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| How to look thousands of kilometers deep into the Earth Posted: 18 Feb 2022 08:07 AM PST Researchers have developed a new method to measure the density of silicon dioxide (SiO2) glass, one of the most important materials in industry and geology, at pressures of up to 110 gigapascals, 1.1 million times higher than normal atmospheric pressure. Instead of employing highly focused X-rays at a synchrotron facility, they used a white laser beam and a diamond anvil cell. |
| Pollination by birds can be advantageous Posted: 18 Feb 2022 08:07 AM PST Why have some plant species changed pollinators in their evolution? An international team of researchers studied the reproductive systems of three sister species pairs, where one species is pollinated by insects and the other by hummingbirds. Mechanisms were discovered that explain the switch from insect to bird pollination. |
| Researchers link cutting-edge gravity research to safer operation of construction cranes Posted: 18 Feb 2022 08:07 AM PST The research provides new insight into the maneuvers required to safely and quickly transport heavy loads. |
| Three-drug combination prolongs survival in men with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer Posted: 18 Feb 2022 08:07 AM PST Results from an international, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, phase 3 clinical trial indicate that adding the androgen-receptor inhibitor darolutamide to androgen-deprivation therapy and chemotherapy prolongs the survival of men with metastatic, hormone-sensitive prostate cancer. |
| Review of technologies that repurpose carbon finds most aren’t Paris Agreement compatible Posted: 18 Feb 2022 08:07 AM PST As the climate crisis becomes more immediate, carbon capture and utilization (CCU) technology has been touted as part of the solution. The process involves harnessing carbon dioxide from emissions or the atmosphere and repurposing them. However, a recent review calls into question the viability of many of these methods to meet both the long-term and short-term emissions goals that follow from the Paris Agreement, and suggests focusing on technologies that use non-fossil carbon dioxide and store carbon permanently. |
| Researchers identify protein complex critical in helping control cell death Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST A pathway critical for regulating a form of cell death known as necroptosis has been identified. The team's preclinical findings suggest that an inhibitor targeting this PPP13RG protein complex can help prevent or reduce deaths and severe tissue damage from heart attacks and other inflammation-associated diseases. |
| Forget handheld virtual reality controllers: a smile, frown or clench will suffice Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST An international team of researchers has taken facial recognition technology to the next level, using a person's expression to manipulate objects in a virtual reality setting without the use of a handheld controller or touchpad. |
| Trade-off between biodiversity and food security in land use Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST Strict reservation of large land areas for animals and plants might save humankind from the collapse of species diversity in the next decades. However, in some countries, particularly in the global South, this might endanger food supply. |
| Nebulin no longer nebulous! Scientists obtain first high-resolution 3D image of muscle protein Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST Scientists have obtained the first high-resolution 3D image of nebulin, a giant actin-binding protein that is an essential component of skeletal muscle. This discovery has brought to light the chance to better understand the role of nebulin, as its functions have remained largely nebulous due to its large size and the difficulty in extracting nebulin in a native state from muscle. The team used electron cryo-tomography to decipher the structure of nebulin in impressive detail. Their findings could lead to novel therapeutic approaches to treat muscular diseases, as genetic mutations in nebulin are accompanied by a dramatic loss in muscle force known as nemaline myopathy. |
| Gut health compromised in severe COVID-19 Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST New research of samples of intestine from people who have died of COVID-19 has shown the impact of the virus on the gut immune system. |
| Treatment for Parkinson’s could now get even better Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:07 AM PST Specialized groups of neurons within the brainstem control movement. Now researchers have found that activation of such neurons is sufficient to restore full movement function in mice with symptoms of Parkinson's Disease. The study helps clinicians to focus Deep Brain Stimulation to the right therapeutic spot and hopefully could improve treatment of motor symptoms in Parkinson's Disease. |
| Myelination determines the nerve cell power of inhibition, study finds Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:06 AM PST Researchers shed new light on how myelin loss might underpin aberrant brain activity which have been observed in people with multiple sclerosis. The study suggests that myelination, however patchy on specific interneurons, is required to reach their full inhibitory potential. |
| Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:06 AM PST Legionellosis or Legionnaires' disease affected more than 1 800 people in France in 2019 and caused 160 deaths. This emerging disease is caused by Legionella pneumophila, an environmental bacterium that thrives in hot water systems. Researchers have discovered a mechanism that allows Legionella pneumophila to target the immune response of the cells it infects by secreting a small regulatory RNA. This mechanism, not described before, facilitates the survival and proliferation of Legionella pneumophila during infection. The work provides precious information on the strategies used by bacteria to manipulate their host cells. |
| Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:06 AM PST The new study from the University of Bath's School of Management reveals care from a co-worker inspires people to be supportive to their partner at home, showing that co-workers have a significant role to play in enabling couples to cope with balancing the demands of work and family life. This spiral of support has knock on benefits for creative thinking at work. |
