5,081 articles from FEBRUARY 2020

No clear path for golden rice to reach consumers

Heralded as a genetically modified crop with the potential to save millions of lives, Golden Rice has just been approved as safe for human and animal consumption by regulators in the Philippines. The rice is a beta carotene-enriched crop that is intended to reduce Vitamin A deficiency (VAD), a health problem in very poor areas. But a new study finds that most families at risk for VAD can't grow...

One small grain of moon dust, one giant leap for lunar studies

Scientists have found a new way to analyze the chemistry of the moon's soil using a single grain of dust brought back by Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972. Their technique can help us learn more about conditions on the surface of the moon and formation of precious resources like water and helium there.

Pneumococcal vaccines are effective -- But new strategies needed to reduce meningitis

Pneumococcal conjugate vaccines (PCVs) have been highly effective in reducing pneumonia and other invasive infections caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria. But rates of meningitis have shown little change, as pneumococcal strains not targeted by PCVs emerge as more important causes of meningitis, reports a paper in The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal, the official journal of The...

Russian scientists propose a technology reducing the cost of high-efficiency solar cells

A group of St. Petersburg scientists has proposed and experimentally tested a technology for the fabrication of high-efficiency solar cells based on A3B5 semiconductors integrated on a silicon substrate, which in the future may increase the efficiency of the existing single-junction photovoltaic converters by 1.5 times. The development of the technology was forecasted by the Nobel Laureate Zhores...

Scientists identify new biochemical 'warning sign' of early-stage depression

Major depressive disorder affects over 300 million people worldwide, but so far there have been no established biomarkers that clinicians can rely on to detect early-stage depression symptoms. Now, in a new study published in Scientific Reports, scientists at Fujita Health University led by Professor Yasuko Yamamoto have shown that the levels of anthranilic acid in blood may provide a basis for...

Scientists resurrect mammoth's broken genes

Mammoths on Wrangel Island may have been the last of their kind anywhere on Earth. To learn about the plight of these giant creatures and the forces that contributed to their extinction, scientists have resurrected a Wrangel Island mammoth's mutated genes. The goal of the project was to study whether the genes functioned normally. They did not.

Seeing blue after the little blue pill: Visual disturbances in Viagra users

Sildenafil, a common treatment for erectile dysfunction, is typically safe with limited side effects. However, a new study reports persistent visual side-effects, including light sensitivity and color vision impairment, in a group of first-time users who took the highest recommended dose. Fortunately, these symptoms cleared up within 21 days for all the patients and appear to be very rare. Due to...

Silver sawtooth creates valley-coherent light for nanophotonics

Scientists at the University of Groningen used a silver sawtooth nanoslit array to produce valley-coherent photoluminescence in two-dimensional tungsten disulfide flakes at room temperature. Until now, this could only be achieved at very low temperatures. Coherent light can be used to store or transfer information in quantum electronics. This plasmon-exciton hybrid device is promising for use in...

Simple, solar-powered water desalination

A completely passive solar-powered desalination system developed by researchers at MIT and in China could provide more than 1.5 gallons of fresh drinking water per hour for every square meter of solar collecting area. Such systems could potentially serve off-grid arid coastal areas to provide an efficient, low-cost water source.

Supervisors share effective ways to include people with disabilities in the workplace

Among the 201 7 survey's findings were processes that were effective, but underutilized by organizations, according to Dr. Phillips. "For example, partnering with a disability organization was identified as a highly effective way to identify qualified candidates. However, only 28.5% of organizations had implemented this. Interestingly, 75% of supervisors said this would be feasible to implement."...

Synthetic biology: Risk reduction, uncertainty and ethics

Joyce Tait, Founder and co-Director of the Innogen Institute -- a partnership with the University of Edinburgh and The Open University in the United Kingdom to speak during the AAAS 2020 session on 'Synthetic Biology: Digital Design of Living Systems.' She will explore the re-engineering of biological components through computational modelling and bio-systems design technologies and how they will...

The complex effects of colonial rule in Indonesia

The areas of Indonesia where Dutch colonial rulers built a huge sugar-producing industry in the 1800s remain more economically productive today than other parts of the country, according to a study co-authored by an MIT economist.

The power of going small: Copper oxide subnanoparticle catalysts prove most superior

Scientists at Tokyo Tech have shown that copper oxide particles on the sub-nanoscale are more powerful catalysts than those on the nanoscale. These subnanoparticles can also catalyze the oxidation reactions of aromatic hydrocarbons far more effectively than catalysts currently used in industry. This study paves the way to better and more efficient utilization of aromatic hydrocarbons, which are...

Understanding gut microbiota, one cell at a time

Summary: Waseda University scientists devised a novel single-cell genomic sequencing technique that enables detailed, functional analysis of uncultured bacteria and identified bacterial responders of dietary fiber inulin in mouse gut microbiota. This technique could be applied to predict the metabolic fermentation of dietary fibers based on the presence and ability of specific responders and be...

Understanding unexplained low blood sugar in children: More than normal variation

Idiopathic ketotic hypoglycemia (IKH) is often relatively mild and may remain undiagnosed. Luckily it often disappears with age. But severe variants, sometimes affecting several family members, have prompted the research team at the Complex Hypoglycemia Center, Odense University Hospital, Denmark, to dive more deeply into potential new genetic explanations for this disease. -We have identified...