Reporting world updates to you
A new approach to quantum light emitters generates a stream of circularly polarized single photons, or particles of light, that may be useful for a range of quantum information and communication applications. A Los Alamos National Laboratory team stacked two different, atomically thin materials to realize this chiral quantum light…
Imagine you want to carry a large, heavy box up a flight of stairs. You might spread your fingers out and lift that box with both hands, then hold it on top of your forearms and balance it against your chest, using your whole body to manipulate the box. Humans…
Led by Director CHANG Sukbok, scientists from the Center for Catalytic Hydrocarbon Functionalizations within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) have made a significant advancement in the synthesis of β-lactam scaffolds, which are structural components frequently found in essential antibiotics such as penicillins and carbapenems. This breakthrough overcomes challenges in…
Short-lived proteins control gene expression in cells to carry out a number of vital tasks, from helping the brain form connections to helping the body mount an immune defense. These proteins are made in the nucleus and are quickly destroyed once they’ve done their job. Despite their importance, the process…
The majority of carbon offset schemes are significantly overestimating the levels of deforestation they are preventing, according to a study published today in Science. This means that many of the “carbon credits” bought by companies to balance out emissions are not tied to real-world forest preservation as claimed. An international…
Despite the rapid increase in severe flooding, a new paper by researchers from the U of A indicates recent floods and droughts in the Amazon River Basin may have not yet exceeded the range of natural hydroclimatic variability. Extreme floods and severe droughts on the Amazon River have occurred more…
A new analysis from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and the USDA-Agricultural Research Service (ARS) has identified the top factors accounting for yield variability in processing sweet corn (used for canned and frozen products), including one within the control of processors. “We used a very robust approach to account for…
Scientific exploration of the deep ocean has largely remained inaccessible to most people because of barriers to access due to infrastructure, training, and physical ability requirements for at-sea oceanographic research. Now, a new and innovative framework for oceanographic research provides a way for shore-based scientists, citizen scientists, and the general…
CNN — A top Ukrainian official has detailed for the first time how a Russian helicopter pilot defected by flying his Mi-8, along with unsuspecting crew members, to Ukraine. In an interview with Radio Liberty, which is set to air later this week, the head of the Ukrainian Defense Intelligence,…
CNN — Russian President Vladimir Putin made his first public comments Thursday on the plane crash believed to have killed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, saying he was “a man of difficult fate.” Putin said he was sending condolences to “Wagner Group employees” on board the plane that crashed on Wednesday.…
Urine levels of adenine, a metabolite produced in the kidney, are predictive and a causative biomarker of looming progressive kidney failure in patients with diabetes, a finding that could lead to earlier diagnosis and intervention, researchers from The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio (also called UT…
Mathematical modeling can show how to safely blend hydrogen with natural gas for transport in existing pipeline systems. A secure and reliable transition to hydrogen is one of the proposed solutions for the shift to a net-zero-carbon economy. “Mixing hydrogen into a natural gas pipeline changes how the gases flow,…
In a new study co-led by investigators at the United States Department of Veterans Affairs and Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, a global team of scientists conducted one of the largest genetic association studies on heart failure to date. Using genomic…
A bitter taste in the mouth is often a symptom or side effect of illness, which may be the result of how the body reacts to pathogens. A new study published in iScience, by Hong Wang, PhD, an Associate Member at the Monell Chemical Sense Center, and colleagues sheds light…
Using ESO’s Very Large Telescope (VLT), astronomers have observed a large dark spot in Neptune’s atmosphere, with an unexpected smaller bright spot adjacent to it. This is the first time a dark spot on the planet has ever been observed with a telescope on Earth. These occasional features in the…
Researchers from the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM), a joint venture between Boston University and Boston Medical Center, have discovered a novel approach for engrafting engineered cells into injured lung tissue. These findings may lead to new ways for treating lung diseases, such as emphysema, pulmonary fibrosis and COVID-19. The…
Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a muscle degeneration disorder caused by mutations affecting the dystrophin gene. On August 24th in the journal Stem Cell Reports, researchers show how a dual CRISPR RNA method restored dystrophin protein function in induced pluripotent stem cells derived from DMD patients. The approach worked by…
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center have uncovered a functional role for KRAS mutations in pancreatic cancer and rapidly translated these findings into a novel therapeutic approach combining a KRAS G12D inhibitor with immune checkpoint inhibitors for early- and late-stage KRAS G12D-mutant pancreatic cancer. The combination…
For many patients, the internet serves as a powerful tool for self-education on medical topics. With ChatGPT now at patients’ fingertips, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, a founding member of the Mass General Brigham healthcare system, assessed how consistently the artificial intelligence chatbot provides recommendations for cancer treatment that…
Researchers at the University of California San Diego have uncovered a connection between the topography of the human genome and the presence of mutations in human cancer. They found that certain regions of the genome, which exhibit unique features, act as hotspots for the accumulation of mutations. The findings, published…
The first three weeks of July 2023 have been the hottest global three-week period so far. In the summer months of 2023, twice as many people in Germany were exposed to daily temperatures of 35 degrees and higher than the average from 1980 to 1999. This is obvious from a…
Gene therapy that induces the body to create microRNA-22 (miR-22), a naturally occurring molecule, successfully treated mice with hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common form of liver cancer. The miR-22 treatment also reduced liver inflammation and produced better survival outcomes with no observable toxicity compared to the FDA-approved liver cancer treatment…
Scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) have developed a flexible battery as thin as a human cornea, which stores electricity when it is immersed in saline solution, and which could one day power smart contact lenses. Smart contact lenses are high-tech contact lenses capable of displaying visible information…
Women with ME/CFS tend to have more symptoms and co-occurring conditions than men, according to initial results from the world’s largest study of the disease. It has long been known that women are more likely to have ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) but the DecodeME study has shown for the…
Preterm babies given a supplement with a combination of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids have better visual function by the age of two and a half. This has been shown by a study at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. The study, published in The Lancet Regional Health Europe, covers 178…
Parents are spending considerable amounts of energy thinking about and mitigating the risks associated with their kids using mobile phones and the internet. The impacts of too much screen time on children’s physical and mental health, development and education are common concerns among parents. New research by the University of…
Just like our hands, certain organic molecules relate to each other like an image and its reflection — a phenomenon that chemists call “chirality” or “handedness.” The two mirror images of the same molecule, namely both enantiomers, often possess different biological properties. For example for drug discovery, many times only…
A new study led by Dr. Xuekun Lu from Queen Mary University of London in collaboration with an international team of researchers from the UK and USA has found a way to prevent lithium plating in electric vehicle batteries, which could lead to faster charging times. The paper was published…
In the form of DNA, nature shows how data can be stored in a space-saving and long-term manner. Bioinformatics specialists are developing DNA chips for computer technology. Researchers show how a combination of molecular biology, nanotechnology, novel polymers, electronics and automation, coupled with systematic development, could make DNA data storage…
A relatively simple, inexpensive method of filtering urban stormwater runoff dramatically boosted survival of newly hatched coho salmon in an experimental study. That’s the good news for the threatened species from the Washington State University-led research. The bad news: unfiltered stormwater killed almost all of them. The findings, published in…
