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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

Sulfur enhances carbon storage in the Black Sea

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...

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...

'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.

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...

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. The research found natural growth due to seed dispersal by birds, mammals and wind can produce biodiverse and resilient woodland.

Yellow fever mosquitoes evolve different strategies to resist pesticides

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.