428 articles from THURSDAY 21.1.2021
Bringing atoms to a standstill: Researchers miniaturize laser cooling
It's cool to be small. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms down to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, the first step in employing them on microchips to drive a new generation of super-accurate atomic clocks, enable navigation without GPS, and simulate quantum systems.
Advances in modeling and sensors can help farmers and insurers manage risk
When drought caused devastating crop losses in Malawi in 2015-2016, farmers in the southeastern African nation did not initially fear for the worst: the government had purchased insurance for such a calamity. But millions of farmers remained unpaid for months because the insurer's model failed to detect the extent of the losses, and a subsequent model audit moved slowly. Quicker payments would...
Developmental origins of eczema and psoriasis discovered
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 22:31
Scientists have created a highly detailed map of skin, which reveals that cellular processes from development are re-activated in cells from patients with eczema and psoriasis inflammatory skin diseases. The study offers potential new drug targets for treating these painful skin diseases and provides a new understanding of inflammatory disease. The research could also provide a template for...
Bringing atoms to a standstill: Miniaturizing laser cooling
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 22:31
Scientists have miniaturized the optical components required to cool atoms down to a few thousandths of a degree above absolute zero, the first step in employing them on microchips to drive a new generation of super-accurate atomic clocks, enable navigation without GPS, and simulate quantum systems.
Giant sand worm discovery proves truth is stranger than fiction
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 22:31
Researchers have found evidence that large ambush-predatory worms -- some as long as two meters -- roamed the ocean floor near Taiwan over 20 million years ago.
New insights into the link between sunlight exposure and kidney damage
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 22:31
A new collaborative study reveals unexpected insights into how skin exposure to ultraviolet light can worsen clinical symptoms in autoimmune diseases such as lupus.
Creating a safe CAR T-Cell therapy to fight solid tumors in children
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 22:31
Scientists modify CAR T-Cell therapy, making it more effective and less toxic, for possible use in solid tumors such as neuroblastoma.
Researchers prove fish-friendly detection method more sensitive than electrofishing
Delivering a minor electric shock into a stream to reveal any fish lurking nearby may be the gold standard for detecting fish populations, but it's not much fun for the trout.
Squeezing a rock-star material could make it stable enough for solar cells
Among the materials known as perovskites, one of the most exciting is a material that can convert sunlight to electricity as efficiently as today's commercial silicon solar cells and has the potential for being much cheaper and easier to manufacture.
Nature's decline risks our quality of life
It is no secret that over the last few decades, humans have changed nature at an ever-increasing rate. A growing collection of research covers the many ways this is impacting our quality of life, from air quality to nutrition and income. To better understand how which areas are most at risk, scientists have combed through volumes of literature to present global trends in the relationship between...
A cascaded dual deformable phase plate wavefront modulator enables direct AO integration with existing microscopes
Microscopy is the workhorse of contemporary life science research, enabling morphological and chemical inspection of living tissue with ever-increasing spatial and temporal resolution. Even though modern microscopes are genuine marvels of engineering, minute deviations from ideal imaging conditions will still lead to optical aberrations that rapidly degrade imaging quality. A mismatch between the...
NASA mission to test technology for satellite swarms
A NASA mission slated for launch on Friday will place three tiny satellites into low-Earth orbit, where they will demonstrate how satellites might track and communicate with each other, setting the stage for swarms of thousands of small satellites that can work cooperatively and autonomously.
Abnormal hyperactivation in the brain may be an early sign of Alzheimer's
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:38
A psychology and neuroscience professor has just targeted an early biomarker of the disease.
Mitochondrial mutation increases the risk of diabetes in Japanese men
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:38
A new study of Type 2 diabetes (T2D) in Japanese populations has uncovered a previously uncharacterized genetic variant that puts male carriers at greater risk for the disease, as well as the mechanism by which it does so. The impact of the variant was most pronounced in sedentary men; those with the variant had a 65% greater rate of T2D than sedentary men without it.
Scientists make pivotal discovery on mechanism of Epstein-Barr virus latent infection
Researchers at The Wistar Institute have discovered a new enzymatic function of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) protein EBNA1, a critical factor in EBV's ability to transform human cells and cause cancer. Published in Cell, this study provides new indications for inhibiting EBNA1 function, opening up fresh avenues for development of therapies to treat EBV-associated cancers.
Solar system formation in two steps
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:10
Researchers have discovered that a two-step formation process of the early Solar System can explain the chronology and split in volatile and isotope content of the inner and outer Solar System.
Squeezing a rock-star material could make it stable enough for solar cells
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:10
A promising lead halide perovskite is great at converting sunlight to electricity, but it breaks down at room temperature. Now scientists have discovered how to stabilize it with pressure from a diamond anvil cell. The required pressure is well within the reach of industrial manufacturing requirements.
Designing customized 'brains' for robots
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:09
Researchers have developed an automated way to design customized hardware that speeds up a robot's operation. The system, called robomorphic computing, accounts for the robot's physical layout in suggesting an optimized hardware architecture.
Spitting Cobra venom reveals how evolution often finds the same answer to a common problem
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:09
A study of spitting cobras reveals how a combination of venom components have evolved to create an instantly painful venom, not once, but on three separate occasions.
A closer look at T cells reveals big differences in mild vs. severe COVID-19 cases
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:09
How long does immunity to SARS-CoV-2 last following infection? Researchers have uncovered an interesting clue. Their new study suggests that people with severe COVID-19 cases may be left with more of the protective 'memory' T cells needed to fight reinfection.
Combining best of both worlds for cancer modeling
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:09
Treatment options for many types of cancers remain limited, due partly to the in vitro tools used to model cancers and that results from animal studies do not always translate well to human disease. These shortcomings point to a clear need for a better, patient-specific model. Researchers suggest bioengineered microscale organotypic models can address this need.
Study finds genetic clues to pneumonia risk and COVID-19 disparities
- ScienceDaily
- 21/1/21 21:09
Researchers have identified genetic factors that increase the risk for developing pneumonia and its severe, life-threatening consequences.