Culture
An international team of researchers, including researchers from Friedrich-Alexander Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU) headed by Prof. Dr. Dirk M. Guldi have now managed to identify the fundamental problems relating to the photophysics and photochemistry of carbon nanocolloids (CNC), and ascertain possible approaches for research into these readily available, non-toxic and adaptable nanomaterials.
As Covid-19 infections soar across the U.S., some states are tightening restrictions and reinstituting quarantine measures to slow the virus' spread. A model developed by MIT researchers shows a direct link between the number of people who become infected and how effectively a state maintains its quarantine measures.
A hyper-sensitive instrument, deep underground in Italy, has finally succeeded at the nearly impossible task of detecting CNO neutrinos (tiny particles pointing to the presence of carbon, nitrogen and oxygen) from our sun's core. These little-known particles reveal the last missing detail of the fusion cycle powering our sun and other stars.
Heidelberg/Germany, 14 December 2020 - Molecular markers in the blood shown to be predictive of severe COVID-19 outcomes resulting from SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection have been identified in a study by a Chinese research team. The study results extend understanding of the pathophysiology and clinical progress of COVID-19 with potential for identifying early during the course of infection which individuals are most at risk of developing severe conditions and requiring hospital care.
In the first months after their COVID-19 hospital stay, patients face a high risk of ongoing health problems, trips back to the hospital, and death, a growing number of studies has shown.
But the first week and a half may be especially dangerous, according to a new study in JAMA by a team from the University of Michigan and VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System.
Known for their appetizing flavors, such as bubblegum, banana and strawberry, e-cigarettes continue to grow in popularity around the world. Promoted by makers as a "healthy" alternative to regular tobacco cigarettes, researchers are finding e-cigarettes, or vaping, still result in injury to the lungs.
Las Vegas, Nev. (December 14, 2020) - Several years ago, while studying the environmental impacts of large-scale solar farms in the Nevada desert, Desert Research Institute (DRI) scientists Yuan Luo, Ph.D. and Markus Berli, Ph.D. became interested in one particular question: how does the presence of thousands of solar panels impact desert hydrology?
This question led to more questions. "How do solar panels change the way water hits the ground when it rains?" they asked. "Where does the water go? How much of the rain water stays in the soil? How deep does it go into the soil?"
TROY, N.Y. -- Especially during the holidays, online shopping can be overwhelming. Have you ever found yourself spending hours comparing nearly identical products, delving into details that don't actually matter to you? Have you ever finally reached a decision only to find that the product you want is out of stock? Unfortunately, if so, there is a good chance you did not end up making the best choice.
The News in Brief:
SARS-CoV-2 likely activates endothelial cell responses in patients which contributes to serious lung symptoms, vascular obstruction and respiratory distress with Covid-19.
A study shows that endothelial cells which line capillaries lack ACE2 receptors for SARS-CoV-2 attachment and suggests that SARS-CoV-2 indirectly activates endothelial cell linked disease mechanisms that direct coagulation and inflammation associated with severe Covid-19 disease.
Political polarization - the ever-present and growing division between Republicans and Democrats along ideological lines - has a powerful grip on the United States, and a University of Houston researcher has helped explain why, reporting his findings in Science Advances.
In Baltimore, Maryland, people living in low-income urban neighborhoods are more at risk of contracting West Nile virus, a mosquito-borne disease, than people living in more affluent neighborhoods. So reports a new study published in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
The United States generates seven million tons of sewage sludge annually, enough to fill 2,500 Olympic-sized swimming pools. While a portion of this waste is repurposed for manure and other land applications, a substantial amount is still disposed of in landfills. In a new study, Texas A&M University researchers have uncovered an efficient way to use leftover sludge to make biodegradable plastics.
Oxidized organic aerosol is a major component of ambient particulate matter, substantially impacting climate, human health, and ecosystems. Oxidized aerosol from biomass burning is especially toxic, known to contain a large amount of species that are known carcinogens, mutagens. Inhaling biomass burning particles also cause oxidative stress and cause a wide range of diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, and asthma.
Parrotfishes are abundant herbivores that primarily graze upon algae, which may indirectly benefit corals by mitigating coral-algae competition. At a local scale, management efforts to increase populations of parrotfishes are believed to be critically important to maintaining resilient, coral-dominated reefs. Yet, some parrotfish species also occasionally graze coral - a behavior known as corallivory.
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Meier-Gorlin syndrome, or MGS, is a rare genetic developmental disorder that causes dwarfism, small ears, a small brain, missing patella and other skeletal abnormalities. In severe cases, MGS results in miscarriages and stillbirths.
Igor Chesnokov, Ph.D., and his University of Alabama at Birmingham colleagues study this recessive, autosomal disorder in an unusual way -- by placing mutant human genes into fruit flies. Specifically, they look at one of the genes involved in MGS called Orc6.