285 articles from THURSDAY 13.5.2021

Screening for ovarian cancer did not reduce early deaths

The latest analysis looked at data from more than 200,000 women aged 50-74 at recruitment who were followed up for an average of 16 years. The women were randomly allocated to one of three groups: no screening, annual screening using an ultrasound scan, and annual multimodal screening involving a blood test followed by an ultrasound scan as a second line test.

Epigenetic changes drive the fate of a B cell

B cells are the immune cells responsible for creating antibodies, and most produce antibodies in response to a pathogen or a vaccine. A small subset of B cells instead spontaneously make antibodies that perform vital housekeeping functions. Understanding how epigenetics spur these differences in such similar cells is an important fundamental question in immunology.

Two-in-one: Wide-angle monitoring meets high-resolution capture in new camera platform

In most cameras, there is a trade-off between the field-of-view and resolution. Omnidirectional cameras offer a 360-degree field of view but poor resolution. In a new study, researchers design a dual camera-based platform employing an omnidirectional camera for target detection and a separate camera for its high-resolution capture and report an overall improved performance, opening doors to...

Force-sensing PIEZO proteins are at work in plants, too

A family of proteins that sense mechanical force--and enable our sense of touch and many other important bodily functions--also are essential for proper root growth in some plants, according to a study led by scientists at Scripps Research and Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

Understanding how people make sense of the news they consume

How people consume news and take actions based on what they read, hear or see, is different than how human brains process other types of information on a daily basis, according to researchers at the University of Missouri School of Journalism. While the current state of the newspaper industry is in flux, these journalism experts discovered people still love reading newspapers, and they believe a...

Market report: Rising stock wealth does boost spending, employment

The stock market is a staple of business news, but it is unclear how meaningful stock prices are to the larger economy. Do changes in stock prices directly affect shorter-term consumption, or are they just leading indicators for subsequent economic activity? The U.S. Federal Reserve, for its part, usually seems to act as if stock-based wealth does help drive spending and employment. But is this...

Research reveals negative effects of hotel app adoption on customer spending

Companies have often considered app adoption among their customers to have a positive impact on customer spending. According to new research from marketing professor P.K. Kannan at the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business, higher app adoption among hotel chains could be linked to lower spending among lower-level loyalty customers, who are more likely to use apps to get the...

The Achilles heel of the coronavirus

Viruses require the resources of an infected cell to replicate and then infect further cells, and transfer to other individuals. One essential step in the viral life cycle is the production of new viral proteins based on the instructions in the viral RNA genome. Following these construction plans, the cell's own protein synthesis machine, called the ribosome, produces the viral proteins.

Domino-like crystallization of glass

Researchers have revealed the thermodynamics and kinetics that facilitate crystal growth in deeply supercooled liquids and glasses. Their insights will help people exploit this atypical crystal growth behavior to enhance glass stability and crystal quality for applications.

Making AI algorithms show their work

Artificial intelligence (AI) learning machines can be trained to solve problems and puzzles on their own instead of using rules that we made for them. But often, researchers do not know what rules the machines make for themselves. A new method quizzes a machine-learning program to figure out what rules it learned on its own and if they are the right ones.

What makes plant cell walls both strong and extensible?

A plant cell wall's unique ability to expand without weakening or breaking is due to the movement of its cellulose skeleton, according to new research that models the cell wall. The new study presents a new concept of the plant cell wall, gives insights into plant cell growth, and could provide inspiration for the design of polymeric materials.

Brain mechanism of curiosity unraveled

Researchers have discovered a new brain circuit underlying curiosity and novelty seeking behavior. Using several innovative techniques, the scientists uncovered a whole path of multiple brain regions that converts curiosity into action in mice.

Cancer has ripple effect on distant tissues

A new study with zebrafish shows that a deadly form of skin cancer -- melanoma -- alters the metabolism of healthy tissues elsewhere in the body. The research suggests that these other tissues could potentially be targeted to help treat cancer.

Researchers identify a missing piece of the Lyme disease puzzle

Epidemic. Pandemic. These terms have become second nature to us, popping up in everyday conversation, and for good reason -- COVID-19 is the latest pandemic to pose a threat to humanity. But in recent months, far less attention has been paid to another widely spread problem that has been proliferating since the late 1970s: Lyme disease.