Drawing an object and naming it engages the brain in similar ways. The finding demonstrates the importance of the visual processing system for producing drawings of an object.

Dust plays a crucial role in the life and health of our planet. In our modern world, dust-borne nutrients traveling in great dust storms from the Saharan Desert fertilize the soil in the Amazon Rainforest and feed photosynthetic organisms like algae in the Atlantic Ocean. In turn, it is those organisms that breathe in carbon dioxide and expel oxygen.

Researchers have now achieved the highest reported rates of inserting genes into human cells with the CRISPR-Cas9 gene-editing system, a necessary step for harnessing CRISPR for clinical gene-therapy applications. By chemically tweaking the ends of the DNA to be inserted, the new technique is up to five times more efficient than current approaches.

Chemists and physicists have designed, deposited and operated single molecular spin switches on surfaces. The newly developed molecules feature stable spin states and do not lose their functionality upon adsorption on surfaces.

A diet low in fat and high in egg whites could be the key to boosting male fertility according to a new pilot study.

A research team found the temperature increase caused by the probe beam could be utilized to generate a signal per se for detecting objects. Notably, this so-called 'active thermal detection' enables super-resolution imaging at all scales.

Casting lines into human cells to snag proteins, a team of researchers has solved a 20-year-old mystery of cell biology.

Though climate change is becoming one of the greatest threats to the Earth's already stressed ecosystems, it may not be the most severe threat today for all species, say authors of a new report on the effects of deforestation on two lemur species in Madagascar.

Stem cells located in the bone marrow generate and control the production of blood and immune cells. Researchers have now developed new methods to reveal the three-dimensional organization of the bone marrow at the single cell level. Using this approach the teams have identified previously unknown cell types that create specific local environments required for blood generation from stem cells. The...

Mice fed a plant-rich diet are less susceptible to gastrointestinal (GI) infection from a pathogen such as the one currently under investigation for a widespread E. coli outbreak tied to romaine lettuce, UT Southwestern researchers report.

Researchers developed a robust multi-layered nano-barrier for ultra-lightweight and stable carbon fiber reinforced polymers (CFRPs) that could be used to build high precision instrument structures for future space missions.

A team was able to demonstrate, using rats, that the EEG doesn't always track with being awake. Their study raises questions about what it means to be conscious.

Lithium-ion batteries are notorious for developing internal electrical shorts that can ignite a battery's liquid electrolytes, leading to explosions and fires. Engineers have developed a solid polymer-based electrolyte that can self-heal after damage -- and the material can also be recycled without the use of harsh chemicals or high temperatures.

A team of researchers created a first-of-its-kind computer model that tracks where sea turtle hatchlings go after they leave Florida's shores, giving scientists a new tool to figure out where young turtles spend their 'lost years.'

Handling very soft, delicate items without damaging them is hard enough with human hands, let alone doing it at the microscopic scale with laboratory instruments. Three new studies show how scientists have honed a technique for handling tiny, soft particles using precisely controlled fluid flows that act as gentle microscopic hands. The technique allows researchers to test the physical limits of...

How can mathematics learning in primary school be facilitated? Scientists have developed an intervention to promote the learning of math in school. Named ACE-ArithmEcole, the program is designed to help schoolchildren surpass their intuitions and rely instead on the use of arithmetic principles. More than half (50.5%) of the students who took part in the intervention were able to solve difficult...

A new study has discovered new evidence of sea-level variability in the central Indian Ocean.

Genetic editing is moving tomato crops from the field to the city skyline, or even outer space. Researchers used CRISPR gene editing to optimize tomatoes for urban agriculture.

Scientists have for the first time put an economic figure on the herbicidal resistance of a major agricultural weed that is decimating winter-wheat farms across the UK.

Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found a young star surrounded by an astonishing mass of gas. The star, called 49 Ceti, is 40 million years old and conventional theories of planet formation predict that the gas should have disappeared by that age. The enigmatically large amount of gas requests a reconsideration of our current understanding of planet...

New research reveals the characteristics of positronium formation within football-shaped nanoparticles, C60, for the first time. At specific positron impact energies, the study shows that positronium emission dominates in the same direction as incoming positrons.

Scientists have created thin films made from barium zirconium sulfide (BaZrS3) and confirmed that the materials have alluring electronic and optical properties predicted by theorists. The films combine exceptionally strong light absorption with good charge transport -- qualities that make them ideal for applications such as photovoltaics and LEDs.

A mother's obesity in pregnancy can affect her child's development years down the road, according to researchers who found lagging motor skills in preschoolers and lower IQ in middle childhood for boys whose mothers were severely overweight while pregnant. At age 7, the boys whose mothers were overweight or obese in pregnancy had scores 5 or more points lower on full-scale IQ tests. No effect was...

Researchers have patented a new concept that could cut trucks' CO2 emissions by almost 90%. It involves capturing CO2 within the exhaust system, converting it into a liquid and storing it on the vehicle. The liquid CO2 would then be delivered to a service station and where it will be turned back into fuel using renewable energy.