| Easy aluminum nanoparticles for rapid, efficient hydrogen generation from water Posted: 18 Feb 2022 07:06 AM PST For years, researchers have tried to find efficient and cost-effective ways to harness the extreme reactivity of aluminum to generate clean hydrogen fuel. A new study shows that an easily produced composite of gallium and aluminum creates aluminum nanoparticles that react rapidly with water at room temperature to yield large amounts of hydrogen. |
| Posted: 18 Feb 2022 05:02 AM PST T-cell responses directed against the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein were associated with protection from SARS-CoV-2 infection in vaccinated individuals with or without cancer, with lower T-cell responses observed in patients with blood cancers, according to a new study. |
| Antibiotics after birth affects gut microbes of babies Posted: 18 Feb 2022 05:02 AM PST Treating babies with antibiotics in the first week of life is linked with a decrease in healthy bacteria necessary amongst others to digest milk and an increase in antimicrobial resistance, research suggests. Experts say that clinicians should consider using antibiotics in a way that causes least harm to the newborns microbiome - the community of microbes that live in our body. |
| Protein structure offers clues to drug-resistance mechanism Posted: 18 Feb 2022 05:02 AM PST Chemists discovered the structure of a protein that can pump toxic molecules out of bacterial cells. Knowledge of this structure may make it possible to design drugs that could block transport proteins and help resensitize drug-resistant bacteria to existing antibiotics. |
| Study shows differences between brains of girls, boys with autism Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST Girls with autism differ in several brain centers compared with boys with autism, suggesting gender-specific diagnostics are needed, a new study using artificial intelligence finds. |
| How superbugs uses mirror images to create antibiotic resistance Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a bacterial infection that has become resistant to most of the antibiotics used to treat regular staph infections. Computer scientists are working to develop new enzyme inhibitors to fight MRSA. In recent research, the team discovered how a single small mutation makes a big difference in drug efficacy. |
| How motor neurons develop into subtypes that activate different muscles Posted: 17 Feb 2022 03:17 PM PST Motor neurons play a vital role in movement, linking the central nervous system with different muscles in the body. A new study has uncovered details about the process through which motor neurons develop into subtypes that connect the spinal cord with different target muscles and help to control different body parts. The research concludes that a gene called Kdm6b helps control motor neurons' fate. |
| Engineered bacterial strains could fertilize crops, reduce waterways pollution Posted: 17 Feb 2022 01:30 PM PST Researchers have engineered strains of the ubiquitous, nitrogen-fixing soil bacterium Azotobacter vinelandii to produce ammonia and excrete it at high concentrations, transferring it into crop plants in lieu of conventional chemical fertilizers. |
| An easier way to grow model organs Posted: 17 Feb 2022 12:52 PM PST A laboratory has developed a new, significantly simpler way of cultivating a 3D model of the intestine that leads to increased complexity and organization. |
| Fewer rainy days leading to earlier spring in northern climes Posted: 17 Feb 2022 12:52 PM PST A drop in the total number of rainy days each year is contributing to an earlier arrival of spring for plants in northern climates, a new study finds. |
| U.S. coastline to see up to a foot of sea level rise by 2050 Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:24 AM PST The United States is expected to experience as much sea level rise by the year 2050 as it witnessed in the previous hundred years. That's according to a NOAA-led report updating sea level rise decision-support information for the U.S. released in partnership with half a dozen other U.S.federal agencies. |
| New medicines for treating heart patients Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST New research discovered a unique class of medications that act as blood thinners by inhibiting an enzyme in the genes of tick saliva. The research focused on novel direct thrombin inhibitors from tick salivary transcriptomes, or messenger RNA molecules expressed by an organism. The result is the development of new anticoagulant medications that can be used to treat patients with a variety of coronary issues, including heart attacks. |
| Well-functioning fat may be the key to fewer old-age ailments Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Fat tissue plays an important role in human health. However, our fat tissue loses function as we age, which can lead to type 2 diabetes, obesity, cancer and other ailments. High levels of lifelong exercise seem to counteract this deterioration. |
| CROPSR: A new tool to accelerate genetic discoveries Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Scientists have developed CROPSR, the first open-source software tool for genome-wide design and evaluation of guide RNA (gRNA) sequences for CRISPR/Cas9 experiments. This tool significantly shortens the time required to design a CRISPR experiment and reduces the challenge of working with complex crop genomes. It should accelerate bioenergy crop development as well as broader crop improvements and other gene-editing research. |
| Scientists reveal how Venus fly trap plants snap shut Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Scientists have revealed the three-dimensional structure of Flycatcher1, an aptly named protein channel that may enable Venus fly trap plants to snap shut in response to prey. The structure of Flycatcher1 helps shed light on longstanding questions about the remarkably sensitive touch response of Venus fly traps. The structure also gives the researchers a better understanding of how similar proteins in organisms including plants and bacteria, as well as proteins in the human body with similar functions (called mechanosensitive ion channels), might operate. |
