ScienceDaily: Top News

A new study shows how cell membranes curve to create the 'mouths' that allow the cells to consume things that surround them.

The secret to producing large batches of stem cells more efficiently may lie in the near-zero gravity conditions of space. Scientists have found that microgravity has the potential to contribute to life-saving advances on Earth by facilitating the rapid mass production of stem cells.

Down near the Earth's core, there are zones where seismic waves slow to a crawl. New research finds that these enigmatic and descriptively-named ultra-low velocity zones are surprisingly layered. Modeling suggests that it's possible some of these zones are leftovers from the processes that shaped the early Earth -- remnants of incomplete mixing like clumps of flour in the bottom of a bowl of batter.

Immunotherapies called chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells use genetically engineered versions of a patient's own immune cells to fight cancer. These treatments have energized cancer care, especially for people with certain types of blood cancers. Now, scientists have developed new CAR T cells that can do something their predecessors cannot: Make drugs.

Cancer deaths rose to 10 million and new cases jumped to over 23 million globally in 2019, according to a new scientific study.

COVID-19 vaccination of expectant mothers elicits levels of antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 outer 'spike' protein at the time of delivery that don't vary dramatically with the timing of vaccination during pregnancy and thus don't justify delaying vaccination, according to a new study.

A healthy, comprehensive diet that lowers the body's inflammation reduces the risk of gestational diabetes mellitus, reveals a new study.

A new study shows that among patients with obesity, prior weight loss achieved with bariatric surgery was associated with a 60 percent lower risk of developing severe complications from COVID-19 infection.

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) levels have increased significantly over the last 50 years, resulting in higher global temperatures and abrupt changes to Earth's climate. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of the new technologies that scientists hope will play an important role in tackling the climate crisis. It involves the capture of CO2 from emissions from industrial processes, or from the burning of fossil fuels in power generation, which is then stored underground in geological formations. CCS will also be key if we want to produce 'clean-burning' hydrogen from hydrocarbon systems.

Researchers have shown in mice models of Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and dementia with Lewy bodies, that the intranasal administration of rifampicin and resveratrol in combination is safer and improves cognitive function more than rifampicin alone. The research results are expected to lead to the development of safe and effective nasal spray for the prevention of dementia.

A team of scientists has developed a 'smart' food packaging material that is biodegradable, sustainable and kills microbes that are harmful to humans. It could also extend the shelf-life of fresh fruit by two to three days.

For the first time, scientists have recovered ancient human DNA from the sticky glue head lice use to attach their eggs to their host's hair. The new technique was trialled on mummified remains and the DNA has revealed clues about how the people died and the movements of populations thousands of years ago.

Research to evaluate the clinical characteristics and outcomes of fully vaccinated patients with cancer who had breakthrough COVID-19 infections indicates they remained at high risk for hospitalization and death.

Researchers have found that individuals with a certain HLA type may be able to mount a killer T cell response to COVID-19, thanks to the T cells responding to a portion of the virus's spike protein that is also present in seasonal coronaviruses that cause the common cold. This work could help explain the different responses between populations, and could potentially be used as a way to develop a new type of vaccine against the disease.

Researchers have solved a decade-long mystery about a critical protein linked to Parkinson's disease that could help to fast-track treatments for the incurable disease. The research has produced a 'live action' view of the protein, called PINK1, in exquisite molecular detail. The discovery explains how the protein is activated in the cell, where it is responsible for initiating the removal and replacement of damaged mitochondria. When the protein is not working correctly, it can starve brain cells of energy, causing them to malfunction and -- in the long term -- die, as happens to dopamine-producing cells in Parkinson's disease. The discovery is the culmination of a project spanning eight years and provides the first detailed blueprint for the discovery and development of therapeutic agents that could help to slow or even stop the progression of Parkinson's disease.

Researchers have presented a method that allows the heavier hydrogen 'brother' deuterium to be introduced specifically into many different molecules. The deuterated compounds obtained in this way are more stable against degradation by certain enzymes. Drugs produced using this method can be effective for longer, meaning they have to be taken in lower doses or less frequently.

A large, unconventional anomalous Hall resistance in a new magnetic semiconductor in the absence of large-scale magnetic ordering has been demonstrated, validating a recent theoretical prediction. Their findings provide new insights into the anomalous Hall effect, a quantum phenomenon that has previously been associated with long-range magnetic order.

A study calculates how cyclic strain and stress affects nanotubes and describes how fibers under cyclic loads can fail over time.