359 articles from WEDNESDAY 24.3.2021

Genome sequenced for pesky pumpkin pathogen

Pumpkin growers dread the tiny tan scabs that form on their fruit, each lesion a telltale sign of bacterial spot disease. The specks don't just mar the fruit's flesh, they provide entry points for rot-inducing fungus and other pathogens that can destroy pumpkins and other cucurbits from the inside out. Either way, farmers pay the price, with marketable yields reduced by as much as 90%.

Decline in black cherry regeneration may herald wider forest change

In the heart of black cherry's native range, including a part of the Allegheny Hardwoods that bills itself as the "Black Cherry Capital of the World," the tree's regeneration, growth and survival have all been declining for more than a decade. In a new analysis, a team of USDA Forest Service and University of Missouri scientists identify likely factors behind the tree's decline and, more...

'Silencing' protein to weaken COVID-19

When invaded by a virus, our body cells launch an alert to neighboring cells to increase their antiviral defenses to prevent the infection from spreading. Some viruses, however, manage to bypass this system by mimicking the host's RNA, preventing them from being detected by the infected cell and avoiding this alert. In the case of SARS-CoV-2, this mimicking uses a protein known as nsp14. This...

Decline in black cherry regeneration may herald wider forest change

Reasons for more than a decade of black cherry regeneration decline in the Allegheny Hardwood Regions are not well-understood; a team of scientists looked at five leading hypotheses; they found that the most likely factors are pathogens and reduced nitrogen availability, and that black cherry may actually be a story of change on a much bigger scale.

Shining a healing light on the brain

Scientists report a novel noninvasive treatment for brain disorders based on breakthroughs in both optics and genetics. It involves stimulation of neurons by means of radioluminescent nanoparticles injected into the brain and exposed to X-rays.

Zooming in on muscle cells

An international team has produced the first high-resolution 3D image of the sarcomere, the basic contractile unit of skeletal and heart muscle cells, by using electron cryo-tomography. Electron cryo-tomography capability of imaging structures directly in frozen muscle cells could translate into future medical treatments for muscle diseases and a better understanding of the aging process.

Rapid lateral flow tests should not be used for test and release'

Cochrane review says rapid antigen tests correctly identify only 58% of asymptomatic peopleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageRapid lateral flow tests for Covid do not work well in people with no symptoms and should not on their own be used to allow people to go to work or school or to travel, experts have said.The UK has bought millions of rapid tests which give results...

Chandra X-ray data sonification: Stellar, galactic, and black hole

This latest installment from our data sonification series features three diverse cosmic scenes. In each, astronomical data collected by NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory and other telescopes are converted into sounds. Data sonification maps the data from these space-based telescopes into a form that users can hear instead of only see, embodying the data in a new form without changing the original...

Mysterious swirling light provides new clue to black holes

Experts discover crucial evidence that could reveal how magnetic fields behave around black holesAn image that captures streaks of polarised light swirling around a supermassive black hole is providing new insight into how galaxies can project streams of energy thousands of light years outward from their core.Black holes are places where the pull of gravity is so strong that even light cannot...