| More evidence suggests self-awareness is also for some fish Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Researchers address criticisms to previous work by providing additional evidence to suggest the cleaner fish Labroides dimidiatus has Mirror Self-Recognition. |
| Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST New research finds that, while the Knights of the Round Table have won global fame, most medieval heroic or chivalric stories in English have been lost. Meanwhile, more than three quarters of medieval stories in Icelandic and Irish survive to the present, in an unusual pattern suggesting island 'ecosystems' helped preserve culture. |
| Groundbreaking study finds widespread lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST A first-of-its-kind, eight-year study has found widespread and frequent lead poisoning in North American bald and golden eagles impacting both species' populations. Researchers evaluated lead exposure in bald and golden eagles from 2010 to 2018. |
| Reducing negative impacts of Amazon hydropower expansion on people and nature Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST Rapid hydroelectric dam expansion in the Amazon poses a serious threat to Earth's largest and most biodiverse river basin. There are 158 dams in the Amazon River basin, with another 351 proposed; these projects are typically assessed individually, with little coordinated planning. A new study provides a computational approach for evaluating basin-level tradeoffs between hydropower and ecosystem services, with the goal of guiding sustainable dam siting. |
| Vortex microscope sees more than ever before Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST A new imaging technology uses polarized 'optical vortices' to provide a detailed, dynamic view of molecules in motion. |
| More chemicals, fewer words: Exposure to chemical mixtures during pregnancy alters brain development Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:13 AM PST By linking human population studies with experiments in cell and animal models, researchers have provided evidence that complex mixtures of endocrine disrupting chemicals impact children's brain development and language acquisition. With their novel approach, the scientists show that up to 54 per cent of pregnant women were exposed to experimentally defined levels of concern. While current risk assessment tackles chemicals one at a time, these findings show the need to take mixtures into account for future risk assessment approaches. |
| Measuring the tempo of Utah's red rock towers Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Geologists know well how rock towers and arches shimmy, twist and sway in response to far-off earthquakes, wind and even ocean waves. Their latest research compiles a first-of-its-kind dataset to show that the dynamic properties, i.e. the frequencies at which the rocks vibrate and the ways they deform during that vibration, can be largely predicted using the same mathematics that describe how beams in built structures resonate. |
| Scientists think a peptide could stop, reverse damage to nerve cells Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Researchers found a way to inhibit the mitochondrial fission in nerve cell axons, which can promote normal growth and potentially stop further damage in neurodegenerative disorders like hereditary spastic paraplegia and Parkinson's disease. |
| Chaining atoms together yields quantum storage Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Data stored in spin states of ytterbium atoms can be transferred to surrounding atoms in a crystal matrix. |
| Flies possess more sophisticated cognitive abilities than previously known Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Common flies feature more advanced cognitive abilities than previously believed. Using a custom-built immersive virtual reality arena, neurogenetics and real-time brain activity imaging, researchers found attention, working memory and conscious awareness-like capabilities in fruit flies. |
| Molecular 'culprit' caught driving cell death and inflammation Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST A new study has identified a molecular 'culprit' responsible for causing damaging levels of cell death and inflammation in the body. The findings could lead to improved treatment options for a range of conditions driven by inflammatory cell death, including the SARS-CoV-2 virus. |
| Analysis of DNA reveals weapons used by our immune cells to fight tuberculosis Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST A study has identified a gene, KCNJ15, that is associated with helping our immune system fight tuberculosis (TB), and potentially other infectious diseases. |
| Astronomers discover widest separation of brown dwarf pair to date Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST A team of astronomers has discovered a rare pair of brown dwarfs that has the widest separation of any brown dwarf binary system found to date. They're 12 billion miles apart, or three times the separation of Pluto from the Sun. The discovery is exceptional considering brown dwarf binaries share a weaker gravitational force than binary stars with the same separation, and thus are more likely to break up over time. |
| London produces up to a third more methane than estimates suggest Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Measurements of London's atmosphere show the city is releasing more of the potent greenhouse gas methane, primarily from natural gas leaks. |
| Tall trees in the Amazon can suffer from warmer temperatures Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Tall trees in Central Amazonia are impacted by periods of high maximum temperatures, which can cause them to shed their leaves and branches. With deforestation increasing, forests are becoming fragmented and this exposes their interiors and increases the temperatures they experience, making these losses even worse. With climate change jeopardizing tall trees around the world, this new evidence of spiraling negative effects from fragmentation is bad news, and highlights the urgent need to reduce deforestation in the Amazon. |
