273 articles from THURSDAY 26.3.2020

The genetic quest to understand COVID-19

The novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that causes COVID-19 is now likely to become the fifth endemic coronavirus in humans. Scientists are working to decipher its genome to help us stop other coronaviruses entering the human population.

How stable is deep ocean circulation in warmer climate?

If circulation of deep waters in the Atlantic stops or slows due to climate change, it could cause cooling in northern North America and Europe - a scenario that has occurred during past cold glacial periods. Now, a new study suggests that short-term disruptions of deep ocean circulation occurred during warm interglacial periods in the last 450,000 years, and may happen again.

Scientists create model to measure how cells sense their surroundings

Our body's ability to detect disease, foreign material, and the location of food sources and toxins is all determined by a cocktail of chemicals that surround our cells, as well as our cells' ability to 'read' these chemicals. Cells are highly sensitive. In fact, our immune system can be triggered by the presence of just one foreign molecule or ion. Yet researchers don't know how cells achieve...

Missing link in coronavirus jump from bats to humans could be pangolins, not snakes

As scientists scramble to learn more about the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, two recent studies of the virus' genome reached controversial conclusions: namely, that snakes are intermediate hosts of the new virus, and that a key coronavirus protein shares 'uncanny similarities' with an HIV-1 protein. Now, a study refutes both ideas and suggests that scaly, anteater-like animals called pangolins are the...

Upgrading biomass with selective surface-modified catalysts

Scientists have designed a catalyst composed of very low concentrations of platinum (single atoms and clusters smaller than billionths of a meter) on the surface of titanium dioxide. They demonstrated how this catalyst significantly enhances the rate of breaking a particular carbon-oxygen bond for the conversion of a plant derivative (furfuryl alcohol) into a potential biofuel (2-methylfuran)....

How long does coronavirus live on different surfaces?

Evidence of Covid-19 RNA was found on a cruise ship 17 days after passengers left. What are the risks of handling packages and groceries?Coronavirus – latest US updatesLive global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore people are staying indoors to avoid contact with people potentially infected by Covid-19. But in light of a recent report from the US’s Centers for Disease Control and...

Cave find shows Neanderthals collected seafood, scientists say

Discovery adds to growing evidence that Neanderthals were very similar to modern humans Neanderthals made extensive use of coastal environments, munching on fish, crabs and mussels, researchers have found, in the latest study to reveal similarities between modern humans and our big-browed cousins.Until now, many Neanderthal sites had shown only small-scale use of marine resources; for example,...

Neanderthals were pioneers in marine resource exploitation: study

The journal Science has published a study led by the ICREA researcher João Zilhão from the University of Barcelona on the excavation in Cueva de Figueira Brava, Portugal, which was used as shelter by Neanderthal populations about between 86,000 and 106,000 years ago. The study reveals fishing and shellfish gathering contributed significantly to the subsistence economy of the inhabitants of...

Deregulation of ribosomal protein expression and translation promotes breast cancer metastasis

Circulating tumor cells (CTCs) are shed into the bloodstream from primary tumors, but only a small subset of these cells generates metastases. We conducted an in vivo genome-wide CRISPR activation screen in CTCs from breast cancer patients to identify genes that promote distant metastasis in mice. Genes coding for ribosomal proteins and regulators of translation were enriched in this screen....

Flux-induced topological superconductivity in full-shell nanowires

Hybrid semiconductor-superconductor nanowires have emerged as a promising platform for realizing topological superconductivity (TSC). Here, we present a route to TSC using magnetic flux applied to a full superconducting shell surrounding a semiconducting nanowire core. Tunneling into the core reveals a hard induced gap near zero applied flux, corresponding to zero phase winding, and a gapped...

Frequency-comb spectroscopy on pure quantum states of a single molecular ion

Spectroscopy is a powerful tool for studying molecules and is commonly performed on large thermal molecular ensembles that are perturbed by motional shifts and interactions with the environment and one another, resulting in convoluted spectra and limited resolution. Here, we use quantum-logic techniques to prepare a trapped molecular ion in a single quantum state, drive terahertz rotational...

Interglacial instability of North Atlantic Deep Water ventilation

Disrupting North Atlantic Deep Water (NADW) ventilation is a key concern in climate projections. We use (sub)centennially resolved bottom water 13C records that span the interglacials of the last 0.5 million years to assess the frequency of and the climatic backgrounds capable of triggering large NADW reductions. Episodes of reduced NADW in the deep Atlantic, similar in magnitude to glacial...