6,458 articles frome SEPTEMBER 2020

A ferry protein in the pancreas protects it from the stress induced by a high-fat diet

Scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology (Tokyo Tech) have now uncovered a key mechanism by which pancreatic function is maintained in response to a high-fat diet. A protein present in pancreatic insulin-producing cells protects them from damage under the stress induced by a high-fat diet. As the world increases its intake of high-fat foods and as type 2 diabetes incidence rises as a result,...

A new discovery in regenerative medicine

An international collaboration involving Monash University and Duke-NUS researchers have made an unexpected world-first stem cell discovery that may lead to new treatments for placenta complications during pregnancy.

A new species of spider

During a research stay in the highlands of Colombia conducted as part of her doctorate, Charlotte Hopfe, PhD student at the University of Bayreuth, has discovered and zoologically described a new species of spider.

A quantum thermometer for measuring ultra-cold temperatures

In everyday life, measuring temperature is pretty straightforward. But in the quantum world, which deals with the super small and the ultra-cold, determining how hot or cold something is starts to get more challenging. Now, in a collaboration between the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST), University College Dublin and Trinity College Dublin, researchers have...

A white dwarf's surprise planetary companion

For the first time, an intact, giant exoplanet has been discovered orbiting close to a white dwarf star. This discovery shows that it is possible for Jupiter-sized planets to survive their star's demise and settle into close orbits around the remaining stellar ember, near the habitable zone. This foretells one possible future for our own Solar System when the Sun ages into a white dwarf.

Accurate labels like 'aerosol' or 'chemicals' increase perceived risks of e-cigarette use

Researchers at George Mason University found that students perceived e-cigarette emissions to be more harmful when accurate labels such as 'chemicals' and 'aerosols' were used to describe emissions, compared to tobacco industry coined jargon like 'vapor.' Students who viewed questions about 'aerosol' or 'chemical' were more likely to perceive secondhand exposure to e-cigarettes to be 'harmful/very...

Anti-reflective coating inspired by fly eyes

The eyes of the fruit fly are covered by a thin and transparent coating with anti-reflective, anti-adhesive properties. Researchers from the University of Geneva and Lausanne discovered that the coating only consists of two ingredients: retinin and corneal wax. They succeeded in artificially reproducing the phenomenon on different kinds of surface. This process, which is very inexpensive and is...

Blonde Scandinavians or well-travelled Southern Europeans? Research busts myths of Vikings

Our notion of the Scandinavian Viking very likely stems from films rather than history. In reality, their genome contains lots of genes from Southern and Eastern Europe, which also implies that they had dark rather than blonde hair. And within the Scandinavian borders, the Vikings did not really mix genetically; instead, they travelled abroad on plundering raids. This is revealed by new research...

Can pumping up cold water from deep within the ocean halt coral bleaching?

Rising ocean temperatures cause marine heat waves, which place stress on living coral animals, as well as the photosynthetic algae on which they depend for energy. A new study led by Yvonne Sawall, assistant scientist at the Bermuda Institute of Ocean Sciences (BIOS), is showing potential for the use of artificial upwelling (AU)--or the application of cooler, deep water--as a way to mitigate the...

Climate crisis ages fish, amphibians and reptiles

Climatic conditions are changing at an unprecedented rate, affecting mainly fish, amphibians and reptiles, ectothermic animals that are unable to generate their own internal heat. With heat waves and rising temperatures, these organisms experience not only increased growth rates and heat stress, but also further ageing.

Coconut rhinoceros beetle makes unexpected 'host shift' to Guam's cycad trees

Researchers at the Western Pacific Tropical Research Center at the University of Guam have documented what biologists call a "host shift" of the coconut rhinoceros beetle in Guam. The beetle, first documented as an invasive species in Guam in 2007, has been devastating the island's ubiquitous coconut trees and is now also burrowing into Guam's endangered native cycad tree, Cycas micronesica.