Tech
A joint research group in Japan has succeeded in reproducing key ALS symptoms in a small tropical fish by remote controlling a disease-associated protein molecule using light illumination.
In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease or motor neuron disease, nerve cells called motor neurons progressively degenerate. These motor neurons accumulate inclusions containing an aggregated form of TDP-43 protein.
Solar energy that reaches the Earth is about 125 million gigawatt (Gw). When this solar energy generated for a year is converted into oil, it is 100 trillion ton which is ten thousand times more than the amount of oil energy the world uses in a year. So, it is no surprising when one of the coffee commercial ads said, "The sunlight reaching the Earth for 30 seconds is enough for the entire world to use energy for 48 hours." Converting this solar energy into electrical energy is solar cell energy.
The Mediterranean Sea has been a major route for maritime migrations as well as frequent trade and invasions during prehistory, yet the genetic history of the Mediterranean islands is not well documented despite recent developments in the study of ancient DNA.
People in the industrialized counties are getting older and are very often in good health as a result of good nutrition, a healthier lifestyle and a higher level of education. More people nowadays know how to keep fit and prevent diseases. Screening programs have increased the survival rates of many illnesses such as cancer, national vaccination programs have completely eradicated many diseases, and better safety standards such as traffic regulation, risk management and safe work procedures have helped to reduce the number of accidents.
When consumers are trying to decide between traditional and online shopping, many factors come into play, such as price, quality, convenience and timeframe. Now, thanks to new research reported in ACS' Environmental Science & Technology, eco-conscious consumers could have another consideration: greenhouse gas emissions. In the study, researchers estimated that shopping at brick-and-mortar stores for personal and home care products often produces less greenhouse gas than one type of online shopping, but more than another.
BOSTON (February 26, 2020, 5:00 a.m., EST)--Middle-aged and older adults who drank sugary beverages daily were at greater risk of developing abnormal cholesterol and triglyceride levels compared to those who rarely drank those beverages, according to a new epidemiological study published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
If you've ever sat in the cool shade of a tree on a hot summer day, you already know that shaded areas are cooler than open fields. But is that kind of cooling enough to make a difference in the hotter world of the future?
When a team of researchers looked at more than 20 years of recent land use changes for Europe and combined that with a climate model to provide information on temperatures during the same period, they found the answer to this question is a clear yes.
Researchers from Trinity College Dublin have made a breakthrough that may eventually lead to improved therapeutic options for people living with asthma. The researchers have uncovered a critical role for a protein (Caspase-11), which had previously never been implicated in the disease.
They report their findings today [Wednesday 26th February 2020] in leading journal Nature Communications.
Efforts to develop heterogeneous catalysts that appeal to the fine chemical industry have been limited by underwhelming results. Although some approaches have shown promising catalytic activity, "heterogenization" itself is not enough. To be adopted by industry, heterogeneous catalysts must promote selectivity that is difficult or even impossible to obtain with existing catalytic systems--the chemical properties of any proposed heterogeneous catalysts must go beyond easier separation and recycling.
Columbia Engineers first to demonstrate a robotic finger with a highly precise sense of touch over a complex, multicurved surface.
New York, NY--February 26, 2020--Researchers at Columbia Engineering announced today that they have introduced a new type of robotic finger with a sense of touch. Their finger can localize touch with very high precision--
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Anyone who has had a mammogram or an MRI knows how uncomfortable and awkward the tests can be. Now, Purdue University researchers have taken technology used in the defense and aerospace industries to create a novel way of doing some medical imaging.
One reason the tests are uncomfortable is that they often use rigid radio-frequency (RF) coils to detect signals from the body. Now, the Purdue team has developed RF coils that are formable and stretchable.
England will fail to be smoke-free by 2030 if current smoking trends continue, according to a report* released today (Tuesday) from Cancer Research UK.
New figures reveal that England is not expected to reach smoke-free until 2037 - seven years behind the ambitious target set last year. And unless smoking in the poorest communities is tackled, health inequalities will remain rife.**
Electrolyte supplements popular with endurance runners can't be relied on to keep essential sodium levels in balance, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and their collaborators.
Rather, longer training distances, lower body mass and avoidance of overhydration were shown to be more important factors in preventing illness caused by electrolyte imbalances, the researchers found. Their study also showed that hot weather increased the rates of these types of illnesses.
Seeds offer a level of resilience to the harmful effects of climate change in ecosystems across the globe. When seeds are dropped into the soil, often becoming dormant for many years until they are ready to grow into plants, they become part of the natural storage of seeds in "soil seed banks." These banks have been thought to better withstand extreme conditions than can the sprouted vegetation that exists above-ground.
An international team of researchers has developed an enzyme produced from agricultural waste that could be used as an important additive in laundry detergents.
By using an enzyme produced from a by-product of mustard seeds, they hope to develop a low-cost naturally derived version of lipase, the second largest commercially produced enzyme, which is used in various industries for the production of fine chemicals, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and biodiesel including detergents.