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What happens on a molecular level, when our immune system detects antigens? Scientists in Vienna have found out, how T cells exert tiny forces on antigens. Bonds between T cells and antigen presenting cells break, and this behaviour tells the T cell whether or not it has found the right antigen.

Agricultural soils under conventional farming practices contain up to 10 times higher pesticide levels than soils under organic management, according to a study across Europe from the collaboration of Diverfarming, Recare and iSQAPER projects.

Using whole exome sequencing, CHOP researchers discovered a genetic mutation responsible for a new condition that prevents patients from making B cells and antibodies to fight infections. The study describing this condition, which CHOP researchers named PU.1 Mutated agammaglobulinemia (PU.MA), was published today in the Journal of Experimental Medicine.

We live in times when among the most limited and precious resources on Earth are air and water. No matter the geographical location, the pollution spreads quickly, negatively affecting even the purest regions like Mount Everest. Thus, anthropogenic activity decreases the quality of the environment, making it harmful for flora and fauna. Current waste treatment methods are not sufficient, so novel and effective methods for maximizing pollutants removal are highly needed.

The first civilisations to build monumental palaces and urban centres in Europe are more genetically homogenous than expected, according to genomes gathered from archaeological sites around the Aegean. Individuals from the northern Aegean were considerably different by the Middle Bronze Age, sharing half their ancestry with people from the Pontic-Caspian steppe. These populations were highly similar to present-day Greeks. This supports theories that Proto-Greek and Indo-European languages originated in Anatolia or the Pontic-Caspian Steppe region.

Combining expertise has shed new light on how cells self-destruct during microbial infection.

Researchers at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) conducted a case study in the first-mile mobility market from origins to subway stations in Tampines, Singapore, to find out the impact of competition between public transit and shared autonomous vehicles. The study revealed that with the right conditions, the competition can be beneficial for both parties and improve overall transport systems.

Motor proteins form microscopic biological machines that are essential to many types of movement, from the swimming of bacteria to the contraction of muscles. However, integrating motor proteins efficiently into macroscopic robotic systems is challenging. In a recent study, scientists from Japan devised a biologically inspired strategy to produce artificial muscle that self-assembles from motor proteins. Their approach, compatible with modern 3D printing, paves the way for printable robots that further resemble living creatures.

A study published in Cretaceous Research expands the paleontological richness of continental fossils of the Lower Cretaceous with the discovery of a new water plant (charophytes), the species Mesochara dobrogeica. The study also identifies a new variety of carophytes from the Clavator genus (in particular, Clavator ampullaceus var. latibracteatus) and reveals a set of paleobiographical data from the Cretaceous much richer than other continental records such as dinosaurs'.

A group of international experts has clarified the concept of postbiotics in a recently published scientific consensus definition in Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology: "a preparation of inanimate microorganisms and/or their components that confers a health benefit on the host".

A count of the Western Monarch butterfly population last winter saw a staggering drop in numbers, but there are hopeful signs the beautiful pollinators are adapting to a changing climate and ecology.

Researchers: Unlike humans, who map the world in units of distance, bats map the world in units of time. What this means is that the bat perceives an insect as being at a distance of nine milliseconds, and not one and a half meters, as was previously thought.

An infrared imager developed by UC San Diego engineers could be used to see through smog and fog; easily locate blood vessels on a patient; and see through silicon wafers to inspect the quality of electronic boards. It is also slim, compact and less costly to fabricate than similar technologies.

Dr. Ryan Wilson, a post-doctoral fellow in the School of Nursing, says AF is the most commonly diagnosed arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat) in the world. Despite that, he says many people do not understand the pre-diagnosis symptoms and tend to ignore them. In fact, 77 per cent of the women in his most recent study had experienced symptoms for more than a year before receiving a diagnosis.

New research indicates that the legendary Sargasso Sea, which includes part of the Bermuda Triangle and has long featured in fiction as a place where ships go derelict, may actually be an important nursery habitat for young sea turtles.In a study led by a UCF researcher and published today researchers presented evidence of baby green sea turtles arriving at the Sargasso Sea after entering the ocean off the east coast of Florida.

Young Black women show a high prevalence of obesity, elevated blood pressure and other lifestyle-related factors that may put them on a trajectory to develop heart disease at a young age, according to a study presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

Individuals living with a spouse with heart disease were more than twice as likely to have heart disease themselves, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

People who clock six to seven hours of sleep a night had the lowest chance of dying from a heart attack or stroke when compared with those who got less or more sleep, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session. This trend remained true even after the research team accounted for other known conditions or risk factors for heart disease or stroke.

Breathing in secondhand cigarette smoke may leave you more vulnerable to heart failure, a condition where the heart isn't pumping as well as it should and has a hard time meeting the body's needs, according to a study being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.

People with heart disease are more likely to become seriously ill from the flu and other respiratory illnesses, including the coronavirus. Yet, new research finds that only half of Americans with a history of heart disease or stroke report getting an annual flu shot, despite widespread recommendations to do so. Rates of vaccination were even lower among Blacks and Hispanics, according to data being presented at the American College of Cardiology's 70th Annual Scientific Session.