| Scientists pinpoint genetic target with promise for treating many forms of blindness Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Developing therapies for genetic forms of blindness is extremely challenging, in part because they vary so widely, but scientists have now highlighted a target with great promise for treating a range of these conditions. The scientists have highlighted that a specific gene (SARM1) is a key driver in the damage that ultimately leads to impaired vision (and sometimes blindness), and -- in a disease model -- showed that deleting this gene protects vision after a chemical kick-starts the chain of dysfunction that mimics a host of ocular conditions. |
| Nano-sized plastics may enter and permeate cell membranes Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Researchers have used molecular modelling methods to investigate the movement of nano-sized plastics in membrane structures. The results indicate that for some microplastics, passive transport through the cell membrane may be a significant gateway into the cell. |
| Discovery of key protein in malaria parasite opens door to novel treatment Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST An international team has discovered a protein that plays a key biological role in a parasite that causes malaria. Deactivating this protein reduces in vitro growth of Plasmodium falciparum, the protozoa behind the most virulent form of the disease, by more than 75%. |
| Less antibiotic use in dentistry gave no increase in endocarditis Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Sweden is one of the few countries that have removed the dental health recommendation to give prophylactic antibiotics to people at a higher risk of infection of the heart valves, so-called infective endocarditis. Since the recommendation was removed in 2012, there has been no increase in this disease, a registry study shows. |
| Study analyzes brain changes associated with juvenile fibromyalgia Posted: 17 Feb 2022 11:12 AM PST Analyzing the brain changes that occur in the first stages of juvenile fibromyalgia could help to better understand the pathophysiology of this syndrome. |
| Temperature, reproduction link holds promise for insect control Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:47 AM PST Scientists have uncovered a set of neurons in fruit flies that shut down in cold temperatures and slow reproduction, a system conserved in many insects, including mosquitoes, which could provide a target for pest control. |
| Ancient dwarf galaxy reconstructed with MilkyWay@home volunteer computer Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:47 AM PST Astrophysicists for the first time have calculated the original mass and size of a dwarf galaxy that was shredded in a collision with the Milky Way billions of years ago. |
| Rogue antibodies make cells 'sticky' to trigger blood clots in COVID-19 patients Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:19 AM PST Scientists have discovered that 'rogue' antibodies found circulating in the blood of COVID-19 patients have the potential to cause endothelial cells to lose their resistance to clotting. These antiphospholipid autoantibodies can trigger blood clots in the arteries and veins of patients with autoimmune disorders, including lupus and antiphospholipid syndrome. The findings provide an even stronger connection between autoantibody formation and clotting in COVID-19. |
| Sediment cores from ocean floor could contain 23-million-year-old climate change clues Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:19 AM PST Sediment cores taken from the Southern Ocean dating back 23 million years are providing insight into how ancient methane escaping from the seafloor could have led to regional or global climate and environmental changes, according to a new study. |
| Musicians, chemists use sound to better understand science Posted: 17 Feb 2022 10:19 AM PST A team of researchers from music, chemistry and computer science is using sound to better understand biochemical processes such as the physical mechanisms of protein folding. |
| Study strengthens case that vitamins cannot treat COVID-19 Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST A meta-analysis of 26 studies that included more than 5,600 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 has found that taking immune-boosting micronutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc do not lessen a patient's chance of dying from COVID-19. |
| A fish story with a human tell Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Elephant sharks offer a novel perspective on how humans evolved. A new study parses some previously unexplained reproductive differences. |
| Uncovering unexpected properties in a complex quantum material Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST A new study describes previously unexpected properties in a complex quantum material, findings that have implications for future quantum devices. |
| The surprising structural reason your kitchen sponge is disgusting Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Researchers have uncovered a basic but surprising fact: your kitchen sponge is a better incubator for diverse bacterial communities than a laboratory Petri dish. But it's not just the trapped leftovers that make the cornucopia of microbes swarming around so happy and productive, it's the structure of the sponge itself. |
| Size matters in particle treatments of traumatic injuries Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Chemical engineers tested how different-sized polymer nanoparticles circulate in the body and interact with platelets, the cells that promote blood clotting. Such particles could be used to help stop internal bleeding after traumatic injuries. |
| Depression and Alzheimer’s disease share genetic roots Posted: 17 Feb 2022 09:23 AM PST Epidemiological data have long linked depression with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), a neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive dementia that affects nearly 6 million Americans. Now, a new study identifies common genetic factors in both depression and AD. Importantly, the researchers found that depression played a causal role in AD development, and those with worse depression experienced a faster decline in memory. |
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