Tech
What should personalized, precision treatment of cancer look like in the future? We know that people are different, their tumors are different, and they respond differently to different therapies. Medical teams of the future might be able to create a "virtual twin" of a person and their tumor. Then, by tapping supercomputers, physician-led teams could simulate how tumor cells behave to test millions (or billions) of possible treatment combinations. Ultimately, the best combinations might offer clues towards a personalized, effective treatment plan.
University of Alaska Fairbanks researchers have linked specific chemical signatures found in human hair with a diet of traditional Yup'ik foods. The finding could help scientists make connections between diet and long-term health trends in Alaska Native populations.
The study was published this month in the Journal of Nutrition.
ST. LOUIS - One of the last remaining megaherbivores, forest elephants shape their environment by serving as seed dispersers and forest bulldozers as they eat over a hundred species of fruit, trample bushes, knock over trees and create trails and clearings. Their ecological impact also affects tree populations and carbon levels in the forest, researchers report, with significant implications for climate and conservation policies.
WASHINGTON--Exposure to common chemicals in plastics and canned foods may play a role in childhood obesity, according to a study published in the Journal of the Endocrine Society.
Bisphenol S (BPS) and bisphenol F (BPF) are manufactured chemicals used in certain kinds of plastic, in the lining of aluminum-canned food and drinks, and in thermal paper from cash-register receipts. These chemicals have been used as a replacement for bisphenol A (BPA), a well-known endocrine-disrupting chemical that harms human health by interfering with the body's hormones.
New research from George Mason University finds that factors such as county poverty levels, social environment, employment rates, and racial or ethnic segregation affect overdose rates differently.
Fairfax, VA - A new study led by George Mason University’s College of Health and Human Services found new insights into the link between county socioeconomics and segregation on drug overdose deaths.
Singapore, July 25, 2019 - Researchers at SMART, MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, and National University of Singapore (NUS) have developed a technology that greatly accelerates the genetic engineering of microbes that can be used to manufacture chemicals used for urban farming. The new technology will result in a faster, cheaper, more accurate, and near-scarless plasmid construction, using standard and reusable parts, that is compatible with most popular DNA assembly methods.
Natural gas releases fewer harmful air pollutants and greenhouse gases than other fossil fuels. That's why it is often seen as a bridge technology to a low-carbon future. A new study by the Institute for Advanced Sustainability Studies (IASS) has estimated emissions from shale gas production through fracking in Germany and the UK. It shows that CO2-eq. emissions would exceed the estimated current emissions from conventional gas production in Germany. The potential risks make strict adherence to environmental standards vital.
A new study published today by the scientific journal Addiction found that raising the legal age of sale of cigarettes from 18 to 21 in the U.S. was associated with a 39% reduction in the odds of regular smoking in 18- to 20-year-olds who had experimented with cigarettes. The reduction was even greater (50%) in those who had close friends who smoked when they were 16.
Advanced simulations have solved a problem in turbulent fluid flow that could lead to more efficient turbines and engines.
When a fluid, such as water or air, flows fast enough, it will experience turbulence - seemingly random changes in velocity and pressure within the fluid.
HAMILTON, ON July 25, 2019 - McMaster researchers have developed a novel new gel made entirely from bacteria-killing viruses.
The anti-bacterial gel, which can be targeted to attack specific forms of bacteria, holds promise for numerous beneficial applications in medicine and environmental protection.
Among many possibilities, it could be used as an antibacterial coating for implants and artificial joints, as a sterile growth scaffold for human tissue, or in environmental cleanup operations, says chemical engineer Zeinab Hosseini-Doust.
Rock core samples from a period of warming millions of years ago indicate soils contributed to a rapid rise in atmospheric greenhouse gas and suggest modern climate models may overestimate Earth's ability to mitigate future warming, according to an international team of scientists.
Researchers discovered a drastic drop in organic material preserved in sections of core samples from the Paleocene-Eocene Thermal Maximum (PETM), a global warming event 55.5 million years ago that's considered the best analogue for modern climate change.
Targeting medical treatment to an ailing body part is a practice as old as medicine itself. A Band-Aid is placed on a skinned knee. Drops go into itchy eyes. A broken arm goes into a cast.
About 80% of Americans' calorie consumption comes from store-bought foods, beverages
Food supply plays a central role in the development of obesity, cardiovascular disease
Compared to other western countries, U.S. has more sugar and sodium content
Manufacturers 'can and should be doing a whole lot better' at providing healthy options
July 24, 2019 - Keven Walgamott had a good "feeling" about picking up the egg without crushing it.
What seems simple for nearly everyone else can be more of a Herculean task for Walgamott, who lost his left hand and part of his arm in an electrical accident 17 years ago. But he was testing out the prototype of a high-tech prosthetic arm with fingers that not only can move, they can move with his thoughts. And thanks to a biomedical engineering team at the University of Utah, he "felt" the egg well enough so his brain could tell the prosthetic hand not to squeeze too hard.
Scientists have created the first completely artificial protein switch that can work inside living cells to modify—or even commandeer—the cell’s complex internal circuitry.
The switch is dubbed LOCKR, short for Latching, Orthogonal Cage/Key pRotein.
Companion papers published July 24 in the journal Nature describe LOCKR’s design and demonstrate several practical applications of the technology. The work was conducted by bioengineering teams led by David Baker at the UW Medicine Institute for Protein Design and Hana El-Samad at UC San Francisco.