A team of scientists is shedding new light on the gene regulatory pathways activated by cortisol, a hormone secreted in response to stress. Their research helps explain why exposure to chronic stress early in life shortens lifespan and contribute to age-related chronic diseases later in life -- long after the source of stress has been removed.

Engineers have designed a Velcro-like food sensor, made from an array of silk microneedles, that pierces through plastic packaging to sample food for signs of spoilage and bacterial contamination.

Computer-designed miniproteins have now been shown to protect lab-grown human cells from SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The lead antiviral candidate rivals the best-known SARS-CoV-2 monoclonal antibodies in its protective actions. The synthetic antiviral candidates were designed to prevent infection by interfering with the mechanism that coronaviruses use to break into and enter...

Using a new algorithm, researchers have reconstructed the movements of individual particles of light to see through clouds, fog and other obstructions.

A new theory about the nature of dark matter helps explain why a pair of galaxies about 65 million light-years from Earth contains very little of the mysterious matter.

There they were, in all their weird quantum glory: ultracold lithium atoms in the optical trap. Held by lasers in a regular, lattice formation and 'driven' by pulses of energy, these atoms were doing crazy things.

Interactive software that 'reads' and analyzes footprints left by black rhinoceroses can be used to monitor the movements of the animals in the wild, giving conservationists a new way to keep watch on the endangered species and help keep it safe from poachers, according to a new study.

The management of fungal infections in plants and humans could be transformed by a breakthrough in understanding how fungi develop resistance to drugs. It was previously thought that only mutations in a fungi's DNA would result in antifungal drug resistance. Current diagnostic techniques rely on sequencing all of a fungi's DNA to find such mutations. Scientists have now discovered that fungi can...

National parks are safe havens for endangered and threatened species, but an analysis by data scientists finds parks and protected areas can preserve more than species.

Why do some adolescents take more risks than others? Research suggests that two centers in the brain, one which makes adolescents want to take risks and the other which prevents them from acting on these impulses, physically mature at different rates and that adolescents with large differences in the rate of development between these two brain regions are more likely to be risk-takers.

A new study finds the rapidly growing field of collegiate esports is effectively becoming a two-tiered system, with club-level programs that are often supportive of gender diversity being clearly distinct from well-funded varsity programs that are dominated by men.

Researchers have created a single chip that combines a transistor and micro-fluidic cooling system. Their research should help save energy and further shrink the size of electronic components.

Researchers have used a combination of AI and quantum mechanics to reveal how hydrogen gradually turns into a metal inside giant planets.

Scientists have long known that human genes are activated through instructions delivered by the precise order of our DNA. With the aid of artificial intelligence, researchers have solved a long-standing DNA activation code mystery. Their discovery, which they termed the downstream core promoter region (DPR), could eventually be used to control gene activation in biotechnology and biomedical...

Interdisciplinary researchers nationwide are developing AI systems that would go into hospital rooms and elder care homes, to weave 'ambient intelligence' into the places where health care is delivered in order to avoid fatal medical errors and improve therapeutic outcomes.

Scientists have developed a non-invasive technique for unraveling the complex dynamics generated by spinal cord circuits to unprecedented detail, a first in functional magnetic resonance imaging that may one day help diagnose spinal cord dysfunction or injury.

Scientists have developed a physics-based machine learning approach to examine the behavior of hydrogen at extremely high pressures. The model reveals evidence of continuous metalization, and so has significant implications for planetary science. More fundamentally, it shows the way ahead for a simulation-driven change in how we understand the behavior of matter in fields as diverse as drug...

Astronomers have discovered that a halo of warm gas surrounding the Magellanic Clouds likely acts as a protective cocoon, shielding the dwarf galaxies from the Milky Way's own halo and contributing most of the Magellanic Stream's mass.

The switch from brand name to generic cholesterol medications that occurred between 2014 and 2018 has saved Medicare billions of dollars, even as the number of people on cholesterol-lowering drugs has increased, scientists have calculated. Their data suggest that policymakers and clinicians could help cut Medicare costs even further by switching more patients to generic drugs.

A new study provides the first global satellite measurements of one of the most important chemicals affecting Earth's atmosphere.

Quantum information is fragile, which is why quantum computers must be able to correct errors. But what if whole qubits are lost? Researchers are now presenting a method that allows quantum computers to keep going even if they lose some qubits along the way.

A newly published study looking at cats in Wuhan, where the first known outbreak of COVID-19 began, shows more cats might be contracting the disease than first believed.

Researchers have found that a module of the immune system, best known for causing allergic reactions, plays a key role in acquiring host defense against infections triggered by the bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. This allergy module, constituted by mast cells and Immunoglobulin E, can grant protection and increased resistance against secondary bacterial infections in the body. These findings...

Early menarche has been associated with many cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors, but little is known about its association with overall heart health. One new study suggests that age at menarche plays an important role in maintaining and improving cardiovascular health, although there are a number of age differences.