ScienceDaily: Most Popular News

New therapeutic target for C. difficile infection

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:41 AM PDT

A new study paves the way for the development of next generation therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of Clostridioides difficile infection (CDI), the most frequent cause of healthcare-acquired gastrointestinal infections and death in developed countries.

Researchers review data on reputed toxins thought to cause neurodegeneration

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Biologists and neuroscientists have published an update on the reputed environmental toxins that have been suspected of being involved in mammal neurodegeneration.

Earlier flood forecasting could help avoid disaster in Japan

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Researchers have revealed that a newly developed forecasting system can accurately predict flood locations 32 hours in advance. Extreme rainfall events are occurring increasingly frequently; such accurate and timely flood warnings will help to minimize their impact by providing time for measures to protect people and property.

Dragonflies: Species losses and gains in Germany

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Over the past 35 years, there have been large shifts in the distributions of many dragonfly species in Germany. Those of standing water habitats have declined, probably due to loss of habitat. Running-water species and warm-adapted species have benefited from improved water quality and warmer temperatures. The study highlights the importance of citizen science and natural history societies for long-term data collection.

Atomic-scale tailoring of graphene approaches macroscopic world

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Properties of materials are often defined by imperfections in their atomic structure, especially when the material itself is just one atom thick, such as graphene. Researchers have now developed a method for controlled creation of such imperfections into graphene at length scales approaching the macroscopic world. These results, confirmed by atomically resolved microscope images, serve as an essential starting point both for tailoring graphene for applications and for the development of new materials.

Phytoplankton: The discovery of a missing link

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Biologists have identified a family of algae as a living missing link in the microscopic domain.

Climate warming can influence fungal communities on oak leaves across the growing season

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Climate warming plays a larger role than plant genes in influencing the number and identity of fungal species on oak leaves, especially in autumn. This research by ecologists sheds light on how warming and tree genes affect the dynamics of fungal communities across the season.

Imaging at the tip of a needle

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Scientists have developed a new technique that could revolutionize medical imaging procedures using light.

New cause for intensification of oyster disease

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Researchers reveal that intensification of major oyster disease was due to evolving parasite, not just drought as previously thought.

New evidence to battle drug price increases

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

Two recent studies add new evidence to the impact of how drug price increases affect US patients and the overall cost of health care.

Use rewards effectively to boost creativity

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:40 AM PDT

To boost employees' creativity, managers should consider offering a set of rewards for them to choose from, according to a new study.

Will reduction in tau protein protect against Parkinson's and Lewy body dementias?

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 10:39 AM PDT

Will a reduction in tau protein in brain neurons protect against Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementias? A new study suggests the answer is no. If this is borne out, that result differs from Alzheimer's disease, where reducing endogenous tau levels in brain neurons is protective for multiple models of the disease -- and thus suggests that the role of tau in the pathogenesis of Lewy body dementias is distinct from Alzheimer's disease.

Bio-inspired hydrogel protects the heart from post-op adhesions

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:17 AM PDT

A hydrogel that forms a barrier to keep heart tissue from adhering to surrounding tissue after surgery was developed and successfully tested in rodents. The team of engineers, scientists and physicians also conducted a pilot study on porcine hearts, with promising results.

Start-stop system of hunting immune cells

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:17 AM PDT

Researchers decipher the basic biology of neutrophil swarming and now show that the cells also evolved an intrinsic molecular program to self-limit their swarming activity. The study elucidates how swarming neutrophils become insensitive to their own secreted signals that brought the swarm together in the first place. This process is crucial for the efficient elimination of bacteria in tissues.

How cells 'read' artificial ingredients tossed into genetic recipe

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:17 AM PDT

Researchers discovered that the enzyme RNA polymerase II recognizes and transcribes artificially added base pairs in genetic code, a new insight that could help advance the development of new vaccines and medicines.

Tug-of-war receptors for sour taste in fruit flies sheds light on human taste biology

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

Sour taste does not have the nearly universal appeal that sweet taste does. Slightly sour foods or drinks such as yogurt and lemon juice are yummy to many, but such highly sour foods as spoiled milk are yucky, even dangerous. Like humans, many other animals, including insects, prefer slightly acidic over very acidic foods.

Managed retreat: A must in the war against climate change

Posted: 18 Jun 2021 06:16 AM PDT

Climate change will shape the future of coastal communities, with flood walls, elevated structures and possibly even floating cities used to combat sea level rise. New research has found that managed retreat -- moving buildings, homes or communities off of the coast or away from floodplains -- must be part of any solution.

Unraveling the origin of Alzheimer's disease

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 11:36 AM PDT

Researchers studying prions -- misfolded proteins that cause lethal incurable diseases -- have identified the surface features of human prions responsible for their replication in the brain.

Swim first, hunt later: Young Weddell seals need to practice navigating before hunting

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 11:36 AM PDT

Weddell seals, the southernmost born mammal, are known as champion divers. But they don't begin life that way. Researchers examined the development of diving behavior in Weddell seal pups and found that they time their dives with their mother but likely do not learn to forage at that time. Instead, they focus their early efforts on learning to swim and navigate under the sea ice.

First evidence that medieval plague victims were buried individually with 'considerable care'

Posted: 17 Jun 2021 10:38 AM PDT

DNA analysis has revealed the presence of 'Yersinia Pestis' - the pathogen that causes plague - in skeletal remains from individual burials in medieval Cambridgeshire, confirming for the first time that not all plague victims were buried in mass graves. Compassion and care were shown to victims even during traumatic times during past pandemics.