Tech
Many greenhouses could become energy neutral by using see-through solar panels to harvest energy - primarily from the wavelengths of light that plants don't use for photosynthesis. Those are the findings of a new modeling study conducted by engineering, plant biology and physics researchers at North Carolina State University.
Scientists at the University of Groningen used a silver sawtooth nanoslit array to produce valley-coherent photoluminescence in two-dimensional tungsten disulfide flakes at room temperature. Until now, this could only be achieved at very low temperatures. Coherent light can be used to store or transfer information in quantum electronics. This plasmon-exciton hybrid device is promising for use in integrated nanophotonics (light-based electronics). The results were published in Nature Communications on 5 February.
Supercharging the mutation rate in cancer cells can create a powerful vaccine that is able to boost the effectiveness of immunotherapy, a major new study reports.
Scientists forced cancer cells in the lab to evolve much more rapidly than usual using a molecule called APOBEC3B, which is often used by tumours to drive rapid genetic change and drug resistance.
The conversion and utilization of solar energy for chemical fuel production and environmental remediation through artificial photocatalysis have been recognized to be an ideal route to address the critical energy and environmental concerns. The full utilization of solar light is a great challenge for achieving sufficient efficiency in practical applications, and narrowing the bandgap of a photocatalyst weakens the driving force for redox reactions, especially water oxidation and pollutant degradation, because these reactions involve a complicated multi-electron process.
Children with ADHD from the poorest areas are significantly more likely to receive medication as children with ADHD from the most affluent areas, according to the first UK study of its kind.
Previous research has shown that children in poorer areas are more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD. This new research in BJPsych Open, published on behalf of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, is the first UK study to show an association between deprivation and the likelihood of receiving medication for ADHD.
Digital media have fundamentally changed the way we consume news. It is often assumed that the use of social networks and search engines has had a negative impact on the diversity of news that people access. This is often attributed to the algorithmic filtering used by these intermediaries, which only displays information that corresponds to the individual users' interests and preferences.
Mayflies have long been indicators of the ecological health of the lakes, rivers, and streams. The more mayflies present in water, the better the water quality.
The sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, an eatable species of great commercial interest found in the Mediterranean and North-East Atlantic, is more vulnerable than so far believed.
A completely passive solar-powered desalination system developed by researchers at MIT and in China could provide more than 1.5 gallons of fresh drinking water per hour for every square meter of solar collecting area. Such systems could potentially serve off-grid arid coastal areas to provide an efficient, low-cost water source.
Gatersleben, 07.02.2020 Roots are plant organs, that typically absorb water and minerals from soil. It is lesser known that roots also secrete metabolites, so-called root exudates, which impact the properties of soil directly around the root. This thin layer of soil is called the rhizosphere and is home to a rich microbial diversity, the root microbiota. By producing certain exudates, plants communicate with and govern the microbial life within their rhizosphere for their own benefit. Now, researchers have discovered that this is not a one-way process.
Proteins are the molecular machines that make all living things hum -- they stop deadly infections, heal cells and capture energy from the sun. Yet because our basic understanding of how proteins work has until now remained a mystery, humans have only been able to harness the power of proteins by modifying ones we happen to find in nature. This is beginning to change. Enabled by decades of basic research, the rise of inexpensive computing, and the genomics revolution in reading and writing DNA, scientists can now design new proteins from scratch with specific functions.
Joyce Tait, Innogen Founder and co-Director, has an interdisciplinary background in natural and social sciences including risk assessment and regulation, policy analysis, technology management, strategic and operational decision making in companies and public bodies. Tait speaks about re-engineering biological components through computational modelling and bio-systems design technologies and how they will require new frameworks for adaptive and responsible regulation that takes account of the relevant benefits and risks and also of the needs and wants of the full spectrum of stakeholders.
An invasive species of crayfish that is taking over streams from Minnesota to Maine might be successful because it's not a fussy eater, according to biologists with the University of Cincinnati.
In lab "taste tests," this crayfish native to the Ohio River valley displayed no preference for protein or plants, even after weeks on an exclusive diet of one or the other, according to a new UC study. The crayfish has more cellulose-digesting bacteria when its diet is restricted to plants.
Heralded as a genetically modified crop with the potential to save millions of lives, Golden Rice has just been approved as safe for human and animal consumption by regulators in the Philippines. The rice is a beta carotene-enriched crop that is intended to reduce Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a health problem in very poor areas.
But a new study finds that most families at risk for VAD can't grow Golden Rice themselves, and most commercial farmers won't grow it either.
There has been a sharp rise in the number of specialist canine fertility clinics, according to an investigation published in this week's issue of the Vet Record.
The journal found at least 37 clinics in operation - a rise from one known clinic in 2015.