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| Tiny electrical vortexes bridge gap between ferroelectric and ferromagnetic materials Posted: 09 Feb 2022 08:22 AM PST Ferromagnetic materials have a self-generating magnetic field, ferroelectric materials generate their own electrical field. Although electric and magnetic fields are related, physics tells us that they are very different classes of material. Now the discovery of a complex electrical 'vortex'-like pattern that mirrors its magnetic counterpart suggests that they could actually be two sides of the same coin. |
| Posted: 09 Feb 2022 08:21 AM PST Scientists who have developed an inhaled form of COVID vaccine have confirmed it can provide broad, long-lasting protection against the original strain of SARS-CoV-2 and variants of concern. The research reveals the immune mechanisms and significant benefits of vaccines being delivered directly into the respiratory tract, rather than by traditional injection. |
| Posted: 09 Feb 2022 08:21 AM PST The fungus-derived compound neoechinulin B demonstrates promising antiviral activity. To realize its potential as an antiviral agent, however, a viable method for preparing more potent derivatives synthetically is necessary. In a recent breakthrough, scientists from Japan designed a simple route for synthesizing neoechinulin B and its derivatives under mild laboratory conditions. Neoechinulin B and six derivatives exhibited excellent antiviral activities against hepatitis C virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic. |
| A routine prenatal ultrasound can identify early signs of autism, study finds Posted: 09 Feb 2022 08:21 AM PST A routine prenatal ultrasound in the second trimester can identify early signs of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a new study has found. |
| Sewer slime can hang on to SARS-CoV-2 RNA from wastewater Posted: 09 Feb 2022 06:34 AM PST Researchers report that sewer slime can accumulate SARS-CoV-2 RNA, which could decompose or slough off later, potentially impacting the accuracy of wastewater epidemiology studies. |
| Protective mutations in COVID-19 Posted: 09 Feb 2022 06:34 AM PST One way in which the body combats COVID-19 is by mutating the coronavirus, making it less harmful. This built-in protective mechanism in cells has a clear connection with decreased viral load in the body, a new study shows. |
| In a first for 'sonogenetics,' researchers control mammalian cells with sound Posted: 09 Feb 2022 06:34 AM PST Scientists have engineered mammalian cells to be activated using ultrasound. The method paves the way toward non-invasive versions of deep brain stimulation, pacemakers and insulin pumps. |
| Co-occurring droughts could threaten global food security Posted: 09 Feb 2022 06:33 AM PST Droughts occurring at the same time across different regions of the planet could place an unprecedented strain on the global agricultural system and threaten the water security of millions of people, according to a new study. |
| COP26 deal sparks hope for positive tipping points Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:25 PM PST The Breakthrough Agenda agreed at COP26 could help trigger positive tipping points to tackle the climate crisis, researchers say. |
| Antarctic research reveals link between warming and fish abundance Posted: 08 Feb 2022 04:17 PM PST A long-term study in the Southern Ocean reveals a clear correlation between warming waters, decreased sea ice, and reduced abundance of Antarctic silverfish. These small, abundant fish are important prey for penguins, seals, and other regional marine life, in a role similar to that played by anchovies or sardines in more temperate waters. |
| Words are needed to think about numbers, study suggests Posted: 08 Feb 2022 04:17 PM PST Researchers have found a new relationship between counting ability of Tsimane' individuals and their ability to perform matching tasks that involve numbers up to about 25. The results suggest that in order to think about exact numbers, people need to have a word for that number. |
| Initial COVID-19 infection on the single-cell level, revealed Posted: 08 Feb 2022 04:17 PM PST Sequencing more than 170,000 single cells from animal models have provided exceptionally detailed insight into the early immune response to SARS-CoV-2 in the lungs. The findings will help inform future treatment options for the current pandemic and future coronaviruses. |
| Surveillance testing shown to reduce community COVID-19 spread Posted: 08 Feb 2022 04:17 PM PST In early 2020, Georgia Tech researchers designed a saliva-based polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test and encouraged community members to test weekly to track the health of the campus. Their strategy confirmed 62 percent of the campus' positive cases in the Fall 2020 semester. The method of surveillance testing -- focusing on case clusters and then having patients isolate -- reduced positivity rates from 4.1 percent in the beginning of the semester to below 0.5 percent mid-semester. |
| Old drug may have new trick: Protecting against COVID-19 lung injury, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2022 11:33 AM PST An FDA-approved drug that has been in clinical use for more than 70 years may protect against lung injury and the risk of blood clots in severe COVID-19 and other disorders that cause immune-mediated damage to the lungs, according to a preclinical study. |
| Monkeys, like people, can 'choke under pressure' Posted: 08 Feb 2022 11:33 AM PST Being stressed about doing well on a test might not be limited to humans, according to a new study. |
