Culture
Ten years after producing the first sample of the now widely studied family of nanomaterials, called MXenes, Drexel University researchers have discovered a different way to make the atom-thin material that presents a number of new opportunities for using it. The new discovery removes water from the MXene-making process, which means the materials can be used in applications in which water is a contaminant or hampers performance, such as battery electrodes and next-generation solar cells.
Substantial amounts of ammonium salts have been identified in the surface material of the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko, researchers report, likely revealing the reservoir of nitrogen that was previously thought to be “missing” in comets. The chemical and isotopic composition of the Sun is thought to reflect that of the solar nebula from which it was born. Comets, which are thought to have condensed long ago in the cold outer reaches of the solar nebula, far from the heat of the forming Sun, should contain the same primordial material.
Head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) – a group of cancers that affect the the mouth, nose and throat – is a disease driven by mutations in the NOTCH tumor suppressor signaling pathway, according to a new study. It reveals the identity of rare driver mutations in tumor-suppressing genes using a mouse-based in vivo CRISPR screen to evaluate the function of so-called “long tail” mutations. In humans, these mutations are present in 67% of HNSCC patients and converge on NOTCH inactivation, thus promoting tumor development.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have discovered a new group of proteins, remarkable for their unusual shape and abilities to protect against protein clumps associated with neurodegenerative diseases in lab experiments. The Hero proteins are heat resistant and are widespread in animals from insects to humans.
Researchers of the University of Basel have developed a new method with which individual isolated molecules can be studied precisely - without destroying the molecule or even influencing its quantum state. This highly sensitive technique for probing molecules is widely applicable and paves the way for a range of new applications in the fields of quantum science, spectroscopy and chemistry, as the journal Science reports.
KANSAS CITY, MO--For the first time, scientists from the Stowers Institute for Medical Research and collaborators have described the structure of an endogenously sourced, functioning neuronal amyloid at atomic resolution. The amyloid is composed of self-aggregated Orb2, the fruit fly version of the mRNA-binding cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding (CPEB) protein, which has been linked to long-term memory storage. The results of this work, published online March 13, 2020, in Science, have some very interesting implications.
Producing a liter of milk in California emits less greenhouse gas and uses less land and water than it did in 1964, according to a recent study from researchers at the University of California, Davis.
"We compared 1964 through 2014 and found a 50 percent reduction in greenhouse gases to produce the same quantity and quality of milk," said senior author Ermias Kebreab, professor and Sesnon Endowed Chair in the Department of Animal Science at UC Davis. "The magnitude of change is surprising."
During the 2016 Zika outbreak, news exposure appears to have had a far bigger impact than local disease risk on the number of times people visited Zika-related Wikipedia pages in the U.S. Michele Tizzoni and colleagues at the ISI Foundation in Turin, Italy, present these findings in PLOS Computational Biology.
Doctors face tough choices during difficult childbirths -- often involving the decision of whether to perform a cesarean section operation. And in the background lies a question: To what extent are these medical decisions motivated by the desire to avoid liability lawsuits?
The discoloured fish that rest in glass jars in museums across the world are normally used by specialists as references to study the traits that identify certain species. But a new study proposes an additional use for such 'samples.'
Published in the Journal of Applied Ichthyology, the paper suggests using such specimens to estimate the length-weight relationships of fish that are hard to find alive in their natural environment.
In some former Soviet bloc countries, men often die early due to alcohol abuse. Alcoholism-related mortality varies considerably from one region to another, according to a study in the European part of Russia, Belarus, Lithuania and Poland.
Cancer researchers have known for years that Black and Hispanic patients have worse outcomes than their non-Hispanic White peers. At least when it comes to adults. But few studies have explored these same disparities in pediatric patients, and fewer still have looked for racial/ethnic differences in treatment outcomes in pediatric brain cancer patients.
Scientists have discovered that gorillas really are territorial - and their behaviour is very similar to our own.
Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research shows for the first time that groups of gorillas recognise "ownership" of specific regions. They are also more likely to avoid contact with other groups the closer they are to the centre of their neighbours' home range, for fear of conflict.
Intense sunlight damages the chloroplasts that are essential for photosynthesis, and generates toxic products that can lead to cell death. Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich biologists have now identified a signaling pathway which mitigates the effects of light stress.
Whether running away from a predator or to win an Olympic gold, how fast we run determines the final outcome. Locomotion is produced when limb muscles contract in a co-ordinated fashion. This, in turn, is caused by electrical impulses sent by nerve cells called motor neurons located in the spinal cord. Earlier work showed that based on an animal's momentary needs, brain circuits select a suitable course of action and set the frequency of motion. Then, just like engaging gears in an automobile, spinal 'speed' modules are selectively activated to achieve a certain speed.