Earth
Structures inside rare bacteria are similar to those that power photosynthesis in plants today, suggesting the process is older than assumed.
The finding could mean the evolution of photosynthesis needs a rethink, turning traditional ideas on their head.
Photosynthesis is the ability to use the Sun's energy to produce sugars via chemical reactions. Plants, algae, and some bacteria today perform 'oxygenic' photosynthesis, which splits water into oxygen and hydrogen to power the process, releasing oxygen as a waste product.
Abandoning exotic pets is an ethical problem that can lead to biological invasions that threaten conservation of biodiversity in the environment. An article published in the journal Biological Invasions, whose first author is the researcher Alberto Maceda Veiga, from the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio), reveals that the release of invasive species in the environment has not been reduced despite the regulation that prohibits the possession of these species since 2011.
The 3D analysis of crystal structures requires a full 3D view of the crystals. Crystals as small as powder, with edges less than one micrometer, can only be analysed with electron radiation. With electron crystallography, a full 360-degree view of a single crystal is technically impossible. A team of researchers led by Tim Gruene from the Faculty of Chemistry at the University of Vienna modified the holder of the tiny crystals so that a full view becomes possible. Now they presented their solutions in the journal „Nature Communications".
Coral reefs are delicate ecosystems that are particularly sensitive to human influences such as climate change and environmental pollution. Even if the warming of the earth does not exceed 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius - a limit set by the International Panel of Climate Change (IPCC) - more than 70 percent of coral reef ecosystems are likely to be lost, resulting in an economic and ecological catastrophe.
Osaka, Japan - A research team led by Osaka University showed how multiple overlapping laser beams are better at accelerating electrons to incredibly fast speeds, as compared with a single laser. This method can lead to more powerful and efficient X-ray and ion generation for laboratory astrophysics, cancer therapy research, as well as a path toward controlled nuclear fusion.
Tropical rainforests store large quantities of carbon dioxide, produce oxygen and provide habitats for many animal and plant species. If these ecosystems, which are so important for the global climate and biodiversity, are destroyed, they will recover very slowly, if at all. Scientists from the German Primate Center (DPZ) - Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, the University Estadual Paulista, Brazil, and the University of Marburg have conducted a long-term study on the role monkeys play in the regeneration of degraded rainforests.
DURHAM, N.C. -- Children afflicted with medical emergencies during commercial airline trips tend to have common ailments such as vomiting, fever or allergic reactions - events that should be easily treated, according to a study led by Duke Health researchers.
But few airlines stock first-aid kits with pediatric versions of therapies that would help, including liquid forms of pain relievers or allergy medications.
New research from the LEO Foundation Skin Immunology Research Center at the University of Copenhagen shows, surprisingly, that antibiotics inhibit cancer in the skin in patients with rare type of lymphoma.
Many patients with the rare lymphoma cancer, CTCL, contract staphylococcal infections in the skin. CTCL is a cancer in the so-called T-cells of the immune system, which shows in the skin. Therefore, the patient's immune system is weakened and the skin is less resistant to bacteria.
Synapses between nerve cells in the brain undergo constant remodeling, which is the basis of learning. An Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet (LMU) in Munich team has now traced the molecules that direct remodeling and shown that they circulate in the living cell like running sushi.
BOSTON - As the number of people with type 2 diabetes soared to 8.8 percent of the population by 2017, a growing public health movement has sought to know if tailoring dietary recommendations to specific genetic profiles might help reduce the risk of the disease in susceptible individuals.
Though it remains unknown how life began, there is a community of scientists who suspect it occurred in or around deep sea hydrothermal environments. At such sites, water heated by contact with hot rocks from Earth's mantle flows into the lower ocean, passing over and through minerals which are themselves precipitated by the interaction of this hot water with cold seawater. The minerals often include metal sulfides, such as iron sulfide, also known as pyrite or fool's gold.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -- Opioid users tend to be alone and incapacitated during an overdose. Purdue University researchers are developing a device that would automatically detect an overdose and deliver naloxone, a drug known to reverse deadly effects.
"The antidote is always going to be with you," said Hyowon "Hugh" Lee, an assistant professor of biomedical engineering at Purdue. "The device wouldn't require you to recognize that you're having an overdose or to inject yourself with naloxone, keeping you stable long enough for emergency services to arrive."
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- An intervention called Caregivers Journey of Hope can help social service workers - especially those with the least experience in the field - to mitigate the stress and trauma they may experience when they're helping community members recover from disasters, a new study found.
There's a significant need for mental health interventions for social service workers, who are at high risk of burnout, chronic stress and emotional distress in disaster recovery, said the study's co-authors, University of Illinois social work professors Tara Powell and Kate M. Wegmann.
Cuts, scrapes, blisters, burns, splinters, and punctures - there are a number of ways our skin can be broken. Most treatments for skin wounds involve simply placing a barrier over it (usually an adhesive gauze bandage) to keep it moist, limit pain, and reduce exposure to infectious microbes, but do not actively assist in the healing process.
One of the reasons cancer cells are so robust against the body's natural defenses is that they are in fact human cells, and as such they have the innate machinery not only to trick the body's defense and maintenance systems, but even to hijack them. Therefore, discovering cancer cells' full "bag of tricks" is key for fighting cancer.