldman reports. — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13442-5 Exercise improves metabolic health and physical condition, particularly important for health in aged individuals. Here, the authors identify that Sestrins, proteins induced by exercise, are key mediators of the metabolic adaptation to exercise and increase endurance through the AKT and PGC1a axes.
Nature Communications, Published online: 13 January 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-019-13832-9 Ageing is associated with muscle atrophy, which negatively impacts quality of life. Here the authors show that expression of sestrins decreases during inactivity and that their overexpression prevents atrophy in mice via modulation of autophagy and protein degradation.
The variable red giant in Orion is one of the brightest stars in the sky. But it is at its dimmest for over a century. This may – or may not – indicate that it is about to blow The magnificent constellation of Orion, the hunter, is now visible in the evening sky from both hemispheres, and there's added interest in looking out for it over the next few weeks. The red giant star Betelgeuse marks one
From pp. 381-84 of Generations: The History of America's Future (1991): Engulfed in the electric air before a storm and perhaps already buffeted by the first shock, Americans [in 2019] will look toward the future with a new attitude of personal realism and public determination. The sense of community will strengthen, with one set of ideals pulling most political energy into its orbit. [E]ach gene
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