299 articles from MONDAY 8.2.2021

Marmoset monkeys have personalities too

An international team of behavioral biologists from Austria, Brazil and the Netherlands, with Vedrana Å lipogor from the University of Vienna as leading author of the study, designed a set of tasks to assess personality of common marmosets. These results have just been published in American Journal of Primatology.

Meet the Smurfs: A bone metabolism family

Researchers from Osaka University and Ehime University have found that protein Smurf2 can regulate a cellular pathway that affects bone metabolism. Smurf2 can mark certain messenger proteins—specifically those that are part of the bone morphogenetic protein signaling pathway—for destruction to prevent the signals from going out of control. The BMP-induced bone in mice without Smurf2 had higher...

Microbiota transfer therapy for autism: Multi-omic approaches and lessons learned

Recent studies in mice and humans have revealed intriguing links between the composition of gut microbiota and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), a disease believed to affect one in 54 children, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Dr. Krajmalnik-Brown's lecture will propose linkages between gut bacteria and ASD, highlighting encouraging results of a microbiome-targeted, ASD open-label...

Mixed and matched: Integrating metal-organic frameworks into polymers for CO2 separation

Polymer matrices can be combined with metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) to enhance their performance for CO2 separation. However, it is challenging to find compatible interactions between MOFs and polymers for this purpose. Now, an international team of scientists has developed a simple strategy to incorporate zirconium-based MOFs into a polymer matrix via covalent bonds. The resulting membranes...

New clues to how SARS-CoV-2 infects cells

The molecular details of how SARS-CoV-2 enters cells and infects them are still not clear. Researchers at Uppsala University have tested the bioinformatic predictions made by another research group and have identified receptors that could be important players in the process. The results are presented in the journal Science Signaling and at the AAAS Annual Meeting held this week.

New drug target for Ebola, Marburg viruses

Researchers have identified a previously unknown site on the filovirus glycoprotein to which small drug molecules can bind and prevent infection -- blocking both sites may be a more effective treatment while reducing the risk of side effects.

New synthetic route for biofuel production

A German-Chinese research team has found a new synthetic route to produce biofuel from biomass. The chemists converted the substance 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) produced from biomass into 2,5-dimethylfuran (DMF), which could be suitable as a biofuel. Compared to previous methods, they achieved a higher yield and selectivity under milder reaction conditions.

NTUsg researchers develop flexible piezoelectric crystal

A team of researchers led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a new material, that when electricity is applied to it, can flex and bend forty times more than other materials in the same class, opening the way to better micro machines.

Ophiura from Russky Island might make photodynamic therapy more affordable

An unusual biologically active porphyrin compound was isolated from seabed dweller Ophiura sarsii. The substance might be used as an affordable light-sensitive drug for innovative photodynamic therapy and for targeted treatment of triple-negative breast cancer and some other cancers. Researchers from the School of Biomedicine of Far Eastern Federal University (FEFU) and the University of Geneva...

Popular tool for measuring child feeding practices validated by RIT researcher

A Rochester Institute of Technology researcher has validated a tool measuring adherence to a popular child feeding approach used by pediatricians, nutritionists, social workers and child psychologists to assess parents' feeding practices and prevent feeding problems. The best-practice approach, known as the Satter Division of Responsibility in Feeding, has now been rigorously tested and peer...

Radiative cooling and solar heating from one system, no electricity needed

A University at Buffalo-led study published Feb. 8 in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science describes a new technology that provides both radiative cooling and solar heating, all is one system and without using electricity or fuel. It could help impoverished communities, reduce cooling and heating costs, lower CO2 emissions