361 articles from THURSDAY 17.6.2021
Algorithm uses mass spectrometry data to predict identity of molecules
An algorithm designed by researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's Computational Biology Department and St. Petersburg State University in Russia could help scientists identify unknown molecules. The algorithm, called MolDiscovery, uses mass spectrometry data from molecules to predict the identity of unknown substances, telling scientists early in their research whether they have stumbled on...
Drought saps California reservoirs as hot, dry summer looms
Each year Lake Oroville helps water a quarter of the nation's crops, sustain endangered salmon beneath its massive earthen dam and anchor the tourism economy of a Northern California county that must rebuild seemingly every year after unrelenting wildfires.
After 9 years and $10M, Georgia spaceport nears FAA approval
After nine years of planning and $10 million invested by local taxpayers, county officials in Georgia's coastal southeast corner came a big step closer Thursday to winning federal approval of a project engineered to literally inject the local economy with rocket fuel.
EXPLAINER: What's behind the heat wave in the American West?
Much of the American West has been blasted with sweltering heat this week as a high pressure dome combines with the worst drought in modern history to launch temperatures into the triple digits, toppling records even before the official start of summer.
Intensive water management in California promotes 'live fast, die young' cycle in floodplain forests
Woodlands along streams and rivers are an important part of California's diverse ecology. They are biodiversity hotspots, providing various ecosystem services including carbon sequestration and critical habitat for threatened and endangered species. But our land and water use have significantly impacted these ecosystems, sometimes in unexpected ways.
Wales delays easing Covid restrictions by four weeks
Pause will allow 500,000 more vaccine doses to be given to curtail spread of Delta variantCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere is to be a four-week pause in the relaxing of Covid restrictions in Wales, the first minister, Mark Drakeford, will confirm on Friday.More than half a million doses of vaccine are to be deployed over the coming month in an attempt to head off...
Mountain fires burning higher at unprecedented rates
Forest fires have crept higher up mountains over the past few decades, scorching areas previously too wet to burn, according to researchers from McGill University. As wildfires advance uphill, a staggering 11% of all Western U.S. forests are now at risk.
A new rapid assessment to promote climate-informed conservation and nature-based solutions
A new article, published as a Perspective in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, introduces a rapid assessment framework that can be used as a guide to make conservation and nature-based solutions more robust to future climate.
Changing a 2D material's symmetry can unlock its promise
Optoelectronic materials that are capable of converting the energy of light into electricity, and electricity into light, have promising applications as light-emitting, energy-harvesting, and sensing technologies. However, devices made of these materials are often plagued by inefficiency, losing significant useful energy as heat. To break the current limits of efficiency, new principles of...
'Nanodecoy' therapy binds and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 virus
Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells (LSCs) can bind to and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, promoting viral clearance and reducing lung injury in a macaque model of COVID-19. By mimicking the receptor that the virus binds to rather than targeting the virus itself, nanodecoy therapy could remain effective against emerging variants of the virus.
How cells 'read' artificial ingredients tossed into genetic recipe
If the genome is the recipe of life, base pairs are the individual ingredients listed. These chemical structures form DNA, and every living organism on Earth has just four. The specific arrangements of these four base pairs—A, T, C, G—make us who and what we are.
Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer
A research team from Los Alamos National Laboratory and Purdue University have developed bio-inks for biosensors that could help localize critical regions in tissues and organs during surgical operations.
Sorghum, a close relative of corn, tested for disease resistance on Pennsylvania farms
With sorghum poised to become an important crop grown by Pennsylvania farmers, Penn State researchers, in a new study, tested more than 150 germplasm lines of the plant for resistance to a fungus likely to hamper its production.
Passive rewilding can rapidly expand UK woodland at no cost
A long-term passive rewilding study has shown that natural woodland regeneration could make a significant contribution to meeting the UK's ambitious tree planting targets—potentially at no cost and within relatively short timescales.
Probing the dynamics of photoemission
Almost a century ago, Albert Einstein received the Nobel Prize for Physics for his explanation of the photoelectric effect. Published in 1905, Einstein's theory incorporated the idea that light is made up of particles called photons. When light impinges on matter, the electrons in the sample respond to the input of energy, and the interaction gives rise to what is known as the photoelectric...
Scientists propose a new strategy to regulate the cell communication network
A study performed by researchers at the Institute for Advanced Chemistry of Catalonia (IQAC-CSIC) from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in collaboration with Stony Brook University (U.S.) proposes a new strategy for the development of new drugs based on the inhibition of tyrosine kinase enzymes, molecules that activate and trigger many cellular processes. The results have been...
Blood cancer patients with COVID-19 fare better with convalescent plasma
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:37
A new study finds that convalescent plasma from recovered COVID-19 patients can dramatically improve likelihood of survival among blood cancer patients hospitalized with the virus. The therapy involves transfusing plasma from people who have recovered from COVID-19 into patients who have leukemia, lymphoma or other blood cancers and are hospitalized with the viral infection.
