Tech
LOGAN, UTAH, USA - Simply put, string theory is a proposed method of explaining everything. Actually, there's nothing simple about it. String theory is a theoretical framework from physics that describes one-dimensional, vibrating fibrous objects called "strings," which propagate through space and interact with each other. Piece by piece, energetic minds are discovering and deciphering fundamental strings of the physical universe using mathematical models. Among these intrepid explorers are Utah State University mathematicians Thomas Hill and his faculty mentor, Andreas Malmendier.
Since different tissues, cells or biochemicals have different (such as optical, thermal and acoustic) responses to different wavelengths of light, a light source with visible to near-infrared (NIR) multi-color output provides the fundamental for multi-modal/multi-dimensional sensing/imaging. On the other hand, the polarization properties of light provide an opportunity for the analysis and processing of scattered light signals and can also help to obtain rich structural information in biological materials.
In many human endeavors, having good tools for a particular task is an essential requirement to obtain the best results possible, and neuroscience is no different than other scientific fields in this regard. However, neuroscientists tackle the colossal objective of shedding light on the inner workings of neurons and neuronal circuits, and they rely on various methods to observe and control the firing of neurons to gain a better understanding of their functions.
Current modalities for imaging living tissues and 3D cell cultures are invasive, slow or lacking in spatial resolution. Dynamic full-field optical coherence tomography (D-FFOCT) is a label-free, non-invasive, quantitative technique allying high spatial and temporal resolutions. This technique relies on low coherence interferometry to amplify the phase and amplitude fluctuations, created by moving scattering structures inside biological samples, yielding a motility contrast.
Reforestation is a promising nature-based climate solution. However, there are practical considerations beyond the suitability of land for planting trees, such as financial, land-use and operational constraints, which can limit its outcomes and thus need to be taken into account. A recent study led by researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) found that these constraints could limit the climate mitigation potential of reforestation in the Southeast Asian context.
The majority of drug delivery systems use nano carriers to transport drugs due to their small size and ability to distribute drugs to otherwise inaccessible sites of the body. The downside to this small size, however, is that large quantities are needed to match the required dosage.
Short RNA molecules can be used as medication. Their effectiveness is based on the genetic information they carry: therapeutic RNA can bind to the body's own RNA and thus influence how it functions. However, only a handful of such drugs are available so far.
New research from North Carolina State University finds that the number of robocalls isn't going up, and that answering a robocall doesn't make you more likely to get additional robocalls. However, stories you've heard about individuals getting hundreds of back-to-back unsolicited calls? Those are true.
TAMPA, Fla. -- In the fight against cancer, the immune system is the first line of defense. The lymphatic system specifically is essential to protecting the body against foreign invaders. Activation of immune cells in the lymph nodes leads to the production and release of antibodies, and activation of lymphocytes, including T cells, to battle infection. But little is known about how activation of immune cells in the lymph nodes can occur without enabling effector functions that could also damage the lymphatic system.
The odds of women receiving pay for a college internship are 34% lower than for men, according to new research from Binghamton University, State University of New York.
Swans display more aggression to fellow swans than other birds, new research shows.
The study examined three swan species - mute, whooper and Bewick's - and found all were most frequently aggressive to their own kind.
The findings suggest that similar individuals are the greatest competition for food and other resources such as shelter, which can lead to conflict.
The research, by the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust (WWT) and the University of Exeter, was undertaken to better understand how swan behaviour affects other waterbirds over winter.
Several drugs, including those for depression, schizophrenia, and malaria, would not be if not for a type of organic chemical compound called alicyclic compounds. These compounds are 3D structures formed when three or more carbon atoms join in a ring via covalent bonds, but the ring is not aromatic.
The human brain efficiently executes highly sophisticated tasks, such as image and speech recognition, with an exceptionally lower energy budget than today's computers can. The development of energy-efficient and tunable artificial neurons capable of emulating brain-inspired processes has, therefore, been a major research goal for decades.
A tumour test could help to identify ovarian cancer patients with predicted poor survival, and down the track inform new therapeutical approaches, the results of a major international collaboration have shown.
The research paper led by UNSW Medicine - involving 125 authors across 86 organisations, including University of Southern California (USC), University of Cambridge, University of British Columbia, Huntsman Cancer Institute, Mayo Clinic, and Peter MacCallum Cancer Center in Melbourne - was published in Annals of Oncology.
A joint research team from the National Institute for Basic Biology (NIBB) in Japan, Huazhong Agricultural University in China, and the Czech Academy of Sciences in the Czech Republic has discovered that DNA damage causes cells to reprogram themselves into stem cells and regenerate new plant bodies in the moss Physcomitrella patens. The researchers describe this phenomenon as a unique environmental adaptation of plants.