ScienceDaily: Top News


Research advances knowledge of the battle between viruses and human cells

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

In the long-term battle between a herpesvirus and its human host, a virologist and her team of students have identified some human RNA able to resist the viral takeover -- and the mechanism by which that occurs.

Mental speed hardly changes over a lifespan

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

Mental speed -- the speed at which we can deal with issues requiring rapid decision-making -- does not change substantially over decades. Psychologists have come to this conclusion. They evaluated data from a large-scale online experiment with over a million participants. The findings of the new study suggest that the speed of cognitive information processing remains largely stable between the ages of 20 and 60, and only deteriorates at higher ages.

Self-healing materials for robotics made from ‘jelly’ and salt

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

Researchers have developed self-healing, biodegradable, 3D-printed materials that could be used in the development of realistic artificial hands and other soft robotics applications.

Construction workers at risk of unintentionally exposing families to multiple toxic metals

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

A new study provides evidence that construction workers, in particular, are at high risk of inadvertently tracking a host of other toxic metals into their homes. The study identifies and measures the highest number of metals --30-- in construction workers' homes, to date.

Unexpected fish and squid found in the Central Arctic Ocean

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

Single individuals of Atlantic cod and squid occur much further north than previously expected. Scientists have found fish and squid in deep water in the middle of the Arctic Ocean.

Scientists map entire human gut at single cell resolution

Posted: 18 Feb 2022 12:30 PM PST

Scientists have used entire human GI tracts from three organ donors to show how cell types differ across all regions of the intestines, to shed light on cellular functions, and to show gene expression differences between these cells and between individuals.

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.

Legionellosis: A novel mechanism by which the bacterium Legionella pneumophila regulates the immune response of its host cells

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.

Employers should nurture friendship and support amongst co-workers to unlock creativity, shows new research

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.

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.

Everyone has heard of King Arthur, but 90% of medieval chivalry and heroism manuscripts have been lost

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.

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.