To understand how chemical reactions begin, chemists have been using super-slow motion experiments for years to study the very first moments of a reaction. These days, measurements with a resolution of a few dozen attoseconds are possible. An attosecond is 1x10^-18 of a second, i.e. a millionth of a millionth of a millionth of a second.
Tokyo, Japan - Intestinal stem cells keep a fine balance between two potential forms: remaining as stem cells, or developing into intestinal epithelial cells. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered a novel molecular mechanism that regulates this balance and preserves the stemness of intestinal stem cells--that is, their ability to develop into any intestinal epithelial cell type.
Electricity and magnetism have been unified by Maxwell's equations, which is the foundation of a vast amount of modern technologies. Nevertheless, achieving efficient coupling of electric and magnetic properties in solid materials has always been challenging throughout the century. This mainly results from that the magnetic and electric properties originate from, respectively, the spin and orbital dynamics of the electron.
A tunnel junction is a device consisting of two conducting layers separated by an insulating layer. Classically, the resistance for driving current across an insulating layer is infinite; however, when the insulating layer is thin (~ 1-2 nanometers), charge carriers may tunnel through the insulating layer, due to their quantum nature. When the conducting layers are magnetic, a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ), whose resistance depends on the magnetic configurations, is obtained.
Black holes are at the center of almost all galaxies that have been studied so far. They have an unimaginably large mass and therefore attract matter, gas and even light. But they can also emit matter in the form of plasma jets - a kind of plasma beam that is ejected from the centre of the galaxy with tremendous energy. A plasma jet can extend several hundred thousand light years far into space.
Interlocked molecular species have received considerable attention recently, not only because of their intriguing structures and topological importance, but also because of their important applications as molecular machines and nanoscale devices. Benefiting from the reversible coordination bond, some complicated interlocked structure could be realized by high-yield, one-step processes, for example, [2]catenanes and Solomon knot.
War atrocities are sometimes committed by 'normal' people obeying orders. Researchers from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience measured brain activity while participants inflicted pain and found that obeying orders reduced empathy and guilt related brain activity for the inflicted pain. This may explain why people are able to commit immoral acts under coercion.
Electro-optic crystal shows great promise for extensive applications in laser, optoelectronics, and optical communication, such as high-speed E-O switch, modulator, deflector, laser mode-locking, photoetching, laser radar (LIDAR) and so on. With the prosperous development of Terahertz (THz) spectroscopy technique, E-O crystals are employed in this realm for generation and detection of the THz electromagnetic radiation.
Sending a "selfie" to the doctor could be a cheap and simple way of detecting heart disease, according to the authors of a new study published today (Friday) in the European Heart Journal [1].
The study is the first to show that it's possible to use a deep learning computer algorithm to detect coronary artery disease (CAD) by analysing four photographs of a person's face.
Selective communication among different brain regions is crucial for brain function. But the weak and sparse connectivity of the brain is a big hurdle. During the last decade neuroscientists have identified various means by which this limitation can be counteracted. Now scientists from Iran, Germany and Sweden have identified a new role of bi-directional connections in accelerating the communication between brain regions. They have now presented their results in the scientific journal PLoS Computational Biology.