349 articles from THURSDAY 5.11.2020

Shining a light on the issue of wine fraud

University of Adelaide wine researchers are developing a fast and simple method of authenticating wine - a potential solution against the estimated billions of dollars' worth of wine fraud globally, but also offering a possible means of building regional branding.

Subarachnoid hemorrhage causes more deaths among middle-aged women than other strokes

According to a recently published Finnish study, subarachnoid hemorrhage, which has so far been considered a relatively rare type of stroke, causes a significant share of all fatalities among middle-aged people. The number of, in particular, middle-aged women whose death is caused by subarachnoid hemorrhage is higher than the corresponding figure for cerebral infarction, a much more common...

Surprising insights into the role of autophagy in neuron

Autophagy protects our neurons in the brain, but for entirely different reasons than previously assumed, as researchers from the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut für Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) and Charité in Berlin have shown. When the scientists used a genetic trick to switch off autophagy-mediated "cellular waste disposal", they found elevated levels of the endoplasmic reticulum, which acts,...

The biggest trees capture the most carbon: Large trees dominate carbon storage in forests

A recent study examining carbon storage in Pacific Northwest forests demonstrated that although large-diameter trees (21 inches) only comprised 3% of total stems, they accounted for 42% of the total aboveground carbon storage. The researchers highlight the importance of protecting large trees and strengthening existing forest management policies so that large trees can continue to sequester carbon...

The burning question of Bonfire Night pollution

Bonfire Night celebrations contaminate our air with 100 times more soot than usual. The particles, also known as black carbon are so small, they can penetrate deep into the lungs and cause irritation. Long term exposure can cause harmful effects on the heart and lungs and contributes to millions of deaths worldwide each year.

The ebb and flow of brain ventricles

Enlarged ventricles in the brains of people with multiple sclerosis were previously considered a sign of tissue loss. But a team at the MDC and ECRC demonstrated that this expansion often recedes. A study published in JCI Insight now shows that the process observed in mice is transferable to humans.

Tokyo's voluntary standstill may have stopped COVID-19 in its tracks

Research shows that Japan's noncompulsory state of emergency generally succeeded in reducing human movement. A study from The University of Tokyo Institute of Industrial Science used mobile phone location data for January-April 2020 to record and plot movement of people in metro Tokyo during the emergence and first wave of COVID-19. They found a movement reduction of over 50%, which in turn...

Trehalose 6-phosphate promotes seed filling by activating auxin biosynthesis

Plants undergo several developmental transitions during their life cycle. The differentiation of the young embryo from a meristem like structure into a highly specialized storage organ, is believed to be controlled by local connections between sugars and hormonal response systems. By modulating the trehalose 6?phosphate (T6P) content in growing embryos of pea (Pisum sativum), an international...

Two motivational artificial beings are better than one for enhancing learning

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have found that offline consolidation of a motor task was enhanced by praise delivered by robots, whether they were presented on a screen or were physically present. Further, simultaneous praise from two agents had a stronger effect than praise from just one, regardless of whether the agents were physically present or virtual. Such effects could be...

Urban air pollution estimates may overshadow full picture for China

For the first time, researchers have compared air pollution in urban and suburban areas across all of China. Using data from the China National Environmental Monitoring Center (CNEMC), the researchers found that one air pollutant, called particulate matter (PM2.5), may be overestimated in winter, while another pollutant, called ozone (O3), is significantly underestimated.