From Italy and the World

Existing conservation efforts are insufficient to protect Antarctic ecosystems, and population declines are likely for 65% of the continent’s plants and wildlife by the year 2100, according to a study by Jasmine Rachael Lee at the University of Queensland, Australia, and colleagues, publishing December 22 in the open access journal…

Carnegie Mellon University’s Yongxin (Leon) Zhao and the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Shih-Chi Chen have a big idea for manufacturing nanodevices. Zhao’s Biophotonics Lab develops novel techniques to study biological and pathological processes in cells and tissues. Through a process called expansion microscopy, the lab works to advance techniques…

New research shows that glassfrogs — known for their highly transparent undersides and muscles — perform their “disappearing acts” by stowing away nearly all of their red blood cells into their uniquely reflective livers. The study, led by scientists at the American Museum of Natural History and Duke University, is…

The artificial intelligence algorithms behind the chatbot program ChatGPT — which has drawn attention for its ability to generate humanlike written responses to some of the most creative queries — might one day be able to help doctors detect Alzheimer’s Disease in its early stages. Research from Drexel University’s School…

Magma pumping through a massive complex of flat, interconnected chambers deep beneath volcanoes in Hawai’i appears to be responsible for an unexplained swarm of tiny earthquakes felt on the Big Island over the past seven years, in particular since the 2018 eruption and summit collapse of Kīlauea. The pancake-like chambers,…

New GIS-enabled analysis by a Duke University researcher maps what the far-reaching impacts to international trade and shipping could be if any of the world’s 11 busiest marine chokepoints, or shipping straits, are closed due to politics, piracy, vessel accidents, or other causes. Knowing in advance what to expect will…

A state of emergency for the city of Buffalo will go into effect at 7 a.m. ET on Friday, Mayor Byron Brown said Thursday during a news conference with emergency management officials.  According to Brown, conditions will deteriorate quickly on Friday.  “We will see a flash freeze in the morning…

CNN  —  Kyiv and its Western allies are “set for a long confrontation with Russia” following President Volodymyr Zelensky’s momentous visit to Washington, Moscow said as the war in Ukraine approaches 10 months. Russia’s foreign ministry condemned what it called the “monstrous crimes” of the “regime in Kyiv,” after US…

A fundamental principle of molecular biology governs how proteins are made within the cell, which happens in two stages called transcription and translation. During transcription, information stored in DNA is copied into messenger RNA (mRNA). Then during translation, the ribosomes assemble proteins one amino acid at a time based on…

Nano-sized membrane bubbles known as extracellular vesicles activate the immune system in mice and seem to render their tumours sensitive to a type of immunotherapy drug called a checkpoint inhibitor. This is according to a new study published in Cancer Immunology Research by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden. Treatments…

After an intrepid, decade-long search, Johns Hopkins Medicine scientists say they have found a new role for a pair of enzymes that regulate genome function and, when missing or mutated, are linked to diseases such as brain tumors, blood cancers and Kleefstra syndrome — a rare genetic, neurocognitive disorder. The…

People suffering from blood cancer often have a weak immune system, putting them at higher risk of falling seriously ill with COVID-19. Some cancer therapies, moreover, result in these patients forming few or no antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 after COVID-19 vaccination. However, vaccination can also activate so-called T cells, which are…

A phase I clinical trial of PAC-1, a drug that spurs programmed cell death in cancer cells, found only minor side effects in patients with end-stage cancers. The drug stalled the growth of tumors in the five people in the trial with neuroendocrine cancers and reduced tumor size in two…

Researchers from Indiana University School of Medicine have discovered a molecular “clamping” mechanism within a male-specific protein-DNA complex whose mutation causes sex reversal: children with XY chromosomes but female bodies, a condition called Swyer Syndrome. The clamp exploits a water molecule bridging the male factor (designated SRY) and DNA control…

