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Scientists reveal a new therapeutic vulnerability in pancreatic cancer
Reducing levels of a hormone prevented metastasis and prolonged survival in mice with pancreatic cancer, a study from Columbia has found, which could lead to new treatments for patients.
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Better predicting how plants and animals will weather climate extremes
A team of scientists has devised a more accurate way to predict the effects of climate change on plants and animals -- and whether some will survive at all.
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Unlocking the power of the microbiome
Not only animals and humans host a complex community of microorganisms -- plants do this as well. Researchers at ETH Zurich have recently published two new studies that shed light on fundamental aspects of these close -- and often overlooked -- relationships.
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New chatbot can explain apps and show you how they access hardware or data
Researchers at Aalto University have harnessed the power of chatbots to help designers and developers develop new apps and allow end users to find information on the apps on their devices. The chatbot 'Hey GUI' can answer questions by showing images and screenshots of apps, or through simple text phrases.
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Astonishing altitude changes in marathon flights of migratory birds
Extreme differences in flight altitude between day and night may have been an undetected pattern amongst migratory birds -- until now. The observation was made by researchers at Lund University in Sweden in a study of great snipes, where they also measured a new altitude record for migratory birds, irrespective of the species, reaching 8,700 meters.
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Fibromyalgia likely the result of autoimmune problems
New research from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King's College London, in collaboration with the University of Liverpool and the Karolinska Institute, has shown that many of the symptoms in fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) are caused by antibodies that increase the activity of pain-sensing nerves throughout the body.The results show that fibromyalgia is a disease of the immune system, rather than the currently held view that it originates in the brain.
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SARS-CoV-2 replication targets nasal ciliated cells early in COVID-19 infection
SARS-CoV-2 replication targets nasal ciliated cells early in COVID-19 infection. The establishment of nasal mucosal immunity against SARS-CoV-2 through a nasal vaccine could be the most efficient way to combat COVID-19 infection.
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Study identifies risk factors for severe COVID-19 in individuals with sickle cell disease
New research published today in the journal Blood Advances finds that certain factors, such as a history of severe pain episodes and coexisting organ conditions, increase the risk of severe COVID-19 illness, including hospitalization, in individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD). According to researchers, the study results underscore the need for COVID-19 risk reduction strategies and vaccination for this medically vulnerable population.
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Catalyzing the conversion of biomass to biofuel
Zeolites are extremely porous materials: Ten grams can have an internal surface area the size of a soccer field. Their cavities make them useful in catalyzing chemical reactions and thus saving energy. An international research team has now made new findings regarding the role of water molecules in these processes. One important application is the conversion of biomass into biofuel.
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G-quadruplex-forming DNA molecules enhance enzymatic activity of myoglobin
A collaboration led by Distinguished Professor Dr. Kazunori Ikebukuro from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT), Japan, discovered that G-quadruplex (G4)-forming DNA binds myoglobin through a parallel-type G4 structure. Through the G4 binding, the enzymatic activity of myoglobin increases over 300-fold compared to that of myoglobin alone (Figure). This finding indicates that DNA may work as a carrier of genetic information in living organisms and act as a regulator of unknown biological phenomena.
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New data science platform speeds up Python queries
Data queries written in Python, a commonly used programming language, can grind data analytics platforms to a crawl, but a new platform developed by researchers from Brown and MIT may finally solve the Python efficiency problem.
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RUDN University chemists synthesize biodiesel from jatropha curcas plant
RUDN University chemists have proposed a new method of producing fuel from Jatropha Curcas, a poisonous tropical plant. Natural minerals and a non-toxic additive from vegetable raw materials are used for that. The reaction efficiency is 85%. The fuel can be used in diesel internal combustion engines.
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From meadow to plate: The cultured meat that replaces animals with grass
An affordable lab system that uses grass blades to turn cells into cultured meat, by creating a scaffold that animal stem cells can attach to and grow on, has been developed at the University of Bath in the UK.
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Near-death experiences, a survival strategy ?
A new study conducted jointly by the University of Copenhagen (Denmark) and the University of Liege (Belgium) and published in Brain Communications shows how near-death experiences in humans may have arisen from evolutionary mechanisms. Researchers attribute for the first time a biological purpose to NDEs.
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A remote laboratory for performing experiments with real electronic and communications equipment
New research shows that students rate the usefulness and usability of this virtual tool very positively
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New ternary hydrides of lanthanum and yttrium join the ranks of high-temperature superconductors
Welcome a new member in the family of superconducting polyhydrides: A team led by Skoltech professor Artem R. Oganov studied the structure and properties of ternary hydrides of lanthanum and yttrium and showed that alloying is an effective strategy for stabilizing otherwise unstable phases YH10 and LaH6, expected to be high-temperature superconductors.
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Good food in a nice setting: wild bees need diverse agricultural landscapes
Mass-flowering crops such as oilseed rape or faba bean provide valuable sources of food for bees, which, in turn, contribute to the pollination of both the crops and nearby wild plants. But not every arable crop that produces flowers is visited by the same bees. A team from Göttingen University and the Julius Kühn Institute (JKI) in Braunschweig investigated how the habitat diversity of the agricultural landscape and the cultivation of different mass-flowering crops affect wild bees.
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Turning yeast cells into labs for studying drivers of gene regulation
Researchers have developed a more efficient platform for studying proteins that play a key role in regulating gene expression. The approach uses engineered yeast cells to produce enzyme and histone proteins, conduct biochemical assays internally, and then display the results.
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Recent technology cost forecasts underestimate the pace of technological change
A comparison of observed global energy technology costs, with forecasts generated by models and forecasts predicted by human experts, showed that both forecasting methods underestimated cost reductions. This suggests that decisions based on forecasts may be overestimating the cost of climate mitigation and points to the need to further improve forecasting methods.
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Prenatal exposure to THC, CBD affects offspring's responsiveness to fluoxetine
Scientists have found that significant amounts of the two main components of cannabis, THC and CBD, enter the embryonic brain of mice in utero and impair the mice's ability as adults to respond to fluoxetine, a drug commonly known by the brand name Prozac.
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