213 articles from FRIDAY 26.2.2021
Considering disorder and cooperative effects in photon escape rates from atomic gases
Whilst a great deal of research has studied the rates of photons escaping from cold atomic gases, these studies have used a scalar description of light leaving some of its properties untested. In a new paper published in EPJ B Louis Bellando, a post-doctoral researcher at LOMA, University of Bordeaux, France, and his coauthors—Aharon Gero and Eric Akkermans, Technion-Israel Institute of...
Using neutron scattering to better understand milk composition
Neutron scattering is a technique commonly used in physics and biology to understand the composition of complex multicomponent mixtures and is increasingly being used to study applied materials such as food. A new paper published in EPJ E by Gregory N Smith, Niels Bohr Institute, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, shows an example of neutron scattering in the area of food science. Smith uses...
On-surface synthesis of graphene molecules and their superlattices
NUS scientists have devised a new method for the synthesis of nanographene molecules with a high product yield for the development of next generation quantum devices.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star: Physicists develop a new method for counting molecules
Who hasn't looked at the sky on a mild summer night and thought about the vastness of the universe? The trained eye can see the Andromeda galaxy as a distant spot. Thanks to the latest telescopes, we know that it consists of over a trillion stars. In the "nanocosm," clusters of individual light sources, such as molecules, also appear as points.
Nanomedicine activation profile determines efficacy depending on tumor c-Myc expression
The Innovation Center of NanoMedicine reported in ACS Nano together with the group of Prof. Yu Matsumoto of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery and the group of Prof. Horacio Cabral of the Department of Bioengineering in the University of Tokyo that the efficacy of polymeric nano-micelles with different drug activation profile depends on the expression level of c-Myc, one of the major...
Under climate stress, human innovation set stage for population surge
Climate alone is not a driver for human behavior. The choices that people make in the face of changing conditions take place in a larger human context. And studies that combine insights from archeologists and environmental scientists can offer more nuanced lessons about how people have responded—sometimes successfully—to long-term environmental changes.
Blood tests offer early indicator of severe COVID-19, study says
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
In a new study, researchers report that a series of biomarkers, or biological signals, associated with white blood cell activation and obesity can predict severe outcomes in COVID-19 patients.
How housing discrimination affects environmental inequality
Economists and urban planners generally agree that local pollution sources disproportionally impact racial minorities in the U.S. The reasons for this are largely unclear, but a University of Illinois study provides new insights into the issue.
Prioritizing the oldest for COVID-19 vaccines saves more lives, potential years of life, study shows
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
Challenging the idea that older people with shorter life expectancies should rank lower in coronavirus immunization efforts, new research shows that giving vaccine priority to those most at risk of dying from COVID-19 will save the maximum number of lives, and their potential or future years of life.
Light-emitting tattoo engineered
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
The technology, which uses organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), is applied in the same way as water transfer tattoos. That is, the OLEDs are fabricated on to temporary tattoo paper and transferred to a new surface by being pressed on to it and dabbed with water.
Investigating dense plasmas with positron waves
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
Scientists assess the dynamics of positron acoustic waves (PAWS) in EPI plasmas whilst under the influence of magnetic fields, or magnetoplasmas.
Pioneering prehistoric landscape reconstruction reveals early dinosaurs lived on tropical islands
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
A new study using leading edge technology has shed surprising light on the ancient habitat where some of the first dinosaurs roamed in the UK around 200 million years ago.
Artificial microswimmers slow down and accumulate in low-fuel regions
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
A researcher has discovered that artificial microswimmers accumulate where their speed is minimized, an idea that could have implications for improving the efficacy of targeted cancer therapy.
Genes identified that increase the risk of obesity but also protect against disease
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:13
Scientists have identified 62 genes that lead to both higher levels of body fat but a lower risk of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases. These genes may help to keep body fat healthy, and open a new avenue for developing drugs that lower the risk of diabetes and heart disease.
Identification of a protective protein that reduces the severity of COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
Researchers have discovered that increased levels of the protein OAS1 are associated with reduced mortality and less severe disease requiring ventilation among patients with COVID-19. Using drugs that boost OAS1 levels could be explored to try to improve these outcomes.
Statin use associated with increased survival in severe COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
People who took statins to lower cholesterol were about 50 percent less likely to die if hospitalized for COVID-19, a retrospective study has found.
A weak heart makes a suffering brain
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
Heart problems cause disturbed gene activity in the brain's memory center, from which cognitive deficits arise. Researchers at the DZNE come to this conclusion based on laboratory studies. They consider that they have found a possible cause for the increased risk of dementia in people with heart problems.
Bioinformatics tool accurately tracks synthetic DNA
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
A computer science lab challenges -- and beats -- deep learning in a test to see if a new bioinformatics approach effectively tracks the lab of origin of a synthetic genetic sequence.
Under climate stress, human innovation set stage for population surge
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
Aridification in the central plains of China during the early Bronze Age did not cause population collapse, a result that highlights the importance of social resilience to climate change. Instead of a collapse amid dry conditions, development of agriculture and increasingly complex human social structures set the stage for a dramatic increase in human population around 3,900 to 3,500 years ago.
Pesticide imidacloprid threatens future for key pollinator
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
An insecticide used to control pest infestations on squash and pumpkins significantly hinders the reproduction of ground-nesting bees -- valuable pollinators for many food crops, new research has revealed.
Maternal instincts lead to social life of bees
- ScienceDaily
- 21/2/26 18:12
The maternal care of offspring is one of the behavioral drivers that has led some bee species to have an ever-expanding social life over the history of evolution, new research has found. By virtue of being in a social group the genome itself may respond by selecting more social, rather than non-social genes. The behavior and social environment come first setting the stage for future molecular...
Light-emitting tattoo engineered for the first time
Scientists at UCL and the IIT—Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia (Italian Institute of Technology) have created a temporary tattoo with light-emitting technology used in TV and smartphone screens, paving the way for a new type of 'smart tattoo' with a range of potential uses.
Maternal instincts lead to social life of bees
The maternal care of offspring is one of the behavioral drivers that has led some bee species to have an ever-expanding social life over the history of evolution, new research out of York University has found.
New research on artificial microswimmers uncovers a possible solution for delivering targeted cancer treatments
A Mason Engineering researcher has discovered that artificial microswimmers accumulate where their speed is minimized, an idea that could have implications for improving the efficacy of targeted cancer therapy.
Retroviruses are re-writing the koala genome and causing cancer
The koala retrovirus (KoRV) is a virus which, like other retroviruses such as HIV, inserts itself into the DNA of an infected cell. At some point in the past 50,000 years, KoRV has infected the egg or sperm cells of koalas, leading to offspring that carry the retrovirus in every cell in their body. The entire koala population of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia now carry copies of KoRV...