Body | Page 636 | Science Codex

Scientists create new thin material that mimics cell membranes

RICHLAND, Wash. -- Materials scientists have created a new material that performs like a cell membrane found in nature. Such a material has long been sought for applications as varied as water purification and drug delivery.

Referred to as a lipid-like peptoid (we'll unpack that in a second), the material can assemble itself into a sheet thinner, but more stable, than a soap bubble, the researchers report July 12 in Nature Communications. The assembled sheet can withstand being submerged in a variety of liquids and can even repair itself after damage.

Quitting smoking during pregnancy: Beneficial for both mother and child

The results of a study conducted by Dr. Anick Bérard, Professor and Fonds de recherche du Québec - Santé Research Chair on Medications and Pregnancy, at the University of Montreal's Faculty of Pharmacy and the Ste-Justine University Hospital demonstrate that the use of nicotine patches or the drug Zyban has positive effects for the unborn child and allows pregnant women to stop smoking during and after pregnancy.

Juicy news about cranberries

Worcester, Mass. - Illuminating traditional wisdom with chemistry and biophysics, a research team at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI) and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has characterized the role of compounds in cranberry juice that block the critical first step in bacterial infections. The results open a potential new area of focus for antibiotic drug development.

New study uses computer learning to provide quality control for genetic databases

DNA doesn't exist in a vacuum: even though every cell contains the entire genome of its host organism, they know how to differentiate, to become part of an eye, or a bone, or a leaf. These differences are related to each cell's transcriptome--the array of messenger RNA (mRNA) that describe which parts of the genome are expressed as they are translated into proteins.

Atrazine alternatives in sweet corn

URBANA, Ill. - Atrazine has been very good at killing weeds in corn fields for more than 50 years. But some of the properties that make it a successful herbicide, such as its persistence in the soil and ability to be transported in water, also lead to concerns about potential environmental impact. At both federal and state levels, increasing restrictions on atrazine use has the sweet corn industry wondering about alternatives.

Many skin cancer patients still too likely to sunburn

A recent study by researchers at Johns Hopkins concludes that a substantial number of people with a history of the most frequent kind of nonmelanoma skin cancers still get sunburned at the same rate as those without previous history, probably because they are not using sun-protective methods the right way or in the right amounts.

Why you'd better never have to ask the way when visiting the Northern Territory in Australia

The way that different languages convey information has long fascinated linguists, anthropologists, and sociologists alike. Murrinhpatha, the lingua franca spoken by the majority of Aboriginal people in the Moyle and Fitzmaurice rivers region of Australia's Northern Territory has many interesting features, with the absence of verbal abstract directions a prominent one among them. And if a language doesn't have terms to denote specific space concept, how can speakers communicate the direction of one location with respect to another?

New nanoscale technologies could revolutionize microscopes, study of disease

COLUMBIA, Mo. - Research completed through a collaboration with University of Missouri engineers, biologists, and chemists could transform how scientists study molecules and cells at sub-microscopic (nanoscale) levels. Shubra Gangopadhyay, an electrical and computer engineer and her team at MU recently published studies outlining a new, relatively inexpensive imaging platform that enables single molecule imaging. This patented method highlights Gangopadhyay's more than 30 years of nanoscale research that has proven invaluable in biological research and battling diseases.

Cancer Research UK boosts efforts to overcome deadliest cancer as rates climb

CANCER RESEARCH UK has tripled its investment in pancreatic cancer, one of the hardest cancers to treat, since launching its research strategy in 2014 according to new figures published today (Wednesday).

The charity increased spending on pancreatic cancer research -- including improving diagnosis and treatment - to £18million in the 2015/16 financial year, tripling the £6million investment in 2013/14.

One of the charity's aims is to help tackle the rising rates of pancreatic cancer, in particular in women, as well improving poor survival from the disease.

Dartmouth study with aye-ayes and slow loris finds that prosimians prefer alcohol

Alcohol is widespread in nature, existing in fermented nectars, saps and fruits. It is therefore a natural part of many primate diets, and it follows that primates have evolved to digest alcohol quickly to minimize toxic effects. But given that alcohol is also a source of calories, it is plausible that alcohol is attractive to some primates, including, hypothetically, our human ancestors.

Habitat needs of nestling and fledgling songbirds

Both before and after they leave the nest, baby birds face a host of challenges. A new study in The Condor: Ornithological Applications examining songbird survival in the nestling and fledgling stages finds that even in the same habitat, different species face different risks and survive at different rates.

High efficacy of on-demand pre-exposure prophylaxis is confirmed

The last phase of ANRS IPERGAY has confirmed that "on-demand" pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is a highly effective method of reducing the risk of HIV infection in men who have sex with men and who report high-risk behavior. These results will be presented at AIDS 2016 in Durban, South Africa (18 to 22 July). From late 2016, a vast research program, ANRS PREVENIR, will assess PrEP on a large scale in Paris and its suburbs (France).

Entering the health-care system: The challenge of the universal test-and-treat strategy

Results from ANRS 12249 TasP show that there is good take-up of the offer of repeated HIV screening at home in a rural South African population strongly affected by HIV infection. Immediate implementation of antiretroviral treatment of people managed in the healthcare system, following discovery of seropositivity, controls the infection. However, entry into the healthcare system of people diagnosed as HIV seropositive is too infrequent and slow to reduce HIV transmission in the population.

HPTN 073: Consistency between self-report and drug levels for PrEP among black MSM in US

DURBAN, South Africa and DURHAM, N.C. - Investigators from the HIV Prevention Trials Network (HPTN) today announced key results from the HPTN 073 Study at the International AIDS Conference (AIDS 2016) in Durban, South Africa. The study, which assessed uptake and adherence of oral pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) for the prevention of HIV infection among Black men who have sex with men (BMSM) in the U.S., demonstrated consistency between self-report and biological markers of adherence.

After the age of dinosaurs came the age of ant farmers

A group of South American ants has farmed fungi since shortly after the dinosaurs died out, according to an international research team including Smithsonian scientists. The genes of the ant farmers and their fungal crops reveal a surprisingly ancient history of mutual adaptations. This evolutionary give-and-take has led to some species--the leafcutter ants--developing industrial-scale farming that surpasses human agriculture in its efficiency.