168 articles from FRIDAY 4.9.2020

Coaxing single stem cells into specialized cells

Researchers have developed a unique method for precisely controlling the deposition of hydrogel, which is made of water-soluble polymers commonly used to support cells in experiments or for therapeutic purposes. The researchers noticed that their technique - which allows for the encapsulation of a single cell within a minute hydrogel droplet - can be used to coax bone marrow stem cells into...

Modeling heat death in fruit flies due to climate change

A team of researchers from Chile, Hungary, and Spain has created a model to show the factors that can result in heat death in multiple species of fruit flies. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes using established mathematical models to predict heat death under different scenarios and comparing it with heat tolerance data from prior research efforts. Raymond Huey...

Grass on ash: Uncovering 200,000 year old beds from South Africa

There is a fair amount of archeological evidence that indicates complex behavior among our ancestors. For instance, there are bone tools that were used as hunting projectiles, for working leather or for processing plants. Ochre remnants were used for body and rock painting. But plants and their products have rarely been reported to embody this type of complex behavior.

Red hot meat: The wrong recipe for heart disease

From MasterChef to MKR, the world's best chefs have taught us how to barbeque, grill and panfry a steak to perfection. But while the experts may be seeking that extra flavor, new research suggests high-heat caramelization could be bad for our health.

Away review – Hilary Swank space drama fails to launch

The Oscar winner falters on a pioneering mission to Mars, in a glossy, saccharine Netflix series that’s more mundane than out of this worldThere is an unexpectedly old-fashioned feel to Away (Netflix), the glossy and ambitious new space drama led by two-time Oscar winner Hilary Swank. At times, it resembles a blockbuster film from the 90s, at others, a big, mainstream television show from the...

Silvio Berlusconi admitted to hospital with coronavirus

Former Italian PM hospitalised as a precautionary measure after testing positive for Covid Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageItaly’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi is being treated in hospital for Covid-19.Berlusconi, who turns 84 this month, was taken to the San Raffaele hospital in Milam on Thursday night as a precautionary measure. He has not been admitted...

Oil industry placing risky bet on plastics: report

Big oil producers are pinning their future growth on the world's insatiable appetite for plastic, researchers said Friday, in a "bet" on society's failure to tackle disposable consumption that risks stranding billions of dollars in petrochemical investments.