Tech
In the context of progressing towards new targets for a post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, the debate remains on whether the emphasis should be on protected area coverage or protected area effectiveness. "It is worrying that we still know so little about how effective protected areas are, especially in relation to management inputs" says Dr. Johanna Eklund from the University of Helsinki.
A group of biologists from Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) have discovered a new fireworm species in Hong Kong waters and named it Chloeia bimaculata. It is the fourth named species to be added to the fireworm genus Chloeia during the last century. The team also identified Chloeia parva as the fireworm species that caused the outbreak in Hong Kong last year. The discovery shows how little people know about the biodiversity of this group of animals.
PITTSBURGH (Aug. 27, 2019) -- As recreational marijuana legalization becomes more widespread throughout the U.S., so has concern about what that means for enforcing DUI laws. Unlike a breathalyzer used to detect alcohol, police do not have a device that can be used in the field to determine if a driver is under the influence of marijuana. New research from the University of Pittsburgh is poised to change that.
DURHAM, N.C. - A specific gene associated with autism appears to undergo changes in the sperm of men who use marijuana, according to new research from Duke Health.
The gene change occurs through a process called DNA methylation, and it could potentially be passed along to offspring.
Think of a memory from your childhood. Are you seeing the memory through your own eyes, or can you see yourself, while viewing that child as if you were an observer?
"If memory was simply an exact recollection of our experiences, one would think that we would recall our early memories from the first-person perspective," said Peggy St Jacques, assistant professor in the Faculty of Science's Department of Psychology. "Recalling a memory is not like watching a film of what happened. We edit and modify memories each time we recall them."
Allergic reactions are common side effects of tattoos and pigments have been blamed for this. Now researchers prove, for the first time, that particles wear from the needle during the tattooing process and contain the allergens nickel and chromium and therefore could also induce allergies.
SAN DIEGO, Aug. 27, 2019 -- A major challenge for cancer surgeons is to determine exactly where a tumor starts and where it ends. Removing too much tissue can impair normal functions, but not taking enough can mean the disease could recur. The "MasSpec Pen," a handheld device in development, could someday enable surgeons to distinguish between cancerous and healthy tissue with greater certainty in seconds, while in the operating room. Today, researchers report first results of its use in human surgeries.
Researchers at the University of Waterloo have developed a way to better harness the volume of energy collected by solar panels.
In a new study, the researchers developed an algorithm that increases the efficiency of the solar photovoltaic (PV) system and reduces the volume of power currently being wasted due to a lack of effective controls.
Men are typically described by words that refer to behavior, while adjectives ascribed to women tend to be associated with physical appearance. This, according to a group of computer scientists from the University of Copenhagen and other universities that deployed machine learning to analyze 3.5 million books.
'Beautiful' and 'sexy' are two of the adjectives most frequently used to describe women. Commonly used descriptors for men include 'righteous', 'rational' and 'brave'.
Nanoparticles are smaller than five nanometres - a nanometre being one millionth of a millimetre - which corresponds approximately to the size of macromolecules. Such tiny particles are very easily absorbed in body cells. There are two aspects to this feature. Firstly, it makes nanoparticles good vehicles for transporting a broad range of compounds or substances attached to them into normal diseased cells in a targeted manner.
A tumor-targeted CRISPR gene editing system, encapsulated in a nanogel and injected into the body, could effectively and safely halt the growth of triple-negative breast cancer, report researchers at Boston Children's Hospital. Their proof-of-principle study, conducted in human tumor cells and in mice, suggests a potential genetic treatment for triple-negative breast cancer, which has the highest mortality rate of all breast cancers.
The new, patent-protected strategy is reported online this week in the journal PNAS.
PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] -- The nanomaterial graphene has received significant attention for its potential uses in everything from solar cells to tennis rackets. But a new study by Brown University researchers finds a surprising new use for the material: preventing mosquito bites.
In a first-ever study investigating the risk of neonicotinoid insecticides to ground-nesting bees, University of Guelph researchers have discovered at least one species is being exposed to lethal levels of the chemicals in the soil.
Examining the presence of these commonly used pesticides in soil is important given the majority of bee species in Canada make their nests in the ground.
This study focused on hoary squash bees, which feed almost exclusively on the nectar and pollen of squash, pumpkin and gourd flowers.
«This work is an important milestone in the framework of a large project, aimed at full characterization of a novel bioluminescent system, including the luciferase enzyme, luciferin substrate, key reaction products, the mechanism of light-emission, and biosynthetic pathways for luciferin and its analogs.
Researchers at the University of Alberta have found an important protein in the cells of a deadly infectious parasite, opening the door to less harmful treatment for millions of people suffering from diseases like sleeping sickness in Africa and Chagas disease in South America.