318 articles from THURSDAY 18.6.2020
Mutations linked to intellectual disability point to overly active ion channe
Two mutations identified in individuals with developmental and epileptic brain disease can be traced back to the same ion channel. Researchers have now elucidated how both independent mutations affect the channel's function: by making it overly active and highly sensitive to stimulation.
Nanoparticle for overcoming leukemia treatment resistance
One of the largest problems with cancer treatment is the development of resistance to anticancer therapies. A research team found that repurposing a commonly used chemotherapy drug using a nanoparticle developed at UConn was more effective than both a solution of the pure drug and other available treatments.
Natural fluid injections triggered Cahuilla earthquake swarm
Scientists generated a catalog of 22,000 seismic events from a four-year period to reveal the structure of an active fault zone.
Neandertal genes in the petri dish
Protocols that allow the transformation of human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) lines into organoids have changed the way scientists can study developmental processes and enable them to decipher the interplay between genes and tissue formation, particularly for organs where primary tissue is not available. Now, investigators are taking this technology and applying it to study the...
New Argentine fossils uncover history of celebrated conifer group
Newly unearthed, surprisingly well-preserved conifer fossils from Patagonia, Argentina, show that an endangered and celebrated group of tropical West Pacific trees has roots in the ancient supercontinent that once comprised Australia, Antarctica and South America, according to an international team of researchers.
New research leads to Army drones changing shape mid-flight
oon, the U.S. Army will be able to deploy autonomous air vehicles that can change shape during flight, according to new research presented at the AIAA Aviation Forum and Exposition's virtual event June 16.
New research says displaying fake reviews increases consumer trust in platforms by 80%
Many people are using COVID-19 quarantine to get projects done at home, meaning plenty of online shopping for tools and supplies. But do you buy blind? Research shows 97% of consumers consult product reviews before making a purchase. Fake reviews are a significant threat for online review portals and product search engines given the potential for damage to consumer trust. Little is known about...
New research shows tiny, decoy 'sponges' attract coronavirus away from lung cells
New nanotechnology tested at BU's NEIDL stops SARS-CoV-2 from infecting cells and replicating.
New study: Publicizing OSHA violations increases compliance
A single press release naming a company that has violated workplace health and safety regulations can result in a 73 percent improvement in compliance by other facilities, a Duke researcher finds in a study published in the American Economic Review. 'OSHA would have to conduct an additional 210 inspections to elicit the same improvement in compliance as sparked by a single press release about...
No disadvantages to having kids early
Maturing and reproducing early hardly has any downsides. If you're a wild boar, that is.
Off the scales: Fish armor both tough and flexible
Humans have drawn technological inspiration from fish scales going back to ancient times: Romans, Egyptians, and other civilizations would dress their warriors in scale armor, providing both protection and mobility. Now, using advanced X-ray imaging techniques, Berkeley Lab scientists have characterized carp scales down to the nanoscale, enabling them to understand how the material is resistant to...
Optogenetic odors reveal the logic of olfactory perception
Using optogenetic control, researchers have created an electrical signature that is perceived as an odor in the brain's smell-processing center, the olfactory bulb, even though the odor does not exist.
Popular doesn't mean influential among Cambodian farmers
Published in the International Journal of Agricultural Sustainability, their research examined the role of social network brokers - well-connected individuals within a community - in the adoption of innovative farming practices in Battambang Province in North-Western Cambodia. The authors, Dr Petr Matous, Junjian Zhang and Associate Professor Daniel Tan found that less popular farmers were better...
Predicting side effects
Scientists develop AI-based tool to predict adverse drug events. Such events are responsible for some 2 million U.S. hospitalizations per year. The free, open-source system could enable safer drug design, optimize drug safety
Protecting Earth from asteroid impact with a tethered diversion
A new paper published in EPJ Special Topics, co-authored by Flaviane Venditti, Planetary Radar Department, Arecibo Observatory, University of Central Florida, Arecibo, suggests the use of a tether assisted system to prevent PHA impact.
Quantum rings in the hold of laser light
Ultracold atoms trapped in appropriately prepared optical traps can arrange themselves in surprisingly complex, hitherto unobserved structures, according to scientists from the Institute of Nuclear Physics of the Polish Academy of Sciences in Cracow. In line with their most recent predictions, matter in optical lattices should form tensile and inhomogeneous quantum rings in a controlled manner.
Reducing the risk of space debris collision
In a new paper published in EPJ Special Topics, authors Antônio Delson Conceição de Jesus and Gabriel Luiz F. Santos, from the State University of Feira de Santana, Bahia, Brazil, model the complex rendezvous manoeuvres a tug vehicle clearing space debris would have to undergo to mitigate the risk of collision at the moment of coupling.
Research news tip sheet: Story ideas from Johns Hopkins Medicine
We want you to continue having access to the latest Johns Hopkins Medicine research achievements and clinical advances, so we are issuing a second tip sheet every Thursday, covering topics not related to COVID-19 or the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Researchers create a photographic film of a molecular switch
Molecular switches are the molecular counterparts of electrical switches and play an important role in many processes in nature. Nanotechnologist now produced a photographic film at the atomic level and thus tracked the motion of a molecular building block. The result was a light-controlled 'pedalo-type motion', going forward and backward. The study has been published in the "The Journal of...
Researchers design a system to reduce the noise of space rockets in the launch phase
Researchers at the Gandia campus of the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV) have developed a new system to reduce the noise of space rockets during the first phases of launching. The prototype was presented by Iván Herrero, Doctor in Mathematics by UPV in his doctoral thesis, and will increase the safety of launching of space vehicles
Researchers discover unique material design for brain-like computations
Over the past few decades, computers have seen dramatic progress in processing power; however, even the most advanced computers are relatively rudimentary in comparison with the complexities and capabilities of the human brain.
Researchers find a new therapeutic target in pancreatic cancer
The development of pancreatic cancer is driven by coexisting mutations in an oncogene involved in controlling cell growth, and in a tumor suppressor gene. But how these mutations cooperate to promote cancer is unknown. A new study uncovers the link between key processes in the formation of pancreatic cancer.
Researchers identify key steps in development of kidneys
The discovery of how certain key structures in the kidneys are formed could have important implications for treating renal fibrosis (or scarring), a feature of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Researchers make next-generation, high-toughness battery component
By combining a ceramic material with graphene, Brown University engineers have made what they say is the toughest solid electrolyte built to date.
Researchers study a novel type of extracellular vesicles
Researchers from Sechenov University and the University of Pittsburgh compared the properties of two groups of extracellular vesicles. Either present in a liquid phase or attached to the fibres of the extracellular matrix, these vesicles facilitate metabolism and cell-cell communication. A better understanding of their structure, production and movement can help create new bioengineered materials...