Just like a smartwatch can tell its wearer how many calories they consume during exercise, data from dolphin wearables can now be used to estimate how much energy dolphins use when they swim. University of Michigan engineers, in collaboration with marine mammal specialists at Dolphin Quest Oahu, have led the…

Researchers have discovered a new mode of vertical mother-to-infant microbiome transmission, where microbes in the maternal gut shared genes with microbes in the infant gut during the perinatal period starting immediately before birth and extending thought the first few weeks after birth. This horizontal gene transfer allowed maternal microbial strains…

A multiregional brain circuit allows larval zebrafish to track where they are, where they’ve been, and how to get back to their original location after being displaced, researchers report December 22 in the journal Cell. The results shed light on how larval zebrafish track their own location and use that…

Scientists used patient stem cells and 3D bioprinting to produce eye tissue that will advance understanding of the mechanisms of blinding diseases. The research team from the National Eye Institute (NEI), part of the National Institutes of Health, printed a combination of cells that form the outer blood-retina barrier —…

The use of light to produce transient phases in quantum materials is fast becoming a novel way to engineer new properties in them, such as the generation of superconductivity or nanoscale topological defects. However, visualizing the growth of a new phase in a solid is not easy, due in-part to…

In a new study evaluating the Mediterranean diet and adverse pregnancy outcomes, investigators from the Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai found that women who conceived while adhering to the anti-inflammatory diet had a significantly lower risk of developing preeclampsia during pregnancy. The study, published today in the peer-reviewed journal JAMA…

“We show that the risk for some tipping events could increase very substantially under certain global warming overshoot scenarios,” explains Nico Wunderling, scientist at the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and lead-author of the study to be published in Nature Climate Change. “Even if we would manage to limit…

The risk of firearm death in the U.S. is on the rise: in 2020, firearms became the leading cause of death for children, adolescents and young adults. Yet the risk is far from even — young men in some U.S. zip codes face disproportionately higher risks of firearm-related injuries and…

Using a specialized MRI sensor, MIT researchers have shown that they can detect light deep within tissues such as the brain. Imaging light in deep tissues is extremely difficult because as light travels into tissue, much of it is either absorbed or scattered. The MIT team overcame that obstacle by…

Analysis of more than 1,200 vessels from hunter-gatherer sites has shown that pottery-making techniques spread vast distances over a short period of time through social traditions being passed on. The team, which includes researchers from the University of York and the British Museum, analysed the remains of 1,226 pottery vessels…

A new study found bird diversity increased in North Carolina mountain forest areas severely burned by wildfire in 2016, reinforcing that while wildfire can pose risks to safety and property, it can be beneficial to wildlife. The study results could help forest managers better predict bird responses to wildfire, and…

When NASA’s Mars rovers found manganese oxides in rocks in the Gale and Endeavor craters on Mars in 2014, the discovery sparked some scientists to suggest that the red planet might have once had more oxygen in its atmosphere billions of years ago. The minerals probably required abundant water and…

CNN  —  Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s speech at the US Capitol on Wednesday, where he expressed gratitude for US support, was a historic moment, and one which resonated with people in his home country. CNN spoke to members of the public in Ukraine to gauge their reaction to Zelensky’s visit…

New research from the University of Virginia School of Medicine speaks to the benefits of a COVID-19 booster. The new findings shed light on how mRNA boosters — both Pfizer and Moderna — affect the durability of our antibodies to COVID-19. A booster, the researchers report, made for longer-lasting antibodies…

Men are less likely to seek careers in early education and some other fields traditionally associated with women because of male gender bias in those fields, according to research published by the American Psychological Association. Bias against men in health care, early education and domestic (HEED) fields has been documented…

Exploring a new way to teach robots, Princeton researchers have found that human-language descriptions of tools can accelerate the learning of a simulated robotic arm lifting and using a variety of tools. The results build on evidence that providing richer information during artificial intelligence (AI) training can make autonomous robots…