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26 articles from ScienceDaily

Early warning system for COVID-19 gets faster through wastewater detection and tracing

A new research paper builds on previous research of COVID-19 testing in municipal sewer systems and subsequent tracing the virus back to the source by more accurately modelling a system's treelike network of one-way pipes and manholes, and by speeding up the detection/tracing process through automatic sensors installed in specific manholes, chosen according to an easier-to-use algorithm.

An atom chip interferometer that could detect quantum gravity

Physicists have created a quantum interferometer on an atom chip. This device can be used to explore the fundamentals of quantum theory by studying the interference pattern between two beams of atoms. Physicists describe how the device could be adapted to use mesoscopic particles instead of atoms. This modification would allow for expanded applications.

Gene protection for COVID-19 identified

A genetic link has been discovered explaining why some people catch COVID but don't get sick. The gene is found three times as often in people who are asymptomatic. This is the first clear evidence of genetic resistance because the study compared severely affected people with an asymptomatic COVID group and used next generation sequencing to focus in detail and at scale on the HLA genes which are...

Using HPC and experiment, researchers continue to refine graphene production

From touch screens and advanced electronic sensors to better drug delivery devices, graphene has become one of the most promising new materials in recent decades. In an effort to produce cheap, defect-free graphene in larger quantities, researchers have been using GCS HPC resources to develop more efficient methods for producing graphene at the industrial scale.

Heavy water makes biological clocks tick more slowly

Scientists have succeeded in reversibly slowing down cellular processes. A team of biophysicists were able to show in experiments that cells can be transferred into slow motion without changing the temperature. From a physical point of view, such possibilities have so far only been available in the context of the theory of relativity.

Self-excising designer proteins report isoform expression

Our proteome is much bigger than our genome because one gene produces several variants of proteins called protein isoforms, whose disbalance is implicated in many diseases. A new bioengineered reporter system now allows for the first time to follow protein isoform expression over time in live cells. The method helps to decipher the underlying regulatory mechanisms and enables screening for...

What we know about water may have just changed dramatically

New research shows that when water comes into contact with an electrode surface all its molecules do not respond in the same way. This can dramatically affect how well various substances can dissolve in water subject to an electrical field, which in turn, can determine how a chemical reaction will occur. And chemical reactions are a necessary component in how we make...everything. The implications...

Did heat from impacts on asteroids provide the ingredients for life on Earth?

A research group has demonstrated that the heat generated by the impact of a small astronomical body could enable aqueous alteration and organic solid formation to occur on the surface of an asteroid. These results have significantly increased the number of prospective astronomical bodies that could have brought water and the origins of life to Earth.

Giving brown fat a boost to fight type 2 diabetes

Increasing a protein concentrated in brown fat appears to lower blood sugar, promote insulin sensitivity, and protect against fatty liver disease by remodeling white fat to a healthier state, a new study suggests. The finding could eventually lead to new solutions for patients with diabetes and related conditions.

MLB 'FEVER' -- improved elbow MRI view for Major League Baseball pitchers

According to a pilot study, the flexed elbow valgus external rotation (FEVER) view can improve MRI evaluation of the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) in Major League Baseball pitchers. The increased joint space width confirms elbow valgus stress with FEVER view. Diagnostic confidence increased, and additional UCLs were identified as abnormal.

Arctic sea ice thinning faster than expected

Sea ice thickness is inferred by measuring the height of the ice above the water, and this measurement is distorted by snow weighing the ice floe down. Scientists adjust for this using a map of snow depth in the Arctic that is decades out of date. In the new study, researchers swapped this map for the results of a new computer model designed to estimate snow depth as it varies year to year.