| Changing your diet could add up to a decade to life expectancy, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2022 11:33 AM PST A young adult in the U.S. could add more than a decade to their life expectancy by changing their diet from a typical Western diet to an optimized diet that includes more legumes, whole grains and nuts, and less red and processed meat, according to a new study. For older people, the anticipated gains to life expectancy from such dietary changes would be smaller but still substantial. |
| Fecal implants drive behavioral and cognitive changes in Alzheimer’s model Posted: 08 Feb 2022 09:44 AM PST New research in mice for the first time draws a definitive causal connection between changes in the gut microbiome to behavioral and cognitive changes in an animal model of Alzheimer's disease. |
| Hidden magnitude-8.2 earthquake source of mysterious 2021 global tsunami Posted: 08 Feb 2022 09:44 AM PST Scientists have uncovered the source of a mysterious 2021 tsunami that sent waves around the globe. In August 2021, a magnitude 7.5 earthquake hit near the South Sandwich Islands, creating a tsunami that rippled around the globe. The epicenter was 47 kilometers below the Earth's surface -- too deep to initiate a tsunami -- and the rupture was nearly 400 kilometers long, which should have generated a much larger earthquake. |
| Agricultural fungicides may be driving antimicrobial resistance Posted: 08 Feb 2022 09:44 AM PST New research has shown that compounds used to fight fungal diseases in plants are likely causing resistance to antifungal medications used to treat people. |
| Mutating quantum particles set in motion Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST In the world of fundamental particles, you are either a fermion or a boson but a new study shows that one can behave as the other as they move from one place to another. |
| Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Using data from over 100,000 malignant and non-malignant cells from 15 human brain metastases, researchers have revealed two functional archetypes of metastatic cells across 7 different types of brain tumors, each containing both immune and non-immune cell types. Their findings provide a potential roadmap for metastatic tumor formation that could be used to design therapies to improve the treatment of metastasized patients. |
| Potential target for treating osteoporosis Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Channels on the surface of bone cells called osteocytes help build stronger bones in response to mechanical stress, shows a new study. |
| New findings proliferate questions about hypothetical axionic behavior in weyl semimetals Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Researchers say an experimental approach for demonstrating the existence of an axionic behavior in specific materials may not have found it as previously reported. The multinational team was unable to detect the expected increased magnetoconductivity in the charge density wave of a compound made up of tantalum, selenium, and iodine, called (TaSe4)2I. The findings come three years after published research seemed to provide sufficient evidence for an axionic behavior using a similar approach. |
| New set of chemical building blocks makes complex 3D molecules in a snap Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST A new set of molecular building blocks aims to make complex chemistry as simple and accessible as a toy construction kit. Researchers have developed a new class of chemical building blocks that simply snap together to form 3D molecules with complex twists and turns, and an automated machine to assemble the blocks like a 3D printer for molecules. |
| Discovery could help finetune immunity to fight infections, disease Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Scientists supports a novel theory that the innate immune system can respond differently to specific pathogens. This quality, known as immunological specificity, was previously ascribed only to the adaptive immune system. The study suggests that this innate immune specificity is driven by the nervous system and identifies a neuronal protein as a critical link in the process. The findings hold early promise for the treatment of innate immune conditions and could also provide the basis for finetuning an experimental treatment that harnesses the nervous system to fight infection. The latter is particularly significant given the rapid rise in infections caused by antibiotic-resistant superbugs. |
| Identification of a unique 'switch' for blood vessel generation Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:39 AM PST Researchers discover a 'switch' specific to transcription factors that induce the genes essential for blood vessel development in postnatal periods. Mouse models further showed that the modifiers responsible for the switch are critical for postnatal angiogenesis. |
| Gut bacteria linked to immune suppression in pancreatic cancer Posted: 08 Feb 2022 08:35 AM PST Researchers have shown how probiotic bacteria in the gut could undermine immunity in pancreatic cancer, pointing toward more personalized cancer treatments. |
| Genetic engineering can have a positive effect on the climate Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:53 AM PST The use of genetically modified (GM) crops in agriculture remains contentious, especially in Europe. According to surveys, many people fear that these could have negative effects for human health and the environment. However, a new study shows that genetically modified crops could actually be good for the environment, and for the climate in particular. Results suggest that the adoption of GM crops in the European Union (EU) could reduce greenhouse gas emissions considerably. |
