62 articles from TUESDAY 24.12.2019

Mouse pups born from eggs derived from the granulosa cells that surround oocytes

By introducing a chemical cocktail to granulosa cells, researchers in China induced the cells to transform into functional oocytes in mice. Once fertilized, these oocytes were then successfully able to produce healthy offspring, showing no differences from naturally bred mice. The chemical reprogramming method appears December 24 in the journal Cell Reports.

New technology allows control of gene therapy doses

Scientists have developed a special molecular switch that could be embedded into gene therapies to allow doctors to control dosing. The feat offers gene therapy designers what may be the first viable technique for adjusting the activity levels of their therapeutic genes.

MATRIEX imaging: Simultaneously seeing neurons in action in multiple regions of the brain

Two-photon laser scanning microscopy imaging is commonly applied to study neuronal activity at cellular and subcellular resolutions in mammalian brains. Such studies are yet confined to a single functional region of the brain. In a recent report, Mengke Yang and colleagues at the Brain Research Instrument Innovation Center, Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Systems Neuroscience and Optical...

Our favorite holiday gift? A box of Apollo moon soil

Fortunately for today's scientists, Apollo-era leaders had the foresight to save much of the 842 pounds (382 kilograms) of Moon soil and rocks retrieved by NASA astronauts 50 years ago for future generations. They figured new crops of scientists, using instruments of their time, would be able to probe the samples with unprecedented rigor.

Portraits of particulate matter

On solar farms in particularly dusty places in the world, like the Arabian Peninsula and parts of India and China, air pollution costs the solar energy industry tens of billions of dollars annually. As particles settle out of the air onto the surfaces of solar panels, they constrain the panels' potential. Workers with soapy brushes can clean the grime from the panels, much as you might clean your...

How 'houses as ATMs' feed a recession

For most Americans, their home is their most valuable asset, so it makes sense to borrow against the equity to obtain cash. In lean times, that money can be spent on consumption, which keeps the economy humming along. But if housing values and personal incomes don't rise, borrowers might find themselves struggling to repay the debt.

How cells relieve DNA replication stress

Scientists revealed that ATAD5 actively deals with replication stress, in addition to its known function to prevent such stressful situations. Though ATAD5 has been known as a tumor suppressor by maintaining genomic stability and suppressing tumorigenesis, it has been unclear whether the replication regulatory protein is also involved in the replication stress response.

High-performance anode for all-solid-state Li batteries is made of Si nanoparticles

A new study reveals that, in solid electrolytes, a Si anode composed only of commercial Si nanoparticles prepared by spray deposition -- the method is a cost-effective, atmospheric technique - exhibits excellent electrode performance, which has previously been observed only for film electrodes prepared by evaporation processes. This new result therefore suggests that a low-cost and large-scale...

2D materials: Arrangement of atoms measured in silicene

Silicene consists of a single layer of silicon atoms. In contrast to the ultra-flat material graphene, which is made of carbon, silicene shows surface irregularities that influence its electronic properties. Now, physicists have been able to precisely determine this corrugated structure. Their method is also suitable for analyzing other two-dimensional materials.

Chimpanzees more likely to share tools, teach skills when task is complex

A new study finds that chimpanzees that use a multi-step process and complex tools to gather termites are more likely to share tools with novices. The study helps illuminate chimpanzees' capacity for prosocial -- or helping -- behavior, a quality that has been recognized for its potential role in the evolution of human cultural abilities.

Study finds connection between cardiac blood test before surgery and adverse outcomes

The VISION study looked at whether levels of a cardiac blood test, NT-proBNP, measured before surgery can predict cardiac and vascular complications. Higher levels of NT-proBNP, which can be caused by various anomalies in the cardiac muscle, such as stress, inflammation or overstretch, can help identify which patients are at greatest risk of cardiac complications after surgery. The study included...

Empowering the communities most vulnerable to disaster

In her prior life, Jaishree Beedasy was teaching chemical engineering courses. Then she decided to pursue her main interest, which is studying the impact of disasters on the health of vulnerable communities. While disasters don't discriminate against people when they strike, the fact remains that during the aftermath of disasters, the most vulnerable groups of society bear the brunt of the...

Expanding virophage diversity

Virophages are small viruses with double-stranded DNA genomes that co-infect eukaryotic cells along with giant viruses. Almost all known virophage genomes share only four genes in common: major and minor capsid proteins (MCP and mCP, respectively), ATPase involved in DNA packaging, and PRO, a cysteine protease involved in capsid maturation.

Bee gut microbes have a division of labor when it comes to metabolizing complex polysaccharides

Honey bees are invaluable pollinators—cupids of the plant world facilitating the remixing of genes in the next generation of flowering vegetation. In return for their services, bees eat plant nectar and pollen. Nectar is an easily absorbable solution of sugars. But pollen contains plant cell walls, which have complex, branching chains of polysaccharides called pectin and hemicellulose. While...

How cells relieve DNA replication stress

DNA stores all of the information necessary for life phenomena, and a cell transmits its own genetic information to two daughter cells through DNA replication and cell division. Replication stress can be caused by extracellular and intracellular sources during DNA replication, which leads to slowed or stalled replication. If cells do not properly cope with such risks, chromosome break and...

Endless winter: The storm that defined California surfing

Starting in December 1969, a series of El Nino storms barreled up from southern Baja California, bucketing rain, flooding homes and battering hillsides into mud slicks across the Southland. Federal disaster areas were declared in 35 counties, and $900 million in damages were reported.

Widening metal tolerance for hydrogels

Researchers seeking to develop self-healing hydrogels have long sought to mimic the natural ability of mussels to generate strong, flexible threads underwater that allow the mussels to stick to rocks.

Astronomers describe a violent black hole outburst that provides new insight into galaxy cluster evolution

Billions of years ago, in the center of a galaxy cluster far, far away (15 billion light-years, to be exact), a black hole spewed out jets of plasma. As the plasma rushed out of the black hole, it pushed away material, creating two large cavities 180 degrees from each other. In the same way you can calculate the energy of an asteroid impact by the size of its crater, Michael Calzadilla, a graduate...

Educational video could improve the welfare of millions of broiler chickens

The welfare of millions of broiler chickens could be improved thanks to an educational video to help farmers identify and encourage positive welfare in broilers. The video has been created following collaborative work by The Co-op, their chicken supplier, Two Sisters Food Group, and research partners the University of Bristol and FAI Farms.

The Ganges Brims With Dangerous Bacteria

GANGOTRI, India -- High in the Himalayas, it's easy to see why the Ganges River is considered sacred.According to Hindu legend, the Milky Way became this earthly body of water to wash away humanity's sins. As it drains out of a glacier here, rock silt dyes the ice-cold torrent an opaque gray, but biologically, the river is pristine -- free of bacteria.Then, long before it flows past any...