Earth
Itokawa would normally be a fairly average near-Earth asteroid - a rocky mass measuring only a few hundred metres in diameter, which orbits the sun amid countless other celestial bodies and repeatedly crosses the orbit of the Earth. But there is one fact that sets Itokawa apart: in 2005 it became a visit from Earth. The Japanese space agency JAXA sent the Hayabusa probe to Itokawa, which collected soil samples and brought them safely back to Earth - for the first time in the history of space travel.
Cells can both survive and multiply under more stress than previously thought, shows research from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences.
This was found by inhibiting the essential gene DNA polymerase alpha, or POLA1, which initiates DNA replication during cell division.
The discovery gives researchers new insights into DNA replication and may potentially be used for a new type of cancer treatment. Research Leader and Associate Professor Luis Toledo of the Center for Chromosome Stability at the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine states as follows:
Researchers have discovered how a notorious pathogen may have hijacked one of nature's most enduring mutual relationships.
The work sheds new light on a long-standing enigma about why plants possess genes that appear to be detrimental to their well-being.
It's long been known that the Mildew Locus O (MLO) gene causes the majority of major crops to be susceptible to the fungal leaf pathogen powdery mildew. Loss of the gene causes durable and robust resistance to the pathogen.
A new study from North Carolina State University shows that lung stem cell secretions - specifically exosomes and secretomes - delivered via nebulizer, can help repair lung injuries due to multiple types of pulmonary fibrosis in mice and rats. The work could lead to more effective, less invasive treatment for human pulmonary fibrosis sufferers.
Synthetic biology researchers at Northwestern University have developed a system that can rapidly create cell-free ribosomes in a test tube, then select the ribosome that can perform a certain function.
The system, called ribosome synthesis and evolution (RISE), is an important step toward using ribosomes beyond their natural capabilities. The key feature of RISE is the ability to evolve ribosomes without cell viability constraints. The result could be new ways to synthesize materials, like nylon, or therapies, like new antibiotics that could address rising antibiotic resistance.
Metals and their alloys are the main structural materials of modern civilization. The properties of metal melts are well studied. However, according to Anatoly Mokshin, one of the co-authors of the publication, Chair of the Department of Computational Physics at Kazan Federal University, for more than 25 years, scientists from all over the world have been trying to explain experimentally observed structural features of the melts of such metals as gallium, germanium and bismuth. These features are called "structural anomalies."
Huntington's disease (HD) is a rare disease characterized by abnormal chorea movement and caused by Huntingtin (Htt) gene mutation and neurodegeneration in a brain area called striatum. A research group led by Dr. Gong Chen, a former professor at Penn State University and now leading a brain repair center at Jinan University in China, has developed a novel gene therapy to regenerate functional new neurons in mouse models of HD.
Ecologically diverse clades came to dominate the modern oceans because they were better buffered against the successive mass extinctions events which reshaped marine animals over evolutionary time - not because of their higher rates of speciation, according to a new study. The findings overturn a long-held understanding of the role of ecology in the evolution of animal life. In the modern ocean, ecological differentiation and taxonomic diversity are closely correlated. However, the origin and nature of the relationship between the two remains unresolved.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. -- A research team led by a scientist at the University of California, Riverside, has found that brains treated with certain drugs within a few days of an injury have a dramatically reduced risk of developing epilepsy later in life.
The development of epilepsy is a major clinical complication after brain injury, and the disease can often take years to appear.
EAST LANSING, Mich. - A new Michigan State University study shines a light on how big data and digital technologies can help farmers better adapt to threats -- both present and future -- from a changing climate.
The study, published in Scientific Reports, is the first to precisely quantify soil and landscape features and spatial and temporal yield variations in response to climate variability. It is also the first to use big data to identify areas within individual fields where yield is unstable.
Properly designed and maintained outdoor green space has the potential to reduce violent crime and gun violence, to make communities safer and keep residents healthier, a new study suggests. Conversely, green space that is poorly designed and inadequately maintained can help crime take root and spread.
The plants we consume for food have changed drastically in the 10,000 years since humans began practicing agriculture, but hominids have been intensively interacting with the plants and animals around them since before the dawn of our species. As humans became aware of the ability to modify crops through selective breeding, the evolution of new traits in plants greatly increased. However, plants have been evolving in response to human selective pressures since long before people began consciously altering them through breeding.
Mount Sinai researchers have discovered a way to enhance the potency of blood-forming stem cells, potentially opening the door to a new approach for bone marrow transplantation, according to a study published on February 27 in Cell Stem Cell.
Consuming extra virgin olive oil has proved to have protecting effects for the health, especially due to its antioxidant content. However, there are not many studies on whether it is the best oil to use when cooking. A study by the University of Barcelona stated this kind of oil keeps the levels of antioxidants -regarded as health- when used for cooking, a common technique in the Mediterranean cuisine. These results could be relevant for future recommendations or nutritional guidelines.
The magnetotactic bacterium Magnetococcus marinus swims with the help of two bundles of flagella, which are thread-like structures. The bacterial cells also possess a sort of intracellular "compass needle", meaning that their movements can be controlled using a magnetic field. This means they can be used as a biological model for microrobots. An international team from the University of Göttingen, the Max Planck Institute of Colloids and Interfaces in Potsdam and the CEA Cadarache (France) has now found out how these bacteria move and determined their swimming speed.