| New antiviral drug combination is highly effective against SARS-CoV-2, study finds Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:53 AM PST Researchers have identified a powerful combination of antivirals to treat COVID-19. Combining the drug brequniar with remdesivir or molnupiravir -- both approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for emergency use -- inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 virus in human respiratory cells and in mice. |
| Pink pumice key to revealing explosive power of underwater volcanic eruptions Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST The presence of pink pumice in the giant pumice raft of the 2012 Havre that drifted across the southwest Pacific Ocean has led researchers to recognize the immense power of underwater volcanic eruptions. |
| Pacific Ocean as the greatest theater of bird migration Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST With a surface larger than all the continents together, the Pacific Ocean is the most extreme environment a migratory bird can encounter. Yet there are several bird species that conquer this enormous body of water almost routinely. Migratory bird researchers now provide a synthesis of all the knowns, and especially the many unknowns about the extreme performances of migratory birds such as bar-tailed godwits, whimbrels and red knots, which fly over the Pacific Ocean. |
| A new multipurpose on-off switch for inhibiting bacterial growth Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Researchers have discovered an antitoxin mechanism that seems to be able to neutralize hundreds of different toxins and may protect bacteria against virus attacks. The mechanism has been named Panacea, after the Greek goddess of medicine whose name has become synonymous with universal cure. The understanding of bacterial toxin and antitoxin mechanisms will be crucial for the future success of so-called phage therapy for the treatment of antibiotic resistance infections, the researchers say. |
| Root symbiosis is regulated through nutrient status of plants Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Phosphorus is one of the most important nutrients for plants. Among other functions, it is needed to create substances for the plant's immune system, for the healthy development of seeds and for root growth. Researchers have now demonstrated how a root symbiosis with fungi is driven at the molecular level by the plant's phosphate status. |
| Arctic winter warming causes cold damage in the subtropics of East Asia Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Due to climate change, Arctic winters are getting warmer. An international study shows that Arctic warming causes temperature anomalies and cold damage thousands of kilometers away in East Asia. This in turn leads to reduced vegetation growth, later blossoming, smaller harvests and reduced CO2 absorption by the forests in the region. |
| Gabon provides blueprint for protecting oceans Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Gabon's network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) provides a blueprint that could be used in many other countries, experts say. Since announcing a new MPA network in 2014, Gabon has created 20 protected areas -- increasing protection of Gabonese waters from less than 1% to 26%. |
| Genome of Steller’s sea cow decoded Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST During the Ice Age, giant mammals such as mammoths, sabre-toothed cats and woolly rhinoceroses once roamed Northern Europe and America. The cold oceans of the northern hemisphere were also home to giants like Steller's sea cow, which grew up to eight meters long and weighed up to ten tons, and has been extinct for around 250 years. Now an international research team has succeeded in deciphering the genome of this ice-age species from fossil bones. They also found an answer to the question of what the genome of this extinct species of sea cow reveals about present-day skin diseases. |
| Important step towards fasting-based therapies Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST Voluntary fasting, for example interval fasting, is beneficial to health for many people, depending on their individual condition. For example, controlled periods of starvation can prevent and improve diseases such as diabetes and obesity. Researchers have now found that the immune system plays an important role in ensuring the positive effects of fasting on our bodies. The new findings will help develop more effective therapies based on fasting. |
| Unique seagrass nursery aims to help Florida's starving manatees Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:52 AM PST More than 1,000 manatees died in 2021, due mostly to starvation. They consume about 100 pounds of seagrass a day, and this staple food is now scarce in Florida's Indian River Lagoon (IRL). A new study shows that about 7,400 acres of seagrasses were lost in the IRL between 1943 and 1994. Between 2011 and 2019, about 58 percent of seagrasses were lost. To help with recovery efforts, researchers are experimenting with growing seagrass in large tanks and then transplanting it into the IRL to try to restore some of the lost seagrass beds. |
| Protracted inflammation linked to post-COVID lung problems Posted: 08 Feb 2022 07:49 AM PST Scientists have revealed that protracted inflammation following COVID-19 is strongly linked to long-term changes in lung structure and function. |
| Glaucoma: Seeing the light at the end of the (nano)tunnel Posted: 07 Feb 2022 12:57 PM PST A research team reveals the fine mechanisms behind the major vascular defects observed in glaucoma patients and identifies new therapeutic targets. |
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