feed info

33 articles from ScienceDaily

Study reveals intricate details about Huntington's disease protein

The research focuses on axonal transport -- the way in which vital materials travel along pathways called axons inside nerve cells, or neurons. Scientists found that HTT sometimes journeys along these roadways in cellular vehicles (called vesicles) that also carry freight including a protein called Rab4. The research also identified other materials that may be present in these shipments.

Pesticides speed the spread of deadly waterborne pathogens

Widespread use of pesticides can speed the transmission of the debilitating disease schistosomiasis, while also upsetting the ecological balances in aquatic environments that prevent infections, finds a new study. The infection, which can trigger lifelong liver and kidney damage, affects hundreds of millions of people every year and is second only to malaria among parasitic diseases, in terms of...

Turmeric could have antiviral properties

Curcumin, a natural compound found in the spice turmeric, could help eliminate certain viruses, research has found. A study showed that curcumin can prevent Transmissible gastroenteritis virus (TGEV) - an alpha-group coronavirus that infects pigs - from infecting cells. At higher doses, the compound was also found to kill virus particles.

Clear strategies needed to reduce bushmeat hunting

Extensive wildlife trade not only threatens species worldwide but can also lead to the transmission of zoonotic diseases. Research sheds new light on the motivations why people hunt, trade or consume different species. The research shows that more differentiated solutions are needed to prevent uncontrolled disease emergence and species decline.

A chemical tailor-made suit for Alzheimer's drugs

Over 50 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's disease and it is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time. Due to pathological changes in the brain, patients become increasingly forgetful and disoriented as the disease progresses. Alzheimer's is still considered incurable today. Researchers now describe a promising approach to treating Alzheimer's disease.

Where is the water during a drought?

In low precipitation periods - where and how is the limited available water distributed and what possibilities are there for improving retention in the soil and the landscape? Researchers discovered that vegetation has a major influence on this. Using the example of the drought-sensitive Demnitzer Muehlenfliess in Brandenburg, they quantified visible and invisible water flows during and shortly...

Separating gamma-ray bursts: Students make critical breakthrough

By applying a machine-learning algorithm, scientists have developed a method to classify all gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), rapid highly energetic explosions in distant galaxies, without needing to find an afterglow - by which GRBs are presently categorized. This breakthrough, initiated by first-year B.Sc. students, may prove key in finally discovering the origins of these mysterious bursts.

Baleen whales have changed their distribution in the Western North Atlantic

Researchers using passive acoustic recordings of whale calls to track their movements have found that four of the six baleen whale species found in the western North Atlantic Ocean -- humpback, sei, fin and blue whales -- have changed their distribution patterns in the past decade. The recordings were made over 10 years by devices moored to the seafloor at nearly 300 locations from the Caribbean...

Chemical thermometers take temperature to the nanometric scale

Scientists recently developed molecular films that can measure the operating temperature of electronic components on a nanometric scale. These patented temperature-sensitive molecules have the distinctive quality of being extremely stable, even after millions of uses. They could soon be deployed in the microelectronics industry.

Predicting the biodiversity of rivers

Biodiversity and thus the state of river ecosystems can now be predicted by combining environmental DNA with hydrological methods, researchers have found. Using the river Thur as an example, the approach allows areas requiring conservation to be identified in order to initiate protective measures.