Tech

One research group comprising Brazilian and Japanese scientists have discovered how luciferase produced by the railroad worm Phrixothrix hirtus emits red light.

Luciferase is an enzyme that catalyzes the oxidation of luciferin in fireflies, producing oxyluciferin and enabling fireflies to emit light. Differences in the molecular structures explain the different colors of this bioluminescence in different species.

This discovery has the potential for new biotechnological applications, such as the imaging of muscles, blood and hemoglobin-rich tissue.

ITHACA, N.Y. - A team of scientists has developed a computational model that uses artificial intelligence to find sites for hydropower dams in order to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Hydropower dams can provide large quantities of energy with carbon footprints as low as sources like solar and wind. But because of how they're formed, some dams emit dangerously high levels of greenhouse gases, threatening sustainability goals.

Many people in the U.S. do not belong to Native American communities but still carry bits of Native American DNA, inherited from European and African ancestors who had children with indigenous individuals during colonization and settlement. In a new study published 19th September in PLOS Genetics, Andrew Conley of the Georgia Institute of Technology and colleagues investigate this genetic legacy and what it can tell us about how non-natives migrated across the U.S.

NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite imagery revealed Tropical Storm Mario appeared to be losing its rounded shape in the Eastern Pacific Ocean.

When tropical cyclones begin to lose their shape and appear less circular, it is generally an indication of a storm that is weakening. Circular storms can spin faster, just like a tire on a car. Once the tire loses its circular shape it can't rotate as fast.

Human beings create a lot of data in the digital age - whether it's through everyday items like social media posts, emails and Google searches, or more complex information about health, finances and scientific findings.

The International Data Corp. reported that the global datasphere contained 33 zettabytes, or 33 trillion gigabytes, in 2018. By 2025, they expect that number to grow to 175 zettabytes. 175 zettabytes of information stored on DVDs would fill enough DVDs to circle Earth 222 times.

DGIST announced on Sept. 5 that Professor Eun-Kyoung Kim (Director of Neurometabolomic Research Center) discovered new targets to prevent and treat high-fat diet-induced obesity. This research achievement is expected to propose a new direction for developing obesity treatment.

Humans choose food based on the way it looks, smells, and tastes. But the microbes in our guts use a different classification system--one that is based on the molecular components that make up different fibers. In a study published September 19 in the journal Cell, investigators found particular components of dietary fiber that encourage growth and metabolic action of beneficial microbes in the mouse gut.

Three of the world's foremost scientists will co-chair a commission of leading international experts to identify risks and develop a coherent suite of scientific targets to protect Earth's life support systems.

Johan Rockström, Joyeeta Gupta, and Dahe Qin will co-chair the Earth Commission, comprising an initial 19 members, announced today by the international research organisation Future Earth.

Certain human gut microbes with links to health thrive when fed specific types of ingredients in dietary fibers, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

The answer to food insecurity could be as simple as a prescription for healthy food from your health care provider and the means to obtain it, particularly in food deserts, said researchers led by The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth) School of Public Health.

The results will appear in the October issue of Translational Behavioral Medicine. Study partners included the Houston Food Bank, Harris County Public Health, and The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

In experiments with mice and human tissue samples, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers report evidence that neuronal stem cells in the part of the nose responsible for the sense of smell transform themselves to perpetuate the long-term inflammation in chronic sinusitis. Results of the study, they say, suggest that the stem cells' ability to switch their identity to join in the immune response may serve as a protective mechanism, while preserving the potential to regenerate the sense of smell tissue once the inflammation resolves.

Dapagliflozin, a drug that is already used to successfully treat type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prevent development of heart failure, can also be used to treat pre-existing heart failure, even in patients without T2D.

DGIST announced on Tuesday, September 10 that Dr. Jin-Kyu Kang's research team in Division of Energy Technology achieved 11.4% for the photoelectric conversion1 efficiency of flexible CZTSSe thin-film solar cell, the highest in the world. This research is expected to contribute to the development of future solar power technology and the thin-film solar cell industry of next generation.

Solar power offers a promising, renewable alternative to fossil fuels. But solar power production is complicated and influenced by ever-changing factors like cloud coverage, the time of day, and even dust particles in the air.

New research has shown how parental engagement has a positive effect on a child's academic attainment - regardless of age or socio-economic status.

The study, conducted by the Universities of Plymouth and Exeter, also highlighted areas of promise for how schools and early years settings can support parents in a way that improves their children's learning.