6,005 articles mezi dny 1.12.2020 a 31.12.2020

The (un)social network: The emergence of digital thought clones and what to do about them

A groundbreaking study published in Information & Communications Technology Law by experts at the Centre for Law and Development at Qatar University discusses the legal and ethical implications of Big Tech's development of "digital thought clones." Digital thought clones can allow technology companies to accurately predict and influence people's behavior according to their digital habits. The...

The new generation solar, developed by TalTech, cells contribute to the green revolution

The European Union is determined to undertake a major reform known as the European Green Deal. The biggest changes will take place in the energy production sector, which stands on the brink of a complete transition to renewable energy sources, including solar energy. To boost the power output of solar cells to a terawatt-scale, technologies that leave a smaller ecological footprint, are more...

The shorter the delay, the more effective the neurofeedback

HSE University scientists have for the first time in the world investigated the impact of delayed reinforcement signals in neurofeedback (NFB) training. They have experimentally proven that reducing the delay in feedback (decreasing feedback latency) can significantly increase the efficacy of training. This opens up new potential for the use of NFB for cognitive enhancement, self-regulation, and...

Tomato's wild ancestor is a genomic reservoir for plant breeders

Today's tomatoes are larger and easier to farm than their wild ancestor, but they also are less resistant to disease and environmental stresses like drought and salty soil. Researchers from Boyce Thompson Institute created a high-quality genome for the ancestor, discovering structural variants that are involved in fruit flavor, size and ripening, stress tolerance and disease resistance. Plant...

Treating brain diseases now possible

POSTECH research team led by Professor Kyong-Tai Kim uncovers the mechanism that regulates local expression of key molecules in brain development and neurodegenerative diseases.

Tunable rainbow light trapping in ultrathin resonator arrays

Light squeezed into nanoscale metallic gaps has a myriad of applications in sensing, energy, and nonlinear optics. Recently, scientists at the University of Toronto have developed a new paradigm for the design of ultrathin metallic nanostructures which allows for precision tailoring to fit any desired application. This design strategy, coupled with a novel fabrication technique, provides a...

Tweaking carotenoid genes helps tomatoes bring their a-game

Researchers led by the University of Tsukuba demonstrated that Target-AID gene editing technology can be used to simultaneously introduce single-base changes into multiple genes in tomatoes. Using this technique, the researchers altered three genes associated with carotenoid accumulation, resulting in elevated levels of carotenoids, particularly lycopene, in the resulting tomato lines. This...

Watch immune cells dig tunnels in tissues

White blood cells called cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) dig tunnels in tissues, potentially allowing other CTLs to quickly reach infected cells and tumor cells, researchers report December 1st in Biophysical Journal. The results show that some CTLs move slowly as they create channels through the extracellular matrix (ECM) - a major component of tissues. Afterward, other CTLs move quickly through...

Watching the Arctic thaw in fast-forward

The frozen permafrost in the Arctic is thawing on an alarming scale. By analysing an annual record of satellite images, researchers at the Alfred Wegener Institute have now confirmed these findings: thermokarst lakes in Alaska are draining one by one because warmer and wetter conditions cause deeper thaw, effectively weakening frozen ground as a barrier around lakes. In the season 2017/2018, lake...

What will the climate be like when earth's next supercontinent forms?

The continents will reunite again in the deep future. And a new study, presented today during an online poster session at the meeting of the American Geophysical Union, suggests that the future arrangement of this supercontinent could dramatically impact the habitability and climate stability of Earth. The findings also have implications for searching for life on other planets.

Why long-suffering hosts grow a thick skin

Researchers from the University of Tsukuba have shown that the skin fibrosis seen in chronic graft-versus-host disease is mediated by transforming growth factor-β1 expressed by epidermal cells undergoing programmed death when they are stimulated by interferon-γ. Further investigations elucidate the sclerodermatous changes characteristic of autoimmune and inflammatory conditions such as...

Cancer survivors at higher risk of hospitalization or dying from flu

Survivors from a wide range of cancers are more likely than people in the general population to be hospitalized or die from seasonal influenza even several years after their cancer diagnosis, according to new data. Given that flu and COVID-19 are both epidemic respiratory viruses with broadly similar risk factors, the findings suggest that cancer survivors are also likely to be at raised risk of...