Comprehensive RNA-Atlas
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:37
By cleverly combining complementary sequencing techniques, researchers have deepened our understanding of the function of known RNA molecules and discovered thousands of new RNAs. A better understanding of our transcriptome is essential to better understand disease processes and uncover novel genes that may serve as therapeutic targets or biomarkers.
A new rapid assessment to promote climate-informed conservation and nature-based solutions
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:37
A new article introduces a rapid assessment framework that can be used as a guide to make conservation and nature-based solutions more robust to future climate.
Sulfur enhances carbon storage in the Black Sea
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:36
The depths of the Black Sea store comparatively large amounts of organic carbon. A research team has now presented a new hypothesis as to why organic compounds accumulate in this semi-enclosed sea and other oxygen-depleted waters. Reactions with hydrogen sulfide play an important role in stabilizing carbon compounds, the researchers posit. This negative feedback in the climate system could...
Beneficial bacteria can be restored to C-section babies at birth
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:36
Babies born by Cesarean section don't have the same healthy bacteria as those born vaginally, but a new study finds that these natural bacteria can be restored.
Thin, stretchable biosensors could make surgery safer
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:36
A research team has developed bio-inks for biosensors that could help localize critical regions in tissues and organs during surgical operations.
The U.S. Government Placed a Big Bet on an Antiviral Pill to Fight COVID-19
We’re not going to vaccinate our way completely out of this pandemic. With epidemiologists around the world increasingly accepting the reality that SARS-CoV-2 and its variants will become endemic viruses—like the seasonal flu—the push is on to develop antiviral medications that can be taken at home to prevent infections from leading to hospitalization and death. Today, the...
If you ride an e-scooter, take safety precautions
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:35
New research shows that nearly 28% of all electric scooters reported injuries were head and neck injuries.
'Nanodecoy' therapy binds and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 virus
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:35
Nanodecoys made from human lung spheroid cells (LSCs) can bind to and neutralize SARS-CoV-2, promoting viral clearance and reducing lung injury in a macaque model of COVID-19. By mimicking the receptor that the virus binds to rather than targeting the virus itself, nanodecoy therapy could remain effective against emerging variants of the virus.
Sorghum, a close relative of corn, tested for disease resistance on Pennsylvania farms
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 22:34
With sorghum poised to become an important crop grown by Pennsylvania farmers, researchers tested more than 150 germplasm lines of the plant for resistance to a fungus likely to hamper its production.
Alberta now a 'hot spot' for tapeworm that can cause fatal tumours in humans, study cautions
Alberta is now a hot spot of a potentially deadly tapeworm passed from wild canines to humans — and many cases of the parasitic infection could be going undetected, warns an infectious disease...
Good for the goose? Droppings are the star ingredient in new Finnish beer
Craving a beer with notes of chocolate, coffee, and just a faint aroma of goose poop? This ecologically-minded Finnish brewery has you covered.
Earth is trapping ‘unprecedented’ amount of heat, Nasa says
Scientists from agency and Noaa say Earth’s ‘energy imbalance’ roughly doubled from 2005 to 2019 in ‘alarming’ wayThe Earth is trapping nearly twice as much heat as it did in 2005, according to new research. One scientist involved in this research described this as an “unprecedented” increase, amid the climate crisis.Scientists from Nasa, the US space agency, and the National Oceanic...
Probing the dynamics of photoemission
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 20:58
Physicists have used ultrashort laser pulses to probe the dynamics of photoelectron emission in tungsten crystals.
Passive rewilding can rapidly expand UK woodland at no cost
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 20:58
A long-term passive rewilding study has shown that natural woodland regeneration could make a significant contribution to meeting the UK's ambitious tree planting targets - potentially at no cost and within relatively short timescales. The research found natural growth due to seed dispersal by birds, mammals and wind can produce biodiverse and resilient woodland.
Unraveling the origin of Alzheimer's disease
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 20:36
Researchers studying prions -- misfolded proteins that cause lethal incurable diseases -- have identified the surface features of human prions responsible for their replication in the brain.
Yellow fever mosquitoes evolve different strategies to resist pesticides
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 20:36
The yellow fever mosquito spreads multiple untreatable viruses in humans and is primarily controlled using a pesticide called permethrin. However, many mosquitoes are evolving resistance to the pesticide. A new study identifies mutations linked to different permethrin resistance strategies, which threaten our ability to control disease outbreaks.
Heat spells doom for Aussie marsupials
- ScienceDaily
- 21/6/17 20:36
When animals are hot, they eat less. This potentially fatal phenomenon has been largely overlooked in wild animals, explain researchers.